The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law

38. The New Maknae

‘Uhhhhhh·········.’

The crow tilted his head as he looked at the parchment in front of him.

Thanks to the business from the Demon Stone mines and the information provided by Dawn, the Black Magic Society was enjoying an unprecedented golden age.

Perhaps because of the painful memories of the past, the Black Magic Society spared no expense in this attack.

They didn’t let their guard down at all, even though their opponent was a mere five-man unit.

‘Uhhhhhh·········· This is too much, even for him······. Uhh··· But what if he’s that guy? Uhhhhhh······.’

Of course, the crow wanted to see Galarhad dead.

The crow was already on his leash. This leash could only be broken if either the crow or he died.

Compared to the Black Magic Society, which was at its peak in the North, and the 7th Battalion, which had joined them, the five-man special forces unit seemed too pathetic.

It made sense to bet on the former, rationally speaking.

However···.

‘But what if he’s Galarhad?’

His existence weighed heavily on the crow’s mind.

He had fallen for the Black Magic Society’s tricks, but what if he survived?

‘Uhhhhhh··········.’

The crow shivered.

He would rather die than be ‘persuaded’ again.

No, he didn’t want to die. Then······.

“I heard you’re ready.”

“Ready?”

At that moment, a conversation was heard nearby. They were the executives who had been dispatched with the crow.

“The sanctuary is being set up.”

“······Sanctuary!”

Sanctuary-. The crow’s head snapped around.

Sanctuary was a word referring to a special space in the territory of the Mazoku.

For a sanctuary to be established here-.

“No matter how great he is, he won’t be able to use magic in the sanctuary. And with a high-ranking Mazoku there, there’s absolutely no chance of failure.”

“Hoo hoo hoo… I guess killing him will mark the real beginning.”

At their sinister laughter, the crow tilted its head.

“······Then we won’t be able to use magic either?”

At the crow’s question, the larger one burst into a fit of rage. The crow quickly covered its ears.

“It seems you haven’t been chosen yet.”

“Chosen?”

The one grumbled and rolled up his sleeve. There was something like a magic circle engraved there.

To have a magic circle engraved on one’s body-. The crow suddenly recalled an old legend.

“まさか···.”

“Yes, the first human magician-. It’s his.”

The one next to him shouted and cheered. The crow was also excited.

The first magician-. With that magic circle, one would be able to use magic even in a sanctuary.

With this, for sure·······.

As it muttered so, the crow suddenly had a thought.

‘What if he uses magic in the sanctuary? Wouldn’t that end up helping him? It would only increase the mana concentration-.’

It hurriedly shook its head. No matter how great he was, would he really use magic in the sanctuary!

He’s not the first magician, after all-.

Then, it suddenly recalled the one who had laughed brightly while burning the Mazoku.

It imagined him smiling as if he had received a gift upon seeing that magic circle.

‘······Should I report it and be done with it? No, I should just-.’

The crow was more afraid of the current Galahad than of the legends of the past.

****

‘I can communicate with the Egg of Anguish-.’

Galahad muttered quietly as he looked at Gwen, who had a somewhat pained expression.

Being able to hear the voice of the Egg of Anguish was a big clue.

The problem was-.

“Yes, mommy. I’m your mommy.”

The problem was that all it said was “mommy.”

“Tell me what your true identity is.”

“I don’t know! Isn’t she a baby?”

Galahad let out a dry laugh at Gwen’s muttering.

It belonged to a high-ranking Mazoku, yet it was a baby-. What a ridiculous story.

“What did you give Gwen just now?”

Gwen had suddenly used the power of the Mazoku after eating something of unknown origin.

“That… food? She said it was food.”

“What the heck does that mean?” Sir Galahad clicked his tongue.

“Food. Food.”

“Got it. So you gave it food. Then what’s this mana you’re giving me?”

“…”

The bead of agony vibrated slightly. Gwen did not answer and only rolled her eyes.

“Speak.”

“Th… This isn’t me talking. It’s him.”

“I know that. Make him speak.”

“Feces.”

