WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 97: Support
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‘They’re all here.’
Everyone had gathered in front of the gate, from Adrianna and the Special Operations Unit to the Seventh Battalion commander.
“...Who’s beside you?”
Gilbert pointed to the person beside Galahad. It was Fox Mask, now without her mask.
‘Gisel, was it?’
Fox Mask had introduced herself as Gisel. It was obviously a name she had made up in a hurry, but Galahad did not bother asking about it.
Gisel’s brightly painted eyes curved into pleasant crescents.
As expected, spatial magic had caught Fox Mask’s interest. No, it went beyond mere interest. Fox Mask had even offered to take care of the Ruler herself.
Eliminating the Ruler would be a considerable favor, but Galahad refused.
Galahad intended to kill the high-ranking Demonkin himself. He had no intention of giving anyone else that chance.
Instead, Galahad asked Fox Mask to guide them.
Fox Mask did not refuse. If anything, she seemed pleased.
“My name is Gisel.”
Fox Mask spoke in a voice thick with a nasal tone.
Though Gilbert, the Seventh Battalion commander, and Adrianna surrounded her, Fox Mask remained relaxed.
Naturally.
‘She’s a high-ranking Demonkin who can move through space at will.’
Fox Mask was not someone who could be confined anywhere.
Then Gilbert abruptly raised his hand.
“Speak, Sir Gilbert.”
“Then were you inside with a woman for ten days?”
Gilbert asked loudly. At that blunt question, Galahad realized how strange this must look.
He had spent ten days in the Demon Realm Training Camp, then emerged with a woman. Of course it would look odd.
‘It certainly does look strange.’
After going over the situation, Galahad nodded.
It was best to clear up misunderstandings quickly.
“Ah, I met her on the way out.”
“...Pardon?”
Gilbert asked again, dumbfounded. Galahad clicked his tongue and added an explanation.
“She was waiting for me when I came out, so we left together.”
“So that woman was inside the Demon Realm Training Camp?”
“Sir Gilbert, how many times do I need to explain it?”
At Galahad’s rebuke, Gilbert nodded for the moment.
Then Adrianna stepped forward.
Galahad had prepared both an explanation and a cover story, but Adrianna was difficult to deal with because she always insisted on what was right.
He quietly watched her, calculating his response.
The first thing Adrianna said was...
“Are you all right?”
She was worried about him.
Galahad paused at the unexpected question, then nodded.
“I’m fine. I was only doing magical research for the first time in a while.”
“Ah, I understand.”
After nodding, Adrianna strode forward. Her sword pointed at Fox Mask.
“We took turns guarding the entrance. How did you get inside?”
Fox Mask stepped back slightly and narrowed her eyes at the sword aimed at her. It was the first reaction she had shown since arriving.
To make even a high-ranking Demonkin who could travel freely through space tense...
‘She truly is Demonkin’s natural enemy.’
The corner of Galahad’s mouth rose.
How had she entered when they had been taking turns on guard?
There was a simple way to erase that suspicion.
“She was able to sneak into the castle because she is a mage.”
Because she was a mage. The North lacked knowledge about magic.
When it came to magic, they had no choice but to believe Galahad. As expected, everyone nodded.
“...You’re saying magic makes that possible?”
“Magic cannot be stopped through physical means. That is why security using magical devices is essential in the Empire.”
“Ah, if Commander Galahad says so, then it must be true.”
Adrianna let out a quiet sigh and nodded. She seemed cautious because it was outside her field of knowledge. She was a wise woman.
Still, Adrianna’s sword remained aimed at Fox Mask.
“The fact that she infiltrated in secret has not changed.”
Once again, she was right.
What was needed here was...
“She says she knows the Ruler’s location. That is why she came in such a hurry. She believed the Ruler had agents in the North.”
A more compelling detail.
At the powerful word Ruler, the mood changed instantly. Everyone’s attention turned to the Ruler.
Adrianna alone did not waver.
“It is even more suspicious that she knows the Ruler’s movements.”
White aura surged around Adrianna’s sword. Fox Mask flinched at the sight and narrowed her eyes.
