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

29. Galahad

“Ugh.”

Galahad came to his senses with a throbbing headache.

His head felt like it was going to split open, as if someone had hit it with an ax. When he exhaled like a cough, a disgusting smell filled the air.

The smell of rotting flesh, filth, even burnt ash.

Galahad cursed under his breath and put a cigarette in his mouth.

Flicking his fingers twice, mana circulated. A lemon scent filled the air.

[You call that a lemon scent? That’s an insult, you bastard.]

He laughed like a cough at the crude insult. The cigarette in his mouth dropped with a click. His eyes were burning red.

Damian picked it up and put it back in his mouth. Damian was covered in blood.

“Can you kill me?”

“Not yet. I have a lot to do.”

“Yes,”

Damian replied softly and crouched down beside Galahad.

Galahad puffed quietly on his cigarette.

Ironically, the remaining pile of firewood was still giving off heat.

Next to it, corpses and piles of ash stretched out in a long line—eerily silent.

‘It seems like my body’s not going to last much longer.’

Galahad screwed up his eyes at the pain he felt all over his body.

‘It wasn’t even this bad when I was being tortured by the Intelligence Agency—.’

Tsk, Galahad clicked his tongue lightly and spat. It was a thin, red saliva.

“Ah, I’m hungry—.”

Galahad laughed bitterly at Damian’s emotionless mumble.

“Didn’t you eat a lot just now.”

“I moved around that much.”

“That’s true.”

Galahad looked at Damian as he answered.

Damian was looking up at the sky with his mouth open. In the faint night, snowflakes that looked like ash were falling into his open mouth.

‘Damian was completely unaffected by psychic interference.’

Amanda’s psychic interference was at a high level. It was so powerful that Galahad had to be prepared to have his brain burst.

But it had never worked on Damian even once.

It wasn’t something that could be avoided simply because his thoughts were simple.

“What exactly are you?”

“Damian.”

“I see.”

Galahad chuckled.

Damian stared intently at Galahad. His eyes welled up.

“Spit it out.”

A piece of rotten bread fell out of Damian’s mouth. When had he eaten that—?

“Here, eat this. It’s jerky that Tom grilled.”

Damian opened his mouth wide. He caught the tossed jerky in his mouth.

“Tom seems like the best.”

“I agree.”

He nodded at Damian’s innocent admiration.

“As soon as we get back, we’ll have a feast. Since Lord Gilbertton is paying for it, eat as much as you want.”

“I’m really hungry.”

Damian blinked his eyes rarely.

“Oh dear, Lord Gilbertton is in trouble.”

The two stared silently at the fiercely burning pile of firewood.

Galahad recalled Amanda’s words.

‘That person—.’

If that person was someone who even the Demon race used the highest level of respect for, then that person must have a higher status.

Amanda asked me to bring you back alive, so it wasn’t just about getting rid of Galahad.

It was a pity that I couldn’t persuade Amanda because I didn’t have enough time.

‘Is it the Dawn side? Or just a demon?’

A high-ranking demon is after me.

‘I should contact Palho separately.’

Even if I didn’t, it was clear that they would make a move.

At that moment, the Orb of Anguish trembled.

‘The Orb of Anguish drank the demon’s blood.’

The Orb of Anguish vibrated as if it were struggling.

Something familiar came out of the Orb of Anguish, which had been vibrating for a while.

‘······Mana?’

It was definitely mana. Concentrated mana.

Galahad doubted his senses. The Orb of Anguish, which had sucked the demon’s blood, was giving off mana?

He hurriedly assessed the concentration.

‘The concentration is higher than normal mana, but lower than when it just drank the demon’s blood.’

However, there was no burning pain in his veins like when he drank the demon’s blood.

It’s like the Orb of Anguish digested it instead after drinking the demon’s blood and spitting out mana.

It seems to be taking a little more in the meantime.

‘Amazing.’

Galahad exclaimed and moved the mana.

The mana obtained from the demon’s blood was rough. It was enough to be devoured if he lost focus for a moment.

On the other hand, the mana spewed out by the Orb of Anguish moved smoothly as Galahad intended.

‘What the heck is this?’

Galahad forgot the pain and focused on the unknown mana.

He moved the mana and created a mana arrow. Thanks to its high concentration, he was able to create a mana arrow without using much mana.

At this rate.

Galahad gulped.

He had used the demon’s blood once before as a one-off, but he had never stored the mana from the demon’s blood.

