The Northern Grand Duke's Mad Son-in-Law - Chapter 81

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Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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

Chapter 81: Hunting

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‘Could something be worrying her...?’

Lunabirn studied Adrianna as she stared up at the sky.

As always, Adrianna’s expression was blank, but there was a strange unease about her.

“Is something troubling you?”

Adrianna’s gaze shifted to Lunabirn. Focus slowly returned to her blue eyes.

“Is it because of the Demonkin City? They’re investigating it, so the results should come soon.”

Lunabirn pointed to the entrance behind them. The city’s interior had collapsed.

If Adrianna had not found the gap, Commander Galahad’s report might have been dismissed as a lie.

The commander of the Second Battalion had set out with troops to investigate below through that gap. They would have their answer soon.

Adrianna shook her head.

“There won’t be anything.”

“Pardon?”

“He said they would have already moved it. That this was a waste of time.”

“...Who dared say something so outrageous?”

Lunabirn’s eyes narrowed. A force of a hundred men had mobilized on the Grand Duke’s orders. The commander of the Second Battalion and Adrianna herself had come all this way, yet someone had called it a waste of time.

Not many people were mad enough to speak so recklessly about the Grand Duke’s orders.

“Commander Galahad said they would have moved the city. He said we should stop wasting time and go mountain climbing together instead.”

Adrianna’s words confirmed Lunabirn’s suspicions. Lunabirn frowned.

“That is far too presumptuous. How dare he...”

“It’s fine.”

“...What?”

“It really was a waste of time.”

Adrianna turned away again and looked up at the sky. Her long blond hair fluttered in the wind.

Lunabirn stared blankly at her. Even as a woman herself, she could not get used to that face.

“So you mean there’s nothing there?”

Adrianna nodded.

Lunabirn’s thoughts grew tangled. Had Galahad predicted even that the Demonkin would vanish?

Then Adrianna looked directly at Lunabirn.

“Lunabirn, you were good at cooking.”

It was a compliment out of nowhere. Lunabirn nodded.

“You carry paper and a pen too, don’t you?”

“Yes. I need them to submit reports.”

“Do you keep ledgers as well?”

“Why would I keep ledgers?”

“You don’t. Still, you’re fairly capable in battle. It’s a tie.”

“...What?”

“What about making coats from Monster hides?”

Adrianna had always been difficult to read, but lately she had become even more inscrutable.

A Monster coat, all of a sudden. Lunabirn had no idea what it meant, but for some reason, she did not want to say she could not do it.

“If I have to, I will.”

“I see.”

Lunabirn suddenly recalled Adrianna sending off a hawk earlier.

“Did you submit the report?”

“Ah, it will deliver it.”

* * *

The high-ranking Monster... no, the Grand Duke, was glaring at Galahad. Blood dripped from the massive axe in his hand.

Galahad let out a low groan.

The hawk perched on his right shoulder, unaware of Galahad’s thoughts, tapped him with its talons.

It was urging him to open it quickly.

‘It was sent to me.’

Drip. A bead of blood fell from the axe. The Grand Duke simply stared at Galahad.

“Daughters are all like that, aren’t they? You raise them, and then... Hm.”

Galahad groaned as he opened the letter.

【Hello. This is Adrianna, commander of the First Battalion. We have arrived in Hellove. The ground has collapsed, and there are no traces left. As you said, it turned out to be a ‘waste of time.’ I should have gone with you to the Monster Graveyard. Ah. Please report this to His Grace the Grand Duke. Adrianna, commander of the First Battalion.】

‘I can’t show him this.’

The long underline beneath the words ‘waste of time’ was far too obvious.

He had chosen those words to bring Adrianna along, but she seemed to have found them quite amusing.

When Galahad looked up from the letter, the Grand Duke was staring at him.

Galahad tucked the letter deep into his inner pocket.

“Commander Adrianna says she regrets not being able to go mountain climbing with Your Grace. She says she wants to go together next time.”

It was about Adrianna, yet the Grand Duke’s brows lowered instead of lifting.

‘He doesn’t want Adrianna coming to the mountain.’

As her father, it was natural that he would not want to bring his daughter to a mountain full of Monsters like this.

Still, Adrianna had been deployed to the front lines.

There had to be another reason.

‘They said this is a place beyond the Empire’s reach.’

And there were missing people as well. There was definitely more to it.

“But I couldn’t let Commander Adrianna come to such a dangerous place. I put my foot down.”

One corner of the Grand Duke’s mouth rose. Cold fangs showed through the gap.

It was unclear whether he was smiling or preparing to tear out Galahad’s throat.

“Ah, the Demonkin City has collapsed. They’re investigating the inside, but it is highly unlikely they’ll find anything.”

“You are certain.”

“Yes. Since they were discovered, it’s only natural that they would flee.”

“Do you know much about Demonkin?”

“Quite a bit. You need to know your enemy to defeat them.”

The Grand Duke spun his axe. Red blood sprayed through the air.

