Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dangle

“Nice to meet you. I am Daniel, the Lord of Garseton Castle.”

Daniel was a gaunt man. Gilbert was not short, yet Daniel was a handspan taller than Gilbert.

‘Gloomy.’

Galahad clicked his tongue softly and clasped Daniel’s hand.

“I am Galahad Amberutan.”

“······Amberutan—. Oh, you are the scion of Count Amberutan.”

Daniel’s complexion changed in an instant. When Daniel raised the corners of his mouth, sharp yellow fangs were visible.

‘He knows Count Amberutan.’

It was unexpected. A central noble would know Count Amberutan, but this was the entrance to the North.

Amberutan was quite a great noble, but not to the extent that his fame reached this far.

It was one of two things. Either this noble named Daniel was a noble with the ambition to advance to the center—.

‘Or he has separately investigated Count Amberutan.’

Warm heat spread from the large fireplace visible behind Daniel. Shadows on Daniel’s face deepened and then shallowed.

“What business does the scion of Count Amberutan have with His Grace the Grand Duke—.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes and trailed off.

“I was invited.”

“Invited, you say?”

Instead of answering, Galahad pointed to Gilbert who was a short distance away. Gilbert only nodded his head. It was an arrogant attitude, but Daniel seemed not to mind.

“Ah, I see. Have you eaten?”

When Galahad shook his head, Daniel revealed his yellow fangs again.

“Let us eat together. It should be ready by now.”

***

‘It really was Northern-style.’

Galahad muttered softly while stabbing the dripping meat with a fork.

He had suspected Gilbert of deliberately undercooking it to screw with him, but the meat here also held blood. Rather, Gilbert’s meat had been more cooked.

“You are not drinking?”

“I am abstaining.”

When Galahad shook his head, Daniel grinned. It was a subtly irritating smile.

Then, a maid placed roasted vegetables on Galahad’s plate. Galahad squinted at the maid who was staring at him piercingly. Even if it had been another noble, it would have been a situation to raise a hand to the cheek, yet the maid slowly lowered her head.

“Are you not eating?”

“I am fine. I ate earlier.”

At Galahad’s question, Gilbert shook his head. Combined with the bizarre sounds Gilbert had made before coming, the unpleasant feeling intensified.

“By any chance, are you a mage?”

Then, Daniel threw out an out-of-the-blue question. Instantly the dining table fell silent. The moving maids stopped as they were.

‘He has investigated Amberutan.’

Galahad stared at Daniel. Those glistening eyes were exactly like eyes looking at delicious food.

“I have heard rumors that the third son of Amberutan is an outstanding mage.”

Daniel said while slicing the meat with a knife. A little red blood spurted. Looking now, that side was eating completely raw meat.

It was closer to a monologue than a question. Suddenly the words Gilbert had said, ‘In the North they cannot distinguish between the demon race and mages,’ came to mind.

“If I am a mage?”

Galahad lowered his hands under the table. He slowly moved his mana. He prepared so he could put a hole in the guy’s head at any time. It was the basic cultivation of a mage in an era of magic hatred.

“Ah! Our daughter really likes magic. She even took the Academy exam, but she failed. How disappointed she was—.”

Warmth rose on Daniel’s face. Unlike before, Daniel chattered noisily. Meat fragments flew from that mouth. Galahad squinted his eyes.

“If it is all right with you, may I call my daughter? If she meets a mage, she will like it very much.”

Was it a misunderstanding. Galahad maintained the mana he had held in his hands.

“Bring Emma! Quickly!”

Daniel shouted without waiting for Galahad’s answer. At Daniel’s command, a maid ran.

A short while later, Daniel’s daughter Emma who appeared was quite a beauty.

The only thing she resembled Daniel in was her elongated height. She was the same height as Daniel, but unlike Daniel her face overflowed with vitality and her eyes were large. A rare beauty.

“Your wife must be a beauty.”

“Yes? Ah, she was. Not now though. Greet him. This is Lord Galahad, a mage from the capital.”

