The Northern Grand Duke’s Crazy Son-in-Law Chapter 80

< Hiking >

‘What the sudden···.’

6th Battalion Captain Chartien squinted his eyes at the golden staff pointing at him.

The one holding the golden staff was Galahad. He had a strange smile on his face.

‘Did you get caught?’

Chartien’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

No, I left no trace. Because of the Grand Duke’s gaze, I reduced the related things to a minimum.

It was strange that the Archduke suddenly called a meeting.

‘What happened in Hell of? But why did you point me out?’

Chartien glared at Galahad. Galahad still had an expression on his face that was unintelligible.

There will be no evidence. Chartien hardened his expression and looked away.

The Archduke was quietly looking this way from the high seat. Chartien knew that even the slightest slip of the tongue would result in his throat being torn off.

Chartien opened his mouth, his expression hardening.

“Isn’t Hell of a story just for teasing new recruits? What’s in it?”

“Oh, so that’s how it comes out. It’s pretty good.”

Galahad’s ambiguous answer irritated Chartien.

The moment he backed down even a little, it was over. Chartien grabbed the bastard’s golden staff. A cool sensation ran through his hand.

“Speak straight. You seem to be proud of having received His Highness’s approval. I am the leader of the North. I am not someone you can just stab at.”

Several of the other captains nodded. To begin with, there were not many captains who had good feelings toward Galahad. On the other hand, Chartien constantly interacted with the captains.

It was clear who the weight would fall on.

If there was evidence, it would be a different story, but there was no way the bastard had any evidence.

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense. Tension was rising.

“I see, did I misunderstand?”

Galahad’s golden staff was slowly withdrawn.

At the sight of the tail-licking guy, Chartien raised the corners of his mouth and held the golden staff tightly. He was determined to secure victory.

“Tell me the details. What happened in Hell of? Why did you point me out and-.”

There’s no way he could have gone under the Hell of Hell. If he had, he wouldn’t be alive like that.

at that time-.

“There was a city of demons. There was a high-ranking demon called the ruler. This is the golden seal he treasured. Isn’t it pretty?”

Galahad waved his golden staff. Golden staff-. Chartien’s eyes moved.

Ruler-? Chartien’s head became complicated. The story about the Ruler’s baton came to mind. Killed the Ruler? That bastard? The wizard? How?

A lot of questions came to mind.

‘That can’t be true.’

It was clear that he was trying to float. Chartien was not shallow enough to fall for something like this.

At that moment, I felt a coolness on the back of my neck.

‘what···?’

Chartien turned his head and froze.

Because the Archduke was right behind Chartien-.

*

Galahad’s appointment as captain of the 6th Battalion was based on several reasons.

For example, Hell of is a place where the 6th, 3rd, and 5th Battalions take turns patrolling, and recently the 6th Battalion volunteered to do that patrol.

But there were no other reports, and when the Hell of the Abyss story was brought up, the breathing became tangled for a moment – there was quite a bit of evidence, but it was somewhat insufficient.

I was thinking of lightly flirting with him. It was the basics of persuasion.

But it has no meaning now.

Choaaaak-.

Galahad snapped his fingers at the blood that was spraying roughly.

A translucent barrier appeared. The barrier became completely red.

Galahad realized one thing.

The Archduke said that it wasn’t just the Demons who were pulling out their heads.

The Archduke could also pluck human heads. He was very good at it. He was an expert at plucking heads.

The body, which had lost its head, simply collapsed.

The captains’ eyes turned to the Grand Duke. The captains’ faces were varied, but none of them showed fear.

It seemed like a normal thing in the North for a human head to be torn off while still alive.

The Archduke placed the plucked head in front of Galahad. The long tongue dangled. Hot blood dripped down.

“My heart was pounding. Like a hunted prey.”

The corners of the Archduke’s mouth went up fiercely.

Those gathered here were the captains. Their hearts would not beat fast for Hell of the Hill, which was just a place to tease new recruits.

It was a fairly plausible argument.

‘No matter what, you’re pulling out your hair just because your heart is beating fast-.’

From the start, listening to the heartbeat was absurd.

‘I need to be careful with my heart too.’

Galahad took a deep breath as he looked at Chartien’s head lying there.

Pulling out his head. It was a punishment worthy of the Archduke. Chartien will now be remembered as a great example to his captains.

but-.

‘Did you block it on purpose?’

