The Northern Grand Duke's Mad Son-in-Law - Chapter 38

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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

Chapter 38: The New Youngest

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‘Hmmmmmm...’

Eight tilted his head as he studied the parchment before him.

Thanks to the Magic Stone Mine business and the information Dawn had provided, the Dark Magic Society was enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

Perhaps because of painful memories from the past, the Dark Magic Society spared no expense on this attack.

Even though their opponent was a unit of only five people, they did not let their guard down in the slightest.

‘Hmmmmmm... Even if it’s him, this is... Hmm... But it is him, isn’t it? Hmmmm...’

Of course, Eight wanted Galahad dead.

Galahad already had Eight on a leash. That leash would only come off when one of them died, either Eight or Galahad.

Compared to the Dark Magic Society at the height of its prosperity in the north and the Seventh Battalion that had fallen under its control, the five-member Special Operations Unit seemed pitifully small.

Thinking rationally, Eight should bet on the former.

But...

‘It’s Galahad.’

That man’s existence weighed heavily on Eight’s mind.

Eight had bet on the Dark Magic Society, but if Galahad survived...

‘Hhhhh...’

Eight shuddered.

Eight would rather die than be “persuaded” again.

No, Eight did not want to die. Then...

“They say the preparations are complete.”

“Preparations?”

A conversation came from beside Eight. It was between the executives dispatched with him.

“The Sanctuary is being established.”

“...A Sanctuary!”

Eight’s head snapped around.

A Sanctuary was a word referring to a special space within Demonkin Territory.

They were setting one up here...

“No matter how impressive he is, he won’t be able to use magic inside a Sanctuary. And we even have an upper-ranking Demonkin. There’s no chance of failure.”

“Hehehe... They intend to announce their true beginning by killing him.”

Eight tilted his head at their sinister laughter.

“...Then we won’t be able to use magic either, will we?”

At Eight’s question, the large man burst into loud laughter. Eight subtly covered his ears.

“Looks like you haven’t received the Selection yet.”

“The Selection?”

The man sneered and rolled up his sleeve. Something resembling a magic circle had been carved into his arm.

Carving a magic circle into one’s body...

Eight suddenly recalled an old legend.

“Don’t tell me...”

“That’s right. It belongs to the First Mage.”

The man beside him cried out in excitement. Eight grew excited as well.

The First Mage...

With that magic circle, they would be able to use magic even inside the Sanctuary.

Then this was certain...

As Eight muttered to himself, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘What if he can use magic in the Sanctuary? Wouldn’t that just help him? It would only raise the mana concentration...’

Eight hurriedly shook his head. No matter how extraordinary Galahad was, how could he use magic inside a Sanctuary?

It was not as if he were the First Mage himself.

Then Eight suddenly remembered Galahad, smiling brightly as he burned Demonkin alive.

Eight imagined that man looking at the magic circle and smiling as though he had received a gift.

‘...Should I report it, at least? Not everything. Just enough...’

Eight feared the present-day Galahad more than legends from the past.

* * *

‘The Egg of Pain can communicate.’

Galahad muttered softly as he looked at Gwen, whose expression suggested she had been caught doing something wrong.

Hearing the Egg of Pain’s voice was a significant clue.

The problem was...

“Yes, it’s Mom. I’m your mom.”

All it said was “Mom.”

“Ask it what it is.”

“It says it doesn’t know! I think it’s a baby?”

Galahad let out a hollow laugh at Gwen’s mutter.

It was something from a high-ranking Demonkin, yet it was a baby? What a ridiculous idea.

“What did you give Gwen earlier?”

“Um... Food? It says it was food.”

The answer was difficult to understand. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“It says it was food. Food.”

“I understand. So it was food. Then what is the mana it gives me?”

“...”

The Egg of Pain vibrated faintly. Gwen’s eyes darted around instead of answering.

“Speak.”

“Um... It’s not me saying it. It’s what this one is saying.”

“I know, so tell me quickly.”

“It says it’s shit.”

Galahad’s brow immediately furrowed. The Egg of Pain thumped against him. It almost seemed to be laughing.

“But it probably means something different! It’s still a baby, so it doesn’t really know what it’s saying!”

“That’s enough. Don’t comfort me. It’s well known that magic is Demonkin shit.”

Thump, thump. The Egg of Pain vibrated again. Gwen’s lips twitched as she held back a laugh.

Galahad continued thinking.

‘Demonkin blood has two components. One is the part it calls food, and the other is mana.’

If he used what it called food, he could use the power the Demonkin spoke of.

“Tell it to give me some of that food too.”

Galahad said this while pressing firmly against his chest.

“Um... It says you can’t use it anyway.”

“That is for me to decide.”

“It says it doesn’t want to.”

“Suddenly, I find myself wanting to see Adrianna.”

“Huh? Suddenly? It says fine!”

Thump.

With a heavy sound, something leaked out near his heart.

It was...

Horrific pain.

Galahad clutched his heart and gasped harshly.

He felt the same pain that had surged through him when he drank Demonkin blood. Along with it came mana more concentrated than before.

Galahad forced himself to steady his breathing.

“Why was Gwen fine?”

