Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Live-in Son-in-Law

‘I can do this. I graduated from the Academy with top grades, and I’ve even built up a solid backing. I can do this.’

James muttered quietly as he looked at the gloomy gray corridor.

The shirt, buttoned tightly all the way up, was prickling, but James didn’t have the mind to care about that.

Today was the long-awaited Intelligence Bureau interview day.

What kind of place was the Intelligence Bureau? It was a place where only the geniuses among the geniuses of the continent gathered. It moved the empire in secret, and only a very small number of people knew of its existence.

The Intelligence Bureau couldn’t be entered carelessly. You needed the qualification to apply by graduating from the Academy, which only selected talents, with top grades, or by achieving a feat famous enough to make a name across the continent.

That wasn’t the end. You had to pass a thorough background check, and pass a practical exam close to actual work. Just reaching the interview was a miracle. And James wanted to seize this miracle.

“Fuck, seriously.”

Then, a rough curse was heard. Looking up, a black-haired man was sitting opposite him.

Unbuttoned uniform and a crooked posture, even a face full of irritation—. It was clearly a look full of dissatisfaction.

To the current James, only the man’s uniform was visible.

‘······Intelligence Bureau agent!!’

It was the first time he saw an Intelligence Bureau agent.

The Intelligence Bureau was an organization shrouded in veils. In fact, even in the process of coming to the interview, he hadn’t encountered a single person.

He seemed around James’s age, but already an Intelligence Bureau agent—. James’s eyes sparkled involuntarily.

“What are you looking at?”

The man asked in an irritated voice.

“Ah··· Nothing! I just thought you looked cool!”

James answered hastily, standing at attention. If he got in, this person would become James’s senior.

“Venting on a chick···. Worst.”

The man squinted his eyes and took out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth.

“Want one? It’s a good one.”

“No! I’m fine!”

The man didn’t offer twice. A red flame lit up on the man’s fingers.

“······A mage!”

James’s eyes widened. A mage as an Intelligence Bureau agent!

“First time seeing a mage?”

Instead of answering, James flicked his fingers. A small spark jumped around James’s fingers.

“A junior, huh.”

“Please take care of me! Senior!”

The man clicked his tongue softly. Gray smoke wafted from the man’s mouth. The man’s expression looking at James was subtle.

“Why come to the Bureau when there’s an easy path?”

The man’s question was valid.

Originally, if you graduated as a mage, entering the Magic Tower was the most common. If not that, entering under a noble—.

Because mages were a job optimized for research and development rather than combat. In fact, the money and honor you could earn there were overwhelmingly greater.

Many invitations came to James from the Magic Tower as well. The reason he rejected them and applied to the Intelligence Bureau was—.

“I want to dedicate this one body for the glorious empire!”

Since it was in the expected interview questions, James answered without hesitation. The man squinted his eyes. Was this not it?

“······Mana is leaking a bit. The compression process is a little weak.”

“You mean compression?”

“Like this.”

The man flicked his fingers again. A spark jumped on the man’s fingers. At a glance it was the same as James, but James could recognize its sophistication.

“You can achieve the same efficiency with less mana!”

“Yeah, they don’t teach that at the Academy. Guys who only hold books think mana efficiency isn’t necessary. But in actual combat, efficiency is more important. How long does it take to fill mana once?”

“It takes about three days.”

“That takes too long?”

“······Yes?”

James opened his eyes wide. It was on the fast side compared to his peers.

“Don’t fill mana without thinking, calculate the concentration from the time of storage and store it. Just storing mindlessly like breathing is why it takes three days.”

‘Calculate the concentration when storing mana?’

Just setting up calculation formulas when using magic made his head feel like it would split, and calculate mana concentration—? Does that make sense? James nodded for now.

“If you calculate and remember the mana concentration in advance, you can use only the exact amount of mana needed. Then even this is possible.”

The man flicked his fingers in succession. Sparks occurred continuously. What was one at first exploded in an instant, becoming a small flower shape.

