WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 31: Dear
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‘Our captain’s cute.’
Carrot muttered under his breath as he watched Adrianna stiffen with her hand still extended.
It was a side of her he had never seen before.
He had not known Adrianna, who always wore the same expressionless face, could make an expression like that.
Putting that aside...
‘That man’s insane.’
Carrot muttered as he watched the situation unfold.
Adrianna’s direct unit was as infamous as it was renowned.
It was because of Adrianna’s nature.
On the battlefield, Adrianna was an unparalleled hero, but outside it, she was surprisingly high-maintenance.
She had no interest in anything that was not Demonkin.
Adrianna’s direct unit was made up of those who had joined solely for her. Some were even more capable than the commanders of other battalions.
Their excessive loyalty, combined with Adrianna’s unexpectedly demanding nature, had made them increasingly protective of her.
If not for the Grand Duke’s orders, they would have torn apart even the Crown Prince.
And right in front of that direct unit, he was playing a prank on Adrianna. A childish prank that only children would play.
There was no need to imagine the direct unit’s reaction. The sounds of swords being drawn and teeth grinding came from all around him.
The air was taut enough to snap, but...
“Ah, today’s fine.”
Galahad remained relaxed. He looked completely unaffected by the atmosphere around him.
“Ah... Ah. Yes.”
Adrianna answered as though her gears were grinding.
“By the way, your subordinates are glaring at me. Did I do something wrong?”
Galahad suddenly pointed behind him. Adrianna turned around.
Those who had been grinding their teeth startled and bowed their heads, though it was a little late for that.
Adrianna’s eyes turned stern as she looked at them.
“Commander Galahad is a commander in his own right. I told you to show him respect.”
At Adrianna’s rebuke, those who had been grinding their teeth lowered their heads.
Carrot let a faint smile show as Galahad smiled in satisfaction.
‘He’s quite a man.’
To remain that calm in front of the direct unit...
There were only two possibilities.
Either he had absurdly large guts, or he was truly insane. Carrot had a feeling it was the latter.
Still, this was the direct unit. Even under Adrianna’s orders, they would not simply let it go.
Unlike before, though, they did not rush in recklessly. They had heard that Hermun had been defeated and that Galahad was a mage who had killed a Demonkin.
The one who broke the strange tension was the mad Mardian.
“I challenge the Special Operations Unit commander to a duel!”
Mardian, whose eyes went wild whenever Adrianna was involved, rushed forward with a long skewer in hand.
The fact that the mad Mardian had thought to challenge him to a duel instead of stabbing him first showed a certain degree of patience.
A duel was a natural right in the First Battalion, so Adrianna did not stop her.
‘What will he do?’
Adrianna did not step in either. At the same time, casually refusing a duel would destroy his honor.
Carrot watched with a strange sense of anticipation, wondering how Galahad would resolve the situation.
He was a mage who had burned a mid-ranking Demonkin and defeated Hermun in one blow. Carrot also wanted to see his abilities for himself.
The others seemed to share that expectation.
Galahad’s response, however, was beyond Carrot’s expectations.
“My apologies, but I already have a duel scheduled.”
Galahad refused firmly.
“You already have a duel scheduled? What does that...”
“I have an appointment with Sir Vandal. My apologies.”
Vandal was the youngest knight guarding the gate. Saying he had a duel arranged with Vandal was ridiculous, but it was a fairly plausible excuse.
“There’s an order to these things, isn’t there? Ah, perhaps the First Battalion doesn’t have one?”
“Mardian, wait your turn.”
“But...!”
“Mardian.”
Mardian stepped back. She looked as though she might cry at any moment.
That was a sign Mardian was truly angry.
Carrot quietly admired Galahad when he realized the emotion on Galahad’s face was not fear, but annoyance.
Putting that aside...
‘Vandal’s screwed now.’
* * *
“What brings you here?”
Adrianna asked in her flat voice.
“I came to see you. Why else would I come?”
Adrianna’s eyebrows lifted slightly at Galahad’s answer.
“Ah. Do you have time? I have something to discuss.”
“Yes. I do.”
“You can clean up first.”
