The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 302

Dushan’s eyes widened.

He saw Fred and pushed past a soldier, rushing to him. He grabbed Fred’s trouser leg, desperate.

“P-please! Save me! Don’t let them… Ack!”

Whack.

A soldier grabbed Dushan from behind, yanking him back by his clothes.

The soldier bowed quickly, then pulled Dushan away. Dushan struggled, but the soldier was too strong.

His screams faded as he was dragged away.

Fred remembered Dushan. Dushan had revealed himself as a spy in the fourth test and escaped Dimitri before. Fred couldn’t ignore what he just saw.

“…How could this happen? Was the promise made in the name of Dimitri’s honor a lie?”

Dushan was a spy. Normally, promises to spies don’t matter. But Fred was also a spy, and this made him very uneasy.

Chris spoke.

“We planned to let Dushan live, as promised. If he had stayed quiet about what he knew about Dimitri. But Dushan left Dimitri and went to Adelian. From there, he planned to travel to ‘Valhalla.’ He also contacted the person who paid him using magic. Dimitri’s spies watch everyone closely. They saw Dushan break his promise. So, they brought him here.”

Fred’s eyes wavered.

His mouth felt dry.

Chris’s calm words made him shiver.

Dimitri always knew about the spies. They were sure spies couldn’t hurt them. They were ready to kill us at any time.

Goosebumps rose on his skin.

Chris had finished sorting information about everyone who passed. He said they were ready for their choices.

At first, Fred thought this was to help the spies. Spies like him, whose families were hostages, couldn’t betray Chronos until their families were safe.

But then Fred realized the real meaning. ‘Ready for their choices’ meant they were ready for bad choices too. If Fred betrayed Dimitri, Chris’s bribed people might hurt his family.

His eyes twitched as he thought about it.

Dimitri was more scary than Fred thought. This made him feel many things.

First, he was surprised. Then, fear grew in him. He felt lost and didn’t know what to think. Then, he felt relief. Dimitri’s power was scary, but it also meant Dimitri was strong and careful. Maybe trusting Dimitri was the right choice.

“Fred.”

He looked at Chris.

Chris looked at Fred, his eyes seeming to see everything.

“Remember this day. Dimitri is not just a simple paradise.”

While everyone was talking about what happened to the spies,

someone else was training hard in the training ground, all alone.

Swish.

Rumble!

The sword flashed in the night, a streak of silver.

Sweat flew as he moved, and Ares watched, impressed.

“…The answer I was looking for was in Dimitri.”

Ares.

Ares was known as a sword genius. He didn’t agree with Alexandr’s sword style and made his own.

He liked controlled aura, not wild attacks. He wanted to control mana, not just spread it around his body.

He had beaten Schneider, one of the Twelve Swordsmen of the Continent. This showed his method worked. But Ares knew he still hadn’t found the full answer.

For decades.

He lived obsessed with the sword.

For Ares, swords were everything. He thought about swords from morning till night. Dimitri’s teachings were a shock to him.

‘The Asura Mind Method is what I was searching for! Controlling mana was always hard. But this method makes a space to hold mana and shows many ways to use it. This is not something you learn quickly. How could Roman Dimitri create such a perfect idea?’

It was amazing.

Scott and others took three hours to feel mana. But Ares felt and controlled mana right away when he used the Asura Mind Method.

Only one hour.

In just one hour, he felt mana building up in his dantian. He was so excited he almost shouted.

He was amazed.

The Asura Mind Method was like magic. He felt he could do anything he had dreamed of with it.

The problem was.

‘Is it really true that the Asura Mind Method is just a low-level martial art?’

Clang.

He sheathed his sword.

Swordsmanship with the Asura Mind Method was very strong. He felt like he was improving again after being stuck for a while.

But he couldn’t believe the Asura Mind Method was low-level.

Just with the Asura Mind Method, he saw a new world. And Chris said there was even more.

‘If Chris is right, Roman Dimitri is already the best in martial arts. People don’t understand why Roman Dimitri shared the idea of the dantian. But maybe teaching the Asura Mind Method to spies is nothing compared to what Roman Dimitri has really done. Roman Dimitri, who are you? How can you make such a perfect system, even though you are so young and it goes against everything people believe?’

Ares’s method.

Ares disagreed with Alexandr’s way, but he still had to use some of Alexandr’s ideas.

But Roman Dimitri was different.

Roman Dimitri made the perfect system. It was something Ares had only dreamed of, even though people called Ares a genius.

People learn more when they already know something.

The Asura Mind Method was even more surprising to Ares because he was trying to make a new system that was different from Alexandr’s.

In fact.

Ares had thought about leaving Dimitri after learning a few things. His pride as a swordsman wasn’t that important.

‘Roman Dimitri is writing a new history now. A great achievement that will push Alexandr to the back of history.’

He was convinced.

Roman Dimitri was different from Alexandr.

He was making a perfect system with no mistakes.

That’s why.

Ares changed his mind.

‘As long as I can learn something, I will stay in Dimitri for now.’

He decided to stay. He admitted Roman Dimitri was amazing. He knew he could learn from him. He didn’t plan to be loyal to Dimitri forever. But for now, it was worth it to stay.

But could he guess what would happen?

Chris had already become loyal to Roman Dimitri for the same reasons.

Swoosh. Ares quickly put his silver sword back in its holder. The fight was over, for now.

The night air was cold, biting at his exposed skin like tiny teeth.

Ares, unaware of the dangerous path his future held, turned up the collar of his tunic and headed back to his simple lodgings.

It was Emperor Chronos in name only. Inside, it was Alexander, a spirit who had taken over the Emperor’s body. Alexander listened as Marquis Memphis gave his report.