She was right, but they had already prepared for this.
“I escaped from there. I wanted to ask for help, but people in the North do not listen to mages... So I came looking for Galahad’s help. There might be the Ruler’s agents elsewhere too.”
“...Ah, I see.”
Adrianna’s aura gradually weakened. It did not vanish entirely.
‘Is there anything left to question?’
Adrianna hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“...Is it also true that you met her on your way out?”
It was an unexpected question. Galahad nodded.
“That’s right.”
“I understand.”
Only then did Adrianna take a step back.
“Get ready. We’re leaving immediately.”
Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and smiled broadly.
“You look tired. Shouldn’t you rest?”
“It’s fine. I’m a mage.”
“Mages are not omnipotent.”
Adrianna spoke seriously, making Galahad chuckle.
“I’ll rest on the way. The Special Operations Unit’s carriage is quite comfortable.”
“Yes, understood. I need to report this to His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“That won’t do. There is a chance the Ruler will flee again. If we let it get away this time, we’ll never catch it.”
“Reporting is the proper procedure.”
Adrianna looked directly at Galahad.
Then Fox Mask stepped between them.
“If you report it, it’ll run away. There are too many ears around His Grace the Grand Duke.”
Adrianna frowned slightly at Fox Mask. Fox Mask did not back down either.
A strange tension filled the space between them.
Galahad lightly waved his hand, drawing their attention.
“We will report it. We’ll just do it slowly. After we make sure it cannot escape... Like a hunt.”
Galahad grinned. Adrianna’s brows twitched slightly.
“The Ruler is a high-ranking Demonkin. It is not an opponent you can speak of so lightly.”
“What’s the problem? You’ll be there. I trust you.”
Adrianna’s brows twitched again. Then she nodded firmly.
“Then I will come as well.”
“Were you planning to send only me to the Ruler?”
“...Pardon?”
“I’m joking.”
“We’re ready!!”
Tom shouted from behind them. When Galahad turned, the carriage was ready. Gilbert was already seated in the driver’s seat.
Galahad flicked ash from his cigarette as he headed for the carriage. Tom opened the door for him.
Fox Mask immediately climbed in first.
“Oh my, thank you.”
“Not at all.”
Tom stepped back with an awkward smile. Galahad followed her into the carriage.
When he sat opposite Fox Mask, she casually rose and moved to his right.
“Sit opposite me.”
“Why? Do you like looking at my face?”
“So I can see your neck better.”
Fox Mask’s brow briefly creased at Galahad’s words. Then she smiled with her eyes.
“What a nasty joke.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Fox Mask only smiled and did not move. She did not seem like the type to listen to anyone else. As she quietly edged closer, Galahad clicked his tongue.
Then Adrianna entered the carriage. It creaked softly.
Adrianna paused when she saw Fox Mask sitting to Galahad’s right. Then she sat on his left.
“Others need to ride too.”
Adrianna pointed at the door. Damian, holding a staff he had apparently found somewhere, was climbing in. At that moment, Tom grabbed Damian.
“Why? There’s plenty of room here.”
“Ha ha, we’ll ride in the driver’s seat.”
“The driver’s seat is uncomfortable. It smells like Gilbert.”
“Ha ha!”
Tom laughed awkwardly and closed the carriage door.
Once the door shut, a heavy silence fell. Fox Mask and Adrianna sat on either side of Galahad.
Adrianna fidgeted.
“I expected the Special Operations Unit members to ride inside. Sir Gilbert usually sits in the driver’s seat. That would require three seats, so I judged it more reasonable for me to sit here.”
No one had asked, yet Adrianna spoke quickly.
“Hmm, that is reasonable.”
“Yes.”
Adrianna immediately nodded.
“Why are you all coming into this cramped driver’s seat?!”
At Gilbert’s shout from outside, Adrianna’s brows twitched.
“It is cramped.”
“Ah, then I...”
“That’s enough.”
“...Pardon?”
Galahad stopped Adrianna as she tried to stand.
“The uncomfortable person should move.”
