The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 317

The day before Carol suffered in the torture chamber, a serious meeting was happening. Jonathan, the Knight Commander, had given a report, and everyone was worried.

“This is quite a predicament,” Conrad, the Baron, said.

War prisoners.

As soon as he read the report, he knew it was a sensitive matter.

Conrad thought, “Dmitri is getting better after the war. If we talk about prisoners now and attack Chronos, things could get even worse. We don’t even know for sure if there *are* prisoners. We just have small hints. If we accuse Chronos without proof, they might just kill all the prisoners and hide everything.”

He already had a headache.

When raising the issue internationally.

If they couldn’t prove the prisoners existed, Dmitri could be at a disadvantage, even though Chronos was clearly at fault.

Not yet.

The two major powers of Chronos and Valhalla were still strong.

Dmitri’s rashness could give them a chance to unite, and unlike the last war, Dmitri would be in a very difficult situation if attacked by both empires.

The problem was that they didn’t have much evidence.

When the truce ended, the chaos would be terrible.

‘The number of prisoners is at most a few hundred. Roman Dmitri may not want the truth to be revealed.’

He tried to think of a solution.

Dmitri needed someone to blame.

If Dmitri needed a reason to act, Conrad would give him one.

Conrad raised his voice.

“We shouldn’t judge this too quickly. We have hints about war prisoners, but no real proof. If we ask Chronos about it, they’ll just destroy the evidence. Then we can’t go back. Dmitri will look silly for talking about prisoners that don’t exist, and Chronos might get support from Valhalla and attack us.”

“That’s right. This matter needs to be handled carefully,” the nobles who agreed with Conrad said.

Only a few hundred.

Compared to all of Dmitri, a few hundred wasn’t a lot.

To save them.

He couldn’t throw the whole country into chaos.

Conrad knew he was selfish, but a country couldn’t be run only by good people.

He agreed to be seen as the villain.

If Roman Dmitri needed a cruel choice, Conrad thought his words would help.

And.

He knew what Roman Dmitri cared about on the battlefield.

Conrad remembered when Roman Dmitri killed the Chronos prisoners. That showed Dmitri would do anything to protect his people. He wouldn’t let prisoners put Dmitri in danger.

That was still true.

He couldn’t endanger Dmitri because of prisoners that might not even exist.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden door of the meeting room crashed open. Everyone jumped.

*Thud.*

Roman Dmitri stood in the doorway, his face grim. He didn’t speak, just hurled a thick stack of papers onto the table. The sound echoed in the tense silence.

“Read this,” Dmitri said, his voice low and hard.

Conrad frowned, picking up the documents. It wasn’t Jonathan’s report. He started to read, his eyes scanning the pages quickly.

As he read further, a muscle twitched in Conrad’s cheek. His eyes widened slightly.

Around the table, the other nobles watched Conrad, their faces pale. They could feel the shift in the room, the sudden weight of Dmitri’s presence.

Conrad finished the last page and let out a long breath, “Haa.” He placed the documents on the table, his gaze meeting Dmitri’s. Surprise filled his voice. “You… you knew about the prisoners all along?”

After the war.

Roman Dmitri gave several orders to Lucas.

Some of them were about prisoners.

“Chronos said they released all the prisoners, but they might be hiding them because of what I did. Lucas, send out our spies to find out if Chronos is hiding Dmitri’s prisoners. If there are prisoners, don’t go near them yet. Get proof that they exist.”

Two months ago.

Lucas had already started.

It wasn’t easy to find the prisoners.

Chronos knew prisoners were a problem, so they hid them very well. The prisoners were made to work in mines and dressed like criminals to hide who they really were.

Also, it was hard for spies to move around in Chronos because of the war.

Chronos checked everyone carefully and caught anyone suspicious, which made the spy network weaker.

Then, a few days ago.

Before Carol sent the magic message, Lucas had the list of prisoners and good evidence.

Everything was ready.

Carol spoke about the prisoners exactly when Roman Dmitri needed her to.

Roman Dmitri said.

“Conrad, I understand why you say that. On the battlefield, I killed all the Chronos prisoners and said what I believed. I thought killing the prisoners was right then, and I still believe in being strong. But things are different now.”

Prisoners.

They were like weak lamps.

To save them, many sacrifices had to be made.

“I will ask you all. Why do you think I didn’t exchange prisoners and pushed the enemies?”

“……”

Everyone was quiet.

The reason was clear.

It sounds cruel, but those captured allies were slowing us down and making it harder to win.

Roman Dmitri.

He didn’t take sacrifices lightly, but he wasn’t led by his feelings.

Everyone agreed with Roman Dmitri.

Dmitri had defeated Chronos, right?

He didn’t want to talk about the prisoners because it was a tricky problem. He didn’t want to make people worried or unsure.

If.

If he talked about the prisoners and couldn’t save them, there could be problems.

In the silence.

Roman Dmitri looked at the leaders.

“During the war, we couldn’t let the prisoners distract us. We all focused only on winning, even if it meant risking our lives. Trying to save prisoners then would have been silly. It would have made us forget what was most important: winning the war. That doesn’t mean we’ll ignore them. We’re trying to win because the winner has power. When we win the war, we can bring the prisoners back safely because we’ll be in a good position.”

If they had lost.

Instead of getting the prisoners back, most people might have been forced to work.

So they won.

At the meeting, Chronos said they had released the prisoners, even though they hadn’t said it before.

That was the difference.

Roman Dmitri.

He knew the winner had advantages.

Winning gave us power. It sounds strange, but winning was the best way to help the prisoners in the end.

