WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 80: Mountain Climbing
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‘What is this all of a sudden...?’
Chartien, commander of the Sixth Battalion, frowned at the Golden Scepter pointing at him.
Galahad was the one holding it. He wore a strange smile.
‘Have I been found out?’
Chartien’s brows creased slightly.
No, he had left no traces. With the Grand Duke watching, he had kept his involvement to a minimum.
It had been strange enough that the Grand Duke had suddenly called this meeting.
‘Something happened in Hellove. But why is he pointing at me?’
Chartien glared at Galahad, who still wore an unreadable expression.
There could not be any evidence. Chartien hardened his expression and glanced around.
The Grand Duke watched from the seat of honor. Chartien knew that even a minor slip of the tongue could get his head torn off.
He kept his face stiff as he spoke.
“Isn’t Hellove just a story used to toy with new recruits? What could possibly be there?”
“Oh, so that’s how you’re going to play it. Not bad.”
Galahad’s vague reply grated on Chartien’s nerves.
The moment he backed down, it would be over. Chartien grabbed Galahad’s Golden Scepter. A chill ran through his hand.
“Speak clearly. You seem to have grown arrogant because His Grace the Grand Duke acknowledged you. I am a commander of the North. I’m not someone you can accuse so casually.”
Several of the other commanders nodded. Few commanders had favorable feelings toward Galahad. Chartien, on the other hand, had consistently maintained ties with them.
It was obvious whose side they would take.
It would be different if Galahad had evidence, but there was no way he did.
The atmosphere in the meeting hall sharpened in an instant. Tension filled the room.
“I see. Was I mistaken?”
Galahad’s Golden Scepter slowly withdrew.
Chartien curled his lips at the sight of Galahad backing off and tightened his grip on the Golden Scepter. He intended to press his advantage.
“Explain the details. What happened in Hellove? Why did you point at me...”
There was no way Galahad had gone beneath Hellove. If he had, he could not possibly be alive.
Then...
“There was a Demonkin City there. There was even a high-ranking Demonkin called the Ruler. This Golden Scepter was something the Ruler treasured. Pretty, isn’t it?”
Galahad waved the Golden Scepter.
Golden Scepter...
Chartien’s eyes shifted.
The Ruler? His thoughts became tangled. He recalled rumors about the Ruler’s scepter. Galahad killed the Ruler? That bastard? A mage? How?
Countless questions rose in his mind.
‘Impossible.’
This was clearly a bluff. Chartien wasn’t gullible enough to fall for something like this.
Then he felt a chill at the back of his neck.
‘What...?’
Chartien turned his head and froze.
The Grand Duke stood directly behind him.
* * *
Galahad had pointed at the commander of the Sixth Battalion based on several clues.
Hellove was patrolled in rotation by the Sixth Battalion, Third Battalion, and Fifth Battalion, yet the Sixth Battalion had recently volunteered to take that patrol.
Despite that, there had been no notable report. And when Hellove was mentioned, Chartien’s breathing had hitched for an instant.
There were several such clues, but they were not enough.
Galahad had only intended to sound him out lightly. That was the basic of coaxing someone over.
Though that no longer mattered.
Splaash!
Blood sprayed wildly through the air, and Galahad snapped his fingers.
A translucent barrier appeared and was quickly stained red.
Galahad realized something.
The Grand Duke did not only tear off Demonkin heads.
He tore off human heads too. And he was very good at it. He was an expert at tearing off heads.
The headless body crumpled to the floor.
The commanders turned their gazes toward the Grand Duke. Their expressions varied, but none of them showed fear.
Apparently, seeing a living human’s head torn off was not a major matter in the North.
The Grand Duke set the head he had torn off in front of Galahad. Its long tongue hung loose as hot blood dripped steadily from it.
“His heart was pounding. Like prey being chased.”
The Grand Duke’s lips curled viciously.
Everyone gathered here was a commander. Their hearts would not pound over Hellove, a place supposedly meant only to toy with new recruits.
It was a fairly convincing reason.
‘Even so, tearing off someone’s head because their heart was beating fast...’
The absurd part was that the Grand Duke could hear heartbeats in the first place.
‘I’ll have to be careful with my heart too.’
Galahad steadied his breathing as he looked at Chartien’s head lying there.
Tearing off heads. It was a punishment worthy of the Grand Duke. Chartien would now be remembered by the commanders as an excellent example.
Still...
‘Did he deliberately stop me?’
