The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live a Normal Life
chapter-213

It was a day unlike any other. Roman Dmitry, who was training alone, received a report from Hans that they found something in the iron mines.

‘There is an artificially made passage. It is impossible for someone to make that.’

The underground of the iron mines. They were working on drilling tunnels to secure an artificial road. It was to make the land, which was tightly packed with soil and stones, into a form suitable for work, but it did not make sense that it had an artificially made passage below it.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t a place that allowed human access at all. Then how did it happen? How did someone make an underground passage, and what was its purpose?

Perhaps, there was a chance that it was a dungeon. According to history, magicians made their own places in spaces that no one could touch.

And so, they arrived near the mine. It was a place where they had to cross mountains, and he followed Morkan’s guidance and saw it.

“Here.”

There was an underground passage. It was definitely artificial. After moving along the place for a long time, a sight that put an end to the belief that a human’s hands had made it unfolded.

“You have no idea how flustered I was when I saw this. When I first investigated the ground for minework, I obviously didn’t notice that there was this much space. However, as a shaft was drilled, this empty space began to appear, which caused a collapse. Who made this?”

There was a huge door. At the end of the passage, there was a steel door blocking the way. It wasn’t just plain steel. It was made of steel with patterns imprinted on it, and the existence of the door proved that people could come and go through this place.

And for Roman Dmitry, it wasn’t something that could be overlooked. The endless mountain ranges were an important place on Dmitry’s map, and he had to find out what was there.

“Call Felix.”

“I understand.”

He could raise his aura and cut it down, but in preparation for a magic trap, he wanted Felix to open it.

And before long, Felix arrived. Felix immediately inspected the door and came to a quick conclusion.

“The entire steel door has magic energy in it. If we try to force it open, there is a high chance that there will be a mana explosion that will cause this place to collapse. First of all, I will use mana to eliminate the possibility of an explosion.”

It was the beginning of a tedious task. For three days, Felix clung to the steel door and drained its mana. It was a tough task that even skilled people wouldn’t dare do, and he was drenched in sweat as he worked nonstop.

And when three days passed like that, Felix managed to open the door in front of Roman.

“…The door is open!”

Wheik!

Mana raged, and everyone’s eyes were focused on the aura of mana that spread through the steel door.

Creeeaaak.

The door opened, and it was then, as Felix was about to check the other side in excitement, that a violent hand grabbed him by the back and threw him against the wall.

That shock was short-lived. When Felix raised his head to confirm who it was, it was Roman who jumped ahead and blocked the path where Felix had previously stood.

Right.

Papak!

Dozens of arrows hit Roman Dmitry.

Beyond the door, he had noticed the existence of the arrows. Roman Dmitry quickly reacted by sending Felix back and blocking the arrows with a Sword Shield.

Tatak.

The arrows fell to the ground, and Felix was shocked as he grasped the situation.

“It seems like a dungeon with traps installed.”

Felix was unable to react just now. The arrows were so threatening that he couldn’t sense them with his magic, which meant that even normal humans wouldn’t be able to survive in this place.

It was an odd situation. There was a trap that fired arrows as soon as the door was opened, as the mana that contained the energy of the explosion would detect it and get activated.

Roman Dmitry said,

“From now on, I will check inside.”

“Dangerous! It is dangerous! There are traps lurking around the place! Even if it takes time, I think it would be better to grasp the existence of the traps fully.”

“No. If there are creatures living here, there is a high chance that they were aware of our existence the moment the door opened. The longer we delay it, the greater the risk we put ourselves at. Wait here.”

And he took a step. A decision was made, and everyone agreed that it was the best, even if it was risky.

Tak.

He stepped through the door. He heightened his senses and prepared for unexpected attacks.

And after only ten steps, just shortly after entering, the wall cracked, and weapons equipped with arrows appeared.

Papak!

It was a surprise attack. Hundreds of arrows were fired from all sides, but Roman Dmitry blocked all of them with a Sword Shield.

Then the other traps started. Arrows would come flying with every step he took, and in some parts, the ground suddenly sank, revealing sharp spears. And…

‘…Poison?’

A weird gas was released. It was a lethal poison that normal humans would die from, but Roman, who ended up being touched by it, just raised his mana to detoxify it. It was because Roman Dmitry had experienced the poison of the Sichuan Tang family.

The existence that created the underground seemed to have prepared a lot. However, none of the traps worked because the wrong opponent stepped through them.

And this made it clear. The one who made this place, despite making a passage, didn’t want others to enter it.

‘This is how the passage of the Zhuge family was.’

They were one of the Five Great Families of the Forces of Justice. If the Sichuan Tang family made poison, then the Zhuge family drove the Demonic Sect into a corner with their brilliant strategies and traps.

At that time, even Baek Joong-hyuk’s forces had a hard time. Although the Zhuge family were geniuses, there was no way they could handle more force than they had planned.

At last, for the trap to work, there had to be room for the trap to open. Roman Dmitry didn’t allow that, and in an instant, he broke through the underground traps.

The end was finally in sight. There was a space leading to the end of the path, and suddenly, a human’s voice was heard.

“Stop!”

