Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 73 — Democore

Lucian bent down, examining the remaining ruins of the burnt small building. It seemed someone set the fire on purpose; there was no sign of a firewall, or any object that required fire to function. However, his hunch couldn’t be confirmed due to everything turning to ashes.

"Let’s leave. There is nothing here but ashes," Lucian sighed, glancing at Adrian, Glain and Dylan who had their hands deep in the ashes, desperately looking to find a clue.

The three were concerned when they heard about the grand duke’s injury. Although he was known to be strong, a war god by all, and his wounds would heal faster than a normal person’s despite having no healing spells used on him, he was still their commander, a person they owned their lives too.

As Dylan trailed his fingers into the floor one last time before giving up, he felt a cold steel brushing his finger. He gasped, shifting his gaze to pay more attention to what he might have found. He plucked the fragment among the ashes with trembling hands, hoping he had found something important to assist the grand duke in his investigation.

"Your Highness, I found it! I found something!!" He exclaimed, standing up, holding a dark steel-like object in the palm of his hands. "Look at this!"

Adrian and Glain followed Dylan who rushed to the exit where Lucian stood.

"What nonsense did you find again, Dylan?" Adrian sighed, whispering in a low tone.

"What are you talking about? This will be useful!" Dylan glared at the red-haired man.

"Like that piece of glass you found earlier? Or perhaps the handle of a cup of tea made of ceramic? Or maybe that granite you handed over to His Highness, acting as if you had found the most precious gem in the world?"

Hearing Adrian’s taunts and scolds, Dylan clenched his jaw. He was trying his best yet it didn’t seem to help Lucian apart from disturbing him.

"You both, keep quiet," Glain sighed, tired from hearing these two constantly fighting the first chance they got.

"Keep this up, and you will no longer be kept in the same team," Lucian firmly stated, extending his hand to Dylan. "Give me that."

Dylan nervously placed the piece of steel he found on the grand duke’s palm He wasn’t sure if it were truly a ’democore’, however, he needed to make sure he showed everything he found to his commander even if it might have seemed like a useless piece of glass or granite.

Looking at the dark chunk on his hand, Lucian mumbled.

"I was right."

The object Dylan found was a democore. It was similar to mana fragments but it is formed from the mist of a demon once they used their mana core. Its origins was still unknown, just like magic stones’s appearance in Tervland however, from fighting demons for centuries, humans came to make some understanding of what they are.

When he heard Cynthia mention a demon, he couldn’t believe it. They hadn’t discussed the topic any further after reaching the mansion yesterday. There was no proof of its existence. Yet, despite the black steel, his suspicions remained unproven. Demons hovered in the forest, and any one of them could have left a fragment during a battle with the knights, who worked tirelessly each day to protect the villagers from those monstrous creatures.

And to begin with... Why would a demon even bother setting this building on fire? And attack me? It has no purpose in doing so...

Despite being lost in thoughts, Lucian was brought back to Adrian and Dylan’s usual quarrels.

"You need a brain to be in this legion. So why don’t you just leave before the grand duke needs to kick you out, Dylan? It could ruin your career as a knight if it is known that you couldn’t do a good job while working His Highness."

Dylan scoffed.

"And you, old man, should rest at home."

Adrian leaned back, chuckling as a means to mask his irritation.

"I’m only a few years older. Would you prefer it if I called you kid?"

Hearing footsteps slowly fading, they turned to look at the grand duke only to realize the latter was walking away with Glain beside him.

"Your Highness!"

"Don’t leave us behind like this! If a demon comes, we will die without you!" Dylan shouted, sprinting to join the two men while Adrian followed behind him.

***

Once the carriage arrived in front of Lucian’s workplace, it came to a gradual stop. Behind it, a more modest wooden carriage mirrored the movement.

Lucian stepped out first, his dark cloak billowing slightly in the wind, and waited as his subordinates followed suit.

The three knights exchanged glances, sensing an unspoken tension in the air.