Galahad rose and sat opposite them.
That left Fox Mask and Adrianna sitting side by side, while Galahad sat alone.
Adrianna’s brows twitched as she suddenly found herself seated beside Fox Mask. Fox Mask merely beamed as she studied Adrianna.
There was a strange tension between them, but...
Galahad was already completely absorbed in reviewing the theory behind spatial magic.
* * *
‘He must have been tired.’
Adrianna quietly muttered as she looked at Galahad with his eyes closed.
Even in the shaking carriage, Galahad sat perfectly upright. There was not the slightest disarray in his posture, as though a plank had been tied to his back.
How could someone sleep so soundly like that? Adrianna quietly marveled.
“He’s handsome, isn’t he?”
A teasing voice came from beside her. It belonged to Gisel, the woman with colorful makeup around her eyes.
“Isn’t he handsome?”
Adrianna could not tell what Gisel intended with that question, but she nodded honestly.
“Yes, he is handsome.”
“...Oh my, I didn’t expect you to admit it so readily.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
At Adrianna’s question, Gisel casually leaned back. It was a natural motion, but Adrianna instinctively noted the distance between them.
“I heard you’re holding an engagement ceremony. Congratulations.”
Clap, clap. Gisel applauded exaggeratedly. Adrianna frowned slightly.
“...We are not.”
“Oh my, why not? Don’t you like him?”
Adrianna did not answer. Gisel tilted her head.
“Then can I have him?”
“You cannot.”
Adrianna hurriedly lowered her raised voice.
“People cannot be owned.”
“Then I’ll hold an engagement ceremony with him. You’re not doing it anyway.”
“What does that...”
“Oh my, is it one of those things where you don’t want him for yourself, but you hate to give him to someone else?”
Adrianna nearly protested at those words, but swallowed them. Then she slowly considered what Gisel had said and admitted it honestly.
“Yes, I believe it is.”
Gisel narrowed her eyes at Adrianna’s nod. She was admitting it?
“He is proof of exchange with the Empire. He has also made one achievement after another in the North. His Grace the Grand Duke recognizes him, and he is a commander leading his own unit. Until now, the only person to gain influence this quickly was His Grace the Grand Duke himself.”
Adrianna nodded seriously.
“He is now someone the North needs. I want him to remain in the North. But I...”
Adrianna forced herself to swallow the last words. They had nearly slipped out.
She slowly exhaled and continued.
“My place is on the front line.”
She could not bind him there with her.
Once she finished speaking, Adrianna realized something.
“I am quite selfish.”
Adrianna smiled bitterly.
She had never intended to go this far. He was the fiancé chosen by the Empire, but she had only planned to put on a suitable act.
Yet somehow, they had become this entangled.
This was all because...
“It is his fault for being so exceptional.”
Adrianna smiled bitterly.
Gisel wore a strange expression, as though she was having too much fun to contain it.
‘No way.’
Adrianna hurriedly looked at Galahad.
He was still sleeping in the same posture.
Adrianna felt genuine relief.
“This is really fun.”
Gisel hummed to herself.
* * *
‘The Sixth Battalion.’
Galahad got down from the carriage and raised his collar. A freezing wind swept past him.
Dark mountains surrounded them. Only the unsteady lantern hanging from the carriage fought against the darkness.
The Ruler had occupied the Sixth Battalion. It seemed to have targeted the battalion because the Grand Duke had ripped off its commander’s head.
‘It acted like a ruler, but it was a clever one.’
The signs had been there ever since it abandoned its city and ran away.
“If the Ruler has occupied the Sixth Battalion, attacking is unreasonable.”
Adrianna spoke seriously. Galahad glanced away and nodded.
She was right. A city and a battalion fortress were different. Northern fortresses existed to keep out Monsters and Demonkin. They were designed for defense.
A siege was not the right choice.
“Do we charge in immediately?”
“Sir Gilbert, calm down.”
“How can we stand still when a Demonkin bastard has occupied a battalion?”
“He has a point. We should request support.”
Adrianna sided with Gilbert.
