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

39.Noad

“······Do I have to go this far?”

Adrianna asked in a trembling voice.

“This time, our opponent is the Black Magic Society. They have traces of a beast tamer and are the link to the dawn. They are the ones we must catch.”

“······.”

“They don’t hesitate to run away. But what if the hero of the North, you, showed up? They’d run away right away.”

“Do you know much about them?”

Galahad nodded at Adrianna’s question.

“No one will think of you as Adrianna anymore.”

Galahad looked Adrianna up and down. Adrianna was quite tall for a woman.

When Adrianna put on the armor she had picked up from the supply depot, she looked like a clumsy, somewhat dwarfish knight. She looked perfect with the silly-looking helmet on.

Adrianna pondered for a moment before nodding her head.

“And it’s a secret from the members.”

“······Yes?”

“If they know it’s you, do you think Sir Gilbert will stay still?”

Adrianna let out a sigh at Galahad’s question.

“He’ll make a big fuss. The way to deceive the enemy is to deceive your allies first.”

“······There’s reason in that.”

“Hide your power as much as possible. Don’t use aura. You will appear at the decisive moment.”

Galahad urged her again. If they noticed Adrianna’s presence, they would surely run away.

Adrianna was a secret weapon.

She had to appear at the decisive moment.

“······I understand.”

Adrianna nodded, holding her dull helmet. Galahad clicked his tongue and tightened her chin strap.

“It’s important for you to hide your identity. I trust you.”

After another urging, Galahad headed to the carriage.

The preparations for departure were finished.

“Why are you so late?”

Galahad’s lips curled up at Gilbert’s grumbling.

“I’ve brought a new member. His name is Noad. The unusual thing is that he can’t speak, and he can’t take off his helmet because of terrible burns. Never touch his helmet. Everyone, please welcome him warmly. Now, applause.”

Gwen looked at Adrianna with pity in her eyes.

“Yes? A new member?”

Gilbert looked Adrianna up and down with narrowed eyes. His already slitted eyes became even narrower. He was full of displeasure.

“A knight?”

Galahad was slightly impressed by Gilbert’s rudeness. He was Gilbert after all.

Adrianna looked at Galahad. She looked rather dull because of the dull helmet she was wearing.

Galahad nodded slightly, and Adrianna nodded.

“1st Battalion?”

Nod, nod.

“There was no such person. A newbie?”

Nod… nod.

“Tch, a greenhorn has come.”

Gilbert openly clicked his tongue.

Adrianna looked at Galahad. She felt a sense of urgency beyond her dull helmet. Galahad coughed slightly and shook his head.

“To be trained under me-. You should know that you’re lucky. I’m telling you this specially because you’re a knight from the 1st Battalion.”

Was it because she was a new knight who had just joined? Gilbert even said that he would take care of her.

“Um… Sir Gilbert?”

“Tom, are you ready?”

Galahad cut off Tom’s words. Tom looked at Gilbert with pity in his eyes and nodded.

“Yes, I’m all set!”

“Then let’s depart right away. It’s quite a distance to the 7th Battalion, you know.”

Galahad looked up at the thick wall. It was still dark before sunrise. They had to run diligently to arrive before sunset.

“I’ll take responsibility for her education.”

“Yes, I trust you, Sir Gilbert.”

Galahad got into the carriage, ignoring the earnest gaze he felt beyond the dull helmet. Damian was sleeping on Gwen’s lap, drooling.

“···Is it okay to leave him like that?”

Tom asked in a very stiff voice.

“You don’t hold the reins like that, Hah- This is frustrating.”

Unable to hold back his laughter at Gilbert’s nagging from outside, Galahad chuckled.

“Let it be. I wonder when he’ll notice.”

“······I don’t think he’ll notice.”

Galahad pondered for a moment. Even for Gilbert, would he fail to notice?

‘That could happen.’

Since it was Galahad’s request, Adrianna wouldn’t be the first to reveal it.

There was no other way than for Gilbert to notice first.

‘He might not notice.’

Galahad nodded solemnly. Gilbert was so clueless. There was a possibility he wouldn’t realize until the end.

“Wouldn’t it be a new experience?”

