The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law Chapter 19

19. Palho

‘I survived.’

Tom shook his cold hands and expressed his joy.

Surviving after facing demons and the devil – this was nothing short of a miracle.

But the reactions from people around me were strange.

Damian just lay there muttering about being hungry, and Gwen just sat there blankly.

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

It seemed to be because of the use of magic. Tom also knew about Gwen’s aversion to magic.

Tom clicked his tongue slightly and started with Gwen, who was in the worst condition.

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

“······Did I do well?”

“Yes, of course. If it weren’t for Senior Gwen’s magic, it would have all been over.”

“But I used magic-.”

Gwen’s voice was strained as she spoke. It seemed as if the weight of the magic was different.

I could understand. In the North, wizards were the filth of the cursed demon race. There were quite a few wizards who were burned to death by being hung on trees.

but-,

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

“But if I were a wizard, the children-.”

Gwen’s small muttering made Tom realize the problem.

Gwen often talked about how cute and kind the orphans she looked after were. Gwen’s weakness for money was also because she wanted to feed the orphans.

Gwen seemed worried that if rumors spread that she was a wizard, children would be bullied. She was an orphan, so she would be more vulnerable.

The solution to that was clear.

“Gwen Senior needs to get stronger.”

Gwen blinked.

There was only one reason for being attacked in the North.

“It’s because I lack strength. Look at the captain. He’s a wizard, but he’s strong, so-”

Tom swallowed his words.

Gwen’s eyes widened as if the explanation made sense.

Tom got up from his seat. Gwen wasn’t the only agent he had to take care of.

“hungry-.”

Damien was lying there, thrashing around.

I had brought plenty of food, but I was not sure if it would be enough to feed hungry Damien.

Then, the corpse of a ground pup behind him caught his eye. The taste of the ground pup was horrible, but Damian was not picky about the taste.

‘It was a good thing I brought spices.’

“Me too… I’ll help too!”

“No, you’re just being there to help me. Thank you.”

Tom flatly refused Gwen’s help.

‘When will you come?’

Tom glanced inside where Galahad had led the crow-wearing wizard.

****

‘······oh my god.’

The crow was so shocked that he even forgot to recite the spell.

He’s gotten stronger since then.

Does that make sense?

I would understand if he was a warlock, but he was an intelligence agent.

He absolutely hated humans increasing their mana. He himself was the one who drilled holes in the heads of human wizards.

Isn’t that why the crow found a way out with a magic stone instead of a human?

But you got stronger?

That thing he spread out was definitely······.

‘Wasn’t the hellfire the magic of the destroyed magic tower?’

My hands started to tremble on their own. I felt a sense of injustice. I left everything behind, and now you’ve come all the way here.

At the same time, my head was spinning quickly. How could I survive this guy? There was only one answer.

‘The location of the branch of the Black Magic Society… The situation of the Demon Tribe…’

The crow desperately selected the things he knew that he thought he would like.

Wouldn’t they let me live at this level?

At that moment, a familiar lemon scent wafted in the air.

The crow desperately held back a scream that was about to burst out.

As always, the guy was looking down at the crow with indifferent eyes.

“I… have been waiting.”

The guy squinted his eyes. It was clear that he was displeased with something.

Oops! What a mistake-.

The crow quickly turned over his cloak and took out everything he had. From his pockets to the small magic stones inside – he took out everything without exception.

“Ah, it was Palho.”

The answer was strange, but the crow, paralyzed with fear, did not notice.

The crow quickly lowered its head.

“It’s been a while, hyung!”

****

‘It was Palho.’

Galahad clicked his tongue slightly.

“What is it?”

“This is the source of information I used before.”

Galahad clicked his tongue slightly at Gilbert’s question.

Because magic has derailed the mind, strange things pop up all the time.

In order to manage such impure organizations, it was essential to have an informant. Galahad was very faithful to the basics.

Palho was Galahad’s informant for the Dark Magic Society.

He was a guy who used to ask for information often, but then he suddenly disappeared.

‘It was in the North. That’s why I couldn’t find it.’

Have all the informants who lost contact fled north?

There was a good chance of that. If he had hidden somewhere else, the intelligence agency would have caught him long ago.

“···Do you extort money from informants?”

“It’s evidence.”

Galahad examined the items Palho had handed him. There were two high-grade magic stones, some coins, some parchment, and some miscellaneous items.

‘You must think I followed you all the way here.’

When I think about it that way, I can kind of understand why he’s trembling.

How scary would it be if they chased you deep into a cave on the northern front?

The circumstances were coincidental, but there was no need to explain them.

It was clear that if I just left him alone, he would never betray me again.

Even though he fled all the way to the northern end, he was caught.

Where would you run to?

Galahad finished his calculations and smiled softly.

“Palho, I was worried because I thought you were dead. But wow! You’re alive.”

“Haha…! Ha! There was a reason. The organization that saw me as suspicious sent me to the North. They even had a watcher attached to me, so I couldn’t do anything.”

Palho fell flat on his face. If he hadn’t had his mask on, he would have licked his shoes. Galahad moved his feet back slightly.