When the three men joined him, Lucian cleared his throat and spoke with authority.

"We need to verify how old this democore is."

"Your Highness, for that we need to..." Glain hesitated, his gaze faltering under the grand duke’s sharp eyes.

Lucian nodded, his expression unreadable as he made eye contact with each of them.

"We need to meet someone experienced with these."

"But... there aren’t any experts in Erion because of its low population and past economic conditions," Glain spoke, an worried frown on his face.

"Which is why we will have to go to the capital," Lucian said with a hint of distaste creeping into his voice, barely masking his displeasure at the thought. He hated that place however, it was inevitable for him to never go there as the king would often summon him.

"Great! Sounds like some vaca—" Dylan’s words were abruptly cut off as he caught the warning glare Adrian shot his way.

"You aren’t going, Dylan," Lucian’s tone was calm but firm.

Dylan blinked in confusion.

"Excuse me, Your Highness? If I don’t go with you, then what am I supposed to do here? You’re not kicking me out of the legion, are you?"

There was a slight tremble in his voice, and his eyes began to well up with tears.

"I promise—"

"You will look after the grand duchess," Lucian interjected firmly, his gaze locking onto Dylan’s.

There was no room for argument whenever the grand duke ordered someone this firmly.

Dylan took a step back, his face turning pale as a shiver ran down his spine.

"T-that woman?! Your Highness... that... Any task but this one..." Dylan pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.

"Speak respectfully," Adrian muttered, giving him a nudge with his elbow, his expression stern.

"B-But!—"

"I can do it, Your Highness," Glain interrupted. "I can look after the grand duchess while you are gone. I’ll make sure she’s well-protected, and I’ll oversee the guard rota—"

"Glain," Lucian said softly but with an edge of sternness. He paused, inhaling deeply before continuing, "I know you can do it, but as my right hand, I need you here. You’ll oversee the knights and ensure everything runs smoothly while I’m away. Adrian will accompany me because he knows the capital and its people better than anyone... As for Dylan, I believe he’s more than capable of managing the knights and using his skills where they’ll be needed."

"Your Highness..." Dylan’s voice trembled, his eyes pleading as he stared at Lucian, silently begging him to reconsider.

"This is an order. No one can refuse unless they wish to leave the grand duke’s legion," Lucian said firmly. His gaze shifted to Adrian, giving him a slight nod. "Follow him."

Without another word, Lucian turned on his heel and entered the wooden carriage. Adrian followed closely behind, without adding a word to the grand duke’s orders, proving his outmost loyalty.

Shortly after, the carriage departed, leaving Dylan and Glain standing in front of the stone building where they usually handled their paperwork.

Dylan’s shoulders slumped in defeat, but then something shifted. His face hardened with a newfound resolve. He clenched his fists, his mind racing with thoughts of the grand duchess.

"She’s an Elodian, why should I protect her?" He thought bitterly.

The Elodians were the most vile, treacherous people he could imagine. His blood boiled at the thought of her taking his master’s attention. There was no way she was innocent!

"Just you wait, you Ice Witch. I’ll rid His Highness of you and it’ll be the last thing I do," Dylan muttered under his breath as he marched off toward the stables to fetch his horse.

Glain, noticing his sudden determination, followed behind with a raised eyebrow.

"I swear I’ll never understand where this child gets all his energy from," Glain remarked, shaking his head.

"What’s got you in such a hurry? Weren’t you sulking just a moment ago?" Glain called out, his voice barely carrying over the sound of their horses galloping through the countryside.

Dylan glanced back at him, a look of pure determination flashing in his eyes, one Glain had rarely seen before. It was common knowledge that Dylan was one of the best knights in the grand duke’s legion, but his lazy and clumsy nature often led to punishments—long days of relentless training with no breaks. But now, that careless demeanor was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous.

"I have no time to waste! The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can return to His Highness and this place instead of that mansion where that witch lives," Dylan shouted back, his voice filled with a sense of urgency that seemed to spur the horses faster across the countryside.

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