Chapter 188
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVELA) – Chapter 188
Chapter 188
Varkas felt the muscles in his neck contract tightly, so he leaned his body against the back of the chair.
Spread across the mahogany wood desk, which measured eight spans wide (about 240 centimeters), was the list containing the names of the pagans that the members of the investigation team had gathered, along with a map pointing out the suspected meeting locations of the looters.
Varkas thoroughly examined those papers and then turned to ‘Bayrof’, who was sitting across from him:
—When is the date of the next meeting?
—During the next new moon. It seems that a large gathering will take place in the abandoned mine on the outskirts of ‘Heiswein’.
—Time is pressing, indeed.
Varkas stroked his chin thoughtfully; then, his gaze shifted to the list of apostates.
—Have you determined the size of the enemy forces?
—Based on the interrogation results, it is said that hundreds or thousands will gather… but the testimonies are contradictory, and it is difficult to rely on them. —Bayrof continued with an ironic tone—: Doesn’t the ignorant populace think that a gathering of a hundred people is already a colossal army? From a practical standpoint, we estimate their number ranges approximately between two hundred and fifty and three hundred people.
Varkas let out a sarcastic laugh; that number exceeded that of a simple band of bandits and could well be called a ‘company’.
Although that figure was laughable compared to the forces possessed by the Duke’s territory, the problem lay in the fact that the people of ‘Zram’ had managed to organize an army right in the heart of the east.
“It is likely that organizations like this are spread across every corner of this land.”
Varkas held back a heavy sigh and dictated his orders with a firm tone:
—Contact the lords of the regions. We will ambush them when they gather and wipe them all out in a single blow.
—Do you intend to lead the campaign in person, my lord?
—Yes. The weeds that have sprouted in my backyard must be pulled out with my own hands —Varkas replied coldly and then stood up slowly.
As he was about to leave the office, Bayrof asked cautiously:
—What do you plan to do regarding the pagans?
—For the time being, put them under surveillance. —Varkas turned while holding the doorknob and replied—: If we arrest them all now, the news might reach the ears of the looters. We will wait for the right moment and then detain them by surprise.
—… Their number is very high. That could face strong opposition from the residents.
—And are we supposed to stand idly by watching how the pagans sow chaos? —Varkas retorted sharply, and continued—: If we leave the apostates alone, the Central Ecclesiastical Council will send the ‘heretic hunters’. And it is better for them to be judged before the church of the east than to be torn apart at the hands of those men.
Bayrof found nothing to reply, so he kept silent. Varkas averted his gaze from his face, which looked gloomy, and left the military camp.
Light raindrops fell on the training yard. Varkas walked in the rain while sorting through his chaotic thoughts.
Since their annexation to the Empire, the inhabitants of the east had been officially baptized and lived as faithful followers of the imperial religion.
As for those who rejected it and insisted on remaining as followers of the ‘religion of the Great Spirit’, they were expelled to the border regions to live as the ‘people of the wastelands’.
And he felt that the expansion of the latter’s influence once again through the east was a danger sign indicating the existence of cracks in the Empire’s governance system.
“After the north… the east is also plunged into chaos.”
He threw his wet hair back violently. He was overcome by a sense of uncertainty, as if he were putting his greatest effort into protecting a sandcastle against raging waves.
He raised his dark-sunken eyes toward the gray sky and then crossed the training yard slowly.
He passed through the garden, which gave off the scent of wet earth, and entered the main castle, where a servant lighting candles in the foyer ran toward him carrying a towel. Varkas took it, dried his hair briefly, and then asked:
—Where is the Grand Duchess?
—Her Highness has not yet returned.
Varkas stopped and turned toward the servant:
—Do you mean she went out?
—I do not believe she has left the castle. She said during the day that she would go to the healer’s cabin, so perhaps she is there…
He furrowed his brow.
He had heard that she visited the healer’s dwelling often, but since his return, he had not seen her absent from the main palace for such a long period.
—Where exactly is the healer’s dwelling located?
—At the end of the north back garden of Raidego Castle.
Varkas crossed the foyer immediately and went out through the back door.
He walked across the wide esplanade under the rain and then walked along the forest path, covered by dense gray shadows, until he reached the spring where he had met her previously.
He contemplated for a moment the silvery surface of water upon which the raindrops fell and then walked along the rugged mud path toward the castle wall.
Shortly after, a carefully cultivated herb garden and a small stone building appeared. Varkas approached and knocked on the door firmly, to which a calm voice arrived from within:
—Come in.
He turned the doorknob immediately. The healer, who was preparing a medicine next to the table, was startled, standing up in a panic:
—G… Grand Duke, sir, what brings you here…
—I heard my wife is here.
Varkas swept his gaze around the room.
The place was spacious and tidy; it had a workbench, shelves packed with hundreds of medicine jars, and racks for drying bundles of herbs.
Varkas’s gaze stopped at the modest bed; Talia was lying on one side wearing a thin, blue summer outfit, deep in a profound sleep.
He contemplated her defenseless appearance for a moment and then shifted his gaze to a book lying next to her head.
It was a luxurious book bound in leather, and it had the title ‘The Punishment’ engraved in golden letters.
Varkas furrowed his brow as he flipped through the pages of the book; it was the memoirs of the hero ‘Elixir’, who was active at the time of the Empire’s founding, and who recorded what he saw after his return from hell.
“… Her taste in reading never changes.”
Even since she was little, she read nothing but books with dark themes, and it seemed that bad taste still accompanied her.
Varkas read a few lines describing the deplorable state of sinners in purgatory and then threw the book without hesitation into the fireplace.
The healer let out a muffled gasp upon seeing the valuable antique book being devoured by the flames.
Varkas immediately cast a warning glance at her, so the woman, whose face radiated bewilderment, quickly closed her mouth.
He turned to examine his wife’s features; she slept so deeply that she did not even move, breathing serenely.
—Did she take a sleeping pill?
—She said her leg hurt in a special way when it rained, so she took a somewhat strong painkiller —the healer replied in a whisper.
Varkas contemplated her face for a long time, then leaned down carefully and took her relaxed body into his arms.
—Where is the wolf?
—K… Kan… —Confusion appeared on the woman’s face for an instant, she moistened her dry lips and added with a calmer tone—: Her Highness placed him temporarily in the designated reserve in the annex palace.
—In the reserve? —Varkas arched an eyebrow in surprise.
During all the past days, that wolf had not left her side for even a moment. And Talia also paid exaggerated attention to that beast, so this sudden measure was baffling.
—Why did she make that decision all of a sudden?
—I… advised her that Kan’s excessive sense of protection toward Her Highness had exceeded limits lately. —The healer continued, lowering her gaze—: And above all, I told her that given that Your Excellency had returned, Kan must gradually learn to stay away from Her Highness… and it seems she decided to separate him from her, even if only during the night hours.
At that moment, a strange tension formed around Varkas’s mouth.
Chapter 188
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