Chapter 10: Change (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Change (3)
At first, it was hard to believe.
Roman.
To think he had dealt with Blood Fang himself.
If the person reporting this hadn’t been Knight Commander Jonathan, Baron Romero would have thought he was being mocked.
“...I do not know how to explain this situation, but one thing is certain: Young Master Roman has changed. He executed Ben Miles, the leader of Blood Fang, right in front of everyone. And even when facing Viscount Lawrence, he confidently explained his reasons for taking such actions. That was not the Young Master Roman we used to know.”
Jonathan was not a man who lied.
Hearing the full account, Baron Romero felt a spark of hope for his eldest son, whom he had long since given up on.
‘Has Roman really changed?’
Of Romero’s three sons, Roman was the one who weighed most heavily on his heart.
He was the child who, like himself, had known life as a commoner. In trying to give him just a little bit more, Romero had ended up spoiling him. It broke his heart every time he looked at him.
Years ago, Baron Romero had mobilized a massive workforce to secure the tunnels of the iron mine. It was a critical operation on which his entire life depended, and he poured his heart and soul into it, practically living at the mine day and night. Roman was only three years old back then. Toddling over with unsteady steps, he had handed his father a tiny cookie.
How adorable he had been.
Baron Romero, his face blackened with soot from the tunnels, had laughed heartily and swept Roman up in his arms.
Perhaps that was why he wanted Roman to live a happy life.
Unlike his other two sons, Roman had no real talents. Fearing that his eldest would be looked down upon, Romero showered him with a generous allowance. He never imagined that this would be the start of his son's downfall. Roman took out his pent-up frustrations through lavish spending, and from then on, the moniker ‘The Fool of Dmitry’ was born.
Baron Romero had been an inexperienced father.
His son’s rebellion had worn his heart down. The marriage alliance with the Lawrence family was a gift he had arranged for Roman, even at a great financial loss to himself.
But now, they said he had changed.
He couldn’t help but hope.
The process didn’t matter.
Even if Roman had used his wealth to hire mercenaries to take down Blood Fang, the mere fact that he had taken the initiative to do something was what mattered to Baron Romero. If his son showed even the slightest sign of change, he was ready to devote himself to him at a moment’s notice.
“I greet you, Father.”
Roman.
He had arrived.
His expression was so calm and composed that it was hard to believe he had just been involved in such a gruesome incident.
Baron Romero knew instinctively.
Roman had changed.
His stride, his posture, his expression—those alone were enough to make him realize his son was different.
Or perhaps he had anticipated this ever since Roman had first raised his voice against him.
“So, you dealt with Blood Fang yourself?”
The words slipped out.
Even if he knew it instinctively, Baron Romero wanted to hear the truth directly from Roman’s lips.
The answer to the question was simple.
Yes or no.
All Roman had to do was tell the truth. If he simply recounted what had happened, the matter would be resolved, and he would earn his father’s trust as a bonus. He stood to gain a great deal.
But…
‘An achievement that shatters expectations can come back to haunt you.’
The world’s expectations for Roman had been zero.
For someone who would earn praise for showing a ‘1’, demonstrating a performance of ‘10’ was a world-shaking event.
The future.
What should he do?
Should he reveal himself, or should he hide?
In the Murim, the saying ‘an awl in a pocket’ was a warning. Talent so outstanding that it couldn’t be hidden would inevitably be met with a hammer to the head.
The rare few who survived such scrutiny were called masters in the Murim.
‘I have not yet fully grasped this world. Compared to my days as Baek Joong-hyuk, this body of Roman Dmitry possesses martial power as insignificant as an ant’s. Revealing too much of myself would be unwise. What I need now is to accept reality and secure enough time to grow. The reputation of ‘The Fool of Dmitry’ is perfect for buying me that time.’
A smirk touched his lips.
It was a rational judgment.
He knew what the correct course of action was, but from the moment he had clashed with Blood Fang, such calculations had become meaningless.
Revealing himself.
Roman did not know how to hide.
“Yes, I did it.”
The Heavenly Demon, Baek Joong-hyuk.
He was a man who could never live an ordinary life.
Most people had a childhood spent under the protection of their parents.
But Roman—no, Baek Joong-hyuk—was different.
The moment he was strong enough to move, he was abandoned on the cold floor of a cave.
Inside the pitch-black cavern, the man who was his father had said:
“You are the son of the Heavenly Demon. If you truly possess the qualifications to succeed me, then prove your worth. Survive from the very bottom of this cold abyss. I have twelve sons. Your death alone changes nothing. Even if all twelve of you die, I will simply create another. So remember: reigning supreme is the only way to prove your worth.”
The 12th Cave.
Thus began the life of Baek Joong-hyuk, the youngest son.
It was brutal.
The other children in the cave showed him no consideration just because he was the son of the Heavenly Demon. They lived by the law of the jungle, stealing from and competing with one another. Back then, Baek Joong-hyuk was incredibly weak. His small frame made it difficult to win, but he knew instinctively what he had to do.