If he had persuaded Chartien, he might have found out more. The Archduke closed him off with a clean draw.

The Archduke stared at Galahad silently, his expression hidden by the blood dripping down his face.

‘That’s interesting.’

Galahad touched the golden staff.

The texture was quite good, so I felt at ease.

****

‘It ended so petty.’

Galahad muttered, biting into his mouth a cigarette.

Chartien became the official, and the meeting proceeded quickly.

The Grand Duke promoted the 6th Battalion’s deputy commander to a general. He then sent the 2nd Battalion, Adrianna’s direct unit, and the 6th Battalion to Hell.

The meeting ended with the decision to reconvene after reviewing the progress.

The sight of hundreds of armed men moving around was quite a spectacle.

“Why do you have that expression?”

Gilbert asked with an ugly face. Galahad clicked his tongue slightly.

“Because nothing will come out anyway.”

“Yes? In that big city? How can that be?”

“As I said last time, go ask the demons.”

“······yes?”

Instead of answering, Galahad shook out his tobacco.

It was a shame that I couldn’t interrogate Chartien, but it was like I got rid of a tooth that was sick. It wasn’t a metaphor, it was a real tooth.

Anyway, I dealt with the suspicious guy among the leaders.

Plus, since they sent such a large force, they’ll have no choice but to move their city. It’ll be a huge loss for them.

It’s a shame we couldn’t catch the ruler, though.

‘I can’t eat it all at once.’

If you are greedy, you will inevitably get into trouble.

To this extent, it could be said that it was resolved fairly well.

“I’m glad Adrianna knows the way.”

“Stupid Sir Gilbert.”

“Huh? You’re a little grumpy today? Oh, is that why you’re acting like this?”

Gilbert smirked. Galahad let out a sigh.

If it had been so, Galahad would have gone to Hell with them.

Adrianna also insisted on him. It was a reasonable argument that Captain Galahad had discovered him, and that he needed to be led by Captain Galahad.

Galahad’s plan was the same.

But the Archduke refused him.

Yeah, it was okay until the rejection.

The problem came next.

[The special forces leader goes hunting with me.]

Hunting. It was a strange word. It meant catching animals, but there was no way the Archduke would move to catch an animal.

“It’s just hunting, right? It’ll be fine.”

“Sir Gilbert.”

“yes?”

“You come too.”

“Hey, I would like to do that too, but didn’t Your Majesty say that he would go alone with the captain?”

Galahad’s face crumpled at Gilbert’s sinister laughter.

“Isn’t this an opportunity to become closer with His Highness the Grand Duke?”

“yes.”

Galahad nodded. It was a bit… no, quite a bit of a concern that we were alone, but it was a good opportunity.

There were many questions to ask, such as the agreement and the reason for choosing Chartien.

“Has the Archduke ever gone hunting with anyone else before?”

“Yes. As far as I know, there are two.”

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Galahad felt a little relieved.

“Who was it?”

“Oh, it would be the former 5th Battalion Commander and the former Chief of Staff.”

“······You’re both full-time?”

What a great coincidence. As I muttered, Gilbert added an explanation.

“Yes, he went hunting and went missing.”

“missing?”

“Ah. It’s nothing. I haven’t seen you since you climbed the mountain with His Highness the Duke.”

“It’s nothing special.”

Galahad touched his neck for no reason.

“Yes, because he’s missing. Oh, it must be because His Highness the Grand Duke goes hunting in the tomb of a monster.”

“The Demon’s Grave?”

“Yes, it is the largest mountain in the North, and it is where the monsters that could not return to their territory gather.”

Galahad let out a sigh at Gilbert’s explanation.

“The 8th Battalion is in charge, but they won’t go up and will only deal with the monsters that come down. Is there a strange energy flowing through them-?”

“This won’t work. I guess I’ll have to ask His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s take Sir Gilbert with us.”

“···yes?”

At that moment, a familiar figure approached. It was Theodore.

“I’m joking.”

Galahad coughed slightly and stepped forward.

“Oh, you shouldn’t go missing. If you’re in danger, call me. I’ll run to you.”

Gilbert’s voice was quite serious. He was holding the hilt of his sword tightly. It seemed as if he had forgotten that his opponent was the Archduke.

“Can you come if I call you?”

“Aha. Shout loudly.”

“What a clever idea.”

Gilbert chuckled. Galahad clicked his tongue and put out his cigarette.

