The Northern Grand Duke's Mad Son-in-Law - Chapter 35

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈

Chapter 35: Sly

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‘Damn it.’

As the headless Demonkin collapsed, blood sprayed everywhere.

Gilbert hurriedly raised his aura to block it.

The blood that struck his plate armor rapidly corroded the metal. Holes opened all across it.

‘Tom’s going to give me an earful.’

Gilbert muttered a curse as he assessed the situation.

The person they had been speaking to, believing them to be Galahad, had been a Demonkin.

Once Adrianna saw through the disguise, the Demonkin tore off its own head and sprayed blood around. Had they not reacted quickly, they could have suffered serious injuries.

Any Demonkin capable of fooling Gilbert and all the knights had to be at least an upper-ranking Demonkin.

‘Why would an upper-ranking Demonkin be at the entrance?’

The higher a Demonkin’s rank, the harder it was to encounter. They tended not to leave the deeper parts of the Demon Realm. An upper-ranking Demonkin was not an opponent one would find at the entrance.

Yet the moment they entered, an upper-ranking Demonkin appeared. And it was one of the most troublesome mental-type Demonkin at that.

‘It even targeted the commander.’

What Gilbert understood even less was that the Demonkin had targeted Galahad, not Adrianna.

Demonkin always targeted Adrianna.

That was why Adrianna always stood at the front.

This was the first time a Demonkin had not targeted her.

“It targeted Commander Galahad.”

“Ah.”

Adrianna’s usually expressionless face twisted. The cracks widened.

‘This is bad.’

The smoke that had drifted away engulfed them once again. It was so thick that they could not see even an inch ahead, and breathing was painful.

Yes, this was the Demon Realm. The vile, horrifying sensation they had forgotten thanks to Galahad crept over them again.

White aura surged from Adrianna. It stretched out like wings and swept away the surrounding smoke.

It only cleared an area of about three steps. That alone was incredible, yet it felt small because of Galahad.

“Lady Adrianna, you need to calm down.”

“...”

Guilt made Adrianna bite down hard on her lip. She bit so fiercely that it split, and red blood flowed from it.

“Look for a trail.”

After giving the order, Adrianna drew out even more aura. Her body trembled. She was clearly overexerting herself.

“You’re too worked up right now. Commander Galahad isn’t someone who’ll go down easily.”

Gilbert spoke while forcing down his own anxiety.

“They didn’t kill him. They took him away. They clearly have another purpose.”

“...Another purpose?”

At Adrianna’s question, Gilbert scratched his head.

“There’s something here!”

One of the knights shouted. When they turned, they saw ash gathered in a small clump on the ground.

Gilbert dropped flat and inspected it. It looked as though Demonkin blood had been dripped there.

“I think he spilled Demonkin blood. It’s Commander Galahad.”

To pull something like that against an upper-ranking Demonkin... As expected, Galahad was not a man who would be taken down easily.

“We’ll pursue immediately. Stay close.”

Adrianna swept out her white aura with force. White streaks filled the space before her.

The approaching smoke scattered. It was an absurd display of martial skill. A trail stretched out beneath it.

Without looking back, Adrianna ran.

Gilbert followed directly behind her with aura blazing, and the other knights trailed after them.

Then a Monster burst from the smoke. Adrianna swung her sword without hesitation.

The massive Monster was torn apart before it could even scream.

Even as she dealt with it, Adrianna did not slow down.

‘Whoever did this is in serious trouble.’

Gilbert muttered under his breath at the sight of Adrianna, who looked furious.

Still, Gilbert was just as uneasy.

No matter how capable Galahad was, this was the Demon Realm. Worse, he had been abducted by an upper-ranking Demonkin.

He had to be in danger.

‘Just hold on a little longer. We’re coming.’

Gilbert drew out even more aura.

After they had run for some time...

“The bloodstains have stopped.”

The trail had ended.

Galahad must have used up all the blood in his canteen.

“Please wait a moment!”

