The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law Chapter 22

22. Love for fellow alumni

“What happened? Galahad and Corton went out together-.”

In response to his aide Lumian’s question, 5th Battalion Captain Mark nodded.

Things turned out differently than Mark expected.

“Do you know why I called Galahad?”

“Didn’t you plan to summon the wizard Galahad to check Corton? And you were also planning to find out the price of the magic stone.”

“That’s right, Corton grew too fast. There was something fishy about him. I called Galahad to keep him in check. He couldn’t refuse my offer since he had not yet settled down.”

Knock, knock, Mark’s fingers drummed on the table.

“Do you have any problem?”

“They said they captured sixteen mid-level demons, ground puppies, and two wizards. Without Adrianna.”

Lumian paused for a moment. Soon, Lumian squinted his eyes and asked.

“Isn’t that just bluffing?”

“No, that wasn’t the look in his eyes. He wasn’t bragging, he was just talking about something he had done on his way here. It was very monotonous, like the soldiers were saying, ‘Oh, a fox came out today. I caught it.’”

There was a pause in the conversation. Mark tapped his fingers on the table.

“Isn’t it better if you have good skills?”

“It’s a problem because it’s not that good. Don’t you know their composition? The only useful one among them is Sir Gilbert. Even Sir Gilbert isn’t good enough to deal with all of them. If he caught the demons-.”

“The leap is too much.”

Mark nodded obediently at Lumian’s comment.

That was true. Mark often had wild leaps of thought. It was Lumian’s job to catch him.

“Corton and Galahad knew each other. They graduated from the same academy. I heard Galahad was quite famous. I heard there was no news after graduation.”

Lumian remained silent. It wasn’t a question seeking an answer. It was just a question and answer to sort things out on his own.

“After graduating from the academy, there was no news about him, and then he was suddenly sent to be Adrianna’s husband. The count’s third son? What does that mean? He worked in a place related to the imperial family.”

Tok, Mark’s fingers stopped.

“I don’t know exactly what organization Corton belongs to, but he seems to have quite a bit of information. If Corton doesn’t know where he’s going, then one of two things must be happening.”

“What is it?”

“Either he was unemployed or was he in a very secret group. It can’t be the former, so it must be the latter. If he worked for the royal family and was in a very secret group-.”

Lumian gulped at Mark’s silence. Mark squinted for a moment and let out a small breath.

“I don’t know.”

Lumian furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He pretended to know something, but in the end, he said he didn’t know. It was ridiculous.

“It feels like trying to suppress a fox by bringing in a tiger.”

“The leap is too much.”

“This is a leap? It was strange that the Grand Duke created a unit for a magician sent from the Empire. Rumor has it that he defeated Hermun in one go… No, it can’t be a rumor. And on top of that, he killed sixteen intermediate-level demons and monsters in his first mission. How is this a leap?”

Lumian kept his mouth shut at that question. It was certainly an impressive feat when listed. Lumian was starting to get worried.

“Well, I’m worried that I spoke to Galahad in a presumptuous manner.”

“I probably spoke arrogantly, considering the way you usually speak, sir.”

“That’s a big leap.”

Mark replied in an irritated voice.

****

‘I was embarrassed.’

Galahad raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at Corton’s stern face.

They were facing each other in a quiet room. It was a room with bookshelves everywhere, but no windows. Mana lamps placed here and there were lit.

The peculiar, pungent smell of the Mana Lamp made me feel like I was in an information center. The atmosphere in the room was ominous.

The bookshelves on all sides were suspicious. They were closer than the area between them could be seen.

What could be hidden behind the bookshelf?

Galahad muttered softly and put a cigarette in his mouth. He lit it without asking if he could light it.

The fresh lemon scent was deep in the air. I waved my hand, savoring it.

“There’s too much dust.”

The wind blew naturally. The smoke from the mana cigarette followed him and spread widely. Because it was mana cigarette, the smoke did not easily disappear.

Smoke hit the middle of the bookshelves placed on all sides. I watched the smoke dispersing between them.

‘There are three.’

There were two hidden in the left bookshelf and one hidden in the right bookshelf.

‘At the back?’

I came in from the front, but there was no one on the bookshelf at the back, so I was sure there was something behind it.

Galahad shook off the cigarette and assumed the worst.

Two on the left, one on the right, and Corton in front – it wasn’t a good space to fight four wizards.

Galahad pretended to pat his thigh and released his hand.

Did the desk move? I pushed it gently, but it was still there. I doubt they would use a wide-range attack in this small space.

