WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 41: Eloquent Words
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An upper-ranking Demonkin-.
The hall stirred at his words.
Deblian waved a hand, silencing those around him.
“An upper-ranking Demonkin? I don't know where you heard such a story.”
“Ah, was that too hasty? Then... Hmm. You must have been waiting for me because of His Grace the Grand Duke's letter.”
When the man reached into his coat, the knights on either side drew their swords.
Shing-. A sharp sound rang out, but he remained at ease.
“It’s His Grace the Grand Duke’s letter. You’re all quite on edge.”
The man clicked his tongue as he looked at the swords aimed at his throat.
He was right.
They had waited for him to confirm the Grand Duke's order he claimed to have received.
“That's right. We heard you received the Grand Duke's order-.”
“Ahem, His Grace the Grand Duke. How dare you call him the Grand Duke?”
Deblian frowned at the petty correction.
The unit commander stared at Deblian, as though asking whether he intended to let this slide.
Deblian shook his head.
The banquet hall was full of their people.
The chosen knights and mages. Their preparations were perfect.
There was no need to get angry just because a man about to die was acting up. There was no reason to hurry, either-.
“Yes, His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Mm, good. I’ll overlook it this time. Be more careful from now on.”
Deblian lightly bit his lip. The man was remarkably good at getting under people's skin.
“Now, I shall deliver His Grace the Grand Duke's order! Everyone, bow your heads. Hmm, no one is bowing. Well, I'm not that strict myself.”
Ahem. The man cleared his throat.
“You damned bastards who, instead of stopping the Demonkin, joined them! Ah, ‘damned’ is emphasized.”
He bent and straightened his index and middle fingers.
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
‘He really is insane.’
Deblian was genuinely impressed.
“If you wish to be forgiven, bite off your tongues and die.”
“You bastard!”
“Why are you angry at me? I’m only reading it.”
When the unit commander shot to his feet, the man raised both hands dramatically.
“Calm down. It’s the childish provocation of a man about to die. This is a good day, isn’t it?”
At Deblian's words, the unit commander exhaled hotly and sat back down.
“There’s something I’d like to ask.”
Deblian looked at the man. The man spun a finger as though telling him to ask.
“I heard you killed a Monster with magic.”
Deblian asked what he had been wondering about.
The other mages inhaled sharply.
Killing a Monster with magic... What kind of insubordination was that?
“Hmm, which Monster are you referring to?”
Deblian frowned at the man's response.
It meant he had killed more than one.
‘Tch-. Is he bluffing?’
“Monsters aren't particularly difficult. Demonkin are the problem. Do you know that Demonkin blood contains mana of an extremely high concentration?”
What the man said was interesting.
Deblian nodded. The other mages also leaned forward slightly.
“Yes, high-density mana flows through their blood, so most spells don't work on them. Mana flows from lower concentrations to higher ones.”
The mages all nodded.
There was something strangely compelling about his voice.
“So, to use magic against Demonkin, you must compress your mana as much as possible. Demonkin truly are a mage’s natural enemy.”
“Are you saying you really killed Demonkin?”
One of the mages asked as though unable to believe it. The man nodded.
“Concentration is the key. You need Mana Compression.”
“Mana Compression?”
“Surely you don't even know Mana Compression?”
Silence fell briefly at his question.
“Oh, my God.”
Clear contempt appeared on the man's face. Deblian narrowed his eyes as he replied.
“Why would we compress mana? We have Magic Stone staffs.”
All the mages nodded at Deblian's words. The man let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Well, that explains why you're in the north. I understand.”
The mages' faces twisted at the mockery.
Unable to endure any longer, Deblian sprang to his feet.
“You're getting ahead of yourself just because we've let you speak!”
Deblian aimed his staff at the man.
The other mages gripped their staffs. The knights drew their swords.
The atmosphere sharpened in an instant, yet the man remained calm.
He clicked his tongue even louder.
