Chapter 84 - Shit

'A forest—'

Galahad squinted at the green surrounding him. Trees thick with greenery crowded every side. Pointed leaves, broad leaves, leaves of every kind fluttered in the gentle breeze.

Thick, knee-high grass tickled his legs. The cheerful chirping of birds tickled his ears. A rich scent filled his nose, as though someone had just torn up grass right in front of him.

It all felt perfectly natural. As though he had been born here—

Out of habit, Galahad searched his pockets for a cigarette.

There were none.

'This isn't real.'

Addiction was habit, and habit belonged to the unconscious mind. The unconscious made an excellent barrier.

In situations like this, for instance—

This wasn't a dream. As an agent, Galahad did not dream.

'A forest, the exalted one, a Demon, an upper-echelon Demon—'

With that realization, his mind slowly roused itself. Trained suspicion picked apart the flawless circumstances, one detail at a time.

Galahad expanded his awareness. Defenses against mental interference were fundamental for an agent. Mental interference was easy to break once you noticed something was wrong.

That was certainly true. No, it had to be.

'It won't break.'

The birds were still chirping, the grass still swaying in the wind, and leaves fluttered to the ground.

He had been returning from his hunt with the Grand Duke. This wasn't the Demon Realm. Yet this degree of control—

Just then, the undergrowth parted. Trees bowed their heads and moved aside. The four-legged Demon slowly emerged.

With every step it took, grass turned into flowers. Petals spread, marking its footprints.

The four-legged Demon stopped before Galahad. Its form was clearer than before.

["Kill the Emperor."]

Its voice reverberated through every part of him. Galahad grasped the situation.

'Ah, a contract.'

The words he had spoken to summon the Demon last time seemed to have taken effect as a contract. If a contract was involved, things had become considerably more complicated.

["Kill the Emperor."]

Greenery sprouted from Galahad's mouth. Grass grew out of it. The pain was sharper than before. Real, horrific pain swept over him.

'The contract's influence.'

Galahad squinted in admiration. A red flower bloomed from his left eye. A bee flew over and landed on it.

It felt as though a tree were growing inside him. The sensation of bursting apart bit by bit from within was quite a novel kind of pain.

"You're rather impatient. Stop pestering me."

The four-legged Demon's lips curled upward.

["Kill the Emperor."]

"That's my intention too. But the Emperor isn't James from next door. I can't simply go and kill him, can I? I need assistance. In professional terms, we call it a retainer. How much can you offer?"

["Kill the Emperor."]

"You're being unreasonable. This approach will only delay the job. I don't mind the grass eating me, but would you leave my mouth alone? We're negotiating."

["Kill the Emperor."]

"There's no reasoning with you."

["Kill the Emperor."]

"You're wasting your time."

Galahad scattered into grass.

A new wave of pain swept over him. His mind, however, grew even clearer. Apparently, this was meant to make him feel the pain more keenly.

Galahad studied the scattering grass intently.

'Is this mental interference too?'

Fascinating.

This was mental interference on an unfathomable level. At this point, it could be considered the ultimate expression of the art.

Insects crunched away at Galahad's body, now scattered into grass.

Beyond them, he could see the four-legged Demon wearing a faint smile.

'So you're offering me private lessons every day, whenever I fall asleep?'

The four-legged Demon's smile froze.

How very generous—

* * *

'Just a little longer—'

Galahad opened his eyes, breathing hard.

Dry wooden walls came into view. He was in the carriage. Pushing back his disheveled hair, he searched for his cigarettes. There they were. He put one between his lips and hurriedly lit it.

The lemon fragrance spread richly.

'A contract, then—'

He had wondered why it had helped so readily. Apparently, it had been working toward the fulfillment of the contract.

'Kill the Emperor.'

Galahad murmured the words under his breath.

It was now certain that the Emperor was keeping powerful individuals bound. The resulting void was considerable. It was the greatest reason Demons were spreading their influence throughout the continent.

The Grand Duke alone made that clear. This was a man who filled his belly by ripping apart demon-beast heads.

Had a man like him taken an active role, the North would not have been riddled with Demons.

Nor was the Grand Duke the only problem. More than a few powerful figures had gone into seclusion.

That was the biggest reason Demons had become so rampant.

