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

19. Palho

‘I survived.’

Tom shook his chilly hands, expressing his joy.

Facing both monsters and devils and still surviving – it was nothing short of a miracle.

But the reactions around him were strange.

Damian simply lay down, muttering that he was hungry, and Gwen sat down, looking dazed.

Her expression was full of guilt. She looked just like a soldier who had committed his first murder.

It seemed to be because she had used magic. Tom knew of Gwen’s aversion to magic.

Tom clicked his tongue and approached Gwen, who seemed to be in the worst condition.

“Thanks to you, we survived. If it weren’t for you, Senior Gwen, we would have all been killed by that monster.”

“······I did something good?”

“Yes, of course. If it weren’t for your magic, Senior Gwen, we would all be dead.”

“But I used magic.”

Gwen’s voice was barely audible as she spoke. It seemed that the weight of magic was different for her.

He could understand. In the north, magicians were the cursed filth of the devils. There were quite a few magicians who were hanged on trees and burned to death.

However,

“Didn’t you guess it just now? The blacksmith, the sword, and the boy.”

“But if I’m a magician, the children-“

Tom realized the problem from Gwen’s faint mumbling.

Gwen often talked about how cute and kind the orphans she took care of were. The reason Gwen was so weak to money was that she used it to feed and clothe the orphans.

It seemed that Gwen was worried that if rumors spread that she was a magician, the children would be bullied. After all, they were orphans, so they would be even more vulnerable.

The solution to that was clear.

“Senior Gwen just needs to become stronger.”

Gwen blinked.

There was only one reason why she was being treated this way in the north.

“You’re being treated this way because you’re not strong enough. Just look at the Captain. He’s a magician, but he’s strong, so instead-“

Tom swallowed his words.

Gwen widened her eyes, seemingly understanding the explanation.

Tom stood up. Gwen wasn’t the only member he needed to take care of.

“I’m hungry.”

Damian was sprawled out on the floor, flailing his limbs.

They had brought plenty of food, but it was questionable whether it would be enough to feed the perpetually hungry Damian.

Just then, the body of a dead dog on the ground caught his eye. The meat of a dead dog was awful, but Damian wasn’t picky about taste.

‘It was a good thing I brought spices.’

“I’ll help too!”

“No, you don’t have to. Just staying there is a big help. Thank you.”

Tom firmly declined Gwen’s offer to help.

‘When will he come?’

Tom glanced back at the direction in which Galahad had disappeared with the raven wizard.

****

‘Oh my god.’

The raven was so shocked that he forgot to cast his spell.

He had grown stronger than before.

How was that possible?

If he were a black wizard, it would make sense, but he was an agent of the Intelligence Service.

He absolutely despised the idea of humans increasing their mana. Yet he was the one drilling holes into the heads of human wizards.

Wasn’t that the reason the raven had turned to magic stones instead of humans?

But he had grown stronger.

What he was casting was clearly…

‘Wasn’t that the magic of the Magic Tower that was destroyed by hellfire?’

His hands trembled on their own. A sense of injustice surged through him. He had abandoned everything and run away, yet he had been chased all the way here.

At the same time, his mind was racing. How could he survive in front of him? There was only one answer.

‘The location of the branch of the Black Mage Society… The situation of the demons…’

The raven desperately selected information that he thought the man might like from among the information he knew.

Surely this would be enough to spare his life.

Just then, a familiar scent of lemon wafted through the air.

The raven desperately swallowed back the scream that was about to burst forth.

As always, the man looked down at the raven with indifferent eyes.

“I… I have been waiting.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. Something was clearly bothering him.

Oh no! Not this mistake.

The raven quickly turned his cloak inside out and shook out everything he had. From his pockets to the small magic stones inside—he offered everything without missing a single thing.

“Ah, you’re unarmed now.”

The reply was strange, but the raven, consumed by fear, failed to notice.

The raven hurriedly bowed his head.

“It’s been a long time! My dear brother!”

“Oh, it’s Blackhorn.”

Galahad clicked his tongue.

“Who is it?”

“An informant I used to work with.”