“This time, it is your turn.”

It seemed they were taking turns hunting.

Galahad nodded and snapped his fingers.

A Mana Arrow spun in the air. He judged the mana concentration by its size.

The concentration was higher than outside, but not as high as the Demon Realm. It lay somewhere between the Demonkin Territory and the Demon Realm.

Galahad moved his mana and lightly touched the Grand Duke. He intended to see how well mana worked on him.

Yet it could not enter at all.

‘He’s a monster.’

Where Adrianna burned mana away, the Grand Duke’s very skin felt hard. Galahad wondered how many layered Monster coats he had piled over himself.

Curious, Galahad compressed his mana further and jabbed at him.

The Grand Duke’s brow twitched slightly.

‘Did he notice?’

It was an extremely small amount of mana. Unless he was a mage, he should not have noticed it. Galahad slipped in a little more.

“What are you doing?”

‘Caught.’

It seemed his thick skin was not all there was to it.

“Ah, I thought you were a Monster.”

Galahad casually circulated his mana.

The snow-covered mountain was vast. The biting wind brushed against his hair. Maintaining his concentration, Galahad cast a detection spell over a wide area.

The detection spell, improved from Mana Arrow, rapidly scattered and swept through the surroundings. It was a method only possible because the targets were Monsters.

‘There are a lot.’

Just as Gilbert had explained, Monsters were scattered everywhere. Some had even gathered in packs.

This was not the Monster Graveyard. It was a Monster forest. Galahad carefully examined the Monsters.

Then he found the largest one among them.

‘That one.’

After choosing his target, Galahad retrieved his mana before sending it out again. He concentrated it in that direction and identified the creature’s shape.

Once he had confirmed that much, Galahad chose a spell. This was a snow-covered mountain packed with spindly trees. The spell best suited to this environment was, of course...

‘Frozen Spear.’

A transparent spear appeared above Galahad. Its purity was so high that there was not even a bubble within it.

Galahad did not stop there. He honed the mana to a sharp edge.

Then he focused on the target.

The Monster moved into a suitable position.

‘Now.’

Galahad snapped his fingers.

The spear vanished in an instant. There was no sound. Only a faint breeze passed by.

A Monster’s cry rang out in the distance. It was not a scream, but a roar filled with rage.

“Weak. Just like a mage.”

“Is that so?”

Galahad asked with a faint smile. The Grand Duke frowned.

At that moment, the Monster’s cries rapidly drew closer. The enraged Monster charged at them like mad. The ground shook violently.

Galahad judged the distance through those vibrations, then snapped his fingers.

An ice spear appeared. The chilling spear waited a moment before launching.

...!!

The Monster’s cries were closer than before.

‘A big catch.’

Galahad put a cigarette between his lips and snapped his fingers.

Another ice spear appeared. This one was twice the size of the last because he had filled it with mana.

Then the spindly trees ahead violently shattered. Wood chips and snow flew through the air. A Monster burst out from between them.

It was a wolf-shaped Monster. It was larger than the one the Grand Duke had caught.

Ice spears were lodged in its nape and left shoulder. Each movement widened its wounds, scattering frost from them.

Before long, one of its forelegs dangled uselessly, making the Monster stagger.

If it had been an ordinary beast, it would have retreated by now. But it was a Monster. Instead, it opened its jaws wide.

As the jaws came right before them, the Grand Duke spun his axe.

“It’s mine.”

Galahad stepped forward and snapped his fingers.

Ha! A quiet laugh escaped the Grand Duke.

A spear flew into the Monster’s gaping mouth. It entered without resistance and lodged deep inside.

Demonkin blood held mana of an intensely high concentration. Mana flowed from lower concentrations to higher ones. That was why Demonkin were the natural enemies of mages.

The opposite applied as well. If a spell used mana of a higher concentration than a Monster’s...

‘The Monster blood becomes fuel.’

The spear embedded in the Monster’s mouth trembled. The ice turned red with Monster blood. The blood froze instantly and sharpened into spikes.

The falling blood crystallized, making the ice swell. Like pouring oil onto a fire, more ice crystals sharpened one after another.

The expanding crystals pierced through the Monster’s hide. It was as spectacular as an explosion going off inside it.

The Monster became a magnificent ice sculpture.

‘Excellent.’

Galahad turned to the Grand Duke in admiration.

It had been a perfectly clean hunt.

The Grand Duke’s response was...

“Too flashy.”

Galahad frowned. Calling such a work of art flashy. He was even worse than Gilbert.

‘He’s an uncultured Northerner.’

Galahad clicked his tongue softly and considered how to explain this remarkable magical hunt.

“Mana flows from lower concentrations to higher concentrations. Ah, by concentration, I mean...”

Crunch. Galahad turned at the gruesome sound and saw the Grand Duke pulling off the Monster’s head with his bare hand.

‘He wasn’t listening at all.’

Trying to explain magic to a Northerner had been the mistake from the start.

