WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 14: Healing Hand
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“They all look formidable.”
Galahad clicked his tongue softly as he looked over the commanders.
As befitted their rank, none of them looked like easy opponents. Every one of them seemed capable.
Because of his profession, Galahad could roughly gauge someone’s level the moment he met them. He could not know their exact skill, but he had a certain instinct for it.
Every commander here was skilled.
Especially...
“What’s that man’s name?”
“That is Liam, commander of the Second Battalion. He has an excellent character, so more people follow him than anyone except Lady Adrianna.”
Gilbert answered in a very low voice.
“Liam...”
Galahad quietly repeated the name.
“He doesn’t look like he has a good character.”
“What do you see?”
“It’s just a feeling.”
“...”
“You don’t seem convinced. Feelings are a kind of information sent by the subconscious.”
Galahad memorized the commanders’ faces, distinguishing features, and weapons. It did not take long.
One of them was glaring at him.
“Who’s that pig-looking man?”
“...He is Chartien, commander of the Sixth Battalion. He was the last to become a commander.”
At that moment, Liam, commander of the Second Battalion, ended the meeting.
“That concludes the meeting. I know everyone is busy, so thank you for attending.”
The Sixth Battalion commander sprang to his feet.
“The pig is coming this way. He must’ve caught the scent of my candy. This is bad.”
Gilbert turned his head aside. The corner of his mouth had risen slightly.
The pig-like man looked down at Galahad with a sidelong gaze.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Galahad, commander of the Special Operations Unit.”
Galahad held out his hand in greeting, but the man snorted and ignored it.
Galahad casually turned his hand toward Gilbert instead. Gilbert shook it with an awkward expression.
“So in the Empire, they call someone a commander even if they only lead five people.”
“That’s right. How many people does one need to lead in the north to be called a commander?”
As he spoke, Galahad turned his head slightly toward the space behind the pig-like man.
“Idiot...”
“If someone leads a unit, they are a commander.”
The answer came from behind him.
Adrianna spoke in her usual flat voice.
‘Is that a line?’
She seemed to have been waiting for the conversation to end. There was even another man standing behind Adrianna.
Upon spotting her, the pig-like man made a strange sound.
“Gek, gek, ggek?”
“Have you finished your conversation?”
“Y-Yes! We have!”
The pig-like man jolted and moved aside.
After thanking him, Adrianna looked at Galahad.
“Do you have a moment?”
* * *
‘She’s difficult.’
Galahad muttered quietly as he looked at the expressionless Adrianna.
Her flawless appearance, combined with that blank expression, made her impossible to read. He had no idea what she was thinking.
“Why did you come to the front line? If it is because of His Grace the Grand Duke, I will send word to him separately.”
Her voice was extremely dry. She seemed like someone without emotions.
“It was because of you.”
Adrianna’s lips stopped just as she was about to speak.
“Back then, I only heard your side. I never got to give my opinion, did I?”
“Ah, I see.”
Adrianna nodded. She straightened her back and looked directly at Galahad.
“...As you said, it is true that I was dragged all the way to the north because of you.”
“Yes, I’m truly sorry.”
Adrianna bowed her head. The crown of her thick hair briefly drew his gaze.
She only raised her head after Galahad cleared his throat softly.
“I understand that you had no choice. I’m not refusing your request to maintain this relationship.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Galahad paused for a moment. Adrianna waited quietly in perfect posture.
“Just as I granted your request, I’d like you to grant one of mine.”
Adrianna nodded at once. She accepted it more readily than he expected.
“That is a fair request. If it is within my ability, I will help with anything.”
The answer he wanted came quickly.
Galahad stared at Adrianna for a moment.
Beautiful.
He hurriedly suppressed the thought. She was a dangerous woman in many ways.
There was only one thing Galahad needed.
“Could you lend me a hand whenever I want?”
“...Pardon?”
For the first time, an expression appeared on Adrianna’s face.
Confusion.
Her eyebrows only rose slightly, but for Adrianna, whose expression never changed, it was a considerable reaction.
“Whenever I want, lend me your hand.”
Galahad fought to hide his true thoughts and spoke as casually as possible.
Unlike before, her answer did not come right away.
After hesitating for a moment, Adrianna spoke.
“...It will be painful.”
“I know. I can endure it.”
His answer naturally carried sincerity.
Adrianna’s eyebrows rose a little higher.
Her already large eyes widened further. Galahad quietly marveled at how large a person’s eyes could be.
“...You could die.”
It was hard to say, ‘Surely I won’t die just from holding hands,’ when he still remembered the pain from last time so vividly.
Still...
“It’s worth it.”
At Galahad’s serious answer, Adrianna’s eyebrows lowered again.
Her blue eyes, like the clear sky, blinked slowly.
She seemed to be considering whether she had really heard him correctly.
“I mean it.”
It was true, so there was no need to act. His sincerity filled his voice on its own.
Adrianna’s eyebrows moved faintly up and down. She seemed to be thinking.
‘She expresses emotion through her eyebrows.’
Galahad waited without rushing her.
