The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 518

High-pitched screams tore through the air outside, each one a fresh stab of terror.

Inside the hidden room, the citizens of Guri pressed closer together. The sounds of dying people were unmistakable, and faces were pale and slick with fear, eyes darting around like trapped birds.

A woman whispered, voice trembling, “…We’re all going to die.”

A man, his voice hoarse with panic, added, “Soldiers running from Hanam said Roman Dmitry killed *everyone*. Not a single person left alive. They say he even stuck the mayor’s head on a pole! He won’t show us any mercy.”

“God, please have mercy on us,” someone sobbed, the prayer barely audible.

Roman Dmitry’s methods were extreme.

Even though he hadn’t hurt any civilians—but he did break international law and slaughter his enemies—the shocking act of showing off a head led to scary rumors.

Jeong Mun-ho told the government about the rebels.

He tried to destroy Incheon and was punished badly. People worried if others would be punished too.

Fear spread quickly.

Roman Dmitry wanted it that way.

He knew that to completely crush the enemy, he didn’t need to act nicely on the battlefield.

How much time had passed?

The outside grew quiet.

Then, the space where people were hiding was flung open, and a man who looked like a civilian appeared.

“Citizens of Guri, don’t worry,” the man said. “I am Kim Jun-hyuk, the mayor of Incheon, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“The mayor of Incheon?”

“Why is the mayor of Incheon here…?”

People murmured to each other.

Kim Jun-hyuk had gotten a call from the mayor of Guri a little while ago in Hanam. After taking care of things in Hanam, he went to Guri.

He left Kang Min-ho to protect Incheon.

Kim Jun-hyuk came here for Roman Dmitry because people trust him.

Kim Jun-hyuk spoke.

“I will now explain the rules to keep you safe. As you know, the war between the government and our rebel forces has begun. The mayor of Guri and all government members are dead, and this area is now controlled by the rebel forces. The Great Cataclysm isn’t over yet. Guri could be attacked at any moment, so Incheon plans to set up a defense system for Guri instead of the old forces. So, stay where you are. If you don’t want to do what we ask, we won’t stop you. But if you follow our control, Incheon will keep you safe.”

It was unexpected.

Roman Dmitry hadn’t forgotten the citizens.

Since they could be in danger because the defense forces were gone, he sent Incheon’s forces to keep them safe.

It was thoughtful.

He didn’t put the citizens in danger.

He knew they were citizens of an enemy force, but also future citizens to be welcomed.

“I know you must be very scared,” he said. “But don’t worry, we will never hurt you. In 30 minutes, we will give you supplies so you can rest. Once the situation is over, we will tell you more.”

“…Are you really not going to hurt us?”

“I heard you killed all the citizens of Hanam. Are you lying to us to do something else?”

People looked at him, not trusting him.

He understood.

That was what war was like.

Kim Jun-hyuk looked at them with a serious face.

“Why would we kill innocent citizens?” he asked. “Roman Dmitry is only harsh to his enemies. People who knew the government was unfair and did nothing will be punished. But we won’t punish people who are just caught in this situation. I, Kim Jun-hyuk, the mayor of Incheon, promise you this: the sword of that man I know never hurts ordinary citizens.”

The carrot and the stick.

If Roman Dmitry was the stick, Kim Jun-hyuk was the carrot.

The people’s faces softened.

Whether Kim Jun-hyuk was telling the truth or not, the promise of safety changed their minds.

Maybe Incheon’s victory wouldn’t be so bad.

At that moment, in Seoul.

Seoul was in the middle of a fierce battle.

Monsters kept pouring in because of the monster wave. After a hard fight that lasted all night and day, they finally stopped the monster wave.

Boom!

Rumble!

“We’ve stopped the monster wave!”

“We have won!”

“Waaah!”

The joy of winning spread.

In the cheering crowd, a man in golden armor took off his helmet, showing his messy hair.

The Heavenly Sword, Min Chan-ki.

That was who he was.

Min Chan-ki asked his subordinate.

“What’s happening in other areas?”

“The situation in Geumcheon-gu and Eunpyeong-gu, where monster waves happened, is almost under control. Chinese support troops are helping. They are pushing back the monsters, and it looks like everything will be okay in a few days.”

“…China. So, China’s help is dangerous in the long run.”

Min Chan-ki frowned.

China.

Now, they were a very powerful country.

At the start of the Great Cataclysm, they were hurt badly, more than any other country.

The problem was that too many people lived on a vast land, but because the command system wasn’t smooth, people who ruled each region emerged, like the local governments of South Korea.

China was divided. At that time, China’s future didn’t look good, but everything changed 10 years ago when a man appeared.