Emma held both sides of her skirt and bowed her head. It was an awkward capital-style etiquette. The gaze looking at Galahad was quite persistent.

‘Being popular is tiring.’

Emma sat right next to Galahad. Amidst the fragrant scent, a fishy smell wafted.

“Did you really graduate as the youngest top student from the Academy?”

Emma asked with sparkling eyes. Galahad smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Wow! It was true! My friend who entered the Academy told me! That there is someone named Galahad!”

“How the child chattered. The moment I heard the surname I knew right away. To graduate as the youngest from the Academy which is hard even to enter, truly amazing.”

‘It wasn’t Amberutan he investigated.’

What they investigated was not Amberutan but Galahad. Similar to the heart of a parent of a long-term student, perhaps.

“I worked hard.”

“Hey, graduating as the youngest top student from the Academy is an unprecedented achievement. A genius among geniuses!”

Emma bumped shoulders and smiled brightly. Galahad scratched the side of his neck with his finger.

It was true that he had talent. However, being able to graduate as top student from the Academy was not simply a matter of talent.

Existing with an adult mind in a child’s body was a truly terrible experience. Rather than playing around with kids, Galahad chose to read books.

From the age of three, Galahad read magic books as if studying for the civil service exam.

The reason he graduated from the Academy as the youngest was because he had started studying magic as the youngest.

From the beginning, the study amount of the guys here who even take nap time and Galahad’s study amount could not be compared.

However, there was no need to explain that.

“Would you take a look at my magic once?”

Emma asked in a careful tone. Galahad nodded. One should pay for the meal.

Emma began to chant a flashy spell. She even spread her arms left and right. Anyone looking would think she was using great magic. Galahad desperately unfurrowed his eyebrows that were frowning.

“Show yourself! Your anger—!”

‘Why is the spell in inverted syntax.’

Then, Emma went “Hup!” and extended both hands. A weak fire spewed from Emma’s palm. The firepower was insufficient even to light a cigarette.

Should one praise the courage of thinking of going to the Academy with that skill—. Galahad seriously pondered.

“It has improved more! With this much, next time you will pass!”

Contrary to Galahad’s thoughts, Daniel even clapped and was pleased.

Galahad shook his head. There was no possibility at all that Emma would pass the Academy. That was more trivial than the magic Galahad had unfolded at the age of three.

However, there was no need to say it.

“Try putting a little less strength in your palm and putting mana in more forcefully.”

“Put less strength in the palm? But how do I put more mana in?”

“Does mana move only if you put strength in the palm?”

“······Yes?”

Blockhead. Galahad forcefully suppressed his irritation.

“Mana is moved by will. It is not moved by muscles. There are many cases of mistaking it for using muscles, but then you cannot move mana as you will. Separate the two.”

Galahad explained as kindly as possible. Since it was something he had said over a hundred times, it came out smoothly. There were many blockheads even among mages. It was a world where guys who understood magic as formulas were rare.

“······Is that so?”

Emma squinted her eyes. She did not seem to have understood.

Yes, if she could understand at once she would have realized it alone. Being stupid is not a sin.

Galahad let out a small sigh and held out his hand. Emma’s eyes widened.

“Give me your hand.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Emma’s hand was cold, as if she had cold hands and feet. Galahad put mana in through the hand.

Originally putting mana into another person was a dangerous act, but not for Galahad. It was something he had already done hundreds of times.

‘She has quite a bit of mana.’

Galahad purely admired. Compared to her trash-like skill, the mana she possessed was quite a bit. Had Daniel fed her something good.

“My teaching is expensive, so concentrate.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t open your mouth and concentrate on the mana.”

Emma tightly closed her mouth and only nodded. Galahad touched Emma’s mana and guided the flow. Considering she was stupid, he repeated it about five times.

“······Ahh!!”

Emma burst out an excited exclamation. Emma’s hand briefly clenched and then opened.

“Do you understand now?”

“Yes! Moving not with muscles but with will was this meaning! Ahh!”