“That’s not possible. Palho, you have a brain, don’t you? You wouldn’t have such a stupid idea to run away from me.”

“What are you saying, such an obvious thing! Oh my, I’m sorry for worrying you! Those damn warlocks!”

The crow kept on crying. Galahad laughed, trying to swallow the blood that had risen. He was in a mess, but his composure was his weapon.

“Yeah, I trusted you. We had a pretty good time.”

“···Yes! It is an honor!”

I gently pushed away the arm that was trying to stick to my foot.

“I saw a little while ago that there was a magic circle on the stomach of the ground puppy monster that looked like it belonged to a monster trainer. Do you know anything about it?”

“Oh, that’s it! Of course I know! If we’re going to talk about that, we should talk about those Dawn guys first.”

Galahad belatedly remembered that Palho had been a talkative man.

“Let me make it brief. I’ll give you the details in the report.”

“Yes, to get to the point, the dawn that rapidly grew in power has spread!”

“···You spread the demon trainer’s magic circle?”

It seemed like it wasn’t the original but a reproduction, but Palho didn’t seem to know.

“Yes, Dawn has spread it to the subordinate organizations.”

“Wait a minute, the Dark Magic Society has entered the Dawn Mountains?”

Galahad frowned.

Originally, Dawn was not a very large organization. But they added the Black Magic Society to their organization.

No matter how much Galahad stirred up the Dark Magic Society, it was not enough to go below the dawn.

There was no reason for Palho to lie.

The fact that Galahad did not know was one of the three.

Either the dawn was so bright that it blinded the intelligence agency, or the information was only not passed on to Galahad.

If Galahad had heard, he would have pulled it out by the roots.

The intelligence agency may have been using Dawn.

“Is there a monster tamer at dawn?”

“I don’t know about that. However, the remnants of the Jema War are flowing out from the dawn. It’s not just the demon tamers.”

The Jema War was the name given to the war that the ancient demons waged against the empire.

Galahad took out a leather notebook from his bosom and looked through its contents. It would have been written by any group that spread the remnants of the Jema War.

‘···does not exist.’

It was possible that he didn’t remember. Even if he had written it down, it was important information. However, Galahad had a feeling that the situation was somehow distorted.

‘That’s good news.’

It was a sign that the years that had passed had meaning.

“Yeah, what were you doing here?”

“I was mining magic stones. I was planning to feed the stones to those demons to cause cracks in the front line.”

“You feed magic stones to demons?”

“When a demon is hungry, it eats magic stones. The more it eats, the stronger it becomes, but it also loses its sanity.”

“Is this information from Dawn?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

You know a lot. Strangely enough.

“What is the goal of Dawn?”

“It will be the second Jema War. The plan was to shake things up internally and collapse the front line. They think that the true world will open up only when the walls fall.”

At that moment, Gilbutton laughed out loud. It was an obvious mockery. Palho’s head turned.

“If it weren’t for you, you would have been a lost cause. You arrogant knight.”

“Oh, it’s so funny that you’re tearing down a wall.”

In contrast to the smile, Gilbert’s face was frozen coldly.

“You couldn’t see beyond the wall.”

Palho did not answer Gilbert’s question.

“Anyway, bro. What else do I know-”

No, he didn’t seem to care.

Galahad sent Gilverton away and had a brief moment of consolation with Palho.

Palho, who had become even more docile, obediently spit out all the information he had.

Rather, he brought up things that weren’t asked first.

“Yeah, you’re pretty smart, so I don’t have to talk for long.”

“···Yes! Of course! Go back and send information periodically! Especially to Dawn!”

Palho’s eyes wavered between the masks.

‘The illusion that we had been chased all the way to the northern end played a part.’

It was clear that at this point, he would never run away again.

They were caught at the northern tip, so where would they run?

Palho was smart and cunning, but he wasn’t stupid.

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

“······Is the magic stone damaged? Did you use the magic stone?”

Palho tilted his head stupidly. Galahad pointed to the side. There was a sliver of magic stone that had lost its light.

It was the remnants of the magic stone that was fed to the demon tribe.

“······.”

The crow’s red pupils narrowed and widened through the mask. Shit-. A small curse could be heard.

“I have a stupid demon!”

“Right? I almost misunderstood you. I thought you were breaking your promise and embezzling. You are my property, so everything you get is mine.”

“I… remember. Haha!”

“Right? Since it’s you, I won’t charge you any special interest.”

Tears flowed from her red eyes, as if she was moved. Galahad patted her shoulder.

“Oh, this is the last time I’ll let you see me.”

At the small whisper, Palho bowed his head deeply.

“And when you go, wear it properly.”

Palho nodded and adjusted his mask.

Not showing my face – that was one of the conditions I had to meet while walking with him alive.

As I waved my hand, the eight arrows disappeared into the darkness.

Only then did Galahad let out the breath he had been holding back. A long stream of black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

‘Drinking too much demon blood is bad for your health.’

He muttered, wiping 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 mana screamed. Galahad leaned back against the wall and bit into the cigarette.

‘There’s one left.’

