The Northern Grand Duke's Mad Son-in-Law - Chapter 79

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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

Chapter 79: Golden Rod

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“We escaped.”

Galahad said, forcing down his ragged breathing.

The refreshing dawn air, heavy with moisture, tickled his nose.

Outside, the sun was beginning to rise. What had been a gloomy ruin in the dark now looked rather impressive.

Then again, after being somewhere crawling with Demonkin, what would not look beautiful?

“Are you all right?”

Adrianna asked quietly. Her legs had given out, so Galahad was supporting her.

“You’re heavier than I thought.”

“...What?”

“Let’s keep moving.”

Galahad urged on the unit members, who were about to collapse. There was no telling when the Ruler would come up. They had to get as far away as possible.

Only after reaching the carriage did Galahad finally catch his breath.

Gilbert took the reins while everyone else climbed aboard.

“Hyah!”

Gilbert shouted, and the carriage lurched into motion. Galahad released the breath he had been holding.

The carriage was filled with heat. Tom opened a window, and cool dawn air swept inside.

Galahad reflected on what he had seen in the city.

From honing mana to sharpness, to the Ruler’s strange authority and the identity of the Four-legged Demonkin...

He had gained quite a lot. He had learned about Damian’s nature, as well as how to hone mana sharply.

Most of all...

‘High-ranking Demonkin blood.’

He shook the canteen, listening to the liquid slosh.

Thump! Thump!

The Egg of Pain, which had been quiet until then, began pounding incessantly. It panted as though begging to be fed at once.

Drinking it now would produce remarkable results, but it would be more efficient to save it for when he needed it. For example, when he had to fight a high-ranking Demonkin...

Thump! Thump!

‘Shut up.’

...Thump.

The Egg of Pain fell silent. It seemed to have learned some manners.

Clicking his tongue, Galahad inspected his body.

‘It’s a mess.’

He had used magic without restraint, and his insides felt thoroughly wrecked. Since his opponents had been Demonkin, he had had no choice.

Galahad hung the canteen from his waist, then took another from inside his clothes.

It contained lowest-ranking Demonkin blood. As he took a sip, the Egg of Pain trembled faintly.

Gurgle.

“I’m hungry.”

At Damian’s grumble, Tom took out some jerky and handed it over. Damian swallowed it without chewing.

‘So it wasn’t physical hunger.’

Galahad muttered as he watched Damian tear into the jerky.

Damian’s staple food was not meat or bread.

It was a knight’s aura.

‘He eats a knight’s aura... Interesting.’

Damian had even eaten Adrianna’s aura. It must have been a power that came from his origins. Even considering the danger, Damian was more than worth cultivating.

‘I should have Sir Gilbert feed him aura regularly.’

Gilbert might be crude, but his aura was exceptional.

Poke, poke.

Galahad turned at the touch prodding him from the side and found the foolish helmet. It was Adrianna. She looked as though she had something to say.

The blue eyes visible through the foolish helmet were serious.

Galahad guessed what Adrianna was about to say.

She had every reason to be suspicious. Demonkin had appeared after following Galahad, two Demonkin had wanted Galahad, and they had even spoken of killing the Emperor.

‘This is rather bad.’

Adrianna had spent her entire life on the front lines, hunting Demonkin. There was no need to explain her hostility toward them.

Just as he was thinking of a suitable excuse, Adrianna’s helmet rattled.

“The armor is heavy.”

“...What?”

Galahad frowned at Adrianna’s serious voice. She pointed at her own armor.

“This armor is made of cheap iron, so it weighs a great deal. I’m also wearing Monster hide underneath it, so it could not help being heavy. Therefore, the reason you found me heavy is because of this armor.”

Adrianna sounded extremely serious.

Only after Galahad nodded did she stop explaining why her armor was heavy.

Adrianna took out a sheet of paper from inside her clothes. It had phrases written in advance, such as ‘We encountered danger.’

It seemed she intended to report to the Grand Duke.

“Tom should have paper and a pen.”

“Why would a soldier carry paper and a pen?”

Adrianna’s question was reasonable. In a world where not even one in ten people could read, there was no reason for a soldier to carry paper and a pen.

