It is said that rumors move faster than people.
The rumor that started in Lawrence eventually spread to Dmitry in just
one day.
"Did you hear that rumor?"
"What? The rumor that Young Master Roman subdued the Blood
Fang? Does that make any sense? Young Master Roman can't even
wield a sword properly."
"…That said, the testimonies of people who saw it in person were so
vivid."
"Well, it's a rumor anyway. Even if a person like Young Master Roman
went out to the hunting grounds and managed to catch a wild boar,
the reality is that the rumor would be initiated as if he had beaten a
legendary dragon. I heard Young Master Roman had shown
something unbelievable in front of the residents of Lawrence, but
perhaps the Dmitry Knights set it up. That day, the knights had left the
castle hurriedly."
"Oh, they did? You must be telling the truth. After all, how would
Dmitry's Fool even do such a thing?"
Most people didn't believe it.
Just as people didn't trust the boy who cried wolf , Roman's image in
Dmitry was far from trustworthy.
In the end, the residents of Dmitry only classified the incident as an
absurd rumor.
People were so deeply rooted in their beliefs.
Even when the merchants from Lawrence told them the truth
repeatedly, their only reaction was ridicule.
"Next to a group of men talking about the rumors, a boy who was
tidying things up pricked his ears."
'…Young Master Roman subdued the Blood Fang?'
Thud.
His heart sank.
The boy's name was Kevin.
Through Roman's help, he was making a living by doing chores Hans
had given him.
He could not forget the day he met Roman.
The moment his life seemed to be hell while being beaten by the
Blood Fang members, Roman appeared like an angel and delivered
judgment on the evil hordes.
He still clearly remembered the screams of the Blood Fang members
and how Roman had shoved a dagger into one of the members'
mouths to cut off his tongue. It was just too fucking cool for Kevin to
forget.
After that day, Kevin had a dream.
'I want to become a strong man like Young Master Roman. A strong
person who can protect my people from any danger. In a barren world
where you can't trust anyone, that's the only way for my family to
survive.'
He clenched his teeth.
It was unclear when and where the Blood Fang gang would strike
again. Also, his father's failure to act as head of the household forced
him to fend for himself.
Then, he heard the rumors.
All the residents of Dmitry treated it as a rumor, but Kevin was
convinced it was true.
Thump Thump.
His heart raced.
He had clearly seen that Roman had defeated the Blood Fang
members with a tree branch.
Due to that, it didn't seem far-fetched for him to wipe out the Blood
Fang alone.
The hero who promised to solve the problem turned a miracle into
reality in just a few days.
'Ah, young master.'
He almost cried.
He didn't know if Roman really did such a dangerous thing for him, but
the fact that he didn't forget his promise to him, who was only a
commoner, came to his mind.
He wiped away his tears.
He had to work and couldn't focus on the emotions that kept churning
inside him.
When will I be able to see Young Master Roman again? If that day ever
comes, I want to express my gratitude to him without forgetting my
current feelings.
He had a busy day.
Just when he was about to finish his last job, he heard a voice.
Tap.
"Young… master?!"
"It's been a while."
Seeing Roman Dmitry visit him, Kevin unknowingly dropped his tools
on the ground.
He was lost for a moment.
Kevin, doubting whether this was real, was startled and bowed down.
"Thank you, young master! Thanks to you, my family can live without
the Blood Fang troubling us. Thank you so much!"
He was emotional.
Kevin's face ushed red as he uttered sincere words.
Roman asked, "Kevin, how have you been?"
"Ah…!"
He was speechless.
Roman remembered his name.
Others might think of it as a small thing, but Kevin could never think of
it like that.
To him, it was shocking.
His emotions inevitably mixed with his voice, and Kevin said in a
seemingly weeping voice, "Thanks to the young master, we have been
living well. The Blood Fang gang no longer bothers us, and the work
that Mr. Hans gave me saved us. Due to the young master's grace, we
were even able to solve our problems of livelihood. I don't know how
to express my gratitude."
"You're thankful, huh. Well, I would like to make an offer to you."
"…What do you mean?"
