Ch#171
171
Thanks to their frantic pace, they reached the Norden Plain much sooner than expected.
Emerging from the Argand Forest, which was comprised of millions of birch trees, Barkas led three hundred mounted warriors across the vast fields.
After traveling some distance, a massive city surrounded by sand-colored walls appeared over the horizon, along with various villages scattered around its perimeter.
Barkas galloped toward it without hesitation, his eyes scanning the surroundings as they passed through dirt roads lined with sparse vegetable patches and timber buildings.
The residents, who had been pulling weeds or thinning out crops planted in early spring, removed their hats in unison to show their respect. A few children gathered by the roadside watched the knights atop their massive warhorses with longing gazes. At a glance, it was a peaceful scene.
Barkas scrutinized the faces of the residents through narrowed eyes before riding straight to the city gates. Upon his arrival, the guards atop the watchtower blew a long blast on a whistle, announcing the Grand Duke’s return to the entire city.
“Welcome back!”
The moment he passed through the gates and entered the city, a booming voice echoed from above.
Looking up, Barkas frowned as he spotted a sturdy young man leaping down the stairs connected to the wall.
Approaching with the agile movements of a leopard, the man offered a cheerful smile, his amber eyes shining brightly.
“I heard word that the war is finally winding down. You’ve worked hard, brother.”
Barkas scanned him thoroughly with a flicker of interest in his gaze.
When he had last stopped at Raedgo Castle, Lucas had been away on an expedition to the northeast, so it had been nearly a year since they had seen each other face-to-face.
Barkas hopped down from Tork’s back and lightly patted the shoulder of his brother, who was now nearly his own height.
“I hardly recognized you.”
“I’ve been out in the scorching sun all day, so my skin’s turned pitch black.”
Lucas grinned and joked.
“It seems you’ve been staying out of the sun, brother. You’re as fair-skinned as a Northerner.”
Barkas ignored the banter and pulled the reins, stepping aside to the edge of the main road. He was making room for the knights lined up behind him to enter.
While the knights filed into the city, he looked over the checkpoint.
“Have there been any particular issues while I was away?”
“Nothing beyond what was in the last telegram you received,” the young man said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. However, a strange tension lingered on his usually cheerful face. He let out a troubled sigh and continued. “But I think there might be trouble brewing soon. Because of that beast my sister-in-law keeps…”
Lucas, speaking with clear dissatisfaction, caught Barkas’s look and quickly corrected his phrasing.
“The beast that Her Grace is raising. The whole city is in an uproar because of it.”
“The telegram mentioned that my wife is suspected of being a heretic because of that magical beast,” Barkas murmured, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
Stealing a glance at him, Lucas scratched the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh.
“The vassals exaggerated a bit. To be precise… it would be more accurate to say she’s being accused of encouraging heresy.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Hardly anyone actually suspects Her Grace of being devoted to heretical ideas. It’s just that because of that beast, some ignorant people are saying strange things.”
Lucas spoke as if in her defense.
Barkas, walking slowly along the road while gripping the reins, looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“What exactly are they saying about my wife?”
“Well…”
Lucas hesitated for a moment as if organizing his thoughts before the words began to pour out.
“Her Grace is naturally someone who draws attention, isn’t she? But then she started walking around with a wolf the size of a bull… The sight was so striking that some residents began to associate it with the legend of Tiramer.”
Barkas, who had assumed she was only being criticized by Imperial Church followers for raising a magical beast, came to a dead stop.
“Are you saying they think my wife is some kind of earth spirit?”
“Very few people truly believe that,” Lucas said with an uncertain tone. “However… it’s clear that Her Grace is encouraging the local folk beliefs of the East. At least, that’s what the Great Cathedral thinks.”
With an icy gaze, Barkas looked toward the spires of the Great Cathedral rising high on the west side of the city.
Observing his reaction, Lucas continued his explanation in a calm voice.
“The conflict escalated this past spring, after Her Grace appeared at a festival held outside the fortress walls. When the residents saw the Grand Duchess appear with a wolf, they caused a stir as if an incarnation of Tiramer itself had arrived. Since then, the city has been buzzing with stories of the young, beautiful Grand Duchess and the giant wolf. That…”
“Must have unnecessarily provoked the priests,” Barkas finished dryly.
