The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law Chapter 32

32. Competent

“······Where are you going?”

“Your speech has become short, Sir Gilbert.”

Ahem, Gilbutton coughed slightly.

“Where did you say you were going?”

“This is the territory of the demon tribe.”

“Crazy. Do you know what kind of place that is?”

“Do you think I’m you? This is the territory of the demons, so it must be where the demons live.”

Gilbutton held back the swear words that were about to burst out.

The Demon’s territory was an understatement to say that it was a dangerous place.

Even in the 1st Battalion, the territory of the Demon Tribe was only allowed to Adrianna’s direct unit.

The moment you enter the Demon’s domain, your breath is taken away.

It was the first time that a wizard had followed her to such a dangerous place.

Even though Galahad caught the demon twice-.

‘Come to think of it, you’re good at catching demons, aren’t you?’

Galahad was better at hunting demons than most knights.

“I guess it’ll be okay.”

Gilbert nodded.

“I think so too.”

“Did Lady Adrianna give you permission? You are like a sword when it comes to the realm of the demons.”

“I heard it was good. It’s your first date.”

Gilverton chuckled at Galahad’s joke.

A date in the Demon’s territory? Even Galahad would never say something like that.

“······Did you really say that?”

“He denied it because he was embarrassed. He asked Tom to pack him some food.”

Gilbutton opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it tightly. He wasn’t the kind of person who would listen to what was being said in the first place.

“You won’t be able to eat there anyway. It’s full of ash.”

“What? I saw Adrianna cleaning up yesterday.”

“That’s true, but… Captain, what do you think of Lady Adrianna? No. Don’t answer.”

Gilbutton hastily shook his head. It would be a loss for Gilbutton to hear such disrespectful words.

“Then let’s go.”

Gilverton took his sword without a word. Galahad took the bundle Tom had made for him.

It was the darkest time, before the sun rose.

When I arrived at the destination, it was already ready. I arrived at the scheduled departure time, but I felt like I was late for no reason.

“Sir Gilbert woke up late.”

“What is that-.”

“It’s okay. I just got ready a little early.”

Adrianna said nonchalantly. The mood of the guys behind her was still the same.

“What is that?”

Adrianna asked, pointing to the bundle in Galahad’s hand.

“It’s lunch time.”

“It would be difficult to eat anything inside. There’s a lot of ash.”

“It’s okay, I’ll stick to you and eat it.”

“······Yes, I understand.”

Adrianna gestured. Preparations were quickly completed.

Others stepped aside.

“It seems that Lady Adrianna composed the group of non-aggressive people with the leader in mind.”

Gilbutton said, pointing to the remaining ones.

‘That?’

Certainly, her eyes were softer than those of the woman named Mardian. But even so, there was still a pervasive sense of unease-.

The total number of people was ten, including Galahad.

The sun had not yet risen, but soldiers and knights had already come out and were lining up.

Whoosh-. The sound of the horn pushed away the darkness. Drums shook the ground. The soldiers saluted vigorously.

“Let’s go.”

Adrianna took the lead. Galahad was right behind her. The rest of the knights formed a circle around her. Gilverton slid in among them with ease.

Whoosh-!! The sound of the horn rang out deeply again. The darkness that had settled deeply was gradually pushed away. Boom, boom. The sound of the drums rang out just like a heartbeat.

“Put it up!”

A knight shouted. The soldiers whipped the bullocks. The pulleys turned with a scream. The bars went up one by one.

Soon the gate appeared. It opened with a rough scraping of the floor.

A plume of ash rose like a hand through the open gates.

It was a different feeling to meet him in person.

“You’re shaking.”

“You can go back now.”

Adrianna turned to Galahad and said. The knights around her laughed softly.

Judging by the mockery carved into the knights’ faces, it seemed as though Galahad thought they were afraid.

‘I’m scared-.’

It was something I could say because I didn’t know the wizard.

The blood of the demon tribe contained concentrated mana. The strange powers that the demon tribe wielded seemed to be the origin of magic.

It’s not for nothing that magic is said to be the filth of the demon race.

So, for a wizard to enter the realm of the demons was like for a priest to visit a holy place.

This trembling was not due to fear.

“I’m nervous because I’m looking forward to it.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows rose slightly at Galahad’s answer.

“Isn’t this our first date?”

“······I told you no.”

Adrianna’s eyes widened slightly. Galahad chuckled at the cold denial.

As expected, she was a woman who didn’t understand jokes.

Ding ding! The sound of the drums rang out again.

The gates were wide open. Smoke rose slowly, and the black, rotten earth appeared – it was like the gates to hell.

“Please stay behind.”

“I will only trust you.”

Adrianna nodded and moved forward.

The thick ash pushed away as if it were afraid of Adrianna. The black, rotten earth held her feet. The smell of rotten eggs filled the air.

We have officially entered the domain of the demons.

The knights who had been glaring at Galahad just a moment ago were now focused on their guard. Tension was palpable. Gilverton also had a serious expression on his face.

‘This is the territory of the demons.’