After a while, Adrianna slowly nodded.
“Understood. If you need it...”
“I need it now.”
Galahad immediately held out his hand. He had wanted to do so from the beginning, but had held himself back. He wanted to study that property as soon as possible.
Perhaps she had not expected him to hold it out right away, because Adrianna’s eyebrows rose again.
“Didn’t you promise?”
When he spoke firmly, Adrianna let out a small breath.
She carefully held out her hand. If anything, Adrianna looked more cautious than Galahad.
Galahad quickly grasped it.
A faint warmth touched him first, followed by terrible pain climbing up from his fingertips.
It felt as if every vein in his body was burning. The pain was difficult to describe.
Galahad had passed the Intelligence Bureau’s torture training with ease, yet a groan of pain escaped him.
Adrianna tried to pull her hand away.
“Stay still!”
“...Ah.”
Adrianna’s eyes widened at Galahad’s shout. Ignoring her reaction, Galahad focused on his senses.
Where was the mana disappearing to? Was it burning away? If so, by what principle...?
As Galahad muttered, his head suddenly drooped.
Adrianna carefully observed the unconscious Galahad.
The blood vessels in his eyes had burst, blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and his body trembled from the pain...
Yet his face wore a smile of complete satisfaction.
When Gilbert entered later, Adrianna hurriedly hid the hand that had gone numb from being gripped too tightly behind her back.
“Did this man do something to you?”
“...No.”
“Then why is his face...?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Slightly startled, Gilbert took care of Galahad.
* * *
“When I opened my heavy eyelids, I saw an ugly face. Hm, that didn’t improve my mood.”
“...You said that out loud.”
“It was a joke. You’re not that bad-looking either.”
Galahad shook out his numb hand and sat up. A groan slipped from his mouth.
‘It’s impossible to get used to the pain of mana burning.’
He had passed the Intelligence Bureau’s torture training with perfect marks, but he could not endure the pain of mana burning.
The only difference was that he had experienced it once before, so he did not scream.
‘Passing out every time I hold her hand... People would laugh if they heard that.’
Galahad muttered as he shook out his numb hand.
It felt like he was close to grasping it, yet he could not quite understand.
The concept of burning mana itself was too unfamiliar. The extreme pain also made it difficult to concentrate fully.
“I’ll need to hold her hand at least ten more times before I get a feel for it.”
“You’ll die if you do that.”
“Everyone dies when their time comes. The question is whether that death has value.”
“Does that have value?”
“What could be more valuable than this?”
“...”
Gilbert looked sick of him.
Clicking his tongue, Galahad checked his condition.
‘Still, this is better than last time.’
Previously, all his mana had burned away, making it difficult to even move a finger. This time, though faint, a little mana remained.
Galahad snapped his fingers. Fire rose above them, as large as it usually was.
Then Galahad felt a very slight discrepancy.
It was so subtle that it would have been difficult to notice, but Galahad managed his mana with near-obsessive sensitivity.
‘The compression speed increased slightly.’
If mana was a hose, then the fingers squeezing it represented Mana Control.
The stronger the compression, the higher the mana concentration became, and the resulting magic became more powerful.
The force of the fingers gripping that hose had become slightly stronger.
‘Is it because I emptied it and filled it again?’
While fighting Demonkin, Galahad had felt the need for greater mana concentration more keenly than ever.
An increase in Mana Control meant he could compress it faster.
Adrianna was clearly the reason.
A woman who raised his Mana Control every time he held her hand and allowed him to research a new property of mana...
‘She’s good at everything.’
Could there be another woman this lovely? Galahad felt his heart pound.
Was this love?
“Ahem.”
An awkward cough sounded then.
It was the man who had stood behind Adrianna in the meeting room. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and fatigue covered his face, giving him an irritable impression.
“I am Mark, commander of the Fifth Battalion.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Galahad, commander of the Special Operations Unit.”
“Once this investigation is over, if you have time, please visit the Fifth Battalion.”
Mark got straight to the point. He seemed like a man who did not waste time.
Then he whispered in a quiet voice.
“I am interested in magic.”
It was not an extraordinary statement, but considering he was a commander on the northern front line, it was quite a bold thing to say.
“We can discuss it in detail then.”
With that, Mark stood and said he had work to do. It seemed he had truly come only to greet Galahad. He was a practical man.
“Mark... What kind of man is he?”
“He is famous for using any means necessary as the Fifth Battalion commander. He was disciplined once for trying to tame Monsters. There has been a lot of talk about him for various reasons.”
Gilbert explained in an uncomfortable tone. He did not seem to like Mark. Then again, Gilbert was far from practical himself.
“Please come eat.”
Tom said this as he opened the door. His face looked somewhat haggard.
“I don’t want to eat food Gwen made.”
“How old are you to be so picky about food?”
“Have you ever eaten anything Gwen made? No, you haven’t. That’s why you can make such reckless remarks.”
Galahad clicked his tongue and got up. Still, he could not refuse a meal that had already been prepared.
When he went downstairs, everyone was seated at the table. Damian had his face buried in his bowl, while Gwen sat there blankly.
