Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 27

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As the Grand Duke slightly parted his lips to ask, the sensation of another person’s touch on his forehead was so vivid that Ed felt the hair on his crown stand on end.

This time, he finally pulled his head back.

“…I-I can see it! Y-Your Grace, the Grand Duke.”

Ed responded with a deep, shaky breath. It felt like all the breaths he had been holding in while pressed close to the Grand Duke had suddenly burst out at once.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, yes! Absolutely, Your Grace, Duke Asnel.”

Ed reacted immediately. If he didn’t, he feared he might have to offer his forehead again.

The heat that had started at his forehead had already spread down to his toes, making his entire body burn up.

If he offered his forehead one more time, it would undoubtedly become problematic.

Something very big was bound to happen.

Something like a runaway train, unstoppable and carrying burning coals…

Ed forced himself to stay alert.

The Grand Duke smiled. Watching Ed say his name, he laughed quietly.

His lips were glossy and flushed, like a ripe fruit.

“Good, Ed. Now that you’ve regained your senses, let’s wrap this up and head out.”

Only after breaking his gaze from the Grand Duke, who had filled his vision, did Ed finally realize.

‘Ah, right. This was the crack in the rift.’

A giant statue was stirring.

How could he have forgotten that?

The fear that had weighed down his entire body vanished like a lie, and he had been completely captivated by the Grand Duke standing before him.

He could still feel the heat in his cheeks.

Leaning against the wall, Ed let out a small sigh.

He covered his face with his hands but quickly pulled them away when he realized the vivid sensation from his forehead still hadn’t faded.

Feeling the gaze of the Grand Duke watching him, Ed didn’t know where to focus his eyes.

The Grand Duke, observing the ever-changing expressions on Ed’s face, lightly tapped the barrier that hovered above Ed’s head.

“Now, Ed. I’m the one who cast this barrier, but it requires your strength to maintain. If your resolve wavers, the barrier could falter, and through those cracks, monsters or their curses could break in.”

The clear barrier, which felt like a glass curtain under the Grand Duke’s hand, was tapped, and Ed quickly gathered his scattered thoughts. He steadied his breathing and nodded slightly.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

To escape the rift’s crack, they had to either kill the monster or find a path connected to the world and cross over. Either way, it would take time.

Ed clenched his teeth.

Even if he couldn’t be of help to the Grand Duke, he wouldn’t be a burden.

He couldn’t ask to be protected just because he was weak.

He had to keep his wits about him and protect himself.

The Grand Duke glanced at Ed, noticing the way his jaw tightened.

The resolute gaze Ed gave him, looking up with a determined expression, was firm and filled with resolve.

“So, Ed.”

“Yes, give me your orders, Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke smiled faintly as he lowered his head.

“If the barrier breaks, I’ll come to kiss you.”

Ed didn’t expect to hear something like that from the Grand Duke in this situation.

“Th-This time, on your lips.”

“…W-What?”

The Grand Duke laughed as he watched Ed’s once rigid expression crumble into helpless confusion.

He lightly tousled Ed’s hair, as if to ease his tension, running his hand through the soft strands before turning his back.

He stepped out of the barrier, facing the monster that was struggling against the chains embedded in the wall, while black sand scattered like dust in the barren land.

Watching the sturdy figure of the Grand Duke, Ed belatedly responded.

“…I-I will never let it collapse.”

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The cold and barren fortress of the north, the ruler of the snowy plains, and the radiant light of the Empire.

While Ronen was a master of the sword, the Grand Duke excelled not only in swordsmanship but also in magic.

As proof, the Grand Duke had already mastered numerous spells at a young age, including the most difficult of all: summoning magic.

The Grand Duke approached the chained statue and stretched out his hand.

Silver ripples appeared on the back of his hand, and sharp, arrow-like beams of light shot up into the air before plunging into the ground.

As a burst of brilliant light illuminated the dark cavern, a summoning circle was completed.

An enormous silver wolf appeared, shaking its body as if stretching.

The Grand Duke patted its head twice.

Roooooar.

