Drip. Drip.
Blood dripped down Roman’s sword.
Seeing the death of Anthony Barco, all the nobles who were present there were obviously shocked, and Viscount Barco was wailing.
“No! Noooooo!”
Grab.
He hurriedly embraced Anthony Barco’s limp body. His high-quality fabric clothes were wholly stained with blood, and Viscount Barco tried to stop the blood flowing from his son’s neck, trembling. However, it was entirely meaningless. Although his son’s body was still a bit warm, his eyes had already lost focus, and his arms had fallen down.1
“…Ahhhhh!”
Viscount Barco couldn’t accept his son’s death. He never imagined his son would be killed right before his eyes one day.
“Ahhhh! What are you all doing?! Kill this demon who dared to kill the eldest son of Barco, right now! Tear his limbs apart!” Viscount Barco screamed.
At the sight of him shouting out loud, looking like a madman, the knights of Barco hesitated. They all had witnessed Roman on the battlefield. Naturally, they weren’t confident about rushing head first into the man who slaughtered the soldiers in the rear, took down the Flare, and even killed Homer and Berge with a single slash.
They were sure—whoever rushes at him first would definitely die. And due to the fear of death creeping into their bodies, and the shock of Anthony Barco’s death, their loyalty was gradually faltering.
Swipe.
Roman wiped the blood off his sword. Then, he sheathed his sword, looked around, and asked everyone present, “Is there some problem? Isn’t it normal for a criminal to die in the Duel of Judgement?”
Viscount Barco was utterly mistaken. Roman offered a duel, but he never said he wouldn’t kill Anthony Barco. Yes, it was a trap. Roman hadn’t brought a single escort with him when he came to Barco. Being Viscount Barco, he thought Roman would choose to cut down a limb or something, at most. However, Roman had done something utterly different. Also, Roman had the right to do it as it was Viscount Barco himself who gave Roman the chance to punish his son. Thus, it couldn’t be said that Roman was at fault for killing Anthony. He simply gave him the punishment he deserved.
Roman warned those who were at a loss for words and couldn’t decide what to do.
“From now on, keep in mind what I say. From the day Anthony Barco threatened me, I couldn’t live under the same sky as him. I am just that kind of a person. I couldn’t sleep without paying back for what I suffered, so I kept thinking about how to bring down the Barco family. The situation in front of you is the result of that. And if there are still some people left who won’t leave Barco’s side, look carefully at who you will be dealing with.”
Many say the cornered mouse bites the cat. Chris also dissuaded Roman for that reason, and in the past, Baek Ho-yeol warned him of that, as well.
However…
If one lets the mouse live due to the fear of being bitten, it will come back with a gang of its own to seek revenge on the cat.
Thus, Roman never did that. Even if it meant his own flesh being torn apart and blood dripping down, it was something he would never do—He would never let the mouse get away.
Viscount Barco was stunned. His eyes were burning with revenge as he shouted, “Do you think you will be fine after doing this?”
“Again… What do you even mean? From the moment I joined the war and went to Lawrence’s side, it was clear that Barco and I would be enemies for the rest of our lives. And obviously, such a relationship will not change until you die, Viscount Barco. I will not be careless for even a single moment and carefully watch each step the Barco family takes, and I also plan to keep attacking until Barco is wholly destroyed.”
On the surface, it was a threat to Barco, but those who were wise knew that it was a warning to all the nobles who were present there—Roman was showing them how dangerous it would be if they tried to help the Barco family even a little bit. It was a warning that if anyone tried to support or stay by Barco’s side while Roman was attacking, he would destroy them without any hesitation, as well.
Naturally, at Roman’s warning, every noble decided to give up on Barco. They just kept their mouths shut. Even the knights of Barco only held their swords, but didn’t rush forward.
“I will leave for now.”
He took a step back and walked through the front door alone. Although blood dripped down the path Roman was walking, no one dared to stand in his way. And just like that, leaving behind Viscount Barco, who was screaming, he disappeared wholly.
Next, Barco’s collapse was instantaneous.
Angered by his son’s death, Viscount Barco tried to get revenge, but all reactions he got back were as cold as frozen ice.
“I am sorry. However, as you know, we are not confident enough to help Barco against Dmitry. I admit that we had a good relationship, but Barco touched an extremely dangerous enemy.”
They all drew a line. Even for nobles like them, Roman’s actions were too shocking. He stepped into the estate of Barco on his own and killed Barco’s son right before his eyes. It was an act that instilled fear into everyone who was there.
Roman Dmitry made it clear that he didn’t intervene in Lawrence and Barco’s affair just because of impulsive decisions but because he wanted revenge and had a clear cause.
Anthony Barco’s threat had led to an ugly outcome. And Viscount Barco’s judgment had resulted in the duel itself. Thus, the nobles who were once on Barco’s side instead turned into witnesses of Roman’s actions and told others that Roman had a good cause. Thus, Barco had no way left to get outside help.