“Damian, come and feed me on time.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

He waved his hand briefly and turned to Theodore.

“This way.”

My steps were heavier than when I entered the city of the demons.

*

The Archduke’s face was fierce.

No, the expression ‘fierce’ was somewhat inadequate. The Archduke’s face was excessively fierce.

From the scars meticulously carved all over its face to its tiger-like eyes and thick jaws, it was a shape optimized for tearing apart prey.

If a high-ranking monster eats garlic in a cave for fifty days, it will probably end up like that.

It was quite a burden for Galahad to have to go hunting alone with such an archduke.

“egg plant.”

Galahad nodded at the voice that sounded like the growl of a beast.

The Archduke moved without a single attendant, carrying only a huge axe on his back.

‘You did a good job bringing it.’

Galahad muttered, grabbing his thick leather bag.

It was a bag that Tom had hastily packed for me when I told him I was going hunting. Since it was Tom’s bag, it would have everything I needed.

‘When I get back, I’ll have to cut Sir Gilbert’s salary and give it to Tom.’

Galahad nodded, muttering a joke. It was a situation where he couldn’t bite anyway.

The place the Archduke was headed towards was a huge snowy mountain. It was a sharp snowy mountain that seemed to reach the sky, but the branches were covered with snow here and there, making it impossible to see inside.

There were watchtowers all around it, more densely packed than in other battalions.

The soldiers and the 8th Battalion Commander were there to greet him. The heavily armed men saluted vigorously. The 8th Battalion Commander ran up to greet the Archduke.

“Are you here?”

The 8th Battalion Captain bowed his head deeply, but the Archduke walked on without even looking at him.

The 8th Battalion commander, accustomed to being ignored, gestured to his surroundings. The soldiers moved busily, opening a path up the mountain.

The sharp wooden barricades that had been erected in several layers were moved aside. The flesh and blood stains on the barricades caught my eye.

The Archduke walked along the open road without hesitation. Galahad followed him, closing his coat.

The terrain was quite rough. Above all, there was no road. It was covered in pure white snow, so it was hard to tell where was where.

The Archduke continued walking in silence.

“It’s a wonderful mountain.”

There was no answer. Galahad also kept his mouth shut and focused on following him. He memorized the number of steps and the direction just in case.

It was convenient because it had a gold pole. It was clearly meant for mountaineering.

How long did it take?

The Archduke’s steps stopped for the first time. He grabbed the axe on his back. Ssrrrung-. The huge axe moved lightly with a cool sound.

I was just amazed at how he could lift that big axe with one hand.

The Archduke raised the axe. It was the posture before throwing. The scream of muscles was heard. The Archduke exhaled deeply. A long puff of breath was blown out.

Gulp-. Galahad swallowed dry saliva and released his hand. Heartbeat! The egg of pain screamed repeatedly. Like prey facing the hunter-.

At that moment, the Archduke’s hand moved. The giant axe flew out in an instant. The sound of the air being torn apart was as eerie as a scream.

The axe disappeared between the trees. Crunch-. A dull sound was heard from a distance.

“Got it.”

The Archduke headed in the direction where the axe had disappeared.

‘What a monster.’

Galahad thought back to the axe he had just seen.

It was violence. Overwhelming violence.

I wondered if something like that was possible without an aura.

Galahad swallowed dryly and followed the Archduke. The Archduke went in for a while.

At the end was a huge monster. The face of the monster was reptilian. Instead of fur, its arms were covered with shells, and from the waist up, it was covered with gray fur.

The creature let out a long scream as if in pain. An axe was stuck in the back of its neck.

The bastard struggled violently. The tree broke and the ground turned upside down at his touch. Blood sprayed in long streams. The white snow quickly turned red.

The Archduke approached leisurely. He really looked like he was hunting.

‘Monster hunting?’

The Archduke approached the monster and grabbed the axe. The monster screamed loudly.

Blood poured out like a fountain, but the Archduke did not close his eyes. He then struck the handle of the axe with his fist.

Kwaang! A loud noise that did not match the fist erupted. The axe disappeared into the back of the monster’s neck.

Boom! The axe handle went in deeper.

Kwaang! Crack. With a heavy sound, the monster’s head snapped open.

Kwaang! The monster’s head rolled across the floor.

The head of the monster that rolled down the slope stopped in front of Galahad.

