Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 18: The Identifier

"Lord! Where are you?"

Knight Commander Victor ran frantically around the academy grounds, searching for Johan.

‘Damn it… Something like this had to happen in the middle of the night…’

It was truly unbelievable.

For something like this to happen on the very first day the newly established Axen Academy accepted students…

And no matter who was responsible, wasn’t an entire dormitory building engulfed in flames?

For such a fire to break out in a newly built academy, where fire prevention measures were thorough, it would take at least a 5th-circle fire mage to make it happen.

So while ordinary people might just see it as a fire, Victor saw the current situation as an obvious attack.

That’s why, as soon as he heard the explosion, he immediately went to fetch Johan…

— "The Grand Duke has already left with the priest, the mage, and Lady Trotsky."

According to the butler Noich, Johan had rushed out, leaving even the knight order behind.

"Why… Why does he always do this…?"

Victor muttered, his voice filled with worry, almost resentful.

Yes, it was always like this.

That man wasn’t just any ordinary knight—he was the pillar and lord of Axen…

"Why do you always throw yourself into the fire? Why…?"

And yet, he treated his own body like a disposable rag.

Even seasoned knights who had spent their whole lives on the battlefield would fear situations like this, but he always charged in first, resolving everything on his own.

No, scratch that last part.

If he could resolve things easily, it wouldn’t be as concerning.

But every time, he barely survived, coughing up blood, teetering on the brink of death.

So for those who followed him, it was painful to watch.

‘He’s only seventeen. Just a seventeen-year-old boy!’

At that age, in any other family, he would still be coddled like a child.

The people of Axen—sometimes even the knight order—tended to forget.

Because his back looked so broad and reliable, they wanted to lean on him.

And in doing so, they forgot that he was just a seventeen-year-old boy.

However, at the very least, Victor, the Knight Commander, could not afford to forget.

His duty was to protect his lord.

It was his job to take the dangers Johan faced in his stead, to support him…

Even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

Huff. Huff.

Victor scoured the area until he reached the vicinity of the temple. And then…

Vwooooooo.

Inside the temple, before the towering altar, stood a figure with an all-too-familiar back.

"Lorddddd!"

Victor sprinted towards him.

And—

Seeing Victor rush forward, the knights immediately followed him into the temple.

As the man on the altar slowly turned around…

Saaaaaaa.

His body, gruesomely torn open and soaked in blood, was revealed.

"W-what in the world happened?"

Victor, Krum, Mangala… Even the priest, the mage, and Lady Trotsky, who were already there, were at a loss for words.

It was because his eyes unmistakably showed exhaustion.

Blink.

Johan looked at them, as if saying, ‘Keep quiet,’ with just a blink.

Then, with a faint smile on his lips—

"Let’s go. I need to sleep."

He gathered up a very small girl standing in front of him.

Watching him, Krisha’s eyes were already brimming with tears.

"Uncle…"

"I’m not an uncle. Maybe someday, but not yet."

"Then… big brother…"

"……"

Krisha looked up at the giant man before her.

He was always tall, but today, he seemed even larger.

‘My savior.’

When she was lost in what felt like an endless void, where no one could rescue her, he was the one who brought her light.

And with just a faint smile, he gave her the comfort of, ‘It’s over now. You’re safe.’

That man was the ruler of this land.

Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz.

As he walked away, holding the small girl’s hand, everyone there looked up at him—the largest presence on this earth.

"The dormitory fire has been completely extinguished, and restoration magic is being applied. Soon, the students will be able to return."

"Good work, Bjorn. Thanks to your efforts, the academy’s losses have been minimized. I truly appreciate it."

"It’s nothing, Grand Duke. This is just our job—we’re getting paid for it, after all."

Bjorn, the mage I brought in as the new dean of the Academy’s Magic Department, had a refreshingly straightforward personality.

Mages usually tend to be overly reserved, but Bjorn personally took the lead in handling this crisis, commanding the other mages with his strong charisma.

With a 6th-circle mage taking charge, all the other mages worked tirelessly to restore the academy without a single complaint.

Heh.

‘In the end, this all came down to…’

Physiognomy.

Coming from South Korea, a country rich in superstitions, I valued reading people’s faces when selecting talent…

And now that I’ve made my choices, it seems this method was more effective than a list of credentials.

"Then, I’ll leave the rest of the work to you."

"Yes, I’ll take my leave now."

After sending off the good-looking mage, I collapsed onto my bed.

Staring blankly at the ornate ceiling, I let my mind drift for a while.

Haha.

‘Come to think of it, I really won’t have much to do for a while.’

Think about it.

The farming techniques I introduced have been successfully adopted by Axen’s skilled farmers, resulting in abundant crops.

This will fundamentally improve Axen’s food industry.

In other words, the self-sufficiency rate of food will increase dramatically.

On top of that, the academy has been completed and will now run smoothly on its own.

The only thing left for me to do is to discipline those disrespectful brats.

And besides…

‘I’ve also completely resolved Krisha’s situation.’

This incident brought me two major gains.

