Chapter 1

< The Ordinary Life of a Demigod # Mountain and River >

Chapter 1: Dmitry's Fool (1)

Hans, a servant of the Dmitry family, could not hide his distress at the strange behavior of the young master.

“So, I'm the eldest son of the Dmitry family?”

“And this is the Kingdom of Cairo on the Salamander Continent, where there is no world of martial arts.”

It was strange.

Although the young master was usually known for his sharp mind, he had never shown such a dazed appearance before.

Hans began to suspect that perhaps the young master had been drugged.

Recently, the misbehavior of noble heirs had become a significant social issue, and it was a reasonable suspicion to have about Roman Dmitry.

Dmitry's fool.

While his younger siblings had already left for the capital and were growing steadily, Roman Dmitry, at the age of twenty-five, was still wasting away in the borderlands, which clearly showed his current situation.

Hans tried to soothe him.

“Young master, today is the day when the young lady of the Lawrence family, who is betrothed to you, visits the Dmitry territory. As you may have heard, the young lady of the Lawrence family values the dignity and etiquette of a noble. It would be best to prepare and go out early to make a good impression on each other for the first meeting...”

“There's something more important than that.”

He abruptly cut off Hans.

The young master, who seemed to be in a daze, spoke with a weighty voice unlike his usual self.

“Take me to the oldest resident of this territory. To me, learning about the world I will live in is more important than meeting a young lady whose name I don't even know.”

It was really strange.

For a young master who had lived in the Dmitry territory for 25 years, to say that learning about the world he would live in was important.

But what could he do?

“I understand, young master.”

It was Hans' duty as a servant to fulfill his role.

* * *

The place they arrived at was a village outside the Dmitry castle.

During peacetime, the castle could not accommodate all the residents, so a village had formed outside the castle walls.

At first, the village consisted of fairly decent houses, but as they moved further in, the proportion of shacks increased.

Splash.

Hans frowned as he stepped into the muddy water.

The stench rising from all around made him glance at Roman.

“Do you really need to meet the oldest resident of the Dmitry territory? If it's about the history of the territory, it would be better to consult the wise men of Dmitry or use the library. Would you like to turn back now?”

“It's fine.”

Roman was indifferent to the surroundings.

Like Hans, he stepped into the muddy water without hesitation, and his pants got wet from the splashing water.

‘Oh, his pants are all wet.’

Hans was taken aback.

He expected Roman to throw a tantrum with his wet pants, but Roman showed no particular reaction.

It was a situation Hans could not understand.

The Dmitry family was not a particularly prestigious one, but Roman had always been quite proud of being a noble heir.

Despite having no talent, Roman often behaved arrogantly as a noble, and the residents would gather to gossip about him, calling him Dmitry's fool.

But this was different.

Hans began to doubt if this was the same person who had refused to leave the castle even when ordered by the lord.

‘...Did he hit his head or something?’

Before he knew it, they had arrived at their destination.

Stopping in front of a dilapidated shack, Hans looked at Roman with a cautious gaze.

“This is the place. This old man has followed the lord since before he received the Dmitry territory. He used to be the blacksmith's foreman. He's already ninety years old, so it wouldn't be strange if he died anytime. The problem is... he has difficulty moving, so we need to go inside to talk to him.”

He glanced around.

The stench was overwhelming, and the cobwebs in various parts of the shack made the sight unpleasant.

It was definitely not a place a noble heir should enter.

That's why Hans had been asking for his opinion on the way, but Roman moved forward before he could finish speaking.

“Wait outside.”

“Huh.”

There was no hesitation.

Roman pushed aside the cobwebs and entered, looking around.

“Are you the owner of this house?”

“Y-Young master, how did you end up in such a humble place?”

The old man, who had been lying inside, was startled.

He hurriedly pulled back the blanket and tried to stand, but he couldn't because of his legs.

“Sit down and listen.”

Roman sat down in front of him.

The old man, seeing Roman sit on the dirty floor, was at a loss and only watched him.

“I want to know everything about the Dmitry territory. What kind of land it is and what history it has. It will probably be a long story, so why don't we have a drink while you tell me slowly?”

Clank.

Roman showed the bottle of alcohol he had brought.

Seeing the old man's surprised and flustered expression, Roman smiled to ease his tension.

“Come on.”

At the bottom of life.

Roman chose his own way to adapt to this world.

At first, the old man couldn't speak properly.

But as the alcohol took effect and Roman listened attentively, the old man's guard was lowered.

“The lord of Dmitry was originally a famous blacksmith. He ran a trading company by selling the iron he made, and by chance, he got the opportunity to supply weapons to the Kingdom of Cairo. Since a war was ongoing, it was an incredible opportunity that transcended his social status. After the war, during the rewards for meritorious service, the lord received the title of baron...”

The story was long.

Most of it was what the eldest son of Dmitry should have known, but the old man, once he got started, told all the stories he knew in great detail.

Roman's judgment was correct.

He had asked Hans what the old man liked, and upon learning that he couldn't get enough of alcohol, Roman had prepared a drink to his taste.

Thanks to this, he was able to obtain all the information he needed.

Roman, who was still unfamiliar with himself, began to stack new information in his mind.

‘Roman, huh.’

Roman Dmitry.

No, his original name was Baek Jung-hyuk.

And his identity was the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, which had unified the martial arts world.

Baek Jung-hyuk, a martial artist who had lived a fierce life.

Having achieved everything, he accepted death calmly.

Living a full life was a tremendous blessing, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the body of Roman Dmitry.

It was an absurd situation.

In fact, at the moment of death, Baek Jung-hyuk had stepped into the realm of ascension.

