Ch#191
“My.”
The man let out a somewhat irreverent exclamation as he straightened his posture and placed a hand over his chest.
“I greet His Excellency the Grand Duke.”
“Do you know me?”
“Where in the Roem Empire is there anyone who doesn’t know the young Grand Duke of Shikan? Among knights, especially, you are a legendary figure.”
A gentle smile played on the lips of the man as he uttered the flattering words. Varkas scanned the man thoroughly with a cold gaze.
He had light brown hair, bright skin with a bronzed sheen, and deep dark-brown eyes. His overall impression was unassuming, yet he exuded a dangerous scent from somewhere within.
Varkas watched him for a moment before speaking coldly.
“I have yet to hear your name.”
“My… please forgive my discourtesy.”
Maintaining a polite smile, the man spoke slowly.
“I am Roman Talis.”
“Are you affiliated with the Valbon Grand Cathedral?”
“That is correct.”
The man admitted readily, adding in a tone laced with the soft accent characteristic of Oshirians.
“Specifically, I belong to the Cathedral Guardians. We received reports that heresy is rampant in the Shikan Grand Duchy and have come to verify the situation.”
“You’ve wasted your trip.”
Varkas cut him off dryly.
“The investigation is already finished. All preparations to wipe out the heretics have been completed.”
“As expected of your competence.”
Letting out a low exclamation of admiration, the man spread his hands lightly.
“However, as we have been officially dispatched, we cannot return empty-handed without having done anything. Is it not the duty of the Cathedral Guardians to seek out and punish heretics? My subordinates and I will lend our strength to the suppression operation.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I decline. This is a matter I can resolve without the assistance of outside forces.”
“Outside forces… how can you say such a thing?”
The man wore an expression of surprise that felt exaggerated.
“The Grand Duchy is also imperial territory, and the Church has a mission to protect all the flocks of Roem.”
“All those who have committed the sin of apostasy will undergo proper trial in the Eastern Diocese.”
Varkas’s eyes sank sharply, feeling weary of the principled conversation.
“Regardless of your status, to me, you are merely a stranger. I cannot allow a complete stranger to rummage through my land as he pleases.”
“…….”
“I will permit you to stay in Kalmor until this situation is resolved. However, I will never tolerate the use of force against my people.”
The smile vanished from the man’s face as his eyes stared blankly at Varkas. Without lingering, Varkas turned and stepped onto the stairs leading to the private chambers on the second floor. It was then that a low, grounded voice flew at his back.
“Is there a reason you must exclude us?”
With his foot on the stairs, Varkas gripped the railing and looked back at the man. The man, approaching slowly with light steps that belied his massive frame, continued calmly.
“Ever since I arrived in the East, I’ve heard many interesting rumors surrounding Her Highness the Grand Duchess. If you are wary of us because of her, perhaps….”
“Do people often tell you that you don’t know your place?”
Varkas interrupted in a smooth tone. As if sensing the murderous intent hovering in the air, the man’s left cheek, where a dimple sat, grew taut and rigid. Leaning toward the man’s face, Varkas added coldly.
“Do you believe my wife’s status is such that her name can be tossed about by a mere priest?”
“…I have committed an insolence. Please, forgive me.”
The man bowed his head politely. However, Varkas did not miss the glimmer of amusement that flickered in his eyes. Varkas took another step toward the man with an overbearing attitude. Immediately, a thick scent of blood, the kind that might come from a wild animal, stung his nose. A strong suspicion arose in that instant.
“You, were you truly dispatched from the Main Church…?”
Just as he was about to interrogate the man, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the chapel.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Excellency.”
The priest who had run over spoke politely.
“The High Priest has commanded me to escort Your Excellency to the inner chamber. Please follow me.”
He then glanced briefly at the man standing nearby.
“And as for you, brother…?”
“I shall take my leave now.”
The man naturally picked up where the hesitating priest left off.
“We are staying at the Grand Cathedral Relief Center. Should you change your mind, please let me know at any time. I would be more than happy to be of service to His Excellency the Grand Duke….”
“I appreciate the sentiment.”