It was because its properties were too rough. If he stored it for nothing, Galahad’s mana could be consumed instead.

‘But with this mana.’

He didn’t hesitate for long. He pushed the mana below his heart. It was stored without any resistance, just like when he stored mana in the atmosphere.

“It works!”

Galahad exclaimed without realizing it and jumped to his feet.

The fact that this mana was stored meant that he could accumulate the demon’s blood without using it all at once.

Of course, its efficiency would be lower than drinking the demon’s blood directly, but it was still an amazing ability considering that.

If he needed more, he just had to drink more.

‘First, let’s check.’

Galahad desperately tried to stay calm.

For a magician, excitement was poison.

He had to check if he could use the stored mana.

Galahad looked up at the sky. It was still snowing.

It wasn’t good weather, but if the mana concentration was high-.

“I should call Sir Gilbert.”

Galahad’s lips curled up.

****

“Sir Gilbert.”

Tom called out to Gilbert, who looked very uncomfortable.

Gilbert had been like this ever since the Captain disappeared with Damian. He was clearly worried about the two of them.

“You don’t have to worry. The Captain will be fine.”

“Worry?”

Tom was taken aback by Gilbert’s sharp retort. If he wasn’t worried, why was he sulking?

“Why did he take Damian instead of me?”

He seemed upset that Damian had been taken instead of him.

“He couldn’t help it. Aren’t you too famous, Sir Gilbert? He must have thought that if Sir Gilbert went with him, the enemy would be so scared that they would run away.”

Gilbert’s eyes softened slightly at Tom’s words.

Gilbert cleared his throat and tapped the hilt of his sword. Tom was slightly relieved.

Just then, 7th Company Captain Henry approached, swinging his axe.

“I think there’s something over there.”

The place where Captain Henry pointed was covered in snow like a mountain.

It was an avalanche caused by heavy snow. It seemed that the missing 4th Company had been caught in the avalanche.

Gilbert shook his head.

“No, it’s this way. The Captain found a clue.”

Captain Henry’s face changed subtly at that.

“Do you believe the wizard? If we don’t dig them out right away, the soldiers will freeze to death.”

Captain Henry’s argument was quite reasonable.

Since the avalanche had occurred on the company’s path, it was natural to suspect it.

In order to convince him, they had to tell him that they had received a letter from the Demon King, but that would make the situation difficult.

Tom wondered how to resolve this situation.

Just then-.

Hundreds of thick lightning bolts struck from the sky. Tom gasped at the lightning that covered the sky.

A moment of silence fell over the lightning.

“Let’s go over there first. We won’t die just because we’re in the snow, will we?”

“Understood! Move out, everyone!”

With the convincing evidence, the persuasion was quickly over.

****

‘It works.’

Galahad looked at his glowing fingers and smiled.

The mana had been successfully stored. There was no problem using it either.

Rather, it was cleaner than the original mana.

It was less concentrated than just drinking the Demon King’s blood, but the important thing was that it could be stored.

Using the blood of demons to cast magic had too many risk factors. It was a one-shot deal, after all.

If you could store it like this, it wouldn’t be a big problem even if the concentration was low. You could just drink more.

Of course, there was the minor condition that you had to eat the heart without killing Adrianna, but there was a way to solve that separately.

He felt genuinely grateful to Corthorn.

‘Was it because he was a byproduct of a high-ranking demon? If a byproduct has this much ability, a high-ranking demon would be a completely different entity.’

If a byproduct showed this much effect, he couldn’t even imagine what a high-ranking demon could offer. His mouth watered.

Galahad shook his head.

He had fought and defeated Amanda with his life on the line. It wasn’t good to face the high-ranking demon that Amanda respected now.

Throb! Pain rose from around his heart. It was a rough urge to fulfill his oath quickly.

‘There are minor side effects.’

Galahad smacked his lips.

At that moment, one side became noisy.

Gilbertun and his men and the Northerners were running from far away.

Their momentum was quite fierce.

“Kill the dirty demons! We will pull out their necks and drink their blood!”

A man named Henry shouted roughly, brandishing his ax. Behind him, the Northerners ran, making strange cries. Their eyes bulged fiercely with each step.

It was as if they were going to war.

‘Hmm. It’s already over.’

Galahad hummed.

Gilbertun was at the forefront. Bewitched by them, Gilbertun let out a strange cry.