As the wolf opened its mouth wide and howled, the black sand floating around the statue evaporated into thin air.

The Grand Duke handed the glowing orb he had prepared to the wolf.

“Go, Aran.”

The wolf lightly scaled the cavern walls and leapt into the air, crushing the orb in its jaws.

A shower of starlike lights cascaded down, illuminating the once dark and narrow cavern.

Although the Grand Duke could easily fight even in pitch darkness or in the cold depths of the ocean, today he chose not to.

He lit up the space on purpose, so Ed wouldn’t feel anxious.

Ed, who had been watching the Grand Duke, was drawn to the glow and looked up.

His blue eyes were now exposed to the light the wolf had shattered, shining brightly.

The remnants of the light bouncing off the barrier looked like sparkling stars.

Ed, who had been standing further back, had now moved to the front, peering outside.

‘This is my first time in the crack of a rift.’

Hoping that Ed’s first experience in this strange place would be remembered as bright and exhilarating rather than terrifying and gloomy, the Grand Duke once again handed a glowing orb to the silver wolf.

The Grand Duke drew the sword at his waist and plunged it into the ground, releasing a wave of golden mist.

Like bridges coming together, the mist formed in the darkened space, and as it burst forth, the narrow cave suddenly expanded.

Facing a monster in a tight space would cause most people to feel cornered.

Although the Grand Duke, who had fought countless battles, was unaffected, he used his power to widen the monster’s lair, ensuring that Ed, who was experiencing the rift for the first time, wouldn’t be unsettled.

He grabbed the chain embedded in the wall and pulled the statue backward.

The time for battle had come.

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The legend of the Empire’s birth begins with the tale of a dragon.

To put it simply, the dragon is said to have risen from the depths of the ocean to save creatures suffering from evil.

The dragon possessed the power to vanquish all things wicked and foul.

Using this power, the dragon drove all evil beings into the cracks that separated the world and created a nation on that land.

There, the dragon lived happily for a long time.

The descendants of this dragon were the royal family of the Empire.

Among them, Asnel Linden, who fought monsters with both sword and magic, was hailed as the one who inherited the dragon’s power the most deeply.

Reading such a description in writing was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes, Ed realized that the novels had vastly undersold the truth.

The silver wolf leaped up once more, scattering light as it did.

The cavern was now filled with that radiant glow, making it seem as if the wolf, having swallowed the sun, was soaring into the sky.

Afraid to get in the Grand Duke’s way, Ed held his breath inside the barrier, but before he knew it, his eyes were gleaming as he pressed closer, watching the scene outside with admiration.

He couldn’t help but feel awe.

This time, even more vibrant, star-like lights rained down, like fireworks exploding against the dark night sky.

Ed felt an overwhelming urge to reach out.

He wanted to touch the shooting stars that bounced against the barrier, but he held back, afraid it might disrupt the spell.

Just then, a brilliant light erupted from the front, and a great gust of wind followed.

‘What happened? Is the Grand Duke in trouble?’

A gust of wind whipped through the sandy ground, crashing against the barrier again and again before dispersing beneath it like shattered glass.

Ed pressed his forehead and palms against the barrier, surveying the scene outside.

“…Ah.”

The cave had widened dramatically.

What was once a cramped space, so tight that even the slightest movement could draw the attention of the monster or provoke the Grand Duke, had opened up into a vast area.

The Grand Duke, who had been floating in midair with his hair billowing weightlessly, had moved behind the monster, holding a chain handed to him by the silver wolf.

With a swift motion, the Grand Duke looped the chain around his wrist and pulled, as if winding up a spool of thread.

The colossal stone statue was dragged backwards, inching closer to the Grand Duke. The thinner the chain became, the more the statue resisted, thrashing violently.

Roooaaar.

The statue let out a deafening roar as its mouth gaped open, causing a gale to swirl and summon half a dozen whirlwinds.

Thud, thud, thud—the silver wolf climbed the massive statue and leaped into the air.

It kicked at the whirlwinds with its front paws and struck them with its flicking tail, changing their course so they crashed loudly into the walls.

“Aran, take it easy.”

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