Galahad felt the same, but somehow thought Tom would have them.

“Ah, I got some separately to keep the ledger and write the Special Operations Unit journal. It’s cheap parchment made from dried hide. Will that do?”

“...Why do you write a journal?”

“It’s a hobby.”

At Tom’s firm answer, Adrianna’s helmet wobbled briefly.

“The Special Operations Unit is certainly an unusual unit.”

“You say that as though you aren’t unusual yourself.”

“I’m using a false identity. Though I suppose that’s no longer true.”

Adrianna said this as she removed her helmet. Tom hurriedly turned away, as though he had seen something forbidden.

The foolish helmet came off, revealing Adrianna’s face. For a moment, it felt as though everything had brightened.

Galahad smacked his lips.

‘That’s a shame. It was rather amusing.’

Gilbert usually treated Adrianna with extreme reverence. Galahad wondered how he would react when he learned that the youngest member he had bullied was Adrianna.

Adrianna wrote on the parchment Tom handed her. When she opened the door and stretched out her hand, a white hawk appeared. The hawk fluttered away.

Then...

“Youngest! Do I have to take the reins myself?!”

Gilbert’s shout rang out.

Adrianna’s brows twitched. She looked at Galahad, panic visible in her gaze.

‘He still hasn’t noticed?’

Gilbert had been unconscious, but Adrianna had not hidden her sword on the way out.

‘Their positions had been completely opposite.’

Even so, how had he failed to notice?

‘Ah, he’s in denial.’

The shock must have been so great that he had chosen to ignore it. Like a kind of self-defense mechanism.

In any case...

“Youngest!!”

“He’s calling you.”

Galahad placed the helmet back on Adrianna’s head as she looked at him in bewilderment. He could feel her gaze through the foolish helmet.

“You know this method is quite useful, don’t you?”

Rattle.

Adrianna let out a quiet breath, then opened the carriage door and stepped out.

Galahad leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

The Demonkin City, the Abyss, the Four-legged Demonkin, the Ruler, the First Mage being a traitor... All manner of things came to mind.

“Do I have to call you before you come out? I’m Unit Commander Gilbert. With my seniority, do I still have to take the reins?”

Galahad chuckled quietly.

* * *

‘Galahad came here...’

Fox Mask knew Galahad.

It was only natural, since Galahad was currently the talk of the North, but Fox Mask was more familiar with Galahad from Galahad’s Intelligence Bureau days.

‘I didn’t expect to see him in person.’

There were quite a few stories about Galahad.

The most impressive was that he was a magic expert.

A magic expert rather than a mage...

It sounded like a ridiculous title, but the truth was not amusing at all.

The term ‘magic expert’ had two meanings: someone exceptionally skilled at killing mages, and someone with expert knowledge of magic.

What caught Fox Mask’s attention, though, was the presence inside Galahad.

‘He’s carrying an egg.’

Galahad had even been using the egg. It was a crude method, but Galahad had definitely used it.

That piqued Fox Mask’s interest.

When the Ruler took an interest in Galahad, Fox Mask had even been willing to take on extra work.

Then something unexpected happened.

Another high-ranking Demonkin appeared behind Galahad.

It was...

‘It was the Forgotten One.’

Without Fox Mask needing to intervene, Galahad escaped with Adrianna.

Things could have been said to have gone well.

The problem was...

“You dog! How dare you take my Golden Scepter!”

Galahad had taken the Ruler’s Golden Scepter.

The Ruler flew into a rage again and again. The heads of the humans serving the Ruler burst instead.

That did nothing to calm the Ruler’s anger.

The Ruler’s obsession with possessions was tremendous. If the Ruler liked something, it had to be added to the collection.

This city itself had begun from the Ruler’s bizarre obsession.

Of all things, the Ruler treasured the crown and Golden Scepter most.

And Galahad had taken that Golden Scepter.

The Ruler looked ready to give chase if left alone, so Fox Mask stepped forward.

“That’s enough.”

“You dare order me around?”

“Are you going out? Out there?”

Fox Mask pointed to the main gate. The Ruler’s face twisted.