The Grand Duke took a huge bite out of the Monster’s head. The savage sound grated against Galahad’s ears.

“Refreshing. A delicacy.”

It sounded like he was reviewing ice cream.

This time, the Grand Duke asked a question.

“What do you think of Adrianna?”

The Grand Duke’s axe moved slowly.

‘So that’s what taking turns meant.’

They each caught a Monster, then asked a question. That seemed to be the rule.

‘What do I think of Adrianna...?’

Galahad considered it for a moment. It would clearly not be wise to say she was the sword that would stab the Demon King.

If not that...

“She is a woman with a beautiful smile.”

Galahad nodded.

The Grand Duke frowned. Looking closely, he might have been smiling.

A brief silence followed. Galahad loosened his hands while measuring his distance from the Grand Duke. It was an occupational habit.

“Your heart is beating fast.”

Galahad frowned at the Grand Duke’s question.

His heart. It was a sensitive subject for Galahad.

But instead of pressing him, the Grand Duke held out a cup. It was filled with Monster blood.

“Ha ha, I’m nervous.”

Galahad politely accepted the cup and drained it in one gulp.

“Refreshing.”

Monster blood tasted awful, but drinking it chilled made it somewhat bearable.

“Four remain.”

The Grand Duke rose to his feet.

* * *

The Grand Duke’s axe vanished so quickly that it became a blur.

Bang! Bang! The spindly trees in its path shattered with ease. The axe did not slow down in the slightest.

...!

A terrible scream erupted in the distance.

Galahad lightly touched his neck. It was still attached. He sighed in quiet relief and followed the Grand Duke.

A Monster sprawled across the ground and thrashed violently. It had four legs, each one fitted with a sharp blade. They were so sharp that they scraped the ground.

The Grand Duke approached the Monster without a care. The Monster swung a leg at him. The Grand Duke caught it with his bare hand.

Then he pulled it off.

...!

The Monster screamed again. Blood sprayed from the torn leg, its bone dangling from the wound.

The Grand Duke’s Monster butchering show had begun. Crack. Gruesome sounds rang out one after another.

‘This is the first time I’ve felt sorry for a Monster.’

Galahad took a sip from his canteen.

Then the Grand Duke grabbed the Monster’s head and looked at Galahad.

“Monsters die when you cut off their heads.”

‘The same goes for humans.’

“I see. I didn’t know that.”

Crunch. The savage sound of eating continued.

Galahad waited quietly. The Grand Duke filled a cup with blood and handed it over. Galahad did not refuse, lightly emptying the cup.

The Grand Duke took a massive bite from the Monster’s head and looked at Galahad.

‘Does he want me to ask a question?’

Galahad organized his thoughts.

What he wanted to know next was the pact.

Galahad suspected that the Emperor bound powerful people with the pact. He had intended to ask about that first, but...

‘That would be a waste.’

Galahad focused on the word pact.

A pact meant that both sides had set conditions. The Emperor must have promised something as well.

So...

“What does the Emperor give Your Grace in exchange for binding you with the pact?”

Galahad asked as though it were nothing.

The Grand Duke’s violent eyes fixed on him. Fragments of crushed bone fell from between the Grand Duke’s sharp, beastlike fangs.

The eating sounds had been savage for a reason. He was eating the bones too. He would not have to worry about calcium deficiency.

“One question at a time.”

The Grand Duke picked between his teeth with a bone. It was a terrifying toothpick.

‘He won’t fall for it.’

Galahad clicked his tongue softly. He was not completely like Gilbert.

Still, refusing to answer was an answer in itself.

‘So there is a pact.’

Galahad instinctively knew his guess was right.

“Ah, that question was too long. What does the Emperor give in exchange for the pact?”

The Grand Duke’s eyes rested on Galahad. Galahad did not avoid his gaze.

“He does nothing.”

Galahad’s eyes narrowed at the Grand Duke’s answer.

‘He does nothing...’

They were simple words, but they carried a deep meaning.

The Emperor had not left the Imperial Palace since before Galahad was born.

Since ascending the throne, the Emperor had never officially appeared in public even once. Galahad, who had served the Princess, had never seen him either. That said enough.

‘Does that mean he won’t conquer the North?’

The Empire was certainly more passive than the old records described. Yet every task Galahad had handled for the Intelligence Bureau had been for the Empire.

Even if the Emperor did nothing, the Empire continued to advance. Galahad, chosen as Adrianna’s husband, was proof of that.

Yet he does nothing?

‘Is it limited to the Emperor himself? Does the Emperor’s inaction carry that much significance?’

Then...

Crack. Bone fragments scattered across the ground with a crisp sound. The Grand Duke’s mouth curved upward.

“Three remain.”

The Grand Duke rose.

The rules were simple.

When the Grand Duke caught a Monster, Galahad asked a question. When Galahad caught a Monster, the Grand Duke asked one.

Only three opportunities remained.

If things continued according to the rules, Galahad would have only one question left.

He needed at least two more.