Ch#80
He crossed the deep blue meadows, feeling as though he were setting foot on a foreign land for the first time.
Atop the gently rolling hills, dozens of plump foals and mares were grazing peacefully.
“Over a hundred foals were born at this ranch this year alone. All of them are of the noble Norneck bloodline,” Daren Dru Sheakan explained from behind, his voice thick with pride.
Varkas turned to look at the man, who had a stubborn, rigid impression, and threw out a question.
“What is the count of trained warhorses?”
“There are three thousand at this ranch alone. If you include the northern ranch, it should be around six thousand three hundred.”
“That is fewer than what was reported.”
At his pointed remark, a flush of red crept up the man’s face.
“You were in the central regions, Young Family Head. It is realistically difficult to convey every minute detail outside of the regular reports,” the man added, averting his eyes as if making an excuse. “A month ago, one of the horse ranches in the northeast suffered heavy damage from a Zram attack. Many capable warhorses were lost in the retaliatory battles that followed.”
Varkas furrowed his brow.
“Why was this not reported to the Imperial Court?”
“Why bother when we can handle it ourselves?” The man shrugged with a nonchalant expression. “The Grand Duke’s philosophy was that the problems of the East should be solved by Easterners. The vassals agreed with him.”
“The East is also the territory of the Roem Empire,” Varkas countered in a dry tone. “We are also subjects of the Empire. Just as the East is loyal to the Imperial Court, the Imperial Court has an obligation to protect the people of the East.”
The man fell silent, pressing his lips thin. He seemed to feel an instinctive rejection of the word ‘protection.’ The warriors of the Khan people, possessing a strong sense of self-reliance, considered external support a humiliation.
Instead of correcting that misguided notion, Varkas turned his horse toward the village located at the foot of the hill.
The majority of the residents living outside the castle walls lived a much harsher life compared to the city dwellers.
As evidence, the buildings lined up along the muddy road were all old and shabby.
He was scanning them with an indifferent gaze when something suddenly caught his eye.
Varkas narrowed his eyes and urged his horse toward the center of the village. There, he saw something hanging from a large tree in the plaza.
As he drew closer, he could identify what it was. Three corpses, which appeared to have been dead for a long time and were beginning to rot into a purplish hue, hung limply with ropes around their necks.
“They must be the heretics executed a few days ago,” Daren said, wrinkling his nose.
Varkas turned to him and asked, “Are heretical forces spreading in Kalmore?”
“As you know, Young Family Head, there are many among the Easterners who cannot let go of their folk beliefs. Among them are those who revere spirits like gods or are deeply immersed in superstition.” The man let out a heavy sigh. “In particular, reports regarding heretics have increased recently. It is likely due to the frequent conflicts with the Zram. They are all people deeply devoted to spirit worship, are they not? Because animosity toward heretics has intensified, frequent religious trials are occurring at the village level.”
“In just a few years, it has become a mess.”
A look of displeasure flickered across the man’s face.
As if trying to hide it, the man forced a smile and shrugged his broad shoulders.
“The Grand Duke has been bedridden for a long time, so it cannot be helped.”
Varkas looked up at the corpses with a thoughtful expression before gesturing with his chin toward his subordinates.
“If left like that, there is a high probability they will become ghouls. Take the bodies down and give them a simple funeral.”
The man arched his thick eyebrows.
“For heretics?”
Varkas looked at him with a chilling gaze.
“Do I have to say it twice?”
After staring at him for a moment, Daren immediately barked at the lined-up knights.
“What are you doing? Follow the Young Family Head’s orders at once!”
The men immediately dismounted and cut the ropes holding the corpses.
The bodies hit the dirt floor with a heavy thud.
Varkas looked down silently at a head that was twisted at an odd angle, as if the neck bone had snapped during the fall.
Maggots swarmed inside the hollow sockets where the eyeballs had been plucked out, and all the teeth had been pulled from inside the lips, which had been carved out with a knife. These were all measures taken in preparation for ghoulification.
