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

11. Stone and Magic

“A bit surprised, are we?”

“To be honest, I am. I didn’t think you’d be a demon.”

The woman’s tongue flickered mockingly. In real time, the concentration of mana intensified. It felt sticky on her skin.

‘A demon. This is the worst.’

She pretended to be calm, but her heart was pounding. The mana circulated quickly.

Fortunately, the woman was off guard.

Since the woman knew that Galahad was a wizard, she couldn’t help but be off guard.

It wasn’t for nothing that demons were called the natural enemies of wizards. The blood of a demon was mana throughout their body. And it was highly concentrated mana at that.

Ordinary magic couldn’t harm such a demon. It had to contain mana of a higher concentration than the demon’s blood. It had to be strong enough to light up two or three mana cigarettes—.

“Actually, I expected you to be a spy from the Allied Forces. Those guys are pretty diligent.”

The mana circulated even faster. It was compression using rotation. With the excessive compression, a pop was heard. It was a symptom of mana overload. The heavy mana of the North filled her up.

Galahad glanced back. The idiotic-looking man was nowhere to be seen. He must be waiting in front of the door.

He would try to catch whichever one of them came out alive.

Tok.

At that moment, a small sound was heard near Galahad’s heart. It was proof that the mana compression had reached its limit.

“So, are you going to beg for your life?”

“Will you spare me if I do?”

“Think about it.”

“Then I’ll beg.”

The woman’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t known he would actually beg. Then her laughter grew louder.

“Ahahaha! You idiot! Did you really think I’d spare you? Are you that naive?”

The woman’s tongue grazed Galahad’s face. Its surface had sharp protrusions that scratched Galahad’s cheek.

A sharp pain shot up, but Galahad smiled.

The distance had narrowed enough. The woman was laughing stupidly, and the mana had been compressed to its limit.

‘Now’s my chance.’

An intangible wind flew out of Galahad’s hand.

“···Huh?”

In a split second, the woman’s body twisted momentarily.

A long line was drawn behind the woman, and a huge gash was carved into the wall of the inn.

“Damn it – I was aiming for the neck.”

Thud, the woman’s right arm rolled on the floor.

It was a critical blow, but only an arm – what a waste.

Galahad sighed softly.

To dodge it at that moment—. It seemed that demons were sensitive to mana. Galahad stored the information she had just learned in her head.

“aagh!!! How dare you, a mere·········!”

“Didn’t you lie first? I’m angry too.”

“Die!”

The woman swung her one remaining hand wildly. A condensed, intangible energy shot out of it.

‘Mana lump?’

It was a pure mana lump.

A mana lump! Galahad’s eyes sparkled. Galahad spread his fingers, trying to suppress his excitement. Mana flared between his fingers, increasing its volume. He compressed it as much as he could, regretfully.

A semi-transparent barrier formed ahead.

Bang! Despite being a fairly concentrated barrier, the mana lump broke through it easily and struck his shoulder.

Galahad hit the wall as is. Intense pain shot up his back.

“Ugh.”

A groan escaped Galahad’s mouth.

‘Throwing mana as is – is this a demon?’

He gulped, his mouth full of saliva.

‘This is fun.’

Then how about this?

“Ignition.”

Galahad muttered softly and flicked his fingers.

An explosion occurred next to the woman’s face. It exploded at close range, but all the woman did was turn her head slightly.

‘Basic magic doesn’t work.’

To inflict damage on the demon, he had to compress his mana to the limit as before.

He had to open at least two mana cigarettes, but the woman didn’t seem patient enough to wait for him.

“You little bastard! Die!”

The woman waved her hands in succession. An invisible, dull attack shot towards Galahad.

The excitement that rushed to his head accelerated his thoughts. All he could do was barely block it with uncompressed mana.

‘I have to reduce the size.’

Galahad twisted his hand. He compressed the concentration as much as he could and reduced the size of the magic itself.

It was a shortcut, but it would have a similar effect. Instead, there was a drawback that the range was too small.

To use it, it had to be precise and accurate, like a knight’s sword.

