WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 100: It
──────
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Egg of Pain pounded madly, as if bursting into laughter. Galahad’s vision swayed. His consciousness drifted upward.
It was because he had drunk the Ruler’s blood. The blood of a high-ranking Demonkin like the Ruler was unlike anything he had tasted before.
It was not merely Demonkin blood.
This was...
‘Mana itself.’
It felt as though he had drunk pure mana. He had never imagined mana could be this pure. Everything he had handled until now felt like trash.
He wanted more.
No...
‘I want to drink it all.’
Galahad’s eyes darkened.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The Egg of Pain continued pounding. It could not contain its excitement either.
The Ruler’s authority was weaker because this was not the Demon Realm. Thanks to some sort of power he had received from the Four-legged Demonkin, Galahad could withstand the Ruler’s authority.
The Ruler’s authority was not an attack, but domination. If one could endure it, its power diminished sharply. On top of that, Galahad had drunk the Ruler’s blood.
Unaware of any of that, the Ruler approached, and Galahad became certain of victory.
His plan had worked rather neatly. He had anticipated the Ruler’s actions and led it where he wanted.
Just as he tried to drive an Ice Spear into the Ruler’s heart, the Ruler displayed a strange power. Its body twisted for an instant.
It made no sense.
‘Does it have another authority?’
Galahad narrowed his eyes.
His attacks had not all been useless. Half the Ruler’s neck had been torn away, and an Ice Spear was lodged in its chest.
It was a fatal wound that would have killed a human, yet the Ruler only smiled.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
“There’s still more.”
Galahad replied with a frown.
“Yes, there should be. You are the traitor’s disciple. You must have something up your sleeve.”
Galahad immediately snapped his fingers. An Ice Spike shot up directly in front of the Ruler. A Demonkin beside it took the hit instead. Red blood splattered everywhere.
“Insolent fool.”
The Demonkin rushed in front of the Ruler. In an instant, a wall of Demonkin formed before it.
The sight of expressionless humans tangled together was horrific.
Then Galahad felt a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly snapped his fingers. Something formless struck his barrier and was stopped.
It was shapeless mana. More precisely...
‘The authority of lower-ranking Demonkin.’
Looking around, he spotted a Demonkin swinging its fist.
‘It can even use its subordinates’ authorities.’
It seemed that controlling their movements was not all the Ruler could do.
Still, those authorities felt crude. Ordinarily, they would have been so sloppy that Galahad could brush them aside with ease, but there were too many of them.
Far too many.
‘Damn it.’
Authorities poured in from every direction. Galahad’s barrier shook violently.
At that moment, the humans around the Ruler began gathering together. Expressionless humans tangled wildly with one another like parts being assembled. Their limbs bent and broke, yet there were no cries or hesitation.
The mass grew in an instant. Its shape was deeply unsettling.
‘A golem.’
A golem made of humans.
The Ruler disappeared into it. It had created a thick shield to block Galahad’s magic.
‘Clever.’
To use spatial magic, he needed to know his target’s position. If the Ruler hid its location like that, he had no answer.
Spatial magic was not something he could cast lightly, so he could not simply estimate the Ruler’s position and fire blindly.
Authorities poured in from every direction, Demonkin closed in, and the Ruler hid within the human golem.
Galahad recalculated.
‘There is one way.’
A fairly plausible method came to mind.
Thump! The Egg of Pain answered by violently spewing dense mana. Having drunk the Ruler’s blood, Galahad felt the urge and its weight far more intensely. His mind wavered.
‘And I only took a small sip...’
If he had drunk it all, he would have burst apart. Galahad desperately held onto his senses and snapped his fingers.
An Ice Spike appeared before him. It was so pure that it was completely transparent, without even a single bubble. It pierced the chest of a charging Demonkin, skewering those behind it as well before they fell.
The power was immense, but the gap quickly filled again. It was a tide of flesh made of Demonkin and soldiers.
‘Slowly.’
Galahad desperately controlled the rampaging mana and snapped his fingers.
His barrier shook violently. Chunks of flesh scattered everywhere. Blood soaked the floor. The stench of blood stabbed at his nose.
There were no screams or shouts. Only the sound of flesh being sliced apart, the barrier being struck, and fingers snapping.
Galahad checked his mana and continued casting spells. Whenever his mana ran low, he took a sip from his canteen.
The battle against the Ruler was a war of attrition. The Ruler kept sending in subordinates, while Galahad defended himself and dealt with them one by one.
There were too many subordinates to kill them all. Galahad’s mana, on the other hand, was limited.
It was a battle of attrition that guaranteed Galahad’s defeat.
“This is getting boring.”
The Ruler spoke with the corners of its mouth raised. A small golem made of humans stood beneath it.
