Chapter 82 - A Little Sting

“A wager.”

The Grand Duke looked down at Galahad as he spoke. His lips curled into a savage smile, and his voice was thick with interest.

“Yes, a hunting wager between father-in-law and son-in-law. Doesn't that sound nice and heartwarming?”

“Father-in-law?”

Galahad rubbed his neck, which had begun to itch for no reason, and gave a faint smile.

The Grand Duke spun his axe. The air screamed as it tore apart.

“Confident, are you?”

His voice remained nonchalant, like the low growl of a wild beast.

Galahad smiled and nodded.

An agent had to be good at everything. There was no telling when a mission would come or what it would require.

“Yes. I'm good at everything.”

Galahad was an exceptionally capable agent. In other words, he was good at most things. Hunting included.

“In the North, we have a game called demon-beast hunting.”

'Can demon-beast hunting really be called a game?'

Galahad had his doubts, but nodded for now.

The Grand Duke pressed his axe deep into the headless demon-beast's corpse. It rolled over, exposing its hideous insides.

“When a demon-beast eats another's head, it absorbs its strength. This one, for instance, ate a mantis-shaped demon-beast.”

“I see.”

This new information about demon-beasts piqued his interest.

The part about eating heads was oddly unsettling. The Grand Duke had eaten nothing but their heads.

“We call it devouring. The more a demon-beast devours, the stronger it becomes.”

The Grand Duke pressed on a joint as he explained.

'He's become quite talkative now that we're discussing demon-beasts.'

“The more a demon-beast has devoured, the higher its score. The wolf you killed had a mere eight mixed into it, whereas mine had twelve. That makes me the winner.”

“I see. Just as one would expect of Your Highness.”

The Grand Duke's eyebrows shot up.

“We each kill three demon-beasts and compare them round by round. Whoever takes two points wins.”

Galahad raised a hand. The Grand Duke tipped his head for him to speak.

“What was the strongest demon-beast you've ever killed?”

The Grand Duke's smile widened, as though he had been waiting for the question.

“One with ninety-nine mixed into it. Its flavor was superb.”

The demon-beast Galahad had just killed had been somewhere between low- and intermediate-ranking. But one with ninety-nine mixed into it...

'That would be a high-ranking demon-beast.'

Superb flavor? It was a high-ranking demon-beast, not butter. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“The hunt lasts until the sun rises again.”

The Grand Duke pointed at the sun overhead. His menacing face looked oddly excited. He seemed exceedingly fond of demon-beast hunting.

“You may set off first.”

“Oh, that's quite all right.”

Galahad declined lightly. He had no intention of immediately blundering about in search of prey. Instead, he took a folding chair from the bag Tom had given him, placed it in a sunny spot, and sat down.

“Taking your time, I see.”

“I prefer to use my head rather than my body.”

Without another word, the Grand Duke gripped his axe and disappeared.

'Find one with a lot of species mixed into it.'

Galahad murmured as he watched the Grand Duke depart.

The rules were simple. Whoever caught a demon-beast that had devoured more would win.

An ignorant northerner might run around hunting on foot, but Galahad had no intention of doing so. Haphazard methods weren't to his taste.

'Find one with a high mana concentration.'

Whether Demon or demon-beast, the higher its rank, the more concentrated its mana. A creature with highly concentrated mana would be one that had devoured a great deal.

In short, he only needed to find one with a high mana concentration.

There was one minor problem.

His current detection spell could locate demon-beasts, but it couldn't determine their mana concentration.

'I'll have to make a new one.'

Galahad nodded, placing a cigarette between his lips.

There was just enough sunshine, and his surroundings were quiet. For the first time in a while, he could concentrate at leisure. He swung his leg as he considered his approach.

'Increasing the concentration of Mana Arrow won't be enough. If I do that, I won't be able to send out several at once.'

Besides, the method using Mana Arrow had far too small a range.

Just then, a demon-beast screamed in the distance.

'He's started.'

More screams followed, with little time between them. Apparently, the Grand Duke intended to roam at random killing demon-beasts, then pick out the biggest.

'What a brute.'

Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

This was why a dull head made more work for the body.

* * *

The Grand Duke examined the dead demon-beast. There was a carapace around its chest.

'A mole cricket demon-beast's carapace.'

Being insect-shaped, it had many legs. He carefully inspected them one by one. Here and there, he found subtle differences.

'Six.'

He split its chest with his axe and looked inside. Strange bones encircled its heart, their shapes varied. There were bizarre organs as well.

'Fifteen.'

The Grand Duke nodded.

The demon-beasts on this mountain usually had between five and thirteen mixed into them. Fifteen was on the high side.

Stronger ones were cunning and hard to find. Often, they hid at the mere scent of the Grand Duke.