‘Then I guess I’ll grab the one in front first, pull it over, use it as a shield, and deal with the one on the right. Then the one on the left.’

“What are you doing?”

Corton’s question broke my thoughts. Corton still had an uneasy look on his face.

I was planning to catch the remaining three wizards by drilling a hole in their heads and using them as shields-. That was a bit awkward to answer, so I made up an appropriate answer.

“···Ha, you must be in a hurry to accept the offer so suddenly.”

The bastard was talking openly. His voice was full of thorns. If you are too meek, you will be wary. Galahad answered him sharply on purpose.

“Urgent? It was just hard to refuse the kindness of a fellow student. But is this the workplace? It’s smaller than I thought. There’s no magic stone, is it behind the bookshelf?”

The bastard flinched slightly. It was a split second of reaction, but Galahad didn’t miss it.

‘It’s behind the back bookshelf.’

“You’re making a provocation that shouldn’t be done. If you’re a low-quality guy, I’m just being careful because it’ll only smear my face.”

Galahad clicked his tongue slightly at the bastard’s grumbling reply.

‘It’s definitely different from before.’

The old Black Magic Society was nothing to be afraid of. They approached any successful wizard.

Those guys now maintained a cautious attitude even when facing Galahad.

The bookshelf behind it was the same – it definitely seemed like they were more concerned about security than before.

However, in front of Galahad now was a fool who had taken four years to graduate.

Originally, the most fearsome thing in war was not a competent enemy, but a stupid ally.

‘What kind of bait should I give?’

Galahad looked back at his cards.

Something worth giving to a guy from the Black Magic Society.

‘There are a lot.’

The important thing was that he couldn’t find out that Galahad had given it to him.

Magicians originally tended to be overconfident.

If you scratch him gently and make him feel a little more inferior-.

‘Perfect.’

After finishing his calculations, Galahad leaned back against the table and smiled.

Like someone who still can’t forget the glorious times and is still fussing about it.

“Don’t you know my abilities best?”

He smiled arrogantly.

A sneer appeared on Corton’s face.

It was a very good start.

****

Corton had no idea that Galahad would accept his offer.

It wasn’t a proposal in the first place. It was a mockery directed at Galahad.

But Galahad accepted the offer as if he had been waiting for it.

From that appearance, it was clear how urgent Galahad was. He was clearly in such a hurry that he quickly rejected the mocking suggestion of a colleague he could not even remember.

I was a little curious. How did Galahad, who was considered such a genius during his time at the Academy, become like that?

“Ability? Did you have any ability?”

“I am Adrianna’s fiancée. I am destined to become the Archduke’s successor.”

The Archduke’s successor-. Corton couldn’t hide his laughter.

Galahad was sent by the Empire as a pretext for the Archduke’s death. He would never marry Adrianna or become the Archduke’s successor.

“What… did you meet Adrianna?”

“We even hold hands.”

Corton, who was laughing at Galahad’s boast, suddenly remembered Galahad’s identity.

‘Yes, he is Adrianna’s fiancé.’

Being a fiancé was the only way I could get close to Adrianna.

If we received that guy, we could have a chance to deal with Adrianna.

How much was the bounty on Adrianna at Dawn? It wasn’t just a question of the bounty.

If we dealt with Adrianna, the head of the Black Magic Society was no longer a problem. We could see beyond that.

You could go up to the dawn. You could even receive a high position-.

Corton was a little impressed by his own brilliant mind.

“And I’m the captain! Captain! The captain of the special forces.”

Then Galahad spoke again.

This time it was the captain’s voice. At that, Corton squinted his eyes. With only four members, what was there to brag about when a unit with only a name was boasting?

‘No. At least in name, a captain is a captain.’

Although Corton had been dealing with the 5th Battalion’s captain, Mark, he had been feeling its limits recently.

Mark rarely showed any openings. In such a situation, Galahad, who was the leader in name only, was absolutely necessary.

No, it was more useful because it was only in name. If you had the captain Galahad in front and operated it from behind, it would definitely be easier to operate the magic stone field.

Even that bastard was Galahad. He was forgotten as there had been no news for a long time after graduation, but he was still remembered by those who graduated from the Academy.

Whatever his current state, the name Galahad was quite useful.

‘It’s a good thing I’m smart. Another idiot would have missed it!’

Corton felt a little relieved.

It was a good thing he figured out how to use it, but any other fool would have missed out on Galahad’s value.

However, I was concerned about his actions after graduating from the academy.

“What did you do after graduating from the academy? Didn’t I answer earlier? I did this and that.”

It was a blunt and dry answer, but it actually made me feel better.