Galahad chuckled.

Tom looked ahead with concern.

Gilbert always grumbled, but he was a good person. And he was great at swordsmanship, but-.

He was terribly clueless.

“Hah! What a truly frustrating guy! This is!”

Seriously.

****

“A knight doesn’t know how to hold reins?”

Gilbert clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Speak-. Oh, I heard you can’t speak.”

Gilbert focused on his gestures. The general idea was-.

“Have you never held carriage reins before?”

Nod.

“Hah, are you bragging about being raised preciously?”

Adrianna’s head suddenly hardened. Gilbert openly clicked his tongue.

She couldn’t remember how much persecution she had suffered. However, Gilbert’s words were not wrong.

Adrianna remembered those advices without letting them go.

From noble mtl dot com

“Tsk- Alright, is there anything you’re curious about?”

Gilbert asked with a nervous expression. After pondering for a moment, Adrianna gestured.

“How’s the special forces?”

Nod.

“Hmm·······.”

Gilbert let out a long sigh. Adrianna waited, pulling the reins.

“It’s a mess. Really.”

Gilbert answered bluntly.

“The first member I brought in was a maid. The next was a beast-like boy soldier. How could the foundation be so unstable? Fortunately, Tom is there. If he wasn’t, it would have collapsed long ago.”

Unlike the content, Gilbert was laughing as if he couldn’t believe it. It was a sight she had never seen when he was in the direct unit.

“Also, his luck is incredibly bad. He fights demons, monsters, and even went to the Demon Realm.”

Gilbert laughed out loud. It was an unfamiliar sight. Adrianna quietly watched him.

“Again, how much did that boss jerk around, I lost a handful of hair.”

It was definitely true that her hair had thinned out since she had been under Adrianna. Adrianna nodded seriously.

“Hmm, what kind of guy is the boss?”

Nod.

Gilbert thought about it seriously. His brows were deeply furrowed.

“······A competent madman?”

Gilbert nodded seriously.

“That’s right, a competent madman. At first, I thought he was just stubborn, but that wasn’t it. The boss has a strong faith.”

Faith-. Adrianna muttered softly. Gilbert, who had glanced back for a moment, continued speaking.

“The belief that he is right and everyone else is wrong. I guarantee it. Even if the whole world points fingers at the boss saying he’s wrong, the boss will say this.”

Gilbert paused for a moment.

“I’m sorry, but I’m right and you’re wrong.”

Gilbert imitated Galahad’s voice quite well.

Gilbert laughed out loud. He looked very happy. Adrianna felt a strange feeling that was difficult to describe.

At that moment, the carriage door was roughly opened. Galahad leaned out, grabbing onto the ceiling of the carriage.

“It’s an ambush! Well, this is a splendid welcoming ceremony!”

Fire erupted from Galahad’s hand. The dark forest lit up, revealing a giant monster. A fireball struck the monster. One of the monsters fell right out.

“Now, it’s time to show you the terror of the special forces! Damian!”

“Yes, brother.”

Damian jumped out next to Galahad. Damian grabbed his sword and rolled over. Bam! The moment Damian bounced, the monster’s foot was cut off.

“Next is you! Gwen!”

“Ugh… Ughhhhh!”

Galahad pulled Gwen out as if he were pulling something out of the inside. Gwen, who was hanging limply with her nape caught, screamed loudly.

“Ughhhhhhhhhhh-!”

“Now, Gwen. Show me what you’ve been practicing!”

Galahad grabbed Gwen and shook her. Gwen, who had been screaming, shot a huge fireball.

“Ughhhhh! Fi··· Fire Crater!!”

The fireball hit the monster. An explosion occurred, and the monster was pushed back, but it was not a significant hit.

Just then, Damian clung to the monster that had been pushed back. Damian’s sword sliced the monster’s snout lengthwise.

“Gwen! Excellent! Do it again!”

“Ugh··· Ughhh···.”

Galahad shook Gwen and praised her. Gwen shot another fireball.

“Look closely. This is what a knight is.”

Gilbert exhaled a long breath and swung his sword. The approaching monster was cut in half.