If Galahad had persuaded Chartien, he might have learned more. The Grand Duke had brought the matter to a neat end with a clean pull.
The Grand Duke silently stared at Galahad. Blood ran down his face, hiding his expression.
‘Interesting.’
Galahad ran his hand over the Golden Scepter.
It felt rather nice, which calmed him down.
* * *
‘That ended rather easily.’
Galahad muttered as he put a cigarette between his lips.
With Chartien turned into Guan Gong, the meeting proceeded quickly.
The Grand Duke promoted the Sixth Battalion’s vice commander to commander. Then he sent the Second Battalion, Adrianna’s direct unit, and the Sixth Battalion to Hellove.
The meeting ended after he said he would call them together again once they reported their findings.
The sight of nearly a hundred armed soldiers moving out was quite impressive.
“Why do you look like that?”
Gilbert asked with his ugly face. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.
“Because they won’t find anything anyway.”
“What? In a city that big? How could that be?”
“I told you before. Go ask the Demonkin.”
“...What?”
Rather than answer, Galahad tapped ash from his cigarette.
It was unfortunate that he could not interrogate Chartien, but at least the aching tooth was gone. Not figuratively either. It had literally been pulled out.
In any case, he had dealt with one suspicious commander.
And now that such a large force had been dispatched, those bastards would have no choice but to relocate the city. It would be a significant blow to them.
It was a pity he had not caught the Ruler, but...
‘You can’t eat everything in one bite.’
Greed inevitably caused trouble.
Things had gone rather well, all things considered.
“It’s fortunate Commander Adrianna knows the way.”
“Foolish Sir Gilbert.”
“What? You’re rather prickly today. Ah, is it because of that?”
Gilbert grinned. Galahad let out a low groan.
Normally, Galahad would have gone to Hellove with them.
Adrianna had argued for it as well. Since Commander Galahad had discovered it, it was only reasonable for him to lead the expedition.
That had been Galahad’s plan too.
But the Grand Duke had refused him.
Fine, even being refused was not a problem.
What came after was the problem.
[The Special Operations Unit Commander will go hunting with me.]
Hunting. It was a very strange word.
It meant catching beasts, but the Grand Duke would not move just to hunt ordinary animals.
“Maybe it’s just hunting. It’ll be fine.”
“Sir Gilbert.”
“Yes?”
“You should come too.”
“Ah, I’d like to, but didn’t His Grace say he was going with just you, Commander?”
Gilbert’s sly grin made Galahad’s face twist.
“Isn’t it a chance to grow closer to His Grace the Grand Duke?”
“That’s right.”
Galahad nodded. Going alone bothered him a little... no, quite a lot, but it was a good opportunity.
There was much he wanted to ask about, including the pact and why the Grand Duke had torn off Chartien’s head.
“Has the Grand Duke ever gone hunting with someone else before?”
“Yes. As far as I know, twice.”
So this was not the first time. Galahad felt slightly relieved.
“Who was it?”
“Ah, the former commander of the Fifth Battalion and the former chief of staff.”
“...They were both former?”
What an incredible coincidence. The moment Galahad muttered that, Gilbert added an explanation.
“Yes, they went hunting and disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Ah, it’s nothing much. They were never seen again after climbing the mountain with His Grace.”
“That really is nothing much.”
Galahad touched his neck for no reason.
“Yes, well, they disappeared. Ah, it might be because the place where His Grace hunts is the Monster Graveyard.”
“The Monster Graveyard?”
“Yes. It’s the largest mountain in the North, where Monsters that failed to return to their domain gather.”
Galahad let out a low groan at Gilbert’s explanation.
“The Eighth Battalion is in charge of it, but they do not climb the mountain. They only deal with Monsters that come down. They say there’s some strange energy flowing there.”
“This won’t do. I’ll have to ask His Grace.”
“Ask him what?”
“To bring Sir Gilbert along.”
“...What?”
At that moment, a familiar figure approached. It was Theodore.
“I’m joking.”
Galahad coughed softly and stepped forward.
“Ah, don’t disappear. If you’re ever in danger, call for me. I’ll come running.”
Gilbert’s voice was quite serious. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, as though he had forgotten his opponent was the Grand Duke.
“Can you come if I call?”
“Ah, just shout loudly.”
“What a wise method.”
Gilbert snickered. Galahad clicked his tongue and put out his cigarette.
“Make sure Damian gets his aura on time.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
He gave a casual wave and headed toward Theodore.