Galahad’s brows furrowed. The bead of agony vibrated thump-thump. It felt like it was laughing.

“But it probably has a different meaning! He’s still a baby and doesn’t know better!”

“Whatever. Don’t try to comfort me. It’s a well-known fact that magic is the filth of demons.”

Thump-thump. The bead of agony vibrated again. Gwen pursed her lips. She was holding back laughter.

Galahad continued his train of thought.

‘There are two elements in a demon’s blood. One is what it calls food, and the other is mana.’

If I use what it calls food, I can use the abilities that demons speak of-.

“Transfer that food to me.”

Galahad said, pressing his hand to his chest.

“Th… You won’t be able to use it anyway.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

“He doesn’t want to-.”

“I suddenly miss Adrianna.”

“Huh? Suddenly? Okay!”

Gulp-. With a dull sound, something oozed out near his heart. It was-.

An excruciating pain.

Galahad clutched his heart, breathing heavily.

The pain he felt when he drank the demon’s blood was the same. In the meantime, he felt a higher concentration of mana than before.

Galahad breathed, trying to control his breath.

“Why was Gwen okay?”

“Because she’s an idiot.”

‘Because she’s an idiot-‘

He muttered the sentence briefly. Being an idiot meant being innocent at the same time.

That she had no resistance to accepting something-.

‘Is it because I know too much that it’s having the opposite effect?’

It made sense.

‘That’s an interesting theory.’

However, it was a hasty and stupid generalization.

Galahad didn’t have knowledge from the start.

As a family that hated magic, he couldn’t learn magic from anyone. So Galahad had learned by burying his head in books. His quick wit was proof of that.

Burying his head in books was Galahad’s specialty.

‘I guess I should try it by instinct first and do the math later.

Even though he didn’t like it, Galahad nodded with effort.

“Tell her to release it again.”

“…But it’s dangerous?”

“I guess I should go to that Adrianna.”

The Egg of Agony, which had been hesitating for a while, threw something up.

Galahad didn’t try to identify it. He didn’t think it was mana either.

He just moved as his senses guided him.

“So this is how it feels.”

Galahad’s right arm swelled up as if it was going to explode.

The Egg of Agony vibrated slightly.

“A···A wicked human being···.”

“Tell her to watch her mouth.”

Galahad shook his hand.

Unlike the Egg of Agony, which was shocked, Galahad was not happy.

An inexplicable power-.

It rather made him uncomfortable.

A terrible pain came up belatedly. It was because he was conscious of the power. It was a truly disgusting power.

‘At this rate, I’ll end up imitating the demons.’

Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and clicked his tongue.

‘I guess I have to raise it more.’

Since he started speaking after drinking the demon’s blood, he needed to drink more demon’s blood. Galahad touched the water bottle.

This time, he collected quite a lot of demon’s blood. There were eight more water bottles in the bag next to him.

However, it felt like he wasn’t growing with the low-quality demon’s blood.

‘I guess I have to catch at least a high-ranking demon.’

“That’s right!”

Gwen nodded.

Since Adrianna said she would lock the door of the 1st Battalion and search the interior, he couldn’t go to the Demon Realm right away.

‘Where can I get a high-ranking demon-.’

Thud.

At that moment, someone passing by dropped a parchment. The man naturally went inside and ordered. Tom received it.

Galahad touched the parchment. Nothing was written on the parchment. When he circulated mana, letters appeared.

– The Black Magic Society is after the person in charge. Because he blocked the Black Magic Society’s business. The 7th Battalion’s captain is captured by the Black Magic Society. The 7th Battalion has fallen. There is a story that there is a high-ranking demon.

It was a brief report, but the content was extraordinary.

Among them, what caught Galahad’s attention was the part about the high-ranking demon.

From noble mtl dot com

‘A high-ranking demon-.’

Galahad recalled the one he met in the Demon Realm.

He was killed by Adrianna’s One Sword, but he wasn’t an easy opponent. Moreover, the 7th Battalion had also fallen, so it was definitely a difficult situation.

‘Good.’

Originally, the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward.