On the body of the monster that rose, a familiar picture was drawn on its belly.

“Boss! It’s a trace of the monster trainer!”

“Oh my! It seems that the 7th Battalion is going to have a big party!”

Galahad waved his hand. The spark that had hit the monster stretched out to the side violently. The monster burst into flames.

“The youngest should just hold the reins!”

Gilbert shouted as Adrianna grabbed the hilt of her sword.

“Hahaha! Sir Gilbert wants you to hold the reins!”

Adrianna briefly hesitated before taking a firm hold of the reins, a mischievous smile playing on Galahad’s lips.

Adrianna felt truly inexperienced.

****

After the monsters failed to inflict significant damage, there were no further attacks.

‘They’ve become quite cautious.’

If it were the old Black Magic Society, they would have continued to attack.

Those thugs, having failed to deal a blow this time, didn’t bother us anymore. It was as if they were simply testing our strength.

They seemed more vigilant than before.

‘What could they have prepared?’

Galahad muttered, gently shaking his water bottle.

‘Are they counting on a high-ranking demon?’

That was a strong possibility since high-ranking demons were formidable opponents.

However, this was not the realm of demons.

‘I have a feeling there’s more to it.’

Falho was a cunning bastard. He likely downplayed his report. It was more logical to assume that they had something more prepared than high-ranking demons.

Of course, it didn’t matter what they had prepared.

We had Adrianna on our side.

“Hah, a rookie Noir? Your hands are shaking too much. Don’t you know how to act like a knight?”

Gilbert grumbled openly, and Galahad barely managed to stifle a laugh.

At that moment, a castle wall began to appear in the distance. It was the 7th Battalion.

Whether due to the setting sun or the overcast clouds, the 7th Battalion was shrouded in darkness. Crows flew all around, cawing incessantly.

The castle itself resembled a gigantic monster. The torches embedded in the middle of the castle walls resembled the monster’s red eyes.

‘We’ve found the right place.’

Galahad muttered, placing a cigarette between his lips.

The carriage slowly approached the castle. In contrast to the massive scale of the castle wall, there were no passersby. We were the only ones on the desolate road.

As we approached the castle, we felt piercing gazes upon us. Figures wearing black hoods could be seen on top of the castle walls. They watched us as if standing guard.

Galahad casually flicked his cigarette. The figures’ bodies shook slightly.

As we drew closer to the castle wall, figures who appeared to be knights and soldiers approached us. They had their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

The ballista on top of the castle wall was aimed at us. There were many soldiers on the castle wall and around the castle gate.

From the knights to the soldiers, it felt like they were ready to go to war with us. It felt like we were about to lay siege to a castle. The pressure was immense.

“What a grand welcome.”

Galahad took a deep drag of his cigarette. The air filled with the scent of lemon.

Would they become aggressive right away? Galahad shook his head. If that was their intention, they would have attacked us on our way here.

They must have set a trap inside. A trap from which we would never be able to escape.

“I am Sherpa, the platoon leader of the 3rd Platoon of the 7th Battalion. The battalion commander is waiting for you.”

Galahad nodded slightly, surprised that a platoon leader, not a battalion commander, was greeting us.

“I am Galahad, the commander of the Special Forces.”

“Ah, could you please step out of the carriage? We’ve had some unfortunate incidents lately, so-“

Galahad nodded calmly in response to Sherpa’s question.

At that moment, the carriage door opened. And out came Gwen, Damien, Tom, and the idiot in the helmet.

A smirk appeared on Sherpa’s face as he saw him. It was a clear mockery.

“Who is this? I heard the Special Force only has five members.”

“He’s a new recruit. His face is covered in burns, so we put him in a helmet. Don’t take it off. It’ll ruin your appetite.”

“Come in. The captain is waiting.”

As if he had only asked out of curiosity, Sherpa led them inside, grinning broadly. He was brimming with confidence.

-Getting Adrianna in without being detected-. The biggest part of the plan was a success.

“Oh, can I wash up before we go?”

“…Excuse me? They’re waiting.”

“I’m feeling icky. Isn’t it common courtesy to wash up before entering?”