The tightly packed, expressionless people made the golem look especially grotesque.
“I agree.”
Galahad replied with a small cough. Thinking it was bravado, the Ruler chuckled.
“You truly are the traitor’s disciple. You’re all talk.”
The Ruler sneered. It seemed convinced that Galahad was the First Mage’s disciple. Galahad did not bother denying it.
The First Mage was the origin of magic. All mages were practically his disciples.
‘This should be enough.’
Galahad glanced down. The floor was soaked with blood.
These were Demonkin, not Monsters, so the concentration would be higher. This would be enough.
“Wait.”
Galahad raised the Golden Scepter. The authorities pouring toward him stopped for an instant.
“Are you going to beg for your life now?”
“No, I have something to do first.”
The Ruler let out a hollow laugh. Galahad spun the Golden Scepter in his hand.
“You fool! Are you using that precious object as a stick?”
“A stick? It’s a staff.”
“You damned...!”
Galahad ignored the Ruler’s furious reaction.
He had already drawn the entire outer edge. It had been difficult amid the chaos, but it was perfect. Just in case, he checked it again.
‘Enough.’
Galahad nodded and struck the floor with the Golden Scepter.
“You bastard! How dare you!”
The Ruler shouted. Its reaction was deeply satisfying.
Light rose from beneath Galahad’s feet. A massive magic circle, drawn with the Golden Scepter, revealed itself.
“You are wasting your time.”
The Ruler clicked its tongue and waved a hand. The human golem blocked it from view. It seemed to think the magic circle was meant to attack.
The Ruler had hidden its location behind the human golem. It was an effective way to block Galahad’s magic.
That gave Galahad a new idea.
The blood on the magic circle began to bead up. It swelled as if boiling, then burst with a soft pop. Red mist slowly rose from it.
The red mist began spreading everywhere.
‘That hunt was useful after all.’
It was the red mist he had used during his hunt with the Grand Duke.
He had not expected to use it here.
“Now then, round two.”
Galahad vanished into the blood mist.
* * *
‘Persistent bastard.’
The Ruler’s face twisted.
That man’s magic was strange. It was threatening enough to pierce the skin of a high-ranking Demonkin like the Ruler. Still, that was only because the Ruler had let its guard down.
Once the Ruler had surrounded itself with subordinates, not a single attack had reached it.
‘A mere mage endured my authority.’
The Ruler’s authority ruled over those beneath it. It was not something one could overcome through willpower alone.
Yet that mage had resisted it.
‘The Forgotten One interfered.’
The Forgotten One must have raised his standing enough for him to withstand the Ruler’s authority.
It was strange that someone who should have been in the Abyss would go out of their way to help.
Even so, it changed nothing.
Even if the Forgotten One raised Galahad’s standing enough for him to resist the Ruler’s authority, all he could do was endure. He was inside the Ruler’s domain.
Then the blood beneath him turned into mist and filled the area.
‘Is he trying to block my vision? He struggles to the end.’
The Ruler clicked its tongue. It was pointless. The eyes of the Ruler’s subordinates were the Ruler’s eyes.
Still, having been struck once already, the Ruler did not lower its guard. It reinforced the wall of humans until there was not a single gap.
Just as the Ruler tried to use its authority...
A strange chill made it twist its body. An Ice Spike had lodged in its shoulder.
‘...How?’
The Ruler knew that Galahad’s magic could pierce space. Still, its surroundings had already been completely covered.
He should not have known its location.
‘Did he fire blindly? Lucky bastard.’
The Ruler frowned and clicked its tongue. Cornered at last, Galahad seemed to be firing recklessly.
Then its waist jerked. Looking down, the Ruler saw an Ice Spike lodged in its side.
He was aiming directly at the Ruler.
‘How?’
Its surroundings were completely covered. How could he know the Ruler’s location?
Then a strange smell drifted over. Looking around, the Ruler saw that red mist had already filled the area.
‘...Don’t tell me.’
The Ruler narrowed its eyes. It moved first. An Ice Spike grazed its thigh.
Only one thing had changed.
The red mist.
‘He found my location through mist made from blood.’
The Ruler’s eyes narrowed.
“Now you’re It.”
The mist thickened further.
* * *
“We need to enter.”
At Gilbert’s urgent words, First shook his head.
“There is no signal yet.”
“He could be in too much danger to send one.”
“Galahad is not such a careless man.”
First’s answer remained firm. Adrianna’s brow furrowed deeply.
A considerable amount of time had passed since Galahad entered. Yet they were supposed to wait simply because there was no signal.
Adrianna found First strangely unpleasant. That was only natural, since he was a man of unknown background.
Then First turned his head.