“No. Just a moment...”
Adrianna took a step back, then suddenly released her aura.
Pale blue aura, almost white, flared up in an instant.
Galahad swallowed at the sight of that white aura.
The moment it touched him, he instinctively knew he would burn to ash. It was the nightmare of anyone with mana. A deep sense of rejection rose within him.
Even the Egg of Pain, which had been urging him on until moments ago, fell silent. As though it sensed the difference in their levels, it shut its mouth tight.
‘What would it feel like if I touched it? Would I burn completely?’
Galahad forcibly held back the hand that had unconsciously reached out. The moment he touched that, it would be over. Still, just a little...
As he considered it, a question suddenly occurred to him.
‘Why did she suddenly release her aura...?’
Adrianna’s long hair fluttered in the violently burning aura. At the same time, the blood and chunks of flesh stuck to her body instantly turned to ash and scattered away.
‘Don’t tell me...’
When he saw Adrianna become clean and dry in an instant, he realized.
That terrifying aura was simply a quick cleanup for Adrianna.
‘What a monster.’
Galahad clicked his tongue softly.
“Let’s go.”
Adrianna spoke with her usual expressionless face, though she somehow looked refreshed.
“Using aura to remove Demonkin remnants is impressive.”
“It’s just a small trick.”
Galahad clicked his tongue at Adrianna’s reply.
Aura was the realm everyone who wielded a sword dreamed of reaching. Using it to shower could not possibly be a small thing.
“That must be convenient.”
“It is. Demonkin blood is highly toxic and quickly damages armor, but maintaining armor with aura prevents corrosion.”
Judging by how long her answer was, it seemed quite convenient.
Still, showering with aura...
‘I really shouldn’t get on her bad side.’
Galahad touched his neck for no reason, then offered a compliment.
“Have I told you that you’re beautiful?”
“Have you? I believe you have.”
Adrianna nodded. Being called beautiful seemed as natural to her as a greeting.
Galahad let out a soft laugh that sounded like a cough.
“Is life in the north bearable?”
This time, Adrianna asked a question.
“No, it’s too cold.”
When he grumbled softly, Adrianna looked him over from head to toe.
“You dress too lightly. Of course you’re cold.”
“This is all I have.”
Adrianna took off her coat and held it out to him. It was an obviously luxurious coat made of white fur.
“Would you like to wear this, at least?”
“No, you’ll be cold too.”
“...Pardon? Ah, yes. I understand.”
With a strange expression, Adrianna put her coat back on.
‘She won’t ask twice.’
Galahad grumbled softly.
* * *
“So this is your castle...”
There was an inner fortress that had not been visible from outside. It was too small to truly be called an inner fortress, so when Galahad asked, Adrianna said it was where she stayed.
“Demonkin attacks are frequent.”
“I see.”
Adrianna led him to the headquarters building. It was far larger than the Fifth Battalion’s headquarters.
Even the soldiers walking around carried themselves differently. Not one person was unarmed. They were fully prepared to fight at any moment.
Sharp gazes settled on Galahad.
Some were hostile, while others seemed to be weighing him up. A rare few even had sparkling eyes, like Vandal’s.
Adrianna’s office was spacious, but it held only a few things. It contained exactly what was necessary and nothing more.
Adrianna sat upright with perfect posture and stared at Galahad.
‘Beautiful.’
His heart pounded hard as he looked at her flawless face.
It was probably because of the Egg of Pain. It had gone quiet during Adrianna’s aura shower, but now it seemed to be whispering again.
Lunabirn, Adrianna’s adjutant, placed steaming teacups in front of Galahad and Adrianna.
“Recently, a suspicious faction has been distributing remnants of the Jema War.”
“Remnants of the Jema War?”
Adrianna’s eyebrows rose slightly. It seemed this was the first she had heard of it.
“Didn’t we find traces of a Monster Tamer last time?”
“Yes. A separate investigation team has been organized for that.”
“Well done. But recently, a mental-type Demonkin appeared near the Fifth Battalion. An entire company disappeared.”
“A mental-type Demonkin capable of controlling an entire company would be troublesome even among mid-ranking Demonkin.”