A flower made of lightning—. James purely admired its sophistication.

“This works well on women. You try it too. They’ll fall head over heels.”

“······Ah, is that so.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I broke up and came.”

“Because of the Intelligence Bureau?”

“Yes.”

“Idiot.”

“Yes?”

The man exhaled smoke long. A refreshing lemon scent wafted.

“Once you enter, you can’t date.”

“It’s fine! I plan to marry the empire!”

“Have you heard the empire’s opinion?”

“······Yes?”

The man laughed as if coughing.

“Anyway, if you enter the Intelligence Bureau, just remember one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes, and close your mouth. Just do what you’re told. Then you’ll rise.”

The man squinted his eyes. At a glance it seemed like he was smiling, but the corners of his mouth weren’t raised.

Then, the door beside opened and a woman came out. At the cold-impression beauty, James unconsciously corrected his posture.

“Galahad, how many times have I said no smoking indoors.”

“This is mana tobacco.”

“So?”

“It smells nice.”

The woman smiled faintly and gestured inside with her chin. The man who clicked his tongue stood up from his seat. James blankly looked up at the man.

“You, try to endure well without getting divorced.”

“······Yes? Yes!”

The man who patted James’s shoulder entered the door.

James muttered the name ‘Galahad’. Where have I heard that name···.

‘···The Academy’s youngest graduate!’

At the name he recalled late, James’s mouth opened wide.

Galahad was a person recorded in the Academy’s history.

Usually when graduating from the Academy, most mages were 2nd Circle, high ones 3rd Circle. But Galahad, not only graduated as the youngest, but was 4th Circle when graduating.

He suddenly disappeared after graduation—.

‘He entered the Intelligence Bureau.’

Only then did it make sense. To meet such a legendary person—. James shouted ‘Yay!’ softly.

As expected of the Intelligence Bureau. The Intelligence Bureau where only geniuses among the continent’s geniuses gather to lead the empire—.

Then, a rough sound was heard from inside.

“Fuck, are you telling me to become a live-in son-in-law right now?”

At Galahad’s voice, James opened his eyes wide.

James urgently looked up at the door. It was written largely ‘Deputy Director’s Office’.

To curse so roughly in the Deputy Director’s Office—.

‘Cool.’

James’s eyes sparkled.

‘I must get in!’

James clenched his fist and pumped himself up.

He wanted to work under that cool Galahad.

***

“Galahad, how is marrying the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter becoming a live-in son-in-law?”

The Deputy Director squinted his fleshy eyes. Galahad took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Isn’t that the same thing. Do you know what kind of person the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter is?”

“I know, isn’t she the youngest Sword Master. In the future she’ll inherit the Northern Grand Duke position. Then you’d become the Northern Grand Duke’s husband, what exactly is the dissatisfaction.”

The Deputy Director laughed heartily. At the shameless attitude, Galahad’s anger rose to the top of his head.

When the empire was first established, the Grand Duke was truly a Grand Duke. The empire’s only duke, and the power next to the emperor—.

However, the location of the North was the problem. The North was adjacent to the territory of the demon race. The Grand Duke had to block the demon race’s offensives, and due to that, was losing power day by day.

On top of that, the ignorant Northern guys extremely hated mages, calling magic a byproduct of the demon race. The Grand Duke’s territory was the only place without a Magic Tower.

Sending Galahad, who was a mage and Intelligence Bureau agent, there was no different from telling him to die.

However, Galahad was the card the Deputy Director had pushed the most. There was no way he’d discard it with his own hands.

“Where did this come down from.”

The Deputy Director, who had become a complicated face, pointed upward with his finger. The Deputy Director didn’t acknowledge the Intelligence Bureau Director, saying he was a personnel appointed from above. For such a Deputy Director to point upward meant it was really from above.

“It’s a matter your father pushed.”

“Fuck! Seriously! Dog-like···.”

Galahad couldn’t hold back and spat a curse. He immediately realized how the situation had flowed.

