The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 430

Henry Albert hurried back to his office, his steps heavy. He practically fell into his chair, the worn leather creaking under his weight. His face was pale, and small beads of sweat dotted his forehead even though the room was cool.

He mumbled to himself, his voice barely a whisper, “…I’m screwed.”

A wave of hopelessness washed over him, making his shoulders slump even further.

He had bluffed to get through the immediate situation, but he knew he wouldn’t even be able to pretend to know Chris if they actually met.

Chris had changed since then.

Back then, Chris was just a promising talent following Roman Dimitri, but now he was a swordsman representing the Dimitri Empire.

What if… What if he pretended to know Chris, but Chris didn’t recognize him? The tower he had so painstakingly built would crumble.

‘Should I just call in sick that day?’

He shook his head.

That might get him past the immediate crisis, but Professor Bradley’s suspicion would skyrocket.

Bradley was a stubborn man. He would not let go of his suspicions easily.

He was an influential figure at the Cairo Royal Academy, and if his suspicions continued, Henry would inevitably face an unavoidable crisis.

“There’s no way out, no way.”

His head throbbed.

The truth was, he hadn’t risen to this position through lies.

What he said about the Southern Front was mostly true. He just told it in a way that made him sound better, more exciting.

Therefore, even if his true colors were revealed, there was no reason for him to be removed from his professorship.

The problem was the way people saw him.

If the professor they had admired turned out to be just ‘Soldier 1,’ the students who had respected him would feel deeply betrayed.

He couldn’t bear that.

Henry Albert considered himself a purveyor of illusions.

He satisfied people’s desires by expressing the ideal fantasies they craved through his writing and lectures, and that was how he had gotten to where he was.

So, he could not let the truth come out.

His wealth and fame all stemmed from that illusion, so he felt he had to solve this problem by any means necessary.

“Henry, stay calm.”

He took a deep breath.

There was no obvious solution.

But the current Henry Albert, having experienced Roman Dimitri’s life, didn’t give up easily.

He called for a staff member.

And then he gave him an order.

“In three days, if Lord Chris visits Cairo, bring him to me before he goes to the lecture hall. If Lord Chris asks why, tell him that as a professor, I wish to discuss the matter of Loren Dimitri. He will surely comply.”

Once again, the method was simple.

Abuse of power.

Henry Albert actively used his weapons.

Three days later, it went as planned.

Seeing Chris in his office, Henry Albert tried to hide his nervousness and said,

“It is an honor to meet the Flash of Dimitri. The reason I requested this meeting is regarding Loren Dimitri’s future. Loren’s swordsmanship is improving rapidly, and he will soon be ready for promotion. The problem is what comes after. In the past, students who demonstrated skills beyond the academy level, like Lord Rodwell Dimitri, were deployed to the field, but there are no suitable positions now, are there? I would like to know if you have any plans for his future.”

In truth, there were many topics of conversation.

He could have shared the concerns Loren Dimitri had confided in him privately, but Henry Albert felt that would be impolite.

Human relationships are a delicate balance.

If Loren Dimitri found out that the concerns he had shared in confidence had been leaked to someone else, he would surely be deeply disappointed.

He was different from the past.

During his intense first meeting with Roman Dimitri, he had acted arrogantly, but the current Henry Albert had the ability to assess the situation.

While talking about Loren Dimitri’s situation, which aligned with the purpose of the meeting, he continued the conversation with Chris, focusing on topics that wouldn’t cause problems later.

Chris said,

“Well, it’s not my place to interfere, so I have nothing to say about Loren’s future. Still, thank you for bringing it up. As soon as I return to Dimitri, I will discuss Loren’s situation.”

“Understood. If you need my help, please let me know anytime.”

He smiled.

Loren Dimitri’s story was just bait.

After Chris sat down and they talked for a bit, Henry felt more comfortable. He then carefully brought up another topic.

