The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 87

The land where the Kingdom of Cairo ended and the Hector Kingdom began was a harsh, dry place of rock and sand. Not far from this invisible line, hidden amongst jagged hills that clawed at the pale sky, a secret camp had sprung up. The air hung thick with the smell of woodsmoke and horses. Whispers carried on the wind hinted at the large number of soldiers gathered here; looking at the rows of tents and the many flickering fires, it was clear there were easily hundreds, maybe more.

A young knight, his armor gleaming even in the dim light of the command tent, bowed slightly. “Sir, we have just received word. Jackson’s Rangers have passed through the southern training camp and are moving towards the rear base. It seems the first part of the plan is working. The Kingdom of Cairo is busy fighting at the defense lines, just as we hoped. They have no idea what we are really planning.”

Edwin Hector, his face as still and cold as the desert stones outside, listened without a flicker of emotion. He nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the large map spread across the rough wooden desk in front of him. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and steady.

“It is too early to be complacent. Tell the commanders attacking Cairo’s defense line to keep fighting, but not too hard. We need Cairo to think they are winning, so they don’t send more soldiers to the rear. What is important to us is not breaking down the walls in front of us. If the plan succeeds, we can naturally take control of the southern front.”

Keeping this operation secret was the most important thing.

That’s why they spent a whole year figuring out the patrol patterns of the southern front. Before starting the operation, Jackson’s Ranger unit was sent to secretly enter the southern front.

Jackson’s unit had taken a very dangerous path, climbing over sharp, rocky mountains. But this morning, a message arrived: Jackson had reached the secret place and was now hidden, waiting for the signal.

The operation was just beginning.

The Kingdom of Cairo might be worried by this sudden attack, but that was not the real reason for it. The true plan was something much bigger.

‘The military strength of the southern front is very weak. If we had attacked with all our might from the beginning, we could have destroyed all the defense lines of the southern front in at least 4 hours. But that alone is not enough to say that we have completely occupied the southern front. In the end, what matters is the existence of the Warp Gate. If Cairo’s main force crosses over to the southern front through there, we will have no choice but to fight a difficult battle.’

The Kingdom of Cairo.

No matter how careless they were, it didn’t mean they had no countermeasures.

The Warp Gate was not just any object; it was a magical crystal, humming with hidden power. It could move armies across vast distances in the blink of an eye, changing how wars were fought.

Troops from the south to the west.

Troops from the west to the south.

The Warp Gate made physically impossible things possible in the blink of an eye.

So, capturing the Warp Gate on the battlefield was considered a very important issue.

The intention was to cut off the enemy’s support troops, but if a normally functioning Warp Gate was captured, it could also be used offensively.

This was called ‘re-connecting’. It meant changing the Warp Gate’s destination, so instead of bringing Cairo’s troops, it could bring Hector’s troops *to* Cairo. As a result, Warp Gates were usually equipped with explosive devices.

Cairo had a rear base, a place far from the fighting lines, and importantly, they had placed a Warp Gate there.

It was the reason Roman was able to arrive in the south in ten days. The Kingdom of Cairo had a Warp Gate in the rear in preparation for any possible situation.

Even if they were attacked by enemies.

They thought it was safe because they could quickly bring in more soldiers if attacked, or even destroy the Warp Gate if needed, while their front lines held the enemy.

That was exactly.

Edwin Hector’s aim.

‘The Kingdom of Cairo is completely off guard right now. They didn’t even expect us to attack in the first place, and they’re distracted by the visible attacks. Now is the perfect opportunity. If Jackson’s Ranger unit secretly enters the rear base and captures the Warp Gate, we can swallow the southern front in one fell swoop.’

If successful.

It was a strategy with no chance of defeat.

Due to the absence of the Warp Gate, the Kingdom of Cairo would not be able to send troops to the southern front quickly. If attacks were launched simultaneously from the front and rear in the meantime, the defense positions would inevitably collapse.

From then on, it was a very easy problem.

The moment the southern front was in their grasp, the Hector Kingdom would gain the initiative.

Underground of the secret base.

There was a Warp Gate that had been painstakingly installed over a year.

The moment Jackson sends a report that he has succeeded, all the troops here will be moved to the rear base.

Edwin Hector spoke, his voice firm. ‘We must also think about what happens if this plan fails. In preparation for the worst-case scenario, prepare to destroy the Warp Gate. If Jackson’s operation fails, we will destroy the Warp Gate and begin the second operation.’

“Understood.”

His decision was cold and logical, showing no emotion.

The knight bowed his head and thought.

‘The man called Hector’s Star. The Hector Kingdom will be revived by Edwin Hector.’

It was a certainty.

Edwin Hector being born as a prince was a blessing for the Hector Kingdom.

McBurney woke up suddenly. He had only passed out for a short time, the relief of being alive washing over him before the healing potion started to work, clearing his head.

“…Kugh.”

Pain shot through his entire body.

His stomach still felt sick.

The potion had closed the wound quickly, but the pain and weakness remained.

Looking at his abdomen, he saw that his torn skin was now stitched together neatly. Someone had taken care of him while he was out.

“Are you awake?”

It was Chris.

Seeing Chris, his memory rushed back.

The moment he was about to accept death, Roman Dmitry, whom Chris served, appeared and saved his life.

‘How could he have appeared at the southern training camp?’

A question arose.

Roman Dmitry was assigned to the 5th defense line reserve unit.