After a moment of hesitation, Sherpa nodded. At that, Galahad rubbed his hands together.

“Oh, and I came at His Grace’s command. It’s urgent, so can you gather all the important figures?”

Galahad took out a letter from his pocket. It was a letter with the Grand Duke’s seal.

Sherpa’s face hardened instantly at the sight of it. The Grand Duke seemed to terrify him.

“All of them?”

“It’s urgent. Thank you.”

Galahad’s lips curled up.

He turned his head at a sharp sensation, and the idiot in the helmet was staring right at Galahad.

****

‘They have a lot of troops.’

Galahad recalled the path he had taken here in his mind.

The impure mana movements and armed soldiers present everywhere-.

‘This won’t be easy.’

A tension so strong that it made his fingertips tingle washed over him.

“Where are you going?”

Gilbert tilted his head and asked.

“To do some work. You distract them here.”

“…What kind of work?”

“The 7th Division’s captain is locked up in prison.”

“Do you know where it is?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out.”

Gilbert blinked blankly. Galahad pulled on the string inside his shirt sleeve. The shirt instantly tightened around his body.

“Didn’t you just call a meeting?”

“Yes, and thanks to that, they’ll be short on troops.”

“Can’t you see all the soldiers swarming around the building? It’s packed. Packed-.”

Just as Gilbert had said, soldiers were swarming around the building.

Sherpa had said it was to prevent any potential trouble, but the soldiers were looking this way, not outside. The problem was the shady figures behind those soldiers.

“It’s fine. I specialize in this.”

“No-.”

“Shh, you’re too loud.”

“No way… Didn’t you see them on your way here? There are a considerable number of troops from the 7th Battalion. Some of them looked like mercenaries or mages.”

“I’ve said it before. Sir Gilbert, you have a habit of making a big deal out of nothing.”

Galahad clicked his tongue and slicked back his hair with oil. Tall and handsome. He nodded as he looked in the mirror.

“They’ll be here soon. Are you going to rescue the captain of the 7th Battalion who’s trapped somewhere in the meantime?”

“That’s right. Sir Gilbert, you’ve become clever.”

Gilbert shut his mouth at the sound of footsteps coming from right in front of him.

“Sir Gilbert, do you know when people are most careless?”

Galahad circulated his mana. The orb of pain throbbed. It seemed ready. It was definitely a bit more docile after Gwen had soothed it. It was like having a nanny, in a way.

“Careless?”

“Yes, careless. When they think their opponent has fallen completely into their trap.”

Galahad checked above him after finishing his preparations. It was just a shabby wooden ceiling. Galahad clicked his tongue.

“So you’re going to show them the Grand Duke’s seal, gather them all, and rescue the captain of the 7th Battalion while they’re outside taking a bath?”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Galahad nodded as he let go of his hand.

Hmm. Gilbert let out a soft, making a small humming sound. There was no point in sigh trying to talk him out of it anyway.

“They’re hot-tempered. Even if they say they’re taking a bath, they won’t give us more than a moon’s worth of time.”

A moon’s worth of time.

Galahad muttered softly.

“That’s enough. Oh, you should wash yourself too while you’re at it.”

Galahad greeted him lightly and disappeared.

Gilbert, who watched him for a moment, shook his head.

There was no need to try to understand Galahad.

“Okay, let’s give this bathing thing a try.”

Gilbert took off the rest of his armor.

****

“·······The Grand Duke has disappeared?”

Theodore, the Grand Duke’s vassal, desperately covered his mouth. He thought he was going to scream.

“Wh··· When did he disappear?”

“He······ disappeared after receiving a letter from Lady Andriana.”

Theodore’s head became complicated. The Grand Duke’s footsteps were never light.

Above all, if the Grand Duke leaves the castle-.

‘The agreement with the Emperor······.’

Theodore pressed his temples.

The Grand Duke couldn’t have not known that. Rather, he would know it better than anyone. And yet he moved.

‘Has the time come?’

Theodore sighed softly.

Then a question suddenly came to mind.

What was in the letter that made His Highness the Grand Duke move?

‘······That guy again?’

Theodore shook his head.

Eh-. Surely it’s not that crazy.