Even aside from that—

'The Emperor has been absent too long.'

The imperial court had never been a harmonious place, but now it was a silent battlefield. Its master, the Emperor, had left his seat vacant for too long.

Amusingly, this wasn't the first time he had been commissioned to assassinate the Emperor.

It had fallen through because of the Imperial Princess's betrayal, but Galahad had once planned for it as well.

Quite a few people wanted the Emperor dead. Ironically, one such assignment had come from the imperial court itself.

It was an assassination commission intended to strengthen imperial security.

The imperial court trusted knights over magic. The imperial knights gathered geniuses from across the continent. Breaking into a palace packed with such knights was all but impossible.

Even Galahad had failed at the final door back then.

["How did you get this far?"]

The imperial knight commander's appalled expression as he asked had been quite a sight.

Galahad had stressed that as long as they relied on people, there would inevitably be gaps.

The imperial court had hastily added magical security, inviting a variety of high-ranking mages for the task.

That was where Galahad had met the master of the Twilight Mage Tower.

In any case, the addition of magical defenses had actually made the palace easier for Galahad to breach.

The problem was what came afterward. Killing the Emperor would undoubtedly make him a public enemy of the Empire—number one, no less. That had to be avoided at all costs.

The four-legged Demon might be pressing him, but there was no need to hurry.

All it could do was disturb his sleep, after all.

BOOM! BOOM!

The heavy drumbeats made him turn toward the window. Soldiers stood in ranks all over the Grand Duke's castle.

It seemed every soldier inside had come out. The sight of them packed along the enormous walls was rather imposing.

Still, all of them together amounted to less than the Grand Duke alone.

The Grand Duke rode a five-eyed horse with flames blazing around its hooves.

With the fierce-looking Grand Duke sitting bare-chested atop that enormous, horrifying demon-beast, all one could say was that they suited each other.

It felt as though the bravest warrior in hell had risen to the surface.

The valiant soldiers of the North looked horrified.

He followed the Grand Duke into the castle. When he stepped out of the carriage, the soldiers stared at him as though they were seeing a ghost. Returning alive from the hunt seemed to be quite an impressive feat.

The Grand Duke was already far ahead. Leaving without so much as a farewell was very much like him. Galahad preferred it that way too—neat and simple.

He put another cigarette between his lips.

First, he intended to check on the Special Operations Unit.

Just then, a familiar figure approached: the man named Theodore.

"His Highness the Grand Duke is dining and asks that you come up."

"Hmm. I'm not particularly inclined to."

"Haha. He said it was an order."

Theodore gave an awkward laugh.

'He must have liked the wedding gift quite a bit.'

A meal alone with that fearsome Grand Duke. He wanted to decline, but it was an order.

"Haha, His Highness seems particularly fond of you, Commander Galahad."

"I'll get indigestion."

Theodore burst out laughing, then hastily covered his mouth.

* * *

...!

The demon-beast's cry shook the room. It wasn't even intermediate-ranking, so it posed no threat.

The problem was—

'He actually brought it all the way into his room.'

Galahad squinted at the demon-beast beside the Grand Duke.

The demon-beast was enormous. The entrance was too small for it.

Most people would have left it outside under those circumstances. The Grand Duke, however, had tackled the problem head-on. No, smashed through it.

He had hacked away everything obstructing its path with his axe. After those renovations, he had finally brought the beast into the room.

Galahad rather liked how the flames it emitted kept the room warm.

The Grand Duke did nothing but tear into meat, making Galahad wonder why he had been summoned. Galahad lightly cooked his own meat as he ate.

By the time Galahad was finishing his meal, the Grand Duke was on his fifth piece.

It was astonishing that he could eat anything more after devouring all those demon-beasts.

Galahad watched him for a moment, then spoke.

"My family won't come."

The Grand Duke's eyes turned toward him.

"You seem to be on poor terms."

Galahad smiled at the flat remark. The man surely already knew all about his circumstances.

"Yes. I'm the son they've washed their hands of."

"So they'd discard even the Academy's youngest graduate."

"We're a family of swordsmen, you see."

The Grand Duke showed no particular reaction, as though he had known that already.

"They dare refuse to attend my daughter's engagement ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Galahad narrowed his eyes at the unexpected answer. The Grand Duke's eyebrows were slightly raised, as though to show he wasn't joking.

