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

43. Empty Glass

‘Phew-.’

Adrianna let out a ragged breath.

She couldn’t even remember how many times she had swung her sword.

‘To think that a magic square would suddenly appear-.’

A magic square was no different from the main camp of the demons. There, the demons became stronger, and humans became weaker.

She didn’t know what the principle was, but the magic square put an especially heavy burden on Adrianna, who burned mana.

Adrianna bit her lip and swung her sword.

The bright white aura that had risen cut the giant tentacle. Ash scattered as the tip of the giant tentacle was cut off.

However, she couldn’t deal a fatal blow. Adrianna’s swordsmanship and the giant monster were not a good match.

It would have been easier if it had been a top-level demon instead.

However, Adrianna didn’t complain.

‘I have to stop it here.’

She simply raised her aura further and moved forward.

Then-.

“You’ve had a hard time.”

A familiar voice came from beside her.

A leisurely voice, as if he had gone on a leisurely outing on a carefree day-.

Galahad was suddenly standing next to Adrianna.

“I was a little late because I was taking care of the wizards.”

Nod.

“Oh, I can tell.”

“Yes, what is the situation?”

“It’s good, since only this is left.”

Galahad pointed forward. Above the castle, four giant tentacles were wriggling about.

‘Only this····?’

It was too big of an opponent to speak of lightly. However, when Galahad spoke leisurely like that, it really felt like it was the case.

“Now, let me explain the plan. Looking at it earlier, it seems like there’s something like a core in the center of that guy.”

“A core, you say?”

“Ah, well-, think of it as a head. We have to destroy that part.”

“I see.”

Adrianna nodded and swung her sword. The flying tentacle was severed and turned to ashes. The shortened tentacle rose upwards.

“The farther you are from the center, the weaker the mana density of the tentacle. That’s probably why you had a hard time. You get stronger when your opponent’s mana density is higher.”

Galahad shook the water bottle. Adrianna nodded once.

“But as a mage, I’m not strong against opponents with low mana density. It means our compatibility is quite good.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows slightly rose.

“Alright, I’ll take care of this. Come behind me.”

“······Yes?”

“Behind me, I said.”

Galahad opened the lid of the water bottle and stepped forward.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Adrianna, who had been stunned for a moment, spoke hastily.

“Um, didn’t I explain it just now?”

Galahad narrowed his eyes and asked. Adrianna hastily shook her head, remembering how Galahad played with Gilbutton.

“I understand.”

“Yes, you’re not Gilbutton, after all.”

Adrianna pressed her lips together.

“Follow me closely. We’ll go quickly.”

Galahad, who had spoken, raised his right hand. A red, flame-like pattern made of blood appeared on his arm. Like a fire that ignited ashes-.

“Yes.”

Adrianna followed someone else’s back for the first time in a long while.

A massive tentacle fell. Galahad, who stood in front of it, looked precarious.

Adrianna habitually grasped her sword, about to step forward.

“Inferno.”

A small flame shot out from Galahad’s hand.

Compared to the massive tentacle, it was only the size of a fingernail, but Adrianna felt a strange coolness.

The small flame, which had started small, engulfed the surrounding ashes and grew in size.

The tentacle ignited in an instant. A nauseating smell spread everywhere.

The sight of the massive tentacle burning was quite spectacular.

“Can you see that? That’s the boundary.”

Galahad pointed to the end of the tentacle. The flame that had been burning the tentacle suddenly stopped and disappeared.

“I’ll take the lead up to there. After that, you’ll protect me.”

Galahad’s eyes were quite serious as he spoke.

“Yes.”

Adrianna nodded firmly.

“I promise.”

Galahad rarely asked again.

Although Adrianna felt a strange sense of unease, she nodded.

“Yes.”

“I’ll only trust you.”

“······Yes.”

That voice tickled her ears strangely, causing Adrianna to turn her head slightly.

Because of that, she didn’t see the corners of Galahad’s lips curling up.

Galahad continued to shoot fire and lightning while gulping down the potion.

