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

24. An Expensive Request

“Just try it once?”

The man held out the glass bottle. The dark red blood inside it rippled.

A warlock who drank the blood of the Dark Clan and the Demon Clan.

‘Crazy···. This is real. That’s real.’

Sheren got goosebumps from his calm voice.

The infamy of the blood of the Dark Clan was well-known in the Warlock’s Guild.

It was said that out of ten warlocks who drank the blood of the Dark Clan, eight died, one went mad, and the remaining one went missing.

He was nonchalantly offering such blood of the Dark Clan.

“Why aren’t you drinking it? Is there anything more efficient than experiencing it firsthand?”

The man was rather rebuking the two.

“I… If it’s really not dangerous, please try it yourself!”

Parantal shouted in a trembling voice.

Amidst Parantal’s face was filled with fear, there was a flicker of longing.

‘Crazy Parantal!’

Sheren let out a small scream.

“There’s not much of it, but can I have a drink?”

The man asked, shaking the glass bottle. He seemed to be asking if it was okay for him to drink this precious thing.

Sheren and Bluetail nodded without being able to answer, feeling a cool sense of alienation.

“Good. Oh, do you have anything like candy?”

“…Candy?”

“Something sweet.”

Sheren, who loved sweet things, took out a few candies and tossed them to the man as if throwing them away.

“Thank you, this is tasteless.”

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The man poured the demon’s blood into the glass cup without hesitation.

“······You really drank it.”

Sheren let out a groan of astonishment at the man who had really drunk it.

The man put the candy in his mouth as if nothing had happened.

He poured the demon’s blood like alcohol and ate candy because it was bitter-.

Sheren felt like all of her common sense was being denied.

“This calculation is wrong. The mana concentration is a bit lower. To express it in a formula-. Hey, are you listening?”

“···Yes? Yes!”

“Lower the concentration a bit more. And the calculation itself is nonsense in the first place? There’s no standard. No standard.”

He even pointed out the calculation right away.

‘Isn’t the demon’s blood over the limit?’

Perhaps thinking similarly, Bluetail picked up the glass bottle.

It was a glass bottle filled with the same demon’s blood that the man had drunk.

“Excuse me…is it really okay?”

“It hurts a little, but it clears my mind.”

After hesitating for a long time, Bluetail swallowed the demon’s blood in one go.

“Hmm, it would be hard to drink it all at once, but you’re young, so you’re full of energy.”

“You should’ve told me that in advance…”

Bluetail’s mouth stopped.

Bluetail’s eyes widened as if they were about to tear. Blood vessels filled her eyes. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t breathe and made a choking sound.

“Oh, it’s okay. It feels like every blood vessel is burning, but that’s an illusion. It’s just pain. Focus. You’re suppressing your mana.”

“Choke-.”

Bluetail gasped for breath and shook her limbs. Blood vessels filled her face. She stood up on her toes.

It was a terrible sight, unimaginable how much pain she was in.

“It’s okay. It’s not the blood of a demon, it’s the blood of a demon beast. It’s been a while since then, so why is it so serious?”

‘Ser···ious?’

She couldn’t be serious, standing on her toes and trembling.

“Well, the method is simple. Think that your mana is in your heart. Imagine pressing it down. It’s similar to the feeling when you inhale deeply. Follow me. Hoo- Ha- Hoo- Ha-. Do it properly. Do you want to die?”

At that moment, Bluetail’s head suddenly lifted up. There was a strange sound of bones twisting. Her flesh rose as if her bones were being pulled out.

“Hmm, I guess it won’t work. I’ll help you just this once.”

The man put his hand on Bluetail’s heart. Blood vessels filled the man’s hand. Bluetail’s rapid breathing quickly stabilized.

Paranthal immediately collapsed. Sherin hurriedly supported Paranthal.

“Paranthal! Are you okay? Are you conscious?”

It took a while for Paranthal to regain consciousness.

The man was reading Paranthal’s research report.

“······Right, the coefficients were high. It was the wrong selection of error range.”

Paranthal, who had regained consciousness, immediately began talking about the research. At Paranthal’s urging, Sherin checked the report.

‘If I change the coefficients-. That’s right.’

The problem that had been bothering her for so long was solved in an instant.

The man’s words were true.

“This.”

Just then, the man pointed to Paranthal’s research report.

Paranthal desperately got up and approached the man.

“The human mana coefficient table is empty in the middle?”

“Ah, the research related to humans is still under preparation. It was part of the section that was lost when we were attacked by a certain group···.”

“I see. Can I have a pen?”

“Yes!”

The man began to write something on the report with the pen he had received from Paranthal.