He actually welcomed the absence of Galahad's family. The reason was obvious.

'So my family would only get in the way.'

Resentment toward the Empire ran deep in the North. Clearly, he intended to take in Galahad alone. That would explain his delight at the family's absence.

It was tremendous progress from before, when he had had no intention of allowing the marriage at all.

'I really am marrying into her family.'

Galahad rubbed his neck for no particular reason.

Just then, the door opened smoothly. Adrianna entered in handsome white armor, rather than that ridiculous suit she had worn before.

"First Battalion commander Adrianna, reporting my return."

She bowed to the Grand Duke, who nodded.

"We found traces of the city, but they are faint because everything was demolished. The Second Battalion's commander is pursuing them, but the prospects are poor."

The Grand Duke nodded at her report.

"Eat."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Galahad sprang up and pulled out the chair beside him. Adrianna, who had been about to sit opposite him, hesitated.

The Grand Duke's gaze fixed on Galahad. Doing his best to ignore it, he indicated the chair.

"Sit here."

"... You needn't pull it out for me."

"It's basic manners."

After a moment's hesitation, Adrianna sat beside him. Satisfied, Galahad took his seat again.

When he leaned against the backrest, Adrianna's remarkably high nose obscured the Grand Duke a little. Only then did he feel his digestion improve.

"How was the hunt?"

"Great fun. His Highness and I even made a hunting wager."

"Oh, you made a wager?"

Adrianna glanced briefly at the Grand Duke. There was something odd about the atmosphere. The Grand Duke was looking at the demon-beast beside him.

"How did it turn out?"

"I won by a hair. Thanks to His Highness's consideration."

"I showed you no consideration."

"Quite right. It turns out I have a natural gift for hunting demon-beasts too."

The Grand Duke's brow creased slightly. Adrianna's eyes widened.

"That's remarkable. To beat His Highness, who does nothing but hunt demon-beasts whenever he has a spare moment."

"Ahem."

The Grand Duke cleared his throat quietly.

"His Highness's skill goes without saying. He simply happened to be up against me."

The Grand Duke's eyebrows shot up. Galahad discreetly hid behind Adrianna.

A burnt smell mingled with a faint scent of blood drifted from her. It was the smell of the front lines.

"Then what is that demon-beast?"

Adrianna pointed at the Grand Duke's horse-shaped beast.

"My horse."

"First of all, that isn't a horse. It's a demon-beast. Demon-beasts cannot be tamed. Haven't you had problems with this before?"

Galahad was quietly impressed that Adrianna spoke so bluntly even to the Grand Duke.

'So he's tried several times before.'

The Grand Duke was so large that his build rivaled a demon-beast's. No horse could possibly bear that enormous body.

Still, to try taming demon-beasts—how very like him.

"Are you planning to put this one on display too?"

At her words, Galahad gave a small sigh. So all those demon-beast heads hanging on the walls were the remnants of his efforts. There was quite a variety, too: snakes, lions, even birdlike creatures.

'That's why he was so pleased.'

Apparently, he had unwittingly given him the perfect wedding gift.

"Rather than demon-beasts, the situation in the North—"

"I arranged it for him."

Galahad slipped into Adrianna's stream of blunt criticism.

"... Pardon? What do you mean, arranged it?"

"I tamed it by adapting the demon-beast tamer's magic circle. It won't cause trouble. It takes a considerable amount of demon-beast blood to maintain, but I'm sure His Highness can manage that perfectly well."

This time, the Grand Duke's eyebrows rose and Adrianna's lowered. Striking a balance here was rather tricky.

Adrianna's brows swooped down into a glare.

"Did you say the demon-beast tamer? The demon-beast tamer was one of the Five Great Villains who sided with the Demons during the Imperial-Demon War and inflicted tremendous damage. Are you saying you used a villain's techniques?"

Adrianna's forthright criticism turned toward Galahad. He clicked his tongue softly.

"Now, imagine an evil blacksmith. An evil blacksmith who makes a truly astonishing sword and uses it to oppress the villagers. A complete bastard."

"Even a fine sword is useless if your swordsmanship is poor."

"Quite true. But this sword was so exceptional that swinging it sent flames to burn the enemy."

"A cursed sword, then. I understand."