His appearance looked dangerous, but Galahad didn’t hesitate.

How long have they been going?

“I’ll go up to here.”

He said that and hid behind her without hesitation. Adrianna laughed a little, forgetting the situation at Galahad’s shameless appearance.

“Did you just laugh?”

“I didn’t laugh.”

“Really?”

Galahad asked, raising an eyebrow. Adrianna coughed a little and readjusted her sword.

Thanks to taking a short break, her condition had improved a lot.

The white aura raged violently again.

“You look prettier when you smile.”

She pretended not to hear the words from behind her.

“Hm, did you not hear me? You look prettier when you smile.”

“······I understand!”

“Are you annoyed now?”

Adrianna pressed her lips together tightly.

She felt like she was going to cough.

****

‘Hmm····, is this it?’

Galahad shook his right arm and raised the corners of his lips.

His right arm felt like it was on fire. It was because he had circulated too much mana.

The magic circle left by the first wizard had various functions.

Among them was a function that made him unrecognized by monsters.

It seemed to be related to the Beast Tamer’s magic circle.

However, there was a limit to that as well.

In fact, as he approached the monster’s core, the monster swung its tentacles at Galahad as well.

Ironically, the magic territory called the sanctuary was helpful to Galahad.

For Galahad, who was a wizard, when the pain seed and the magic circle left by the first wizard were added, the magic territory was rather effective for him.

No, it was not enough to say it was effective.

The magic territory was water.

Galahad was a fish.

‘It’s top-notch-.’

Galahad muttered, looking at the huge tentacles in front of him.

No matter how top-notch it was, it wouldn’t be able to fill that huge mass with high-density mana.

When he actually checked, the very end only had the magic power of a low-level monster. The density of mana became denser as he went inward.

At that moment, Adrianna cut the root of the tentacle. Her sun-like blonde hair fluttered violently.

“Are you okay?”

Thump-.

His heart pounded violently. It was like the egg of pain was gradually cracking again.

‘I guess I’ll have to hold your hand once more.’

The egg of pain wriggled. It seemed to be protesting in vain. Shameless bastard-.

“I feel like the demon isn’t able to focus on this side.”

“Can’t focus?”

···············!!

Adriana’s words were briefly cut off by the intermittent howls of the demon.

“····Just like how the screams keep bursting out right now, it seems like there’s someone else here besides us.”

At Adriana’s serious words, Gallahad touched his cool neck.

‘Has the Grand Duke already come this far?’

Gallahad intentionally moved to the opposite side of the Grand Duke.

They were in a situation where they were on opposite sides, centered around the core of the demon. If what Adriana said was true, it seemed like the Grand Duke had already reached the core.

“It’s not Sir Gilbert or Bellegrime. It could be an enemy. They’re quite strong.”

Adriana said seriously.

Quite strong-, Gallahad clicked his tongue slightly.

“They won’t be an enemy. I believe you’ll protect me.”

“·······You’ll protect me even though they’re not an enemy?”

“Something like that. Will you protect me?”

Adriana’s eyebrows creased slightly.

“Yes.”

Gallahad smiled satisfactorily at that resolute answer.

“I’ll only trust you.”

They moved forward again.

No matter how much they cut and burned the tentacles, they couldn’t pull out the root.

Perhaps because of that, it felt like their numbers were increasing the closer they got.

However, Adriana grew stronger as her opponent grew stronger.

Adriana didn’t stop her sword. The white aurora blazed as if it would paint the world.

The closer they got, the more tentacles shot out haphazardly.

And Adriana blocked them.

Her back was truly valiant.

However, it seemed like that had reached its limit.

Adriana’s hands, which were holding the sword, were trembling.

This was the Demon Realm.

Thanks to the Demon Realm, mages like Gallahad and the demons had become incomparably stronger, but on the contrary, the knights seemed to be negatively affected.

“It’s dangerous.”

Adriana said, looking back at Gallahad. Her expressionless face was all crumpled up.

Her face was covered in sweat. It looked like she was enduring something that could burst at any moment.