Paranthal, who absolutely hated others touching her research, watched quietly for now. Rather, her face was full of anticipation.

A moment later, the man handed Paranthal the research report.

“There is a slight margin of error, but it should be within the acceptable range.”

The empty table was completely filled in.

That wasn’t all. The man added additional data to the back page on the spot.

It was all data that had been lost when they were attacked by a certain group. It was necessary for research, but they had been struggling because there was no way to obtain it-.

There were only two possibilities for him to know about it.

A certain group, or the upper echelons of the Black Magic Society, the Council-.

It was unlikely that a certain group would be here correcting the report.

In that case-.

“Are you from the Council?”

The fact that the vice-captain disregarded procedure and let him in, his extensive knowledge of the blood of the mazoku and mazoku, his indifference to drinking the blood of the mazoku, his knowledge of the lost information-.

Everything pointed to the man being from the Council.

“It’s a secret.”

Sherin and Paranthal gulped at the answer that was no different from an affirmation.

The Council-.

Their lips went dry as they actually encountered a story that had only been passed down as a legend.

“Why has someone from the Council come all the way here···.”

“Why do you think?”

The man asked back instead. His leisurely attitude was as if he were testing them.

“To clean up all the rotten bastards!”

Paranthal answered in a rough voice. Her voice was full of anger.

The man snapped his fingers as if to tell her to continue.

“The academy is currently submerged in magic stones! Research has taken a back seat, and it’s filled with rotten people who are proud of their magic stone staffs! They even force a magic stone quota on us, who are in charge of research!”

Pantal spat out his words like he was coughing up blood. Since Pantal was usually full of complaints, his voice was filled with urgency.

The man nodded.

“I am preparing for a renewal.”

Renewal-. Shern quietly muttered the sweet yet thrilling word.

“Magic stones are good. Aren’t they just stones that cost a lot to summon? Even so, they’re still just stones. Do you think a lump of rock will reveal the truth?”

The man’s voice was powerful. Shern blankly nodded.

“You guys are the only ones who are useful. The others are all fake magicians who just lick magic tools.”

Pantal’s body trembled in response to the man’s approval. Isn’t his reaction a bit too extreme? Shern grimaced slightly.

“I will cut away the rotten flesh to make room for new life. Pantal, you have passed.”

Pantal burst into cheers at the man’s nomination. His eyes were even filled with tears.

“I thought this day would come!”

It was the Black Magic Society that he had entered to worship advancement. However, research had taken a back seat, and the days of digging in the magic stone quarry had gradually increased. It was a very sweet word for Pantal, who had been furious.

“Pantal, give me your hand.”

“Thank you!”

The man grabbed Pantal’s wrist. Rough sparks continuously flew from the man’s hand. It was truly a splendid and elaborate magic.

To cast such elaborate magic without an incantation-.

‘As expected of the main society!’

“Alright, this is your seal.”

A splendid lightning-shaped scar appeared on the inside of Pantal’s wrist. Pantal looked at him with hot tears in his eyes.

“What about…me?!”

Shern asked urgently.

“There is one condition.”

The man pushed forward a glass bottle filled with the blood of a magical beast.

“Show me your sincerity.”

Gulping-. Shern swallowed his saliva.

It was an ignorant test, but it was a test that could not be deceived because of its ignorance.

“Drink it! Shern!”

Pantal, who had always been kind to Shern, glared at him with his eyes turned upside down and shouted.

Under that pressure, Shern gulped down the blood of the magical beast.

It felt like he had swallowed fire. It wasn’t just fire. It was a fire with thorns all over it.

He was overwhelmed by the pain as if his insides were being torn apart and burned by fire. Shern’s mind became dizzy for a moment.

Then, the pain slowly subsided.

The moment he faced the man who was looking at him with a relaxed expression, he could understand Pantal’s madness.

It was natural to feel awe for the man who controlled such pain so indifferently.

“You have also passed.”

Shern and Pantal nodded at each other. The humiliation they had suffered melted away.

“Now, you are my direct subordinates. Congratulations.”

The two nodded with faces that had become noticeably solemn.

“For now, stay here and act as usual, but organize the information about the branch. Especially Corthorn.”

Sheren and Paltal nodded.

“Oh, could you give me some paper? Thank you.”

“No!”

The man began to quickly write something on a blank piece of paper.

“The standard will be Mana Arrows. I’ll use this to study the blood of the mazoku. Since we can utilize the blood of a monster, that should be enough.”

“Of course!”

Sheren’s eyes widened. It was detailed information about the blood of the mazoku. The man had just waved it around, but it was exactly the information they needed.