The reduced barrier emitted energy. Galahad twisted his body at the same time.

Whoosh-. His eardrums almost burst from the compressed wind.

The wall behind him shook violently. A large scar was carved into the solid wall.

‘If I make a mistake, I’ll die.’

Galahad desperately maintained his composure. Excitement was poison to a wizard.

‘I can’t attack this way. The range is too small.’

As the distance increased, the mana suppression would decrease, making it impossible to use as an attack.

Whether she was wary of him or not, the woman didn’t move from her spot. She kept shooting out intangible energy, maintaining her distance.

Just deflecting it distorted his mana. A tingling sensation spread through his fingertips.

Just then, a stone fell from the ceiling. The woman furrowed her brows in annoyance at the stone that hit her head.

She easily deflected magic, yet she was annoyed by a mere stone. – Galahad was surprised that magic seemed to be inferior to stones.

‘I see. If it’s worse than a stone, just become a stone.’

Galahad looked around.

The interior of the house was surprisingly solid. Despite the constant pounding of intangible energy, it only cracked.

Thanks to that, there were quite a few fist-sized stones rolling around.

“Detonate.”

Galahad flicked his finger, aiming at the side of the woman. An explosion occurred beneath the woman.

“You imbecile-“

The woman sneered, thinking that the magic had missed her.

At that moment, the stones that had been blasted up from below struck the woman’s face. Her head turned as if she had been slapped.

“You little-“

Fury appeared on the woman’s face.

Galahad flicked his fingers in succession. Explosions occurred one after another.

It was magic that originally wouldn’t have been able to cause her any harm, but now it was different.

“Argh! This stupid magician!”

The woman’s face was filled with irritation from the barrage of stones.

‘This is fun.’

Galahad exclaimed in admiration at the new use of magic. This was the charm and appeal of magic. There were endless ways to use it. He couldn’t help but love it.

“Ugh-, hold on a moment! I’m adjusting the zero point!”

Galahad rolled on the floor, flicking his fingers.

Rolling on the floor while using magic-. It was a sight that would make other magicians faint, but for Galahad, who was a field worker, it was everyday life.

This time, the flying stone hit the woman in the nose. The woman’s movements stopped for a moment.

Her crooked nose collapsed, and blood gushed out. The woman’s face crumpled up like a hideous mask. Her already ugly face became even uglier.

Just as he was about to say something about her wrinkled face-.

“I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you-!”

The woman waved her hand. An intangible energy burst out in all directions.

Its momentum was incomparably more intense than before.

‘Oh my god-‘

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The intangible energy exploded everywhere. It was an invisible disaster.

The ceiling shook and the floor cracked. Thick lines were drawn all around, and everything was destroyed.

If he got even slightly caught up in it, it would be the end. It wasn’t something that could be blocked with a barrier. His hair stood on end with tension.

He had been concentrating so hard that the blood vessels in his eyes had burst.

The woman’s hand stopped. Even for her, it seemed to have been somewhat difficult, as her breathing was ragged.

The surroundings had been scorched. The beloved stones had all turned to dust, their forms no longer visible.

To think that she had crushed all the stones-. It was a truly barbaric yet effective method.

“What can you do now?”

The woman, who had regained her composure, grinned. Her face was full of confidence.

Galahad desperately suppressed his despair and thought.

‘What can I do now?’

His mind raced. He recalled his experience with the perverted lord. He also recalled Adrianna’s tingling hand.

He still hadn’t figured out how to reproduce Adrianna’s method. In that case, the perverted lord’s-.

‘Ah, that’s it.’

Galahad’s gaze fell on one spot.

A new method came to mind.

It seemed like it would be quite fun.

***

‘I am wounded by magic.’

The demon Carnulla clenched his teeth.

Losing an arm to magic was something that would make him a laughingstock among the other demons.

‘I almost died.’

If not for his momentary premonition, his neck would have been severed.

That man was extremely tricky for a magician. The way he cut off his arm and attacked him by throwing stones with some strange magic were all unexpected.

However, he was a magician, and she was a demon.

No matter how much he struggled, the outcome was set from the beginning.