Galahad nodded as he pressed down on his chest.
“I found out that there is an organization behind that Demonkin, one that is distributing remnants of the Jema War.”
Adrianna raised the teacup to her lips with an elegant air. No, she had simply raised it to her lips, but her unreal beauty made it look elegant.
“They call themselves Dawn.”
Adrianna’s movement paused slightly. Lunabirn’s lips, which had held a gentle smile all along, stiffened. The Egg of Pain urged him again.
“Do you know the name?”
This time, the answer came a little slowly.
“Yes. They are one of the organizations that attacked me.”
Adrianna’s voice remained flat.
‘One of the organizations...’
That meant Dawn was not the only group targeting Adrianna.
Galahad let out a low hum.
“As Dawn distributes remnants of the Jema War, suspicious factions are gathering in the north.”
“Suspicious factions...”
Adrianna murmured softly.
“As though responding to them, Demonkin have been appearing everywhere. But would Demonkin come up from below?”
Galahad could tell from Adrianna’s unyielding expression that this would not be easy.
“There must be a breach in the front line. It needs to be inspected.”
“You are correct. I will reinspect the area under the First Battalion’s responsibility.”
“Shouldn’t the other battalions be warned as well?”
“The proper procedure is to report to His Grace, then for His Grace to issue orders.”
Her expression was firm. Just as Mark had predicted.
Still, there was something strange beneath that expression.
‘She avoids getting involved with the other commanders.’
He did not know the reason, but Adrianna seemed to avoid interfering with the other commanders.
He could force the matter if he pushed, but it could damage his relationship with Adrianna.
There was no need to do that.
He had another plan.
“I see. I would like to report to His Grace. Can you help me?”
“Yes. You may borrow my hawk.”
“Thank you. Ah, I’ll need paper and a pen as well.”
“They are over there.”
Adrianna pointed behind her. Galahad rose and headed to the desk.
The paper bore the First Battalion’s seal.
Galahad considered it for a moment. Writing an ordinary letter would be useless.
‘We can’t get along any worse anyway...’
Nodding, Galahad scribbled across the page.
He rolled up the paper and stamped it with Adrianna’s seal.
Pheee!
At the sharp whistle, a white hawk flew in. It was enormous, nearly the size of a child. The hawk rubbed its face against Adrianna.
Galahad handed the sealed letter to Lunabirn.
“What did you write?”
“It’s a secret.”
Galahad smiled.
Adrianna placed the letter in a tube and tied it to the hawk’s leg. Then she whispered something to it. The hawk gave a long cry and vanished through the window.
Adrianna silently watched the cold wind entering through the window. Galahad watched her, then considered his next objective.
“Ah, are you entering Demonkin Territory again tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Perhaps it was unexpected, because Adrianna’s answer came slowly.
“It is dangerous.”
“It’s fine. I have a long life ahead of me.”
Adrianna considered it briefly, then nodded.
“Yes. Understood.”
“Then, is this our first date?”
Adrianna’s eyebrows rose slightly, then creased faintly.
“Demonkin Territory is not a place to speak of so lightly.”
Galahad realized it again. Adrianna was a woman who did not understand jokes.
Clicking his tongue, Galahad stood.
“Then, would you like to have a meal before you go?”
“Ah, no. I have a prior engagement.”
Galahad refused cleanly, then left the room without hesitation. Adrianna’s eyes widened.
“.........?”
He had just spoken as though he were expecting a date...
...He was a man who was difficult to understand.
Adrianna touched the cold teacup for a long time.
* * *
“Commander Galahad reportedly killed two dark mages, one Demonkin between mid-ranking and upper-ranking, and sixteen mole crickets. If they had been left alone, it is expected that there would have been heavy losses, just as there were with the Seventh Battalion.”
“Suspicious activity has been discovered in the Fourth Battalion. They opened a Magic Stone Mine, so it appears they have joined hands with dark mages.”
“Mark, commander of the Fifth Battalion, has declared an alliance with the Special Operations Unit.”