Instead of feeling nervous, Galahad felt a deep interest.

Of course, what I was most curious about was the concentration here. The northern part also had high mana concentration, so what would this place where the demons reside be like?

Galahad snapped his fingers, but no mana arrows appeared. The mana was scattered in the middle.

‘This concentration is ridiculous.’

Galahad exclaimed in admiration.

Just passing a wall, the density increased drastically.

‘This is the territory of the demon tribe-.’

In order to manifest magic, the caster’s mana concentration had to be higher than the surrounding mana.

This was because mana flowed from low to high. If the mana concentration was lower than the surrounding area, the mana would be disrupted and the magic itself would be nullified. Just like just now.

Using magic at this level of mana concentration would be impossible with normal mana compression.

It was clear that most wizards would not even dare to use magic here.

The mana concentration was that thick.

However, Galahad was not just any wizard.

There was also a high concentration of mana given by the Egg of Pain.

I flicked my fingers to adjust the concentration and a mana arrow appeared. Thanks to the thick concentration, even though it was a mana arrow, its presence was considerable.

‘Good. I’m glad you came.’

Galahad smiled with satisfaction.

“Are you okay?”

“Very good.”

Galahad smiled brightly at Adrianna.

Adrianna squinted her eyes for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s a bluff-.”

One of the knights muttered, but Galahad was in a very good mood and paid no attention to it.

At that moment, a loud cry was heard from somewhere.

“coming.”

Adrianna drew her sword.

A white, smoky aura rose up and instantly pushed away the surrounding ashes. It was an enormous pressure.

‘oh-.’

That thing would melt the moment it touched me.

Galahad took a step back without realizing it, overcome by instinctive reluctance.

As the smoke parted, huge claws emerged. They were so large and sharp that each claw resembled a razor-sharp sword.

The force of the claws was tremendous. Such a threatening attack came from somewhere unseen, but Adrianna took it with her sword without any trouble.

The monster’s foot was cut off long. Adrianna’s sword, covered in white aura, cut off the giant foot as easily as a piece of tofu.

A huge foot, the size of a man’s upper body, rose into the air. No blood sprayed from the severed area.

It instantly turned to ash, like a piece of paper touched by a high-temperature fire.

Adrianna’s sword smoothly cut through the giant foot.

The monster’s form was revealed. It was a hideous creature with the face of an insect and the body of a bear. Adrianna’s sword cut a long line across its chest.

It was just one time.

Adriana shook her sword as if that was enough.

The creature’s movements stopped. A clean line was drawn across its chest. The scar opened rapidly, as if dry grass had been set on fire.

The monster let out a terrible scream. It was a scream of such pain that it made my hair stand on end.

The monster twisted its body violently. Ashes continued to spray from its gaping scar. It felt as if its very existence was disappearing, as if its soul was burning.

‘The monster is in pain?’

Galahad muttered softly.

Within moments, the monster fell. Its form crumbled to ash.

“Are you okay?”

Adrianna took care of Galahad instead. Galahad nodded forcibly at Adrianna who was not disheveled.

‘If I get this wrong, I’m really going to be in big trouble.’

Galahad touched his neck for no reason.

Then suddenly I discovered a problem.

‘There’s no blood left.’

Adrianna’s black demon was burned to ashes. Not a single drop of blood remained.

There were many curiosities that came with following the demons into their territory, but the main goal was the demons’ blood.

Since I had the Egg of Pain, I planned to drink as much demon blood as possible during this opportunity.

I even borrowed water canteens from Tom for him, but Adrianna ended up burning them all to ashes.

One big goal was lost.

Galahad’s head quickly turned in the face of a crisis.

‘It’s a bit difficult because the concentration of mana is high, but if you apply it-.’

I figured out a way to find the demon.

‘I guess I’ll have to catch it.’

Galahad nodded.

****

‘You’re really scared.’

Robert, who was in Adrianna’s direct unit, smiled slightly at Galahad, whose face had become serious.

The demons and beasts in the Demon Realm were on a different level from the beasts and beasts below. It wasn’t called the Demon Realm for nothing.

The demons and beasts have become strangely powerful in their domain.

He had been making a fuss about catching some monsters and demons down below, but it was clear that he was scared after meeting a monster in the area.

‘Then that’s it-.’

The bluff was obvious. Robert exchanged glances with the knights. They were all snickering.

Then, the guy looked at Adriana and asked.

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable because of the ashes? Can I clean them up?”

The guy who had been quiet for a while started to brag again.

The ash had become lighter thanks to Adrianna. To think that this was all that was uncomfortable-. Robert clicked his tongue slightly.

“Yes, we would appreciate it if you could clean it up.”

Adrianna nodded.

“Grass swaying gently, a gentle breeze, a strong wind, a typhoon.”

The man muttered something strange. Robert unconsciously focused on the strange pressure he felt from the man.

He waved his hand. Despite the grand gesture, it was just a small breeze.

‘also···.’

When Robert grumbled a little-.

“Wow-.”

Adrianna was impressed. Adrianna, who rarely showed her emotions, was amazed when she heard the words of admiration.