It felt as if my soul, not my body, was being shattered. Galahad clicked his tongue and slid down to sit.

‘I guess I need to sleep a little.’

My heavy eyelids fell uncontrollably.

How long had it been? Galahad opened his eyes with a violent cough.

Gilbert sat there, wearing a very crumpled suit of armor.

“You look like a mess.”

“I don’t think it’s time to point fingers at me.”

“That’s true too.”

Galahad smiled slightly. It felt like he had slept for quite some time after a long time. His mana had recovered a little, but it was still just a drop.

He shook the tobacco that had fallen on the floor and put it in his mouth. He shook his finger, but no fire came out. Galahad shook his finger in frustration. A small fire came to light.

“What on earth is it?”

Beyond the lights, I could see Gilbutton’s serious face. His face was full of tension.

‘Identity···.’

Galahad muttered the funny word for a moment.

“It’s an abandoned hunting dog. It’s lucky it didn’t get eaten.”

The scent of lemon was deep. Only then did my hazy mind slowly come to my senses. I forced myself to turn my mana. It was painful as if I was being burned everywhere, but I didn’t stop.

“Is there anyone who can catch that person?”

“What on earth do you think of me?”

Galahad coughed in laughter at the shock in his voice.

“A wizard who kills demons with magic? I’ve never heard of one.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a pioneer by nature.”

At that moment, a loud laughter was heard from outside.

Galahad stood up, strengthening his loose legs. He unconsciously rejected Gilverton’s outstretched hand.

“I hate it when people touch my body. Especially men.”

“······I don’t do it because I particularly like it.”

Galahad chuckled and moved his heavy feet.

A golden smell filled the air. Large pieces of meat were piled high.

Tom was busy grilling meat in front of a huge fire, with Damien and Gwen next to him. It was a campfire atmosphere.

“Oh, Captain, you’re here. I’ll get it ready for you shortly.”

Tom said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The fan in his hand was spinning noisily. He looked like a first-class chef.

“This isn’t a company dinner.”

“···I know.”

Gilbutton answered pointedly, laying his coat on the floor, which had become a giant.

Galahad did not refuse and sat down on it.

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

At that moment, Tom held out a metal bowl containing golden-brown grilled meat.

“Oh, thank you. Hold this for me.”

Galahad handed the tobacco he had been smoking to Gilverton and picked up the bowl. The meat was full of gamey odor. It tasted like shit. Galahad clicked his tongue and chewed it hard.

‘How many informants have disappeared?’

Galahad counted the number for a moment. Most of them seemed to be in the north,

‘There must be about eight.’

There is even information obtained from Palho.

The amount of work to do was increasing.

I felt busier than when I was at the intelligence agency.

Then suddenly Adrianna came to mind.

“So when on earth is the support coming?”

“I think it will arrive soon.”

“You’re slow.”

Galahad grumbled softly.

****

“Move quickly. Everyone, abandon the carriage.”

Hartna’s eyes widened at Adrianna’s command.

It was obvious that something had happened, as the usually calm Adrianna was speaking so urgently.

Hartna took hold of the reins and slowly moved next to her senior, Carat.

“What’s going on?”

“They say something came out of Gilbert’s direction, and the traces are similar to what hit the 7th Battalion.”

“Oh, you mean the recent 7th Battalion Demon attack?”

“Yeah, but that came from Gilbert. That’s f*cked up. There’s that guy there. That Empire guy. If he dies, it gives the Empire a reason to do it-. Oh, this is really screwed up.”

Hartna let out a small breath at Carat’s harsh insult.

The North of the empire was largely divided into three factions.

A hardliner who says, ‘I can’t stand those f*cking empires anymore, let’s get rid of them.’

‘Let’s be patient. But how can humans fight each other when there are demons?’ A moderate.

The hardliners who say, ‘Let’s wipe out both the Demon Race and the Empire.’

It was divided into three like this.

Originally, the moderates were the most numerous, but after the Adrianna and Crown Prince incident, the hardliners grew in number.

If the Empire used his death as an excuse to pressure the hardliners, it was clear that they would gain power.

Of course, the Archduke will be the one to make the decision, but the Archduke was a blood drinker, not a bloodsucker.

“You were more important than I thought?”

“Then what the hell were you thinking?”

No, why are you swearing at me-. Hartna held back her anger.

“But isn’t the situation over? If it’s stronger than the demons that attacked the 7th Battalion and twelve ground puppies… even if it’s Gilbutton….”

“Yeah, I guess they’ve already searched for it. Are you saying we should go get the body?”

Hartna grabbed the reins at the shout. Looking around, everyone was hastily packing their bags.

There was an urgent response, but no one seemed to suspect that they were completely destroyed.

“It’s fortunate if they can at least hold out. The special forces are really lucky since they’re facing an intermediate-level demon on their first mission.”

Hartna opened her mouth slightly. It seemed as if she wanted to say something.

“What are you talking about now, you brat?”

“That······is not a special forces unit, it’s a special forces unit···.”

“Oh my god! Seriously!”

Hartna pulled the reins hastily.

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Fantasy, Fusion,