The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 485

It was a surprising answer.

To be clear, Mayor Kim Junhyuk should never have said those words.

Moon Taejun spoke coldly.

“I’m giving you one chance to take back what you just said. After that, it will be too late to change things.”

It was a warning.

Roman Dmitry was a foreigner and might not understand how things work in South Korea, but Kim Junhyuk, the mayor of Incheon, knew very well.

If Kim Junhyuk tried to fix the situation now, Moon Taejun was willing to give him a chance because of Roman Dmitry’s value.

However…

Kim Junhyuk stayed silent.

His silence made Roman Dmitry’s words seem more serious, and Moon Taejun chuckled in disbelief.

“This is quite funny. Has Mayor Kim Junhyuk forgotten what happened six years ago?”

“…I haven’t forgotten. That’s why I’ve made this decision.”

“Do you really think one person can stop a major disaster? A major disaster is when monsters attack everywhere. Without us knowing, monsters that were sleeping, like in the ant tunnel, will attack people at the same time. That’s how Incheon was destroyed six years ago. The walls broke, and many people died because we couldn’t stop the Rank A monster that came in. Even if Roman Dmitry is a great master, he can’t protect Incheon from all the monsters by himself. Of course, this time will be different from the last major disaster. Just like you defeated the monsters in the ant tunnel, you will deal with the enemies that Incheon can’t handle, but that’s it.”

He spoke angrily and sharply.

The investigators from the central government…

In the local areas, they were called devils.

Because they are supported by the central government, they watch over the local areas and take anything useful for the central government. So, they have a lot of power.

Moon Taejun had been an investigator for ten years.

He knew very well what his words meant and how important his warnings were.

“Face the truth. There is only one Rank S Hunter in South Korea, the White Magician, and less than 30 Rank A Hunters. Do you think it’s just by chance that most of them are in Seoul? It’s because they know that even the best person can’t protect themselves alone. During a monster attack, many Rank A monsters can attack at the same time. How can one person stop that? Mayor Kim Junhyuk’s decision and Roman Dmitry’s words… they mean you’re leaving the safe path that helps us survive in South Korea.”

Moon Taejun looked at Roman Dmitry.

He forced Roman Dmitry to face the truth.

He showed Roman Dmitry the reality of the decisions he had to make to survive in this country.

Roman Dmitry said,

“If the price of safety is too much control, then Incheon doesn’t need the central government’s help. Isn’t that good? Look at us. You say such grand things, so watch what happens to Incheon, which didn’t get help from the central government.”

It was an attempt to provoke him.

Because Roman Dmitry was clearly trying to make him angry, Moon Taejun’s eyes twitched.

Even though he had spoken the truth…

Roman Dmitry was arrogant.

“If you’re so sure about the future, then you can just use Incheon as an example.”

Snap.

He felt his anger rising.

The words he had just heard…

They had gone too far.

No matter how good Roman Dmitry was, he couldn’t allow such words.

Moon Taejun stood up quickly.

“I understand what Incheon wants to do. Remember this day. When Incheon has the same disaster as six years ago, you’ll realize how wrong you were to trust just one person. By then, it will be too late.”

He turned sharply.

Moon Taejun stormed out, his anger clear on his face.

Bang!

He slammed the door.

As soon as he left the office, Moon Taejun made a call.

Click.

[What’s happening?]

“The Incheon government has gone crazy. They said they will follow Roman Dmitry and will do things differently from the central government from now on. Assemblyman, we need to make an example of them. If we let this happen, other powerful people like the White Magician might become independent too.”

As Moon Taejun said…

The White Magician was special.

It was true that a Rank S Hunter was amazing, but even the White Magician couldn’t survive a major disaster alone.

So, he had made a deal with the central government.

However, because he was the first Rank S Hunter, he was given a lot of freedom, and now people thought the White Magician was beyond the central government’s control.

That event…

It was a problem for the central government.

Even though they controlled South Korea, some assembly members were not happy with the White Magician, who was like a problem they couldn’t solve.

On the phone…

The person called the assemblyman said,

[Yes. Like you said, when power is everything, we shouldn’t care about just one person. Make Roman Dmitry an example. Make sure no one in South Korea ever questions the central government again. Show them what happens to people who think foolishly.]

“Understood.”

Moon Taejun’s eyes became fierce.

He already knew what he would do.

“We don’t need to wait for the major disaster. Just give me a month. Within a month, I will destroy Incheon’s ability to survive.”

In the room where Moon Taejun had been…

Kim Junhyuk looked worried.

He had supported Roman Dmitry’s words, but he wasn’t sure if he had made the right choice. Kim Junhyuk felt a knot of worry in his stomach. Was he making a terrible mistake?

“Are you worried about the future?”

A calm voice asked.

Kim Junhyuk didn’t hide how he felt.

“…Yes. The central government controls everything in South Korea. Most of the talented people in this small country work for the central government, and I’m not sure if it’s right to go against them. If something happens that Incheon can’t handle… We might regret cutting off our escape route.”

It was easy to understand why he felt that way.

