< Hunting >
‘Are you worried at all?’
Lucienne looked at Adrianna, who was looking up at the sky.
Adrianna was expressionless as always, but there was a strange discomfort.
“Do you have any concerns?”
Adrianna’s gaze turned to Lucienne. Her blue eyes slowly came back into focus.
“Is it because of the city of the Demons? We are investigating and the results will be out soon.”
Lucienne pointed to the back entrance. The inside of the city was in ruins.
If Adrianna had not discovered the loophole, Captain Galahad’s report would have been false.
The 2nd Battalion Commander led his men out to investigate the area below. The results will be out soon.
Adrianna shook her head.
“There will be nothing.”
“yes?”
“I said it had already been moved. I said it was nonsense.”
“······Who said such nonsense?”
Lucienne’s eyes narrowed. At the Archduke’s command, a large force of hundreds of men moved. Even the 2nd Battalion Captain and Adrianna moved, but it was all in vain-.
There weren’t many people crazy enough to make such a fuss on the orders of the Grand Duke.
“Captain Galahad must have moved the city. So let’s stop fooling around and go hiking together.”
At Adrianna’s words, Lucienne realized that her guess was correct. Lucienne frowned at that.
“You’re going off topic. How dare you-.”
“Okay.”
“···yes?”
“Because it was nonsense.”
Adrianna turned her head again. She looked up at the sky. Her long blonde hair was flowing.
Lucienne stared blankly at the sight. It was a face that even a woman like her found difficult to adapt to.
“Are you saying there isn’t any?”
Adrianna nodded.
Lucienne’s head became complicated. Did she even expect the Demons to disappear?
At that moment, Adrianna stared at Lucienne.
“Lucienne, you’re a good cook.”
It was an unexpected compliment. Lucienne nodded.
“Do you carry paper and a pen too?”
“Yes, because I have to submit a report.”
“Do you keep ledgers?”
“Why do you keep ledgers?”
“You don’t use it. But you do fight often. It’s a tie.”
“······yes?”
“Making a coat out of monster skin?”
Adrianna was usually unpredictable, but lately it’s been even harder to get to know her.
Suddenly, a demon coat-. She didn’t know what it meant, but for some reason, Lucienne didn’t want to say that she couldn’t do it.
“If you do it, then do it.”
“I see.”
Lucienne suddenly remembered Adrianna’s falconry earlier.
“Have you submitted the report?”
“Oh, I will tell you.”
****
The high-ranking demon- no, the Archduke was glaring at Galahad. Blood was dripping from the giant axe in his hand.
Galahad let out a sigh.
The falcon sitting on his right shoulder tapped Galahad with its foot, unaware of his speed.
He urged me to quickly unfold it.
‘It was sent to me.’
Snap. Blood dripped from the axe. The Archduke simply stared at Galahad.
“Isn’t that the case with all daughters? Even if you raise them-. Hmm.”
Galahad opened the letter with a sigh.
[Hello. This is 1st Battalion Captain Adrianna. We arrived at Hell of. The ground has collapsed, leaving no trace. As Captain Galahad said, it was a ‘nonsense’. I should have gone to the Demon’s Grave together as Captain Galahad asked. Oh. Please report to His Highness the Grand Duke. 1st Battalion Captain Adrianna.]
‘I guess I can’t show you.’
The long line drawn under the nonsense was so clear.
It was a word chosen to bring Adrianna, and it seemed to sound quite amusing to Adrianna.
When he looked up from the letter, the Archduke was staring at Galahad.
Galahad stuffed the letter deep into his inner pocket.
“Captain Adrianna is sorry that she couldn’t go hiking with His Highness the Grand Duke. She said she definitely wants to go together next time.”
It’s Adriana’s story, but the Archduke’s eyebrows didn’t go up, they went down.
‘Adrianna doesn’t like coming to the mountains.’
As a father, it was natural that I did not want to invite my daughter to a mountain full of such monsters.