“Oh, human research is prohibited. There’s talk that a certain group is approaching. If there’s anyone doing that kind of research, be sure to write it down separately. Always remember to renew.”

At the man’s serious voice, the two nodded with solemn faces.

“I’ll come again next time.”

The man said softly and stood up.

At that moment, the door opened and Deputy Director Colton appeared.

The man smiled as if wondering what had just happened.

****

“How was the research?”

“Not bad.”

It was easier to fool the magicians who were only doing research than it was for Agent Galahad to turn his hand over.

Needless to say, they even had the information they had.

Persuasion was Galahad’s specialty.

‘You’ve set up a research institute.’

Their research was poor right now. He had high expectations because they had a lot of magic stones and expensive magic tools, but it was nothing special.

Still, they were useful guys.

They had given him direction and information about the blood of the mazoku, so they would have results the next time he came.

He had even assigned them the role of monitoring Colton, so it couldn’t have been better.

‘I have to dig two holes.’

Now that he had gotten a hold of Colton, he could put his confidants on both sides and have them monitor each other.

At that moment, Colton, who had checked outside, locked the door.

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

Colton said with a serious face that didn’t match the occasion.

“Kill Adrianna.”

Galahad swallowed at the overly direct request.

To kill Adrianna right away-.

“Well······, very high-ranking people want Adrianna dead. If you take care of Adrianna, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

The dawn was clear.

“How high-ranking?”

Colton chuckled.

“Do you think we’d be researching mazoku for nothing?”

Galahad realized why Colton had shown him the research.

The Empire had strictly forbidden the study of mazoku. The Empire uprooted any research related to the mazoku.

The fact that they were researching such mazoku-.

‘It seems that their power is not something the Empire can ignore.’

The dawn seemed bigger than he thought. While putting a cigarette in his mouth, Galahad organized his thoughts.

‘The dawn has put a bounty on Adrianna. That reward must be quite large. Adrianna is their biggest obstacle after all.’

It seemed like our greedy Colton intended to proceed without telling the branch manager.

‘He intends to eat it all by himself.’

In other words, it meant that secrecy was guaranteed.

‘A request to kill Adrianna huh-‘

The scent of lemon wafted deeply.

Considering the situation, a request to kill Adrianna-.

‘It’s not bad.’

It was quite a good offer.

Of course, he had no intention of actually killing Adrianna. It was questionable whether it was even possible in the first place.

However, it was an opportunity to approach the dawn.

It wasn’t good to jump right in, so he asked a question.

“What do I get out of it?”

“······Out of it? Oh, yeah. Of course there is!”

Judging from his hesitation, it seemed that he hadn’t considered the reward he would give Galahad. He really was an empty-headed guy.

“It’s a request from a very high-ranking person. If you succeed, you will receive an unimaginable reward. You’ve seen the mana stones and expensive magic tools rolling around, right? There will be a reward greater than that!”

Vague rewards never ended well.

Of course, he wouldn’t get to see that reward this time.

“A reward huh-. That’s great. But you know, as you know, I’m just a shell of my former self right now. To find an opening, I need to get close to Adrianna, but for that···.”

“Didn’t you say that you were even holding hands?”

“I almost died when I held her hand. Don’t you know the personalities of those northerners?”

Colton chuckled at Galahad’s response.

“Don’t worry about support. Just tell me what you need.”

Galahad smiled coolly at Colton’s confident face.

“You’re really reliable!”

“Haha! I’m the acting branch manager. Since there’s no branch manager, it’s my world. Didn’t you see the mana stones and magic tools when you came in?”

As Galahad mentioned the things he needed, Colton’s laughter gradually stopped.

A moment later, Colton held out a gruesome, finger-shaped object that wasn’t a silver coin.

“It’s the Orb of Agony.”

“Orb of Agony?”

“It’s something I got from a high-ranking demon. If you eat this and break an oath, you will die with excruciating pain.”

Colton said with a confident voice.

For some reason, he thought that Colton would believe it easily, but it seemed that he had prepared his own countermeasures.

If it was indeed an item from a high-ranking demon, it was something to be confident about.

However-.

“You will die with excruciating pain if you break an oath? Who determines that standard? Does this little thing perhaps have the brain to judge? Or does it perceive personal emotions? Or is it perhaps a type of magic?”

Colton sensed something wrong from the torrent of Galahad’s questions.

Looking at this gruesome thing, far from being scared, Galahad’s eyes instead lit up.

As if he had discovered something quite precious.

“Ah, sorry. Hmm, it belongs to a high-ranking demon.”

The pain bead was soon in Galahad’s hand.

