The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 74

Sweat dripped down Roman’s forehead as he finished his training session. He paused, chest heaving, to catch his breath. It was then, as he wiped his face with the back of his hand, that he noticed someone approaching. It wasn’t Hans, Dimitri’s usual servant, but a man he didn’t recognize.

“Sent from Valhalla,” the servant announced. It was clear from his uniform that he was not one of Dimitri’s usual men.

The man was one of Dimitri’s servants.

This servant was new to Dimitri’s household. He seemed to be trying not to be noticed by others.

Any ordinary person would have been flustered, but Roman simply said with an indifferent expression:

“What business does Valhalla have with me? I recall meeting someone from Valhalla just a few days ago.”

The Denver family. Roman remembered them – they were Valhalla’s people who had tried to recruit him before.

For a moment, the servant was taken aback by Roman’s reaction.

Roman’s eyes remained steady, showing no surprise. He was much calmer than the servant seemed to expect.

‘What’s with this man’s eyes…’

He swallowed hard.

The servant, entrusted with an important task, checked to ensure no one else was around before speaking in a quiet voice.

“First, I apologize for approaching you in such a rude manner. As you mentioned, Roman-nim, Valhalla did send someone through the ‘Denver family’ a few days ago. At that time, we had to take formal actions to be mindful of the surrounding eyes. Consider today’s meeting as Valhalla’s real offer.”

Currently, Dimitri was the center of attention.

They knew that if they conveyed the main point through the Denver family, there was a high probability of information leaking. However, if they didn’t show any external movements, they would be suspected by hostile forces.

Therefore, the Denver family requested a formal meeting.

If Roman had accepted those conditions alone, it would have been ideal. However, they knew Roman’s worth and that he wouldn’t accept so easily.

Immediately after the Great Warrior Battle, Valhalla had planted a servant in Dimitri, precisely for today’s meeting.

After moving from the open training grounds to a closed space, the person from Valhalla immediately got to the point.

“Let me introduce myself again. I am Mackin from Valhalla’s intelligence department. And I would like to take this opportunity to make a proposal to bring Roman Dimitri-nim to Valhalla. This proposal is Valhalla’s main goal.”

An unexpected meeting.

Valhalla. They were the first to make a decision.

After Willas’s report, Roman was upgraded to A-rank.

Valhalla had been preparing to recruit Roman, but the impact of the Ranker was greater than expected.

In the rapidly changing situation, Willas contacted the home country once again.

“It seems we need to approach Roman sooner than planned. I briefly overlooked what kind of country Cairo is. I thought we could buy time by not revealing that he is a 4-star swordsman in his 20s, but in this country, everyone is eager to seize even lesser talents first. The royal faction, the noble faction, and the Chronos Empire faction are moving quickly to contact Roman Dimitri. If Roman overlooks his own value and accepts their proposals first, we might face the worst outcome of missing out on Roman’s true worth even after recognizing it.”

[So, what do you need?]

“Please entrust me with full authority over this matter. I will definitely recruit Roman.”

[Understood. Willas, I entrust you with full authority regarding the Roman recruitment matter.]

The plan had changed.

Cairo was impressed that their youngest Ranker reached the 3-star realm at the age of 25, even though it wasn’t Roman’s full power.

Valhalla was in a hurry.

First, they tested the waters through the Denver family and sent someone again, avoiding the eyes of others.

Mackin said.

“Valhalla is fascinated by Roman Dimitri-nim’s potential. However, the issue of nationality is not easily resolved, and no matter what proposal we make, it would be even more difficult to abandon Dimitri, who has already achieved considerable wealth, and naturalize to Valhalla. Therefore, we will resolve this issue definitively. The moment Roman Dimitri-nim says he will become a citizen of Valhalla, Valhalla will grant the Dimitri family a baronetcy and rich land. The land, like Dimitri, has iron ore mines, so you can maintain the blacksmithing tradition as it is now.”

The continuation of the family.

Their proposal was extraordinary from the start.

It was an imperial title, not a kingdom’s. It meant power that couldn’t be compared to what he had now, and that alone overwhelmed all previous proposals.

And,

“Valhalla is prepared to offer people if you want people, and sacrifices if you want sacrifices. But the most important value as a swordsman is to become stronger. Valhalla also wants Roman Dimitri-nim to become stronger as a swordsman, so we will exceptionally allow access to their top secret vault of knowledge. I believe Roman Dimitri-nim is well aware of what Valhalla’s vault means. If you come into contact with the knowledge of the predecessors accumulated there, Roman Dimitri-nim can spread his wings and soar with his talent.”

Valhalla’s most important vault.

It was a shocking proposal.

Valhalla stored things like mental cultivation methods, swordsmanship, and the journals of predecessors in the vault.

Valhalla’s vault was like a library filled with ancient secrets – books on powerful magic, fighting techniques, and the wisdom of great warriors from the past.

The vault was divided into grades according to the level of the contents, and the highest grade, excluding the special grade vault, was the 1st class.

A place where treasures that others would never encounter in their lifetime were gathered.

To say that they would allow a foreigner to enter such a place meant that the Valhalla Empire recognized Roman’s value that much.