However…

As Roman Dmitry learned about this world, he decided to leave the central government.

Roman Dmitry said,

“South Korea’s system is not right. The central government cares most about Seoul, the capital, and has too much power over the rest of the country, which is much bigger than Seoul. Incheon and the local areas need to escape from that control to be truly safe. If we always depend on the central government when they don’t care about us, we will always be controlled by others.”

What if…

If the government in charge had made a fair choice, or even just kept people safe, Roman Dmitry might have done things differently.

But things were not that simple. Reality, as it often did, was much messier.

Just listening to Moon Tae-joon’s words proved it. When Moon Tae-joon was trying to persuade Kim Jun-hyuk, he didn’t offer good terms to Incheon. Instead, he said Incheon would be helped last, after Seoul was safe.

Even being a top priority was different from being Seoul. In a system where the order was already set, there was no reason for Incheon to follow the central government’s lead.

Incheon. For Roman Dmitry, this city was the beginning.

As he began to create a new Dmitry, Roman Dmitry would not allow such an unfair system.

“If you are weak, you must accept unfairness. But I am here now. Incheon will not be weak anymore,” Roman Dmitry said.

Kim Jun-hyuk swallowed hard.

Roman Dmitry’s words sounded arrogant, but Kim Jun-hyuk wanted to believe that he would put Incheon first, no matter what. If that could happen, the future would be bright. Kim Jun-hyuk decided again that he would follow Roman Dmitry.

“Understood. I will do my best to serve you from now on,” Kim Jun-hyuk said, bowing his head.

Kim Jun-hyuk was a unique person.

He was an ordinary person who lived an extraordinary life. As they began to build a new Incheon, Kim Jun-hyuk and his people were essential.

Roman Dmitry said, “Gather the direct forces. To build a basic foundation, we will improve the direct forces from now on.”

As always, the first step in a relationship was to build trust.

Several days passed.

During that time, people gathered in small groups, whispering about a rumor from Seoul.

“Is it true?”

“Do I look like someone who spreads rumors? The government is in chaos because of it. They were trying to punish Roman Dmitry for what happened with the Red Moon group, but Incheon said they would not follow the government anymore.”

“The mayor of Incheon must be crazy. Not following the government means they won’t get help in an emergency. What makes them so confident? Disasters are happening all over the world. Do they really think they can handle a big disaster with just Incheon’s power?”

“Incheon is doomed. People used to say Kim Jun-hyuk was the future, but what can an ordinary person do? He must be too busy enjoying his power to see reality.”

Breaking away from the central government was not seen as good news.

Everyone knew that South Korea’s power was centered in Seoul. They understood what this meant right away.

As if to confirm the rumors, the central government sent letters to the guilds in Incheon.

[…Because of these reasons, the central government will not support Incheon anymore. This also applies to guilds in Incheon. Guilds that work with Incheon will not get requests from the government and will not receive help during a disaster.]

The rumors were now fact.

The guilds in Incheon felt like they were in trouble because the government had abandoned them. They could lose out just for being connected to Incheon.

Some guilds thought about moving, and other regions welcomed them.

The Cheongsan mercenary guild was in the same situation.

Goo Cheol-ho, the leader of Cheongsan and a C-rank mercenary, looked worried as he spoke to the executives.

“Why did Mayor Kim Jun-hyuk do that? He’s usually not so foolish.”

“Guild Leader, Incheon is sinking. If we stay here, Cheongsan will be ruined. People in the mercenary business are already saying they won’t take jobs from Incheon guilds. We shouldn’t be dragged down by the mayor’s decision.”

“Let’s move the guild right away. A region would surely welcome a guild of Cheongsan’s size.”

Goo Cheol-ho frowned.

He knew they had to leave Incheon. But he didn’t want to give up the base he had worked so hard to build. More than that, he trusted Kim Jun-hyuk.

Maybe that was true for most people in Incheon. People who had only lived there for a year or two might be easily swayed, but those who had been through the tragedy six years ago knew how valuable Kim Jun-hyuk was.

He is honest. He is wise. He wouldn’t do something without thinking it through.

‘But if he’s doing this just because he believes in Roman Dmitry, then the Mayor has made a mistake this time.’

After thinking it over, Goo Cheol-ho made a decision. Like the other guilds, he would move to a region that would welcome Cheongsan.

Even though they made money from chaos, they still wanted to survive. If there was any chance, they would have stayed in Incheon. But they thought the government’s decision meant Incheon had no future.

Just as he was about to announce his decision, Park Ki-tae, who had been sitting quietly with a serious look, spoke up.

“Shouldn’t we stay in Incheon?”

“What are you talking about?”

Park Ki-tae was not part of Cheongsan. But he had decided to follow Goo Cheol-ho, which was why he was there.

He met their questioning eyes and said, “I can’t help but feel uneasy. Why would someone as smart as Mayor Kim Jun-hyuk make this choice? It must be because of Roman Dmitry. I’m the only one here who has met Roman Dmitry, and I don’t think we should leave Incheon.”

He had good reason to say this. Over the past few days, Park Ki-tae had come to this strange conclusion.