“Are you at your limit?”

“······It’s getting harder to control.”

“It’s hard to regulate, you say,” Adrianna said, her voice strained.

Adrianna’s aura blazed more brilliantly than ever before.

Was this truly her limit?

‘There’s no way.’

She was a hero who had fought the Demon King.

Her limits couldn’t possibly be a mere top-class monster.

Adrianna could go further.

She simply needed a trigger.

A trigger—

Galahad muttered softly.

“Not bad.”

His calculations were quick.

“You can do it.”

Galahad smiled, a cigarette in his mouth.

Adrianna couldn’t understand Galahad, who was smiling in this situation.

His next action was even more—

Incomprehensible.

Galahad walked forward without hesitation.

Adrianna, who was struggling to suppress her aura, couldn’t stop Galahad.

Galahad passed Adrianna and stood before the tentacles.

Then, looking back at Adrianna,

“Save me.”

He spread his arms wide.

Aiming for Galahad, the giant tentacles shot forward.

Since they were close to the core, the tentacles’ momentum was fierce.

Galahad looked at Adrianna and smiled.

“Ah.”

At that crazy sight, Adrianna let out a small exclamation.

She released the aura she had been forcibly suppressing due to an instinctive sense of unease.

The aura that she had thought she couldn’t control was also Adrianna’s.

Ah—

The violently blazing aura moved according to Adrianna’s will.

The aura that she had thought she couldn’t regulate was unleashed.

A long white line was drawn.

Thud—

The severed tentacles instantly turned to ash.

Only then did Galahad turn around.

Unlike before, when only the vicinity of the severed part had turned to ash, this time, it had turned to ash all the way to its roots.

“Oh, that did it.”

‘Oh-is that so?’

Galahad, laughing as he brushed off the dust on his coat, made Adrianna’s lips twitch.

She wanted to curse, but she didn’t know how to.

“····Are you out of your mind?”

“Sorry, but I’m perfectly fine. Rather, it’s a problem because I’m too excellent.”

“But why did you-.”

“I simply believed in you.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows furrowed at his unwavering voice.

“What would you have done if I failed?”

“Didn’t you?”

The conversation was not going anywhere.

Why did he have such firm faith, enough to risk his life for it?

Adrianna couldn’t understand.

“You don’t want to become a widow either, do you?”

“I’m not married yet.”

“Oh- ‘yet’, is it?”

He was a man who only caused trouble the more she talked to him. Adrianna shut her mouth tightly.

“Well, then I’ll just have to make you nice and widowed.”

“That was my plan from the beginning. Not to listen to you.”

“Your voice has gotten sharp. Are you upset?”

“······I’m not upset.”

The flames were burning even more fiercely than before.

She hated to admit it, but it was because of Galahad.

‘Crazy man.’

She couldn’t understand him.

··············!!

At that moment, the monster let out a roar.

Unlike before, it was a sound filled with agony.

Soon, the tentacles lost their strength and collapsed with a thud.

‘What the-‘

Adrianna turned her head. It was clear that someone had captured the monster.

Just then-.

Galahad collapsed with a thud.

“I’ve lost all strength in my legs.”

“······.”

Adrianna checked his gauntlets. They were reinforced with leather inside. She desperately squeezed her strength into them. So much so that it was hard to breathe.

After checking it several times like that, she very carefully carried Galahad in her arms.

“It’s nice to have a Lady as a knight.”

His grinning face was quite annoying.

Just then-.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor appeared.

The thick, fleshy piece in his hand, stained with crimson blood, seemed to be the core of a demon. It was as if he had ripped it out himself.

The Emperor gazed at Gallahad, savoring the flesh with a loud, crunching sound.

Only then did Gallahad, still in Adrian’s arms, realize his situation and spoke urgently.

“Let me down.”

But Adrian held him even tighter.

“Adrian?”

Gallahad’s desperate whisper made Adrian’s lips curl up slightly.

After a brief moment, Adrian finally put him down and approached the Emperor.