"If you accept my offer, your family will never have to worry about their
livelihood again. In a warm house that blocks the cold wind, eating
three delicious meals every day, they will not only live a life in which
they won't need to work hard but will also be able to enjoy hobbies.
Living like that is simple. I plan to do the same in the future."
He got goosebumps.
He didn't know exactly what Roman was trying to say, but Kevin
instinctively knew he was about to be given an opportunity the likes of
which he might never get again.
"Hence, live for me. I will give you a new life if you swear allegiance to
me."
When Roman finished saying his words, it was as if lightning struck
Kevin's head.
He had never dreamed of being able to follow such a great figure as
Young Master Roman.
However, the reality was that Roman suggested it first.
He asked Kevin to become his person.
He was worried at the thought that it might not be true, but Kevin
knew he couldn't afford to miss Roman's offer.
It was instinct.
Kevin, lying face down, slammed his forehead on the ground.
Slam!
"From now on, I will live for Young Master Roman. If you ask me to
die, I will die; if you tell me to kill someone, I will kill them. Your
promise to take care of my family, just that much is enough."
He raised his head.
Drops of blood ran down his forehead.
Drops of blood dripped down his eyes, but Kevin was looking at
Roman without even blinking a single time.
He looked like a fool.
He showed his loyalty through his own blood.
'But… even his foolishness resembles that of the Crazy Demon.'
The Crazy Demon was like that as well.
At Roman's command to keep the enemies at bay, the Crazy Demon
would stand up against hundreds of religious sects at once.
At that time, he was nothing more than a nameless man, but later, he
was given the nickname "Crazy Demon" due to his actions and loyalty.
Even though his whole body was covered with wounds from the
attacks that came from all sides, and the blood owing from his body
owed as wide as a river, the Crazy Demon stopped the righteous
sects without groaning a single time.
He swore his allegiance to Roman just like the Crazy Demon did to the
Heavenly Demon, Baek Joong-hyuk. When he met the Crazy Demon
for the first time, he had also sworn his allegiance to him by slamming
his head on the ground.
"My life belongs to the young master from now on."
Kevin's voice.
It was more than just resembling the Crazy Demon.
With each passing moment, Kevin looked more similar to the madman
known as the Crazy Demon.
Looking at him, Roman laughed.
He looked like a child who had been charmed by Roman's actions.
That day, Roman readily accepted a new bond in his new life.
"Yes, you are mine from now on."
At a time when no one was paying attention to Roman yet, he found
someone who would give his life for him.
Roman brought Kevin along with him.
He then asked Hans to help Kevin adjust for the time being.
Afterward, he went to the place Hans had set up for him.
Soon, he arrived at a shabby workshop in the inner castle. It was
originally the place where Baron Romero used to work at.
Therefore, the entry of outsiders was strictly prohibited. Also, there
was a barrier outside the place. Due to that, it was suitable for
Roman's training.
"From this moment onwards, I will spend a week training and
strengthening myself. While doing that, I won't need anything like
food, so make sure to never let anyone inside. Unless Dmitry's in
immediate danger, you won't need me."
He gave the order and then went inside.
In the training ground, there weren't many things.
A cool wind blew, and he noticed straw was spread across the oor,
which Hans had prepared beforehand.
It was a meticulous detail showing how much Hans cared for Roman,
but he didn't need it for his training. Thus, Roman put all the straw
aside and sat cross-legged on the ground. This was important to
absorb as much energy as possible from the environment.
He was previously the Heavenly Demon, so he could easily control the
ki surrounding him.
Roman instantly became immersed in his own world, and slowly
guided the surrounding mana to accumulate in his lower abdomen.
'The first stage of the Heavenly Demon Martial Arts.'
Roman had yet to begin training his body with the Heavenly Demon
Martial Arts. This was because he needed to lay a foundation for his
weak body, and in order to enter the first stage of human (人), he
needed to be content with only accumulating mana.
Eventually, Roman's body collected the minimum amount of mana to
start using the Heavenly Demon Martial Arts.
In order to perfectly use the techniques of the Heavenly Demon
Martial Arts, it was necessary for him to enter the human phase.
