Chapter 2: Dmitry's Fool (2)

The Blood Pang gang members looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

In particular, the man with a fierce face, who seemed to be the leader, looked around to check for any possible variables.

"What on earth is our young master relying on to act so recklessly?"

There was no one around.

Not only were there no soldiers of Dmitry, but even the ordinary residents had hurriedly retreated, leaving the area desolate.

Only two people faced the Blood Pang gang.

Roman Dmitry and his servant, Hans.

"Master. I understand that you are a young noble who still doesn't know the ways of the world, but showing such a contemptuous attitude outside the castle, especially towards us who have the Fang tattoo, is quite troublesome. Even we, who live by our own pride in this underworld, cannot just back down after hearing words that reveal hostility. It would be a loss of face for us as members of the Blood Pang, even if our opponent is a member of the Dmitry family."

Swish.

The gang members behind him all drew their weapons.

Their eyes, filled with malice, were ready to attack at the leader's command.

Roman smirked.

"This confirms it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You are scum. If you can act this way towards the master of this land, there's no need to guess how you usually behave."

"Scum? You... dog... Huh?!"

The leader couldn't finish his curse.

As his face turned red and then pale at Roman's words, his pupils dilated in shock at Roman's sudden charge.

"Attack!"

"Yah!"

The Blood Pang gang members rushed forward in unison.

The leader, holding a dagger, attacked Roman's vital points without hesitation, but Roman narrowly avoided the attack right before his nose.

His black hair fluttered in the wind, and his sharp eyes met the leader's.

At that moment.

Thud!

"Gah, gurgle."

The leader, impaled by a branch, spat out blood.

The situation unfolded in an instant.

The Blood Pang gang members, enraged, attacked Roman.

With nearly a dozen men attacking, Hans stomped his feet and hurriedly picked up a large rock to help Roman.

However, it was unnecessary.

After dealing with the leader, Roman, with almost supernatural agility, dodged all the men's attacks and took them out one by one.

It was amazing how he used a branch to knock away daggers, and every time he attacked with the branch, a hole appeared in the men's vital points.

"Monster...!"

"Is this Roman Dmitry?"

The men were flustered.

Initially, they had fought with their lives on the line, but they were terrified as they saw their comrades die helplessly.

However, the tide had already turned.

The men fell one after another.

Just as the last man tried to flee, Roman's rough hand grabbed his hair.

Crack!

"Let go, let go!"

The man struggled.

Seeing his fallen comrades around him, his face turned pale with fear.

Roman said,

"You have violated the laws of Dmitry. Not only did you not repent, but you also tried to intimidate me to cover up the situation. For a group to move forward correctly, it is necessary to abide by the laws. I won't take your life, but I will make an example of you to show the fear of the law to the people."

The man called the Heavenly Demon.

In the martial world, Roman was the law.

Roman, who had lived his life as a leader, knew what choices he had to make, even if they were cruel, for the sake of the law.

Crack.

"Gah."

He made the man kneel.

Then, he tilted his head back and, with his other hand, pulled out his tongue.

"Sin of misusing your tongue. Pay the price accordingly."

"Ugh... ugh, ugh!"

The man struggled.

But there was no way to escape.

Roman's rough hand firmly held the man down, and he picked up a dagger from the ground and cut off the man's tongue. Blood splattered. The man struggled and his cries of pain echoed around. The villagers, witnessing the cruel scene, closed their eyes tightly. However, Roman, without any change in his expression, cleanly cut off the man's tongue.

Thud.

The tongue fell to the ground.

The man lowered his head.

He had a dazed look on his face, tears streaming down as he tried to stop the blood gushing from his mouth with his hands.

"My name is Roman Dmitry. If you are dissatisfied with the punishment I have carried out, feel free to come and find me anytime."

The Heavenly Demon Sect.

In a world of the strong preying on the weak, all karma is paid in blood.

Roman looked at Hans.

Hans, seeing his young master for the first time, was startled and took a step back.

"Contact the guards. Report today's incident and have them send troops to clean up here."

"Y-Yes, I... hic, understand."

Hans, hiccupping, checked the bodies and, with a pale face, hurriedly ran to the castle.

The overwhelming battle.

However, Roman's expression was not good.

'What a trashy body.'

Roman.

Or rather, Baek Jung-hyuk.

In the martial world, he had reached the pinnacle.

Hundreds, thousands of martial artists could not withstand Baek Jung-hyuk and were massacred, and when rivers of blood flowed, the Heavenly Demon Sect was recognized as the ruler of the martial world.