“Troops are coming. Did you request support?”
Adrianna nodded.
There were a great many footsteps.
Turning toward them, she saw the incoming force. Its scale was substantial. Eight numbered banners approached.
Every battalion except the Sixth Battalion had sent troops. It was clearly the Grand Duke’s order.
The Grand Duke rarely mobilized his forces, yet he had dispatched such a large army.
‘What kind of report did they give him?’
Adrianna tilted her head slightly.
Liam, Commander of the Second Battalion, stepped forward.
“Commander Adrianna. You got here first.”
Adrianna merely nodded. The other commanders stood beside him. Their faces were all grim, as if they had sensed the gravity of the situation.
“I heard a high-ranking Demonkin called the Ruler has occupied the Sixth Battalion.”
Liam valued the North above all else. He seemed furious that Demonkin had occupied a battalion.
“That is correct.”
“Then we enter immediately.”
Liam gestured behind him. The other commanders drew their weapons, and the soldiers behind them raised their fighting spirit.
They looked ready to charge in at once. With reinforcements here, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
But...
[Trust me.]
Adrianna bit her lip.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
Liam frowned at Adrianna’s reply. She hesitated for a moment before letting out a breath.
“Commander Galahad said the Ruler might escape. He said he would restrain it and send a signal. We will enter once Commander Galahad gives the signal.”
Adrianna spoke firmly.
“Commander Galahad? You mean the Special Operations Unit mage. The Grand Duke acknowledges him, but he is still a mage. The enemy is a high-ranking Demonkin. Does it make sense to trust him?”
The Commander of the Third Battalion raised a reasonable question. The other commanders nodded. Some even showed open hostility at the mention of Galahad’s name.
The momentum shifted in an instant.
“Commander Galahad discovered the Ruler’s city, and Commander Galahad found that it had occupied the Sixth Battalion. If we do not follow his judgment, whose judgment will we follow?”
Adrianna stepped forward as she spoke. The commanders’ expressions grew complicated.
“We enter when the signal comes.”
Adrianna gave the order in a firm voice.
She usually did not interfere with the other commanders. Now that Adrianna herself had given an order, a range of emotions crossed their faces.
Still, no one objected.
Then...
A powerful force surged from within the fortress. The soldiers staggered violently, and the commanders whipped their heads around.
Several soldiers could not endure it and collapsed. The formation wavered. The commanders’ faces turned grim before that overwhelming power.
“Commander Galahad intends to handle a monster like that?”
At Liam’s question, Adrianna hesitated briefly. Then she slowly nodded.
“We wait for the signal.”
Then something changed. Red mist rose thickly beyond the fortress gate. It was such a sinister mist that her hair stood on end.
“That is the signal.”
First, who had been silent, jumped to his feet. Finally.
Adrianna frowned slightly.
“The Ruler may try to escape, so I will assign each of you an area.”
Adrianna assigned each commander an area to take charge of.
No one refused her orders. Adrianna was the North’s hero and the Grand Duke’s only blood relative.
Following Adrianna’s orders, the units quickly spread out. They moved toward their assigned gates.
After quickly completing the deployment, Adrianna felt a strange emptiness.
First and Pumpkin were nowhere to be seen.
The Special Operations Unit was gone as well.
Adrianna narrowed her eyes.
Then a horn sounded. It was the signal that preparations were complete.
“Enter.”
After giving the short command, Adrianna kicked off the ground. Drawing up her aura, she passed through the fortress gate in an instant.
Monsters and Demonkin guarded the walls, but there were fewer than expected.
Adrianna’s eyes moved quickly. She saw Demonkin heading toward the blood-red mist.
When she swung her pure white aura, the Demonkin in front of her turned to dust in an instant.
Adrianna did not stop. Her pure white aura continued to shine brilliantly. Dust scattered in every direction.
Reaching the edge of the blood-red mist, Adrianna frowned.
There...
“You are late.”
First sat there. He looked as relaxed as if he had come on a picnic. Pumpkin beside him lowered her head slightly. Unlike First, Pumpkin was drenched in sweat.
He had already arrived and was sitting there so calmly.
‘He is skilled.’
Adrianna felt a small measure of admiration.
“So Galahad’s scent is coming from here.”
First scratched his chin.
Galahad’s scent was coming from that thick mist made of blood. Adrianna frowned at the strange statement.
“I will enter.”
Adrianna tightened her grip on her sword and prepared to enter.
First stepped in front of her. Pumpkin became strangely uneasy as First blocked Adrianna’s path.
Still, First was on a mission. He would not be playing around.
“What is it?”
Adrianna asked in a slightly lower voice.
First pointed at Adrianna.
“You stay out of this.”
He spoke firmly.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
