WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 46: The One Recognized by the Grand Duke
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Eight remained quietly prostrate.
Galahad stood before him, smoking a cigarette.
Eight did not speak first, simply waiting in silence.
At last, as though he had finished thinking, Galahad spoke.
“Can you contact Dawn?”
“Dawn always initiates contact. We can’t contact them first.”
“Hmm.”
Eight swallowed dryly at the man’s low hum.
“What about the Society Head?”
“...The Society Head likely has connections to Dawn. But they won’t step forward personally.”
“I see. Go to the branch in the Fifth Battalion. Give Corton my name, and that should be enough.”
“Yes.”
Eight nodded, then a question suddenly came to mind.
‘How does he know the deputy head of the Fifth Battalion branch?’
No, judging by the way he spoke, it went beyond simply knowing him. It felt as though Corton served beneath him.
He had not even been in the north long, yet already... Eight swallowed the question that rose to the tip of his tongue.
“This is a revised Monster Tamer’s magic circle I made. It’ll be more effective than the one you use.”
Galahad held something out. It was a parchment covered in a detailed magic circle, complete with annotations and explanations.
‘No, why does he know about a Monster Tamer’s magic circle...?’
Another question rose in Eight’s mind, but he swallowed it again. The less he said before this man, the better.
“Yes.”
“Show that to the higher-ups, and they’ll get in touch. The Society Head will probably be getting desperate too. Wouldn’t you say?”
Eight nodded again.
He was right. The Dark Magic Society had invested no small amount in the Seventh Battalion.
No, they had invested a great deal.
Yet their operation had been thwarted so easily. The Dark Magic Society would surely be reeling.
It would not be enough to bring them down, but...
“They can’t give up on the Demon Realm.”
Eight let out a quiet sigh at Galahad’s words.
‘That’s why he left the Demon Realm alone.’
Eight had wondered why Galahad had deliberately left the Demon Realm in place. Only now did he understand.
Closing the Demon Realm would be harder than opening it, but Eight did not think it was beyond Galahad.
He had wondered why Galahad had not closed it, but...
‘It was bait for the Society Head.’
If the Demon Realm had been completely closed, the Society Head would have gone into hiding.
Someone so cautious would have hidden even deeper.
The plan had failed, but the Demon Realm remained. Half the plan had succeeded.
At this point, the Society Head would contact Dawn and somehow...
‘He was aiming for Dawn.’
Come to think of it, Galahad had spoken of Dawn from the beginning.
Even this entire mess that set the Grand Duke and Adrianna in motion had been nothing more than a step for this man...
Eight lowered his head even further.
“Tell me when they contact you. If you’re late or fail to deliver again, I may be truly disappointed.”
“Yes.”
Eight answered hurriedly. Galahad’s voice was as relaxed and unhurried as ever, which made it all the more frightening.
“You’ve worked hard. It’s about time you received a promotion.”
It was an abrupt remark.
Eight’s thoughts raced.
‘He has taken over the Fifth Battalion branch, yet he told me to go there. He’s after Dawn... To approach Dawn, the Society Head... But a promotion?’
Ah.
Eight let out a small sigh.
‘He intends to take over the Dark Magic Society itself.’
Even the enormous Dark Magic Society was not the man’s goal. It was only a means to reach Dawn...
Galahad intended to make Eight the Society Head and use him to capture Dawn.
‘How much does he intend to gain from a single Demon Realm?’
Then Eight remembered Galahad’s words.
A promotion...
‘Then I’ll become the Society Head...?’
Eight bowed even deeper.
“Thank you!”
This time, he meant it.
“I’ll be going, then. I’m late for a meeting.”
His voice was so relaxed that it was hard to believe he had just spoken of taking over the Dark Magic Society.
As though this, too, were nothing important to him...
‘Let’s work hard!’
Eight trembled with determination.
* * *
‘Why am I surrounded by such important people...?’
Hines, a company commander of the Seventh Battalion, slowly let out a heavy breath.
He had risen to the position after a vacancy opened up. It was an appointment prompted by last night’s chaos.
