Chapter 1: The Fool of Dmitry (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: The Fool of Dmitry (1)
Hans, a servant of the Dmitry family, couldn't hide his bewilderment at his young master’s strange behavior.
"So, you're saying I am the eldest son of the Dmitry family?"
"And this is the Cairo Kingdom on the Salamander Continent. A world called Murim doesn't exist here."
It was bizarre.
While the young master had never been known for his sharp intellect, he had never acted this dazed before. Hans wondered if he was on drugs. The deviant behavior of noble children had recently become a major social issue, and Young Master Roman Dmitry was exactly the type to fall under such suspicion.
The Fool of Dmitry.
While his younger brothers had already gone to the capital and were making steady progress, Roman Dmitry, at twenty-five, was rotting away in the countryside. That alone made his reality painfully clear.
Hans spoke in a soothing tone.
"Young Master, today is the day the lady of the Lawrence family, your betrothed, is visiting the Dmitry estate. Rumor has it that she is someone who deeply values noble dignity and etiquette. It would be best to prepare and go out to meet her. Since this is your first meeting, making a good impression..."
"There is something more important."
Roman cut him off.
The young master, who had looked completely out of it just moments ago, spoke with a heavy, commanding voice that was entirely unlike him.
"Take me to the oldest person in this territory. Learning about the world I will live in from now on is far more important than some lady whose name I don't even know."
It was truly bizarre.
For a young master who had lived in the Dmitry Barony his entire twenty-five years to say that learning about his world was important...
But what choice did Hans have?
"Understood, Young Master."
Fulfilling his duty as a servant was his role.
* * *
Following Hans, they arrived at a village just outside Dmitry Castle.
In times of peace, the castle could not accommodate all the territory's residents, so a village had formed beyond its walls. At first, the village consisted of decent-looking houses, but as they walked deeper, the proportion of shanties and shacks gradually increased.
Splash.
Stepping into a puddle of muddy water, Hans grimaced. As a foul stench wafted from all directions, he stole a glance at Roman.
"Do you really need to meet the oldest resident of the Dmitry estate? If it's about the territory's history, consulting the Sage of Dmitry or visiting the library would be a much better option. Why don't we turn back now?"
"It's fine."
Roman paid no mind to his surroundings.
Like Hans, he stepped into the muddy water without hesitation, the splash soaking the hems of his trousers.
Heavens, his pants are getting completely soaked!
Hans panicked. He had expected Roman to throw a massive fit over his ruined trousers, but Roman showed no reaction whatsoever.
To Hans, this was utterly incomprehensible.
Although the Dmitry family was not highly prestigious, Roman was someone who usually bragged endlessly about being a noble. Lacking even a shred of talent, he would throw his weight around and cause trouble everywhere he went. Because of this, whenever the residents gathered, they would gossip about him, calling him "the Fool of Dmitry."
Yet here he was, acting like this.
Hans doubted if this was the same person who had once sworn he would rather die than step outside the castle, even on the Lord's orders.
...Did he hit his head or something?
Lost in thought, they soon arrived at their destination. Stopping in front of a dilapidated shack, Hans looked at Roman with a cautious gaze.
"We are here. He's an old man who followed the Lord since before the Dmitry estate was first granted. He once worked as the Chief Blacksmith of the Forge. He's already ninety, so it wouldn't be surprising if he passed away any day now. The problem is... he has trouble moving, so you'll have to go inside to speak with him."
Hans glanced around. The stench was so overwhelming it stung his nostrils, and the cobwebs spun all over the shack made him grimace. It was absolutely not a place for a noble's son to enter. That was why Hans had kept asking for his opinion on the way, but Roman stepped forward before he could even finish speaking.
"Wait outside."
"Ah!"
There was not a shred of hesitation in his movements. Reaching out to brush away the cobwebs, Roman stepped inside and surveyed the interior.
"Are you the master of this house?"
"Y-Young Master! What brings you to such a humble place?"
The old man, who had been lying down, gasped in shock. He hurriedly threw off a tattered blanket and tried to sit up, but he couldn't stand, his legs seemingly useless.