“This way.”
His steps felt heavier than when he had entered the Demonkin City.
* * *
The Grand Duke’s face was fierce.
No, fierce was not enough. The Grand Duke’s face was excessively fierce.
From the scars carefully carved across his face to his tiger-like eyes and heavy jaw, everything about him seemed designed to tear into flesh.
If a high-ranking Monster ate garlic in a cave for fifty-one days, it might end up looking like that.
Even Galahad found the thought of going hunting alone with the Grand Duke rather burdensome.
“Let’s go.”
At the voice, like the growl of a beast, Galahad nodded.
The Grand Duke traveled without a single attendant. The enormous axe slung across his back was all he carried.
‘It was good that I brought this.’
Galahad muttered as he held his thick leather bag.
Tom had hurriedly packed it after hearing that Galahad was going hunting. Since Tom had packed it, it would surely contain everything he needed.
‘When I get back, I should cut Sir Gilbert’s pay and give it to Tom.’
Galahad nodded as he muttered the joke to himself. There was no backing out now anyway.
The Grand Duke headed toward an enormous snow-covered mountain. Its sharp peak seemed to reach the sky, and snow rested across bare branches everywhere, making it impossible to see inside.
Watchtowers stood throughout the surrounding area. They were far denser than those around the other battalions.
Soldiers and the commander of the Eighth Battalion were waiting for them. The heavily armed soldiers gave powerful salutes. The Eighth Battalion commander ran over to greet the Grand Duke.
“You’ve arrived.”
The commander bowed deeply, but the Grand Duke did not even look at the Eighth Battalion commander as he continued walking.
Apparently accustomed to being ignored, the Eighth Battalion commander gestured around them. The soldiers moved busily, opening the way up the mountain.
Several layers of pointed wooden barricades were moved aside. Bits of flesh and bloodstains on the barricades drew Galahad’s eye.
The Grand Duke strode down the opened path without hesitation. Galahad fastened his coat and followed him.
The mountain terrain was extremely rough. More than that, there was no path. Everything was blanketed in pure white snow, making it impossible to tell one direction from another.
The Grand Duke continued walking in silence.
“It’s an impressive mountain.”
There was no reply.
Galahad fell silent as well and focused on following him. In case something happened, he memorized their steps and direction.
At least the Golden Scepter made things easier. It truly was made for mountain climbing.
How long had they walked?
For the first time, the Grand Duke stopped. He grabbed the axe on his back.
Shing.
With a chilling sound, the enormous axe slipped lightly into his hand.
It was hard to understand how he could hold such a massive axe with one hand.
The Grand Duke raised the axe overhead. It was the stance of someone about to throw it. Galahad could almost hear his muscles screaming. The Grand Duke exhaled slowly, his breath pouring out in a long cloud.
Gulp.
Galahad swallowed dryly and loosened his hands.
Thump, thump!
The Egg of Pain screamed repeatedly, like prey facing a hunter.
Then the Grand Duke’s hand moved.
The enormous axe flew through the air in an instant. The sound of the air being torn apart was as chilling as a scream.
The axe vanished between the trees.
Thud!
A dull impact sounded some distance away.
“Caught it.”
The Grand Duke headed in the direction where the axe had disappeared.
‘He’s a monster.’
Galahad recalled the axe he had just seen.
That was violence. Overwhelming violence.
He wondered whether something like that was possible without aura.
Swallowing dryly, Galahad followed the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke continued deeper into the mountain for quite some time.
At the end, there was an enormous Monster.
Its face resembled a reptile’s. Instead of fur, its arms were covered in thick carapace, while dense gray fur covered everything below its waist.
The Monster let out a long, pained scream. The axe was embedded in the back of its neck.
It thrashed violently. Trees broke and the ground overturned beneath its movements. Blood sprayed far and wide. The white snow was quickly dyed red.
The Grand Duke approached leisurely. He truly looked as though he were hunting.
‘Hunting Monsters...’
The Grand Duke grabbed the axe embedded in the Monster. The Monster screamed violently.
Blood poured out like a fountain, but the Grand Duke did not close his eyes. He then struck the axe handle with his fist.
Boom!
A thunderous sound that did not suit a fist erupted. The axe sank into the Monster’s neck.
Boom!
The axe handle drove in deeper.
Boom!
Crack. With a heavy sound, the Monster’s head snapped to the side.
Boom!
The Monster’s head rolled across the ground.
It rolled down the slope and stopped in front of Galahad.