First, I confirmed that the child I took in is indeed that Krisha—the ultimate villain’s weapon from the novel Enchanted by the Beastly Northern Grand Duke.

Second, I secured Krisha, who was supposed to be the villain’s greatest asset, as an ally in advance.

A chuckle escaped from between my lips.

‘That arrogant bastard was planning to destroy the world before I even got back to Seoul?’

Serves him right.

Through this incident, he lost a major weapon, while we gained it—meaning the effect is doubled.

Now that Krisha is on our side, the chances of destruction have significantly decreased.

But still…

Ever since I erased Krisha’s engraving, something has been nagging at me.

Yes, something even more unsettling than the long scar across my chest.

And that is…

‘The one leading this world’s destruction isn’t a demon, but a god.’

I already confirmed it, didn’t I?

The method that worked to erase the engraving wasn’t one for demons, but for a god’s mark.

Which means the villain is undoubtedly a deity of this world.

That also implies that he is a revered figure among the people of the continent.

It was quite shocking to realize that the very entity worshiped in temples and offered tributes was actually leading this world to its doom.

‘The ancient war between gods and demons… All records of it have been erased. And on top of that…’

Even Johan’s ancestor, the Giant King, disappeared at some point.

I added another note to the journal beside my bed.

This must be investigated.

After all, the flow of this world was ultimately created by the original author.

To make the web novel more entertaining, the author must have hidden a shocking twist.

So, to prevent this world’s destruction, I had to uncover the secrets they had concealed.

And yet—

The realization that all my efforts to decipher the author’s intentions would be meaningless…

That only came much later.

Whoooooosh!

The wind still howled violently.

This place, atop a coastal cliff, was naturally exposed to cold and salty winds.

That must be why the corpses scattered around were swaying pitifully in the gusts.

Before long, those bodies would disappear entirely, devoured by scavenger birds.

And fortunately, the man who had just arrived got there before that happened.

Step.

The man dismounted from his horse and surveyed his surroundings.

A rough-looking man with a gray hood, an unkempt beard, and a hardened expression.

With a longsword strapped to his waist, he glared at the massacre before him.

“…They’ve already taken it. But who…?”

Fury burned in his eyes at the realization that what he had searched for so long had vanished.

Walking to the edge of the cliff, he muttered as he gazed at the horizon.

“Someone took in the demon… What kind of lunatic would do such a thing? If this continues…”

Yes, if this continued—

“The seed will begin to grow.”

The Holy Knight Bastian, who had rejected the papacy and acted alone, stared into the void for a long time.

***

“Grand Duke, what exactly are you doing this time?”

Butler Noich furrowed his brows, visibly concerned.

But—

“Just wait a bit. I’ll handle it. Yeah, this was roughly how it was done…”

I ignored him completely and focused on reviving a proud Korean tradition.

Swipe. Rub.

As I spread the bright red seasoning onto the napa cabbage, Victor murmured under his breath.

“…Not long ago, you performed an exorcism, and now you’re smearing something as red as blood onto food ingredients…”

“Our Grand Duke isn’t secretly a heretic, is he?”

Krum, that bastard, always knew when to cross the line.

But since I had more important things to do than beat him up, I let it slide.

And—

“Done!”

I had successfully made the first-ever batch of kimchi in this world.

“Wow, this actually worked.”

Since there was no red pepper powder, I substituted it with paprika powder.

For fermented seafood, I used a traditional northern delicacy instead.

And with an abundance of salted napa cabbage and radish, making kimchi turned out easier than expected.

Swipe. Crunch!

I took a bite of the freshly made kimchi.

And—

Gulp!

I heard someone swallow their saliva.

‘Huh? Who’s drooling over my kimchi mukbang?’

Just as I was about to wonder, Victor asked—

“You’re actually eating that? That bright red cabbage?”

“Mind your own business. Now, everyone gather around.”

"Huh?"

"You saw how I did it, right? Just do it like that. All you have to do is spread the seasoning—it’s simple."

"But…"

Swoosh.

Victor glanced at the salted cabbages and continued.

"There are over a thousand heads of cabbage here."

"That’s how it’s supposed to be done. No complaints—just spread the seasoning. Hey, over there! The cook is boiling the pork like I said, right? Good. Add bay leaves and let it simmer well, then slice it up and bring it over."

One of the best things about being the Northern Grand Duke was that I could make people do personal tasks for me.

And about five hours later, after mobilizing all the servants to finish this grand-scale kimchi-making session…

I dropped by Erina Trotsky’s room for a moment.

Through the slightly open door, I could hear her muttering to herself.

She was eating a few slices of pork and some kimchi that I had ordered to be prepared earlier…

"Ah, chopsticks would be more convenient… This is really annoying. Everything’s great, but if I just had a bowl of dongdongju, it’d be perfect."

That’s roughly what she was rambling about.

Smirk.

With this, I finally confirmed what I had only suspected until now.

So I barged in immediately.

Clatter!

I swung open her door and declared—

"Erina Trotsky!"

"Huh? Grand Duke? What brings you here…?"

"You,"

Yes, you…

"You transmigrated into this novel, didn’t you?"