Ch#197
As he stepped out of the hallway draped in dim shadows, the sight of the training grounds, bustling with soldiers moving to and fro, came into view.
Since the mysterious assailants had raided Raedgo Castle, the security within the walls had become incomparably tighter than before. Defensive magic tools, crafted with meticulous care by high-ranking mages, were deployed without gaps along the watchtowers of the outer walls, and double-grated gates were installed at every entrance.
The background checks on those entering and exiting the castle had also become unprecedentedly thorough. It was a measure taken with the possibility in mind that a mole, who had leaked information to the enemy, might be lurking within the castle.
Of course, Varkas had no intention of denying the fact that his own wife was the most likely suspect. He, too, was aware that every piece of circumstantial evidence pointed toward Talia.
She had previously displayed overt hostility toward the Eastern Diocese. The discovery of ancient books containing the lore of Tiramer, drawings, and amulets in her quarters would certainly not work in her favor either. Most damning of all was the eyewitness testimony placing her at a heretical assembly.
At the time, he had dismissed it as a preposterous frame-up, but now he was calmly accepting the possibility that she might have been swayed by heretical ideologies.
Perhaps, while wandering lost after losing their child, she had fallen for the enticements of the cultists. She was a woman with a surprisingly soft heart, after all. She likely couldn’t bear to stand by and watch them be punished. There was a high probability that the Zram people had craftily exploited her pure goodwill in wanting to help the heretics escape.
She probably hadn’t dreamed that the substance she was handed was a deadly poison. She likely believed it was merely a drug with a level of toxicity similar to what she had once administered to Aila…
As he followed this rambling train of thought, Varkas suddenly let out a hollow laugh. He realized he was losing his objectivity, spinning desperate excuses in her favor.
He wiped his face with his hand, pulling his scattered thoughts together. Now was not the time to be pondering her inner motives. Even if she had been thoroughly used, the fact remained that if she had cooperated with heretics, punishment would be difficult to avoid. Therefore, he had to hurry and destroy any evidence that could be used against her.
He resumed his pace, which had momentarily faltered. After crossing the training grounds and passing through the entrance of the inner wall, a garden lush with midsummer greenery revealed itself. As he strode inside, Varkas came to a sharp halt at the sound of a shrill shout.
Turning his head, he saw a maid standing in front of the annex, facing off against three or four soldiers. Recognizing her as the maid assigned specifically to Talia, Varkas turned his steps toward them.
“What is going on?”
When he spoke from behind the woman, the soldiers who had been harshly pressuring the maid all turned to look at him at once.
“G-Greetings to Your Excellency the Grand Duke!”
The soldiers hurriedly offered their respects. Ignoring them, Varkas looked down at the young-faced maid, who looked as if she were about to cry.
“I asked what is going on.”
“T-That is…”
The woman, pale and hesitating, eventually opened her mouth with a grim expression as if she had made a difficult decision.
“Her Grace is looking for Khan. I was trying to take him out of the isolation room now… but these men keep blocking me…”
The maid’s voice trailed off toward the end. Varkas could easily guess the reason. Rumors that the Grand Duke had nearly died at the hands of his wife were rampant throughout the castle. They were likely afraid that a thunderous reprimand would fall upon them for the fact that a criminal who had attempted poisoning was looking for a magical beast instead of reflecting in silence.
His lips twisting into a cynical smirk, Varkas turned his gaze to the soldiers.
“Why did you block this maid?”
“T-That is… because he has been isolated for so long, he’s become unspeakably ferocious. We weren’t sure if it was safe to release him. He has been rioting violently inside the cage all this time…”
“That’s because you haven’t been looking after Khan properly! You’ve been blocking us from even bringing him water and food…!”
Flaring up and raising her voice, the woman suddenly flinched as she caught his eye and hurriedly cast her gaze downward. Varkas stared down at her for a moment before gesturing with his chin toward the soldiers.
“Open the door to the isolation room. I will check his condition myself.”
The soldiers, looking surprised for a moment, soon pulled a bundle of keys from their tunics. They approached the arched iron door and, with trembling hands, unlocked the mechanism.
Soon after, the heavy iron door swung open, revealing the interior of the building, which had been turned into a shambles. He stepped over the threshold without hesitation. The sight, as disastrous as a battlefield, came into even clearer view.
As if the claim that he had rioted was no exaggeration, in the middle of the room lay a large bundle of fabric that seemed to have once been a cushion, along with a heap of feathers, and the carpet on the floor was torn to shreds beyond recognition. That wasn’t all. The solid stone walls were covered in deep claw marks, and the floor tiles were scattered around the room, broken in various places.
As he surveyed the mess, he heard a ragged breathing sound nearby, like molten metal boiling over.
Turning his head to the other side, Varkas discovered a pair of glowing, blue-grey eyes and instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Khan’s silhouette, rising from the deep shadows, had grown noticeably gaunt. It had been eight days since she was detained, and it had taken another three days for him to recover, so the wolf had likely been neglected for nearly eleven days. It was no wonder he looked haggard.
He carefully observed the beast as it approached him slowly. Despite his diminished size, the wolf was still threatening. The massive frame characteristic of a predator supported his giant body firmly without a hint of disarray, and the tension of muscle power was visible in every step he took.
He pulled his sword handle slightly upward. He knew well how reckless it was to expect obedience from a predator that had been starving for a long time. He tensed every muscle in his body, intending to subdue the wolf the moment it leaped at him.
At that moment, the wolf flattened its ears and lowered its head.
Varkas paused. There was a strong murderous intent swirling in the direwolf’s eyes as it looked up at him, but no intent to attack could be found in its posture, with its belly pressed to the floor and its neck stretched long.
He soon realized that this wolf was proposing a compromise. This magical beast clearly understood the fact that it could not go to Talia’s side unless it proved its harmlessness.
Even as its hollowed belly heaved—likely from not even having a drop of water for a long time—the beast lay quietly on the floor without moving an inch. Observing this closely, Varkas slid his sword back into its sheath and issued an order.
“Bring water and food to feed the wolf.”
The soldiers, who had been watching their confrontation with tense faces, immediately turned and ran toward the food storehouse.
A short while later, a large hunk of meat and a canteen full of water were placed on the floor. The beast, which had been scratching the floor anxiously with its claws, gulped down the water ravenously. However, it moved toward the doorway without even glancing at the meat. It seemed the desire to go to its master was greater than its appetite.
He pressed down firmly on the scruff of the wolf’s neck as it tried to head out. It was clear this beast possessed extraordinary intelligence, but even so, he could not send a starving wild animal to her side.
“You cannot leave here unless you eat all of this.”
The beast, after sending him a murderous glare for a moment, took the pig’s hind leg in its mouth. It seemed to have clearly understood his intent.
The wolf, having chewed and swallowed the large raw meat, bones and all, in an instant, growled low as it licked its blood-stained lips.
Sensing that the beast’s patience had reached its limit, Varkas signaled to the soldiers waiting at the entrance.
“Now, take this wolf to the Grand Duchess.”
No sooner were those words spoken than the wolf burst out of the isolation room. The young maid and the soldiers chased after it in a panic.
Standing still and watching the scene, Varkas soon left the building and turned his steps toward the castle gate.