If this was only a battle against the Ruler, the people here could handle it.
But if it had occupied a fortress, that was another matter.
“Hmm, we will need support.”
Galahad nodded.
“Then I will report this to His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Ah, may I write it?”
“Pardon? Yes.”
“A pen. Here you are.”
“Thank you, Tom.”
Galahad quickly scribbled across the paper. His pen did not pause even once. Adrianna’s brows lowered slightly as she watched.
“...Do you normally write letters that quickly?”
“Hmm, it depends on the situation. Here.”
Adrianna tied the letter to a hawk. The bird rose into the sky. It was quite a refreshing sight.
“Now it should be about time.”
“What should?”
“The support.”
“...Pardon? Did you not just send the letter?”
At Galahad’s question, Adrianna tilted her head.
She had sent the letter only moments ago. No matter how fast Adrianna’s hawk was, how could support arrive already?
Then they heard a conversation from some distance away.
“Do we really have to come this far? We caught enough already. I haven’t been able to sleep or wash properly for over ten days!”
“Mages are disappearing from the Sixth Battalion. My eyes cannot be deceived. There must be something here. With this, I will win. And Pumpkin, even the smell of your sweat is fragrant, so do not worry.”
“Fuck, don’t smell me.”
“Sniff, sniff!”
“Crazy bastard! Get away from me!”
A woman’s snappish voice, and a man awkwardly imitating Galahad’s manner of speaking...
‘...First and Pumpkin?’
They were the ones who had made the strange bet with Galahad about catching mages.
‘Why are they here?’
Galahad had done nothing but sleep or remain awake with his eyes closed, calculating something. There was no way he had contacted them.
Yet they were coming from there...
“Ah, they are rather useful people.”
Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and smiled.
“Did you expect them to come here?”
No word had come from headquarters. There was a strong chance headquarters had not yet noticed the abnormality at the Sixth Battalion.
Yet outsiders had found it first...
“They are hunting dogs with very good noses.”
Galahad tapped his own nose.
“Ah, headquarters would be more likely to miss it. They are the ones the Ruler would be most wary of, so it must have been more careful. Those two came because they were tracking mages.”
As though he had read Adrianna’s thoughts, Galahad added the explanation.
“Hmm, I smell Galahad somewhere.”
“What the fuck does that mea...”
“Shh.”
The voices suddenly cut off. Their presence vanished, as though they had never existed at all. Adrianna was slightly startled.
“It’s me.”
Galahad waved his cigarette.
“As expected, it was you, Galahad. Did you notice it too?”
First said with a smile, already standing right in front of them.
They looked quite miserable. They had been neat when Galahad last saw them, but now they looked like beggars.
“Heh heh, it seems you have been working hard as well.”
First smiled at Galahad.
As he said, Galahad did not look well either.
But it was not because of the bet. Galahad had never gone around catching mages.
“Are we not in a bet? I did my best too.”
“Heh heh, this time, victory will be mine. I caught thirty mages.”
“Oh, impressive.”
At First’s confident words, Adrianna tilted her head.
Galahad had caught more than thirty mages on his first day in the Demon Realm Training Camp. If the mages they had brought were included, the contest was already over.
Still, Galahad simply nodded without saying anything.
“Galahad, since you are here, our contest will be decided here.”
First spun his sword with a serious expression. His eyes burned with an oppressive intensity.
“Shall we work together again after so long?”
“Fine, rival.”
First exhaled hotly through his nose.
“Oh, are they your companions?”
A relaxed voice spoke then. It was Gisel.
First’s head creaked as he looked at Gisel, then Adrianna, then Gisel again.
He slowly exhaled hotly through his nose. Pumpkin felt faint as First revved himself up.
She hurriedly tried to cover First’s mouth, but...
“Pumpkin’s trapezius muscles are still the best! Pumpkin! Trapezius muscles! Quickly!”
At First’s urgent demand...
Pumpkin covered her face.
“Did you see them? Those massive...”
Please...
“Trapezius muscles!”
First laughed heartily.
He meant it.
Footnotes:
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