'That fellow... '

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes as Galahad came to mind.

The man who had so boldly challenged him had unfolded a chair in the sunshine and sat there puffing on a cigarette.

At first glance he seemed to be idling, but he wasn't that thoughtless. He was clearly up to something.

Whatever he was plotting, it made no difference to the Grand Duke.

There was no way the Grand Duke would lose at demon-beast hunting.

He took the corpse and returned to their original spot.

The fellow was still there.

'He's even drinking tea.'

He was sipping from a teacup. A fragrant lemon scent mingled with a bitter smell.

This went beyond taking his ease. The Grand Duke's eyes narrowed.

The demon-beast corpses nearby had been rummaged through. Strange diagrams had been drawn on their hides, as though he had been trying something.

“Welcome back.”

The fellow greeted the Grand Duke in a carefree voice, acting as though this were his own sitting room.

The Grand Duke chuckled low in his throat.

“Fifteen.”

He tossed the demon-beast before him. It rolled over and over, spilling its entrails. It was quite a gruesome sight, yet the fellow didn't bat an eye.

No, quite the opposite.

“May I take a look? There's something I'd like to check.”

His eyes shone with interest.

The Grand Duke clicked his tongue and set off hunting again.

This time, the hunting was poor. The demon-beasts seemed to have hidden to avoid him.

The Grand Duke put his ear to the ground and concentrated on the sounds. Demon-beasts' heartbeats were louder than humans'.

Especially...

'They can't contain their excitement when they smell blood.'

The Grand Duke scratched his arm and scattered blood generously.

As expected, a demon-beast unable to resist began sniffing.

'Seventeen this time.'

He dissected the beast. As he gathered it up, he found himself wondering whether the fellow would still be there.

“Welcome back.”

He was.

In fact, he had gone even further. The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes at the bubbling stew.

“I've done a little cooking. Would you like some? It should be delicious.”

The fellow held out a bowl. It smelled remarkably good. The Grand Duke accepted it and tipped the contents into his mouth.

“It's ho— Mm, never mind.”

The flavor surprised him. An unfamiliar sauce tempered the demon-beast's distinctive taste, lending it considerable richness.

“Delicious.”

The Grand Duke nodded. It certainly was.

“I'm good at everything, but cooking is a particular specialty.”

“You're good at insolence, too.”

The Grand Duke let his power seep out. Even a northern knight would have struggled to withstand this much, but the fellow only smiled wider.

“What a unique way to pay for stew.”

The Grand Duke chuckled and withdrew his pressure.

“You want something, I take it.”

The fellow hesitated briefly before speaking.

“May I use a little magic on you, Your Highness? There's something I'd like to check.”

The Grand Duke frowned at the insolent request to cast magic on him.

“As you did earlier?”

He recalled how the fellow had prodded him while pretending to search for demon-beasts. At the mention of it, the fellow gave a small start.

“Haha. This will sting a little more than before.”

“Sting, will it?”

However accomplished a Mage the fellow might be, his magic couldn't leave a scratch on the Grand Duke.

He clicked his tongue and nodded.

Then...

“Heaven's Judgment.”

A flash filled the Grand Duke's vision.

He narrowed his eyes against the brightness.

'Hm?'

The fellow's finger pointed at him, and sparks danced around his body.

Only then did the Grand Duke realize that the fellow had called lightning down upon him.

There hadn't been the slightest hesitation, either.

Permission or not, to unleash magic so readily on him, the Grand Duke...

'He's mad.'

The Grand Duke chuckled softly and shook his hand, scattering sparks everywhere.

Just then, the fellow offered him some stew.

“Would you like another bowl?”

The Grand Duke stared at him.

“Haha. Just joking.”

The fellow discreetly moved his finger aside.

* * *

'This approach isn't bad.'

Galahad nodded as he checked the formula.

Mana flowed from low to high. The mana concentration around a powerful demon-beast was bound to be high.

The problem was that mana's natural flow was slow, making it difficult to track.

Tracking it was even harder when the target was a moving demon-beast. Besides, there were a considerable number of them in the vicinity alone.

He didn't have time to inspect every one.

That was why he needed a new spell.

'One with a very wide range. Enough to cover the snowy mountain, if possible.'

That would require an enormous amount of highly concentrated mana.

Even Galahad didn't have that much.

Demon-beast corpses, however, were everywhere.

And Galahad had knowledge of the demon-beast tamer's magic circle.

'This should be fun.'

Galahad went around collecting demon-beast corpses. Once gathered together, they formed a heap large enough to resemble a small mountain.

Then he used the golden rod to draw a magic circle around them.

'It draws nicely.'

The golden rod proved quite good for drawing magic circles.

The foundation was the demon-beast tamer's magic circle. He borrowed the portion that handled Demon blood.