Still, Carnulla didn’t let his guard down. That man had cut off his arm.

Carnulla maintained his distance and slowly pursued the man.

Soon, the man staggered. He looked terrible. His body was covered in dirt and mud, with cuts and scratches all over. It was a wonder he hadn’t collapsed yet.

“This is getting boring.”

He had only struggled because the man’s methods were strange. Even the fact that his arm was cut off was merely due to a moment of carelessness.

He flicked his hand lightly, but the man couldn’t dodge it. The man fell backward, landing on his back.

The man tried to get up, but he collapsed again, lacking the strength.

The sweet smell of blood made Carnulla’s head spin.

“Not bad. For a magician to push me this far—you’re impressive.”

He meant it. Even though his methods were strange, the fact that he had troubled Carnulla this much as a magician was remarkable.

The man on the ground coughed up blood. He looked like he was about to die soon.

‘This is the end.’

Only then did Carnulla slowly approach him.

Carnulla licked his lips, looking at the man who was struggling on the ground. Where should he start eating him? From the head? Or from the legs?

“No, how can you die so easily? Just hold on a little longer. It’ll be tastier if I eat you while you’re still alive.”

“Sorry, but my life is pretty tough.”

The man raised his head with difficulty. Carnulla felt a sense of incongruity as his eyes met the man’s.

‘Those eyes—.’

Even though he was clearly at a disadvantage, the man’s eyes were still calm.

The man raised his hand. A large stone appeared beneath it. It was a sharp stone, as if it had been sharpened recently.

‘To think he was hiding such a trick up his sleeve—.’

How cute.

Carnulla chuckled and covered his face with his arm.

“You idiot. How many times are you going to use the same trick?”

Boom! An explosion occurred. Intense heat seared Carnulla’s body.

But it was just a stone after all. It wouldn’t be able to pierce Carnulla’s arm.

As long as his head wasn’t blown off, Carnulla would be the victor.

Carnulla, who had been laughing for a while, suddenly felt something strange. He could only feel the heat, but there was no pain.

Perhaps he had been unnecessarily intimidated by those eyes. He clicked his tongue and lowered his hand.

But the man was nowhere to be seen. He had clearly been down there, so had he escaped somehow—did he think he could get away?

Just then, he heard a cough from behind him. Carnulla turned his head and doubted his own eyes.

Where Karnthulla had been standing just a moment ago, there was now a man.

‘How did he move that fast with that body?’

The question was quickly answered. The burn scars deeply etched into the man’s back were the answer.

‘…by detonating an explosion on his own back and using the recoil?’

He had used the same method on Karnthulla when he threw the rock at him.

Crazy-. Karnthulla muttered a curse, a terrible chill running down his spine.

The man was holding something in his hand. It was Karnthulla’s severed arm.

“I don’t normally indulge in such hobbies-.”

The man raised the severed arm high and shook it vigorously.

The crimson blood flowing from the severed end drenched him thoroughly.

A sorcerer drinking the blood of a demon-.

At the grotesque sight, Karnthulla felt true terror for the first time. It was incomprehensible behavior.

The blood-soaked man stared at Karnthulla.

Emotion finally flickered in the man’s eyes, which had been calm until now.

It was-.

Suppressed delight.

Karnthulla took a step back at the vivid desire.

Karnthulla’s face crumpled as he belatedly realized that he had retreated.

A demon like him, terrified by a sorcerer-.

Just then, the man swung his hand. The blood on his hand splattered far and wide.

In an instant, the world seemed to rise.

‘…Huh?’

No, it was Karnthulla’s eye level that had dropped.

Belatedly, pain surged through him. He looked down and saw that his legs had been cleanly severed below the ankles.

“What the…”

Karnthulla couldn’t comprehend the situation.

Why? Karnthulla twisted his body in a panic and looked up.

“Ah, it works after all. It’s a method I used before, but since your blood is more concentrated, it’s even easier.”

The man’s voice, which had been calm until now, was laced with excitement. His voice was full of undisguised joy.

The man approached, limping. It was bizarre to hear him muttering and exclaiming in admiration with each step.