“An entire company of the Fifth Battalion was lost to a mental-type Demonkin. Commander Galahad dealt with it.”
The Grand Duke was known for having no interest in current affairs, but the truth was different.
The Grand Duke was not an ignorant beast, but an experienced hunter. He pretended to be a beast because he was experienced.
Everything that happened in the north reached the Grand Duke’s ears.
“Hmm...”
The Grand Duke let out a low hum. Theodore, who had been making his report, fell silent and lowered his head.
‘Galahad...’
It was the name that appeared most often in recent reports.
The Empire’s insult. The filthy mage. Adrianna’s fiancé.
He was a man known by many different descriptions.
The Empire had likely expected the Grand Duke to kill him.
Instead, the Grand Duke had established the Special Operations Unit and placed him in command of it.
He had given Galahad an opportunity. Either prove his ability and survive, or die a wretched death.
The north was a place where danger waited at every step. It was a harsh place for a mage who had just arrived from the Empire to survive with a unit of only four members.
In some ways, it was worse than locking him in an underground prison.
Contrary to his retainers’ expectations that he would die quickly, Galahad had not died.
No, he had earned achievements instead.
It was not as though he had avoided danger.
The Demonkin Galahad faced had been more dangerous than they had anticipated.
He had simply overcome all of them and survived.
“Interesting.”
The Grand Duke spoke in a low voice. His voice was filled with amusement.
“So he isn’t an ordinary man.”
As the Grand Duke spoke quietly, Theodore’s mind raced.
If the Empire had not sent Galahad merely as a sacrifice to create an excuse...
‘That can’t be.’
Theodore shook his head slightly.
“His achievements must be recognized. What should I grant him?”
There was amusement in the Grand Duke’s murmur.
Preventing Demonkin threats within the north twice was a great achievement.
Theodore was also curious what reward the Grand Duke would give.
Then a huge hawk flew in through the window. A smile appeared on the Grand Duke’s face when he saw the massive white hawk.
There was only one hawk that flew directly into the Grand Duke’s room. It belonged to Adrianna, the Grand Duke’s only blood relative.
Ever since Adrianna had left without even seeing him during her previous visit, the Grand Duke’s face had remained creased. It finally brightened fully for the first time in a while.
The corners of the Grand Duke’s mouth rose broadly. He carefully untied the tube from the hawk’s leg.
The Grand Duke froze the moment he unfolded and read the letter.
His deep eyes moved very slowly. He read the letter several times.
Then...
“Ho ho.”
He let out a low laugh. Theodore’s hair stood on end at that tightly restrained laughter.
‘He received a letter from Adrianna, so why...?’
Theodore pressed his head close to the ground.
The Grand Duke flicked a finger. The lightly folded paper flew like an arrow and embedded itself in the floor before Theodore.
He had embedded paper in stone. It was absurd strength.
“Read it.”
At the Grand Duke’s order, Theodore unfolded the letter.
The handwriting was so splendid that it seemed alive. Theodore could not help but marvel at the extraordinary script.
Theodore, briefly captivated, hurriedly began reading.
The letter was short.
[To my dear and respected father-in-law. This is Galahad, commander of the Special Operations Unit. I had no hawk of my own, so I borrowed Adrianna’s. I humbly report that there appears to be a breach in the front line. At first, I could not tell whether this was the north or the Demonkin’s playground, I tell you. Ha ha. I heard the Northern Wall was high and sturdy, but I suppose rumors are just rumors. Still, since this is my wife’s family territory, I’ll do my best. I report my arrival at the First Battalion. From Galahad, commander of the Special Operations Unit.]
‘...Is he insane?’
Theodore dropped the letter.
Even the Emperor would not dare treat the Grand Duke like that. What was this? Did he want to die? Even among madmen, this was not normal madness.
“The Demonkin’s playground...”
At the Grand Duke’s tightly restrained voice, Theodore hurriedly buried his head in the ground.
“Send messengers to every battalion commander. After seven sunrises, messengers will be sent again.”
“And if breaches are found then...”
“I’ll tear off their heads and use their spinal cords to plug the breaches.”
The retainers could only swallow hard.
Footnotes:
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