He called himself the Emperor.

He unified China, and since then, China has wanted to take over other countries.

In other words, China’s help came with a price.

South Korea wouldn’t be able to escape their control in the future.

“If the rebellion hadn’t happened, President Kim Jeong-tae would never have accepted China’s help. He says it’s unavoidable because of the rebel forces, but with this choice, President Kim Jeong-tae has shown his true colors. He’s a traitor who would sell the country to protect his power. That’s who he really is.”

“…What should we do in the future?”

“When the rebel forces first showed what they wanted, we told them clearly that we couldn’t join a rebellion that would throw the country into chaos during the Great Cataclysm. We would focus on keeping Seoul safe, not on political issues. Now that the Great Cataclysm is ending, we have to choose. Doing nothing won’t work.”

As Min Chan-ki said, the guilds, including the Heavenly Sword, had stepped back.

They thought that if individual forces like guilds joined a national fight, South Korea would be in danger.

Guild Representatives Conference.

Min Chan-ki led it.

Under his leadership, the guilds decided to focus on the Great Cataclysm.

The subordinate said.

“The rebellion can’t be stopped now. Hanam and Guri are already in their hands.”

He started to worry and think hard.

Logically, he should have chosen the government.

With China sending support troops, the rebel forces might not win, especially since they broke international law.

And the Heavenly Sword had all its bases in Seoul.

If the rebel forces took over Seoul, the Heavenly Sword’s base would fall apart. But Min Chan-ki couldn’t easily go against the rebel forces.

No.

To be precise, he couldn’t go against Roman Dmitry.

When Kang Min-ho was becoming famous, the Heavenly Sword, under Min Chan-ki’s orders, tried to recruit Roman Dmitry and Kang Min-ho.

At that time, they saw what they were really like.

‘From what I’ve gathered, we still don’t know Roman Dmitry’s limits. Even back then, he handled the premonitory phenomena and the Red Moon alone. After the Great Cataclysm started, he even stopped S-rank monsters and monster waves. He’s clearly an S-rank, or even higher. If even Park Min-woo, the White-Clad Magician, is following him, then going against Roman Dmitry might be suicidal.’

From now on, he thought about what was best.

Considering the losses that the Heavenly Sword would have to endure, there were too many reasons not to go against Roman Dmitry.

His methods were also brutal.

If he was antagonized, there would be no mercy.

Minchangi listened to the report, a frown deepening on his face. “It’s the cruel way he does things that is the problem,” he muttered to himself. “If Roman Dmitry really killed all the people in Hanam, I cannot work with him.”

The thought of innocent citizens being slaughtered troubled Minchangi deeply. A massacre of citizens… that was a terrible thing.

Minchangi had built the Thousand Swords Guild partly for his own ambition, it was true. But he was not a man who enjoyed causing pain just to get what he wanted. He truly desired a safe and peaceful country.

To Minchangi, a country was only as strong as the safety of its people. But Roman Dmitry, starting a rebellion and supposedly killing citizens, seemed more like a monster than a savior.

In the end, he decided the central government was the only answer.

Family ties were strong, and to protect the people of Seoul, who were like family, he had to support the central government.

Just then,

“Guild Master, I have something to tell you about the situation in Hanam.”

Another guild member spoke.

Minchangi looked at him, his gaze questioning.

It was a perplexing situation.

Rumor had it that all the citizens of Hanam had been slaughtered, but the words of someone who claimed to be from Hanam were completely different.

“My family is in Hanam, so I contacted them, and they said that all the citizens of Hanam are safe. The rumors about Roman Dmitry are all false. It is true that he killed all the soldiers who opposed the rebel forces, but he didn’t touch a single citizen. Rather, he formed a defense system to prevent monsters from threatening the citizens, supplied them with supplies, and took care of their health. Honestly, I don’t know who is evil and who is righteous anymore. The central government has been busy taking care of Seoul’s safety since the beginning of the Great Disaster, but Roman Dmitry has secured the safety of the entire local government in a short period of time, hasn’t he?”

His testimony changed everything Minchangi thought was true.

He was going to follow the central government because Roman Dmitry was evil, but if this was the case, the story was completely different.

‘So, he’s a person with a clear sense of right and wrong?’

From what he had gathered so far, the people of Incheon respected Roman Dmitry.

If his sword only showed cruelty to the enemy, there was no reason to oppose the rebel forces.

‘The central government is becoming more and more selfish as time goes by. At first, it clearly prioritized Seoul for the sake of South Korea’s safety, but now it has turned into a system that guarantees the safety of a small number of powerful people. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before South Korea collapses. As a person with power, I have to make a choice.’

