People flocked. In order to check on Roman Dmitry’s safety, people crowded the streets where the aftermath of the war hadn’t disappeared.
They also heard the rumors. While Dmitry was struggling against the Kronos Empire, Roman Dmitry survived a dangerous time.
With occasional news, people hoped that he would return safely.
And finally, Roman Dmitry appeared. As if to prove their hardships, Roman and the others weren’t in good shape. But all the people were happy. Even if they all looked shabby, they managed to come back alive and safe.
“The pride of Dmitry!”
“Congratulations on being ranked in the continental rankings!”
He killed Barbossa, who was a Twelve Swords of the Continent. Not just that, while returning to Dmitry, they could imagine the faces of the people Roman Dmitry killed. And Dmitry’s people were proud of this.
Throughout the history of the continent, there has never been a case where someone who wasn’t a member of the empire stepped into the top ranks, and now Roman Dmitry managed to do that.
And its meaning couldn’t be that simple. Even if Dmitry were a weak nation that was just born, its status would change just from Roman’s existence alone…
With the appearance of their triumphant General, the people went insane. Roman Dmitry accepted their gaze and went straight to his parents.
“I am home.”
“Roman! Are you hurt?!”
His mother, Rihanna, found Roman and rushed over to him. Ever since the rumors about her son came up, she has been so anxious. Normally, Rihanna Dmitry was known for her gentle and dignified personality, but that didn’t matter now.
The parents and the kids greeted each other for a while, and Rihanna Dmitry took a step back with a relieved expression after checking the body of her son closely.
Only then did Duke Dmitry get to speak.
“You know what happened to Dmitry, Son. How would you like to handle this situation now?”
What happened this time wasn’t just a passing matter. The Kronos Empire broke the continental law and attacked Dmitry, and somehow, if they didn’t take this ahead, then Kronos would get a free hand.
After defeating the Kronos Empire, Dmitry had to deal with the pain of war.
The war was over, but that didn’t mean that no one died.
The past few days in Dmitry have been rocky. The group that wanted to retaliate against this and those who wanted to deal with the empire had a fierce disagreement.
In the end, Duke Dmitry handed over the choice to him. With a determined expression, he said to Roman Dmitry,
“Dmitry has acquired the title of Duchy, and the big and small affairs of this nation are yours to handle. It doesn’t matter that I am called the Lord of this nation. Roman. Keep this in mind. Whatever the choice you will make, I, Romero Dmitry, and the Dmitry Duchy will follow it.”
Agreement. It was a matter that could be sorted out with Roman Dmitry’s opinion. No one would question whatever choice he made. In Dmitry, Roman Dmitry was such a being.
“I understand.”
That was the end of the discussion, and Roman Dmitry walked forward.
He walked down the aisle. While they were moving, Lucas walked along with him and explained the situation.
“The damage to Dmitry from this war isn’t small. Even though we were fully prepared, the opponent mobilized troops better than expected, and the estimation is that the Kronos Empire moved their troops without having to use a Warp Gate. And that is something we will investigate and report in detail later.”
Glancing at him, he looked into Roman’s eyes. He couldn’t predict what his reaction would be to these things.
“…and Kevin, along with Henderson, are in bad condition. In the process of protecting Duke Dmitry’s residence, they were mortally wounded by a 6-star aura swordsman mobilized by the enemy, and both are now on the brink of death. Henderson’s state is particularly serious. Last night, he stopped breathing for a moment, but fortunately, thanks to the immediate response of the physician, he managed to overcome the danger.”
The result of the war. The fact that Dmitry defeated Kronos was an amazing achievement, but Lucas felt bad for those who were injured in the war.
In addition, in the case of Henderson, they had the same motivation for applying for enlistment in the past. While he was in charge of the information guild, he didn’t get time to hang out with others, but Henderson had a very friendly personality, so they formed a pretty tight bond.
And such a person fell. The story of that day, which he had heard from the people, made Lucas’s face turn red.
“You are saying he isn’t dead, then?”
“Yes.”
They were now heading to where the wounded were. Right after Roman Dmitry arrived at the estate, he showed a calm expression that hid his intentions.
Even when people cheered, and even when he met his parents. No emotions could be read from him. And that, for some reason, made Lucas afraid.
Kevin and Henderson. He looked down at the two unconscious people on the hospital bed. No matter how many times the bandages were changed, they would turn red.
The physician said,
“It seems like today will be the day we will know. I am holding onto the best position and the powers of the priest in case they are needed, but right now, they aren’t in good condition. Kevin has recovered a lot from his injuries, but I don’t know why he hasn’t gained consciousness yet. Henderson is so seriously injured that his ribs are broken, and they can’t be healed even with the best potion. In addition, the ‘dark aura’ that pierced his body is not letting his body recover.”
Those words meant death. Although they were hopeful somewhere in their hearts, the physician hinted that there was another side too.
‘In the end, this is what happened.’