‘what?’

Robert turned his head and opened his mouth wide.

The surrounding smoke was being pushed out as if a violent typhoon had swept through.

His vision opened up.

‘This… is this magic?’

Smoke from the ash was the greatest danger in the Demon’s domain.

The strong smell of smoke was irritating to the nerves just by breathing it. In addition, I had to stay alert because I didn’t know when or where the demons would attack. Because of that, I quickly became tired.

The biggest obstacle in the Demon Realm, smoke, was removed with a single wave of the hand.

“Can other wizards do this?”

Adrianna looked at him and asked.

“No, only I can do it. Oh, I guess it’s possible with something like a magic wand.”

“I see. That’s amazing.”

“I am a great magician.”

Robert frowned at Galahad’s arrogant words.

Who knew magic could be used in this way? It was a method I had never thought of before.

No, I never brought a wizard in the first place.

“The demon is coming.”

Adrianna said, adjusting her grip on her sword.

The approaching monster was clearly visible. Its horrifying form was clearly revealed. Instead, the tension was relieved.

What I could see, I could block. What was scary were the invisible claws.

Robert readied his sword. Aura blazed through it.

The battle began with Adrianna leading the way.

They were no match for Adrianna, but they were also elite. In Robert’s case, he was a talented person who had even turned down a position as a deputy commander in another battalion.

The battle went surprisingly smoothly.

There was only one cause.

‘It’s thanks to him that he secured my view.’

I had no choice but to admit it.

With the visibility clear, fighting became much easier than before.

The demons are sinister creatures that attack from the fog, but once the fog clears, it can’t help but be easier than before.

Adriana’s movements were especially free.

It felt a little bit trivial.

Even though it was just the beginning, it was something that didn’t make sense.

‘this-.’

Robert swallowed and looked around.

Everyone had similar expressions.

Something was… something was… strange.

It was amazing just to clear the smoke, but Galahad didn’t stop there.

“I think there’s something over there.”

Galahad suddenly pointed in a direction and said.

“How did you know?”

“I used mana arrows to spread mana, but there was no response from the other side. This method is possible because they are a demon tribe with a high concentration of mana.”

He gave directions with a strange sound.

Everyone nodded because he had shown them something.

And when we arrived at the destination-.

“Finally, it’s the Demon Tribe.”

There were real demons.

Unlike the monsters that rush in without warning, the demons were sinister creatures who waited for an opportunity.

Because of that, finding the demons was quite a difficult task.

To find such a demon-.

“You are amazing.”

Robert nodded at Adrianna’s admiration.

I had to wander around quite a bit to catch the demon. But he found the demon with perfect accuracy and even cleared the fog away.

This is just-.

‘You’re just feeding me.’

Although the expression was harsh, there was no expression more appropriate than this.

Robert pressed his lips together tightly.

At that moment, the guy laughed with a cigarette in his mouth.

“I am as great as you are beautiful.”

It was an unlucky answer, but it could not be denied.

The guy was great.

“Get ready.”

Although they were low-level demons, there were quite a few of them.

The Demons were an opponent that could not be let down their guard regardless of rank.

The battle began with Adrianna leading the way.

If before I was in the position of being attacked, now I am in the position of attacking.

In battle, the first strike was quite important.

Even more so if the opponent is a demon.

The battle didn’t take long.

The knights looked at each other, cooling off their rising heat.

The expressions were all complex and subtle.

Galahad was a wizard of the Empire, a man who had only recently arrived from the North.

When someone like that followed them into the demon realm, everyone had similar thoughts.

I thought, “He’s a guy who’s desperate to die. He’s going to have a hard day because of him.”

It was a natural story. After all, he was an imperial wizard.

It had to be an obstacle no matter what.

But why-.

‘······Competent?’

Robert swallowed hard.

No, the word competent was not enough.

The structure itself changed when he joined.

Until now, I had been going around and blocking attacks from demons and beasts, but now I was actually looking for them.

As if hunting-.

‘So why?’

why?

I couldn’t understand.

Then, Adriana’s voice was heard.

“Why do you collect the blood of the demons?”

Robert turned his head to him and froze.

The bastard was pressing down on the decapitated demon’s corpse with a water bottle, as if he was squeezing the juice out of a fruit.

‘What the heck······.’

Why are you collecting the blood of the demons? And with a smile on your face?

I couldn’t understand what was happening at all.

“Oh, it’s for magic. It helps a lot.”

“Ah- I see. Can I help you?”

“Oh, would you do that?”

“yes.”

Adrianna, who had received the water bottle, received the blood flowing from the corpse of another demon.

Robert gulped at the incongruous harmony that seemed out of place in the bizarre scene.

After a while it moved again.

Gulp, gulp-.

Robert turned his head at the sound of someone drinking coolly and froze.

Galahad was holding the water bottle to his lips.

Robert turned his head away at the red color flowing from the corner of her mouth.

Only then did I see it.

Everyone’s heads are strangely turned outward.

“Hmm, good.”

My head turned a little more.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────

Fantasy, Fusion,