Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Empty Cup
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Hoo—.’
Adrianna let out a ragged breath.
She couldn’t even remember how long she’d been swinging her sword.
‘For a Miasmic Realm to suddenly appear—.’
The Miasmic Realm was practically the main base of the demon race. In it, demons grew stronger, and humans grew weaker.
Though she didn’t know the principle behind it, the Miasmic Realm placed a particularly heavy burden on Adrianna, who burned mana.
Adrianna chewed her lip and swung her sword.
A brilliant white aura flared, slicing through a massive tentacle. The tip of the enormous appendage was severed, scattering like ash.
However, she couldn’t deal a fatal blow. The matchup between the sword-wielding Adrianna and the colossal monster was poor.
It would have been easier if it were a high-ranking demon.
Still, Adrianna did not complain.
‘I have to stop it here.’
She simply pushed forward, her aura flaring even brighter.
Just then—.
“You’re having a tough time.”
A familiar voice came from her side.
A leisurely voice, as if he were out for a stroll on a lazy day—.
Galahad was suddenly beside Adrianna.
“I’m a bit late. Had to take care of the mages.”
A nod.
“Ah, you can speak.”
“Yes. What’s the situation?”
“I’d say it’s good, since this is all that’s left.”
Galahad pointed ahead. Four massive tentacles were writhing above the fortress.
‘This is all…?’
It was far too massive an opponent to speak of so lightly. But Galahad’s casual tone made it feel as though it were true.
“Now, I’ll explain the plan. I saw earlier that the thing seems to have a core at its center.”
“A core, you say?”
“Ah, well—, think of it as the head. I think we need to take that part out.”
“I see.”
Adrianna nodded and swung her sword. An incoming tentacle was sliced apart, turning to ash. The now-shorter tentacle retreated upward.
“The mana concentration in the tentacles gets weaker the farther it is from the center. That’s likely why you were struggling. You get stronger the higher your opponent’s mana concentration.”
Galahad shook his canteen. Adrianna simply nodded.
“But as a mage, I’m stronger against opponents with weaker mana concentrations. This means our compatibility is quite good.”
Adrianna’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“Now, I’ll take it from here. Get behind me.”
“……Pardon?”
“I said, get behind me.”
Galahad uncapped his canteen and stepped forward.
“I—I will take the lead.”
Adrianna, who had been staring blankly for a moment at his surprisingly broad back, said urgently.
“Hmm, didn’t I just explain everything?”
Galahad asked, narrowing his eyes. Recalling how much Galahad teased Gilberton, Adrianna quickly shook her head.
“Understood.”
“Good. You’re not Sir Gilberton, after all.”
Adrianna pressed her lips together firmly.
“Follow me closely. We’re going to move fast.”
As he spoke, Galahad raised his right hand. A picture made of red blood on his forearm flared crimson. Like a flame giving rise to ash—.
“Yes.”
For the first time in a long while, Adrianna followed someone’s lead.
A massive tentacle came crashing down. Galahad, standing before it, looked precarious.
Adrianna instinctively gripped her sword. Just as she was about to step forward.
“Hellfire.”
A tiny flame shot from Galahad’s hand.
It was only the size of a fingernail compared to the giant tentacle, but Adrianna felt a strange chill.
The small flame started by devouring the ash that filled the surroundings, swelling in size.
The tentacle was instantly engulfed in flames. A nauseating stench filled the air.
The sight of the massive tentacle burning was quite a spectacle.
“See that? That’s the boundary.”
Galahad pointed to the end of the tentacle. The fire that had been consuming it suddenly stopped as if hitting a wall, then vanished.
“I’ll take the lead up to that point. After that, you’ll protect me.”
Galahad’s eyes were remarkably serious as he said this.
“Yes.”
Adrianna nodded firmly.
“You promised.”
Galahad asked again, which was rare for him.
She felt a strange sense of unease, but Adrianna nodded again.
“Yes.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“……Yes.”
His voice was strangely ticklish, and Adrianna subtly turned her head away.
Because of that, she didn’t see the corners of Galahad’s lips curl up.