Galahad let out a small sigh and took his seat. Tom served him some stew.
He made up his mind and took a large spoonful.
As he braced himself for the coming pain...
“...It’s good?”
Galahad’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected taste.
“Ah, does it suit your taste? That’s a relief.”
“Tom, did you make this?”
“Yes. Senior Gwen was not feeling well, so...”
“What a relief.”
Galahad turned his head and immediately realized that Gwen was not well.
Her hair was sticking up everywhere, as if she had been struck by lightning.
He could roughly imagine what had happened. She had struggled alone until she could not endure it and used it once. Perhaps she had not even realized what she was doing.
‘Did she copy Divine Retribution after seeing it?’
Galahad was purely impressed.
Divine Retribution’s formula was twice as difficult as most other magic. The key was casting a circular form to scrape together the mana around it.
Judging from how much her hair was sticking up, it was not Divine Retribution itself. She seemed to have used its basic concept.
‘She’s a genius.’
She had used magic after seeing it only once... and without even being consciously aware of it.
He wanted to cram magic into that adorable little head right away, but desperately restrained himself.
If he pulled on the fishing rod too soon, the fish would escape.
He had to wait until the hook was fully set.
“Come to think of it, the house is clean. It used to look like an animal pen.”
“...It was not that bad.”
“Ah, I cleaned it with Senior Gwen. Senior Gwen taught me a lot...”
“Hehe.”
It was obvious flattery, but Gwen immediately broke into a broad smile. She looked just like a puppy chewing grass.
“Damian, would you like more?”
“Yeah.”
Tom filled Damian’s bowl with more stew. It seemed quite natural.
“Listen while you eat. Tomorrow, we will depart on our first mission.”
Gwen began coughing harshly. Tom patted her back.
Galahad waited until Gwen’s coughing stopped before continuing.
“Our mission is to investigate the strange movements of the Monsters that attacked the Fourth Battalion. It should not be particularly dangerous, but we should still be careful. This is the front line.”
Gwen’s coughing grew worse. Damian raised his hand high.
“Damian, speak.”
“Do we have to go?”
Damian asked with the same expression he wore when told he could only eat one bowl of stew. Gwen nodded vigorously.
Galahad smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“If you do not walk, you will be buried in the snow.”
Damian buried his face in his bowl.
Gwen raised her hand high.
“Wouldn’t we avoid being buried if we stayed home?”
As she spoke, Gwen’s face brimmed with confidence, like a puppy that had brought back a bone.
“Then the house will be buried in the snow.”
Gwen tilted her head at Galahad’s answer.
“Even in the north, it does not snow that much, does it?”
At Gwen’s question, Galahad coughed softly.
“I made that too difficult. I did not take you into account. My apologies.”
“Uh... Yes! It’s okay! That can happen! You have not been in the north very long!”
Gwen brightly accepted his apology.
“Anyway, everyone should sleep early. We will leave for the Fourth Battalion tomorrow. We are traveling with Adrianna’s group, so we cannot be late.”
* * *
“Are you sure it’s right for us to handle this on our own? Shouldn’t we get more support from above?”
Karl frowned at the worried voice beside him.
It was already a critical juncture, and he was on edge. The ominous words being repeated only made his irritation rise.
“Shut up, Bern. Our master already gave us a Mole Monster for support, and now you want us to ask for more? Why not just ask them to cut off our heads?”
“But...”
“What exactly are you worried about? Did you forget how much work we put into this? We went around the front line doing all that shit! All that damn shit!”
Karl did not hold back as he cursed. Bern shrank in on himself.
He could not understand why Bern kept saying such weak things. To lower their guard, they had only used the Mole Monster, the creature those bastards looked down on the most.
The two of them were mages, yet they had not even used magic. It was all to make it look like nothing more than strange Monster behavior.
They had also dug the tunnel they wanted, then deliberately retreated. By now, those fools had likely forgotten about it.
Even if they suspected something, searching that vast land was impossible. Their magic had hidden it from the start...
They would never realize it had been one step back to move ten steps forward.
“Did you forget who is behind us?”
Karl pointed behind him.
The cave, where nothing could be seen, seemed especially dark. The eerie feeling made Karl shudder slightly.
“At most, they will send a search party. Do you think someone commander-level would come all the way here over one Mole Monster? And even if they do, they cannot find us without a skilled mage. So what is the problem? Do you think there are any mages in this damned north?”
Bern pressed his lips tightly together at Karl’s cutting question.
“There is no way this can fail unless someone commander-level comes with a mage. Get back to work. We are almost done.”
Under Karl’s sharp gaze, Bern nodded.
Yeah, that could not happen.
Mages were rare in the north to begin with.
Why would a skilled mage be in the north?
They would be in the central region, running errands for nobles.
‘That worry had been pointless.’
Bern grinned and adjusted his staff.
“Once this is over, let’s take the Magic Stones we have gathered, go back to the Magic Tower, and live in luxury!”
The two smiled brightly as they imagined their happy future.
Footnotes:
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