The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 542

Patrice was surprised. Roman Dmitry’s words had gone too far.

In this grand conference room, filled with leaders from every nation, Roman Dmitry had just insulted them all.

“How to punish him, you ask?” Patrice repeated, his voice tight. “Are you saying we should fight against the World Government?”

Patrice’s eyes narrowed. The World Government was the ultimate power. No one dared to openly defy it.

If anyone refused to accept what everyone in the room agreed on, the whole world would call the Korean Empire an enemy and attack it.

That was why even powerful countries didn’t dare to ignore what the World Government wanted.

Instead of ignoring the World Government, powerful countries would try to persuade people and change opinions. Ignoring them openly was too risky.

Roman Dmitry was different.

He knew the risks, but he faced the anger head-on.

“Do you know what I find funny as I learn about this world? It’s funny that in this fast-changing world, people care so much about how things look. On the battlefield, it’s normal to be cruel to the enemy. But in this world, even after winning a war, people still check every little thing: why the war happened, why the enemies were treated so badly, and if there were other ways to solve the problem peacefully. This isn’t because they love people. Even though they weaken the enemy with things like economic sanctions before the war, the sight of blood and death makes people upset, so they only react to what they can see.”

It was a contradiction.

People dying from economic sanctions or from war made no difference.

Whether someone starved to death or was stabbed to death, Roman Dmitry thought both were cruel.

“Even before the Great Disaster, powerful countries controlled the world in a ‘cruel but unseen way.’ They used their power to hurt weaker countries without fighting wars. But the world has changed since the Great Disaster. Now that blood and death are normal, threats aren’t needed anymore. The world has become a place where war will happen if it needs to. Now, the only thing that matters is visible power.”

It was a change in thinking.

There were still many problems.

Twenty years wasn’t a short or long time, so people who remembered the world from twenty years ago added many rules before deciding to go to war.

The difference was that war was now more likely to happen than before.

Nuclear bombs could destroy whole countries. But now, wars are decided by powerful people called Hunters. They are like weapons that can end wars.

It seemed small, but it was a big change.

Even just arguing loudly could now lead to war. The world had changed in twenty years, and war was now something people had to consider.

Roman Dmitry smiled.

“You asked if I would turn the whole world into an enemy. Yes, that’s right. If you decide I’m wrong, then I have power in this world where only the strong survive. I don’t have to listen to the weak World Government. President Patrice, empty threats don’t work. If you threaten me and the Korean Empire, you must be ready to fight, not just make empty threats.”

The atmosphere froze.

War.

It was a sensitive topic.

No, it was a topic that shouldn’t be discussed here.

It was common sense to avoid war with the World Government, but Roman Dmitry smiled and didn’t back down.

“I’ll ask one last time. Do you think I should accept whatever you decide here?”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Patrice looked thoughtful, while others exchanged nervous glances.

Wham!

“This rude bastard is going too far!”

Markov jumped up from his seat.

Markov’s face turned red, veins popping out on his neck. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, showing his anger towards Roman Dmitry.

“Roman Dmitry. I know you’re strong. You beat an SS-rank monster in one hit, which is amazing. But the people in this room are leaders of different countries. Do you think you can handle all of us just because you’re strong?”

Markov didn’t have the Maron Church’s permission to act.

No one told him to do it, but he just didn’t like Roman Dmitry.

Markov had always believed in the old world order, where Russia was respected. Roman Dmitry threatened everything he stood for.

Wasn’t he being too arrogant?

No matter how strong Roman Dmitry was, people still thought of South Korea as a weak country.

He should be trying to please them so they wouldn’t become enemies, but Roman Dmitry’s proud attitude annoyed Markov.

He had to be stopped before he became too powerful.

Markov’s eyes showed he wanted to kill Roman Dmitry.

“Everyone, Roman Dmitry and South Korea must be punished for what they’ve done. Look, even though the World Government has made a decision, this arrogant person is threatening us. What will happen if someone like him becomes powerful? The world order we’ve worked hard to create will fall apart. Help me. Russia will lead the way in punishing Roman Dmitry.”

Markov thought the World Government would back down if he made threats.

Markov didn’t care about that.

He was willing to start a war to crush Roman Dmitry’s arrogance.

“Roman Dmitry! From now on, you’re at war with everyone here…”

“Wait.”

It was Wang Wei-long.

He interrupted Markov and spoke loudly with a fierce look on his face.

“When did I say I would side with the World Government? As I said before, I, Wang Wei-long, have promised to support Emperor Roman Dmitry. If you want to fight the Korean Empire, you’ll have to fight China too.”

That wasn’t all.

John Harrison added.

“The United States has to support the Korean Empire. We remember who helped us when we needed it most. We stand by the Korean Empire.”

Two powerful countries were supporting Roman Dmitry.

The situation was getting complicated.