Valhalla revealed its true intentions.

Avoiding the eyes of others, they made a proposal that could never be refused.

“In the future, Valhalla will conquer the continent and stand tall as the only empire. At that time, being part of a weak country like Cairo will only hurt you in the future. Stand on Valhalla’s side. If you raise Valhalla’s honor at the forefront of Valhalla, Valhalla will lead Roman Dimitri-nim to the path of glory.”

Clear rewards and appropriate threats.

Mackin spoke of the distant future.

As he said, it didn’t matter how strong Roman was if Valhalla declared war.

A mere individual could not overcome the difference between a kingdom and an empire.

To become a winner, standing on the winner’s side was also a method.

‘A clever person would have no choice but to accept Valhalla’s proposal. But if he rejects the proposal, even by chance…’

Mackin hid his true feelings.

Talent that reached 4-star at the age of 20.

They couldn’t stand by and watch him be absorbed into another force.

If he couldn’t become Valhalla’s, it was wiser to destroy him.

Silence filled the space.

Mackin, who had finished speaking, closed his mouth and waited for an answer. Roman broke the suffocating silence and said:

“I refuse.”

Mackin’s friendly smile vanished instantly. His eyes narrowed, and his face became hard.

“…Are you serious?” Mackin’s voice trembled slightly.

If he refused even after going this far, Roman was virtually someone Valhalla couldn’t recruit.

Which meant a target for assassination. If he wasn’t Valhalla’s talent, there was no reason to keep him alive.

Roman said.

“The reason I refuse is not because the conditions are insufficient, or because of loyalty to this country.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Recently, I have been offered many choices. The Royal Knight of the Royal Family, Marquis Benedict, Count Gregory, Count Denver. Considering the political situation of the Cairo Kingdom, it means not simply pledging allegiance to one force, but clearly organizing my future path. Now, standing at a crossroads in my life, what’s important to me is not who can give me the most. I want to take my time and see if Roman Dimitri is worth risking his life for, not just with empty proposals.”

At Roman’s words, Mackin’s expression relaxed.

It was a clever trick. Roman knew how to buy time in a precarious situation.

‘A way to increase one’s value without making any choices is to appear as a loyal subject. Kneeling once is difficult, but if you somehow win their heart, you become an existence that swears allegiance to the end. If I appear as such an existence, they won’t be able to give up their obsession with me, no matter how much I refuse.’

The Heavenly Demon Baek Jung-hyuk was not stupid. He wasn’t someone who made mistakes easily.

He made sure to end things definitively if the relationship was hostile. But in this complex situation where four forces were intertwined, he was born with the brains to use that relationship.

At the fox’s words, Mackin fell into thought.

People like Roman were truly the kind of talent Valhalla preferred.

It was funny how, if Roman Dimitri had quickly changed his mind and sworn allegiance to Valhalla, he would always be suspected of his loyalty, regardless of his skills. The perception that he is a guy who changes his affiliation depending on good conditions and situations would remain. But if he is a person who seriously chooses his future regardless of conditions, it is worth waiting even if it takes a little time.

His heart was moved.

He had no idea that it was a deliberate act.

Roman showed actions that perfectly matched the talent Valhalla wanted, and Mackin stopped being worried.

Mackin said.

“I don’t know how you plan to confirm Valhalla’s sincerity, but we can’t wait that long. Be careful, but not too late. I hope you will reply to Valhalla’s proposal.”

That was the end.

Valhalla took a step back. They would watch Roman from now on, and be under the illusion that he would become their man someday.

Before leaving, Mackin turned around and said.

“I will give you a gift for future relationships. The South is very dangerous and could erupt in war soon. Be careful of the Southern Front.”

Southern Front. That was unexpected information.

Roman’s response was appropriate. Neither refusal nor acceptance. With an answer that left room for all forces, he would not be directly attacked even in a confusing situation.

Time passed quickly.

Before long, the promised time was just around the corner.

Looking at his son, who was about to fulfill his duty to defend the country, Baron Romero said with a worried face.

“In the end, you’re leaving.”

His heart ached.

The powerful figures in the capital all used illegal means to somehow prevent their children from being drafted, but the Dimitri family didn’t have that kind of power.

Being a powerful figure in the northeastern region was just being a frog in a well.

Because they had not formed ties with the central government, there was no way to get Roman out of it now.

And, Roman didn’t want it in the first place.

He knew that if he ignored the reality he had decided to face, the responsibility would be passed on to someone else.

“Father. I will return in good health.”

“Alright.”

The conversation was short.

Roman turned around.

Outside, 30 soldiers who would be leaving for the battlefield with Roman were waiting for him.

Roman left like that.

His emotions were complicated. People both liked and disliked him when he caused trouble, but now that he was about to leave, he couldn’t easily turn away.

At that sight, Lihanna, who was next to him, comforted Baron Romero.

“Don’t worry too much. You know very well that Roman is a strong child. And he was assigned to the Southern Front, not the Western Front, which is threatened by the Chronos Empire. Surely there will be no problems.”

Those words were somewhat comforting.

They didn’t know at the time what the result of Roman’s expedition to the Southern Front would be.