"Stay seated."
Roman sat down in front of him. Seeing him sit directly on the dirty floor, the old man was at a loss, nervously watching Roman's every move.
"I want to know everything about the Dmitry estate. What kind of land this is, and what history shaped it. It will likely be a long story, so why don't we wet our throats with some alcohol I brought and take our time?"
Slosh.
Roman showed him the flask hanging from his waist. Seeing the old man's eyes widen in bewilderment, Roman offered a smile that melted away his wariness.
"Go on."
The rock bottom of life. Roman chose to adapt to this world in his own way.
At first, the old man could barely speak. But as a pleasant buzz from the alcohol set in and Roman showed a sincere, attentive attitude, his guard crumbled.
"Lord Dmitry was originally a famous blacksmith. He ran a trading company that profited from selling the ironware he made, and by chance, he got the opportunity to supply weapons to the Cairo Kingdom. Since a war was raging at the time, it was a monumental opportunity to transcend the limitations of his social status. When the war ended, the Lord was granted the title of Baron during the Rewards and Punishments Based on Merit..."
The story was long. Most of it was information the eldest son of Dmitry should have known, but the old man, now emboldened, rambled on about everything he knew. Roman's judgment had been correct. He had asked Hans what the old man liked, and upon hearing he was a sucker for alcohol, Roman had deliberately prepared a drink to his taste.
Thanks to that, he obtained all the information he wanted. Still unfamiliar with the identity of Roman, he systematically filed the new information away in his mind.
Roman, is it?
Roman Dmitry.
No, his original name was Baek Joong-hyuk. To be precise, Baek Joong-hyuk had lived as the Heavenly Demon, the one who had unified the Murim.
Baek Joong-hyuk, who had lived fiercely as a martial artist, had achieved everything and calmly accepted death. Dying after living out one's natural lifespan was an immense blessing, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the body of Roman Dmitry.
It was absurd.
In truth, at the moment of his death, Baek Joong-hyuk had stepped into the realm of Ascension to Immortality. A sacred energy had enveloped his soul, but he had no desire for a life where he could not live as a human. Thus, he rejected Ascension to Immortality. Though it was the ultimate goal for most martial artists, Baek Joong-hyuk wished to die as a human.
And now, standing at a new crossroads, Baek Joong-hyuk quickly accepted reality.
Is this my Heavenly Mandate, or is it divine punishment for rejecting Ascension to Immortality?
Either way, it didn't matter.
A new life. A new environment. That was what mattered to Baek Joong-hyuk. His final years as the Heavenly Demon had been dull and tedious, but here, just looking at the surrounding scenery filled him with a renewed vigor.
Humans must live with a purpose. Having achieved everything, I had nothing left to do as a human. This is for the best. Roman Dmitry, the Cairo Kingdom… this world, full of things unknown to me, will be my new challenge.
His heart raced. Baek Joong-hyuk had lived a life that would go down in the history of Murim, but looking back, it was his earlier years—when his survival was threatened daily and he fought fiercely—that had truly made him feel alive, not his peaceful final days.
A man who could never live an ordinary life. That was the kind of man Baek Joong-hyuk was.
"...And that is all I know."
The story had come to an end. Quite some time had passed, and the old man's face, once unfamiliar, now seemed familiar.
"Thank you. This has been a great help. I will see to it that you are rewarded for this later."
"No, Young Master. Just being able to converse with someone as noble as you is an immense blessing for me."
Baek Joong-hyuk—no, Roman—smiled. It was time to leave.
But at that moment…
Crash! Thud!
"You son of a bitch!"
A loud shout echoed from outside. It seemed something was happening nearby.
Just as he expected, when he stepped outside, a group of men was beating a boy who had not even reached adulthood.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
"Stubborn bastard."
"Just drop dead!"
Despite the severe beating, the boy did not let out a single groan. That only seemed to fuel the men's rage, and they began to beat him mercilessly, as if they truly intended to kill him. With every dull thud, the boy's body jolted. His exposed skin was already stained a deep, bruised red, and his face was a bloody mess, his nose bleeding profusely.