“…By the way, I don’t know if you remember me, but I was also present at the battle on the Southern Front. At the Cairo Royal Academy, I base my lectures on those events. If I were to ask about matters related to that, would you be willing to cooperate? If you would, the students would be more engaged in the lectures and be able to study the events on the Southern Front more thoroughly.”

It was a gradual request.

He wanted Chris to say good things about his lectures.

If he and Chris became friendly, it would be easier to introduce Chris to Professor Bradley later. It would look normal.

It was all meticulously calculated.

Henry was nervous and waited for Chris’s answer. Chris smiled.

“Henry Albert.”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t need to talk indirectly. I know very well what you’re trying to ask me.”

In that moment, his heart sank.

What on earth was he talking about?

As he stared blankly with a nervous expression, Chris added,

“The Dimitri Intelligence Agency manages all information related to Dimitri. Not just those in hostile relationships, but everyone who talks about Dimitri. Henry Albert, you were on that list. It is true that you went through life-and-death situations with us on the Southern Front, but you have been profiting greatly by exploiting that fact, even though we don’t have a special relationship. There’s no need to be nervous. If your actions were deemed problematic, Dimitri would have taken action long ago.”

His eyes blinked quickly.

His mind was racing, unsure how to react.

“The Dimitri Intelligence Agency has concluded that you are helpful. So, there’s no need to arrange a meeting like this to try and win me over. If you enhance Dimitri’s prestige by using Dimitri’s name appropriately, Dimitri has no reason to stop you.”

He stood up.

Finally,

“Regardless of the process, it is a clear fact that you and Dimitri went through life and death together on the Southern Front. We will not deny that, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Chris stepped back.

As he watched Chris leave the office, Henry Albert was stunned for a long time.

“…What is this?”

It was shocking.

Dimitri knew about him but didn’t stop him from using their name to get famous? He felt a cold shiver.

He was amazed that Dimitri’s spies knew so much. He was also surprised by Dimitri’s plan. But then, Henry felt happy.

‘If what Chris says is true, then my actions are legal(?).’

Think about it.

1. Dimitri knew of his existence.

2. They knowingly tolerated it.

3. Using him appropriately is a win-win situation.

4. They acknowledged him as a comrade from the Southern Front.

Therefore, the miracle of happiness began to circulate in Henry Albert’s mind, concluding that his actions, which had been riding on Dimitri’s fame, were legal.

Like Chris had said, Henry Albert was a kind of mosquito, sucking blood while praising Dimitri.

Such a being posed no harm to Dimitri.

He grinned.

He felt so happy, all his worries disappeared. The worried Henry was gone.

The afternoon sun was warm.

Chris’s lecture finished well. He had given the students a lot of good advice about their trip to learn about other cultures in Cairo and Dimitri. The students cheered loudly as he walked down from the stage.

As he stepped out of the lecture hall, the first person he saw was Henry Albert. Henry Albert looked very proud of himself. He smiled widely and held out his hand to Chris.

“Well done, Chris. Hearing about our shared trials on the Southern Front through you brings back such vivid memories. We were great back then, weren’t we? Haha!”

Behind him stood a group that included Professor Bradley.

Chris knew what Henry Albert wanted, but he hid his smile and shook his hand.

“Thank you. It was a special occasion for me as well, reminiscing about the past.”

“Is that so? Ah, these are professors from the Royal Academy. They were so eager to be introduced to Dimitri’s Flash, Chris. Let me introduce them to you in order from the right. First, Professor Bradley…”

It was a friendly gathering.

They exchanged pleasantries with smiles and laughter, and when the conversation started to get too long, Henry Albert quickly interrupted.

“I hope you all have a pleasant time.”

His purpose was achieved.

Professor Bradley had looked at him suspiciously before. Now, he became quiet and looked unhappy. Henry Albert looked very proud as soon as they left Chris.

Today’s meeting made any doubts go away quickly.

Regardless of the truth, Henry Albert knew very well how he was perceived.

