The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 78

MacBurney watched Roman Dmitry and frowned. *Could it be…?* Was this noble really standing here, ready to train with the common soldiers, because he just didn’t understand how things worked at the Southern Training Camp?

If that was true, it could cause trouble later. MacBurney walked over to Roman.

“Lord Roman,” he said, stepping closer. “At this training camp, nobles don’t *have* to train. If you don’t want to, you can relax in the shade, like those others over there.”

He pointed towards a group of men laughing and talking under the trees. The cool shade of the trees offered a welcome escape from the burning heat of the sun, which beat down, making the ground hot enough to fry an egg.

Sometimes, nobles would wait in this scorching sun because they thought they *had* to train. Then, when they saw other nobles relaxing, they would suddenly remember their important family names and complain loudly. They felt it was unfair! MacBurney had seen so much of that kind of nonsense in his life.

He was called ‘chief instructor,’ but that was just a title. MacBurney didn’t really have any power, not really. Baron Veil Frank was the one in charge here. Instructors like MacBurney couldn’t even speak casually to the trainees.

Roman turned his head, his gaze drifting towards the shade.

“Are you saying this because of them?” he asked, his voice calm.

The nobles in the shade seemed more interested in their jokes than in anything happening nearby.

MacBurney nodded, feeling a sudden pang of shame. *Why did I even think that about Roman Dmitry?*

But then…

“I will train,” Roman said firmly, looking MacBurney straight in the eye. “I have decided I need to train.”

The nobles at the Southern Training Camp thought that commanders only needed to give orders because the Southern Front didn’t see much fighting.

They thought war was just the soldiers’ job.

They thought, in their ‘common sense,’ that commanders just watched battles from far away. But people who had really fought in wars knew that wasn’t true.

Looking at MacBurney, Roman calmly shared his thoughts.

“You are not wrong. In battle, the enemy’s attacks do not discriminate based on status. Even nobles should undergo basic training. Those men are under the grand delusion that commanders, the order-givers, are safe. Perhaps war on the plains is generally safe. But what if they suffer a major defeat and are forced to retreat, or if they are attacked by enemies who have infiltrated the rear? Nobles, with their weak constitutions, would be incapable of issuing proper orders, let alone maintaining their composure.”

And that wasn’t all.

War wasn’t just on the plains.

It happened in mountains, rivers, swamps, and more. To be a good commander in different places, you needed to be strong enough to keep up with your soldiers.

And…

“I understand the Southern Training Camp’s purpose is to assess the soldiers’ capabilities and to learn from your experiences here in the South. So, there’s no need to look at me like that. I have decided that I need to train, and I am prepared to undergo any training, regardless of my status.”

He finished speaking.

His posture seemed to urge MacBurney to start the training. MacBurney felt a sudden jolt in his heart as he watched him standing there.

‘Ah.’

Roman Dmitry.

MacBurney had fallen for the man before him.

It was said that people would risk their lives for those who understood them.

Just the day before, MacBurney’s motivation had been at its lowest point. He had serious doubts about being a training instructor. But after hearing Roman’s words, he felt proud. He felt shame because he’s been lazy and unfair to the soldiers.

‘He completely understands my intentions.’

It was a first.

Someone of noble status sharing his thoughts and wanting to fully commit to the training.

And it wasn’t just empty words. MacBurney, who had spent so long on the battlefield, could tell if someone was genuine just by looking at their eyes. Roman’s calm gaze wasn’t that of someone who didn’t know about war.

For the first time in a long while, his motivation was back.

Knowing he could help someone like Roman, he wanted to give the best training possible.

MacBurney thought about how to give the best training. He felt excited and determined, but also a little worried about how hard it would be.

‘I was going to just do the training like any other day, without really trying. But not anymore. I will do the best training I can. Even if something bad happens on the Southern Front, I will make sure they are strong enough and know enough about war. I will do everything I can.’

With that decision, the gates of hell were opened.

Week 1 of training was all about physical fitness.

Usually, they would start with simple jogging, but they immediately started training on the move, carrying full packs and climbing mountains.

“The purpose of this training is not just to get stronger. War can happen suddenly, anytime, anywhere. You might have to climb mountains with heavy packs. This training will make our bodies stronger and teach us how to move quickly in the mountains. From now on, we will climb mountains every day, no matter the weather.”

Tap tap tap.

Hundreds of soldiers with pale faces ran up the rough, rocky mountain path. Just climbing the steep mountain was hard, but carrying full packs made them feel dizzy.

The mountain training was just the start. The soldiers, exhausted from the morning’s exercise, quickly ate and gathered at the training grounds.

“This training is to build stamina. War is a mental battle that can last a long time. To fight from sunrise to sunset without losing your mind, you have to constantly push yourself in physical training. From now on, we will do cutting practice that goes on and on, with no breaks. I warn you, don’t give up. If you give up, you will have less sleep and more training.”

“Ah.”

“Damn it.”

Curses came from all over the training grounds. The ordinary soldiers couldn’t refuse the instructor’s orders, and the training was very hard.

MacBurney’s warning was real. Soldiers collapsed in the scorching sun. Sweat poured down their faces, and their lungs burned with each step. Some foamed at the mouth and trembled, but he kept training them without stopping. The clang of metal on metal, the grunts of exhaustion, and the instructor’s harsh voice echoed across the training grounds.

‘On the battlefield, you have to accept even worse things as normal.’