To make it work the way he wanted, however, he had to devise a new formula.

It sounded simple, but it was actually harder than drawing a new magic circle from scratch. All the more so when Demon blood was involved.

But Galahad drank Demon blood himself.

He could confidently claim that his understanding of it surpassed that of any other Mage.

'It's been a while since I cast a spell on this scale.'

He smiled at the enormous magic circle.

Ordinarily, the higher their tier, the more Mages favored grand, flashy spells.

Spectacular large-scale magic was useful when applying for work at a Mage Tower. It was also good for showing off anywhere else.

A Mage could gain prestige and immense wealth simply by tinkering with magical devices in a Mage Tower.

There was no reason to choose a poorly paid life of hardship in the field.

Galahad, however, was a field agent. For an agent, the best magic was quiet and left no trace.

That was why he disliked large-scale magic.

Loathed it, rather. He considered it pointless ostentation and waste.

Right now, though, he needed it.

He could hardly search this entire snowy mountain on foot.

He intended to use a fundamental principle of mana.

Mana flowed from areas of low concentration to areas of high concentration.

Still, pinpointing a demon-beast merely by its breathing was rather difficult.

He needed to make it easier to see.

After finishing the magic circle, Galahad approached the mountain of corpses. Blood had pooled beneath it. He plunged the golden rod into the pool.

Then he slowly traced a line, allowing demon-beast blood to flow into the circle he had drawn.

'Good.'

He placed a cigarette between his lips and stood in the center of the magic circle.

The demon-beast blood slowly colored the circle, eventually filling it completely.

The magic circle inscribed on his right wrist shone with a brilliant golden light. Finishing his calculations, Galahad slowly recited the incantation.

Soon the circle shook violently. He thrust the golden rod into its center and completed the spell.

“Dawn Mist.”

The magic circle radiated red light.

The blood filling it bubbled as though heated. After boiling for some time, it turned to vapor.

Red mist slowly spread, soon shrouding the surroundings.

“Excellent.”

Galahad swept back his disheveled hair and laughed freely.

* * *

'Twenty-one.'

The Grand Duke shook off his axe as he looked at the demon-beast corpse before him.

A beast with twenty-one mixed into it was rare. It was the highest count among his recent kills.

'I've won.'

The Grand Duke was certain of his victory.

Even he struggled to find demon-beasts with more than twenty-one.

'Hm?'

An odd sensation made him turn his gaze.

Something felt unsettling. The Grand Duke trusted his instincts. Abandoning the demon-beast, he turned back.

Then he saw red mist approaching from afar. It was no ordinary mist, but one steeped in an eerie menace.

It spread as though devouring the white, snow-covered mountain.

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes and swung his axe in a great arc.

A fierce wind drove against the mist. The formless gale tore through it, forcing it far back.

But only for a moment. The red mist spread again.

'A top-ranking Demon.'

Rather than retreating, the Grand Duke advanced into the mist. It swallowed him.

His skin stung. At first glance it was merely red mist, but he could feel an extraordinary power within it.

'An upper-echelon Demon?'

The Grand Duke drew a deep breath. The sweet scent of blood filled his lungs.

His smile widened.

An intense hunger shook his mind.

Suddenly, Galahad came to mind. Perhaps Galahad was the enemy's target.

Red mist obscured his vision in every direction, but the Grand Duke walked without hesitation.

The closer he came, the stronger the stinging grew. The sensation became distinct.

'It was after him.'

Just then...

He sensed something sharp directly ahead. The Grand Duke swung his axe.

The red mist split violently apart.

A sharp spear had come flying at him. A spear of ice.

Something felt wrong.

That ice spear was the magic Galahad had used.

Then the red mist parted, revealing the scene.

There was an enormous red diagram. Clearly drawn in blood, it continuously poured forth red mist.

That meant the upper-echelon Demon responsible was there.

The problem was that this upper-echelon Demon...

“Oh, I thought you were a demon-beast.”

...was Galahad.

“This time it really was a mistake.”

“This time?”

The Grand Duke's eyes narrowed. Galahad smiled and waved a hand.

The red mist around the Grand Duke receded.

“It's a spell based on the principles of the demon-beast tamer's magic circle. Ah, it may sound a little strange, but think of it as taking an enemy's sword and using it.”

Galahad offered a lengthy explanation.

Blanketing a mountain in mist made from blood... It was the sort of thing an upper-echelon Demon would do.

Of course, it could be magic, as the fellow claimed.

However...

“You have two hearts, don't you?”

Hearts could not lie.

The Grand Duke angled his axe.

The fellow's expression remained relaxed.

Then Galahad raised a hand.

“You can ask questions after you win the wager.”

He was utterly mad.