WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 36: New Year
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Adrianna’s eyes trembled wildly.
“At this rate, they’ll wear out.”
Adrianna, who had been about to say something, abruptly lowered her head.
“...It’s not like that.”
Adrianna rarely stammered. Her face was full of grievance.
“Your cheeks are red.”
“I rushed here, so...”
“Were you in such a hurry?”
“...What?”
Her eyes widened again. Galahad smiled faintly and shook his hand, scattering ash everywhere.
‘What a waste. It looked delicious.’
He had been looking forward to the blood of an upper-ranking Demonkin, but Adrianna had turned it straight into ash.
She had stormed in even more fiercely than Galahad had expected, leaving him no chance to stop her.
The wall shattered, and the Demonkin’s head flew through the air.
If that sword had been aimed at Galahad, could he have stopped it? Clicking his tongue, Galahad brushed the remaining ash from his hand.
It was not as though he had gained nothing.
‘A mental type...’
Perhaps because it was a mental type, the thing they called “that one” had been watching Galahad through the Demonkin.
Then, at the very end...
‘It directly controlled the body. It only spoke, but still.’
That deeply interested Galahad.
It was not something that could simply be explained as a mental type. He sensed neither mana nor distance.
He recalled Adrianna explaining that high-ranking Demonkin formed a brood. Was that what made it possible? It was difficult to say.
To find out, he would have to catch a few more upper-ranking Demonkin.
“Are you all right?”
When he looked up, Gilbert was standing there, his face drenched in sweat. Knights entered behind him, all of them in terrible shape.
‘That thing interests me.’
The one they called “that one.” It was more than just a lead to the Demon King. Galahad wanted to know about its ability.
Every Demonkin ability he had seen so far had felt close to the origin of magic itself.
From crudely wielding mana in massive clumps to mental abilities, all of it could be interpreted through magic.
But the physical control that thing had shown at the end was something Galahad had never seen before. Intense curiosity rose within him.
‘It’ll contact me again.’
It had already approached Galahad twice. Judging by its reaction at the end, it would certainly try again.
It would be more impatient next time. That was why he had deliberately overturned the board.
‘The Emperor...’
Galahad muttered the word he had chewed on so often that all sweetness had vanished, leaving only a dry, unpleasant aftertaste.
“Are you injured?”
Adrianna’s question broke his train of thought. Her gaze had settled on his mangled hand.
“Just scratched it a little.”
At that moment, a Monster’s roar shook the ground.
Galahad raised his head.
Something was wrong. Grotesque sounds kept coming from beyond the thick fog.
Clicking his tongue, Galahad poured mana into his hand. With a crisp crack, his hand returned to its proper shape.
It was not healed. The bones were still broken. He had merely forced it back into shape. It would take several more days to heal.
“It seems we’re quite popular. We should hurry.”
“I’ll take the lead.”
Adrianna swung her sword wide.
The wall collapsed in an instant. A faint, terrible scream came from beyond it.
“We must prevent anything like before from happening.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“No.”
Adrianna’s brows were set.
“Your expressions seem a little more varied now,” Galahad murmured.
White aura flared up again. Rougher than before, it looked like wings.
Did Adrianna know? To Galahad, that aura was more dangerous than any upper-ranking Demonkin.
Galahad smiled bitterly and took a step back.
“What food do you like?”
Adrianna asked as she readjusted her grip on the sword.
‘Conversation... That’s a clever method.’
She seemed to be preparing for a repeat of what had happened before. Whether it was the authority the Demonkin spoke of or magic, neither worked on Adrianna.
She appeared to intend to keep talking and use his voice to check on his condition.
Galahad chuckled and waved his left hand. Was the Egg of Pain trying to assert its usefulness? It vigorously poured out mana, which flared violently.
A strong wind swept through the area, driving away the smoke. The grotesque Monsters beyond it flinched.
So many had gathered already. Was this the Demon Realm?
“Meat cooked just right and cheese that doesn’t smell. What about you?”
Galahad answered with a click of his tongue.
Adrianna’s sword drew a long line. Two charging Monsters turned to ash at once.
“I like sweet food.”