He was deeply troubled and thought for a long time.

Roman Dmitry had many problems.

His foreign origin and unclear identity raised many questions, but Minchangi wanted to believe in one fact.

‘The fact that he thought about the safety of the citizens even in the midst of chaos. I believe that is the essence of Roman Dmitry.’

He made a decision.

Minchangi said,

“Summon all the guild masters in secret. We will decide our future.”

It was already the sixth city.

Immediately after destroying Gwangmyeong, which had fought to the bitter end, Roman Dmitry received a call from Minchangi.

[I want to join the rebel forces. It’s not just for personal gain. We also know that joining the rebel forces will undermine our base in Seoul, but President Kim Jeongtae’s cruel actions are going too far. We will help you. If you promise to guarantee the safety of the citizens of Seoul, the guilds of Seoul, including the Thousand Swords, can lend you their strength.]

It was unexpected.

The guilds of Seoul.

He thought they would remain bystanders until the end, but as they secured the safety of Seoul, they made a bold decision that was different from what he had expected.

This was an opportunity.

If the guilds of Seoul rose up from within, the rebel forces could seize the victory in one fell swoop.

But,

Roman Dmitry reacted coldly.

“I don’t like uncertain relationships. You delayed your decision using the excuse of securing the safety of Seoul, but I don’t think that’s just a judgment that considers the safety of the citizens of Seoul. You should have made a decision somehow. In a situation where the rebellion has already become a reality, the reason you delayed your choice is not because you were thinking about the safety of the citizens, but because you needed enough time to read the situation. If you really thought about the future of South Korea, the safety of the citizens you claim should have included the reality of the provinces.”

It was a simple problem.

Just because he took a step back, would the problem in front of him be solved on its own?

No.

A situation would have come where he had to intervene somehow.

The guilds of Seoul had all their bases in Seoul and had close relationships with the powerful people of Seoul.

If the central government collapsed, they would lose all their bases.

Conversely, if it didn’t collapse, they would be branded by the central government because they would be betraying their past relationships.

So, he took a step back.

Of course, he had the safety of the citizens in mind, but he needed time to assess the situation.

Roman Dmitry.

After much deliberation, Minchangi concluded that he should not antagonize Roman Dmitry.

Roman Dmitry was that strong, but the fact that he had saved the citizens was the decisive factor in changing his mind.

“I’m not going to criticize you. It’s a matter of the future, so you had to think about it enough. But your place in this fight no longer exists. If you want to be with me in the future, step back without joining the war. Watch how the rebel forces, including Incheon, and I, Roman Dmitry, destroy the central government. Your evaluation will be made after that. With your current choice, you will not be guaranteed any special benefits in the future, but you will have to earn everything with your own efforts in South Korea, where a new landscape will be created by me.”

He was arrogant.

Even though he knew it was a choice that could change the landscape, Roman Dmitry did not accept the guilds of Seoul.

Anyway, it didn’t matter.

From the beginning, the guilds of Seoul were not that important.

They were just overestimating themselves; Roman Dmitry was judging the war based on a different standard.

“From the moment you postponed your choice, you had no choice. Standing by is the only way for you to survive.”

Thud.

He hung up the phone.

Lee Taesung approached and asked.

“What are you going to do now?”

Gwangmyeong was the last place.

Now that he had dealt with all the cities that were attached to the central government, it was time to put the full-scale plan into action.

Roman Dmitry said coldly,

“Park Minwoo.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think is the fastest way to end the war?”

His eyes wavered.

He knew the answer right away, but there were many problems with it.

“If we attack the enemy’s base and subdue the commander, we can end the war in one fell swoop. The problem is that the central government is aware of my existence. They must have made thorough preparations for the possibility that I might attack the inside with teleportation……”

Suddenly, he shut his mouth.

Who was the person in front of him?

Roman Dmitry.

He was the one who had experienced despair because of that one person, but he was giving this kind of advice against the central government.

Sure enough,

“That’s why it’s even more meaningful. The enemies will be guarding the inside with all their might, so their defeat will be an overwhelming sense of defeat that excludes planning and tactics. I heard that it’s not easy to use teleportation magic through magic that makes teleportation difficult. Is it possible to use teleportation magic with your ability?”

Park Minwoo twitched his lips.

He knew the location of the base.

He also had the ability to use teleportation through magic that makes teleportation difficult.

And above all, Roman Dmitry had the power to carry out a strategy that could be called suicide.

He was excited.

He had always wanted to do this ridiculous operation with Roman Dmitry.

“Of course. I’ll open the portal right now.”

As soon as he said it, he did it.

Park Minwoo raised his magic power.