Galahad continued to chug from his canteen while shooting fire and lightning.
He looked precarious, but there was no hesitation in his actions.
How far had they gone—.
“This is as far as I go.”
At his nonchalant way of saying this and promptly hiding behind her, Adrianna forgot the situation and let out a small laugh.
“Did you just laugh?”
“I did not.”
“Is that so?”
Galahad asked, raising an eyebrow. In response, Adrianna coughed lightly and readjusted her grip on her sword.
Thanks to the brief respite, she felt much better.
Her white aura began to burn fiercely once more.
“You’re prettier when you smile.”
She pretended not to hear the words from behind her.
“Hmm, did you not hear me? I said you’re prettier when you smile.”
“……I heard you!”
“Are you annoyed now?”
Adrianna pressed her lips firmly together.
She felt a cough coming on.
****
‘Hmm…, so this is the limit.’
Galahad brushed off his right arm, the corners of his mouth lifting.
His right arm felt like it was on fire. It was from circulating too much mana.
The magic circle left by the first mage had several functions.
Among them was a function that made one undetectable to monsters.
It seemed to be related to the Demon Tamer’s magic circle.
However, that too had its limits.
Indeed, as they neared the monster’s core, it began to swing its tentacles at Galahad as well.
Ironically, the Miasmic Realm, called a sanctuary by some, was a great help to Galahad.
For Galahad, a mage, the combination of the Egg of Pain and the magic circle left by the first mage made the Miasmic Realm rather effective.
No, ‘effective’ wasn’t a strong enough word.
The Miasmic Realm was water.
And Galahad was a fish.
‘A high-ranking one, at that—.’
Galahad muttered, looking at the massive tentacle in front of him.
Even if it was a high-ranking monster, it couldn’t possibly fill its entire colossal body with high-concentration mana.
Upon checking, the very tips of its tentacles had only about as much magical power as a low-level demon. The mana density grew thicker toward the center.
Just then, Adrianna sliced at the base of a tentacle. Her golden hair, as brilliant as the sun, whipped wildly.
“Are you all right?”
Thump—.
His heart pounded violently. The Egg of Pain seemed to be acting up again.
‘I should probably hold her hand again.’
The Egg of Pain squirmed. It seemed to protest, feigning innocence. The shameless thing—.
“It feels like the monster isn’t focusing on us.”
“Not focusing?”
…!
The monster’s intermittent shrieks briefly cut off Adrianna’s words.
“……The way it keeps screaming like that, it seems there’s someone else here besides us.”
At Adrianna’s serious words, Galahad rubbed his cool neck.
‘Has the Grand Duke already made it this far?’
Galahad had deliberately moved in the opposite direction of the Grand Duke.
They were on opposite sides, with the monster’s core between them. If Adrianna was right, the Grand Duke had already reached the core.
“It’s not Sir Gilberton or Bellogrim. It could be an enemy. A very powerful one.”
Adrianna said gravely.
A very powerful one, she said—. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.
“It’s not an enemy. I trust you’ll protect me.”
“……Protect you from someone who isn’t an enemy?”
“It’s one of those things. Will you protect me?”
Adrianna’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Yes.”
At her firm reply, Galahad smiled with satisfaction.
“I’m counting on you.”
They advanced again.
No matter how many tentacles they cut and burned, they couldn’t get to the root.
Perhaps for that reason, their numbers seemed to increase the closer they got.
However, the stronger the opponent, the stronger Adrianna became.
Adrianna never stopped swinging her sword. Her white aura burned as if it would paint the world.
The closer they got, the more frantically the tentacles lashed out.
And Adrianna stood in front, blocking them all.
The sight of her back was truly dependable.
However, it seemed she too was reaching her limit.
Adrianna’s hand, gripping her sword, was trembling.
This was the Miasmic Realm.
While the Miasmic Realm made mages like Galahad and the demons incomparably stronger, it seemed to have an adverse effect on knights.
“It’s dangerous.”
Adrianna said, turning to look at Galahad. Her usually expressionless face was deeply creased.
Her face was covered in sweat. She looked as if she were holding back something that was about to explode.