However, Adrianna was deployed to the front lines.
It was clear that there was another meaning.
‘They said this was a place the Empire’s eyes couldn’t reach.’
Plus the missing person – it was clear there was something more.
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“But I can’t let Captain Adrianna come to such a dangerous place. I made it clear that she can’t.”
One corner of the Archduke’s mouth went up. A cool canine tooth was visible between them.
It was unclear whether he was laughing or preparing to eat my neck.
“Ah, the Demon City has collapsed. They say they’re investigating inside, but the chances of finding anything are extremely slim.”
“You’re confident.”
“Yes, since you got caught, it’s only natural to run away.”
“Do you know much about the Demon Race?”
“I know quite a bit. You have to know your enemy to win.”
The Archduke turned his axe. Red blood spurted out.
“It’s your turn this time.”
It seemed like they were taking turns hunting.
Galahad nodded and snapped his fingers.
The mana arrows circled around. The concentration was determined by the size of the mana arrows.
The concentration was higher than outside, but not as much as in the Demon Realm. It was the concentration between the Demon Realm and the Demon Realm.
Galahad moved his mana to lightly touch the archon, hoping to see how much of the mana would work. But the mana didn’t work at all.
‘What a monster.’
If Adrianna was burning mana, the Archduke’s skin itself felt hard. It was questionable how many layers of the demon coat he was wearing.
Curious, Galahad compressed the mana further and stabbed.
At that moment, the Archduke’s eyebrows moved slightly.
‘Did you notice?’
It was very little mana. Unless you were a wizard, you wouldn’t notice. Galahad added more mana.
“What are you doing?”
‘I got caught.’
It seemed like it wasn’t just about having thick skin.
“Oh, I thought it was a monster.”
Galahad turned his mana around.
The snowy mountain was wide. The cold wind tickled his hair. Galahad maintained his concentration and cast a long spell of detection magic.
The detection magic, which was an improved version of the mana arrow, quickly scattered and scanned the surrounding area. It was a method that was possible because they were monsters.
‘There are a lot.’
As Gilbert had described, there were monsters everywhere. Some of them were in groups.
It was not a tomb of demons, but a forest of demons. Galahad examined the demons carefully.
And I found the biggest one among them.
‘It’s this guy.’
Galahad, who had chosen his target, recovered his mana and then sprayed it again. He concentrated on that direction and sprayed his mana. He figured out the shape of the thing.
Galahad, who had confirmed this, chose magic. It was a snowy mountain with thick, dry trees. The magic that suited this environment was, of course,-.
‘Frozen window.’
A transparent spear rose above Galahad. Its purity was so high that there were not even bubbles inside.
Galahad didn’t stop there, and sharpened his mana.
Then we focused on the target.
The monster moved to an appropriate place-.
‘now.’
Galahad snapped his fingers.
The window disappeared in an instant. There was no sound. A small breeze was all that was heard.
A monster’s cry could be heard from afar. It was not a scream, but a sound full of anger.
“You were weak. You’re a magician.”
“Is that so?”
Galahad asked with a faint smile. The Archduke frowned at him.
At that moment, the cries of the monsters came closer quickly. The enraged monsters ran madly. The ground shook violently.
Galahad gauged the distance by the vibrations. Then he snapped his fingers.
The ice spear rose. The cold spear waited for a moment and then fired.
······!!
The monster’s cries were closer than before.
‘It’s a moonfish.’
Galahad put a stick of tobacco in his mouth and snapped his fingers.
The ice spear rose again. This time it was twice as large as before. It was filled with mana.
At that moment, the tall tree in front shattered violently. Wood fragments and snow flew out. A monster jumped out through the gap.
It was a wolf-shaped monster. It was larger than the one the Grand Duke had caught.
An ice spear was stuck in the monster’s nape and left shoulder. Every time it moved, the wounds widened. Ice crystals were sprayed through them.