“The Black Magic Society. They’re giving away magic stones and high-ranking demons.”

They sure are generous. Galahad chuckled and collected the parchment.

“Captain.”

Gilbert opened the door and entered. His expression was somewhat serious. Behind him was a soldier Galahad had never seen before. He was wearing light armor and leather boots.

He was slightly less sharp than the soldiers of the 1st Battalion. He wasn’t the one. That meant-.

“7th Battalion.”

“······How did you know?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened. He had been a bit disappointed that his reactions had been slowing down lately, but this time his reaction was clear.

‘A trap.’

Even so, I never would have thought they’d send an invitation so honestly.

“You came from the 7th Battalion to see if there were any holes?”

“······Are you a prophet?”

“No, a wizard.”

Galahad stood up and opened his coat.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Galahad touched the soldier’s temple. And without hesitation, he poured his mana into him. The soldier’s pupils dilated for a moment. It was a magic he had learned from a spiritual demon.

“Who sent you?”

“Lord Glyrock-.”

“Who is Lord Glyrock?”

“Ah, he’s the captain of the 7th Battalion.”

Gilbert answered. Galahad nodded and continued to question him.

“What is the situation of the 7th Battalion?”

“The atmosphere is not good.”

“How bad?”

“The captain has disappeared-.”

At that moment, the soldier twisted his body with a ‘Ugh-!’ He had overloaded. Galahad clicked his tongue and removed his hand.

“The captain of the 7th Battalion has disappeared. What does that mean?”

“He disappeared after the tournament. We’ve been looking everywhere, but······.”

The soldier’s voice trembled as Gilbert urged him on. Galahad put a cigarette in his mouth and waved his hand.

“There’s no point in pursuing it further.”

“The captain has disappeared, but they’re hiding it-. Does that make sense?”

Gilbert’s face was full of anger. He was a knight after all.

‘An invitation from the 7th Battalion.’

The meaning of this was clear. It meant that the 7th Battalion had fallen into the clutches of the Black Magic Society.

‘Judging by the fact that they spared the captain, it seems they haven’t taken complete control yet.’

The raven had said that the Black Magic Society was holding the captain of the 7th Battalion. If they had complete control, there would have been no need to spare the captain.

Since they hadn’t taken control, they must have spared the captain in case of unforeseen circumstances-.

He quickly finished his calculations.

“We need to go to the 7th Battalion. Let’s leave right away.”

“We’re ready,” said Galahad, shaking the cigarette in his hand.

“It could be a trap,” said Tom, wiping his hands on a cloth. His instrument was hanging from his back.

“Sir Gilberton, do you know the best way to break a trap?”

Galahad’s question made Gilberton frown.

“Step on it. Hard.”

The corners of Galahad’s mouth turned up.

“I think I’ll ask for support.”

“Support…? In principle, the battalion can’t leave its designated area. Not without His Highness’s orders.”

“I’m aware.”

The corners of Galahad’s lips were still upturned, which made Gilberton quite uneasy.

****

As she was leaving the room, Adriana stopped short.

“Good morning.”

It was because of the man who had a cigarette in his mouth. Galahad casually waved his hand.

‘How?’

Since there were so many demons after Adriana, the castle in which she lived had tight security.

Even Galahad wouldn’t have been let in. But Galahad was standing there leisurely. As if he were in his own home.

Why did that look natural? Adriana nodded slowly.

“They wouldn’t let me in outside. I took the liberty of coming here. Infiltrating the castle to see my fiancée – isn’t that romantic?”

Romantic-? Adriana thought about it for a moment and replied.

“It’s usually considered creepy for a man to sneak into a woman’s castle.”

“If the man sneaking in is handsome, it becomes romantic.”

“It’s not right to judge actions based on appearance.”

“So you admit that I’m handsome?”

Adriana coughed lightly. When she talked to this man, the conversation always went to strange places.

“I see. Are you going to leave?”

“I plan to stay for seven generations.”

It was the 7th Battalion, which had recently suffered great losses from the demons. There was definitely a good chance there was an opening. Adriana nodded.

