Chapter 198
As long as that wolf remained by her side, no one would dare approach her rashly.
This should allow him to focus solely on resolving the heretic problem for the time being.
Varkas headed straight for the checkpoint beside the north gate. There, he carefully examined the entry and exit records from the day of the attack until the present, the duty officers' logs, and the list of the dead.
The losses were greater than expected. Five soldiers who had been guarding the northern wall, four wardens stationed at the underground prison, and five servants within the castle had lost their lives. The four servants who had been taken hostage were also found as cold corpses two days later.
The casualties did not end there. More than a dozen others had sustained injuries so severe that even healing magic could not restore them.
Varkas's gaze slowly traveled down the long list of victims before stopping at one particular name.
"Was the healer also killed?"
"Yes. The poor woman was found with a dagger embedded in her heart."
The captain of the watch, who had been anxiously studying his expression, answered with a troubled sigh.
"Tiuran's residence is far removed from the main castle, is it not? It seems she encountered the assailants as they were fleeing through the north gate and was caught in the attack."
Varkas's mouth hardened.
The image of his wife sleeping defenselessly in the healer's residence rose in his mind, and a chill spread around his heart.
She had seemed to grow rather close to that healer. This news would likely come as a considerable shock to her. Varkas stared blankly ahead as the thought crossed his mind, then irritably raked a hand through his hair.
He was disgusted with himself for worrying about her grief even now.
Nearly twenty people had died. There was no reason to mourn one person's death more deeply simply because she had been close to Talia.
He tossed the list onto the desk.
"I'll allocate a separate budget. Make sure the bereaved families receive sufficient compensation."
With that, he rose and left the guard post. As he stepped outside, the sound of murmuring voices reached him from nearby.
Varkas turned his head without much thought and frowned when he saw a line of soldiers gathered before the castle gate.
"What's going on?"
The soldier guarding the entrance flinched and spun around.
"Y-Your Grace!"
Bowing hastily, the soldier stammered out an answer.
"W-We have visitors... They {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} were waiting for permission to enter the castle."
Varkas narrowed his eyes and stared through the barred gate. Beyond the grid of iron bars stood a giant of a man clad in a dark navy robe.
Recognizing him, Varkas's brow furrowed.
Roman Talis, the holy knight dispatched by the Central Church, stood there with two subordinates.
"It has been half a month since we last met."
The man leaned his face close to the bars and offered a gentle smile.
"I heard that you suffered a grave misfortune, but it seems you have fortunately recovered your health. It puts my mind at ease to see you looking so strong."
"What are you here for?"
Brushing aside the empty pleasantries, Varkas pressed him for his purpose.
The man leaned against the iron bars and continued in a low, intimate voice.
"Since the subjugation plan ended in failure, most of the heretics have vanished without a trace, have they not? We can no longer afford to sit idly by and wait. I have come to request permission for the Temple Guardians to begin an investigation directly."
"I told you before. I will not allow outsiders to roam through my territory as they please. Stop wasting your time and return to the capital."
"If that is your position, then I suppose we will have no choice but to request investigative cooperation from the imperial family."
Varkas, who had begun turning toward the stables, fixed him with a frigid stare.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Of course not. I am merely asking for your cooperation with the utmost courtesy."
The man's voice grew even more discreet.
"I have little patience for troublesome procedures myself. Neither of us wishes for this matter to grow any larger, so why don't we find a point of compromise here?"
Varkas's expression hardened.
Instinctively, he knew.
This man was using Talia as leverage.
Varkas forced the words through his teeth.
"Open the gate."
No sooner had the order been given than the iron bars slowly rose.
The man passed through the gate with his subordinates, a leisurely smile curving his lips.
"A wise decision."
Ignoring the faint note of triumph in his voice, Varkas headed toward the barracks connected to the castle wall.
"Follow me."
The man pursued him with movements surprisingly light for his massive frame.
Varkas entered the common office used by the outer-wall guards and gestured to the waiting soldiers.
"All of you, leave."
Once they had filed out of the room, he turned toward the giant standing by the door and spoke coldly.
"Why are you still standing there?"
After sweeping the room with a sharp gaze, the man signaled for his own subordinates to withdraw.
When they were finally alone, Varkas sat on one of the conference chairs and asked bluntly,
"What exactly do you want?"
"As I said before. Allow the Temple Guardians to investigate the state of heresy in the East."
The man answered calmly.
Varkas let out a dry laugh and picked up the bottle of wine resting on the table.
"And naturally, you also want the authority to dispose of the criminals."
"You seem concerned that we might carry out a massacre of civilians. If you wish, we can conduct the investigation jointly with soldiers belonging to the grand ducal house."
The man spoke as though granting him a favor.
"Our purpose is to prevent the spread of heretical thought, not to hold a festival of slaughter in the East. I promise that, wherever possible, we will arrest the guilty by humane means and deliver them to the judgment of the law."
Varkas swallowed a mouthful of strong wine and studied him closely.
Rationally, he knew there was no reason to reject the man's proposal. He had no desire to see heresy spread across his own lands either.
With the subjugation plan already ruined, he also lacked any proper justification for refusing the Church's assistance.
And yet his instincts continued to warn him not to trust this man.
"If Your Grace is considerate enough to make my work proceed smoothly, I will naturally extend you the same courtesy."
Realizing that Varkas was hesitating, the man made the offer in an insinuating tone.
Varkas shot him an icy look.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I will bury the various suspicions surrounding Her Grace the Grand Duchess."
The man replied without the slightest concern.
"Rumors are already widespread that Her Grace conspired with the heretics and attempted to poison you. Yet since you have imposed no punishment upon her even now, I assume Your Grace wishes to cover up that unpleasant incident."
"..."
"I, too, would prefer to avoid the troublesome task of investigating the Grand Duchess of the East on suspicion of heresy. If Your Grace assists with my work, I will allow the various suspicions surrounding Her Grace to remain nothing more than idle rumors."
"So if I refuse to cooperate, you intend to make my wife a subject of investigation as well."
The man answered only by letting a smooth smile settle across his lips.
Varkas tightened his grip until the goblet in his hand began to crumple.
This man was demanding that he choose between his duty as a lord and the safety of his wife.
It was not a question that should have required any consideration.
He had been raised to place the welfare of the empire and the East above all else. He could not allow suspicious outsiders to roam freely across the grand duchy for the sake of a single person.
His mind reached that conclusion.
Yet his lips gave an entirely different answer.
"...Fine. You have my permission."
At that moment, a hot, searing sensation spread through his stomach.
Varkas realized that it was defeat.
It was an emotion that had remained coiled somewhere inside him ever since he became entangled with her.
He lowered his unfocused gaze to the completely mangled goblet. The spilled wine clung to his fingers like blood.
Whenever she was involved, he always made the wrong choice.
Right and wrong ceased to matter. He became consumed by nothing but raw impulse and ran headlong in the wrong direction.
Like a moth approaching a flame despite knowing it would burn.
"A wise judgment."
The man spoke gently.
If Varkas continued looking at that amused smile, he felt he might seize him by the nape and smash his face into the table.
He rose from his seat and left the conference room.
And inwardly, he made a vow.
This would be the last time he made the wrong choice because of her.