Galahad clicked his tongue at Gilbert’s question.

Since magic could damage one’s mind, it often attracts weirdos.

To control such impure organizations, it was essential to have informants. Galahad was a stickler for the basics.

Blackhorn was an informant for Galahad’s Dark Magic Society.

He was a guy who used to give good information, but he had disappeared at some point.

‘He was in the North. No wonder I couldn’t find him.’

Had all the informants who had lost contact fled to the North?

It was quite possible. If they had hidden elsewhere, they would have been caught by the intelligence agency by now.

“Are you extorting money from an informant?”

“It’s evidence.”

Galahad examined the items Blackhorn had handed over. Two high-level magic stones, some pocket money, parchment, and various other items.

‘He must think I chased him all the way here.’

Thinking about it, it was somewhat understandable why the guy was trembling so much.

Imagine being chased by someone all the way to a cave deep in the northern frontlines.

The situation was coincidental, but there was no need to explain himself.

If he just left him alone, he would definitely never betray him again.

He had run all the way to the end of the North, but he had still been caught.

Where else could he run?

Galahad finished counting and chuckled.

“Blackhorn, I thought you were dead and worried about you. But look at you! You’re alive.”

“Haha…! Ha! There’s a reason for that. The organization that suspected me sent me to the North. They even assigned me a watchdog, so there was nothing I could do.”

Blackhorn prostrated himself. If he hadn’t been wearing a mask, he would have been licking Galahad’s shoes. Galahad subtly moved his foot back.

“Of course not. Blackhorn, you’re not stupid. You wouldn’t have thought you could run away from me, would you?”

“Why would you say something so obvious! Oh, I’m sorry for worrying you! Damn necromancers!”

The raven kept expressing its outrage. Galahad swallowed his rising anger and smiled. His insides were in turmoil, but composure was a weapon.

“Yes, I trusted you. We were pretty close, weren’t we?”

“…Yes! It’s an honor!”

He gently pushed away Blackhorn, who was trying to cling to his leg.

“I saw a magic circle that looked like it belonged to a beast tamer on the belly of the earth dog monster just now. Do you know anything about it?”

“Oh, that! Of course I do! To talk about that, we first need to talk about the Dawn guys.”

Galahad belatedly recalled that Blackhorn was a chatterbox.

“Keep it short. Give me the details in a report.”

“Yes, to summarize, it was spread by Dawn, who has been rapidly growing their power!”

“…They spread the beast tamer’s magic circle?”

It seemed to be a watered-down version of the original, but Blackhorn didn’t seem to know that.

“Yes, Daybreak has infiltrated the subordinate organization.”

“Wait, the Black Magic Society has become subordinate to Daybreak?”

Galahad frowned.

Daybreak was not originally that large of an organization. But to think that they had taken the Black Magic Society under their wing–.

Although Galahad had messed with the Black Magic Society, it was not to the point that they would go under Daybreak.

There was no reason for Palho to lie.

The fact that Galahad did not know about this could mean one of three things.

Either Daybreak had become so outstanding that they could avoid the eyes of the Intelligence Agency. Or perhaps the information had not been passed down to Galahad–.

If Galahad had heard about it, he would have uprooted it.

The Intelligence Agency could also be using Daybreak.

“Are there any beast tamers in Daybreak?”

“I do not know that. However, Daybreak is leaking remnants of the Demon War. Not just beast tamers.”

The Demon War was the name given to the war fought between the Empire and the demons in the past.

Galahad took out a leather notebook from his arms and looked through its contents. If there was a group that leaked remnants of the Demon War, it should have been written down.

‘···It’s not here.’

There was a possibility that he did not remember. Even if he had recorded it, they would have been significant pieces of information. However, Galahad had a feeling that the situation was somehow twisted.

‘This is good news.’

It was a sign that the years he had spent were meaningful.

“So, what were you doing here?”

“I was mining magic stones. The plan was to feed the magic stones to the demon and create a rift in the frontlines.”

“Feed magic stones to the demon?”

“Demons eat magic stones when they are hungry. They grow stronger the more they eat, but they lose their reason just as much.”

