Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: I'm Scared
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'So he finally came.'
Galahad narrowed his eyes at the man sitting next to Pumpkin.
He was the one who'd been a nuisance to Galahad since their Academy days.
His father was the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, a position he’d gotten through connections.
The son of such a director should have been arrogant or resorted to scheming, but he never gave up challenging Galahad and, surprisingly, accepted defeat gracefully.
In fact, he refused his father's help.
It was for the sake of a 'fair duel' with Galahad.
He even went so far as to learn magic when he decided he couldn't beat Galahad without it.
A knight learning magic—.
It was ridiculous nonsense, but he mastered magic splendidly.
In the end, he'd actually become a handful even for Galahad.
'He really followed me all the way here.'
Galahad knew of his obsession, but he never thought the man would follow him to the North.
The man's gaze on Galahad was quite intense.
Normally, he would have dealt with him appropriately.
'This isn't bad.'
He was in need of manpower.
He'd originally planned to go to an Intelligence Bureau safe house and pick up someone suitable, but this guy showed up first.
He wasn't on Galahad's level, but he was a capable mage and a decent agent.
A much better choice than anyone he could have brought from a safe house.
It was as if he'd unexpectedly drawn the best card.
But—.
'...What was his agent name again?'
Galahad muttered, sizing the man up and down.
The man spoke first.
"Enough with the jokes."
"My apologies, but I'm quite good at jokes. If that had been one, you would have known."
Pumpkin coughed quietly. *First! First!*
"Ah, it was Hurst, wasn't it? You've changed so much I didn't recognize you. Have you gotten taller?"
"It's not Hurst, it's First."
"Ah, right. That was the name."
"Stop pretending you don't remember. You have a better memory than anyone."
"My memory is quite excellent, but it's not infinite. I categorize and remember things by their importance."
"Ah, that does sound effective."
Pumpkin nodded. First's face crumpled again.
"So you're saying my agent name isn't important? Hah, what a clumsy attempt to provoke me."
"Ah, he's always like this."
Galahad nodded at Pumpkin's explanation. *Right, he was always like that.*
"Haha, marrying the Northern Grand Duke's daughter out of the blue. I was surprised to hear the news."
Pumpkin changed the subject, likely trying to lighten the mood.
"That's just how life is, isn't it? Just like how you two became a couple."
"We are not a couple."
"Pumpkin!"
"Ah, we are a couple. Just don't put your arm around my shoulder. Seriously—."
"Haha, Pumpkin is still very shy."
"Looks more like disgust than shyness to me."
Pumpkin then feigned a cough and knocked First's arm away.
Unfazed, First threw out another question.
"Won't there be problems if *she* finds out?"
"She?"
At the mention of 'she,' Galahad needlessly scratched his neck. *Could she have found out? No way—.*
"The Princess, I mean."
'Ah, right. There was that.'
Galahad felt a sense of relief at Pumpkin's ensuing explanation.
Still, the Princess wasn't exactly a welcome topic.
"The Princess and I were merely connected through work."
"Weren't you the one who took her from being on the verge of death, not even mentioned as a successor, and turned her into a leading candidate? It's famous how deeply she cherishes you because of it, so don't deny it."
Galahad narrowed his eyes at First's probing.
It wasn't a particularly good memory.
Galahad had made various efforts to stop the Demon King.
The Princess was one of those efforts.
And it had been quite effective.
[You're in danger. This is the best we can do.]
Until she made her foolish choice—.
Her choice had ended their relationship.
"That was simply because I'm competent. Nothing more. Besides, isn't she about to be married? Don't speak so irreverently."
Galahad said firmly.
He had been quite entangled with her, but that was all in the past.
[So you dare to say you're leaving me?]
The end had been a bit messy, but endings were always like that.
"Ah."
A look of trouble appeared on Pumpkin's face. First let out a "khh-" and gave a spiteful laugh.
Galahad narrowed his eyes at the strange atmosphere.
"You haven't heard."
"Heard what?"
"Hmm—."
First put a cigar in his mouth. The scent of damp wood filled the air.
"The prince who was to be her husband."
The corners of the man's mouth, cigar in place, turned up.
A moment of silence followed.
And then.
"He's dead."
First said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Dead? But he was a robust man."
Galahad asked, his eyes narrowed.
Galahad knew better than anyone how healthy the foreign prince, her fiancé, was. After all, Galahad was the one who had procured the list of marriage candidates for her.
And now that prince was dead?
"Died suddenly, they say. The imperial family is keeping it quiet."
"A sudden death?"
"Yes, it was a recent mission of ours, so we're well-informed."
Pumpkin added. If it was their mission, then it was a confirmed fact. For a moment, Galahad's mind reeled.
Just then, First's lips twitched as if he was eager to speak.
"...But there's a very interesting rumor."
"An interesting rumor—."
"That it was poison."
Having said his piece, First raised the corners of his mouth as if savoring the words.
'...Poison?'
Galahad narrowed his eyes at the ominous word.