The painful memories rushed to his mind. The four beings who followed Baek Joong-hyuk, the Heavenly Demon, didn’t survive until the end to enjoy their wealth.
The Crazy Demon died. In the process of dealing with the Nine Great Sects One Union, he fell into a trap, and the Crazy Demon had to slaughter numerous enemies to win. In the end, he died with weapons pierced into his body.
During the process of taking over Murim, not everything was pleasant. Just as there was sadness, there was joy, and those whom Baek Joong-hyuk trusted the most had no choice but to face death for being loyal to him.
It was a grim reality. The larger the area to cover, the more subordinates were needed to take risks. And those he trusted were more at risk.
The day’s work. Baek Joong-hyuk was furious.
During the war, he knew someone would die, but he was shocked the most when he held a memorial for someone called the Crazy Demon. The memorial was held at the Nine Great Sects’ base.
The war was so bad that the entire land was filled with blood, and from then on, the people of the Murim Alliance, who saw that, lost their hope and declared surrender as they raised a white flag.
If time could be turned back, Roman Dmitry would not change it. To trust Kevin and Henderson. There were no better people than them. And this was the price of trust.
They didn’t betray his truth and faith, and they risked their lives to get results.
‘I made up my mind to live as the Heavenly Demon in this life. My life has always been full of struggles, so changing the situation wouldn’t make me the Roman Dmitry they knew me as. That is why the deaths of those who follow me are quite natural the higher I aim. If I don’t want anyone to look down on me, then the path I take will have to be dangerous.’
He had already expected their sacrifice. However, in the world that he hoped for, he couldn’t solve all the problems on his own.
Unlike the other times, he was in a situation where he couldn’t choose any of the options. Roman Dmitry left for Valhalla and faced the threat of his enemies head-on, while he made the choice to leave Dmitry to those he trusted.
It was a choice for Dmitry. Dmitry had to prove that it wouldn’t collapse in his absence, and the result was good.
Although Kronos was defeated, Roman’s emotions raged from the moment he stepped in Dmitry.
He was angry. It was different from his previous life. Even then, he was angry at the death of the Crazy Demon, but it wasn’t as passionate as now.
In his present life, he has accepted many relationships. Rather than his past life, in which he pursued the path of defeat, he considered human relationships centered on himself a little more important.
And so he couldn’t let them die. He judged that it was the will of those who wanted to live that they had endured until he arrived.
“I will personally see the treatment of Kevin and Henderson. So make room for treatment.”
The order fell.
It was important to save them now.
They moved places. Having laid Kevin and Henderson on the ground, Roman Dmitry sat cross-legged and placed his hands near their hearts.
‘Start from the source of life.’
Anger. Mana rose.
The mana that flowed from Roman Dmitry permeated their bodies, slowly caressed their hearts, and moved into their bodies.
One, two, three. His heart raced. At first, Kevin’s and Henderson’s hearts were beating randomly, but at some point, all three hearts began to beat at the same time, as if they were made to beat like that.
And the mana flowed in earnest. The moment Roman Dmitry’s mana reached their wounds, the assimilation of their senses caused him excruciating pain.
‘I need to bring out my innate energy.’
The treatment now is risky. In his previous life, there was this being called the Great Physician, and he was one who gained fame for being able to save dying people.
But when the guy died in his mid-20s, people came to know the truth about him. He didn’t use some amazing skill to save the people. He used his own innate energy, his life force.
And Roman Dmitry chose that method. Innate qi is the power that is in a human since birth, and when it wears out, it means one dies.
Some of his power was pushed into both of their bodies. Roman Dmitry was willing to give up some of his life for the sake of his subordinates, and since his innate qi had been amplified, he had entered into an extraordinary state.
Kevin and Henderson followed his orders and ended up like this. Even if his life shortens, the sacrifices they made were worth something. And these people risked a lot.
Roman Dmitry accepted their sacrifices. When the aura of his innate energy rose, the two bodies naturally regained life.
This was a difficult task.
Roman Dmitry’s face went pale, and as time passed, his entire body was drenched in sweat. It wasn’t something that could be used, and he couldn’t save them right away.
He did his best, but if the heavens didn’t want these two to live, then no amount of effort would save them.
But he wasn’t going to give up first. Roman Dmitry fell into a trance as he devoted himself to saving them.
During the war with Kronos, there were so many problems. And there were many problems that had to be solved, such as the war, the conspiracy of Valhalla, and the existence of black magicians, but Roman put those thoughts behind him and focused on what was ahead.
This didn’t mean that he was abandoning those problems. When considering the order of things, he judged that saving these people’s lives was a priority.
That was the reason Roman Dmitry was trying to reach the top. He needed the power to do what he wanted, not to prioritize power at the cost of something important.
One day, two days.
Time continued to pass.
And about a week after that.
Roman Dmitry devoted himself to treating them, and the people outside began to pay attention to him.