“Is that information from Daybreak?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

He knows a lot. Strangely so–.

“What is Daybreak’s objective?”

“It must be the Second Demon War. They planned to shake the interior and collapse the frontlines. Since they believe that the true world will open up once the walls collapse.”

At that moment, Gilbert laughed out loud. It was clear ridicule. Palho’s head turned.

“You would have lost your life even without the person in charge. Arrogant knight.”

“Ah, it’s too funny to talk about collapsing the wall.”

Unlike his laughter, Gilbert’s face was coldly hardened.

“You must have never seen beyond the walls.”

Palho did not answer Gilbert’s question.

“Anyway, hyung-nim. If there’s something else I know–.”

No, he didn’t seem to care.

Galahad sent Gilbert away and had a moment of persuasion with Palho.

Palho, who had become much more docile, obediently spilled all the information he had.

Rather, he brought up things that had not been asked first.

“So, since you’re quite smart, I don’t have to explain it in detail.”

“···Yes! Of course! When I go back, I’ll send you the information regularly! Especially anything centered on Daybreak!

Through the mask, Palho’s eyes fluttered.

‘I guess the delusion that he chased me to the end of the North played a part.’

It was clear that if things continued like this, he wouldn’t be able to escape again.

He was caught at the end of the North, so where could he run to?

Palho was clever and resourceful, but he wasn’t stupid.

“Do you know how much damage you’ve caused? Palho, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have treated you so gently. How much did the magic stones cost? It’s enough to buy a whole castle.”

“······Magic stone damage? Did you use magic stones?”

Palho tilted his head blankly. Galahad pointed slightly to the side. The remains of a magic stone that had lost its light were scattered on the ground.

They were the remains of the magic stone that had been fed to the demon.

“······.”

Through the mask, the raven’s red eyes narrowed and then widened. Goddammit-. A small curse could be heard.

“Haha. Of course! I was originally saving them to give to you! But that stupid demon ate them all! Damn it! Shit! Son of a b*tch! Demon!”

“Is that right? I almost misunderstood. I thought you were breaking your promise and embezzling. You’re my property, so everything you earn is mine.”

“Ye··· Yes, I remember. Haha!”

“Is that right? I won’t charge you interest this time, since it’s you.”

As if he were touched, tears welled up in his red eyes. Galahad patted him on the shoulder.

“Ah, this is the last time I’ll let you off.”

At the small whisper, Palho bowed his head deeply.

“And wear your mask properly.”

Palho nodded and readjusted his mask.

Not showing his face-. It was one of the conditions he had set for letting him live.

When he waved his hand, Palho disappeared into the darkness.

Only then did Galahad let out the breath he had been holding. Black blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

‘Demon’s blood isn’t good for your health if you drink too much of it.’

He muttered as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His insides were a mess. All of his mana channels were twisted.

The muscles that had been crushed by the mana screamed. Galahad leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.

‘I have one left.’

It felt like his soul was going to break, not his body. Galahad clicked his tongue and slid down to sit on the floor.

‘I need to sleep for a bit.’

His heavy eyelids fell shut against his will.

How much time had passed? Galahad opened his eyes with a violent cough.

Gilbert was sitting there, wearing crumpled armor.

“Man, you’re a mess.”

“I don’t think this is the time to be pointing that out.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Galahad chuckled. It had been a while since he’d slept so soundly. His mana had recovered slightly, but he still only had one bead.

He picked up the cigarette that had fallen to the floor and put it in his mouth. He flicked his fingers, but no flame appeared. Galahad flicked his fingers irritably. A small flame flared up.

“Just what is your identity?”

Beyond the light of the flame, Gilbert’s face was deadly serious. Tension filled his face.

‘My identity is···.’

Galahad muttered the amusing word for a moment.

“An abandoned dog. It’s lucky you didn’t get eaten-.”

The scent of lemon wafted strongly. His clouded mind slowly began to wake up. He forcibly circulated his mana. It was painful as if he was being burned all over, but he didn’t stop.

“Is there anyone who can eat you?”

“What in the world do you think of me.”