It was a thick, angry voice, but it was as he had expected. Beneath the endless mountain ranges, there was life.

The owner of the voice said,

“This is our land. If you come any closer, I can assure you that your life cannot be saved.”

It was a rough voice. The unknown being was seething with hostility.

If it were a normal situation, Roman Dmitry would have stepped back, but the fact that this was an endless mountain range was the problem.

“I am Roman Dmitry of the Dmitry family. The endless mountains belong to the Dmitry estate, and we found an underground passage while we were developing an iron mine. Reveal your identity and your purpose. If you can’t give an explanation, we cannot just stand by since this is a threat to Dmitry.”

The endless mountains were Dmitry’s safety net. Foreign invasion wasn’t allowed in this place, and Roman Dmitry formed the last bastion for Dmitry in these mountains.

After creating an environment like the Ten Thousand Mountains, farming would develop on the plains of the mountains, and if time passed, Dmitry would become self-sufficient.

However, what if there were creatures unrelated to Dmitry in this supposedly safe place? Their unpredictable movements would bring trouble to Dmitry.

“Nonsense! We have no reason to talk to you!”

“That is not a matter for you to decide. On the continent, the endless mountain ranges in Cairo’s land are what Dmitry inherited. I am not trying to negotiate with you. Should I get rid of the beings who formed a home on Dmitry’s land, or should I acknowledge your right to live? Think about it. If you stick with your current attitude, the situation will not get any better.”

Shhhiiing.

He drew his sword, and beyond the space, he heard the sound of hurried movement. However, their form in contact with mana was slightly different from that of normal humans.

It was then….

“Damned humans! Do not force your damned human laws on us!”

With an angry voice, the owner of the voice appeared.

Short in height, an oddly tough body, and a bushy beard. Their physical features indicated….

‘…Dwarf?’

He was sure of it. They were of another race. They were a race of people who were said to have been blessed with crafts and had similar physical bodies to humans but were different at the same time.

Actually, their race wasn’t something legendary. They weren’t common, but they existed on the continent, and it was said that the dark elves could be heard in the southern jungles, while the voices of sirens could be heard on the nameless islands across the sea.

Occasionally, these races would appear on the slave market. Buying them was expensive, and in the case of dwarves, they were usually sold to smithies.

And the dwarf said,

“It is none of our business how humans divide their lands. We have been here underground for ages, and that is a fact no one can deny. Did you call yourself Roman Dmitry? I have lived for two hundred and eighty years. Even when I was born on this land and received the blessings of my people, humans never showed up here. On what grounds do you claim this land as yours?!”

His voice was full of hostility. The other races hated humans. In the past, there were records that they lived in harmony with humans, but the greed of some people who enslaved them led to their relationship’s ruin.

Now, the emotions that have been passed down from generation to generation are deeply embedded in their bones. So the dwarf couldn’t accept Roman because he was a human.

‘His hand is shaking.’

The hand of the dwarf that was holding the axe was trembling, as were the others too. Seeing how he had destroyed their perfect trap, they seemed to realize that he was an enemy they couldn’t handle with their own strength.

Even so, he showed his face and raised his voice. If he didn’t do that, then their race’s lives wouldn’t be guaranteed now.

‘A different race that exists in the mountains. How do I deal with them?’

That was the problem. The division of races was not the issue. Roman Dmitry was more worried about the fact that they existed here than the fact that they were dwarves.

As he said, the ownership of the mountain ranges couldn’t be claimed by the humans alone. But if they had the ability to endanger Dmitry, the words they uttered wouldn’t matter at all.

Remove the risk factor—that was the commander’s job. Roman Dmitry was willing to shed blood if he had to.

“As you said, this might be your land, not Dmitry’s. However, what I need is reassurance that your existence doesn’t pose any threat to Dmitry. The endless mountains meet Dmitry’s land. Just as we have set foot on your land, it means that you exist at a distance close enough to set foot in ours. So give me the confidence. The reason why I don’t have to be hostile to you. The confidence that coexisting with you is safe. If not, we will be forced to make a decision.”

It was a complex matter. Unlike Kronos, who wanted to conquer the continent, Dmitry and the dwarves depended on each other to survive.

If that was skipped over, could they go back to ignoring each other’s existence like in the past?

It wasn’t possible. The miners of the iron mines would know about the existence of the dwarves, and either way, each side would be nervous about the other. And from then on, disputes would happen.

Roman Dmitry, who had reigned as the Heavenly Demon, had seen such troubles pop up countless times, so he wanted to clear up any misunderstanding immediately. As if part of the endless mountain ranges were their land, the other part was Dmitry’s.

Dmitry’s history had proven it, and this time, the issue had nothing to do with divisions.

“Are you sure? How can we be sure of that?!”

The dwarf was a bit taken aback. He didn’t want war, but Roman’s answer also didn’t seem right.

It was at that moment that the dwarf, who was still thinking, saw Roman Dmitry’s sword. At that moment, his eyes shone. Even knowing that he shouldn’t act like that in such a situation, he was immersed in the sword.

“… Can I take a look at the sword?”

It was a question that didn’t fit the situation.