Soon, the monster staggered with its front legs dangling.
If it had been a beast, it would have turned back by now, but it was a monster. As a monster, it opened its mouth wide.
The Grand Duke swung his axe at the beak that had come right up to him.
“It’s mine.”
Galahad took a step forward and snapped his fingers.
Ha! The Archduke’s soft laugh was heard.
A spear flew towards the gaping maw. It went in without resistance and was embedded deep inside the snout.
The blood of the demon tribe was thick with mana. Mana flows from places with low concentration to places with high concentration. This was the reason why the demon tribe was the natural enemy of magicians.
The same thing applies in reverse. For example, if you use magic with a higher concentration of mana than a monster.
‘The blood of demons becomes fuel.’
The spear embedded in the beak of the monster shook. The ice turned red with the monster’s blood. The monster’s blood instantly froze and became sharp.
The dripping blood crystallized and swelled in size. As if pouring fuel on a fire, the ice crystals became sharp one after another.
A crystal of such size burst through the monster’s hide, and it was as if a bomb had exploded inside.
The demon turned into a very cool ice cone.
‘That’s great.’
Galahad looked back at the Archduke in admiration.
It was a perfectly clean hunt.
The Archduke’s reaction was-.
“It’s so busy.”
Galahad squinted his eyes. How could he be so busy looking at such a work of art? He was worse than Gilbert.
‘Because I’m an ignorant northerner.’
Galahad clicked his tongue slightly, thinking for a moment about how to explain this amazing magical hunt.
“Mana flows from low concentration to high concentration. Oh, what does concentration mean? -”
Thud. I turned my head at the murderous sound, and saw the Archduke pulling out the monster’s head with his hand.
‘You didn’t listen at all.’
The problem was that they were trying to explain magic to northerners in the first place.
The Archduke took a big bite of the giant monster’s head. The bloody sound tickled his ears.
“It’s refreshing. It’s a delicacy.”
It was a confusing review that made me wonder if he had actually eaten ice cream.
This time the Archduke asked a question.
“What do you think of Adrianna?”
The Archduke’s axe moved slowly.
‘It was alternating.’
Each person catches one and asks questions. That seemed to be the general rule.
‘What do you think of Adrianna-.’
I thought about it for a moment. It was clear that it would not be a good idea to answer that it was a sword that would stab the king of the demon tribe.
If not-.
“She is a pretty woman with a pretty smile.”
Galahad nodded.
The Archduke squinted his eyes. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if he was smiling.
There was a moment of silence. Galahad released his hand, measuring the distance between him and the Archduke. It was an occupational disease.
“My heart is beating fast.”
Galahad squinted his eyes for a moment at the Archduke’s question.
The heart? It was a sensitive area for Galahad.
However, instead of questioning him, the Archduke offered him a cup. It was a cup filled with the blood of a demon.
“Haha, I’m shaking.”
Galahad accepted the cup politely and poured it into his mouth.
“It’s cool.”
Demon blood is terribly tasteless, but it was okay when I drank it cold after freezing it.
“Four left.”
The Archduke rose from his seat.
*
The Archduke’s axe disappeared so quickly that it was a blur.
Boom! The tall trees in between were lightly shattered. The axe’s speed did not slow down at all.
·········!
A terrible scream erupted from afar.
Galahad lightly touched his neck. It was still attached. Feeling a little relieved, he followed the Archduke.
The creature lying on the floor was kicking wildly. It had four legs. Each leg had a sharp blade attached to it, so sharp that it scraped the floor.
The Grand Duke approached the monster as if nothing had happened. The monster swung its foot at the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke caught it with his bare hands and pulled it out.
·········!
The creature screamed again. Blood sprayed from between its torn legs. Its bones dangled.
The Grand Duke’s demon dismemberment show began. Crack. A murderous sound erupted continuously.
‘This is the first time I’ve felt sorry for a monster.’