“It says she’s stupid.”

‘Because she’s stupid...’

He repeated the words softly. Being stupid could also mean being pure.

It meant there was no resistance when accepting something.

‘Am I suffering a backlash because I know too much?’

It sounded plausible.

‘An interesting deduction.’

Still, it was a foolish and hasty generalization.

Galahad had not possessed all that knowledge from the beginning.

His family despised magic, so he had no one to teach him. He had been forced to learn by smashing his head against the problem. His quick grasp of formulas was proof enough.

Smashing his head against things was Galahad’s specialty.

‘I’ll try it by feel first, then work out the calculations later.’

He did not like it, but Galahad nodded reluctantly.

“Tell it to let it out again.”

“...It says it’s dangerous.”

“Then I suppose I should go see Adrianna.”

After hesitating for a moment, the Egg of Pain poured something into him.

Galahad did not try to identify it. He did not even think of it as mana.

He simply moved as his senses guided him.

“So this is how it feels.”

Galahad’s right arm swelled as though it were about to burst.

The Egg of Pain vibrated faintly.

“It says... You’re a vicious human...”

“Tell it to watch its tongue.”

Galahad shook out his hand.

Unlike the Egg of Pain, which was horrified, Galahad was dissatisfied.

Power that could not be explained by theory...

It disgusted him instead.

The terrible pain rose a moment later, caused by his awareness of the power. It was truly unpleasant.

‘At this rate, I’ll start imitating the Demonkin.’

Galahad put a cigarette between his lips and clicked his tongue.

‘I need to make it grow more.’

It had begun speaking after he fed it Demonkin blood, so it needed more Demonkin blood. Galahad ran a hand over his canteen.

He had gathered quite a lot of Demonkin blood during this trip. There were eight more canteens in the bundle beside him.

Still, it felt as though low-quality Demonkin blood did not help it grow.

‘I’ll need to kill at least an upper-ranking Demonkin.’

“It says you’re right!”

Gwen nodded.

Adrianna had said she would seal the First Battalion’s doors and strengthen its foundations, so he could not head to the Demon Realm right away.

‘Won’t an upper-ranking Demonkin just fall out of the sky somewhere?’

Thud.

Someone passing by dropped a parchment. The man naturally went inside to place an order, and Tom took it.

Galahad ran his fingers over the parchment. Nothing was written on it. When he circulated mana through it, words appeared.

- The Dark Magic Society is targeting you because you obstructed its business. The Seventh Battalion commander is being held by the Dark Magic Society. The Seventh Battalion has fallen under its control. There are rumors of an upper-ranking Demonkin.

It was a brief report, but its contents were far from ordinary.

What caught Galahad’s attention most was the part about the upper-ranking Demonkin.

‘An upper-ranking Demonkin...’

Galahad recalled the one he had met in the Demon Realm.

It had died to a single blow from Adrianna, but it had not been an easy opponent. On top of that, the Seventh Battalion had fallen under the enemy’s control. It was certainly a difficult situation.

‘Good.’

The harder something was, the greater the reward.

‘The Dark Magic Society. They’ll give me Magic Stones and an upper-ranking Demonkin...’

They were awfully generous. Galahad chuckled and tucked away the parchment.

“Captain.”

Gilbert entered through the door. His expression was unusually serious. Behind him stood a soldier Galahad had never seen before, dressed in light armor and leather boots.

The soldier lacked some of the sharpness possessed by the First Battalion’s men. The soldier was not from here.

Which meant...

“The Seventh Battalion.”

“...How did you know?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened.

Galahad had been a little disappointed that such reactions had become rarer lately, but this one was clear.

‘A trap.’

To think they would send such an obvious invitation.

“Have I been asked to come to the Seventh Battalion and inspect a breach?”

“...Are you a prophet?”

“No, I’m a mage.”

Galahad stood and fastened his coat.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Galahad placed a finger against the soldier’s temple. Then, without hesitation, he poured mana into the soldier. The soldier’s pupils unfocused at once. It was a spell Galahad had learned from a mental-type Demonkin.

“Who sent you?”

“Lord Glyrock...”

“Who is Lord Glyrock?”

“Ah, the Seventh Battalion’s company commander.”

Gilbert answered. Galahad nodded and continued questioning the soldier.

“What is the Seventh Battalion’s situation?”

“The atmosphere is bad.”

“How is it bad?”

“The commander has disappeared...”

At that moment, the soldier cried, “Urgh!” and twisted their body. The spell had overloaded the soldier. Galahad clicked his tongue and removed his hand.

“The Seventh Battalion commander disappeared? What do you mean?”

“They vanished after the assembly. We’ve been searching everywhere, but...”

The soldier’s voice trembled under Gilbert’s urging. Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and waved a hand.

“There will be nothing more to learn by pressing the soldier.”

“The commander disappeared, and they hid it? Does that make any sense?”

Gilbert’s face was filled with anger. He truly was a knight.

‘The Seventh Battalion has invited me.’

The implication was clear. The Seventh Battalion had fallen into the Dark Magic Society’s hands.

‘If they kept the commander alive, they have not taken complete control yet.’