Galahad let out a coughing laugh in the astonished voice.

“A magician who kills demons with magic-. I’ve never heard of it.”

“Didn’t I say it. I have the pioneer constitution.”

At that moment, a boisterous burst of laughter echoed from outside.

Galahad forced strength into his weakened legs and stood up. He refused Gilbert’s hand that reached out subconsciously.

“I don’t like anyone touching my body. Especially men.”

“······I’m not doing it because I like it either.”

Galahad chuckled and moved his heavy feet.

The appetizing smell filled the air. There was a pile of large pieces of meat.

Tom was diligently grilling meat in front of a huge fire, and next to him were Damian and Gwen. It had the atmosphere of a campfire.

“Oh, is the captain here. I will prepare it right away.”

Tom said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The pan in his hand spun noisily. He had the form of a first-class chef.

“This isn’t a company dinner.”

“···I know.”

Gilbert replied sharply and spread out his crumpled coat on the floor.

Galahad sat down on it without refusing.

Looking at Gilbert’s crumpled face, it didn’t seem like he had put it out for Galahad.

At that moment, Tom handed him an iron bowl filled with appetizingly grilled meat.

“Oh, thank you. Hold this for me.”

Galahad handed Gilbert the cigarette he was avoiding and took the bowl. The meat was full of a bloody smell. It tasted like shit. Galahad clicked his tongue slightly and chewed it.

‘How many informants disappeared-.’

Galahad counted the number for a while. Most of them seemed to be in the north for some reason.

‘It must be around eight.’

Add to that the information he got from Palho-.

He had more and more to do.

He felt busier than when he was at the information agency.

Then Adrianna suddenly came to mind.

“So when is the support coming?”

“It will probably arrive soon.”

“It’s slow.”

Galahad grumbled slightly.

****

“Move quickly. Everyone abandon the carriage.”

At Adrianna’s command, Hartana’s eyes widened.

Adrianna, who was always calm, was speaking so urgently, something must have happened.

Heartna approached slyly and stopped next to the senior, Carat, holding the reins of her horse.

“What’s the matter?”

“They say something came out from the Gilburton side, and its traces are similar to what the 7th Battalion was hit with.”

“Ah, are you talking about the recent 7th Battalion demon beast raid?”

“Yeah, but they say it came out from the Gilburton side. Fuck. That guy’s there. That empire bastard. If he dies, it’ll give the empire a reason to-. Ah, this is seriously fucked up.”

Heartna let out a small breath at Carat’s rough curses.

The North was largely divided into three factions regarding the Empire.

‘Let’s wipe out those fucking empire bastards, we can’t take it anymore’ – the hardliners.

‘Let’s endure it. How can we fight among ourselves when there are demon beasts out there?’ – the moderates.

‘Let’s wipe out both the demon beasts and the empire’ – the extreme hardliners.

It was divided into these three.

Originally, the moderates were the largest group, but after the Adrianna and Crown Prince incident, the hardliners had grown in size.

If the empire were to press them using that guy’s death as an excuse, the hardliners would surely gain power.

Of course, the Grand Duke would make the final decision, but the Grand Duke was a blood drinker, not a blood avoider.

“He was a more important person than I thought, wasn’t he?”

“What the fuck do you think, then?”

No, why are you cursing at me- Heartna endured it.

“But isn’t the situation over? If it’s stronger than the demon beast that attacked the 7th Battalion, and there are twelve earth dogs··· Even if it’s Gilburton···.”

“Yeah, it must be over by now. We’re not going to retrieve the bodies or anything.”

Heartna grabbed the reins at his roar. She looked around, and everyone was hurriedly packing their luggage.

There was an urgent response, but no one looked like they suspected the annihilation of that side.

“If they managed to hold out, that’d be great-. The special forces are unlucky to have intermediate-level demon beasts for their first mission.”

Heartna opened her mouth slightly. She looked like she wanted to say something.

“What is it again, kid? Speak.”

“Well…It’s not the special forces, it’s the special operations forces…”

“Ah- Fuck! Really!”

Heartna pulled the reins in a hurry.