Marquis Memphis spoke, his voice low. “The spies we sent to Dimitri… they’ve all gone quiet. We first thought it was just a problem with sending messages. But everything in Dimitri seems fine. We have to think… maybe they’ve turned against us.”

Marquis Memphis lowered his head, not daring to look up. He could feel the Emperor’s fury like a hot wind in the room.

“Those worthless traitors! They chose Dimitri, did they?” Chronos’s voice was tight with anger.

Chronos had sent hundreds of spies to the kingdom of Dimitri.

Most failed the tests, but many, including Scott, were successful.

He thought it was just a matter of time. Soon, the martial arts secrets would be stolen.

But as time passed with no contact, Marquis Memphis had to mention the possibility of betrayal.

It was hard to believe that spies of the Chronos Empire would choose Dimitri, despite the risks.

He thought about the ‘fragments’ – pieces of his own soul he had placed in Dimitri to help him. “The connections with the fragments have been severed,” he realized with growing unease.

Communication with them was not good.

Alexander was sure he could steal the martial arts techniques even if the spies failed, but the severed communication with the fragments was troubling.

It wasn’t certain if they had betrayed him.

But the fact that things weren’t going as planned made Alexander unable to control his anger.

The Chronos Empire was different from ordinary countries. That’s why it was called an Empire, and people respected it.

It was a land of power.

Success in the Chronos Empire was better than success in small countries like Cairo, Dimitri, and Hector. People could be proud anywhere on the continent.

But recently, things were changing.

The Chronos Empire had suffered defeats against Dimitri. The shame of paying 500,000 gold in war money still stung. People were starting to whisper that Chronos wasn’t as strong as they thought.

A weakness had appeared.

The idea that Chronos was not perfect led to the spies’ betrayal.

“Humans forget so easily,” Chronos muttered. “Fools. They don’t remember what the Chronos Empire has always done throughout history.”

Not yet.

But soon, the world would feel his anger.

“Marquis Memphis,” Chronos said, his voice dangerously quiet.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Memphis replied, his voice barely a whisper.

“Find those spies in Dimitri,” Chronos commanded, his voice like ice. “Kill them. And find their families. Bring them here. Let everyone see what happens to those who betray Chronos. Let them know that Chronos will not be weakened by these insects. Chronos will always be the strongest power on this continent!”

“I obey your command.”

Marquis Memphis bowed deeply and backed out of the room, fear clinging to him like a shroud. A few days later, he returned to the Emperor, his face as white as bone. ‘Your Majesty,’ he stammered, ‘the spies’ families… they are gone. They have all fled.’

Alexander descended into a gloomy space, the air thick with dust and the smell of damp stone.

He walked deeper, his footsteps echoing in the silence. Finally, he reached his destination. Moonlight streamed down from a hole high in the ceiling, bathing a stone structure in its pale light. It was an altar.

Looking at the altar’s dark red form, stained with what looked like dried blood, Alexander smiled, a cold, unsettling expression.

“One year,” Alexander whispered, his eyes fixed on the altar. “In one year, my grand millennial plan will finally be complete.”

Long ago, Alexander had taken over this body. He remembered the day he rose to the throne, the cheers of the people ringing in his ears. They had no idea who he truly was.

Alexander craved immortality. His past life had been weak and meaningless. Only eternal life, ruling over all, could give his existence true purpose.

Alexander embraced black magic.

To maintain his power, Alexander, now living as an immortal, created a dark tradition. It was a way to control his descendants, the future emperors.

“Every emperor, on their eighteenth birthday, must perform a ritual. They must pray for the empire’s glory and honor our ancestors’ souls.” This was the tradition Alexander had created. But the true purpose was much darker.

The current Emperor, Chronos, had been praised for his natural talent with Aura, a magical power. But on his eighteenth birthday, during the coming-of-age ceremony, Alexander’s soul had taken over him, just as he had planned.

From that day on, the Chronos Emperor was no longer himself. He became just another ‘fragment’ of Alexander’s soul, trapped and controlled.

Alexander did this to the Chronos Emperor, his father, and his grandfather.

History books said Alexander died long ago. But in truth, he had been controlling the emperors of Chronos ever since.

People did not know the truth.

Humans lived short lives, easily forgetting the past, repeating the same mistakes. But on this altar, time moved differently. Blood had been spilled here for centuries, death clinging to the very stones.

Alexander’s plan also moved forward step by step.

The dark magic around the altar was growing stronger. And Alexander sensed that the power of the World Tree, a source of life and balance in the world, was weakening. His grand plan was close to becoming reality.

Alexander dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Roman Dimitri, the Kingdom Alliance – they were nothing. Insignificant obstacles.

“Roman Dimitri,” he hissed, his voice echoing in the chamber. “Struggle all you want. It changes nothing. The future is set. Soon, I will unleash my grand plan. I will crush Dimitri with power they cannot imagine, with martial arts that will make theirs look like child’s play, and with a disaster that will wipe them from the map!”

He threw back his head and laughed, a harsh, echoing sound that filled the chamber. His smile was wide and unnatural, his eyes gleaming with madness.

“Look forward to that day,” he rasped, his voice fading into a gurgling sound. Dark magic erupted from the altar, swirling like black smoke. The darkness grew, spreading outwards, until it completely swallowed Alexander, leaving only shadows in its wake.

In Dimitri, life slowly returned to normal in the days that followed. The spy scare was over, and people began to relax.

It was around this time, as Dimitri breathed a collective sigh of relief, that three unexpected guests arrived at the city gates.

The sky was still dark, the first hints of dawn just touching the horizon. The guards at Dimitri’s main gate were surprised to see a carriage approaching so early. The first guest to visit Dimitri that morning was Hoffman, the well-known banker from the Golden Bank.