Adrianna kept moving forward. Her white aura fluttered like wings.
Then a clean-cut man approached with a smile. At his gesture, the ground around Adrianna was gouged deeply. Adrianna swung her sword without a care.
The Demonkin scattered into ash.
Monsters and Demonkin rushed out through the gap. They looked threatening, but...
“Do you drink?”
Adrianna calmly continued speaking as she swung her sword. Ash burst out once more. Her back was incredibly dependable.
“I don’t. Do you?”
Wind whipped around Galahad’s left hand.
The smoke was pushed back. A Demonkin at the edge of it curled its lips. It was a cunning one.
“I can’t.”
The Demonkin fell beneath Adrianna’s sword.
Adrianna glanced back. Galahad waved his left hand at her. Adrianna looked forward again.
“How was life at the Academy?”
Adrianna’s breathing had grown slightly rough.
A Monster sprang out from the side. Gilbert shouted, “Knight Gilbert!” and swung his sword. The Monster collapsed beneath his aura. A knight beside him severed its neck.
“It was boring. All I did was study.”
A Monster’s attack struck Adrianna’s armor. Her body swayed slightly.
Adrianna continued swinging her sword as though nothing had happened. Another Monster turned to ash.
The wind rose. Smoke drifted backward.
“I heard you graduated as the youngest and at the top of your class. That’s remarkable.”
A massive tiger-like Monster opened its jaws wide. Adrianna continued forward without stopping. As though it were only natural, the Monster scattered into ash.
“I enrolled as the youngest, so I had to graduate as the youngest. I also heard you earned the title of Sword Master at a young age. You’re quite famous as the most beautiful and strongest knight.”
“I am not the strongest knight. There are still people I haven’t faced...”
“You don’t deny being the most beautiful.”
Adrianna’s sword paused for a moment, then continued. Galahad tipped his canteen into his mouth. The Egg of Pain diligently spewed out mana. Its presence grew stronger and stronger.
“Do you like cats?”
“Yes. Aren’t they cute?”
“Aren’t they arrogant? They don’t even recognize their owner. I prefer dogs.”
Gilbert, who had cut down a Demonkin, coughed softly. Galahad frowned.
“That ominous...”
“We’re out.”
The smoke around them had thinned. There were no more attacks.
Before them lay the familiar blackened ground.
“...Yes, we have left the Demon Realm.”
Adrianna’s forehead was covered in sweat. Her hair was a mess, and exhaustion showed in her eyes. She seemed to have overexerted herself.
Galahad looked around. They were a short distance from the Demon Realm’s boundary. Still, because the Demon Realm itself had been deep within the area, it would take a long time to return to the battalion.
All the knights looked ready to collapse. Gilbert was in the best condition among them, but even he was drenched in sweat.
Adrianna, who had led from the front, looked the least exhausted.
Clicking his tongue, Galahad released another gust of wind. He had used too much magic, and his head spun for a moment. He clenched his teeth and endured it.
Dust was pushed backward. They were back in the familiar, comfortable Demonkin Territory.
After being in the Demon Realm, where something kept jumping out at them, even the Demonkin Territory felt oddly welcoming.
“Let’s catch our breath before we go.”
At Galahad’s words, everyone nodded. They were surprisingly obedient.
Galahad tried to reach into his inner pocket, then frowned. With his right hand ruined, it was difficult to take out the cigarettes from the pocket on his left.
“What is it?”
“Hmm, could you take out a cigarette from my inner pocket?”
“...I’ll give it a try.”
“It’s not something that requires such a determined look.”
Adrianna’s face became resolute as she carefully moved her hand.
As Adrianna’s hand approached, the Egg of Pain trembled violently. It even hid behind him. What was it planning to do with such weak resolve? Galahad clicked his tongue.
Adrianna took out the cigarette with a more serious expression than when she fought the Demonkin.
To think this was an ability that required such care just to take a cigarette from someone’s pocket...
“You must have had it rough.”
Adrianna, who had been placing the cigarette in Galahad’s mouth, froze. Her lips pursed, and she quickly looked away.
Galahad clicked his tongue and flicked his fingers, lighting it.