“Is this your limit?”
“……I can’t control it much longer.”
Adrianna said, her voice strained.
‘Can’t control it?’
Adrianna’s aura was burning more brilliantly than ever before.
Was this truly her limit?
‘No way.’
She was the hero who would fight the Demon King.
Her limit couldn’t possibly be a mere high-ranking monster.
Adrianna could go further.
She just needed a trigger.
A trigger—.
Galahad muttered softly.
‘Not bad.’
The calculation was over in an instant.
“You can do it.”
Galahad stuck a cigarette in his mouth and smiled.
Adrianna couldn’t understand why Galahad was smiling in a situation like this.
His next action was even more—.
…incomprehensible.
Galahad walked forward without hesitation.
Adrianna, who was struggling just to suppress her aura, couldn’t stop him.
Galahad walked past Adrianna and stood before the tentacles.
Then, he turned to look at her.
“Save me.”
He spread his arms wide.
A massive tentacle shot toward Galahad, taking the bait.
They were close to the core, so the tentacle’s momentum was fierce.
Galahad smiled as he looked at Adrianna.
“Ah—.”
At the sight of his madness, Adrianna let out a small cry.
An instinctive sense of dread made her unleash the aura she had been forcibly suppressing.
The aura she thought she couldn’t control was, after all, her own.
Ah—.
The fiercely burning aura moved according to Adrianna’s will.
The aura she thought was uncontrollable spread out in a long streak.
A long white line was drawn.
Thud—.
The severed tentacle instantly turned to ash.
Only then did Galahad look back.
Unlike before, when only the area around the wound turned to ash, this time it had been reduced to ash all the way to its root.
“Oh, it worked.”
‘Oh, it worked?’
As Galahad dusted off his coat with a smile, Adrianna’s lips parted.
She wanted to curse, but she didn’t know any curses.
“……Have you lost your mind?”
“Sorry, but it’s perfectly fine. In fact, it’s so exceptional that it’s a problem.”
“Then why would you do something like—.”
“I simply believed in you.”
At his unwavering voice, Adrianna’s brow furrowed.
“What would you have done if I had failed?”
“But you didn’t, did you?”
It was impossible to reason with him.
Why would he place such firm faith in her, to the point of risking his own life—.
Adrianna couldn’t understand.
“You don’t want to become a widow, do you?”
“We are not married yet.”
“Oh—, ‘yet,’ is it?”
He was a man you lost more to the more you spoke with him. Adrianna pressed her lips firmly together.
“Now then, finish it off in style.”
“That was my intention all along. It has nothing to do with what you say.”
“My, your voice has gotten sharp. Are you sulking?”
“……I am not sulking.”
Her aura was burning even more fiercely than before.
She hated to admit it, but it was thanks to Galahad.
‘That madman.’
She couldn’t understand him.
…!
Just then, the monster let out a shriek.
Unlike before, its cry was filled with agony.
Soon, the tentacles lost their strength and collapsed—thud.
‘What—’
Adrianna turned her head. Someone had clearly defeated the monster.
Just then—.
Galahad collapsed with a plop.
“My legs gave out.”
“……”
Adrianna checked her gauntlets. They were lined with leather on the inside. She desperately tried to reduce her strength. So much so that it was hard to breathe—.
After checking several times, she very carefully lifted Galahad into her arms.
“Having a knight for a wife has its perks.”
His silly grin was quite annoying.
Just then—.
“Hmph.”
The Grand Duke appeared.
In his hand, which was caked in red blood, was a thick chunk of flesh. It was likely the monster’s core.
The Grand Duke looked at Galahad and chewed on the chunk of flesh.
Only then realizing he was being held by Adrianna, Galahad spoke urgently.
“Put me down.”
Adrianna only held him tighter.
“Adrianna?”
At Galahad’s desperate whisper, the corners of Adrianna’s lips lifted slightly.
After holding him for a moment longer, Adrianna set him down and approached the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace, what are you doing here?”
“That self-proclaimed son-in-law of mine invited me. Said a demon banquet was being held in the demon’s own yard.”