Galahad was the third son of a count.

Here, nobles, to prevent power from weakening, succeeded everything to the eldest son. Among them, there were cases of killing everyone except the eldest son.

Galahad, who was reborn as a noble’s son, realized his situation at a young age. Accordingly, Galahad desperately studied magic.

Studying wasn’t difficult since he had done plenty in his previous life.

Originally, Galahad was someone who entered a prestigious university in Korea. Compared to the boring CSAT studies and university studies, magic had visual byproducts every time he studied. It was fun to an incomparable degree.

Along with that, basic magic formulas were about the level of high school math he learned in his previous life.

Thanks to that, he graduated from the Academy as the youngest, and entered the Intelligence Bureau. With this much, he thought he could now live patting his belly—.

‘Not enough to not take care of me, you’re selling me? This fuck.’

It was a very political arranged marriage. Galahad’s sharp mind quickly derived the conclusion that there was no corner to avoid. It was a dead end.

‘Fucking hell, seriously.’

Having finished the calculation, Galahad sat opposite the Deputy Director and took out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth. The Deputy Director’s eyebrows went up, but he was no longer a senior.

“Galahad—.”

“What.”

“Give me one too.”

Galahad squinted his eyes and glared at the Deputy Director. Yeah, what wrong has the Deputy Director done. He took out one cigarette from his pocket and handed it to the Deputy Director.

“Fire.”

“What era is this, you can’t even use simple magic.”

“You try getting old too. How difficult it is to learn new things. Fire!”

Galahad clicked his tongue and lit the Deputy Director’s cigarette.

“What’s with the lemon scent for a man. Lemon scent.”

“You’re full of complaints while bumming a smoke.”

The two quietly puffed cigarettes in succession.

The Deputy Director’s face wasn’t good either. Since Galahad was the card the Deputy Director had pushed the most, the Deputy Director was no different from becoming penniless.

“Indeed, why didn’t you get married? You’re of age too.”

“I married the empire.”

“Even I know you’re famous for hating the empire.”

“Don’t you also hate your wife, Deputy Director.”

“You have a point.”

The two laughed softly.

“It won’t take that long.”

The Deputy Director said in a voice full of fatigue. It was a situation no different from the Deputy Director’s hands and feet being cut off. There was no way the Deputy Director could call him again.

“It’s fine. I’ll return on my own.”

Galahad shook his head and extinguished the cigarette by rubbing it.

“Well, you’re popular with women. In fact, even Zamit likes you.”

The Deputy Director pointed to Zamit beside him and smiled mischievously. Then Zamit fully frowned her face.

“Actually I knew. Sorry Zamit, dating men isn’t my thing.”

“······Give me one too.”

Even Zamit, the three sat side by side and puffed for a while. It was quiet without a single conversation, but each’s head was rolling noisily.

“Buy some candy or chocolate. Women like that kind of thing. It seems like there won’t be any in the North too.”

Zamit said while making a donut shape with smoke.

“Candy, huh. I’ll remember. Ah, the guy outside is usable.”

“The guy outside?”

“The greenhorn who looks like a carrot.”

“Carrot?”

“I think he means the interviewee.”

“Ah, right. But Zamit why speaking casually···. It’s fine. How long have we worked together. Hehe. So, does he look okay?”

“Yes, he said he’ll marry the empire.”

“That’s what you said during the interview.”

Galahad smiled bitterly.

Did I say something like that? It seemed like I did. When interviewing, doesn’t everyone do that. I really like this company—, I’ll bury my bones—. That kind of context.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

The Deputy Director asked while leaning his body back. When he first faced Galahad, the eyes that sparkled with justice and ambition now had agedness and fatigue settled.

Galahad looked at him for a moment and opened his mouth.

“So is that woman pretty?”

This time the Deputy Director laughed out loud. The Deputy Director who was laughing while making choking sounds wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes and nodded.

“They say she’s the continent’s number one beauty.”