“Pretending to be mages when you don't even know Mana Compression is what it means to not know your place.”
The man pointed at the mages and rebuked them.
“Mana Compression may be necessary for an unchosen fool like you.”
At that moment, a mage near him rolled up a sleeve.
A magic circle, proof of being chosen and left behind by the First Mage, was clearly engraved on the mage's forearm.
The man grabbed the mage's arm. His eyes gleamed.
“So this is the magic circle said to have been left by the First Mage. It certainly is interesting.”
He knows of the First Mage. Deblian frowned as he realized the source of his unease.
“You recruited Eight.”
“Something like that. Could you turn your arm a little? I can't see it well.”
“Enough! It was strange from the moment you appeared alone in the meeting hall. You're just a madman.”
“Hmm, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
The man raised a hand amid the murderous atmosphere.
To the very end-.
‘No, I can't let him drag me along.’
Getting angry in a situation like this would only mean falling into his trap.
Deblian suppressed his irritation and nodded.
“What is it?”
“When someone comes alone and acts this confident, shouldn't you suspect they have something up their sleeve?”
Deblian chuckled at his question.
Something up his sleeve.
Given how relaxed he was, perhaps he had some scheme.
Still.
“What can you possibly do?”
Deblian asked as he looked around.
There were more than ten chosen knights and eight mages carrying staffs.
What could this man possibly do here?
“Hmm, with such eloquent words"
Eloquent words?
Deblian frowned at the strange response.
Then his sense of unease became clear.
“I can keep you all tied down.”
The man snapped his fingers.
The noise they had not heard until now flooded in.
Weapons clashing, someone screaming, battle cries.
At that moment, someone smashed through the door.
“Knight Gilbert!”
The knight looked terrible, but his eyes were clear. He swung his sword.
The knights who had been aiming their swords at Galahad hurriedly stepped back.
Beyond the shattered door, a ruined corridor came into view. Soldiers and knights were mixed together, trading blows.
A boy holding his sword in reverse split a soldier from head to toe. A scream rang out as red blood sprayed in a long arc. Another soldier thrust a sword at the boy.
Then.
“You sons of bitches.”
A staff smashed the soldier's head apart. An old man entered while spinning a red staff.
It was the Seventh Battalion commander whom they had imprisoned beneath the Dark Magic Society.
How had he...?
“Deblian! Didn't you say you dealt with the commander?!”
“You son of a bitch. Dealt with me?”
“Damn it! This isn't what we agreed on!”
Avoiding the old man's gaze, the unit commander shouted.
The room became a mess in an instant.
People stood behind the man.
A boy, a woman dressed as a maid, an old man holding a staff, a knight wearing a stupid helmet, a soldier with a shield, and another knight. It was such a diverse group that Deblian wondered how he had gathered them all.
‘He came alone and talked to buy time. He spread mana to block out every sound completely? Is that even possible?’
Deblian was genuinely impressed.
It went beyond boldness.
Not even half a day had passed since the man arrived.
Yet within that time, he had rescued the Seventh Battalion commander, entered this place himself, and bought time. He had forced the situation into this shape.
It was incredible enough to make Deblian wonder how he had done it.
“Stop!”
Everyone froze at Deblian's shout.
The hall fell silent.
“Impressive.”
Deblian acknowledged him.
“I've always been impressive.”
“Yes, you are.”
But-.
“Did you think I trusted Eight?”
Deblian grinned broadly.
“Thank you for doing our work for us.”
Deblian smiled as he looked at the red blood covering their bodies.
The knights drew their swords. Gray spread slowly across them. Sinister aura expanded outward.
There were more than ten chosen knights, each stronger than an ordinary knight.
Including Deblian, there were two executives and eight capable mages.
All of them had been chosen.
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
Then a chill suddenly ran through him. The proof of selection engraved on his wrist reacted.
A translucent barrier appeared before Deblian. The Ice Spike embedded in it scattered apart. Cold fragments brushed his cheek.
