The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live a Normal Life

Chapter 194: New Map (4)

Is this what it feels like to be suffocated by intimidation? The Emperor of Kronos looked at Count Fabius in silence. He was huge enough to fill the throne and had a cold expression on his face.

Even if he cast off the guise of being the Emperor of Kronos, he would still be a 5-star aura swordsman. Although not officially registered in the Rankings, the presence that the Emperor had was enough to make the entire palace a mess.

Fabius walked slowly. He didn’t rush his steps until he reached the emperor, but he also didn’t dare to look up either.

The moment the door opened, the scene that came into view was too shocking. The key figures of Kronos were all lined up on both sides of the Emperor, and it showed how huge the mountain that Kronos was if one wanted to climb it.

Tak.

He stopped walking. He bowed on behalf of the delegation, and then the Emperor asked,

“Are you Roman Dmitry?”

“No. I am Count Fabius of Cai…”

Wheik.

“Kuak.”

It happened in an instant. The moment Count Fabius revealed his identity, the Emperor of Kronos distorted his expression, and at the same time, the knight who guided Fabius grabbed him by the neck and made him fall to the ground.

He suppressed Fabius’s head by force, making it impossible for him to lift his head. And from above, he heard the voice of the Emperor.

“My representative made it clear. Negotiations are not possible, and if you do not want an all-out war with Kronos, Roman Dmitry should come and offer up his arm.”

“T-That…”

Clench.

He couldn’t get a word out. The knight was pushing Count Fabius’s head with such great force that his words couldn’t help but die down. His heart was beating against the ground. He knew that the Emperor of Kronos was a man who loved war, but he didn’t think that an envoy would be treated like this.

“I understand the meaning of Cairo well. If you want an all-out war, I will show you the will of Kronos by cutting off your arm as the envoy.”

Thud.

His heart fell, and his blood went cold.

‘If I don’t say anything now, Cairo cannot avoid an all-out war. I cannot even beg for anything here. My plan to be in the good graces of Roman Dmitry will be messed up, and his plan will fail. The problem is that if I become too aggressive, the Emperor might make a harsh decision, and our entire nation will be in trouble. I need to convey my words and the intention of Cairo without being too rude but not being too servile either.’

He shook his head. For a single decision, each word meant a lot. In a situation where his life could be in danger, Count Fabius felt like his senses sharpened.

“Your Majesty, the Emperor of Kronos! Cairo does not want an all-out war! Please give me a chance to speak. After I convey the will of Cairo, you may take my head and not just my arm!”

He risked his life. He shook off the hand that was pushing him down and raised his voice. But no answer came back. It felt like an eternity of silence passed where only his heart that was thumping so loud could be heard, and soon the Emperor of Kronos said,

“Remember what you just said. If Cairo cannot convince me, you will die on the spot.”

The knight stepped aside.

Fabius got his chance to speak.

He got up. With a red face, he caught his breath and looked up at the Emperor of Kronos, his clothes all tangled.

He was afraid. His heart raced, but Count Fabius didn’t let fear get the best of him.

“Our reason for rejecting the offer that the Kronos Empire made is that Marquis Benedict’s rebellion didn’t have a justification in the first place. Marquis Benedict rebelled because his own safety was in danger, and his involvement with the Kronos Empire was not the right decision to make. We do not want an all-out war with Kronos, and we have decided that it isn’t worth sacrificing the talent of the kingdom for it.”

Kronos mentioned their justification the other day. Since the empire was drawn in by Cairo’s nobles, their attack was justified.

First of all, the most important thing was for them to deny that. His words just now were made under the assumption that the Kronos Empire didn’t break the Continental Laws.

“Cairo asked for the opinion of the International Community on this matter. There was a war between the nations for an unjust reason, and it was necessary for us to check if one side had the obligation to be made responsible for it. And the five kingdoms, apart from Valhalla, expressed their willingness to agree with Cairo. Your Majesty, the Emperor of Kronos. There was no reason for another nation to intervene in a war that started with a civil war. However, if you wish for Cairo to make a sacrifice, we have no choice but to be driven into a corner.”

It was a strange way of talking. By first saying that they had the consent of other kingdoms, it was like saying Cairo was being supported.

A few days ago, Roman Dmitry contacted the five kingdoms on the continent for the negotiations with the Kronos Empire to go smoothly. The conversation with them wasn’t so difficult.

The Kingdoms’ Alliance in the southern part of Kronos wanted a friendly relationship with Cairo because of their dispute with Kronos. At the same time, the Hector Kingdom decided that it was necessary to let go of their past bad relationship and unite their voices this time.

It was an incident in which the empire oppressed a kingdom for no reason. The empire is attacking Cairo now, but after that, which kingdom would they go after? That was Roman’s plan—to gather the power of the kingdoms.

Each kingdom had a struggling military power, but the story would be different if the six kingdoms chose to side with each other.

And Count Fabius said,

“Cairo wants peace. If the Kronos Empire wants war, show your will by cutting off my head. However, if you agree with Cairo, I hope this ends well.”