Gilbert grabbed Adrianna as she tried to rush forward.

Adrianna turned to look at him. Her eyes were intensely agitated. To react this strongly... Gilbert swallowed hard before speaking.

“If it’s the commander, he’ll definitely send us a signal.”

“...The opponent is an upper-ranking Demonkin. If it’s even a mental-type Demonkin, then no matter how capable Commander Galahad is, he’s in danger.”

Adrianna’s answer was perfectly reasonable.

Still, Gilbert somehow could not imagine Galahad simply falling victim to the Demonkin.

“The commander will definitely send a signal.”

Gilbert met Adrianna’s eyes as he spoke.

* * *

“Do you have anything to drink?”

At the sudden request, the Demonkin’s eyes widened.

“Something to drink?”

“There’s too much dust here. My throat’s scratchy. Do you have anything to drink?”

Galahad casually checked the canteen at his waist.

It was empty. It was the canteen he had punctured the instant he sensed something was wrong. Based on the amount that had been inside and the size of the hole...

‘We’ve come quite far.’

He ran his fingers along the seam. It had hardened slightly. Demonkin blood hardened a little more slowly than human blood.

He could not calculate the exact distance, but he had a rough estimate.

‘At this distance...’

Galahad muttered quietly and pulled out another canteen from inside his clothes. It was the one Adrianna had given him.

The Demonkin sniffed.

“That’s Demonkin blood, isn’t it?”

“It is. Want a drink?”

“No. Drinking something so lowly would only ruin my palate.”

The Demonkin did not seem to care about drinking the blood of its own kind. Something about it felt lacking.

“I usually eat humans. I prefer young male humans, especially those who haven’t fully grown. Refined taste, isn’t it?”

The Demonkin raised the corner of its mouth. It sounded proud of its refined taste.

It was a grisly thing to say, but Galahad was not particularly surprised.

It was well known that Demonkin ate humans. There had been many casualties during the Jema War, yet few bodies remained.

The Demonkin had devoured them all.

Demonkin and humans could not coexist.

‘That person...’

Galahad understood why things had turned out this way.

There had been no problem with the plan.

Adrianna had seemed a little agitated, but the plan had only been to confirm Galahad’s abilities at the entrance to the Demon Realm. It had been reasonable enough.

It was probably true that mid-ranking Demonkin usually appeared near the entrance to the Demon Realm.

The problem was that that person had stationed an upper-ranking Demonkin there.

‘Their intelligence is better than I expected.’

The moment Galahad subtly tried to compress his mana...

“Ah, don’t do that.”

The Demonkin glanced upward and pointed at Galahad.

All five fingers on Galahad’s right hand bent backward at once.

Crack.

A horrible sound rang out, followed by searing pain. A groan escaped him.

His mouth fell open, spilling the blood he had been drinking. Some of Galahad’s own blood mixed in. His mana had twisted the instant he compressed it, making his insides churn violently.

Galahad narrowed his eyes as he assessed the situation.

‘My fingers bent the moment I compressed mana.’

The Demonkin must have noticed because it was sensitive to mana.

The mana concentration here was high. Even the dense mana provided by the Egg of Pain had to be compressed before he could use magic.

But if the Demonkin was sensitive to mana, he could not compress it.

That meant he could not use magic.

It was no different from having Galahad’s hands bound.

The opponent was a powerful Demonkin. It had managed to take Galahad safely from among Gilbert and the other knights.

‘This isn’t good.’

Galahad muttered as he shook his dangling right hand.

There was one strange thing.

‘It didn’t react earlier.’

When he had lit his cigarette earlier, it had done nothing. Yet now it had reacted.

The difference between the two was...

‘Ah, it reacts based on mana concentration.’

When he compressed a small amount of mana, the Demonkin did not react.

It seemed to react instinctively when the mana concentration became dense enough to harm it.

‘Enough mana to light a fire...’

Galahad frowned.

If it did not react, that meant the spell could not affect it.