The Monster’s face was badly twisted. It was filled with a fear that did not suit a Monster.
‘Hmm.’
Galahad let out a low sound.
Heavy footsteps approached. Before he knew it, the Grand Duke stood in front of him. The Grand Duke picked up the Monster’s head.
“As for Monsters...”
The Monster’s head dangled from the Grand Duke’s hand. Blood streamed from the cleanly severed surface.
The Monster’s mouth fell open.
Its open mouth seemed to whisper, ‘Run. This thing is a monster that hunts Monsters.’
“The head is the best part.”
Crunch.
The vicious sound tormented Galahad’s ears. How could the sound of chewing something be so terrifying?
The Grand Duke held out a chunk of flesh marked with bite marks.
“Want some?”
It was a childish threat. No, was it really a threat? He seemed to be sincerely offering it.
‘He really was offering it.’
Galahad clicked his tongue softly at the Grand Duke’s gaze.
“I ate before coming.”
“You’re an Imperial bastard.”
The Grand Duke’s lips curled up. The Monster’s head disappeared with each great bite.
Then Galahad’s gaze fell on the blood dripping steadily.
“Ah, don’t you drink the blood?”
The Grand Duke’s lips curled higher.
“That’s right. You like blood.”
The Grand Duke took something from his clothes. It was that cup.
The cup was quickly filled to the brim.
Galahad accepted it and took a sip. The Grand Duke tore into the flesh.
‘We make a fairly good pair.’
Galahad muttered the joke to himself.
The atmosphere seemed to ease slightly.
“Give me another cup.”
Galahad held out the empty cup. The Grand Duke’s brows lifted slightly.
‘He expresses himself with his eyebrows, just like Adrianna.’
Galahad felt a little relieved.
Right. If the Grand Duke disliked him, he would have torn off his head long ago. He would not have bothered coming up here.
“It is quiet here. The Monsters ate all the rats and birds.”
The Grand Duke handed him the refilled cup as he spoke.
‘So there are no listening ears here.’
Galahad nodded. Which meant there were listening ears in the Grand Duke’s castle.
“Couldn’t you catch rats and birds yourself? You seem like you’d be good at it.”
“It is not time.”
That meant he would catch them someday. Galahad sipped from his cup.
He quietly read the atmosphere. Half of that enormous Monster’s head had already disappeared.
“Where did the rats come from?”
The Grand Duke stared at Galahad. His eyes were red with Monster blood.
“Everything rotten comes from the Empire.”
The Grand Duke parted his lips slightly. A piece of flesh fell from his thick, sharp fang.
‘Everything rotten?’
It could not be meaningless. Just as Galahad was about to ask more, the Grand Duke rose.
“I will catch five more.”
One question for each Monster?
It was a truly strange conversation. Galahad nodded.
Just as he was about to move...
Screee!
A familiar cry rang out. When he looked up, a massive white hawk circled in the sky.
It was Adrianna’s hawk.
“Hmm.”
The Grand Duke let out a low sound. His brows had risen.
Galahad knew the Grand Duke cherished Adrianna.
Yet he reacted like that just from seeing a hawk...
‘He’s completely doting on his daughter.’
It felt like Galahad had seen a new side of the Grand Duke.
“It seems Commander Adrianna has sent a report. She must have only just arrived, yet she reported immediately. Commander Adrianna must have been in quite a hurry.”
Galahad carefully flattered him while watching his reaction.
“Hmm.”
The Grand Duke made the sound again. He acted indifferent, but his brows lifted a little higher. Galahad felt as though he had found the right approach.
“Commander Adrianna is quite shy, so she pretends otherwise, but she talks about Your Grace all the time when she’s with me... Ah. She told me that was a secret. Oh dear... It’s a secret.”
The Grand Duke’s brows rose a little more.
‘This was it.’
Galahad had been about to continue flattering him when his mouth stopped.
No, he had no choice but to stop.
A heavy weight settled on his right shoulder.
For the first time, Galahad felt that his neck was heavy. He desperately turned his stiff neck.
Something that absolutely should not have been there was perched right there.
The white hawk tapped Galahad’s cheek with its beak and held out a foot.
As though telling him to take it quickly.
“Ha ha, you little fool. You’ve mistaken me for someone else! You should go to His Grace the Grand Duke over there!”
The heartless hawk did not budge.
The Grand Duke raised his axe.
For a moment, Galahad saw Chartien smiling brightly.
Footnotes:
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