A crowd began to gather. However, the moment they noticed the fangs tattooed on the men's bodies, they gasped and quickly looked away.
"What is going on?"
"Young Master!"
Roman stood beside Hans, who had been watching the scene unfold. At Roman's arrival, he spoke in a hushed tone.
"It looks like they're from Blood Fang. They're a loan shark syndicate that operates not only in the Dmitry estate but also in the neighboring territories. For them to go this far, that boy must have run up a massive debt. Let's just pretend we didn't see anything. No good will come of getting involved."
Roman's gaze swept over the Blood Fang thugs. Loan sharking. High interest rates aside, the violence had erupted because money had been borrowed and not repaid.
The problem was…
Punishment is not the prerogative of commoners.
This was Dmitry's land. According to the old man's explanation, any dispute here had to be judged and resolved by the Lord.
Roman Dmitry. He had not yet decided exactly how he would act as Roman. But one thing was certain: the original Roman was dead.
When he first woke up, he had found a suicide note presumably written by Roman, with pills scattered across the floor. The note revealed just how weak a man Roman had been. The Cairo Kingdom was constantly plagued by the threat of war, and a law required each noble family to select a representative and a certain number of troops for two years of mandatory military service.
Roman had been chosen as that representative.
Since the head of the Dmitry family couldn't send his two promising younger sons to their deaths, he had decided to send Roman to the battlefield instead.
And so, Roman chose death. Trembling with fear at the grim rumors of the battlefield, he had chosen to end his life while high on drugs.
From now on, I am Roman Dmitry.
He cast aside Roman's past. No matter what kind of life Roman had lived, now that he occupied this body, he would live by the values of Baek Joong-hyuk.
"Stop."
"Y-Young Master!"
Startled by Roman suddenly stepping forward, Hans frantically tried to hold him back. But it was too late. Roman's voice was loud, and the Blood Fang thugs stopped their beating, looking at him with puzzled eyes.
"Roman Dmitry?"
They seemed to recognize him. The problem was, Roman's reputation carried no weight to deter them.
A fierce-looking man who appeared to be the leader spat on the ground, a sneer plastered across his face. "Don't meddle in this, Young Master Dmitry. This is our business."
"Trying to play the noble, are we?"
"He's pulling that 'Stop!' bullshit. Heh, what a dumbass."
The thugs behind him whispered and snickered. Their voices were loud enough to be heard, and Hans, terrified that Roman might make a mistake, whispered urgently.
"Young Master Roman, we must leave now. The Blood Fang are reckless bastards. If trouble starts—especially outside the castle—even the Dmitry family's influence won't be enough to protect you. So please, calm down and…"
"Hans."
Roman looked at him. His deep, firm voice instantly commanded the trembling servant's attention.
"I do not yet know the laws of this place well. So explain it to me. Who here has broken the laws of Dmitry? And what punishment is fitting for breaking them?"
Hans's breath caught in his throat. He felt as if he were being sucked into Roman's eyes.
The Fool of Dmitry. The pathetic man who used to indulge in pleasure every day was now pinning him in place with an inescapable, overwhelming aura.
In this situation, running away was the right choice. Yet, Hans found himself speaking the truth without even realizing it.
"The boy committed a crime by failing to repay his debt on time. He certainly deserves punishment, but the Blood Fang has no right to administer it themselves. Above all, they dared to insult you, the eldest son of the Dmitry family, within Dmitry territory. That is a grave crime, unforgivable even with their lives. According to the law, it would not be strange at all for them to be sentenced to death."
Hans bowed his head. His heart was pounding and his legs were shaking, but he felt compelled to speak to Roman with the utmost respect.
Silence fell. The onlookers held their breath, while sneers played on the faces of the Blood Fang thugs.
Then…
"You have broken the laws of Dmitry. Therefore…"
Roman stepped forward. Before everyone's eyes, he picked up a common tree branch from the ground and pointed it at the Blood Fang gang as if it were a sword.
"As the eldest son of the Dmitry family, I will now execute your sentence."