Unless they were in the Demon Realm, Demonkin strength dropped horribly. That was why high-ranking Demonkin did not leave the depths of the Demon Realm.

“He dared take what is mine. Do you think I’ll sit still? Even if I have to wipe out the North...”

“What about the Grand Duke?”

The Ruler’s eyes narrowed. After hesitating briefly, the Ruler smiled.

The thought was obvious.

“I’ll move the plan up.”

So the Ruler had finally crossed the line...

Fox Mask sighed softly.

‘Should I get rid of them?’

Fox Mask shook their head. Things had already begun. Cleaning them up was enough work as it was.

“I’ll retrieve the Golden Scepter. Prepare to move the city. The Grand Duke may act.”

“Bring him too.”

Emotion dripped from the Ruler’s voice.

“Alive.”

The Ruler smiled as they spoke.

That had been Fox Mask’s intention from the start.

“Yes. Fine.”

The Ruler’s obsession was not impossible to understand. The Golden Scepter Galahad had taken was quite valuable.

Still, there was no way Galahad, who was not a high-ranking Demonkin, could have known its value.

‘Why did he take it?’

Fox Mask frowned.

* * *

‘This will be useful for mountain climbing.’

Galahad turned the Golden Scepter over in his hands.

He had brought it along. He had examined it, but could not figure out what it was for. It did not react even when he poured mana into it.

The only clue was the writing engraved on its surface. Galahad had never seen those letters before, so he had no way to decipher them for now.

‘It feels good in my hand, at least.’

It fit snugly in his grip whenever he held it. He also liked its antique appearance.

It was a suitable length, so it seemed useful as a walking stick or a means of self-defense in place of a sword.

It had also proven its worth when he supported Adrianna earlier.

The Grand Duke’s castle was bustling, unlike before. Carriages stood everywhere, each bearing different numbers.

‘All the commanders have gathered.’

It seemed the Grand Duke had summoned them.

The commanders of the North wielded immense power within their assigned territories. They also had troops under their command, so they could not help carrying themselves proudly.

The commanders had gathered so quickly. It seemed they feared the Grand Duke after all.

“By the way, where did the youngest go?”

At Gilbert’s question, Galahad looked at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sir Gilbert, you never disappoint me.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind.”

Galahad shook his head and continued walking.

“A Demonkin City... Those damned Demonkin bastards. We should wipe them all out while we have the chance.”

Gilbert followed behind, swearing in his usual coarse manner.

“They’ve probably already left.”

“What?”

“They were discovered. Do you think they’d stay there? They’ll move.”

“How can a city move?”

“Why are you asking me? Ask the Demonkin.”

“...What?”

Clicking his tongue, Galahad headed inside. The soldiers’ sharp gazes all fell on him at once.

‘Will the Grand Duke act...?’

The Grand Duke rarely left the castle. The last time had only been because of Adrianna.

Adrianna was not in danger now, so the Grand Duke would not act.

That did not suit the temperament Galahad had seen from the Grand Duke.

‘Was it a pact?’

Galahad recalled the word he had heard during the conversation between the Princess and the Grand Duke.

There was a strong chance the Grand Duke was bound by some restriction. How many people could impose restrictions on the Grand Duke? It had to be the Emperor.

‘The Grand Duke is bound by a pact and cannot act freely.’

Was the Grand Duke the only one bound by such a pact? Galahad shook his head.

There were quite a few powerful people on the continent. Yet remarkably few of them were active.

If the cause was a pact...

‘It’s plausible.’

Galahad’s thoughts continued.

The Four-legged Demonkin wanted the Emperor dead. The reason was that the Emperor did nothing.

What if the Emperor’s pact bound the powerful, and that was why they wanted the Emperor dead?

‘It’s very plausible.’

Galahad’s eyes deepened.

* * *

‘A sudden summons...’

Mark, the commander of the Fifth Battalion, narrowed his eyes.

The Grand Duke had never summoned the commanders before.

Something had clearly happened.

Then the door opened, and Adrianna entered. Her golden hair, as though the sun had melted into it, swayed as the dark room brightened.

Adrianna headed inward, to a seat with the adjacent seat vacant.