The other company commanders looked just as uncomfortable.
The names gathered in the meeting room carried too much weight.
Sir Gilbert, Velogrime, and even Adrianna...
They were far too important for Hines, who had been a platoon commander until just yesterday, to sit beside.
Yet despite the gathering, the meeting had not begun. They all sat quietly, as though waiting for someone.
‘Who could it be?’
He muttered softly as he looked at the empty seat at the head of the table.
Then the door opened smoothly, and a neatly dressed man entered. He looked more like an aristocrat than a northerner.
“Ah, everyone’s here.”
The man spoke lightly and naturally took the seat at the head of the table.
“...How can the person who called the meeting be the last to arrive?”
Sir Gilbert stood behind him and quietly scolded him.
‘That man is the commander of the Special Operations Unit.’
Hines already knew from the rumors.
‘The One Recognized by the Grand Duke.’
Hines shuddered slightly. The Grand Duke’s recognition was a legend passed down in the north.
Every hero in the north had received a cup from the Grand Duke once.
Yet none of them had drunk from it.
No, none had survived after drinking from it.
But that man had drunk from the cup.
He had been recognized by the Grand Duke.
That carried tremendous meaning.
And besides...
‘The man recognized by the Grand Duke, who will marry Adrianna!’
Hines’s eyes sparkled.
He was certainly someone worth waiting for.
“How severe are the Seventh Battalion’s losses?”
“Every company commander except two has been replaced, and eighty percent of the soldiers remain.”
Velogrime gave his report naturally.
“I see. Can you maintain the front line’s defenses?”
“Yes, but the inner fortress suffered heavy damage, so there will be disruptions to supply deliveries.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already spoken to the Fifth Battalion commander. Support will arrive soon.”
The man answered as though the Fifth Battalion belonged to him.
Hines found that strange, but...
‘The One Recognized by the Grand Duke!’
He looked even more impressive.
“Then can the front line be maintained?”
“Yes. It will be difficult, but it should hold. His Grace the Grand Duke saw what happened, so additional troops will arrive soon.”
“I see. Then let’s move on to the Demon Realm Training Camp...”
At the words Demon Realm Training Camp, everyone swallowed hard.
It had already become the biggest topic in the Seventh Battalion.
Strange ash now occupied the place where the inner fortress should have stood.
That hellishly unpleasant place was called the Demon Realm.
The place where Demonkin lived...
And he intended to make it into a training camp.
He truly was cut from a different cloth. The company commanders could not contain their admiration. Their eyes gleamed.
“The Monsters that will enter the Demon Realm are ready. Its defenses are also nearing completion.”
When The One Recognized by the Grand Duke looked at them, everyone nodded firmly.
“I think all of you are truly remarkable for surviving such a serious incident, with the Demon Realm opening here. It shows how diligently the Seventh Battalion has trained.”
The One Recognized by the Grand Duke rose from his seat and applauded.
Applause from The One Recognized by the Grand Duke!
Hines’s eyes welled with tears.
“I mean it. Unlike the First Battalion at the front line, you had no opportunity to encounter the Demon Realm, yet you handled it so admirably. I am sincerely impressed.”
Recognition from The One Recognized by the Grand Duke!
Hines bit down hard on his lip. Otherwise, he felt like he would burst into cheers.
“I saw potential in all of you. That is why I pushed for the Demon Realm Training Camp. There are warriors here who survived against Monsters even within the Demon Realm! Come, applaud them, Sir Gilbert.”
Gilbert belatedly clapped. Clap, clap, clap.
Then Adrianna joined in as well.
It was already overwhelming to receive applause from The One Recognized by the Grand Duke, but to receive it from Adrianna, the north’s hero as well...
It was hard to remain conscious through such overwhelming emotion.
Good grief...
‘...We really are amazing, aren’t we?’
Hines soon realized it.
That he was amazing...
“I opened the Demon Realm Training Camp because I trust you. Think about it. Haven’t we done nothing but defend until now? Against Monsters! Against Demonkin! We have always silently held the line!”
“Yes!”
Before they knew it, they were on their feet. Everyone answered in one voice.