“You cowardly...”
Deblian shouted, narrowing his eyes.
“What a waste.”
As the man smacked his lips, Deblian struck the ground with his staff.
Kwaaaaaang!!
The ceiling collapsed violently.
A massive tentacle that had smashed through it struck down at them.
The old man deflected it with his aura-infused staff. The tentacle slammed into the wall behind them, shattering it horribly. It did not stop and struck down again.
Just as the knight in the stupid helmet moved to step forward, Gilbert acted first.
The place where they had stood collapsed under the tentacle's force.
Cold night air entered through the gap in the rubble and brushed over Deblian's face.
“Will merely an upper-ranking Demonkin suffice for the inauguration?”
The place where they had been standing had crumbled away.
Deblian stood at the edge and looked down.
He looked forward to seeing the expression on that arrogant bastard's face.
The man was being held by the knight in the stupid helmet.
Looking up.
‘...Is he smiling?’
He was smiling.
That smile sent a strange chill through Deblian.
* * *
“They prepared more than I expected.”
Galahad looked up and clicked his tongue.
Six massive tentacles moved around the castle. Each one was terrifying in size and power.
Then the stupid helmet came close. Blue eyes were visible behind it, as though checking whether Galahad was all right.
“I’m fine. Could you put me down?”
Nod.
Adrianna gently set Galahad down.
“It’s similar to what we saw before. It feels like they forcibly strengthened a monster that was already upper-ranking.”
Gilbert spoke with a frown.
He seemed to be talking about the Demonkin Water they had seen with Eight. It certainly felt similar.
“Ah, wouldn't releasing something like that put them in danger too?”
Galahad frowned at Gilbert's mutter.
It did not seem controllable. Yet the tentacles targeted only this side, as though they could not see their own people.
‘Ah, it must be that thing they call selection.’
It seemed related to the magic circle left by the First Mage.
At that moment, grey fireballs flew toward them from afar. There were more than ten at a glance, and their force was no joke.
They were not the kind of spells fake mages who relied on staffs could cast.
‘This is-.’
Galahad frowned and snapped his fingers. A spark shot out quickly.
The spark struck directly at the centre of a fireball but vanished instead.
‘The mana concentration is high?’
Galahad compressed his mana and snapped his fingers again.
Only then did the fireballs scatter, though slowly. He calculated their concentration from the rate at which they dispersed.
‘Their mana concentration is quite high. Their casting time is short, too. Why?’
As he considered it, Galahad snapped his fingers repeatedly. Unlike before, he needed to compress his mana, so there was not enough time.
“Explosive Fireball!!”
Gwen's fireball struck the last one head-on. Her magic did not erase it, but it changed its direction. The grey fireball fell behind them.
Ash spread everywhere as the ground shook.
‘Not good.’
Galahad opened his canteen.
“These bastards are coming down!”
The old man shouted as grey-stained knights rushed down at great speed.
“Knight Gilbert!”
Gilbert introduced himself and stepped forward. The old man followed, swinging his staff. Damian moved.
‘This won't be easy.’
There was Demonkin Water stronger than upper-ranking Demonkin, Demonkin knights, and mages armed with staffs and the magic circles left by the First Mage.
Their forces were considerable.
There was a reason they had been so relaxed.
The situation was not good.
Still-.
Adrianna tapped her helmet.
‘We have Adrianna.’
Galahad raised his head.
The massive tentacles swayed ominously.
“Can you deal with those?”
Nod.
“What if this were the Demon Realm?”
Adrianna fell silent.
“Hmm, we'll need reinforcements.”
Galahad muttered as he looked up at the sky filled with dark clouds.
They should have arrived by now.
The stupid helmet swayed.
Galahad ran through his memories as he touched his wrist.
* * *
‘What the hell is he?’
Deblian's eyes creased deeply.
They were using staffs embedded with high-grade Magic Stones and the magic circles left by the First Mage.
He was confident they could defeat any mage.