After his son was killed, Barco lost his reasoning, and he even ran and begged other nobles, but no one helped him. His connections in the Central Government weren’t much different, either. Even though they had known each other for quite a while, they were reluctant to side with him and said the incidents had made the situation quite difficult. And like that, Barco’s connections and plans were obliterated.
Obviously, Roman’s judgment was correct—When a cornered rat is completely trampled on, there was no way, even for someone like Viscount Barco, to overcome the crisis.
Also…
“There are only three days left until the time you promised to pay back the principal and interest comes. If the payment isn’t made by then, the Golden Bank has no other way but to exercise its rights. Viscount Barco, you have 3 days. Even if you have to sell your soul to the devil, be sure to pay back the money.”
An ultimatum arrived. As Viscount Barco knew about the infamy of the Golden Bank, famous for collecting back its money by any means, he realized that it was all over for him now.
The greed for Lawrence’s land had caused a disaster for Barco. Seeing the desperate reality, he had no other choice but to use his last resort—A few days later, Viscount Barco attempted to escape at night. Even though he fled with minimal luggage and items, he was found dead in an unknown mountain.
It was the moment the Barco family, one of the most prestigious in the North-East, were wholly destroyed, in vain.
It was a moonlit night.
Hans, out in the hallway, asked the man who was shining under the moonlight.
“Where are you going out at night?”
Halt.
The man stopped walking. Then, Roman, the man, turned his head and looked at Hans.
“The moonlight is bright. It has been a while since I went out for a walk.”
“Is that so?” Hans laughed softly. Then, he walked over to Roman, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped off the red stain on Roman’s clothes.
“Everyone is truly worried. It is a pleasure to see you being recognized by others, but I cannot help but be anxious, as well, because you are doing dangerous things like war. Young master, you are the eldest child of the Dmitry family. As you are the one who will inherit the estate someday, you should think more about your precious life. Always be careful. And if you need help, do tell me. I am always ready to do my best for you.”
Swish.
Hans kept cleaning the stain. It was only when the stain was off that he looked at Roman proudly.
Seeing that look, Roman said, “Hans.”
“Tell me, young master.”
“I told you before. You are my person.”
“I remember that.”
Starting a new life in this world, Roman accepted Hans as his first person. That meant his relationship with Hans was quite special.
As he was the Heavenly Demon, Baek Joong-hyuk, he slaughtered numerous people before he obtained that position. He lived a life filled with so much carnage that his enemies’ blood was enough to make a sea.
Obviously, it wasn’t a life any normal human could live. People often called him a vicious demon because of how terribly he trampled on his enemies; however, he was always surrounded by people.
Why?
It was because of his most important principle—He always did his best for those who were in his circle2.
In fact, it was so much that he had done much more for one person in his circle rather than what he had done for hundreds and thousands of enemies combined.
And obviously, each person in his circle was important to him. That was enough for everyone.
He was convinced that if he had let Barco get away after their threats, his circle would have become a mess.
“I, as well, will do my best not to put my people at risk.”
The Barcos were no longer a threat. Why? Because the dead cannot do anything.
After that, Roman turned around and went into the room.
Squeak.
Thud!
Hans stood there watching the door Roman had disappeared into for a long time.
The capital of Cairo, Kairos.
A piece of unbelievable news arrived at a place where large crowds from all over the kingdom often gathered.
“…Is this the truth?”
“Yes! I couldn’t believe it at first either. However, many witnesses had seen Homer get defeated in the Battle of Great Warriors. Isn’t that really amazing? A guy named Roman Dmitry, an unknown person whose name is not known anywhere, and even far from being listed on the Rankings, defeated a 4-Star swordsman with one hit!”
“Hmm.”
Priest Willas, who managed the Valhalla Temple’s branch in Cairo, frowned hearing what the fuss was all about. ‘It can’t be possible.’
Rank 49, Homer—A deity-like being whom the temple of Valhalla had been keeping a close eye on recently, was killed by an unknown person?
Even if it was true, the problem was the opponent’s identity. The North-East region of the Cairo Kingdom was so remote that no one even bats an eye on it, so he couldn’t imagine someone so strong originating from there and even being strong enough to defeat Homer with a single hit.
Who is Roman Dmitry? Had he heard his name even once in his entire life, he could have tried to comprehend the shocking news.
After a while, Willas said, “What is certain is that Roman Dmitry is 25 years old. And if this report is true, it means that an unprecedented genius has been born in the Cairo Kingdom. We need to check these facts first. No matter how likely it is a lie, the ripple effect that will arise from this cannot be ignored.”
The Valhalla Temple belonged to the Valhalla Empire and usually managed the Rankings through ‘Ranking Battles.’ Still, it was necessary to mobilize manpower in situations like the current one.
Honestly, they were all interested—Was this just a baseless rumor? Or was this the birth of a monster-like genius? They wanted to see the face of Roman Dmitry.
“Go get your bags right now.”
“Yes”
However, they didn’t know it back then—From the North-East region of the Cairo Kingdom, the wind which would one day significantly change the entire Salamander Continent was blowing.
Thus, a sharp awl began to pierce the pocket of peace, albeit little by little.