“Will you come with me?”

Adriana’s eyes widened momentarily at the unexpected question.

“I heard that it’s full of creepy guys. It’ll be a very exciting date.”

Galahad held out his hand as if inviting Adriana to a banquet hall. Adriana stared at Galahad. She moistened her lips.

“I’m the Captain of the 1st Battalion.”

It was a gentle refusal.

Without the Archduke’s orders, Adriana couldn’t leave the 1st Battalion.

That was the rule.

“I see.”

At Galahad’s slight nod, Adriana opened and closed her mouth.

Galahad’s expression was indifferent. Perhaps he had expected this. Adrianna pursed her lips, then quickly closed them.

“May I write a letter? I believe I should submit a report.”

“Yes, of course.”

Adrianna handed him the paper behind her. Galahad moved the pen lightly. There was not an ounce of hesitation in his mockery. Typical of Galahad.

‘···Master Craftsman······The Demon race had a banquet······ Lonely by myself······ Attending······.’

Realizing that she had been caught peeking, Adrianna hurriedly turned her head away.

Galahad rolled up the paper and handed it to her.

“I’ll have to ask you to send the letter. I don’t have a falcon yet.”

“Yes. Oh, just a moment-.”

Adrianna offered the falcon to Galahad. Adrianna’s falcon was notoriously picky. It was an intelligent bird that could find its recipient anywhere and deliver the letter, but it was also very selective about who it chose to work with.

The falcon, which had been hesitating for a moment, quickly nuzzled its beak against Galahad’s shoulder.

“How curious. It’s rare for Wyvern to take a liking to someone like this.”

“I’m just naturally popular.”

Adrianna caught her breath at his brazen reply. When she exhaled again, she calmly explained, “I will send the falcon periodically. Please contact me if you discover any unusual occurrences.”

“Understood.”

The falcon quickly flew out the window. Adrianna gazed blankly at its free-spirited form.

“Oh, could you give me a hand?”

“······Yes?”

“My hand.”

Adrianna blinked at Galahad, who was holding out his hand as if it were obvious.

“Aren’t you leaving right away?”

“I plan to move once I hear back from the Grand Duke.”

It was a bold request, as if he were asking for something that belonged to him.

Adrianna removed her thick leather gloves and offered him her hand.

However, Galahad’s reaction was different from before.

His eyes were bloodshot and his veins were bulging, but he did not collapse.

Galahad held Adrianna’s hand and stood still.

He seemed to be barely holding on, but it was absurd that he was holding on at all.

Adrianna stared blankly.

Just then, Galahad was the first to let go of her hand.

It was the first time.

Galahad was the first to let go of her hand-.

“Hmm, I think I understand now.”

In contrast to his calm voice, blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, where all the capillaries had burst, were red, but Galahad nonchalantly tidied his clothes.

“It’s cold, so be careful not to catch a cold.”

Galahad turned around without a second thought and disappeared.

He was a man who truly appeared and disappeared as he pleased.

‘I think I understand-.’

Adrianna muttered those strange words.

Galahad knew that he was interested in Adrianna’s nature.

Holding hands was just part of it.

If he finds out everything-.

Adrianna looked down at her cold hands for a long time.

Since the room was so cold, the warmth didn’t last long.

****

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t go with me?”

Adrianna’s face flushed at Galahad’s straightforward question.

“······It’s the Grand Duke’s orders.”

“Honestly, you wanted to go with me?”

“It’s the Grand Duke’s orders.”

“You’re so dishonest. But I’m sorry, I can’t go with you like this.”

“Yes?”

Adrianna’s eyes widened a little. When he said let’s go together, he said he couldn’t go together now?

“Aren’t you too famous? Your beautiful appearance attracts too much attention. If we go like this, everyone will run away before we arrive.”

“······That makes sense.”

Adrianna nodded seriously.

“So then-.”

Adrianna’s eyes widened at Galahad’s whisper.

“·······Are you telling me to act as the youngest member of the special forces right now?”

Adrianna’s eyes widened for the first time.