“Is the Special Operations Unit Commander not here yet?”

“He’s the protagonist, so I suppose he’s deliberately late.”

Mocking remarks came from all around the room.

The commanders had not originally cared much about Galahad. The prevailing opinion was, ‘He’ll die soon enough.’

But Galahad had not died. Far from it, he had kept earning achievements and eventually even received the Grand Duke’s recognition.

Galahad was no longer someone they could ignore.

Adrianna was the North’s hero and pride. Hostility toward the Empire had reached its peak because of the incident involving the Crown Prince and Adrianna.

Galahad was the partner the Empire had offered Adrianna. He was from the Empire, a noble, and even a mage.

Galahad embodied everything the North hated.

Their hostility was only natural.

Mark was not particularly worried. The other party was Galahad, after all. The commander of the Seventh Battalion seemed to think similarly and did not say anything.

Then an unexpected person rose from her seat.

“He must have a reason.”

It was Adrianna.

Adrianna did not usually interfere in the affairs of other commanders. The principle was that every commander answered only to His Grace the Grand Duke.

With Adrianna stepping forward to defend him, the atmosphere turned strange. It had the opposite effect.

Then the door opened quietly. Galahad entered. He looked as neat as always. The only difference was the Golden Scepter in his hand.

The commanders’ sharp gazes gathered on him. Even Mark could feel the fierce pressure bearing down on Galahad.

In response, Galahad...

“Oh, I arrived at just the right time. Good to see you all. I’m Galahad, commander of the Special Operations Unit.”

He greeted them with a smile.

‘At just the right time...’

Tongue-clicks and the sound of teeth grinding came from all around. Galahad passed by as though nothing had happened.

Then he naturally sat beside Adrianna.

‘How can someone get under people’s skin so thoroughly?’

Mark was genuinely impressed. Galahad was a quick-witted man. There was no way he did not understand the atmosphere.

Rather than lowering his head, Galahad irritated the commanders even more.

‘He’s impressive in another sense too.’

Then the door flew open.

A brutal presence filled the room. The pressure was enough to make their breath catch.

The ruler of the North, the Grand Duke, had arrived.

The commanders hurriedly rose at the Grand Duke’s appearance. Mark swallowed hard at that murderous presence.

Without sparing anyone a glance, the Grand Duke headed to the seat of honor.

Once the Grand Duke sat down, the commanders hurried back to their seats.

They watched the Grand Duke carefully, cautious even about making a sound as they breathed.

Then the Grand Duke gestured to Galahad.

‘The Grand Duke’s recognition...’

Galahad rose from his seat. He stood quietly and looked around at the commanders.

“My dear commanders of the North. I know well how hard you have worked. How difficult it must be to protect this cold, barren land from the Demonkin.”

Galahad began speaking smoothly.

The commanders’ expressions turned odd at the unexpected words. The Grand Duke leaned back as though uninterested.

‘What is this supposed to be?’

Even Mark could not grasp the situation.

“Coming to the North, I found it so cold. If not for my Monster coat, I would have frozen to death long ago. Ha ha. To fight Demonkin in this kind of cold! I sincerely respect you.”

Galahad spoke with a faint smile.

They could not tell what he was thinking, but the mood eased slightly as he praised the commanders.

‘What is he planning?’

Mark narrowed his eyes.

Galahad’s smooth speech continued without pause. He went on to praise the snow-covered mountains at dawn and the snow-covered lakes at sunset.

“In the Empire, even when it snows, it barely comes down at all. But the North receives snow in such torrents! I suppose it snows in proportion to the scale of your ambitions! Ha ha!”

There was no reason to dislike an Imperial who insulted the Empire while praising the North.

Several commanders laughed along.

Before they knew it, the commanders were focused on Galahad.

Galahad continued casually.

“This time, I visited a place called Hellove. It was quite an impressive place.”

Hellove?

At the sudden word, Mark frowned.

Then Galahad rotated his wrist.

The Golden Scepter moved gracefully and pointed at someone.

Like a sword...

“Hellove is a wonderful place. You seem to know it well. Isn’t that right, Chartien, Commander of the Sixth Battalion?”

Galahad’s grin widened.