“Knight—Gilbertun!”

Gilbertun raised his sword high. The smoky aura spurting from the sword was quite splendid.

Was he originally like that? Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

Their cries reached their peak as they entered the village.

“Dirty demons! You hid in fear!”

Led by Gilbertun, they ran straight to the square.

They only quieted down after finally arriving at the square.

Gilbertun, who had found Galahad, ran quickly.

“···Where is the demon?”

“It’s over there.”

Galahad pointed to a pile of crumpled ashes.

Gilbertun screwed up his eyes.

“What happened?”

“Can’t you tell when you look?”

At Galahad’s reply, Gilbertun looked around the square.

Horrible corpses and piles of ash scattered here and there—

It was a situation where anyone could tell it was over.

Gilbertun coughed softly and put his sword back in its sheath. His face was quite embarrassed.

“You worked hard. Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

“It’s good to see you’re all in one piece.”

Galahad chuckled.

“Care for a drink? It’s the best for pain.”

Gilbert offered his flask. It had a potent aroma.

I had wondered what he did with all that pay, and it seemed it was spent on fine liquor.

“I’m good.”

“Yes, well.”

Gilbert tipped the flask to his own lips.

“What did you do to deserve a drink?”

“I ran very hard.”

“Demiaan-!”

A small scream echoed. Gwen was cradling a bloodied Damian and sobbing uncontrollably. He seemed to be unconscious.

“This is a tincture of nightshade; applying it will aid his recovery.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Tom, who had handed Galahad the salve, turned his attention to Damian.

As he produced some jerky, Damian, who had been lying there with his eyes closed as if dead, suddenly sat up. Gwen’s tearful eyes widened.

Just then, a man named Henry approached.

His face was twisted in a demonic scowl, and the Northmen behind him wore similar expressions.

They all looked like they wanted to kill someone right now.

Gilbert stepped forward to block Henry’s path.

“What… what happened here?”

Henry asked in a strained voice. His hands, which were gripping an axe, were trembling.

The evidence was strewn all around for all to see. He couldn’t be stupid enough not to understand what had happened.

The missing company had fallen under the thrall of the Mazoku and had attacked their rescuers. Could there be a more terrible disgrace?

Even a man like Henry must have realized that.

Galahad flicked the ash from his cigarette as he replied.

“We were ambushed by Mazoku. I broke their spell with my magic, and we fought bravely together.”

“I… see.”

Henry nodded as he spoke in that same strained voice.

It was a stupid lie that fooled no one.

“We will remember this kindness.”

‘Remember it in our bones-‘

It was a grim, Northern expression.

“Thanks to you, they will be remembered as warriors of honor. Their families will receive compensation.”

“You have a way with words, don’t you?”

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at Galahad’s comment.

Meanwhile, the Northmen were noisily laughing and joking as they gathered up the bodies. There was no sense of solemnity.

Some of them brought wood from the surrounding trees. They did it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A funeral pyre even larger than before was constructed. They were as boisterous as if they were celebrating a festival.

A huge bonfire roared. They all danced around it, drinking from their flasks and cheering their dead.

The revelry was even more intense than before.

Just then, Henry approached again.

“Let’s dance.”

“No, I don’t like dancing.”

The hairy man’s request to dance—I declined with disgust, and Henry laughed as if he had been stabbed in the stomach.

The smell of strong alcohol filled the air. His focus was clear.

“If you wish, I’ll even offer you my wife.”

“No need. I’m already engaged.”

“Ah! So you are!”

He laughed again as if his stomach had been pierced. His laughter matched his fierce appearance.

“I’ll come running whenever you call me.”

Henry said, pointing behind him. The men, their faces flushed from alcohol, shouted meaninglessly.

“By the way, are you married?”

“Not yet.”

“I see.”

Henry, who had been laughing raucously, returned to the pile of firewood.

Galahad smoked a cigarette and grumbled.

The men of the North didn’t cry. Instead, they laughed and danced noisily.

In the midst of that jovial atmosphere, there was one person who was crying. It was Gwen.

“Why are you crying?”

Galahad asked sincerely. He couldn’t understand why she was crying when someone he didn’t even know had died.

“B-because someone died.”

Galahad let out a small chuckle at Gwen’s answer.

I see, that was a plausible reason.

However, tears didn’t mean much.

“If I had been stronger, I could have saved them.”

“·······What?”

Damian nodded.

Gwen’s bewildered expression turned into louder sobs.