“What brings Your Majesty to this place?”

“Some guy claiming to be my son-in-law invited me. He said there’s a demon party at the demon realm.”

Adrian asked in a higher-pitched voice than usual. The Emperor turned to gaze at Gallahad.

“Haha, nice to meet you. Your Majesty.”

Galla had bowed deeply, showing his respect.

‘I didn’t know he was that strong.’

The chunk of flesh in the Emperor’s hand was undoubtedly the core of a high-ranking demon.

He had ripped it out with his bare hands, and there wasn’t a single wound on his body. It was hard to gauge the extent of his strength.

Above all-.

‘Did the Emperor use an axe?’

Someone, though unclear who, had written about him in their notes as one of the key figures. He must have used an axe too.

“Why don’t you call me Father-in-law?”

The Emperor asked, revealing his sharp teeth like a shark.

If it looked like it could kill, Gallahad would have been dead already.

Gallahad subtly hid behind Adrian.

“What would you do if you were in my position?”

Adrian scolded again, and the Emperor’s gaze turned back.

Since Gallahad was behind Adrian, he didn’t feel even a hint of the Emperor’s intimidating aura.

‘How can I deal with him?’

Gallahad was thinking of something else.

The chunk of flesh in the Emperor’s hand, the blood dripping from it, was too mesmerizing.

The pain-filled eyes seemed to be begging for it, as if they would snatch it away at any moment.

But the opponent was the Emperor.

The bite marks on the flesh seemed to be proof that he had devoured a real demon.

‘Eating demons raw without even cooking them, what a brutal barbarian.’

It was no wonder he wasn’t just any ordinary ruler of the North. Gallahad clicked his tongue.

“Step back.”

Just then, the Emperor took a step closer.

Adrian blocked his path.

“If it weren’t for Gallahad this time, we would have suffered a huge loss. We would have lost the entire 7th Division, and a unprecedented crisis would have unfolded in the North.”

The Emperor’s footsteps stopped. Adrianna continued speaking.

“This is an unpredictable public performance. It’s only right to prioritize the performance.”

The Emperor’s face twitched at Adrianna’s words.

Galahad was astonished that a person’s face could be so cruel.

He wondered how Adrianna could emerge from that face.

“A performance-.”

“Haha, I’ve only done what needed to be done.”

The Emperor smiled, not averting his gaze, at the sight of the unyielding man.

“Special Forces Commander, I’ll confer the Northern Cup to Galahad.”

The Emperor pulled out a rusty golden cup from his bosom. It was a crudely made cup.

Confering the cup meant officially receiving the Emperor’s recognition.

The Emperor’s recognition, as the ruler of the North, was never light.

He had never given recognition to Adrianna either.

No, he hadn’t.

The Northern Cup was-.

Filled with the blood of demons.

The Emperor poured the demon’s blood into the cup, filling it to the brim. The red blood overflowed, spilling onto the floor.

The man who saw it trembled greatly.

“The Northern Cup.”

The Emperor held out the cup filled with demon’s blood to the man.

“Father…”

“Be quiet.”

Adrianna bit her lip and stepped back.

The Emperor held out the cup to the man.

If he could endure it, he would become the only Northern warrior to receive the Emperor’s recognition.

If he couldn’t, his worth was only that much.

He, as always, was giving an opportunity.

Dying at 99 was a chance to die, but receiving the Emperor’s recognition was something that was originally like that.

A warrior recognized by the Emperor-.

One in a hundred.

No, a unique position in the entire North.

“You can refuse if you’re afraid.”

The Emperor gazed calmly at the man.

There were those who had abandoned the cup and fled.

Those who had gone mad after drinking it.

What would you do?

To the Emperor’s question-.

The man-.

“Thank you.”

Smiling brightly, he downed the cup in one go.

He didn’t even breathe, and his eyes were fixed on it.

Was that not enough?

“Is there no more? Elder-.”

He handed over an empty cup, savoring the aftertaste.

“You’re crazy.”

The corners of the grand duke’s lips curled up in a fierce smile.