WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 57: Main Dish
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“Hehe...”
“Why do you keep laughing so creepily?”
Pumpkin asked, looking fed up with First.
First had been like that for some time, standing atop the wall as he kept chuckling strangely and flaring his nostrils.
‘That’s the look he gets when he sees Agent Galahad.’
Pumpkin narrowed her eyes and looked where First was staring.
She saw nothing. Pumpkin narrowed her eyes further, but still saw nothing.
So she poked First repeatedly. When he did not react, she lightly smacked the back of his head.
Only then did First turn around.
“Hmm? Did a bug land on me?”
She had hit him with some force, yet he thought it was a bug. A monster was a monster.
Pumpkin pretended not to know and asked, “What is it? Why do you keep laughing like that?”
“Ah, you can’t see it. Hehe.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He intends to test me. How dare he...”
First grinned as he said “how dare he,” and Pumpkin muttered a quiet curse.
Seeing First act as though he had a hole in his head, Pumpkin knew he had to be looking at Galahad. But what did he mean by a test?
“It must be quite a difficult test.”
Pumpkin lightly raised her aura. Only then did she spot something, no larger than a dot in the distance.
It was...
‘...Dark mages?’
Dark mages were busily preparing as if they were about to attack at any moment.
An attack by dark mages was not much of a problem.
This was a place the Dark Magic Society had already attacked before.
The problem was the man among them.
‘...Why is Galahad there?’
Pumpkin’s expression crumpled the moment she saw Galahad.
If Galahad was among the enemy, the situation changed.
If she had to name the person she least wanted as an enemy, it would naturally be Galahad.
His martial strength was one thing, but Galahad did not care what means he used.
His relaxed yet chilling fixation was something beyond madness.
He was the person she least wanted to get involved with.
“Fuck. Why is Galahad over there?”
“To test me.”
“I mean, what kind of test?”
“Just as I thought, you don’t understand.”
Pumpkin muttered, “Fuck!” as First curled his lips into a broad smile.
First pointed at Galahad.
“It’s too far to attack, yet too close to hide their identities. It means they have no intention of attacking. If they had intended to attack, they would have moved long ago. He is not someone who waits.”
First let out a hot breath. Pumpkin recoiled in disgust and took a step back.
“Then why is he standing somewhere within my sight? Galahad must know about my exceptional eyesight, so he must want to tell me something.”
First’s muscles creaked as though they were breathing.
Pumpkin took another step back.
“Because only I can understand Galahad.”
“...Bullshit.”
Pumpkin cursed openly, but it did not reach First’s ears.
“The reason the dark mages are targeting this place must be the Demon Realm. In that case...”
First’s lips curled into a broad smile.
“Ah, I see. Rival, I understand your intentions.”
First’s expression hardened. He gave a heavy nod with his thick neck.
‘What the hell is he talking about?’
Pumpkin stepped back again, thoroughly disgusted.
Then First lightly jumped down.
Thud.
Despite the wall’s considerable height, the sound was small.
First landed precisely among the soldiers standing guard.
“Uh? What...”
The moment a soldier turned their head, First’s hand moved quickly.
Crack.
The soldier’s head snapped lightly to the side. First caught the falling soldier and propped them up beside him, then moved at once.
It took First no longer than a single breath to bring down four soldiers.
They wore peaceful expressions, as though they had not even felt pain.
‘He’s gotten faster.’
Pumpkin’s eyes widened. Since she had stayed with First the entire time, she could tell immediately.
Questions filled her mind, but she grabbed her sword and jumped down.
First might seem like he had a hole in his head, but he never botched a job.
When she reached the ground, First was adding firewood to the soldiers’ bonfire.
Pumpkin did not bother asking what he was doing. First moved without explaining.
Soon, he headed for the gate. As befitting the north, the Seventh Battalion’s gate was enormous. The smell of rust wafted from it, its surface covered in rough Monster marks.
“There’s a pulley on the other side. I’ll climb over.”
“No need.”
First answered briefly and placed his hand on the gate.
His back was twice as large as anyone else’s.
After letting out a short breath, First began to exert his strength.
The snow beneath him sank deeply.
Creak.
The muscles in First’s broad back groaned.
Aura surged across his back.
Pumpkin stared blankly at that absurd sight.
Then...
Rumble.
With a low sound, the gate began to move.
‘Crazy.’
It took two oxen to open that gate, yet he was opening it with brute force alone.
Pumpkin let out a rough gasp of admiration at the sheer absurdity of it.
Before long, the gate swung fully open. The two sleeping oxen sprang awake in surprise and let out low cries as they looked at First.
First dusted off his hands and grinned.
“Come, rival.”
At First’s low voice, Pumpkin pressed her temples.
‘Has he forgotten the mission?’
Even First could not simply go to Galahad whenever he wanted.
The only reason he could make this move was because of the mission.
Worried, Pumpkin shook her head.
First would never forget the mission.
* * *
“Th-the gate has opened.”
A dark mage stammered the report.
Helcarton turned to Galahad with a shocked expression.
The others wore similar looks.
‘First.’
Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth as he looked at the wide-open gate.