The scent of lemon spread richly through the air.
Adrianna’s eyes trembled for a moment before she let out a quiet breath.
“Do you like lemons?”
“I hate them. It’s just a habit.”
Adrianna’s brows rose slightly.
‘Next time, I should keep them in both pockets.’
Galahad muttered softly.
* * *
“What kind of person is he?”
Gilbert, who had been sipping from his canteen, turned toward the question.
Robert from the direct unit pointed at Galahad with a strange expression. Adrianna was placing a cigarette in Galahad’s mouth.
Adrianna placing a cigarette in a man’s mouth...
If someone had told him about such a sight, Gilbert would have kicked them in the backside for lying.
Yet because the other person was Galahad, he did not feel like saying much. The other knights seemed to feel the same.
‘What kind of person...’
The direct unit had asked the same question before they departed. It was the same question, but their tone had been completely different.
After thinking for a moment, Gilbert answered.
“I don’t know.”
Robert frowned at Gilbert’s answer. It sounded insincere even to Gilbert, but he meant it.
The more he learned about Galahad, the less he understood him. Galahad was more difficult to understand now than when they had first met.
Gilbert looked at Galahad. His right hand was ragged, yet he was talking as though nothing was wrong. That took no ordinary mental strength.
“Thinking about walking around in the dark again is daunting.”
“He’ll come with us tomorrow too, right? He’s Lady Adrianna’s fiancé.”
“Ahem, I suppose so?”
Gilbert smiled faintly at the conversation beside him.
They were knights from the direct unit, even if they had been chosen for their moderate temperaments. It was only natural for them to resent Galahad. They were simply milder than Mardian.
They had only gone out with him once, yet he had changed how they saw him.
Those who had worried that Galahad would be a burden were now worried about him not coming along.
“We should recommend that the First Battalion hire mages too.”
Gilbert snorted at someone’s mutter.
‘So that’s why he always said he was exceptional.’
He finally understood why Galahad habitually said, “I’m exceptional. No other mage can do this.”
‘Hmph. Fools.’
No matter what mage they brought in, they would never be able to do what Galahad did. Gilbert smiled derisively.
“Sir Gilbert, you’re making quite a strange expression.”
“...When did you get here?”
“Just now. Let’s head back soon.”
“Ahem.”
Gilbert coughed softly and nodded.
“I’ll take the lead.”
As always, Adrianna went first.
* * *
A sharp tension filled the area around the First Battalion’s main gate.
“I told you we should’ve gone without that imperial bastard! It’s obvious something went wrong because of him!”
As Adrianna’s return from the Demonkin Territory was delayed, Mardian was raging.
They should not have brought along an imperial bastard who was also a mage.
One foolish ally could be fatal on a battlefield, and they had even headed into Demonkin Territory...
“Open the gate! We’re leaving immediately!”
Mardian shouted. Her presence was so vicious that she looked ready to tear everything apart if they did not move.
The other knights, who knew Mardian’s temper, swallowed hard.
“It cannot be done.”
Erdal, the gatekeeper knight, firmly shook his head.
“The gate to Demonkin Territory opens only at sunrise and sunset. Those are the rules.”
There was not the slightest room for compromise in Erdal’s voice. Mardian drew her spike.
Mardian’s nickname was Mad Mardian. Erdal could not possibly have failed to hear the rumors about her.
Even with Mardian drawing her weapon, Erdal remained calm.
“Can you take responsibility for this?”
Mardian asked, pointing her spike at him. The other knights gave off a similar air.
The atmosphere turned vicious, as though the slightest touch would set everything off.
The direct unit lost all reason when Adrianna was involved.
The sun hung at the edge of the horizon, yet Adrianna still had not returned.
The knights around the gate took a step back. They were up against the direct unit.
If they stubbornly stood their ground here, they could lose their heads.
Erdal, though, was a gatekeeper knight.
“If a gatekeeper must take responsibility for guarding the gate, then I will.”
“You...”
“Wait. Let me talk to him.”
Lunabirn stepped forward. Mardian glared and took a step back.
“Lady Adrianna’s return has been delayed. You know how important Lady Adrianna is. Could you please open the gate?”