Adrianna asked in a higher-pitched voice than usual. The Grand Duke’s gaze remained fixed on Galahad.
“Haha, greetings, Your Grace.”
Galahad offered a polite and proper greeting.
‘I didn’t know he was that strong.’
The chunk of flesh in the Grand Duke’s hand was undoubtedly the core of a high-ranking monster.
To think he’d ripped it out with his bare hands. And there wasn't a single scratch on his body. She couldn’t even fathom the extent of his strength.
Most importantly—.
‘Did the Grand Duke use an axe?’
She didn’t know who it was exactly, but he was one of the key figures she had noted in her handbook. He had definitely used an axe.
“Why don’t you call me Father-in-law?”
The Grand Duke asked, baring his sharp, shark-like teeth.
If looks could kill, Galahad would have died on the spot.
Galahad subtly hid behind Adrianna.
“But you can’t just abandon your post like that.”
Adrianna chided him again. The Grand Duke’s gaze shifted to her.
Behind Adrianna, he couldn’t feel that murderous aura at all.
‘How do I get my hands on that?’
Galahad was thinking about something else.
That chunk of flesh in the Grand Duke’s hand, the blood dripping from it was so brilliant.
The Egg of Pain was also pounding incessantly. It was as if it were begging for it right now.
However, the one holding it was the Grand Duke.
Seeing the deep bite marks on the flesh, it seemed he was literally eating the demon.
‘Eating a demon raw without even cooking it. What a vicious barbarian.’
It seemed he wasn’t the ruler of the North for nothing. Galahad clucked his tongue.
“Step aside.”
Just then, the Grand Duke took a step forward.
Adrianna blocked his path.
“If it weren’t for Captain Galahad this time, we would have suffered great losses. The entire 7th Battalion would have been lost, and we would have faced the unprecedented disaster of a Miasmic Realm opening in the North.”
The Grand Duke’s steps halted. Adrianna continued.
“This is a contribution beyond measure. It is right to commend his deeds first.”
At Adrianna’s words, the Grand Duke’s face twitched.
Galahad was amazed that a human face could look so menacing.
He wondered how on earth Adrianna had come from that face.
“A contribution, you say—.”
“Haha, I only did what needed to be done.”
Seeing the man not avert his gaze, the Grand Duke’s lips curled up.
“To the Captain of the Special Task Force, Galahad, I will bestow a cup.”
The Grand Duke took a rusted golden cup from his coat. It was a crudely made cup.
To be given a cup meant to officially receive the Grand Duke’s acknowledgment.
The acknowledgment of the Grand Duke, the ruler of the North, was by no means a light matter.
The Grand Duke had never bestowed his acknowledgment even upon Adrianna.
No, he hadn’t.
The cup of the North—.
Was meant to be filled with the blood of demons.
The Grand Duke held the cup and squeezed the chunk of flesh over it. Red blood poured out, overflowing the cup and spilling onto the ground.
Seeing this, the man flinched visibly.
“This is the cup of the North.”
The Grand Duke offered the cup, filled to the brim with demon blood, to the man.
“Father……”
“Quiet.”
Adrianna pressed her lips together and stepped back.
The Grand Duke held the cup out to the man.
If the man could withstand it, he would become the only warrior in the North to have received the Grand Duke’s acknowledgment.
If he couldn’t, it simply meant his vessel was only so large.
He, as always, was only giving him a chance.
A chance that killed ninety-nine out of a hundred, but that was what it took to receive the Grand Duke’s acknowledgment.
A warrior acknowledged by the Grand Duke—.
One in a hundred.
No, it was a position for only one in the entire North.
“You may refuse if you are afraid.”
The Grand Duke stared at the man intently.
There had been those who had fled from the cup.
There had been those who had drunk it and gone mad.
What will you do?
To the Grand Duke’s question—.
The man.
“Thank you.”
He smiled brightly and drained the cup in one go.
He gulped it down without even taking a breath.
As if that wasn’t enough—.
“Is there any more, Father-in-law—.”
At the man who held out the empty cup and licked his lips.
“You madman.”
The corners of the Grand Duke’s fierce mouth lifted.