Lucas nodded.
“Not just the priests, but most of the devout Imperial Church followers in Kalmor believe Her Grace is misleading the ignorant peasants. Furthermore, a body was recently found north of Raedgo Castle, torn apart by a beast, and rumors have started spreading that it was the work of the Grand Duchess’s creature. Public sentiment is at its worst.”
Barkas, who had been listening in silence, let out a faint, mocking laugh.
“Is there only one or two people who have been attacked by wild animals after wandering carelessly outside the castle? On what grounds are they spreading such rumors?”
“The rumors aren’t entirely baseless. The deceased was…”
Lucas suddenly stopped and looked around.
The main road was crowded with citizens who had flocked to see the Great Lord and his knights returning after half a year. Despite the noise and the distance of the crowd, which made it unlikely for their conversation to be overheard, Lucas lowered his voice significantly.
“The body found belonged to someone who served Her Grace. You know… the healing sorceress she brought from the Imperial Palace.”
Barkas’s face hardened. He immediately recalled the middle-aged sorceress with a calm demeanor who had always attended to his wife.
Lucas continued gravely.
“That healing sorceress was found with her throat torn out by a beast. That’s why everyone suspects Her Grace’s wolf. But because Her Grace defended it so fiercely, we couldn’t even conduct a proper investigation.”
“Was there no one who actually witnessed what happened to the sorceress?”
Lucas shook his head.
“It seems she slipped out of the castle alone at dawn and met with disaster. Everyone insists they didn’t see her that day.”
Barkas remained silent, gazing blankly at the Raedgo Citadel rising at the northern end of the city. Based on Lucas’s words alone, it seemed every situation was turning against his wife.
Pressing his fingers against his brow, Barkas gripped the reins and began walking along the crowded road.
“First, let us return to the castle. I need to see that beast for myself.”
Lucas and the knights followed him in silence.
Quickly moving through the bustling district, Barkas led his horse across the vast plaza. After traveling for a while along the gentle slope and stairs leading north, the moat surrounding Raedgo Castle came into view. He crossed the drawboard and passed through the massive arched entrance.
“Welcome, Your Grace!”
As he entered the courtyard connected to the training grounds, hundreds of vassals came rushing out.
Barkas didn’t even give them a glance as he strode toward the main palace. Finally, the massive sand-colored fortress stood before him, glowing brightly.
“You’ve worked hard traveling such a long way, Your Grace. You’ve arrived earlier than scheduled.”
Just as he was about to hand Tork’s reins to a servant and enter the hall, the white-haired head butler came running out with the servants.
Barkas skipped the formal greetings and got straight to the point.
“Where is the Grand Duchess?”
The head butler swallowed hard and answered in a trembling voice.
“H-Her Grace went out to the spring around noon.”
Barkas, who was just about to step into the hall, paused and looked down at him.
“The spring?”
“The wolf Her Grace is raising suffers greatly from the heat… so she has been heading to the spring every day since summer began. She should be back in about an hour.”
Barkas turned his gaze toward the promenade leading behind the building.
“How many attendants did she take with her?”
“Well… Her Grace dislikes having maids follow her, so…”
“How many?”
“Only the guards you assigned to her would be following secretly,” Lucas answered for the struggling butler.
Barkas’s brow furrowed. That meant that woman was handling a beast said to be as large as a bull all by herself.
Roughly raking a hand through his hair, Barkas turned toward the rear garden.
“There’s no need to follow me.”
He firmly stopped Lucas, who was about to follow as a matter of course, and moved through the promenade with long strides.
Passing through the small garden at the back of the castle, a small woods with thick bushes and trees appeared. When he spotted the guards leaning against trees there, Barkas’s eyes sharpened.
He had strictly instructed them not to take their eyes off her for even a moment. The sight of them with their backs turned, keeping their distance from the person they were supposed to protect, was a far cry from his orders.
He approached them, gritting his teeth.
At that moment, clear laughter drifted through the wind.
Barkas, who had been standing stiffly as if paralyzed, slowly turned his head.
The early summer sunlight poured intensely through the thick leaves. Amidst those brilliant fragments of light, she was laughing.