Varkas replied coldly and turned to follow the priest. Even as he walked past him, the foul smell of blood stinging the tip of his nose did not vanish. Varkas looked back at the man once more over his shoulder.
Just then, a flash of lightning bizarrely swept across Roman Talis’s eyes. Leaving that unpleasant afterimage behind, Varkas stepped up the darkened stairs.
“You broke your promise to me.”
Varkas spoke dryly, sitting at the wooden table prepared inside the prayer room.
“Have you forgotten our agreement to suppress those ridiculous suspicions regarding the Grand Duchess?”
“The report submitted by the heresy investigator was destroyed immediately after my meeting with the Grand Duke.”
The High Priest, who was quietly sipping tea, said with a weary sigh.
“I do not know what you have heard or from where, but the Main Church has never disclosed any matters related to the Grand Duchess to the outside. If the investigators dispatched from the Central Church discovered something, it was likely information obtained through their own independent investigation.”
“Are you saying you have no connection to them, High Priest?”
“That is correct.”
The old priest held his head high.
“If I had intended to involve the Cathedral Guardians, I wouldn’t have asked for the Grand Duke’s help in the first place. What could I possibly gain from this situation? Their visit is just as baffling to me.”
Varkas looked at him with eyes lost in thought for a moment. Certainly, it would not be a welcome situation for this man to have the Central Church intervene in the affairs of the East.
He asked in a much softer tone.
“Are their identities certain?”
“Of course. All the visitors possessed identification plaques stamped with the seal of the Grand Cathedral, and they also submitted dispatch papers written by the Main Church.”
The High Priest took a parchment document from his robe and held it out.
“See for yourself.”
Varkas took the document and scanned it closely. The dispatch papers, written in Ancient Oshirian, bore the seal of the Central Church along with the clear emblem of the Cathedral Guardians.
“There is no room for doubt.”
“Was there a reason you needed to verify their identities?”
Varkas shook his head.
“No. A man with an impression far too rough for a priest caught my eye, so I was merely wondering.”
“Is it not the primary task of the Cathedral Guardians to judge heretics? Doing such harsh work, they are bound to become rough.”
The old priest replied dismissively and changed the subject, rubbing his forehead with a tired face.
“More importantly, what do you intend to do now? The Cathedral Guardians will attempt to investigate the state of Eastern heresy themselves.”
“I have no intention of letting them poke around my land as they please.”
Varkas said firmly, tossing the parchment down.
“I plan to commence the suppression operation tomorrow. Once all the heretics are rounded up, the justification for the Cathedral Guardians to remain here will vanish. High Priest, please send them back as soon as the situation is settled.”
“To do that, there must be no setbacks in the plan.”
Worry clouded the High Priest’s eyes.
“If by any chance the operation fails, they will attempt to exercise the investigative powers they possess, and if that happens, we will no longer be able to suppress the suspicions regarding the Grand Duchess….”
“That will not happen.”
Varkas rose from his seat and drove the point home, looking down coldly at the priest.
“I intend to uproot every single heretic in this land so that such troublesome matters never occur again. So, stop using my wife as a subject of conversation.”
After a brief pause, he added grimly.
“If you try to pressure me using her safety as a pretext one more time, the Grand Ducal House will no longer treat you with the respect due to a High Priest.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Leaving behind the High Priest’s calm reply, Varkas turned around without delay.
By the time he returned to the castle, the rain was beginning to subside. However, the sky remained covered in pitch-black clouds.
Hearing the occasional growl of thunder, Varkas stepped into the main castle. The interior was quiet, as most of the knights had decided to stay at the camp.
“You’ve returned, Your Excellency.”
As he crossed the hall where the lights flickered, the Head Butler, who had been directing the servants at the entrance of the dining hall, hurried toward him.
Varkas took off his wet raincoat and scanned the lit dining hall. His younger sister and the elderly vassals were having a late dinner.
“Where is the Grand Duchess?”
At the habitually uttered question, the Head Butler, who was taking the raincoat from his hands, lowered his eyes with an awkward expression.
“Her Highness said she would dine separately in her room.”