The monster’s face was wrinkled and twisted. It looked full of fear that was not befitting of a monster.

‘hmm.’

Galahad let out a sigh.

Thick footsteps were heard. The Archduke was in front of Galahad. The Archduke took hold of the monster’s head.

“The devil.”

The monster’s head dangled in the Archduke’s hand. Blood flowed in a long stream from the cleanly cut section.

The monster’s mouth opened wide. Its gaping mouth seemed to whisper, “Run away!” – This guy is a monster-catching monster.

“The head is the most important thing.”

Agh. A bloody sound tormented my ears. Who knew the sound of something chewing could be so bloody-.

The Archduke thrust into the flesh with the puncture marks on it.

“Would you like to eat?”

It was a childish threat. No, was it really a threat? It really did sound like a recommendation.

‘That was a recommendation.’

Galahad clicked his tongue slightly at the look in the Archduke’s eyes.

“I’ll tell you after I eat.”

“You’re an empire bastard.”

The corners of the Archduke’s mouth went up. The monster’s head quickly disappeared.

At that moment, my eyes fell on the dripping blood.

“Oh, you don’t drink blood?”

The corners of the Archduke’s mouth went up.

“Yeah, you like blood.”

The Archduke took something out of his bosom. It was the cup from before.

The glass quickly clinked.

Galahad took the cup and sipped it. The Archduke tore at the flesh and-.

‘We’re a pretty good match.’

Galahad muttered a joke to himself.

I felt like the atmosphere was loosening up a little.

“Please give me another drink.”

Galahad held out his goblet, which he had finished drinking. The Archduke’s eyebrows rose slightly.

‘You’re just like Adrianna when it comes to expressing yourself with your eyebrows.’

Galahad felt a little relieved.

Yeah, if I didn’t like it, I would have voted for it a long time ago. I wouldn’t have bothered to come up here.

“It’s quiet here. The monsters have eaten all the rats and birds.”

The Archduke said, holding out the cup he had filled.

‘You don’t have ears to hear.’

Galahad nodded. That meant that the Archduke’s castle had a listening ear.

“Can’t you catch the rats and birds yourself? I think you’ll be good at it.”

“It’s not the time.”

He said he would catch it someday. Galahad sipped his glass.

I took a moment to look around. Half of the giant monster’s head was gone.

“Where did this rat come from?”

The Archduke stared at Galahad. His eyes were red. It was the blood of a demon.

“All bad things come from the empire.”

The Archduke’s mouth opened slightly. Flesh fell from his sharp, thick fangs with a snap.

‘Something fishy?’

It might not be meaningless. The moment I was about to ask him more, the Archduke stood up from his seat.

“I’ll catch five more.”

Is that one question per bird?

It was a truly bizarre conversation. Galahad nodded.

The moment he tries to move-.

A familiar cry was heard. When I raised my head, there was a huge white eagle in the sky.

It was Adrianna’s falcon.

“hmm.”

The Archduke let out a sigh. His eyebrows were raised.

Galahad also knew that the Archduke cherished Adrianna.

How could the Archduke react like that just by seeing an eagle?

‘You’re a doting father.’

It was like seeing a new side of the Archduke.

“It seems like Captain Adrianna has reported. She must have just arrived, but she’s reporting right away. Captain Adrianna must have been in a hurry.”

Galahad watched the Archduke’s expression and flattered him slyly.

“hmm.”

The Archduke let out another sigh. He pretended not to notice, but his eyebrows rose slightly. It seemed as if he had figured out where to attack.

“Captain Adrianna is embarrassed and pretends not to know, but she talks about His Highness so much in front of me. Oh. I said it was a secret. Oh my. It’s a secret.”

The Archduke’s eyebrows rose a little more.

‘This was it.’

Galahad’s mouth, which had been continuing to flatter him, stopped.

No, I had no choice but to stop.

Because I felt a heavy weight on my right shoulder-.

For the first time, Galahad felt his neck become heavy. He desperately turned his stiff neck.

There was something there that was obviously not supposed to be there.

The white hawk flicked its beak against Galahad’s cheek and extended its paw.

As if telling me to take it quickly.

“Haha, you punk. You got the wrong guy! You have to go to His Highness the Grand Duke!”

The nagging falcon didn’t budge.

The Archduke took up the axe.

A smiling Chartien was seen for a moment.

< Mountain climbing > End

Fantasy, Fusion,