Without even sending a letter, First had perfectly understood Galahad’s intentions.
As expected, he was useful.
‘The Society Head...’
He had to capture the Society Head this time.
From a connection to Dawn to complete ownership of the Dark Magic Society...
There were quite a few rewards tied to the Society Head.
Still, the Society Head was quick enough to abandon even his own subordinates and flee.
Even so, he would not be able to remain hidden this time.
His trusted subordinate had rebelled while his situation was falling apart.
Someone cautious like him would surely come to see it with his own eyes.
‘He’ll be hiding somewhere suitable, of course.’
Galahad spread out his mana, but found nothing.
The Society Head was more cautious than expected.
How could he catch someone like that?
The answer was simple.
He needed to offer bait the man could not ignore.
That bait was the Demon Realm, which they called the Sanctuary.
What would the Society Head think when he saw Helcarton pass through the Seventh Battalion with ease, and saw the Demon Realm beyond it?
‘He’ll think the betrayal was staged from the beginning.’
There was a high chance he would think the report of the Seventh Battalion’s failure was false.
The Society Head had only heard reports while remaining in his seat.
More than anything, the clearly visible Demon Realm was a fact he could not deny.
‘He’ll come out.’
Galahad was certain.
And at the center of it all was...
‘Helcarton.’
Galahad stared at Helcarton.
Helcarton’s eyes were more sinister than before. Shock filled them.
“Didn’t I tell you not to worry about the Seventh Battalion? Come, everyone, prepare yourselves! We are going to the Sanctuary. Ah, have you all received the Selection?”
“Yes. Everyone in the Advisory Council has received the Selection, and we have staves as well.”
Helcarton answered firmly.
The dark mages showed their wrists. Magic circles left behind by the First Mage were engraved upon them. Galahad nodded.
“Then, Society Head, lead the way.”
At Galahad’s designation, Helcarton curled his lips.
Helcarton nodded deeply and turned around.
There was almost something noble about his retreating figure as he headed for the gate. Galahad quietly blended in among the dark mages.
The gate stood wide open. There were no soldiers around it, as if they were being welcomed.
Helcarton shook his head in amazement and quickened his pace.
The inside of the gate was quiet as well. Buildings had collapsed here and there, perhaps because the previous damage had not been repaired.
Helcarton’s gaze was fixed on the Sanctuary in the distance. The darkness that did not lose its presence even at night was undoubtedly the Sanctuary.
The dark mages walked faster. Excitement and anticipation outweighed their fear.
Everything else aside...
“Huh?”
Then they met the eyes of a patrolling soldier. The soldier’s face was rather grim.
Helcarton and his subordinates quickly gripped their staves and prepared for battle.
Tension mounted.
Then...
“The one recognized by the Grand Duke!”
The soldier gave a forceful salute. It was so vigorous that they flinched for a moment.
The salute was directed at a man.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The man accepted the salute naturally.
‘Opening the gate was not enough, now they’re saluting him too?’
Helcarton’s eyes widened at the bizarre situation.
The Dark Magic Society had also won over the Seventh Battalion’s company commanders.
Their influence over them had been the basis for opening the Demon Realm in the first place.
They had spent considerable funds and effort on it, but they had never received that level of loyalty.
The northerners’ loyalty was not something that could be gained through a simple transaction.
Yet this reaction...
‘It is Dawn after all.’
Helcarton’s eyes gleamed.
“Don’t stop. The night is short.”
At the man’s whisper, Helcarton started walking again.
Soon, they arrived before the Sanctuary.
‘The Sanctuary...’
Overwhelmed by its appearance, Helcarton opened his mouth in admiration.
“Have you been here before?”
“Yes.”
Helcarton nodded at the man’s question.
In place of the cautious Society Head, Helcarton had once received an invitation from Dawn.
There had been a Sanctuary like this one at the place he arrived after following Dawn’s invitation.
“...Though it was denser than this place. Hm?”
Helcarton frowned when he realized he had been speaking.
“My, you must be tired. We should enter the Sanctuary quickly.”
The man patted Helcarton’s shoulder, and Helcarton nodded.
The door leading into the Sanctuary stood wide open. Through it, he saw a smarmy-looking hulking knight and a stunning beauty.
Helcarton’s gaze remained fixed on the Sanctuary.
“Come now, enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content.”
They all headed for the Sanctuary with dazed expressions.
Like moths flying into a fire.
After confirming that the last of them had entered, Galahad curled his lips.
“Manufacturing merit. Interesting.”
First, who had approached at some point, muttered in a low voice.
“Ah, don’t hurt them. Every last one is valuable manpower.”
“Manpower? Those vermin?”
At First’s mocking words, Galahad flicked ash from his cigarette and answered.
“Is that difficult?”
“Not at all.”
First’s expression hardened at once.
His muscles creaked. Galahad curled his lips at that clear, simple response.
“Ah, the main dish is mine.”
At Galahad’s words, First raised one corner of his mouth.
“I have no shameless habit of stealing another person’s credit.”
First laughed brightly and moved behind the dark mages.
Galahad flicked ash from his cigarette as he looked toward the rear.