His speech was over. All their cards were placed on the table, and now it was Kronos’s turn to decide.

Cairo’s intention was too clear. Gambling from the edge of a cliff, if they were pushed, they were saying that all the kingdoms would come together.

And there was something else in those words. The reason why the Valhalla Empire wasn’t included in the plan was that they were the evil partner of Kronos.

They were the two high mountains on the same continent. If the name of the Valhalla Empire had been uttered with threatening remarks, the Emperor of Kronos might have made an extreme choice even for the sake of the empire’s status. So the Valhalla Empire was excluded.

They said Valhalla had nothing to do with this incident, but that didn’t mean their existence was completely irrelevant.

‘If a war breaks out between Kronos and the Kingdoms’ Alliance, the Kronos Empire will surely win, but what happens after the war is over is the problem. The Kronos Empire, which had exerted a lot of energy to defeat the six kingdoms, would have to be very cautious about a war with Valhalla. We didn’t mention Valhalla, but they would have no choice but to be wary of them. This is the best option we can choose.’

It was a kind of intimidation. Touching the pride of the Emperor was said to be the best way to compromise. And by attracting other nations, they made it difficult for Kronos to touch them.

Roman Dmitry was a great person. Fabius thought that strength could only be found in military power, but the plan that Roman Dmitry thought of was perfect. In the current situation, there was no better plan than this. The Kronos Empire was not ready to conquer the continent yet, and they did not want to hasten it.

Gulp.

Count Fabius gulped. He trusted Roman Dmitry’s plan, but the presence of the Emperor of Kronos made his throat dry. It was then…

“You seem to have used your head quite a bit.”

He didn’t panic. It wasn’t even an angry voice. As if he had expected it, the Emperor turned to Count Fabius with an expressionless face. From the start until now, the Emperor of Kronos has not changed his expression much. So even if he was the Raccoon of Cairo, he couldn’t guess what his real emotions were.

“In exchange for freeing the captives of Kronos, I will end the problem here. But the treatment of Roman Dmitry is a separate issue.”

“… what is that supposed to mean?”

“Roman Dmitry killed my people. Count Fabio, Gustavo, and the Knights of Kronos. They were all devoted to the empire, and as the Emperor, I want to be compensated in blood. Every night from now on, my people will visit Roman Dmitry. The crime of killing talented people from the empire—it is up to Roman Dmitry and the Cairo Kingdom to handle this issue.”

The Emperor of Kronos was a scary person. Cairo brought other nations into this issue, yet his desire for the blood of Roman Dmitry didn’t stop.

Assassination. How can he help him now? No matter how unfair this situation felt, he knew that there was a high chance that the death of Roman Dmitry would end in an assassination.

He felt goosebumps rise for a moment. The Emperor never wanted an all-out war with Cairo in the first place. It occurred to him that he had set up a plan to restore the status of his empire by driving Cairo into a corner and rescuing his men, along with assassinating Roman Dmitry.

Above the sky, his existence was above the heavens. The empire was called an empire for a reason.

“And from now on, the same things will not work.”

The Emperor said that, and Count Fabius felt lost.

A few days later, Fabius returned to Cairo. He went to the King and reported all the things that had happened and bowed to Roman Dmitry.

“… I apologize. A variable had popped up.”

The war was avoided. However, as someone who served Roman Dmitry, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about the assassination attempts that would happen in the future.

His face was red. As a traitor, he showed confidence when he left to prove himself, but in front of the giant, the Emperor, Fabius couldn’t find an answer. However…

“Well done.”

Roman Dmitry didn’t seem interested. He had already accepted the things that Count Fabius couldn’t say.

“The Kronos Empire never gave up on their decision. Their target had been me from the start, and it is very likely that they wouldn’t step back without a threat. You did your best for what I asked for.”

He had actually expected Kronos’s response.

‘Emperor Kronos. As expected, he is a belligerent person.’

If Roman Dmitry had gone as the envoy, even if he had spoken of assassination, he wouldn’t have killed him. It was more of a matter of pride than profit for the Emperor.

If he had allowed Roman Dmitry to live and killed him outside of the empire, the people would be intimidated by the influence of the empire. So Roman volunteered to go. Knowing that the Kronos Empire was similar to him, he knew that it wasn’t dangerous. Even if the worst scenario happened, Roman Dmitry had a way out.

“… are you sure you are fine? The Kronos Empire has spoken of assassination, and a swordsman of Valhalla who was once their target died.”

Count Fabius was concerned. It was to be expected. He trusted Roman Dmitry, but the name Kronos had its own weight.

But he didn’t know the truth. Roman Dmitry—no, Baek Joong-hyuk, the Heavenly Demon, what kind of life did he live? Assassinations were a daily occurrence for him. Emperor Kronos’s intention to scare him was misguided right from the start.

“It doesn’t matter. That is my problem now.”

His blood boiled.

Finally, it felt like he was walking on knives after entering this world.