Still, magic was not only for attacking.

He just needed a minute mana concentration that the Demonkin would not notice.

Galahad began counting time in his head. There was still a little left.

“Where were we?”

The Demonkin asked as though nothing had happened. Shameless bastard.

“We were discussing the reward.”

Galahad forced up the corner of his mouth as he answered.

At that moment, the Demonkin’s eyes flicked upward before returning. It lasted only an instant.

“Ah, the reward... You’ll get to meet that person.”

The Demonkin spoke proudly. Judging by the reaction, meeting that person seemed to be a considerable reward.

“You keep saying that person. Who exactly are they?”

Galahad asked while forcing down the pain.

“Hmm. Ah, you don’t know?”

The Demonkin tilted its head back and forth. It looked as though it were deliberately taunting him.

“That person is very important. Far too important for a lowly human to dare meet.”

The Demonkin erased its expression as it spoke.

‘A very important person...’

Galahad muttered softly.

It was a little strange that the Demonkin would not tell him directly, but that person was surely one of the high-ranking Demonkin.

If that person was as important as claimed, they would not be an ordinary high-ranking Demonkin.

They were a suitable target from which to learn about the Demon King. Or they could be the Demon King themself.

This was his first lead concerning the Demon King.

He had to seize it.

The problem was the condition.

‘Assassinating the Emperor...’

This was not the first time Galahad had been asked to kill the Emperor.

He recalled that the Demonkin had sought him out twice already. The Demonkin had been rather polite both times. There was no need to accept immediately.

“Why do you want to kill the Emperor? He’s just an old man who does nothing.”

“Because he does nothing.”

The Demonkin narrowed only one eye. Its expression of emotion felt oddly disconnected.

Galahad wanted to ask more, but the Demonkin’s finger was pointed at him, as though that was enough.

‘They want to kill him because he does nothing...’

It was a strange sentence. Did the fact that the Emperor did nothing somehow obstruct the Demonkin? What did they want the Emperor to do?

Galahad’s mind raced.

Then the Demonkin’s finger pointed at Galahad’s neck. Mild irritation showed on its face.

“Aren’t you going to do it?”

It was an obvious threat. This was the Demonkin that had broken Galahad’s hand without warning. With that finger aimed at his neck, the threat was considerable.

But...

“Don’t bluff. You can’t kill me, can you?”

Galahad clicked his tongue and put his cigarette back in his mouth.

“...How did you know?”

So he was right. Galahad smiled faintly at the Demonkin’s question.

“That person is interested in me, aren’t they? If they intended to kill me, they would have done so from the start. Why go through all this trouble?”

Galahad felt as though he was starting to understand Demonkin a little.

“Oh, you really are smart, just like the rumors say.”

“I hear that often.”

“That’s right. They’re interested in you.”

“Why? Just because I’m capable?”

The Demonkin’s eyes rose slightly. It was the same action as before.

‘A habit? No, it looks upward whenever it has trouble answering. If that’s the case...’

Repeated behavior was a clue.

Galahad did not miss it.

‘This is quite interesting.’

Galahad glanced upward.

The ceiling was so covered in ash that he could not see it clearly.

How thick was it? Galahad flicked his left hand. A Mana Arrow shot upward.

Thump.

A heavy sound. He flicked his hand again.

Thump.

He had a rough idea of the thickness.

‘This will work.’

Galahad coughed lightly and flicked his hand.

This time, it was a spark.

The Demonkin did not seem to notice. Or perhaps the Demonkin did not care.

‘Idiot.’

Galahad clicked his tongue quietly.

“You don’t need to know why, do you?”

“Fine. The Emperor, then. I’ll take it.”

“Really?”

The Demonkin’s eyes widened. It seemed not to have expected Galahad to truly accept. It lowered its finger.

“But the Emperor is a man who is fanatically cautious. From the Imperial Knights to the latest magical devices... The budget for his security is probably larger than the entire Intelligence Bureau’s.”