“It’s not the Captain’s fault! It’s the Demon Tribe’s fault!”

“Hm, what are you talking about? It’s not my fault, of course.”

Galahad said, forcibly pulling away Gwen, who was clinging to him.

Gwen’s face went blank for a moment. The Galahad reflected in her eyes was expressionless.

“I’m talking about what happens when you’re not strong enough. The one lying over there could have been Damian.”

Damian nodded again. Gwen’s crying stopped abruptly. Her expression was as if she had been punched in the face.

The soldiers danced and chatted noisily.

Galahad watched them while smoking a cigarette. Gilbert kept gulping from his water bottle, and Tom comforted Gwen.

“We’ll have a feast when we get back. Of course, you’re paying.”

“Yes, whatever.”

Gilbert nodded feebly.

At that moment, Damian clutched my stomach and said,

“I’m so hungry.”

For the first time, fear appeared on Gilberton’s face.

****

“Whew.”

James let out a soft breath.

Today was James’ first day of department assignment.

‘Operations Division!’

He had been assigned to a place with a cool name. Even his agent name was ‘Galahad,’ which James had admired.

Now, everything seemed to be going well.

James opened the door and immediately bowed deeply.

“I’m here to work in the Operations Division from today… No, I’m Galahad!”

“Oh, so you’re the newbie.”

A soft voice greeted James. When he looked up, he saw a woman with a kind face.

“I’m Hennet. I’m your senior.”

“Ah! Nice to meet you! I’m Galahad!”

“You seem enthusiastic. That’s okay. The Operations Division has a lot of work, but the atmosphere is good. Just don’t make any big mistakes.”

James nodded vigorously at the gentle explanation of the woman who introduced herself as Hennet.

He could see the people sitting at their desks behind her. They were reading or writing something in the dark space, relying only on mana lamps.

They didn’t even pay attention to him. No, they didn’t even seem to have the leeway to look up.

James gulped.

“Everyone’s busy with their own work. Now, come this way. Let’s go greet the Operations Division Chief.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Sharp gazes pierced him. Cold eyes pricked James.

“Shhh, it’s forbidden to raise your voice here.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

“Good, you’ll adapt well. I’m good at reading people.”

James laughed, “Hehe,” at her gentle smile.

Meeting such a nice senior, he was sure that his life in the Intelligence Agency would go well.

Hennet led James to the innermost room. It was a door with all the windows tightly sealed.

“The Operations Division Chief is a sensitive person, but he’s known as the core of the Operations Division. If you just handle your work cleanly, he won’t bother you. Not to mention his abilities.”

Hennet’s voice was full of respect.

It was clear that the Operations Division Chief was a great person.

“Knock on the door and state your agent name. Say you’re a newbie.”

“Y-Yes.”

James checked his uniform and cleared his throat.

‘Now, the life of an Intelligence Agent begins. James.’

James muttered and knocked on the door with force.

Knock, knock!

“Who is it?”

A languid voice rang out from within. Hennett whispered quietly, “State your agent name.”

James then exclaimed forcefully, “Galahad! Rookie.”

As he uttered Galahad, James involuntarily lowered his voice.

Just when he thought he had done quite well.

“Galahad?! There’s no way Galahad would be here! Don’t lie!”

A sharp shriek erupted from beyond the closed door. The man vehemently denied Galahad’s name.

“Dammit! Why me! You bastard! Retirement! I worked so hard! Dammit!”

Soon, he shouted furiously. Bang! There was a sound of something hitting and breaking the door.

“Galahad! I tried to help too! I even made a special team! Really! I’ll do my best to make up for it! I’ll help!”

Suddenly, the voice became gentle. It was like the voice of a merchant proposing a deal.

“Oh! Galahad! You know I worked really hard. Please, don’t retire here.”

Now, he was sobbing. It was the sound of tears falling.

Something was definitely wrong.

“I… something’s strange…”

James turned his head and doubted his eyes. Hennett was running away in the distance.

Then, the inside became quiet.

“Yes, Galahad. Now that you’re here, retirement is inevitable. It’s an honor to be retired by you.”

The voice that had been sobbing until now was calm.

The door opened slowly.

It was a man with dark circles under his eyes. His splendid uniform and the medals on his left chest emphasized the man’s greatness.

James had an intuition.

“Who are you? What about Galahad?”

The life of the intelligence agency was screwed up from the very beginning.