Left alone with the professors, Henry Albert grinned and said,

“Listening to Chris’s lecture brought back so many memories. You all may not know this, but the Southern Front… the day Hector suddenly declared war, the fierce moments experienced by those present… The moments I spent with His Imperial Majesty, Roman Dimitri, facing life and death, are precious memories that must be passed down through our family for generations. Do I still keep in touch with Chris? Of course! We are comrades, comrades! We shed blood and sweat together, so what’s so special about keeping in touch?”

He made a fuss.

He thought Dimitri had given him permission, so he smiled widely and talked about how important he was.

Henry Albert had risen to his position as a professor with only a speck of merit.

For him, the conversation with Chris was like sprouting wings.

Chris watched him from afar.

Seeing him keep his distance, worried that any trouble might arise, Chris chuckled.

“He really is remarkable, in a different way.”

It was certain.

Later, history would write about Henry Albert. He was not important, but history would make him seem remarkable.

Of course, Chris had no idea exactly how he would be recorded.

Several days passed.

Rodwell Dimitri left for Arcadia. This made the fight to become the next leader of Dimitri less intense. But Dimitri was still very busy.

Roman Dimitri had declared war against the Demonic Realm.

As perfect peace had not yet arrived, Dimitri’s workshops churned out weapons ceaselessly, radiating intense heat.

Clang!

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed from all directions.

Master Hendrick, the blacksmith, inspected the weapons made by his smiths, and his expression twisted in displeasure.

“This is not it!”

Immediately after the war ended, the smithy had been given a new task.

Weapons with god-like power.

They were essential for fighting the Demonic Realm’s monsters, but it was not a problem that could be easily solved.

The holy water used to make them caused problems.

They could make weapons with holy power. But the holy power was weaker than it should be. And the iron weapons were not good quality.

Hendrick, as a master blacksmith, could not tolerate it.

He told his workers to work harder. But even after a long time, things did not get much better.

That day was no different.

As the workers worked very hard, it suddenly became noisy outside.

“It’s His Imperial Majesty!”

“Everyone, come outside and pay your respects!”

Roman Dimitri had appeared.

Before, people called him Dimitri’s fool and ignored him. But now, no one in Dimitri acted like that.

He was the leader of Dimitri. He was also a great sword maker. So, the blacksmiths in Dimitri respected him a lot.

The people who had been working lowered their heads with flushed faces, and Roman Dimitri raised his hand, ordering them to continue their work.

“What brings you here?”

It was Hendrick.

As he rushed forward, Roman Dimitri looked at him and said,

“What is the current status of the divine weapon production?”

“…We have not yet achieved any significant results. In fact, divine weapons are being produced for the purpose of inflicting definite damage on monsters, but if the performance of the iron weapon itself is poor, there is a possibility that it will not even be able to penetrate the monster’s hide. Therefore, we are investing as much manpower as possible to improve the quality.”

It was the same information he had heard in the reports.

For the last few days, Roman Dimitri had been thinking about this problem.

A new enemy.

A new battlefield.

When faced with a new problem, Roman Dimitri always took the time to create a new sword that was suitable for his current self.

This time was no different.

With the war against the Demonic Realm approaching, Roman Dimitri wanted to create a new sword.

Making Kevin’s sword was less important for now.

“Prepare a workshop for me to work in.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

He showed a questioning reaction.

Until now, Roman Dimitri had been working in a private workshop.

It was a space completely isolated from the outside, so no one could see Roman Dimitri working.

But, this time it was different.

“I will create a weapon in front of everyone. If I can make the weapon I want, you will see how to make holy weapons in the future.”

In that moment, Hendrick’s heart pounded.

Who was Roman Dimitri?

Before being the emperor of the Dimitri Empire, before being the greatest swordsman on the continent, wasn’t he the greatest blacksmith on the continent?

Such a being was going to make a sword in front of everyone.

Hendrick shouted excitedly.

“I understand! I will prepare the workshop right away!”