Even though Roman Dmitry had gone too far, China and the United States didn’t abandon the Korean Empire. It was natural for Wang Wei-long to support Roman Dmitry. He could not betray the Heavenly Demon. From the moment the United States defended Roman Dmitry, they knew that a clear statement of their position was needed rather than a vague attitude.

It was strange.

Markov was so angry he was losing his mind.

As the old order was falling apart, he looked at Patrice.

He wanted Patrice to support him.

If Patrice and the other countries helped, Russia was ready to start a war.

But.

Patrice remained silent. His silence was heavy, filled with the weight of the decision he had to make.

It had come to this. Markov felt trapped. There seemed no other way.

Markov felt alone. No one agreed with him. He kicked a chair hard in anger.

CRASH!

“You are all useless!” Markov shouted. “Just wait! You will all be sorry, I promise you!”

Markov thundered out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him.

Roman Dmitry watched him go, not even trying to stop him.

Why had Patrice remained silent?

It wasn’t simple. Patrice had many things to think about.

‘If war starts now, right after the world suffered so much, humanity might not survive.’

This was why Patrice followed the Maron Order.

He believed he was doing this for humanity’s future.

He knew he had done bad things, like causing trouble now. But he still thought his main goal was good: to help humanity.

War was something he really didn’t want.

Patrice had gathered leaders from many countries to stand against Roman Dmitry. But it was just a bluff. He thought Roman Dmitry would give up if he was pushed hard enough.

Patrice had planned for war at first. But when he really thought about starting a war, he felt unsure.

Therefore…

Roman Dmitry’s words shocked Patrice.

Roman Dmitry saw right through him. He knew Patrice’s threats were not real.

Roman Dmitry saw that Patrice was not a fighter. He was someone who avoided conflict.

He looked at Roman Dmitry with trembling eyes.

“Listen,” Patrice said, his voice shaking a little. “Markov is not like me. He is really angry. He might start a war. Do you really need to push this so far? South Korea will be punished, yes, but is it worth all this trouble?”

Patrice didn’t understand.

Just one small step back.

If Roman Dmitry would just step back a little.

Then everyone could be happy. But Roman Dmitry would not change his mind.

Roman Dmitry spoke, his voice cold.

“You are wrong from the start. I am strong. I cannot lose, no matter what happens. That is all you need to know. You talk about everyone winning, Patrice. But I will not step back, not even a little. Even if it means war.”

The chair scraped against the floor as Roman Dmitry stood up.

He stood up.

Roman Dmitry didn’t even try to argue anymore. He just didn’t care what they thought.

“Don’t worry so much,” Roman Dmitry said, looking at Patrice. “War or no war, it will all be over soon.”

Roman Dmitry turned and walked away.

Wang Wiryong followed right behind him, like a shadow. He didn’t even look back at the others.

After Roman Dmitry left,

“I hope you choose wisely,” John Harrison said, his voice serious.

He stood up quickly and left.

Now, only Patrice and his supporters were left. The room became very quiet. You could hear a pin drop.

Finally, the President of Brazil spoke, breaking the silence.

“So, Patrice,” he asked, “what do we do now?”

Patrice had brought them all together.

He knew not everyone would agree with him, but they expected him to tell them what to do next.

But Patrice himself was lost. He didn’t know what to do.

Patrice couldn’t control Roman Dmitry. And to do what the Maron Order wanted, it seemed war was the only option.

“I need to think,” Patrice said.

He stood up.

He went to a private room, away from everyone. He needed to talk to the leader of the Maron Order right away.

He needed Sebastian’s advice.

Sebastian always knew what to do. Patrice hoped Sebastian could help him now, in this difficult situation.

[Wage war.]

“But is war really the only way?” Patrice asked.

[“Didn’t you see him?”] Sebastian’s voice was firm. [“Roman Dmitry is more dangerous than anyone we’ve ever seen. If we let him take over, he will cause huge problems that we can never fix. Patrice, this is our chance! I don’t know how he got China and the United States on his side, but if he can do that so quickly, imagine how strong he will become later. I know you’re worried about war. Many people will die if we start fighting right after the world disaster. But to save humanity in the long run, we have to make sacrifices now.”]

“Still……”

[“Patrice! Be strong! This is about whether humanity will survive at all! Not just about saving a few more people now. Nothing is more important to us, who are coming to this world soon, than stopping Roman Dmitry!”]

Sebastian was right.

Patrice’s face hardened.

At first, Patrice had been unsure.

But after Sebastian’s words, he knew he could not work with Roman Dmitry. They were enemies now.

“I understand,” Patrice said. “I will decide what to do.”

Click.

Patrice was no longer unsure. He knew what he had to do.

He turned to go back to the conference room, to tell everyone his decision. But then, everything changed.

The President of Brazil jumped up, his face pale.

“Patrice!” he shouted. “Russia has just declared war! They are attacking South Korea right now! Markov must have planned this all along!”

“……?!”

His eyes widened.