“But we cannot end the war by defending alone. One day, we must cross the wall and advance. And the Demon Realm Training Camp will be the beginning of our counteroffensive. I guarantee it.”
The beginning of our counteroffensive! The impressive phrase made Hines swallow hard.
Could someone who had been a platoon commander until yesterday really hear such grand words? Could he truly receive recognition from The One Recognized by the Grand Duke?
“Company commanders and battalion commanders from other battalions will come to train under you. The Seventh Battalion will become the center of the north! Not a corner, but the center!”
The center! It was an exhilarating word for the Seventh Battalion, which had always been treated like an outlying force.
“You are no longer ordinary soldiers. You are heroes who will end this war.”
The One Recognized by the Grand Duke looked around the room. Just as befitted such a man, his voice carried power.
Everyone held their breath and waited for his next words.
“Now! Heroes, are you ready?”
Heroes...
It was a strangely ticklish word.
The One Recognized by the Grand Duke was calling them heroes...
The company commanders sprang to their feet.
“Yes!!”
“Then come with me, heroes!”
Galahad realized once again that those northern bastards were even easier to handle than he had thought.
* * *
“...Is it really all right to shove them into the Demon Realm like that?”
Gilbert frowned as he watched the soldiers charge into the Demon Realm with shouts.
There were no Monsters inside, of course, but the Demon Realm itself was dangerous.
It was hard to breathe there, and the place stirred an instinctive terror. One could not see even an inch ahead.
Sending them in with nothing but a sword...
‘It’s similar to knight training.’
Galahad flicked ash from his cigarette.
“How does someone become a knight in the north?”
“Pardon? They become knights when they undergo real combat and discover their conviction.”
It was an utterly barbaric method. That was probably why the quality of northern knights was higher than that of knights in the central regions...
“They’ll be fine after going in and out a few times. They’re all brave, aren’t they?”
Galahad answered as he flicked ash from his cigarette.
None of the enthusiasm he had shown while encouraging the soldiers before the Demon Realm remained.
“Northern men are very easy to handle.”
“...Not all of them are.”
Gilbert replied sharply to Galahad’s mutter.
“Is that so? I suppose you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, did you know that training with a sword in the Demon Realm is more effective? High mana concentration affects the body.”
“Why are you telling me that now?!”
Gilbert drew his sword and ran toward the Demon Realm.
“Get in there! Heroes! The north’s future rests on you bastards!”
“Aagh!!”
Desperate shouts and battle cries rang out one after another.
Galahad did not need to lift a finger. All he had done was set the stage, and they began training on their own.
‘Could there be a better training environment?’
The Demon Realm’s mana concentration was so dense it could hardly be compared to anywhere else.
There was no way putting them in and taking them out would not have an effect.
It would be rather painful, of course, but the right answer always lay along the difficult path.
‘Come to think of it, that was the method that bastard used.’
Galahad frowned as someone came to mind.
There had been a strange man who always bothered Galahad whenever he saw him.
The man had originally been a knight. Then, upon seeing Galahad, he had suddenly declared that he would learn magic.
And he had actually learned magic.
He was nowhere near Galahad’s level, but he was more useful than other mages.
That was what the man had always gone on about.
Training in high mana concentration had made him stronger faster...
It was a crude method, but judging by the man, it clearly worked.
But...
‘What was that bastard’s name again?’
It was not particularly important, so Galahad flicked ash from his cigarette.
* * *
Handsome, at the Intelligence Bureau safehouse within the Grand Duke’s castle, dusted off his dust-covered hands.
He had finally finished cleaning the new safehouse.
‘It should be about time reinforcements arrived...’
Following Galahad’s advice, Handsome had reported that Rose had been killed by Demonkin.
It was partly for Handsome’s own survival, but it was also the only way to protect Rose’s honor.
He had never met Rose, but she had guarded the safehouse at the edge of the Empire, here in the north.
He hoped her honor would be protected after she died in that cold loneliness.
Then the safehouse door shook violently.
Handsome rose, gripping the hilt of his sword.
