From a Broken Engagement to the Northern Grand Duke's Son-in-Law

The investigation concluded in just two days, which was far sooner than I had anticipated.

When every moment carried weight, even this brief span felt wasteful. Still, I couldn’t help but feel relieved at such a swift resolution.

It was, in every sense, a fortunate outcome. And I had gained something valuable from it.

The moment the King of Lovan realized we weren’t responsible for the prison terror attack, he bowed his head in apology.

A king, lowering his head before a mere subject? Regardless of our noble standing within the Empire, that was what Lea and I represented to him. Had the court gossipers witnessed such a scene, they would have dissected it for months.

To compound matters, he had even presented me with a token of atonement.

Lindal’s Necklace, he called it—a pendant supposedly worn by Lindal, a legendary Sword Grand Master of the ancient continent. The artifact was said to contain one of Lindal’s sword techniques.

Honestly, it would be wasted on me. Maybe it would be a different story had it contained archery knowledge. But a sword technique?

A single question dominated my thoughts: why bother?

I could likely grasp the fundamentals, but it would be like adorning a pig with pearls. Far better to entrust it to a unit member who specialized in swordwork.

Roxen or Lea—it had to be one of them.

If I were being honest, my natural inclination favored Lea. Her talent was immense, and if I had to choose the one I held most dear, it would be her.

However, she was already studying the techniques of the Grand Duke, another Grand Master, and was even developing her own style derived from her Aura cultivation method. Introducing her to another Grand Master’s sword art might actually prove detrimental.

That left only Roxen.

My gaze shifted to where he sat on the dock, methodically polishing his sword.

He might lose the sword style he had learned thus far, but truthfully, those techniques weren’t particularly valuable. He had learned Aura cultivation from Roxha Praha, not swordsmanship. His blade work was entirely self-taught, composed of nothing more than fundamental basics.

Viewed in this light, Roxen possessed remarkable talent. To reach the very cusp of Master rank with only common street-fighting techniques—what was that if not exceptional ability?

Right, then. I’ll give this to Roxen.

I clutched Lindal’s Necklace and nodded, my decision made. If I bestowed a Grand Master’s sword art upon a knight who had reached the verge of Master rank using only common techniques, how far might he develop?

He could at least reach Lancelot’s level.

Speaking of which, Lancelot seemed to have grown considerably stronger. Was he a Novice Aura Master now? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him one of the continent’s formidable figures.

Considered from this perspective, my unit’s overall strength was truly impressive. One Novice Aura Master, one knight a single step from Master rank, an assassin approaching Thief Master status, and a saint-class healer.

Just one more step. If each of them took that final advancement, we would become the only unit in existence with a Thief Master and multiple Master-rank knights among its members.

Add Lea and myself to the equation, and the power imbalance becomes overwhelming.

While it felt somewhat boastful to admit, it was no exaggeration to say that Lea and I now ranked among the continent’s ten strongest individuals. Lea was a high-level Aura Master, and I had reached the threshold just before it.

Setting aside the three Grand Masters, who existed in a league of their own, only the Commander of the Empire’s First Knight Order and the Thief Master of Death Veil could be considered stronger than us.

Of course, others might be concealed in the shadows, such as Duke Artezia or those who had embraced demonic power… but pursuing that line of thought would lead to endless speculation.

My point was that this unit, already filled with such powerful individuals, had even more room for growth. Giving the necklace to Roxen was the right choice.

“Roxen.” I approached him and held out the necklace.

“Why... are you giving this to me?” he asked, eyes wide with confusion.

“I believe this would serve you better than it would me, Sir Roxen.”

“For me?” Roxen’s expression reflected genuine bewilderment.

“Oh, how nice! What a true leader,” Mihaila cheered from the sidelines.

I ignored her and answered Roxen’s question. “The sword art contained within will suit you better than it will me.”

“But if we sold this, the money—”

“Do I look like I need money?” I was, after all, from a noble house that ranked among the continent’s wealthiest. The County of Berg, a renowned house of spearmanship. On this continent, power was currency.

“No one but a fool would sell this for a pittance. Besides, selling a gift from a king would create diplomatic complications.”

“Then wouldn’t giving it to me also cause problems?”

“And why should I care? I’m a Berg.”

I was a noble of the Empire and had earned my own title, to boot. The king would likely say nothing even if he discovered my decision.

I wasn’t selling it for profit; I was giving it to a unit member. He might have grounds for complaint, but hardly enough to provoke a confrontation with me.

“It’s acceptable, so take it. And if you’re concerned about Lea, don’t be. A sword art like this would be more poison than benefit to her.”

“He’s right. It’s of no use to me, so please accept it without worry,” Lea added, encouraging him.

Roxen’s expression finally relaxed.