Emma jumped up and down and was pleased. The fire on Emma’s palm remained the same.

Didn’t understand. Forcing down the urge to smack her head once, he grabbed Emma’s hand again.

Only after repeating about ten more times did Emma’s fire grow. Now it would be possible to light a cigarette. Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“Thank you so much! Lord Galahad!”

“It’s fine. Conveying knowledge is the basic cultivation of a mage.”

At the pouring thanks, Galahad shook his head.

In fact it was not much of a teaching, and from the beginning probing another’s mana was something that helped Galahad as well.

‘Compared to the stupid head, the mana amount is more than expected. Innate—.’

Or did she eat some nutritional supplement. Galahad muttered while narrowing his eyes.

“Please stay the night. We will prepare a comfortable night for you.”

“That’s right! Please stay the night! You must!”

Daniel who had become subtly calm and Emma whose face was full of excitement said in turn.

Galahad stared at Gilbert. Gilbert still felt like he had stepped back a step as if it had nothing to do with him.

It could be dangerous, but curiosity arose. Curiosity was the basic cultivation of a mage.

“Then I will not refuse.”

Galahad nodded while smiling.

“······In the North, adultery is the death penalty.”

Gilbert who had approached stealthily whispered. That expression was quite serious.

“Didn’t you say we are not married yet?”

At Galahad’s answer, Gilbert laughed softly.

***

The room was quite excellent considering it was the North. There was a bed, a simple bathtub, even a fireplace. Of course, it was smaller and dirtier than a shabby inn in the capital.

‘Because it’s the North.’

Galahad lightly washed his body with magic and sat on the bed.

‘Candles in this day and age—.’

When he lit the candle, the orange light swayed precariously and illuminated the room.

Galahad habitually circulated his mana. Then he installed a simple set of alarm magic. It was the basic cultivation of a mage.

Along with Gilbert’s unpleasant words—.

‘The North.’

Galahad closed his eyes while only leaning his back. As a mage, a light sleep was sufficient for Galahad.

How much time had passed. The alarm magic rang. Galahad slowly opened his eyes.

The long candle was revealing its bottom. Because the window was closed, the only thing was the light of the fireplace that seemed about to go out.

Crackle, the weak fireplace sound tickled his ears.

Galahad circulated his mana to wake his spirit. In the time of one breath, the muscles that had been clumped from the cold loosened. The sunken spirit stood up sharply.

Creak—. The door slowly opened. A familiar loose skirt was visible.

‘Emma.’

Galahad squinted his eyes. Opening the door of an unrelated man’s room in the middle of the night—.

Certainly Emma was a beauty. Her chest was lacking, but instead she had slender legs.

However, right now Galahad was on the way to marry the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter. Galahad was not stupid enough to ruin things due to lust.

“I purely taught magic, there was no other intention. If I caused a misunderstanding, I am sorry.”

Galahad refused as gentlemanly as possible.

Whether the refusal was weak, Emma approached in strides. Because the room was dark, her face was not visible.

‘This damn popularity.’

When Galahad let out a sigh, Emma stood by the bedside. Something was held in Emma’s hand. Was it the side that uses tools. More unpleasant—.

Then, Emma jumped. Because of that Emma’s skirt fluttered like wings.

To be this aggressive—. Galahad could not stop the gaze that moved instinctively.

Dangle. Something monstrous that should not exist under the skirt vigorously greeted.

‘···Dangle?’

Galahad who usually did not panic no matter what he experienced because he had gone through quite a variety of things, but his mind became distant at the too unexpected situation.

As the skirt came down, Emma’s face was visible.

Thick beard and sunken eyes—.

It was not Emma but Daniel.

Wearing Emma’s clothes—.

“A mage’s heart is that good! Become the nutrient for our daughter! I will repay this favor for a long time!”

Daniel who had drawn out his fangs long pounced on Galahad.

Dangle!

“You really go too far.”

Galahad’s eyes were fully furrowed.