“You know a lot. Did you try to kill the Emperor?”

“I had something similar happen. In any case, it won’t be easy.”

The Demonkin was sharp. Galahad coughed lightly and shook his head.

“Ah, I see. So you can’t do it? That’s different from the rumors. The rumors say you can even kill the Emperor.”

“Rumors are always exaggerated. Still, the situation is different from when I was in the Intelligence Bureau, isn’t it? I have no way to obtain information, nor any support.”

“Ah, support...”

The Demonkin’s eyes turned upward again.

The corner of Galahad’s mouth rose.

“You’ll have support beyond anything you could imagine.”

“You think far too little of my imagination.”

Instead of answering, the Demonkin only raised one corner of its mouth. The uneven smile was quite grotesque. Its face looked manufactured.

“You need to tell me precisely so I can make a plan. Is the Emperor some random mutt?”

“Some mutt... What?”

“I’m saying you need to tell me exactly how much support I’ll have. You’re being awfully slapdash.”

The Demonkin’s eyes moved upward again. Galahad was certain now.

He needed to cooperate with that person, but he did not like the current arrangement. He intended to make a new one.

“Th-then, would you like to receive the seal first?”

“A seal?”

“Yes, a seal.”

The Demonkin showed him her palm. There was a scar like something had been burned into it. It was a large eye, a design Galahad had never seen before.

“Fine.”

The Egg of Pain trembled slightly.

‘Calm down. I only intend to see what it is first.’

The Egg of Pain shook more violently. It seemed to be insisting that it alone was enough. It even bit into his heart.

‘Trust me a little longer.’

The Egg of Pain paused slightly.

Then the Demonkin approached. Ridiculously enough, she was dressed like a human. She wore loose clothes like an ordinary village woman.

Her face, though, was unreal.

She was strikingly beautiful, but the fact that she never blinked made her feel cold and uncanny.

“It’ll hurt a little.”

The woman moved her hand toward Galahad’s forehead.

“If you put a seal on my forehead, how am I supposed to go around?”

“Then where?”

“Put it on my chest.”

Galahad unbuttoned his shirt.

“You have a lot of scars.”

“They’re my growth rings.”

“...?”

“Get on with it.”

At Galahad’s urging, the Demonkin’s eyes widened. A human hurrying her to give him a seal...

The Demonkin’s hand touched his chest. Her hand was ice-cold, filled with the chill of a corpse.

Then a stinging pain rose from his chest. It felt like a blade had been driven into him.

“Y-you... What are you?!”

The Demonkin’s hand jerked away. The seal on her hand had turned red. For the first time, an emotion appeared on her face.

Shock.

“Why...?”

The woman cried out in disbelief.

“So two aren’t allowed.”

Galahad clicked his tongue quietly.

At the meaning behind those words, the woman’s face twisted.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“That’s enough. Tell that person I understand. I intend to consider it positively, but the terms are terribly poor. You’re being vague about the support as well...”

The woman bit her lip at Galahad’s cool gaze.

“You don’t seem to understand your situation...”

“Would you shut up? I’m not finished speaking yet. No, you won’t be the one passing it along.”

Galahad pointed upward and flicked his finger.

The woman frowned. Was he really putting on airs just to use that?

“You said that person, right? They have quite the sense of self-importance. Anyway, next time, present detailed terms. As you know, I already have one.”

Arrogant... The woman’s twisted face smoothed out. Her expression disappeared, like a doll’s.

“How did you know?”

“Your eyes rise every time you have difficulty answering. How could I not know? If that’s the case... Ah, they’re here.”

The woman sneered and was about to use her power.

Then the wall beside them was cleanly sliced away.

What appeared through it was...

A white goddess.

The Demonkin’s head rose cleanly into the air.

It was far too easy an end for an upper-ranking Demonkin.

That only meant Adrianna was that much of a monster.

Galahad caught the floating head.

“Bring better terms next time.”