There was a sacred aura surrounding his soul, but Baek Jung-hyuk did not want to live a life that was not human.

So, he rejected ascension.

While most martial artists ultimately aspired to ascension, Baek Jung-hyuk wanted to die as a human.

And now.

At this new crossroads, Baek Jung-hyuk quickly accepted reality.

‘Is this the will of heaven, or is it a divine punishment for rejecting ascension?’

It didn't matter.

A new life.

A new environment.

These were important to Baek Jung-hyuk.

His later years as a demigod were boring and empty, but this place, with its surroundings alone, invigorated him.

‘Humans must have a purpose to live. I could do everything, but I couldn't live as a human. This is a good thing. Roman Dmitry, the Kingdom of Cairo. This world, full of unknowns, will be a new challenge for me.’

His heart raced.

Although Baek Jung-hyuk had lived a life that would be remembered in the history of the martial arts world, thinking about it now, his peaceful later years were less fulfilling than his earlier life, which was full of danger and intensity.

A person who cannot live an ordinary life.

That was Baek Jung-hyuk.

“...This is everything I know.”

The story was over.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and the old man, whose face was unfamiliar at first, now felt familiar.

“Thank you, you've been a great help. I will reward you for this later.”

“No, young master. Just being able to converse with someone as noble as you is a tremendous blessing for me.”

Baek Jung-hyuk, or rather Roman, smiled.

It was time to get up.

But at that moment.

Bang!

Crash!

“You bastard!”

A loud voice came from outside.

It seemed something was happening nearby.

As expected.

When he went outside, a group of men were beating up a young boy who hadn't even reached adulthood.

Thud!

Thud!

“Damn brat.”

“Just die already!”

The boy didn't make a sound even under the intense beating.

It seemed to fuel the men's anger, and they beat him indiscriminately as if they intended to kill him.

Thud, thud, the boy's body jolted with each blow.

The exposed parts of his body were already bruised and bloody, and his face was a mess, with blood dripping from his nose.

People gathered at the commotion.

But upon seeing the fang tattoos on the men's bodies, they quickly turned away in fear.

“What's going on?”

“Young master!”

Roman stood next to Hans.

Hans had been watching the scene, and upon seeing Roman, he spoke cautiously.

“They seem to be from the Blood Fang gang. They operate as loan sharks in the Dmitry territory and surrounding areas. From the looks of it, the boy owes them a significant debt. It's best to ignore it. Getting involved will only cause trouble.”

Roman's gaze fell on the Blood Fang gang.

Loan sharks.

While they charged high interest, the boy had borrowed money and failed to repay it, leading to violence.

The problem was:

‘Punishment is not the responsibility of ordinary residents.’

This is Dmitry's land.

According to what the old man had said, they were required to seek judgment and resolution from the lord for any issues.

Roman Dmitry.

He hadn't yet decided how to act as Roman.

What was clear was that Roman was dead.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was a suicide note and scattered pills, which appeared to be Roman's.

The note revealed how weak Roman was.

The Kingdom of Cairo was always under the threat of war, and there was a law requiring each family to provide a certain number of troops and a representative for a two-year mandatory national defense duty.

Roman was included in this.

Unable to send his promising younger brothers to the front lines, the head of the Dmitry family decided to send Roman to the battlefield.

Roman chose death.

Shaken by the terrifying rumors of the battlefield, he decided to end his life while under the influence of drugs.

‘From now on, I am Roman Dmitry.’

He skipped the details of his previous life.

Regardless of how Roman had lived, now that he had taken over this body, he would follow the values of ‘Baek Jung-hyuk’ from now on.

“Stop.”

“Young, young master!”

Hans was startled by Roman's sudden action and tried to stop him.

But it was too late.

Roman's voice was loud, and the Blood Fang gang, who had stopped beating the boy, looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“Roman Dmitry?”

They recognized him.

The problem was that Roman's reputation was not enough to intimidate them.

A man with a menacing face, who seemed to be the leader of the gang, sneered and said:

“Don't get involved, young master. This is our business.”

“Who do you think you are, acting like a noble?”

“Stop, you're making a scene. Haha, you're a fool.”

The gang members laughed and whispered from behind.

In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, Hans quietly said:

“Young master Roman, we should leave now. The Blood Fang gang is ruthless. If there's a problem, it will be outside the castle, and even the Dmitry family's influence won't be able to help. Please calm down...”

“Hans.”

Roman looked at Hans.

His deep, strong voice immediately captured Hans' attention, who was trembling with fear.

“I don't know the laws here well. Explain to me. Who has broken the laws of Dmitry here, and what punishment is appropriate for breaking the law?”

Hans felt as if he was being pulled into Roman's eyes.

Dmitry's fool.

The man who had lived a life of debauchery was now exuding a powerful presence that held him in its grip.

Running away would be the right thing to do in this situation.

But Hans, without realizing it, spoke the ‘truth.’

“The boy committed the crime of not repaying his debt on time. He deserves punishment, but the Blood Fang gang has no right to punish him directly. Moreover, they have insulted the eldest son of the Dmitry family in the territory of Dmitry. This is a serious crime that cannot be forgiven even with one's life. According to the law, they could be sentenced to death without any issue.”

Hans bowed his head.

His heart was pounding, and his legs were shaking, but he felt he had to speak with respect to Roman.

The space fell silent.

The onlookers held their breath, and the faces of the Blood Fang gang were filled with sneers.

Then,

“You have broken the laws of Dmitry. Therefore...”

Roman stepped forward.

In front of everyone, he picked up a common stick from the ground and pointed it at the Blood Fang gang like a sword.

“I will now, as the eldest son of the Dmitry family, carry out the punishment for breaking the law.”