Chapter 197
As he stepped out into the corridor cloaked in dim shadows, the training grounds came into view, bustling with soldiers hurrying back and forth.
Ever since the assailants had attacked Laedgo Castle, security throughout the fortress had become incomparably stricter.
The watchtowers along the outer walls had been outfitted with defensive magical artifacts painstakingly crafted by senior mages, leaving not a single blind spot. Every entrance had been reinforced with double portcullises.
The screening of everyone entering or leaving the castle had likewise become more thorough than ever before. They were operating under the assumption that someone who had leaked information to the enemy might still be hiding within the castle.
Of course, Varkas had no intention of denying that his own wife remained the prime suspect.
He himself understood that every piece of evidence pointed toward Talia.
Talia had openly expressed hostility toward the Eastern Church. The ancient books, paintings, and amulets related to Tiramer's legacy that had been discovered in her chambers certainly did nothing to help her case. Most damning of all was the eyewitness testimony claiming that she had attended a gathering of heretics.
At the time, he had dismissed it as an outrageous fabrication.
Now, however, he calmly accepted the possibility that she truly had been drawn into heretical beliefs.
Perhaps she had lost her way after losing their child and had fallen prey to the heretics' persuasion. She was, unexpectedly, soft-hearted in certain respects. She likely could not bear to stand by and watch them suffer punishment. It was entirely possible that the Zram raiders had skillfully exploited her sincere desire to help the heretics escape.
She had probably never even imagined that the substance they handed her was a deadly poison.
She had merely believed it to be something with toxicity similar to what she had once given Aila...
Lost in his disjointed thoughts, Varkas suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
He had realized that he had abandoned all objectivity and was desperately constructing one excuse after another in her favor.
Running a hand over his face, he forced himself back to his senses.
This was hardly the time to dwell on her circumstances.
Even if she had been nothing more than a pawn, if she truly had become entangled with the heretics, avoiding punishment would be nearly impossible.
Which meant he needed to eliminate every piece of evidence that could be used against her—and quickly.
He resumed walking.
Crossing the training grounds and passing through the inner gate, he entered a garden lush with the greenery of midsummer.
No sooner had he stepped inside than a sharp shout made him stop in his tracks.
Turning toward the noise, he saw a maid confronting three or four soldiers outside one of the detached buildings.
Recognizing her as Talia's personal attendant, Varkas immediately changed direction.
"What's going on?"
As he approached from behind the young woman, the soldiers who had been aggressively confronting her all spun around.
"Y-Your Grace!"
They hurriedly saluted.
Ignoring them completely, Varkas looked down at the young maid, whose face was on the verge of tears.
"I asked what is happening."
"W-Well..."
The woman hesitated, pale as a sheet. Then, as though steeling herself, she finally spoke with grim determination.
"Her Highness... has been asking for Khan. I came to bring him out of the isolation room, but... they keep stopping me..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter toward the end.
Varkas understood the reason easily enough.
Rumors that the Grand Duke had nearly died at his wife's hands had already spread throughout the castle. They were likely afraid that allowing the woman accused of attempted murder to retrieve her magical beast instead of quietly reflecting on her crimes would earn them a furious reprimand.
A mocking smile briefly touched Varkas's lips before he turned toward the soldiers.
"Why are you stopping her?"
"W-Well... the beast has become unbelievably savage after being isolated for so long. We weren't sure it was safe to release it. It's been rampaging inside the enclosure the entire time..."
"That's because you haven't been taking proper care of Khan! You wouldn't even let us bring him food or water all this time—!"
The maid raised her voice in outrage, only to freeze midway through her protest as she caught Varkas's expression. She immediately lowered her eyes.
After silently watching her for a moment, Varkas nodded toward the soldiers.
"Open the isolation room. I'll inspect him myself."
The soldier blinked in surprise before hurriedly pulling out a ring of keys.
Walking to the arched iron door, he unlocked it with trembling hands.
A heavy metallic groan echoed as the door swung open, revealing the devastated interior.
Without hesitation, Varkas stepped inside.
The destruction became even more apparent.
The soldiers had not exaggerated.
In the middle of the room lay what had once been an enormous cushion, now reduced to a heap of filthy rags surrounded by scattered feathers. The carpet covering the floor had been shredded so thoroughly that it was barely recognizable.
Nor was that all.
The sturdy stone walls were gouged with deep claw marks, while the floor tiles had been cracked apart and scattered across the room.
As Varkas silently surveyed the wreckage, the sound of rough breathing, like molten iron boiling, came from only a few paces away.
He turned.
A pair of luminous blue-gray eyes gleamed from the shadows.
Almost instinctively, his hand settled upon the hilt of his sword.
Khan slowly rose to his feet.
The dire wolf had grown noticeably thinner.
Talia had been imprisoned for eight days, and Varkas himself had required another three to recover.
The wolf had likely been abandoned for nearly eleven days.
It was hardly surprising that he looked gaunt.
Varkas carefully observed the beast as it slowly approached him.
Despite its emaciated frame, the dire wolf remained imposing.
Its massive predatory skeleton still supported its enormous body with unwavering strength, and every step revealed tightly coiled muscles beneath its fur.
Varkas loosened his sword slightly from its scabbard.
Expecting obedience from a starving predator was sheer foolishness.
Every muscle in his body tensed, prepared to subdue the beast the instant it lunged.
Then the wolf flattened its ears.
Lowering its head, it slowly sank toward the ground.
Varkas paused.
The dire wolf's eyes still blazed with murderous intensity, yet its posture—belly pressed against the floor, neck stretched low—held no sign whatsoever of an impending attack.
He quickly understood.
The wolf was offering a compromise.
This magical beast clearly understood that unless it could prove it posed no threat, it would never be allowed near Talia again.
Its ribs rose and fell beneath the loose skin of its belly, as though it had gone without even water for days.
Yet it remained perfectly still, its head resting obediently against the floor.
After watching it for several moments, Varkas slowly returned his sword to its sheath.
"Bring water and food for the wolf."
The soldiers, who had been anxiously watching the confrontation, immediately rushed outside.
A short while later, they returned with a large slab of meat and a full waterskin.
The beast, which had been anxiously scraping the floor with its claws, rushed to the water and drank greedily.
It did not even glance at the meat.
Instead, it headed straight for the doorway.
Its desire to reach its master clearly outweighed even its hunger.
Varkas firmly pressed a hand against the back of the wolf's neck, stopping it.
The beast undoubtedly possessed remarkable intelligence.
Even so, he could not allow a starving predator anywhere near her.
"You aren't leaving until you've eaten all of this."
The wolf glared at him with murderous eyes for a long moment.
Then it lowered its head and seized the pig's hind leg between its jaws.
It had understood every word.
Within moments, the enormous piece of raw meat had vanished, bones and all.
Licking the blood from its lips, the dire wolf let out a low growl.
Sensing that the beast's patience had reached its limit, Varkas glanced toward the soldiers waiting outside.
"Take this wolf to the Grand Duchess."
Before the final word had fully left his mouth, the dire wolf exploded out of the isolation room.
The young maid and the soldiers scattered in panic before scrambling after him.
Watching them disappear, Varkas quietly turned away, left the building, and headed toward the castle gates.