It was about time for the bait to be taken.
* * *
‘Hmm.’
The Society Head, an old man, looked at the Seventh Battalion in the distance and reviewed the situation once more.
‘They entered without a battle.’
The gate had opened by itself, and Helcarton, leading the Advisory Council, had entered proudly.
The meaning was obvious.
‘It never failed in the first place.’
The old man’s eyes gleamed.
The operation to open the Sanctuary had not failed.
It was clear they had given him a false report.
‘It was strange from the start that the Sanctuary remained open.’
If Adrianna had truly appeared and caused the operation to fail, she would never have left the Sanctuary untouched.
Then why had they reported that they were restoring the Sanctuary now?
The answer was obvious.
‘They are trying to lure me out.’
The old man’s wrinkles deepened.
They clearly coveted the position of Society Head as well.
‘They underestimated me.’
The air around the old man instantly turned cold.
Mages were always a problem because of this.
They could not abandon their greed.
But there was one thing they had not considered.
The old man had never trusted them to begin with.
‘How laughable. Truly laughable...’
The old man adjusted his grip on his staff.
It was a staff made from a massive old tree.
A dark-red object was attached to the end of the staff, which looked extraordinary at a glance.
It gleamed like a gemstone, but it was not a Magic Stone.
It was a high-ranking Demonkin egg.
Dawn had given him the staff.
A high-ranking Demonkin egg...
What kind of being was a high-ranking Demonkin? Even lower-ranking Demonkin considered them absolute beings.
To them, high-ranking Demonkin were no different from gods.
At first, he had not believed it.
He thought they would never give away something so precious if it truly was a high-ranking Demonkin egg.
That doubt vanished the moment he took hold of the staff.
The staff he had originally used was top-quality as well.
Yet the staff Dawn had given him was on an entirely different level.
It was progress. It was innovation.
It was not magic, but authority.
‘Its power grows when it consumes blood.’
The power it showed the first time he fed it blood had inspired awe.
The egg grew larger each time it consumed blood. It was now as large as the old man’s face.
It also bore the original magic circle left behind by the First Mage.
‘Fools.’
The old man carefully surveyed the situation.
The gate stood open, and he could not see any troops inside.
After confirming that, he began to walk.
Those who had been pressed down by the old man’s presence finally let out their breaths.
Their eyes were filled with fear and awe.
‘Arrogant bastards.’
I’ll replace every last one of them this time.
If he fed all the arrogant bastards’ blood to the egg, it would surely grow another stage.
Then...
‘Even Dawn will not be frightening.’
The wrinkles around the old man’s mouth deepened further.
The castle was so quiet that even breathing could be heard.
The old man walked while desperately suppressing the urge rising within him.
He arrived before the Sanctuary, but there were no troops.
It was exactly as the initial plan had called for.
The plan was to take full control of the Seventh Battalion and raise troops within the Sanctuary.
It had clearly succeeded after all.
‘How dare they lie to me...’
A fierce urge rose within him.
The old man frowned and looked at his hand.
The branches extending from the staff were embedded in the old man’s hand, as though the Society Head and the staff had become one body.
Violent urges surged through the staff in succession, like a heartbeat.
A ringing sound filled his head.
Before he knew it, the old man was running toward the Sanctuary.
His subordinates desperately followed behind.
‘It is home.’
Only after entering the Sanctuary did the old man regain his senses.
The dark-red egg vibrated softly.
A heavy power flowed through the staff.
‘This is the power of a high-ranking Demonkin...’
Roots emerging from the staff climbed the old man’s wrinkled hand and arm.
Then...
“Everyone’s inside.”
A low voice came from behind him.
A smarmy-looking hulking knight stood near the gate.
Bang!
As if closing a door to a room, the knight shut the enormous gate.
The old man’s subordinates staggered back in surprise at that immense strength.
The old man frowned.
The people who had entered first were sprawled all around the knight.
They had only entered moments ago, yet they had already been subdued.
‘Not bad.’
Then the knight raised his aura to its fullest. Flames burned across it as though they had been painted on, clearly high-level magic.
The old man curled his lips at the fragrant scent.
He could not resist eating the knight immediately.
“Those are good eyes. Still, the main dish has already been reserved.”
The knight said something strange and pointed somewhere.
‘Who dares to...’
The old man turned his head, then froze.
A man stood behind him.
The ash around the man was thin, as though it were avoiding him.
Or perhaps fearing him.
The fire on the cigarette in his mouth lit his face.
He was a refined-looking man.
The way he had neatly swept back his hair seemed to reveal his personality.
The man’s eyes were fixed precisely on the old man.
They gleamed coldly.
As if he were looking at delicious food.
They were eyes cold enough to make the old man shrink back.
‘Ridiculous.’
Then a truly fragrant scent drifted from the man.
He could not resist eating him immediately.
The old man’s body trembled under the violent urge.
The roots embedded in his arm writhed intensely.
Ash swirled behind him and took form.
Like enormous wings.
As he watched the old man raise his power to its fullest, Galahad...
“What a splendid egg dish.”
He smiled with genuine satisfaction.
Footnotes:
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