After a moment, he said, “Then I will gratefully accept it, my liege.”

Roxen reached out and took the necklace, immediately fastening it around his neck. The simple design shimmered against his skin.

“I can feel it. A sword art is flowing into my mind. I can’t use it immediately, but with training, I believe I’ll be able to at least replicate it.”

“Good. I look forward to it.”

I clapped him on the shoulder and nodded.

Just then, our ship arrived, and we boarded. We were finally leaving the Kingdom of Lovan, the Land of Punishment—a place fraught with trouble.

* * *

After the ship had sailed some distance from shore, Lancelot murmured to himself from his position on deck.

“Whew... we’re finally heading back.”

As I had mentioned before, our destination was the North—specifically, the Demonic Realm.

The entire reason we had traveled to Lovan was to procure weapons and recruit new allies.

Having accomplished both objectives, it was time to return to our original mission.

The Grand Duke remained out of contact, and the Imperial Guard couldn’t locate a trace of him.

I read Lexa’s report and released a deep breath. Of course, he was likely with my master, the Divine Archer, so there shouldn’t be cause for concern, but I still worried.

Lea hadn’t asked a single question. To me, he was a future father-in-law, a means to my revenge against House Artezia. But to her, he was her father, and he was missing. Yet she hadn’t spoken a word about it since we were in Lovan.

Honestly, I was baffled by how she contained her worry.

But it turned out… no, she wasn’t unconcerned.

One look at her expression as she gazed out at the sea banished my suspicions that she might actually harbor resentment toward her father. She seemed to be desperately trying to maintain composure.

Leaving Lancelot to his endless chatter, I approached Lea. Seeing me approach, she quickly masked her expression.

“Ah, Louis. Is something wrong?”

Her tone was calm, but her eyes held an emotion she couldn’t quite conceal. Such a guarded woman.

“He’ll be fine.”

“Pardon?”

“The Grand Duke will be safe. I even told him the Divine Archer’s location in case something happened. He’s probably there with him now.”

As for the lack of contact... my master could well have forbidden it. He was a notoriously difficult man, someone who never wanted his location revealed to others.

Seen in that light, it made perfect sense that my master was preventing any messages from getting out.

Still, I had no idea what excuse I would give my master. My discipleship with the Divine Archer was from before my regression. If he saw me now, wouldn’t he be suspicious? He might even try to kill me.

I had to stop thinking about that for now. Pointless worrying wouldn’t help.

“In any case, what I’m saying is, don’t worry excessively. I’ll investigate properly.”

“Thank you.”

Lea offered a small laugh and nodded. It wasn’t a laugh of joy, but one of gratitude for my consideration.

“It’s nothing.”

I answered as if it were a matter of course and looked out over the sea. In the distance, a landmass covered in snow-capped mountains came into view.

“Looks like we’re almost there.”

The North. We had arrived at our intended base of operations.

Our gateway to the Demonic Realm.

* * *

While I agonized over what to say when I met my master, two supreme beings sat across from each other in the Demonic Realm, grilling fish over an open flame.

Crackle. Sizzle.

“Ah! It’s ready.”

An old man with white hair tied back grinned brightly. In his hand was a stick skewering a fish. A perfectly grilled one at that.

Watching him, a tall man released a faint sigh. “I told you to stop eating my share.”

“Come on, it’s not like you’ll miss one.”

“…As a matter of fact, I will.”

“Ah, is that so?”

What did he mean, is that so?

The tall man—Derek, known as the Northern Grand Duke—sighed faintly and shook his head. He couldn’t understand why this old man refused to act his age. From a distance, he had seemed so dignified.

“Couldn’t we, well… just leave already?”

“Patience... I told you, not yet. Just wait. They will appear soon.” The old man—no, the Divine Archer—flashed a chilling smile, his eyes glinting with cunning.

Sly old fox.

The Grand Duke scowled at him, displeased.

Two months had passed since he had been separated from his personal guard and trapped here. While exploring the Demonic Realm with them, they had been ambushed by assailants, and a battle had ensued.

They had won, of course, but their side had suffered heavy losses.

The reason was simple: it felt like the enemy were being empowered by the Demonic Realm itself. They were clearly human, yet they wielded demonic power. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

Though they were victorious, the constant fighting had eventually forced a retreat. 

The Grand Duke had acted as a decoy, separating from his guards. And in the middle of all that, just as Louis had said, he had met the Divine Archer.

The Grand Duke glared at the old man. He didn’t know the Divine Archer’s purpose for being here, but he knew one thing for certain: the man loathed Demonkin.

On that basis, they had formed a sort of alliance… but he had never thought it would take this long.

The Grand Duke shook his head as the night in the Demonic Realm deepened once more.

He clung single-mindedly to one desperate wish: to get out of here.