Until he met that man-.
The man was shattering their magic with nothing more than flicks of his fingers.
It was something he would never have believed if he had not seen it himself.
‘So the Society head wasn't wary of him for no reason.’
Still, it did not matter.
“Deploy the Sanctuary.”
Deblian gestured behind him. The Society members moved busily.
Beyond the broken wall, a massive magic circle had been drawn. It was a magic circle made with painstaking care. Magic Stones were piled on top of it like a mountain.
They were all the Magic Stones the Dark Magic Society had gathered so far. How much were they worth? Their value could not be measured.
A huge staff was thrust into the magic circle. The circle emitted a strange sound and began to shine.
Then-.
“Urgh... Aaaagh! Please, save me!”
A man beside the magic circle failed to escape and was sucked in.
‘Idiot.’
Deblian muttered a curse and stepped back.
The Magic Stones turned to ash. A foul, acrid smell filled the room before spreading violently.
It was a legacy left by the First Mage. The Magic Stones, reduced to dust, scattered like ash.
The ash rapidly expanded the domain.
Deblian covered his mouth and nose.
The spreading ash absorbed blood and grew denser.
Before long, ash filled every direction.
It was the Sanctuary.
...!
The Monster let out a savage roar. It was full of joy.
The power in that voice made Deblian tremble.
Even knowing they were on the same side, its presence was so immense that it inspired fear.
It could not have been otherwise. It was a supreme-grade Monster. What would happen when such a Monster entered the Sanctuary?
It was now an unstoppable disaster.
Deblian hurriedly examined his forearm. The magic circle engraved there glowed red as it burned.
‘It’s working properly.’
The gray became stronger. The chosen knights roared like Monsters.
The enemy's existence was erased from Deblian's mind.
Once the Sanctuary was activated, there was no chance those people could win.
Even if Adrianna came herself-
“With this, a new era has begun.”
This was only the beginning.
Deblian looked around with blazing eyes. The other Society members stared back at him, their eyes full of emotion. Hot tears streamed down their faces.
Deblian nodded as he looked at each of them.
Then he felt something strange.
The number was exactly right.
‘...One was definitely sucked in earlier?’
Deblian checked again.
The number was still the same.
‘Was I mistaken?’
At the very end-.
“Damn, you caught me.”
The man was smiling brightly.
As though something truly wonderful had happened.
“You're wondering how I got here.”
The man raised the corners of his mouth and rolled up his sleeve.
There-.
“I got one too.”
The Mark of Selection was clearly engraved there.
‘...Got one?’
Deblian's thoughts stopped.
* * *
...!!
At the horrific scream, Tom collapsed where he stood.
The enormous tentacles writhed violently, as though expressing joy.
The thick mist made his breath catch. Uncontrollable fear rose from deep inside him.
He did not even have the strength to move a finger.
What would it change if he could?
That massive despair was roaring-.
Ash spread thickly over the ground, then scattered as it was swallowed up by that massive despair.
The castle broke apart. The earth overturned. The ground shook violently.
It was not something anyone could resist.
Then-.
A white light flashed.
Someone cut through the thick ash and advanced toward that massive despair.
It was Adrianna, the Hero of the North.
‘Ah-.’
How could she move forward like that?
Clank-. An unpleasant sound came from beside him.
Something that had once been a knight, now a Monster, was approaching Tom.
It radiated gray hostility-.
Tom stared blankly at it.
He could not move a single finger.
The Monster opened its mouth wide as it looked at Tom-.
A knight's face was visible between its jaws. It drooled heavily as it looked at Tom.
When it came right before him-.
“A courtyard, huh.”
A deep voice, like the roar of a beast, sounded.
The approaching creature suddenly disappeared.
Crunch. That was the only sound.
The Monster, having lost its strength, collapsed.
“Just as he said, it will be a feast.”
The Grand Duke advanced, chewing on a tentacle he had somehow pulled free.
Footnotes:
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