TBEATMD || Chapter - 1
TBEATMD
The Bad Eater And The Mad Duke ~ I'll Eat That Demon Deliciously! ~
Chapter - 1 || A Handsome Man Even With Dripping Blood
Summary
【Comicalization】
The novel is being published by Kodansha K-Ranobe Books!
The first volume of the comic will be released on October 29th. It's currently being serialized on the manga apps Palcy and Pixiv comics!
The truth was, she was not really into it, so she found herself alone at the party where she met the others.
In the midst of this, she was attacked by a demonic beast that had been infected by a demonic poison and had gone mad.
The man who saved her from the desperate situation was a bloodied man who smiled fearlessly. In fact, this man was the Duke of Galbraith himself, who was also known as 'the mad Duke.'
Duke Galbraith was intrigued by Melfiera, who was not afraid of demons, let alone his bloodied self.
Not only did he show understanding for her unspoken hobby of tasting demons and mutant plants—but he also offered to satisfy her incessant need for exploration...?!
Suddenly engaged! Marriage? I'm being cheated on?!
A bad eating Lady who eats demons for the sake of her curiosity, and a mad blooded Duke who exterminates demons in his domain.
It's a fantasy romance about two people who were swept up in malicious rumours and couldn't even find proper fiancées, until they found happiness!
***
It was a momentary event.
A warm droplet landed on my white cheek. I wiped it with my fingers, staining them red.
(Is this blood?)
As soon as I regained my senses, I could smell the fishy odour that made me gag.
Blood spurted from the head of the demonic beast that had lost it's head, and it haphazardly rolled on the ground with dull eyes.
"Haha... This is just silly."
In the middle of the pool of blood, there was a man who stood, gazing calmly in front of the dead body.
The man, who was covered in blood and still smiling fearlessly, swung his sword, which was dripping with blood, and glared at the frightened people.
At that moment, a number of noblewomen screamed and collapsed in fear, and those who barely swallowed their screams looked away with pale faces.
The crowd erupted in a commotion as they heard someone mutter, "...The mad Duke."
I looked up vaguely and saw a man with a sword in a leather sheath.
Then, as I sat down on the ground, the man's golden eyes, gleaming with arcane intent, stopped.
——
On this sunny autumn day, the Kingdom of Landias was holding a banquet to celebrate a bountiful harvest. As the daughter of a countess, I was also attending for one reason.
As it was a national event attended by the king and all the nobles in the country, the venue, the Parayvan Forest Park, was supposed to be heavily guarded.
There was no doubt about it, as knights were strutting all over the place. But then, suddenly, the crazed magical beasts burst in, and the hall was transformed into a hellscape with the shouts of the knights and the screams of the fleeing nobles.
The crowd was moving towards the knight who was guiding them. As I was fleeing in the same way, I spotted an elderly couple who had been pushed aside by the crowd and left behind.
When her husband's limping cane broke, Mrs. Hwang tried to call people over, but none of them would lend a hand.
Just as I was about to take the elderly couple's hand and say, "Let's run away together," I heard a roar from behind me that shook the atmosphere, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
A cold sweat ran down my back as I had an unpleasant premonition, and I turned around with my hands outstretched.
(Oh, no. It's a Buckhorn.)
What was there was a large magical beast clad in evil magic power. It gouged the ground with its thick forelegs, snorting wildly and watching me with its cloudy eyes.
To be precise, it was staring at the hem of my light red dress, which was fluttering.
Needless to say, the rose-coloured dress which I had taken the trouble of choosing was now a target for the beast.
And just in the nick of time, when I was supposed to be preyed upon by a hexenbiest, I was bathed in a rain of blood... But not my own blood, but the blood of a monster.
A man slowly walked to me. He didn't offer his hand, he just stared at me.
"What's the matter, are you afraid of me?"
This was the man who slaughtered a crazed demonic beast with a single, unnoticed flash. If you ask me whether I'm scared or not, I'd say I'm in the scared category.
However, I didn't feel much fear because of his beauty, which was not spoiled even with the blood.
In fact, I almost felt as if this was the way it should have been. But I couldn't deny that his face looked vicious because he just had a fight with a hexenbiest.
"No, Duke Galbraith. I'm glad to hear you're well."
"You don't understand the situation, even though you're uninjured."
"Yes, I'm fine."
The bloody man, —the Duke of Galbraith, was squinting his eyes at me, as if judging me.
Even his gray hair, which seemed to have lost its color, was dyed red. I guess that's where the name 'The mad Duke' came from.
It was a rumour, that even I, who was unfamiliar with the world knew.
He was an eccentric man who liked blood and always slaughtered demonic beasts in search of gore. A blood-crazed Duke with a cruel and inhumane nature.
The blood that dripped down the Duke's neat but devilish face entered the distorted corner of his mouth.
(Oh, that's a bit of a no-no!)
I was so worried that I couldn't help but open my mouth.
"Duke."
"What?"
"The Buckhorn has a tendency to go mad, so there is a risk that it's blood is poisonous. It would be best if you rinsed your mouth."
"Huh?"
The Duke widened his eyes as if taken aback.