“We won by sacrificing. From now on, things are different. During the war, we ignored the prisoners, but after the war, we’ll use our power as the winner to get my people back. That’s why we won. Dmitri doesn’t have to ignore Chronos’s terrible actions anymore.”

He spoke strongly.

The news hit the high-ranking officials hard. They were stunned into silence.

Now, they finally understood. Roman Dmitry’s reason for killing the Chronos prisoners was not just about getting rid of extra weight. It was something more.

Then, the leader spoke, his voice firm, “Gather the troops! We will get our people back from beyond the western front, even if it means war.”

It seemed strange. They had left those prisoners behind to win the war. Now, after the war, they were ready to fight for them. It was unexpected.

But when they heard that Dmitry would not leave the prisoners behind, Dmitry’s people, the officials, all shouted together.

“We obey!”

Count Konrad was there too, shouting louder than the rest, his face red with passion.

Sacrifice.

It was something Roman Dmitry had thought about a lot. It wasn’t simple.

But his past life had taught him a clear lesson.

“When I was struggling to survive, at the lowest point, no one protected me. I was all alone.”

It wasn’t just about the strong surviving and the weak dying. It was more than that.

Back then, in the Demonic Cult, things were cruel.

Baek Jung-hyuk, as he was known then, was sent on a deadly mission by his father. He succeeded, but enemies chased him, wanting to kill him. His life was in danger.

But the Demonic Cult didn’t help. They pretended it wasn’t their mission and didn’t care if Baek Jung-hyuk lived or died. They left him to face death alone.

An arrow went through his arm. A sword cut his back. The Mad Demon, who was young then, jumped in front of Baek Jung-hyuk, taking arrows for him.

They were at the edge of a high cliff. Death seemed close. The Mad Demon, his face tight with anger, gritted his teeth and said, his voice strained.

“My lord! You cannot die! You have to live, get rid of those useless leaders, and take control of the Demonic Cult! I don’t mind sacrificing myself for the Cult. But to be used and then thrown away like trash, I can’t stand it!”

Those words stayed with him. They made him think.

The Demonic Cult was a world ruled by strength. But what was the point of strength if it was used like that?

It was ridiculous. Baek Jung-hyuk’s father acted like the strongest man, but he was low and mean, denying those who risked their lives for him.

It was shameful. Baek Jung-hyuk wanted a different kind of strength.

He wanted power so great that he could live exactly as he wanted.

If he became powerful, he would not be like that.

Even if he had to do bad things to win, he would not become a fool drunk on power, forgetting everyone else.

So, he spoke to the Mad Demon, making a promise to himself as much as to his friend.

“The day I rule the Demonic Cult, even if I decide things based on strength, I will never ignore those who sacrifice for me. Some might call caring only for my people selfish. But to live that selfish life, I will become stronger than anyone can imagine.”

A selfish life. That was Baek Jung-hyuk’s goal.

He wanted to create his own world, where he was the center, and he would not compromise.

In time, the Demonic Cult, and all the martial world, both good and evil, bowed down to Baek Jung-hyuk, who became Roman Dmitry.

And now, in this new life, against the Chronos Empire, the Valhalla Empire, or even greater enemies, he would still live by that promise, for his own selfish life.

They crossed the border into Chronos territory.

Dmitry’s sudden attack sent alarms ringing across the Chronos Empire.

Loud bells echoed through the fortress.

“Enemies! Enemies are here!” soldiers yelled. “Dmitry soldiers have crossed the border!”

Chronos’ main defense line was thrown into chaos. Soldiers scrambled to their positions on the high stone walls. Commander Count Munez rushed to the battlements, trying to understand what was happening.

‘…Roman Dmitry knows about the prisoners. My orders are to negotiate first. But if they become too aggressive, kill all the prisoners and hide everything.’

“Damn it!” Count Munez cursed, his face twisting in anger and worry.

The war prisoners. When they were moved, Munez had suggested it might be better to just send them back to Dmitry.

He didn’t have a good reason, except fear. He was terrified of Roman Dmitry and wanted to avoid any trouble later.

But it was too late. The mistake was made.

Count Munez quickly sent a messenger to try and stop the fighting.

The heavy castle gate opened a little. It closed again behind the messenger.

The messenger, holding a white flag high, rode his horse towards the approaching Dmitry army.

But then, something shocking happened.

A dark shape flew up into the air.

Just as the messenger got close enough to speak, Roman Dmitry’s sword flashed. In one swift movement, he cut off the messenger’s head.

The head landed on the ground. Blood sprayed out, staining the white flag red.

The messenger’s body slumped from the horse. The horse screamed in fear and bolted back towards the castle, leaving a trail of blood.

The soldiers on the wall were frozen, unable to speak. They couldn’t believe what they had just seen. Killing a messenger with a white flag? It was unthinkable.

The Dmitry army stopped marching.

Roman Dmitry walked forward alone. He looked up at Count Munez on the castle walls and spoke in a voice that carried across the open ground.

“The talk of peace is over. If you want to fix this, don’t try to speak with your lying mouth. Bring Dmitry’s soldiers to me now. I will give you two hours. If you don’t bring back every prisoner, I promise you, your death will be anything but peaceful.”

His words were cold and terrifying.

Then, he added, “And don’t even think about harming the prisoners or hiding what you did. I already have proof of everything. If even one person is missing, I will take it as your choice for war against Dmitry.”

It wasn’t a negotiation. It was an order.

Roman Dmitry turned his back and walked away. Count Munez watched him go, his mind racing in panic.