The parchment had said the Dark Magic Society was holding the Seventh Battalion commander. If they had complete control, they would have no reason to keep the commander alive.

Since they had not taken full control, they must have kept the commander alive in preparation for any contingency.

His calculations were complete in an instant.

“We must go to the Seventh Battalion. Come, let’s leave at once.”

Galahad said this as he flicked ash from his cigarette.

“The preparations are complete.”

Tom spoke as he wiped his hands on a cloth. An instrument was strapped to his back.

“It may be a trap.”

“Sir Gilbert, do you know the best way to destroy a trap?”

Gilbert frowned at Galahad’s question.

“You step on it. Very hard.”

The corners of Galahad’s mouth rose high.

“I should request support, just in case.”

“...Support? Battalions are forbidden from leaving their assigned regions unless it is by the Grand Duke’s order.”

“I know.”

Gilbert grew deeply uneasy at Galahad’s wide smile.

* * *

As Adrianna was leaving her room, she stopped in place.

“Good morning.”

It was because of the man with a cigarette between his lips. Galahad waved as if nothing were amiss.

‘How?’

So many Demonkin had targeted Adrianna that security around the castle where she lived was strict.

Even Galahad should not have been allowed in. Yet there he stood, completely at ease.

As if it were his own home.

Why did that sight seem so natural? Adrianna nodded to herself.

“They wouldn’t let me in from outside, so I took the liberty of coming this way. Infiltrating a castle just to see my fiancée. Is that not romantic?”

Romantic? Adrianna thought about whether that was correct before answering.

“Infiltrating a woman’s castle is generally considered sinister.”

“If the man doing the infiltrating is handsome, it becomes romantic.”

“It is not right to judge actions by appearance.”

“So you admit I am handsome?”

Adrianna coughed softly. Whenever she spoke with this man, the conversation kept wandering in strange directions.

“I see. Are you leaving?”

“I intend to go to the Seventh Battalion.”

The Seventh Battalion had recently suffered great losses at the hands of the Demonkin. There was certainly a high chance of a breach. Adrianna nodded.

“Will you come with me?”

Adrianna’s eyes widened slightly at the abrupt question.

“I have information that it will be full of sinister people. It will be a very exciting date.”

Galahad held out his hand as though he were inviting her to a banquet. Adrianna silently looked at him, her lips parting slightly.

“I am the commander of the First Battalion.”

It was a gentle refusal.

Unless she received an order from the Grand Duke, Adrianna could not leave the First Battalion.

That was the rule.

“I see.”

At Galahad’s casual nod, Adrianna opened and closed her lips.

Galahad looked unbothered. Perhaps he had expected it. Adrianna moved her lips again before closing them.

“May I write a letter? I believe I should make a report.”

“Yes, of course.”

Adrianna held out a sheet of paper. Galahad moved his pen lightly. There was not a shred of hesitation in his hand. It was very like Galahad.

‘...Father-in-law... Demonkin are holding a banquet... attending alone, desolately...’

Realizing that she had been peeking, Adrianna quickly turned her head away.

Galahad rolled up the paper and held it out.

“Please send this letter. I do not have a hawk yet.”

“Yes. Ah, just a moment.”

Adrianna held her hawk out to Galahad. Adrianna’s hawk was extremely particular. It was clever enough to find its recipient and deliver letters wherever they were, but it was also very selective.

After hesitating for a moment, the hawk rubbed its beak against Galahad’s shoulder.

“How strange. Whiten rarely takes such a liking to someone.”

“I have always been popular.”

Adrianna held her breath for a moment at that shameless answer. After exhaling, she explained calmly.

“I will send the hawk regularly. Please contact me if you discover anything unusual.”

“Understood.”

The hawk quickly flew out through the window. Adrianna stared blankly at its free flight.

“Ah, may I have your hand?”

“...Yes?”

“Your hand.”

Adrianna blinked at Galahad, who held out his own hand as though it were only natural.

“Aren’t you leaving immediately?”

“I intend to move after hearing the Grand Duke’s reply.”

It was a bold demand, as though he were asking for something that already belonged to him.

Adrianna removed her thick leather glove and held out her hand.

Yet Galahad’s reaction differed from before.

His eyes became bloodshot, and veins rose along his skin, but he did not collapse.

Galahad simply stood there, holding Adrianna’s hand.

It seemed he was barely enduring it, but the very fact that he could endure it made no sense.

Adrianna stared at him blankly.

Then Galahad withdrew his hand first.

It was the first time.

The first time Galahad had pulled his hand away first.

“Hmm, I think I understand it now.”

Despite his calm voice, blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were red, every capillary burst, but Galahad casually straightened his clothes.

“It is cold. Take care not to catch a cold.”

Galahad turned and left without hesitation.

He was truly a man who appeared as he pleased and disappeared just as he pleased.

‘I think I understand it now...’

Adrianna repeated the strange sentence.

She knew Galahad was interested in her nature.

Holding hands was only part of that.

If he came to understand everything...

Adrianna looked down at her tingling hand for a long time.

The room was so cold that its warmth did not last long.

* * *

“Didn’t you say you would not come with us?”