Adrianna nodded solemnly. Galahad briefly considered explaining that this was an analogy, then continued.

"Yes, a cursed sword. Anyway, he used it to kill and torment the villagers. One day, a boy secretly stole the sword and used it to drive the blacksmith away. Does that make the boy a villain?"

"No."

"Exactly. That's what I mean."

Adrianna stared at him for a moment. Galahad spoke again.

"Now, imagine a very evil blacksmith..."

"... I understand. But a cursed sword thirsts for blood. If he keeps holding it, he will become the blacksmith."

"The boy is very clever. Once the blacksmith is gone, he'll put the cursed sword down."

Adrianna gazed steadily at Galahad. Her blue eyes were so clear that they pricked at his heart. He tilted his face slightly closer. Flustered, she turned away.

Then his eyes met the Grand Duke's.

"A thief, then."

The Grand Duke's lips curled into a savage smile.

Galahad cleared his throat softly to redirect their attention.

After a long moment of thought, Adrianna looked at Galahad and spoke.

"You must be careful with a cursed sword. This is a separate matter from trust."

At her earnest response, Galahad nodded silently. His head felt a little heavy on his neck.

Then Adrianna began her meal.

The Grand Duke looked to be in quite a good mood. Adrianna's presence softened him somewhat. He went from a high-ranking demon-beast to a top-ranking one.

One could say the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

That reminded Galahad of what he wanted.

'Credit for the Demon city.'

Now that Adrianna had returned after confirming the Demon city's existence, a reward would follow.

But he had to rule out the possibility of receiving something like the Grand Duke's recognition again. He needed no more of that.

There was something else Galahad wanted.

Something only the Grand Duke could grant.

The opposition, however, would undoubtedly be fierce.

Galahad cautiously spoke.

"I understand you intend to reward my service regarding the Demon city."

"I do."

"Destroying a city containing over two hundred Demons and an upper-echelon Demon called the ruler is a considerable achievement, wouldn't you say?"

Galahad discreetly poked Adrianna's armor. Absorbed in eating, she gave a slight start, then nodded.

"That's correct. Had it been left alone any longer, it would certainly have become a major threat. It was a great achievement."

Adrianna added her support. The Grand Duke's brow creased slightly.

"Tell me what you want."

The Grand Duke's question was blunt.

Galahad went straight to the point.

"Legalization of the magic-stone deposit business."

The silence lasted only a moment.

The air grew heavy in an instant. The Grand Duke's fierce presence bore down on Galahad. Beside him, the demon-beast screamed and staggered.

Alarm crossed Adrianna's face. She clearly hadn't expected this.

"You mean Demon shit?"

The Grand Duke's voice was indifferent. It felt as though a hand were tightening around Galahad's throat. Rubbing his neck, he answered.

"Not Demon shit. Mana stones."

"I gave you some leeway because you seemed useful, and now you've forgotten your place."

The Grand Duke's reaction was violent. Apparently, mana stones had an even worse reputation than Galahad had thought.

The Grand Duke glared at him. If looks could kill, Galahad would have died about three times over.

'Still, he called me useful. Does that count as recognition?'

He glanced at Adrianna. His supposed ally was glaring too.

"Mana stones are cursed objects. Demons, demon-beasts, and outlaws from the Empire all covet them. Countless northern warriors have died because of them. Legalizing mana stones is a rather complicated matter."

Adrianna explained rapidly.

He could understand their opposition. To the North, which rejected magic, mana stones were merely glowing rocks. Worse, they were a nuisance that continually attracted covetous scum.

However—

"First, mana stones are not Demon shit. In the capital, they're worth more than gold. Only ignorant people who don't understand their value insist they're just rocks."

The Grand Duke's eyebrows arched. Galahad continued without averting his gaze.

"Besides, you have no money in the budget, do you? Even if they were Demon shit—"

Something about Galahad's upright posture made Adrianna feel strangely urgent.

By now, she understood his character just a little.

But even so, he was standing before the Grand Duke—

Adrianna realized there was a faint smile in Galahad's eyes.

It was the look he wore before doing something outrageous.

She tried to stop him, but his mouth was faster.

"If you're broke, you ought to pick up shit and sell it if that's what it takes."

Adrianna's eyebrows twitched violently.