The Southern Front was the same.

MacBurney, moved by Roman’s words, wanted to share everything he had seen and learned on the Western Front.

“Blegh.”

“P-Please, let’s rest a little.”

The soldiers were dying. They were new soldiers who had never had proper military training, and they couldn’t handle the extreme training.

If most of them had reacted like this, the training would have stopped.

But that wasn’t possible because Roman’s troops were there.

Roman led his soldiers. They were doing the training perfectly, from start to finish.

Whoosh!

He swung his sword.

It was a movement he had already repeated hundreds of times.

His skin was red from the sun, and his whole body was drenched in sweat. Still, Roman did not stop training.

This training was all about physical strength, not magic. Roman was even training without using mana, his inner power.

People watched Roman, as if they couldn’t understand him.

No one would have said anything if he rested in the shade like the others, but he participated in the training with the soldiers from beginning to end.

Roman thought, ‘Like sharpening a sword before battle, I must strengthen my bond with my soldiers.’ He knew soldiers trust a leader who works beside them. This was why he trained so hard, for himself and for his men.

Cheonma Baek Jung-hyuk. This was Roman’s past name.

He did not rise to the top from the start.

He started from the bottom, and that’s why he knew what emotions and thoughts the people receiving orders had.

Discontent grew from the smallest things.

If soldiers were training to death in the scorching sun like today, what would they think if the commander was in the shade, chattering and gossiping? Naturally, anger would arise.

That doesn’t mean it would immediately lead to extreme results like a rebellion, but the weight of the orders would become lighter than before.

Suppose.

Let’s say there are commanders who participate in training together and those who don’t.

Which commander’s orders would the soldiers be loyal to?

It is a difference that can never be overlooked.

Soldiers are more likely to follow the orders of a commander who suffered with them than a commander who only talks, and such differences often reverse the outcome of a war.

It’s not about rolling around with them at the bottom always.

At least until complete trust is formed.

He believed if his actions could help win the war, he had to do them, no matter how hard.

It was a complex reason.

To train himself.

To strengthen the bond with the soldiers.

Baek Jung-hyuk did not avoid times like today.

The members of the Demonic Cult blindly followed Baek Jung-hyuk, who always raised his voice for the soldiers at the forefront.

The conquest of the Murim. In this land, ‘Murim’ refers to the martial world.

It was not achieved by individual martial prowess alone.

The bond between Baek Jung-hyuk and the Demonic Cult, built from the bottom up, instantly collapsed the huge mountain that was the Central Plains Murim.

“Hoo, hoo.”

“Ugh.”

Roman’s soldiers.

They looked like they were about to die at any moment.

They had the urge to give up all the time like the other soldiers, but they couldn’t because of Roman’s appearance.

How could the soldiers give up when their commander was working so hard?

Around them, the soldiers of other nobles collapsed one by one.

They were panting on the ground, secretly taking breaks, but Roman’s soldiers did not cheat.

That day.

Until the end of training.

In the end, not a single one of Roman’s soldiers dropped out.

Finally, the training ended as the sun began to set. Dusty and tired, the soldiers headed to the stream…

Splash.

“Haa, I feel like I’m alive now.”

“It was all a lie that the training at the Southern Training Center was easy. No one said they would push us this hard from the first day.”

Grumbling soldiers.

At least Roman’s soldiers still had energy in their expressions.

Was it because they didn’t like that appearance?

Another noble’s soldier, who was washing his body nearby, spoke with a dissatisfied expression.

“Hey! Why did you have to try so hard? Now the instructor is making *us* all suffer!”

Throughout the training.

They couldn’t openly demand a break because of Roman’s soldiers.

If it was training that everyone couldn’t handle, McBurney wouldn’t push them so hard, but there were beings who perfectly performed the training from beginning to end, so there was no room to relax.

I don’t know how much they hated Roman’s soldiers while panting on the ground.

Their strong physical strength must have been completed over several years, but the situation was completely different for the soldiers who were forced to join and dragged to the Southern Training Center.

For that reason.

They were annoyed to see Roman’s healthy soldiers.

Since they met at the stream, another noble’s soldier raised his voice as if to be heard.

“We are soldiers selected by conscription, unlike you. The training period is short, so how can we endure the same high-strength training as you? If we had enough time, we could have done it like you.”

That’s when it happened.

To that word.

One of Roman’s soldiers came forward and said.

“I’m just curious after hearing you talk. How much training did you receive to talk about having enough training time for us?”

The soldier’s appearance was threatening.

The soldier took off his top to wash his body.

His body, illuminated by the moonlight, was like a sculpture.

Whether he had trained his body for a long time, his cracked muscles were impressive even for the same man.

The other noble’s soldier was startled.

He was slightly suppressed by the opponent’s energy, but he still had to say what he had to say.

“We have only received training for a year. It’s different from you who have been professionally trained for years. So, take it easy. That way, Instructor McBurney will lower the strength of the training.”

One year.

It was not a short period.

Roman’s soldier laughed.

Hearing that he had been training since a year ago, the opponent’s words sounded like whining.

Was it because the past came to mind?

As Roman’s soldier, he couldn’t speak kindly.

“Excuses! You think a year is short? We haven’t even trained together for half a year! Really, only three months of real training! Don’t tell me you didn’t have time. You had time. You just didn’t use it right.”

This soldier, the one who spoke with such conviction, was Henderson from Lawrence.