“It cannot be done.”
Erdal was a gatekeeper through and through. He was steadfast and foolish. If he opened the gate just because every knight glared at him, he would not be a gatekeeper.
“Ah, I’m here too. I’m the deputy commander.”
Then a blond man stepped out from among the knights.
He was a handsome man with an honest-looking face. Felix, the First Battalion’s deputy commander. Mardian normally despised Felix, but she pointed at him and shouted.
“Only His Grace the Grand Duke and Captain Adrianna have the authority to open the gate.”
“When the captain is absent, the deputy commander assumes that authority.”
“Authority over the gate is an exception.”
Felix frowned at Erdal’s immediate answer.
The atmosphere suggested that trouble could erupt at any moment.
Everyone glared at Erdal in anger, calling him foolish, but Erdal did not care.
A gatekeeper only guarded the gate.
Then...
Bwooooooo!
The sound of a horn rang out for a long time.
It was the signal that Adrianna had returned.
“Open it!”
Erdal gave the order without hesitation. The soldiers began cracking their whips. Iron bars rose one after another with a harsh rattle.
“You’re quite arrogant.”
Felix sneered under his breath. Erdal ignored him.
As the iron bars rose in succession, the thick gate beyond them came into view.
Erdal inserted a heavy key into its seam and turned it. As the gate rattled, other soldiers grabbed it and pulled.
With a heavy sound, the gate slowly opened.
Unlike usual, though, no smoke came through the gap.
Erdal’s thick brows drew together.
Then Adrianna appeared between the doors. She was in terrible shape.
Her long hair, always neatly flowing, was badly tangled, while her armor was covered in scratches. She looked nothing like her usual self.
“Lady Adrianna!”
Erdal gave a hand signal.
Boom! Boom!
Drums rang out. The soldiers and knights saluted.
Then...
“What a grand welcome.”
The voice was soft, but carried clearly.
It was Galahad, the mage from the Empire, Adrianna’s fiancé, and captain of the Special Operations Unit.
Galahad looked even worse than Adrianna.
He was covered in dust, his clothes were torn in several places, and his hand hung in tatters. He looked as though he had been thoroughly dragged through the dirt outside.
Yet his face was full of ease.
“Imperial bastard! This must be because of you!”
Mardian, her eyes blazing, charged at him. The knights behind her projected a sharp, fierce air as well.
Then...
“Stop, Mardian.”
The direct unit knights who had gone out with them stopped Mardian. They were protecting the man.
“...What are you doing?”
The direct unit was stopping her? Confusion appeared on Mardian’s face.
Instead of answering, the knights readjusted their grips on their swords. They looked ready to fight at once.
“Mardian.”
Adrianna quietly called her name.
Mardian froze at Adrianna’s cold voice.
“This is your final warning.”
Mardian doubted her own ears.
A final warning...
What did that...
Mardian’s eyes shook violently.
She could not understand what was happening.
Then her eyes met the man’s.
The man raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Mardian.
“Hmm, Adrianna.”
She wanted to get angry at him for casually calling Adrianna by name, but the final warning held Mardian back.
At his call, Adrianna carefully slipped her hand inside his coat.
When Adrianna then placed a cigarette in his mouth, Mardian forgot even to be angry and could only stare blankly.
To do something like that in front of the entire First Battalion...
It was too far beyond belief for her to even be shocked.
In that heavy silence...
“It’s finally quiet.”
Galahad lit his cigarette with a satisfied expression.
* * *
In a dark temple where silence hung heavily, an elder sat quietly and looked down.
Below the elder, figures in black hoods stretched out in a long line.
There were so many that their end could not be seen.
It was an imposing sight befitting a temple.
The elder slowly opened their heavy mouth. A scream-like voice flowed between wrinkled lips.
“There is someone muddying the waters of the north.”
No one replied. They only lowered their heads further.
The elder’s position was that exalted.
“It is someone called Galahad. Deal with him.”
The elder did not speak at length.
Everyone prostrated themselves with a long, muffled groan.
Then...
“Hic!”
A figure in the corner trembled violently.
The figure wore a Crow Mask.
Footnotes:
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