'The human phase begins with the removal of waste ki from the body.'
Whoosh.
Mana suddenly moved.
Mana, which had been moving intensely through his blood vessels,
was suddenly blocked by a huge wall.
Thud.
That wall was the waste ki in Roman's body.
The original Roman had never lived a productive day in his life until he
died in his mid-twenties.
There were more impurities piled up in his body than others of his
age, and Roman's face grew red as he was blocked by the impurities
from the beginning of training.
However, he did not lose his composure.
It was the situation he had expected in the first place, so he made a
plan to collect the minimum mana to enter the human phase.
In the future, Roman must be strong.
Beyond making new connections, he needed strength to achieve his
goals while protecting them.
The human phase was the beginning of Roman preparing himself for
the future.
Roman calmly meditated and focused on his internal energy.
'I have to remove all of the waste ki at once.'
Thump.
Kuuuu.
To Roman's actions and thoughts, mana responded.
The Heavenly Demon, Baek Jung-hyuk.
As he had been training martial arts all his life, the impurities began to
melt according to Roman's strong will.
The power of mana originally depends on the user's will. If someone
who did not understand mana could only use one-tenth of the power
even with a potential of 100, Roman was a person who would exceed
the limit and exerted the power of mana to the potential of 150.
Mana moved strongly according to Roman's will, and blood began to
drip from Roman's nose at the powerful impact.
Drip.
It was a symptom that meant Roman's purification of ki was working.
As the impure ki of the body was discharged, dark blood owed down
his face.
Time continued to pass.
First, a day passed.
Then, two days.
…Later, three days passed.
Nevertheless, Roman was completely absorbed in meditation.
His face was drenched with sweat, and the blood that owed only out
of his nose at first could now be seen leaking through every pore of
his body.
Slowly, without rushing his mana, Roman ejected the waste ki from
his body to enter the human phase.
And also to regain the power of the Heavenly Demon he was in his
previous life.
Eventually, Roman went into a state of trance.
Due to that, Roman spent his time in a space cut off from the outside.
Hans headed somewhere hurriedly.
If everything had gone according to plan, he was supposed to meet
Roman in the evening, but the events that took place that day did not
allow for that.
"Is the young master going to come out now?"
A week earlier, when Roman had entered the training room, Viscount
Lawrence suddenly announced that he would visit Dmitry.
The reason was obvious; it was due to the breaking off of the
engagement.
The meeting was eventually postponed when Hans reported Roman's
situation to Baron Romero, even though Roman should have done it
himself by meeting his father in person.
And today, he suddenly received a report that Viscount Lawrence and
his daughter had arrived at the Dmitry estate early in the morning.
As a result, he had no choice but to go nd Roman hurriedly.
'The atmosphere is not extremely serious.'
The breakup of the engagement had not yet been revealed to the
world.
Of course, some people knew about it, but he wondered why
Lawrence hadn't revealed it yet.
Nevertheless, he continued running towards the place Roman was
training at.
Hans, who arrived at the training ground, stood in front of the door
and waited for Roman even though he had instructions to call Roman
right away.
Keep in mind, Hans. If Dmitry isn't in a dangerous situation and I am
not needed right away, do not call me.
Hans remembered Roman's orders.
Of course, many people were waiting for Roman in the castle.
However, it was more important for Hans to obey the orders of his
master, Roman.
Roman, who had recently changed, was not a person who would
speak meaningless words.
He must have had a clear reason to ask Hans not to call him out
unnecessarily. Due to that, even though he was given instructions to
bring Roman immediately, he waited for Roman to come out.
How much time had passed?
Several people came to nd Hans.
However, Hans, who had sent them all back, only sensed movement
from the training ground after the sun began to set.
Creak.
The door opened.
Then, a familiar face came out.
Hans, who was about to welcome Roman with a bright face, was
taken aback when he saw Roman's appearance for a moment.
"Young… master?"
He noticed his eyes were much sharper than before.
He looked at his skin which seemed as smooth as milk.
And finally, he saw the muscular physique which resembled a warrior.
He became certain.
Roman's appearance and attitude had become utterly different than
before.