Before the southern training camp was attacked, the five defense lines were clearly in a very precarious situation. Logically, Roman Dmitry had an obligation to help the 5th defense line, not here.

He wondered if Roman had run away because he thought it was too dangerous to fight.

He knew very well that Roman Dmitry was not that kind of person, but wasn’t the battlefield a place where unexpected natures were always revealed?

McBurney asked honestly what had happened.

The answer that came back surprised him.

“We heard the news that the Hector Kingdom had attacked, and we immediately headed to the 5th defense line. And there…”

The story was short.

Unlike his worries.

McBurney was sincerely impressed by the fact that he had defeated the enemies rather than running away.

“You are really amazing.”

He was sincere.

Hector’s surprise attack.

There would have been no time to prepare, but Roman Dmitry made the most ideal judgment and created the result of defeating the enemy.

The decisiveness and force he showed in the process.

Even without watching the scene directly, he could fully understand how amazing it was.

‘As expected.’

The only person who was preparing for the war.

The fact that someone like him was on the southern front was a great comfort to McBurney.

The conversation could not continue any longer.

Roman came out of the building.

Roman checked McBurney’s condition.

Satisfied that there were no particular problems, he immediately asked the main point.

“Explain in detail what happened at the southern training camp.”

“Understood.”

He tried to remember everything that had happened.

His physical condition was terrible, but he remembered the events of that time clearly.

“It was about 2 hours ago that we were attacked by the Hector Kingdom. I was preparing for the next class of training as usual, when soldiers from the Hector Kingdom suddenly appeared and attacked us. We quickly gathered our troops and tried to fight back against the enemies, but the enemy soldiers were much stronger and better trained. They had no chance to defend themselves. The result is as you can see. We were unilaterally massacred, and we don’t know the whereabouts of Lord Vale, the commander of the southern training camp.”

2 hours.

It was an important point.

The fact that they were able to attack so quickly clearly meant that the enemies had infiltrated the southern front in advance.

“Were there any peculiarities in the enemies’ uniforms?”

“They were all wearing light armor. And the face of the person who appeared to be the enemy commander was full of scars.”

“Full of scars?”

“Yes.”

Light armor.

A face full of scars.

There was a person who was identified.

While investigating the southern front, Roman had also identified the key figures of the Hector Kingdom.

“It could be the Ranger unit.”

“…Ah!”

McBurney’s eyes widened.

He seemed to have heard of it.

The Hector Kingdom’s Ranger unit.

The leader who led them was said to regard the scars on his face, gained from numerous wars, as medals.

It was something he had learned long ago and almost forgotten. He was surprised Roman knew it instantly.

But.

That alone did not resolve the question.

McBurney asked.

“If it’s the Ranger unit, they might have infiltrated the southern front in advance. But I don’t understand why they attacked the southern training camp. If they had occupied a favorable high ground, wouldn’t it be natural to use that advantage to quickly destroy the front-line defense line? But they moved in the opposite direction. Instead of going to the front, they attacked the southern training camp, which is on the way to the rear.”

“You’re right.”

“What does that mean…”

“Because the southern training camp is on the road to the rear base, it was in their way. They had to attack you to get to the Warp Gate.”

McBurney was flustered.

Roman told him the truth.

“The Hector Kingdom is using a smoke screen operation right now. Attacking the front-line defense line is just a distraction. Their real purpose is the Warp Gate in the rear base.”

That was.

It was a shocking truth.

When he first met the soldier from the southern training camp, Roman thought.

‘The fact that the enemies attacked the southern training camp means that the real destination is not the front-line defense line. The only destination that comes out if you follow this road is the rear base. What is the purpose? If he guessed wrong, they could be trapped, attacked from both the front and the rear. It was a dangerous gamble.’

He set up a hypothesis.

If the reason for attacking while using a smoke screen operation is in the rear base, could it be the Warp Gate that could create variables?

Even then, it was just a hypothesis.

He gained confidence by torturing Hector’s soldiers.

‘The Hector Kingdom has strong confidence in this war. A plan that was guaranteed to win, if it worked.’

That can only be to capture the Warp Gate in the rear.

If that operation succeeds, the Hector Kingdom will not only cut off Cairo’s support troops, but also be able to use it offensively in reverse.

Warp Gate.

It was the most surprising part of learning about the new world.

This magical crystal, which could bend space itself, showed Roman that magic was a power as mighty and world-changing as any sword or fighting skill.

Edwin Hector.

His strategy was discovered by an unexpected person.

McBurney tried to sit up quickly, but pain shot through him. He winced, but he didn’t care about the pain right now.

“If that’s the strategy, shouldn’t we help the rear base right now? I will also lend my strength.”

“No.”

Roman shook his head.

McBurney said.

The attack time of the Ranger unit.

It was 2 hours ago.

Then, one conclusion could be reached.

“The Hector Kingdom’s Ranger unit attacked the southern training camp and left 1 hour and 30 minutes ago. That’s enough time to put their operation into action. McBurney, have you ever received a call from the rear base that the enemies have attacked?”

“…No way.”

“Yes.”

Even knowing the truth.

But Roman didn’t rush. In fact, there was no need to hurry.

“Now, they were on their own. They had to fight the Hector Kingdom here, in this place, and survive without any help from Cairo.”

It was as expected.

At that time, Hector’s Ranger unit succeeded in capturing the Warp Gate. The fate of the southern front hung in the balance, and the true battle was only just beginning.