He checked outside through the device beside the door. There was a large man with a sleazy face and a cold-looking woman.
Soon, the door opened.
That meant they were personnel sent by the Intelligence Bureau. Still, after what he had been through, Handsome did not let go of his sword hilt.
The sleazy-looking man entered first. His yellow eyebrows looked like caterpillars.
“Oh, you must be Handsome.”
“State your identities.”
Handsome’s sword was already pointed at the man’s throat. The man glanced down at it. At that moment...
Clang!
Handsome’s sword was violently knocked away. Fire flickered in the man’s hand. It was magic. No...
“I’m First. I’m here as reinforcement for the safehouse.”
‘...Aura?’
Handsome doubted his own eyes. It had clearly been magic, yet he had seen aura.
Only then did he realize who the man was.
“Magic Knight First!”
Handsome’s eyes widened as though they would split. First was a famous agent of the Intelligence Bureau. He was not someone who should have been assigned to a northern safehouse like this.
“Ahem, yes. I am that Magic Knight.”
“Stop talking nonsense, First.”
The cold-looking woman behind him spoke sharply. First chuckled and walked inside.
Handsome quietly stepped aside.
First naturally took a seat. The chair let out a small creak under his bulk. He put a thick cigar in his mouth, then summoned fire at his fingertip and used it to light the cigar. The smell of wet wood spread through the room.
‘He’s strangely like Galahad.’
Handsome thought of Galahad. Their behavior was similar in some ways.
Galahad made it look natural. This man, on the other hand, seemed as though he was putting on an act.
‘Is he imitating Galahad?’
When First exhaled a long stream of smoke, the woman frowned and pinched her nose.
“Bring me all the information on Galahad.”
First looked at Handsome as he spoke. Handsome bit his lip slightly.
Galahad had never told him to hide information about him. Still, Galahad was his benefactor. His benefactor’s information...
“Bring it. Can’t you hear me?”
First frowned at Handsome. Tension filled the room. Handsome tapped the hilt of his sword.
Then...
“Your shoulder is tense.”
Lightning flashed.
No, it was a sword wrapped in lightning.
“Hm, he’s been making a grand spectacle of himself. That’s Galahad for you.”
First nodded as he looked through the report in his hand.
“Should I deal with him?”
Pumpkin asked, holding her sword to Handsome’s throat.
“Instead of praising a loyal knight, you suggest dealing with him? Pumpkin, this is why you’re still unmarried.”
“Should I deal with him?”
“I was joking.”
First lowered his gaze to the report in his hand.
“It says so here too.”
“What does?”
“That Galahad is marrying the Grand Duke’s daughter.”
First waved the report.
“If people learn that, there will be an uproar. The Princess, and her as well...”
“They’ll all think the same as I do. That it’s a mission, or one of the strange things he occasionally does. And that will be the truth.”
First flicked ash from his cigar and frowned.
Beneath that, Galahad’s movements were recorded. First knew Galahad better than anyone.
As he read, he could understand what the bastard was thinking.
Galahad...
“Oh dear.”
Pumpkin frowned at First’s mutter. That was how First acted before he started losing his mind.
At other times, First was a genuinely good superior and person.
But whenever Galahad was involved, he became like a man with a hole in his head.
Just like now.
“...What is it?”
“Galahad! That bastard intends to marry the Grand Duke’s daughter!”
His voice was serious, unlike before. Here it comes... Pumpkin sighed quietly.
“He can fool everyone else, but he can’t fool me! Galahad! He hid in the north and prepared his decisive move!”
“Fuck, there really is a hole in your head.”
He likely thought he would lose if Galahad married first. It was bizarre logic, but whenever Galahad was involved, he became like this.
“At this rate, I’ll lose! It’s an emergency!”
First’s body trembled.
Then he looked at Pumpkin and let out a small sigh.
That burning gaze...
Pumpkin feared what sort of madness would come next.
A brief silence followed.
“Pumpkin, you’re unmarried, aren’t you?”
“Fuck! Seriously!”
First dropped to one knee like he was proposing, and Pumpkin finally snapped, cursing at him.
Footnotes:
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