'No way—.'
Galahad shook his head.
Her fiancé was the legitimate heir of the largest kingdom in the Federation of Kingdoms.
She was mad, but she was still a brilliant woman. There was no way she wouldn't know the consequences of killing him.
[I will right my wrongs. Just wait a little longer.]
Her whisper came to mind.
Galahad's mouth went dry.
'It can't be.'
That wasn't righting a wrong; that was tearing the wrong to shreds and rubbing salt in the wound.
He knew she was mad, but—.
'No matter how mad she is, she wouldn't go that far.'
Galahad shook his head.
But the more he did, the more his anxiety grew.
What if she had done something so foolish and insane—?
*Tap, tap.* Galahad flicked his fingers.
He quickly recalculated. The result was the same.
From the moment she made that bad move, her chances of ascending to the throne were gone.
It was an option not worth reconsidering.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Galahad asked, pushing his bangs back.
At that, Pumpkin's face crumpled completely, and First grinned.
"That's Galahad for you. Ah, then she must be—."
"That's far enough. She is a taboo topic in the Intelligence Bureau. I'd rather not have to kill you."
Galahad warned, cracking his knuckles.
At that, First's smile vanished.
Pumpkin looked at the stiffened First and muttered under her breath.
*He's scared.*
****
'He's gotten stronger.'
First instinctively felt that Galahad had reached an even higher level.
Galahad had always been a monster.
But to get even stronger than that.
'That's my rival, all right.'
First curled his lips in satisfaction.
Respecting his rival, First changed the subject.
"So, why did you come to the North?"
"Why? Because I was told to."
First coughed out a laugh at Galahad's calm reply. Smoke scattered from his lips like a broken thread.
According to Jamit, Galahad had been sent to the North by imperial order.
However, it likely wasn't the Emperor. There had been no news of the Emperor waking up.
It was probably an order from someone of equivalent authority, packaged as an imperial command—.
Even so, an imperial order was an imperial order.
It was naturally unavoidable.
But Galahad wasn't the type to bow his head just because it was an imperial order.
Galahad was not the kind of man who could be moved by force. If he disliked an option, he was the type to fake his own death to escape it.
For such a man to come to the North, there had to be a reason.
The most likely reason was, of course—.
"Are you still looking for the Demon King?"
Galahad's fingers, in the middle of flicking ash from his cigarette, froze.
'Bingo.'
It was the 'Demon King' Galahad used to talk about like a mantra.
In truth, the Demon Race wasn't a major threat to the Empire at present.
Demons rarely appeared in the central regions, and even when they did, they weren't very threatening.
It had gotten to the point where a mission targeting demons was called a 'sweet deal.'
Right now, the Empire was more concerned with the Federation of Kingdoms than the Demon Race.
In such a situation, no one would listen to warnings about the appearance of a Demon King.
The Intelligence Bureau was an organization that fundamentally operated on the Empire's interests and calculations.
"I'll say it again: the Demon King is an inevitability. If we don't prepare for him, he will one day turn the entire continent to ash."
Galahad's voice was filled with conviction.
Just like the first time he'd said it—no, his voice was even more certain than before.
Everyone in the Intelligence Bureau denied the existence of a Demon King.
So how could he be even more certain?
Just as First was about to speak, Galahad raised a hand. Galahad hated being interrupted. First shut his mouth. Pumpkin clicked her tongue softly at him.
"You, have you received intel on the North?"
First's face stiffened at Galahad's question.
Before coming to Galahad, First had received information on the North. Obtaining intel for a mission was basic for an agent.
"I have."
"And what was it like?"
"It was garbage."
First answered honestly.
"I agree. Even considering the Intelligence Bureau has little influence in the North, the level is abysmal. I was surprised when I first saw it. There's not even any common knowledge about the North."
"Common knowledge?"
Galahad's somber eyes stared at First.
"A demon's strength changes depending on the mana density. Just like magic—."
First let out a groan at the words that followed.
He hadn't grasped it precisely, but the mana density in the North was several times thicker than in the capital.
In other words, the fact that demons are affected by mana density means—.
"The demons in the capital are several times weaker than the ones here?"
"And the stronger demons don't seem to leave their own territory."
It meant the demons they encountered in the central regions were all small fry.
Even if that were true, as long as the mana density in the capital didn't change, it wasn't a major threat.
"Recently, black magicians opened something called a Miasmic Realm here. It's the domain of the demons."
Galahad added, as if reading First's thoughts.
"...A Miasmic Realm?"
Just then, the door was thrown open violently.
A man who looked like a knight entered.
"Captain, I heard some strange guys showed up! Who are they?!"
For a moment, Galahad's expression changed. It was very subtle, but there was a hint of leisure in it.
"Perfect timing. Sir Gilberton, these are some new recruits I've picked up temporarily. Take them and give them a tour of the Miasmic Realm."
"How many people do we even have that you're picking up temps?"
"Just go and get it done."