"Live blood is fresh, but if you drink blood that contains demonic poison, you will suffer from fevers and severe abdominal pain. If it hadn't gone crazy, it would have been fine, but alas.
The poison is a nuisance. But from the looks of it, it's a relatively young specimen, so it seems to have a weak body. I thought it would be better if you aged it at low temperature for about two weeks, removed the toxins, and cooked it thoroughly before eating it."
The Buckhorn was a large, four-legged, hoofed hexenbiest. The number of horns that grew from the head to the back could be used to determine the approximate age of the animal.
The Duke of Galbraith was the only one who could kill it. The Duke of Galbraith, who has a rough temperament and would need three or four skilled hunters to kill him, did it all by himself.
And it's head was cut off perfectly with the minimum blood spilling out. It was a shame... if it hadn't gone crazy, we could have safely enjoyed it.
As I was thinking about this and that alone, the Duke came even closer to me. I couldn't see it clearly because it was black, but his overcoat was soaked in a lot of blood.
I wondered if it's blood was soaked till his skin. If so, he would have to change his clothes immediately.
"...What's your name?"
When I was asked my name, I realized that I hadn't even thanked him yet. I had been rude in front of the Duke.
I hurriedly stood up, plucked the hem of my dress, which was splattered with the blood of the monster, and bowed deeply from my waist.
"I'm sorry. I am Count Marshalade's daughter, Melfiera. Thank you, Duke Galbraith, for your help."
"So, you're Count Marshalade's daughter."
"Yes."
"Do you know a lot about hexenbiests?"
When he asked me that, I remembered something. It was true I knew a lot about hexenbiests, but that was just a byproduct of my hobby.
I guess I should say that I had become more familiar with the ecology of magical beasts in my pursuit.
I'm only interested in hexenbiests, as well as fish, plants, reptiles, insects, and even mycelium, and just about anything else that has the potential to be eaten.
Yes, my hobby was—
"I'm more interested in food than hexenbiests."
"Food? You think this hexenbiest looks like food to you?"
"Yes, of course. Because I want to eat it and I want it to taste good!"
When I explained with great vigor, Duke Galbraith's face became astonished, as if this was not enough. I was used to that kind of reaction, so I would just smile for now.
This time, the Duke covered his face with one hand. After a while, he glanced at me through the gap between his fingers and I smiled at him again.
For some reason, the Duke let out a small "Ugh." Perhaps the Buckhorn's blood had gotten into his mouth.
His leather gloves had also absorbed plenty of blood, so his face was bright red in a different way.
"Well, I suppose it's a strange thing to say, but rumours can be unreliable. Melfiera, you say?"
"Well, yes, Duke."
Not expecting to be called by name, I nervously straightened my back. I couldn't deny that I was aware that I was a terrible eater. Besides, in the social circles, I was known as 'the bad eater.'
However, when the Duke said it again, there was something sad about it. I wondered if the social circles was such a boring place that even the rumours of an insignificant Countess could reach the ears of the Duke.
I had heard about the rumours of the mad Duke, as well.
Well, I think there was a heavenly difference in terms of fame between me and the Duke.
"I'll remember your name."
"Oh, thank you."
"What are you doing there, Knight? Seal off this place... Oh, wait. Take the purified water first."
Duke Galbraith took one more look at me and began to give instructions to the assembled Knights about this and that, and then left.
I finally remembered my own devastation.
My light red dress had turned into a polka dotted dress.
It wasn't just blood, but blood that had been poisoned by the demon's poison, so it couldn't be left alone.
I stared at the noisy crowd, hoping to find a maid somewhere in the hall.
The old couple that had been left behind seemed to be safe. I was relieved when I saw them being led away by a Knight.
The Knights were leading people out of the hall. It seemed like this place was going to be sealed off, and I was about to follow them. But—
"Hey, where you going?"
He grabbed my arm and stopped me. When I turned around, I saw the Duke of Galbraith, who should have just left. Was there something he still wanted to ask me?
"Duke? Oh, I am looking for a maid."
"In that form? I don't mind, but you're the daughter of a Count."
"Don't worry. This blood will come off if you wash it with all your might."
"That's not what I'm worried about... Fine, here, drink this."
As he said this, the Duke of Galbraith, who was still holding my arm, offered me a small bottle.
"Purified water."
"That's very thoughtful of you."
"Demonic poison is nasty, isn't it? That Buckhorn... you don't even have to drink a mouthful of it, but you should drink it."
"...Thank you."
From the looks of it, I seemed to be the only one besides the Duke who had been exposed to the blood of hexenbiests in this place.
The Duke nodded in satisfaction with a blood-stained face as I accepted the drink and drank it down in one gulp.
"Are you feeling okay? Any headaches?"
"Nothing special at the moment."
"Then follow me."
The Duke wanted me to follow him, so I had no choice but to go with him. The fact that I was able to exchange words directly with the Duke was a miracle for the unremarkable daughter of a humble Count.
The mad Duke... was a good man with bloodied hands no matter what he did. Yet, despite his appearance, the rumoured mad blooded Duke was a caring gentleman.
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