He had to project his presence.
He knew that even if he was weak, puffing himself up and showing pure venom would allow him to reign over them.
And so, in a fight against the strongest child, Baek Joong-hyuk crushed the boy’s head with a stone.
Blood dripped from the rock as he struck him again and again. The surrounding children stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.
The King of the 12th Cave.
That day, Baek Joong-hyuk’s position was established.
He always made his presence known, surviving countless threats to the very end.
The Heavenly Demon was forged through adversity.
He knew that if he had not walked a path of thorns, he would never have ascended to the throne.
‘There is no such thing as perfect preparation in this world. What matters is doing my utmost to prove myself in the reality before me.’
The life of Baek Joong-hyuk.
Attention was familiar to him; ordinariness was a foreign concept.
To wish for a normal life just because this was a new one?
How ridiculous.
The life he had lived made him who he was today. He had become a man who could no longer live an ordinary life.
Roman.
A new name.
He had absolutely no intention of hiding himself.
This incident, however, required a bit of explanation.
Based on the information he had gathered from Hans, Roman offered a version of events that would sound reasonable to others.
“To tell you the truth, I have been practicing swordsmanship in secret.”
“Why did you keep it a secret? If you had told me, I would have supported you wholeheartedly.”
“I know. But because I spent so much time wandering aimlessly, I didn't feel I had the right to ask you for anything. People call me ‘The Fool of Dmitry.’ I wanted to prove I could achieve something on my own. Though I am self-taught, I have managed to reach a certain level of mastery.”
It was a vague answer.
Learning swordsmanship on his own?
It didn’t fully explain how Roman had possessed the power to wipe out Blood Fang.
“How did you deal with them?”
“According to my investigation, Blood Fang is not a group built on mutual trust. They formed a decentralized network through blackmail and coercion, with a small leadership holding absolute control. They were a castle of sand, a mere rabble. Believing that cutting off the head would cause them to collapse, I lured them with false information and launched a direct attack on Ben Miles.”
“Ben Miles? You lured him out?”
“Yes. Blood Fang has a clear pattern of behavior. They stay quiet when powerful noble families target their members, but they maintain their notoriety by always retaliating against weaker nobles. It’s embarrassing to say, but I am known as ‘The Fool of Dmitry.’ I was certain they would target me. So, I used myself as bait, and when their forces were dispersed, I attacked Ben Miles and captured their leader.”
“That was a far too dangerous plan. If they had been bent on revenge, they could have abandoned Ben Miles and killed you instead.”
His heart sank.
Roman’s plan had been incredibly reckless. At the realization of what his son had put himself through, Baron Romero’s eyebrows twitched, unable to hide his emotion.
Roman said, “It was indeed a dangerous plan, Father. That is why I assumed that if you caught wind of my movements, the Dmitry Knights would mobilize, and that information would reach Blood Fang. Let me ask you: if you were a member of Blood Fang, would you risk your life to rescue your leader when you had no idea when the Dmitry Knights might arrive? The entire premise of my plan was that they are a castle of sand. People bound by blackmail have no reason to risk their lives when they finally have a chance to be free.”
It was close to what had actually happened.
Roman had indeed attacked Blood Fang.
There had been no luring; he had simply slaughtered all the enemies in the building and captured Ben Miles as he tried to flee.
What followed was exactly as he described.
The members of Blood Fang abandoned their leader. Just as Roman had explained, they couldn’t afford to waste time when they had no idea when the Dmitry Knights might descend upon them.
A sliver of truth mixed with a mountain of lies.
Roman had explained the situation in a way that made logical sense.
If ‘The Fool of Dmitry’ had wiped out Blood Fang through sheer martial prowess alone, it wouldn’t just be a matter of revealing himself—it would make people question his very identity. So, he gave a realistic answer. It was something his father could easily accept, while still not denying the fact that he had accomplished the deed himself.
The explanation was over.
Baron Romero, who had repeatedly questioned him in disbelief, found himself speechless.
“My son.”
He was deeply moved.
Roman.
The child who weighed most heavily on his heart.
To think that the son he believed was incapable of anything could handle matters with such meticulous planning.
Baron Romero had never truly given up on his son.
The same sincerity that had driven him to slap Roman’s cheek in an attempt to set him straight now shone through his eyes.
“You have done something truly magnificent. My son has accomplished what no one else in this region could.”
Perhaps swept up in his excitement, he wanted to see his son’s changed self with his own eyes.
“May I ask one favor of you?”
“Please, speak.”
“I wish to see your swordsmanship for myself. I want to see how my son has changed, and what kind of swordsmanship you used to defeat Blood Fang. Knight Commander Jonathan, can you prepare a sparring match right away?”
“I can, my lord.”
The baron’s gaze shifted back to Roman.
He fully understood his father’s heart. When a son who had been called a fool accomplished something so great, it was only natural for his father to want to see it with his own eyes.
Roman nodded.
“Understood.”
A new life.
Roman was fully committed to his reality.