Cortan’s body trembled slightly as he watched Galahad carefully examining the terrible object as if it were a jewel.

“Yes, eat it and swear it.”

Galahad swallowed it without hesitation.

Gulp.

Cortan swallowed dryly at the bold action.

Then, Galahad looked at Cortan with sunken eyes and swore.

“If you wish it, I will kill Adrianna.”

It seemed like a strange condition, but Cortan nodded as the content was the same.

“O-oh my. High-ranking demon. It’s such a great concentration of mana. This is really amazing.”

Galahad was touching his neck.

“Can I have one more?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think I’ll know if I eat one more. Do you have another one?”

Cortan got up as if he was running away from Galahad, who was smacking his lips.

****

“Sir Gilbert, we have a problem.”

Gilbert frowned at Tom’s serious voice.

“Did the captain have an accident?”

“No, sir.”

“Did Gwen burn down the barracks again?”

“Ah, they’re doing it outside.”

“Did Demian say he was hungry?”

“No, sir. Please look at this.”

Tom held out something. It was a yellow parchment with lots of writing on it.

Gilbert slowly read what was written on the parchment.

“Special forces accounting book? Is there such a thing?”

“Ah, I organized it because I had some time. It seems that no one else is doing it… I apologize if it’s presumptuous.”

He couldn’t understand the flow of writing an accounting book when he had time.

Gilbert slowly looked through the accounting book. He felt dizzy after reading two lines of numbers.

“What’s the problem?”

Gilbert asked, handing the book back to Tom.

“We’re running out of budget soon.”

“Running out of budget? Didn’t you say that when we received the carriage, we also received operating expenses for the unit?”

“Yes, but isn’t the unit budget based on performance?”

“Hmm. Yes.”

Gilbert nodded for the time being.

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“But when we received the budget, hadn’t we achieved any results?”

“That was it.”

“So the allocated budget itself was small.”

“I see.”

Only then did Gilbert understand. He nodded.

“Won’t the reflection of the increased performance be reflected in the next quarter?

“That’s right.”

“Our unit costs too much. I understand that Sir Gilbert, who is from the 1st Battalion, is expensive, but Damien and Gwen’s costs are unusually high.”

Gilbert’s head started to hurt from the continuous talk of money.

“On top of that, Damien’s food expenses and the cost of repairing Sir Gilbert’s armor this time – it’s going to bankrupt us.”

The two characters ‘bankrupt’ were heard clearly. Gilbert nodded and said,

“Bankrupt, huh.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Why are you talking in circles instead of getting to the point?”

“Ahahaha… Anyway, we need to find a way.”

“A way?”

“Yes, for example, since repairing Sir Gilbert’s armor was something that happened while helping with the 4th Battalion’s mission, it would be right to send the cost processing to the 4th Battalion, and in the case of Damien’s food expenses····· ·.”

The strange story continued for a long time.

Gilbert nodded as if he had understood the gist of it.

“Sir Gilbert agrees too.”

“What do you mean?”

“······Salary reduction.”

“Cutting my salary? What are you talking about.”

Tom’s lips hardened slightly.

“That…no.”

“Aren’t you saying that you don’t have enough money?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue at the useless worry that was being dragged out like this.

“The captain will figure it out.”

“But even if it’s the captain, this is the north. There’s no way to get money······.”

At that moment, the barracks door opened. Galahad entered.

“Ah. You’re here.”

Tom stood up and greeted him politely. Gilbert bowed his head.

“I’m a little late. Where are Damien and Gwen?”

Galahad asked, handing Tom a large leather bag.

“They’re training.”

“They’re diligent. Why are they in such a shabby barracks?”

“They’re from another unit, so this is good treatment for them.”

“This damp, smelly barracks is good treatment? Where is that terrible smell coming from······. Sir Gilbert, did you wash your feet properly?”

“Why should I wash my feet?”

“Horrible. That’s why you’re not popular.”

Just then, Tom let out a scream.

The bundle that had fallen from Tom’s hands spread open roughly.

Glittering things poured out from within.

Gold coins, silver coins, and even stones that emitted a soft glow.

Gilbert’s eyes grew wide enough to split at the sight of the money he had never seen before in his life.

“What… What the hell? I thought it was gone for good, but it turned into a jackpot?! Damn it!”

Gilbert snatched up his sword and jumped to his feet.

“Don’t talk about jackpots- I’ve received a request.”

“…What kind of request could it be for them to give you such a huge sum?”

At Gilbert’s dubious question, Galahad gave a small cough.

“It’s a secret.”

Gilbert grew considerably uneasy at the playful answer.