Corpses that did not receive a purification rite had a high chance of becoming undead; for that reason, heretics often had their eyes, teeth, and even fingernails removed.
‘Useless actions…’
A ghoul could use tools just as well as they did in life, depending on their memories. To prevent danger, it was better to completely incinerate the bodies or perform a purification rite.
He looked down as the soldiers dragged the three corpses to a corner of the clearing, then turned his head to scan the shabbily dressed farmers gathered on one side of the plaza.
Most looked terrified, but a few wore expressions of discontent.
He pointed at one of them.
“You. Go fetch a priest right now.”
The designated man shuffled hesitantly toward the chapel located on one side of the village.
Soon after, a priest came running and performed a simple purification rite.
Varkas, who had been watching the scene quietly, left instructions to bury the bodies in a suitable place and then led his horse out of the village.
Just then, a discarded wooden statue at the end of the wide path caught his eye.
A statue of a three-headed dog—no, a wolf—lay split in half by an axe blade, abandoned on the trail leading to the Argand Forest.
It was an obvious sign of a curse.
Daren, discovering it late, hardened his face and shouted loudly at the soldiers.
“Clear it away immediately!”
Varkas looked down at the statue with a calm gaze before turning his eyes back toward the village.
Seeing as it had been placed there to coincide with their visit, it was clearly an act born of someone’s malice.
He let out a dry laugh.
‘It seems there are those who are not pleased by my return.’
Whether it was the work of heretics steeped in superstition or a provocation by anti-imperial forces, he couldn’t tell, but he had a premonition that life here would not be easy.
“Shall we search for the culprit?” Daren asked, watching his reaction.
Varkas pulled on the reins and shook his head slightly.
“Leave it. What would poking around over a mere statue achieve other than making us a laughingstock?”
The man swallowed a sigh and nodded.
“I suppose that is true.”
Though he agreed for now, he couldn’t seem to suppress his anger, and his eyes were fierce as he looked back at the village. Varkas thought the man might lead his subordinates back there to cause trouble later.
Though he had only observed him for a short while, the man possessed an exceptionally bellicose temperament, even among the cavalry warriors.
Varkas felt a strange sense of fatigue washing over him and spurred his horse.
By the time they arrived back at Raedgo Castle, the sun was sinking toward the west.
Varkas dismounted gracefully, handed the reins to a stablehand, and crossed the wide training grounds.
As he entered the main castle, the head butler, who was directing the servants, came running out.
“You have returned, Young Family Head.”
He acknowledged the greeting with a nod and stepped onto the stairs, passing through the bustling hall.
The man followed hurriedly behind him and said, “The lords of various regions have arrived to see you.”
He frowned and looked back at the butler.
“Regional lords?”
“They are the vassals who oversee the southeastern regions,” the man added cautiously. “It seems they have come to make an impression before you hold your succession ceremony.”
He lightly rubbed his chin with his gloved hand, then continued up the stairs, speaking indifferently.
“Prepare a banquet for the guests. I will head to the hall after I change my clothes.”
“Um…”
As he continued toward his bedroom on the second floor, the butler trailed off.
Varkas looked at him over his shoulder.
After hesitating for a long time, the man spoke carefully.
“I was wondering if your wife would also be able to attend the evening banquet…”
Varkas narrowed his eyes.
The butler, gauging his reaction, spoke quickly as if treading on thin ice.
“Is she not the one who will soon become the mistress of the Grand Duchy? Everyone is curious to see what kind of person she is. However, since she has not left her quarters all day…”
“Butler.”
Varkas cut him off in a low voice.
“Do you believe Her Highness must endure discomfort simply to satisfy the curiosity of my relatives or the servants?”
The color drained from the butler’s face. Varkas added coldly.
“Her Highness suffered a major accident only a few months ago. In a state where her body had not yet fully recovered, she endured a grueling journey lasting several weeks. She needs to rest for the time being, so tell everyone not to bother her with trivial matters.”