If Galahad had another plan, he would not have answered so vaguely. Instead, he would have told a detailed story.

Perhaps he was embarrassed to talk about it because his past actions were not that great, so it was clear that he was beating around the bush.

And even if there were any doubts, it didn’t really matter.

He was a wizard.

If you were a wizard, you had no choice but to join the Black Magic Society.

Magic was a slow and blunt discipline. As you advanced in the realm, your ascent became slower and slower. Eventually, you felt like you were facing a wall.

Black magic worshipped only ascension. It sought ascension by any means necessary.

Once you taste that kind of black magic, you will never be able to escape it.

If it were normal, I would have had to report it to the top and wait.

But then there was a chance that someone else would intercept the ball. I couldn’t stand to see that happen.

“Was this something beyond my authority? It’s okay. I guess I can exaggerate a bit when I meet my classmates after a long time.”

Moreover, Galahad’s arrogant attitude was starting to irritate me.

‘This is a valid card. It’s time to throw the gamble.’

Corton, having made up his mind, stood up from his seat.

“Follow me.”

Corton headed to the bookshelf behind him. The wall cracked as he pulled out a series of books.

An underground staircase leading down appeared. The musty air typical of underground spaces greeted me.

“Follow my steps exactly. If you step on something else, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Corton walked up the stairs, his every step filled with caution.

As I went down the stairs, there was a dead end. There was a big guy wearing a black hood.

“Fire.”

“cold.”

After exchanging the password, the guy pulled a hidden lever. The wall cracked roughly. There was another staircase underneath.

As he followed him down, this time iron bars appeared. Corton took out the key, put it in the hole, and turned it. The iron bars opened with a loud noise.

It was stairs again.

This time there were two people wearing hoods. Through the hoods, sharp teeth like those of a wild beast could be seen.

“Well, the process of getting there is quite cumbersome.”

Galahad complained openly.

It was true that it was a hassle. The process was so complicated that even Corton got confused at times.

Corton hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. This wasn’t even a secret. Rather, it was something that was always emphasized at the Black Magic Society.

“When I was in the Empire, the Dark Magic Society was doing very well. There was no noble that I didn’t have connections with, and I even had connections with the imperial family. Then, all of a sudden, a certain group started attacking me. I kept my guard up, but they said that it was such a vicious group that they would never let me go.”

He continued speaking, taking out a magic stone from his bosom. It was a device for opening the next door.

“It’s some kind of group.”

The guy muttered something softly and coughed. Was he laughing? I glanced at him and saw that it was a cough.

“The Dark Magic Society, which was doing well, collapsed under the attack that was worse than that hungry wolf. We moved north to avoid him, but the north we fled to turned out to be a land of opportunity. There are even stories that we are enjoying a boom time. Can’t you tell if you look at me?”

Corton gestured up and down his body. He was wearing a staff with a huge magic stone in it, and a coat made of the skin of a demon. It was an outfit that cost a lot of money.

“It must be expensive.”

The guy asked with a smirk.

“It’s expensive. But the Black Magic Society must have been shocked by being attacked by some group, so they invested a huge amount of money in security. The locations of each branch are unknown, and each branch has a different security system.”

Corton answered, pulling out the next key.

At that moment, the last door appeared. It was a door triple-secured with iron and magic circles.

The Black Magic Society, which had amassed a fortune through the magic stone business, poured enormous amounts of money and capital into security due to fears that could not be overcome.

The door here was the crystal.

“Oh, a security device that uses three magic stones. Even the magic circle’s connection is exquisite. This kind of security isn’t even available in the Magic Tower. This is amazing. This isn’t just a simple magic tool, it’s a work of art.”

Galahad kept checking the doors here and there, exclaiming.

Corton felt proud for no reason.

“The higher-ups were worried that some group would come chasing them all the way to the north. That’s why they poured money into security. So that no one could get near them.”

Corton knocked on the sign above the door. It read, “Security is life.”

Although it was a bit burdensome to bring Galahad without permission, it was something I could endure.

“Even if the leader of some group comes, they will never be able to get through this door. The person who created this guaranteed that no one would be able to open it. Unless they are stupid enough to open it themselves-.”

Corton knocked confidently on the door. In fact, there were three magic stones in just one door.

I turned my head at the sound of laughter behind me and saw Galahad covering his mouth and coughing.

‘What a worthless guy.’

Corton clicked his tongue and pushed the door open.

A triple-locked magic gate boasting ironclad security.

Wide open.

“Thank you.”

Galahad’s gratitude was full of sincerity.

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Fantasy, Fusion,