"Yes, sir. Hey! What are you staring at?! Hurry up!"
At the man named Gilberton's roar, First and Pumpkin stood up.
The two of them had already put on the dazed expressions of new recruits.
For agents of the Intelligence Bureau, camouflage was second nature—.
Galahad watched for a moment as the two were dragged away by Gilberton.
Just then, a familiar face appeared in the open doorway.
"Ah—."
It was Adrianna, her eyebrows slightly lowered.
"You should have knocked if you were here."
At Galahad's rebuke, Adrianna opened and then quickly closed her mouth.
****
'...Shit, what kind of training is this harsh?!'
Pumpkin desperately held back the curses that threatened to erupt.
She didn't like the Miasmic Realm and its bizarre environment from the start. But she could tolerate that much.
She wasn't on the level of Galahad or First, but Pumpkin was a competent agent herself.
The problem, however, was Gilberton's brutish training.
The brutish training, added to the Miasmic Realm where it was hard to breathe even standing still, was difficult even for Pumpkin to endure. But she couldn't collapse.
"You can't even handle this much training?!"
Because she'd seen that guy Gilberton foaming at the mouth as he kicked a fallen soldier—.
"So it was true."
First said in a low voice. His face was full of exhaustion, but Pumpkin knew it was an act.
If he were truly struggling, his voice wouldn't be so steady.
"Wh... what was..."
"That the mana density is incomparably high, and that the demons grow stronger in proportion to it."
First said, steadying the swaying Pumpkin. Pumpkin leaned on his hand and caught her breath.
"The Intelligence Bureau's main targets are the Federation of Kingdoms, high-ranking officials, and those anti-imperialist bastards, aren't they? The Bureau has no interest in the North to begin with."
"That's right. However, the safe houses had a decent amount of information, even if it was a bit lacking. But the Bureau's headquarters was short on intel about the North."
"Are you saying there's someone at headquarters messing with the intel on the North?"
"We don't know yet."
"Straighten up over there!"
At Gilberton's shout, First let go. Pumpkin gritted her teeth, tensed her body, and held on.
"Among Galahad's missions was a spy operation. The goal was to destabilize the growing Federation of Kingdoms. Do you know what he did?"
Pumpkin scrunched up her face at First's question. *Why the hell does he memorize other people's missions?* She was too out of breath to say it out loud.
"Normally, you'd infiltrate the strongest kingdom as a spy. If you shake the strongest one, the rest will falter."
Unaware of Pumpkin's thoughts, First began to chatter excitedly. Pumpkin tried to spit out a curse, but only saliva came out.
"But Galahad chose the weakest kingdom. And he started to build it up. The complete opposite of what anyone else would do."
*I don't care—.* Pumpkin gasped for air.
"As a result, the smallest kingdom grew to a size that couldn't be ignored. The balance of power shifted, and the Federation of Kingdoms was shaken. I asked him. Why choose such a difficult path? Do you know what he said?"
*I don't know, you bastard—.* Pumpkin could only manage a gasp.
"'The greater the risk, the greater the reward,' he said. Isn't that funny? While everyone else was thinking about mission success, he was considering the size of the reward that would follow."
*So what!* Pumpkin choked out a "Kehk-." Her breath caught in her throat. First patted her on the back. Only then could she breathe again.
"I believe his current move is just like that time."
"...What is."
"He—."
First's eyes were gleaming. *Here comes some crazy talk.* Pumpkin spat on the ground.
"This time, he has chosen the North."
'Chosen the North—. Does that mean his opponent is the Empire?'
Pumpkin narrowed her eyes at the truly arrogant statement.
Pumpkin knew Galahad was the best among the agents.
However.
"He's still just one person."
Pumpkin replied dubiously. As great as Galahad was, he was alone.
What did it matter if he chose the North?
"That's right. He is alone."
First's nose twitched.
It was time for his bullshit.
Pumpkin muttered a curse in advance.
"For now—."
First even took a dramatic pause.
After moving his lips for a moment, First continued.
"But what if Galahad's eternal nemesis and rival, I, First, were to join him? Hoo—."
First let out a hot breath.
"I'm scared."
Pumpkin, too, was genuinely scared.
****
"So you're saying Galahad sent you?"
The Crow narrowed his eyes at the man looking up at him.
The greasy eyes and stooped, bowing back were the textbook example of an incompetent opportunist.
The type of person the Crow detested most.
Why on earth did *He* get involved with someone like this—.
"That's right. Are you Korton?"
"Yessir! That's me! Oh my! A superior officer has come, and I haven't prepared anything!! My apologies!"
The Crow fought back the urge to vomit at the sycophantic display.
"Send a message up the chain. Tell them I've brought the monster tamer's magic circle."
"Up the chain, you say? Yes! I understand!"
The Crow clicked his tongue at the man, who jumped in surprise after asking the question.
The Crow disliked the man.
However, the Society Head would surely believe a report from someone like him.
After all, the Society Head preferred the incompetent.