Galahad sipped his water bottle.
At that moment, the Archduke grabbed the monster’s head and looked at Galahad.
“If you cut off the head of a monster, it dies.”
‘It’s the same for humans.’
“I see. I didn’t know.”
Agh. The gruesome sound of eating was heard.
Galahad waited quietly. The Archduke filled a cup with blood and handed it to him. Galahad did not refuse and drank lightly.
The Archduke looked at Galahad, chewing loudly on the monster’s head.
‘Are you asking a question?’
Galahad gathered his thoughts.
The next thing I was curious about was the agreement.
Galahad had expected that the Emperor was binding the powerful men by agreement. He had planned to ask about that first, but-.
‘That’s a bit of a shame.’
Galahad focused on the word agreement.
The treaty meant that there were conditions set by both sides. The Emperor must have promised something as well.
therefore-.
“What will the Emperor give in return for binding His Highness the Archduke to the treaty?”
Galahad asked casually.
The Archduke’s violent eyes stared at Galahad. Broken bones fell between the Archduke’s sharp fangs like those of a beast.
The sound of them eating sounded ominous, and they were even eating the bones. It didn’t seem like they would be lacking in calcium.
“Questions are one by one.”
The Archduke spoke, poking the bone between his teeth. It was a vicious toothpick.
‘It’s not coming over.’
Galahad clicked his tongue slightly. It didn’t seem like he was completely gullible.
However, even not answering was an answer.
‘The agreement is correct.’
Galahad had a feeling that his prediction was correct.
“Oh, that was a long question. What does the Emperor give in return for the agreement?”
The Archduke’s eyes fixed on Galahad. Galahad did not avoid his gaze.
“Do nothing.”
Galahad’s eyes narrowed at the Archduke’s answer.
‘Doing nothing-.’
It was a simple answer, but at the same time it had a deep meaning.
The Emperor had not left the imperial court since before Galahad was born.
The Emperor had never made a public appearance since ascending to the throne. Not even Galahad, who had been the assistant to the princess, had seen him, let alone seen him.
‘Are you saying that you won’t conquer the North?’
Certainly, the Empire was more passive than in the past records. However, everything Galahad did in the Intelligence Bureau was for the Empire.
Even if the Emperor remained silent, the Empire continued to advance. Galahad, who was chosen as Adrianna’s husband, was proof of this.
But you’re not doing anything?
‘Is it limited to the Emperor? Does it really mean that the Emperor doesn’t move?’
at that time-.
The broken bone fragments scattered to the floor with a crisp, refreshing sound. The corners of the Archduke’s mouth went up.
“There are three left.”
The Archduke rose from his seat.
The rules were simple.
When the Archduke catches a monster, Galahad asks questions, and when Galahad catches a monster, the Archduke asks questions.
There are only three chances left.
If everything goes according to plan, Galahad has one question left.
There had to be at least two-.
‘No, all three are mine.’
Galahad’s eyes sank deeply.
At that moment, the Archduke’s axe was pointed at Galahad.
The blood dripping from the axe was quite gruesome.
As I looked at him, a plausible solution occurred to me.
“Do you know that?”
The Archduke’s eyes narrowed. His gaze was stabbing.
My throat felt ticklish and my back felt tingly for no reason.
Galahad took a deep breath and kept his heart beating.
And looking at the Archduke-.
“The monster I caught is bigger.”
One corner of his mouth rose.
It was an obvious provocation. The Archduke’s blood-stained eyes stared at Galahad.
Galahad studied the Archduke for a moment.
The Archduke’s face was crumpled.
The provocation seemed to have been successful.
Next is-.
“Let’s make a bet. There are only three left.”
Galahad snapped his fingers. A small fire lit on the embers.
“Whoever wins takes it all.”
The air was filled with the scent of lemons.
“Good.”
The Archduke’s voice was surprisingly calm.
As if it had been waiting-.
Fantasy, Fusion,