For someone like him to have to exchange blows several times with mere street thugs was unacceptable to Roman, who possessed Baek Jung-hyuk's spirit.

'The flow of qi is a mess. The amount of qi I have in my body is negligible.'

It was the worst.

Although there were some traces of martial arts training, by Roman's standards, it was as good as nothing.

'To have to start anew with this kind of body. The only fortunate thing is that I have the past experiences of Baek Jung-hyuk, who honed his martial arts. If I can set the right direction from the beginning and practice, I can achieve meaningful results even under the worst conditions.'

Various thoughts ran through his mind.

He needed to gather information quickly and start the process of transforming his body, known as "renewing the bones and taking the fetus" (換骨奪胎).

At that moment.

"Y-Young master, I am truly grateful for your help."

It was a boy who had been beaten.

Despite his difficulty moving, he bowed deeply and showed respect.

A pitiful sight.

However, Roman's voice was cold.

"I didn't help you out of pity. I enforced the law because the Blood Pang gang violated the laws of Dmitry, and you are not exempt from responsibility. Explain your situation without any lies. If I find any lies in your words, your tongue will not be safe either."

"...I understand."

The boy's expression calmed down.

He had a strong presence.

Even when being beaten, he didn't let out a single groan, which was impressive and clearly not ordinary.

"As you know, the Blood Pang lends money and charges high interest. My parents borrowed money from the Blood Pang to lease land, and we were in a position to repay the loan with the harvest. However, the Blood Pang deliberately sabotaged our farming. At first, we didn't know why, but we later found out that they did it because they lusted after my sister. Young master, we are innocent. Although we are not a wealthy family, we have never harmed others. There is no lie in my words, so please save us from this evil quagmire."

The boy bowed deeply.

His words were logical, and his voice, when explaining the situation, showed no hesitation.

Roman showed a look of interest.

His face was black, and his body was thin and muscleless, but his eyes showed intelligence.

'I once gained a Mad Demon, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, in a shabby environment. At that time, the Mad Demon was just an unremarkable boy, but he grew up to be a strong ally. It feels like I'm seeing the Mad Demon again.'

"What is your name?"

"...Kevin."

"Kevin. I will remember your name. Within a few days, I will ensure that this incident is handled properly and justly."

"Wow! Thank you! Really, thank you!"

The boy, Kevin, expressed his gratitude multiple times.

Roman smiled.

A new life.

A new connection.

His heart was already racing.

After roughly tidying up the situation, Roman, with Hans' help, changed into formal attire.

It was time for the arrival of Lawrence's young lady.

This was a typical meeting with a noble's young lady, and he couldn't meet her in clothes stained with blood and dirty mud.

While changing, he learned the story of the engagement between the two families from Hans.

"To be honest, this marriage is a strategic alliance based on mutual interests. The Lawrence family has been in financial trouble due to several wars with neighboring territories. They proposed a strategic marriage to our Dmitry family to solve their financial issues. Fortunately, the young master strongly supported this marriage. The young lady of the Lawrence family is known for her beauty in the area, and the young master fell in love with her at first sight."

The picture was clear.

Two families.

Lawrence needed funds, and Dmitry needed a solid background to establish itself as a noble family.

It was a mutually beneficial deal.

The only issue was that Lawrence had wanted the second son of the Dmitry family, but Roman Dmitry's active support for the marriage led to their union.

And today was the first time they would meet.

Roman had only seen Lawrence's young lady from a distance at a noble party, and they had never had a direct conversation.

'Marriage.'

To Roman, it was a matter of the heart.

While he was going with the flow of the current situation, he was always ready to overturn this marriage.

'Marriage is something that should be based on mutual affection. The background of the family and other conditional issues are not important in the process of forming a lifelong bond. I need to look for an opportunity to end this marriage.'

The background of the other party.

The beauty of the young lady.

These were not important to Roman.

However, the problem was quickly resolved.

That afternoon.

As scheduled, Lawrence's young lady visited Dmitry.

"My name is Flora Lawrence."

She was as beautiful as rumored.

Her golden hair, which reached her waist, was so luxurious that it made people gasp in admiration, and there was not a single flaw in her features.

A typical beauty. Especially, her clear and calm eyes, like a lake, gave a feeling of being drawn in immediately.

It was clear why Roman Dmitry had actively pushed for the marriage with her.

Even with her appearance alone, she was already a woman of considerable value.

Flora suggested they walk separately.

Once they reached a quiet place where no one was watching, her expression turned cold.

"I would like to annul our marriage."

The annulment of the marriage.

This was the reason Flora Lawrence had visited the Dmitry territory.