Karnthulla desperately flailed his arms.

The man flicked his blood-soaked fingers.

A terrible pain shot through his left arm.

“Oh, when magic and mana of equal concentration meet, magic takes precedence. How fascinating.”

Before Karnthulla knew it, the man was standing right before him, looking down.

His eyes were not calm like before.

“Unlike that other guy, don’t give up so easily. Please, struggle with all your might. Aren’t you a real demon?”

Is that so?

The man’s voice was very polite.

As if he were making a sincere request-.

“What the·······”

Carnitura’s words were cut off.

The man’s hand covered her mouth.

“Shh, you need to focus. Please shut your mouth. You talk too much.”

***

‘If I drink the blood of a demon, my mana concentration will increase momentarily. There will be side effects afterward, but I can endure it somehow. I’ve had nothing but good luck lately.’

Galahad muttered what he had just learned and opened the door.

When he opened the door, the man from earlier was standing there with his sword raised. A vivid aura clung to the sword. He was an Information Bureau agent, even if he was unskilled.

Shock appeared on the man’s face. It seemed like he hadn’t expected Galahad to win.

That was understandable. He was a wizard and a demon.

However, that wizard was Galahad.

The sun was rising dimly. His back felt cold. No, it was freezing. Refreshing.

“Are you going to do it?”

A troubled expression appeared on the man’s face. A sense of guilt crossed his face. Soon, he shook his head.

“It’s fine. Well, it was my fault.”

He’s a good man. He won’t live long. Galahad muttered gruffly.

“Rose was killed by the demon that attacked the Angar.”

Galahad tossed the head of the demon he had been carrying.

Thud! Roll, roll-. The man picked up the head of the demon that had rolled in front of him, his face sullen.

“···Why are you helping me?”

“Everyone makes mistakes. It’s important not to repeat them.”

Galahad coughed lightly. Blood spurted from his mouth. His head was a little dizzy. Did he lose too much blood?

“I won’t forget this favor.”

The man said, his eyes filled with determination. A favor-. What an idiot. This was a rational calculation.

“I’m Handsome.”

“Your agent name?”

“···Yes, how did you know?”

“I could tell. I’m Galahad.”

Handsome grimaced. Normally, when agents revealed their names, it was polite for the other party to give their agent name in return. It was similar to how office workers exchanged business cards. Galahad deliberately avoided making eye contact.

“Time flies. I have to go, I only stepped out for a moment during the company dinner.”

He waved to Handsome and walked slowly.

Only after Handsome was out of sight did Galahad release the mana he had been holding in his hand.

After walking for some time, he arrived at the bar. The door was firmly shut.

It seemed like he was too late.

A familiar figure was standing in front of him. It was Damian. Damian’s mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide.

Galahad staggered and sat down next to Damian. His whole body was in pain. There wasn’t a single place that didn’t hurt. He let out a small scream when he leaned against the wall.

“I told you I was going to die.”

Damian’s voice was indifferent. Galahad laughed with a cough.

“I won’t die with just this much. Did you eat well?”

“Yes.”

“That’s fortunate. Who calculated it?”

“The old man with the slanted eyes.”

“Gilbert? Huh, he’ll grumble again.”

“Son of ab*tch, he said he’d see.”

Galahad let out a cough-like laugh. Crimson blood splattered from his mouth.

A moment of silence passed.

Galahad’s moan broke the stillness.

“Shall I kill him?”

Damian asked in an emotionless voice.

Galahad knew that this was Damian’s kindness.

“I’m fine, I have much to do.”

“Yes, I see.”

How long had they sat like that? The door was roughly opened.

“Kuaagh! What the!”

Captain Hook screamed, jumping up.

“Why are you opening the door so late? You must be rich. I’d like a warm stew.”

“I’ll have meat.”

Captain Hook hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Come on in!”

A wide smile spread across Captain Hook’s face.

The boy extended a hand that held no sword.

Galahad took it with a cough-like laugh.

“Eat a little. I must go to the North soon.”

For the first time, an emotion crossed the boy’s face.

It was sadness.