He crossed the deep green meadow, feeling as if he had first set foot in a strange land.
On the gentle hill, dozens of plump foals and mares were grazing.
"More than a hundred foals were born on this ranch this year alone. All of them are descendants of the famous horses of Nornex."
Darren Drew Sheerkan, who was quietly following, explained in a proud tone.
Barcas looked back at the man, who seemed a bit stubborn, and asked a question.
"What is the number of trained war horses?"
"There are three thousand animals in this ranch alone. If you add up the ranch located in the north, it will be about 6.300."
"It's less than the number reported."
At his point, a red aura rose on the man's face.
"Wasn't the Lord in the central region? It is realistically difficult to convey all the details other than regular reports."
The man added as if to make an excuse, avoiding his eyes.
"A month ago, a horse ranch in the northeast was severely damaged by an attack by the Zrams. After that, a retaliatory battle broke out, and we lost a lot of useful war horses."
Barcas wrinkled his eyebrows.
"Why didn't you report to the imperial family?"
"We can solve it on our own, so what are we going to do?"
The man shrugged his shoulders with a gloomy expression.
"Your Excellency, the Grand Duke said that the problems of the East should be resolved among the Easterners. The vassals also agreed."
"The East is also the territory of the Roem Empire."
Barcas retorted in a dry tone.
"We are also imperial citizens. Just as the East is loyal to the Imperial Family, the Imperial Family should protect the Easterners."
The man kept his mouth shut. He seemed to feel an instinctive rejection of the word protection. The warriors of the Khan people, who were highly self-conscious, considered external support a humiliation.
Instead of correcting that misconception, he turned his horse towards the village located at the bottom of the hill.
Most of the residents living outside the castle lived a poor life compared to the city residents.
As proof of this, the buildings lined up along the muddy dirt road were all old and shabby.
As he skimmed them with nonchalant eyes, something suddenly caught his eye.
Barcas narrowed his eyebrows and drove his horse toward the center of the village. Then he saw something hanging from a large tree located in the square.
As he got a little closer, he was able to recognize its identity. Three corpses that had begun to decompose purple as if they had been dead for a long time were hanging limp, with ropes wrapped around their necks.
"I think they are pagans who were executed not long ago."
Darren said, wrinkling the bridge of his nose.
Barkas turned to him and asked.
"Is pagan power spreading in Calmore?"
"As you know, there are many people in the East who cannot abandon their national faith. Some of them hold spirits like gods or are superstitious."
The man let out a heavy sigh.
"Especially recently, there has been an increase in accusations of paganism. Perhaps it was because of the frequent disputes with the Zrams. They are all people who are deeply immersed in the idea of animism. Because of the growing antipathy towards pagans, frequent inquisitions are taking place at the village level."
"In a few years, it's a mess."
A look of anger appeared on the man's face.
The man, who had a forced smile on his lips as if trying to hide it, shrugged his shrug.
"Your Excellency, the Grand Duke has been lying in a hospital bed for a long time, so it's not a big deal."
Barcas looked up at the body with a thoughtful expression on his face, then gestured at his men.
"If you leave it as it is, there is a high probability that it will become a ghoul. After unloading the body, let them go through a simple funeral procedure."
The man raised his eyebrows a lot.
"Are you a pagan?"
Barcas looked at him with cold eyes.
"Do you have to say it twice to understand?"
Darren, who had been staring at him for a moment, soon shouted at the knights lined up.
"What are you doing without obeying the command of the Lord right now?"
The men immediately got off the horse and cut the rope from which the body was hanging.
The corpse fell heavily on the dirt floor with a thud.
He stared down at the head, which was bent at a strange angle, as if his neck bone had been broken when he fell.
Maggots were infested in the dark hole where the eyeballs were pulled out, and all the teeth were pulled out from the inside of the lip cut out with a knife. All of these were measures to prepare for the ghoulization.
Bodles that did not undergo a purification ritual were likely to become undead, which led to the removal of eyeballs, teeth, and even nails by pagans.
'Do something useless....'
Ghouls could use as many tools as they wanted, according to their memories during their lifetime. To prevent danger, it was better to completely incinerate the corpse or perform a purification ritual.
He looked down as the soldiers dragged the three bodies into a corner of the clearing, then turned his head to glance at the shabby-clad peasants gathered on one side of the square.
Most of them looked frightened, but a few looked dissatisfied.
He pointed to one of them.
"You, call the priest right now."
The man who was named walked towards the chapel on one side of the village.
Soon after, the priest ran in and performed a simple purification ceremony.
Barcas, who had been quietly watching the scene, left instructions to bury the body in a suitable place and then dragged his horse out of the village.
At that time, an abandoned wooden statue at the end of a wide street caught his eye.
A statue of a three-headed dog, or rather, a wolf, was placed in a lump on the path leading to the Argand forest, half split in a sack.
It was a clear sign of a curse.
Darren, who discovered it belatedly, stiffened his face and shouted loudly to the soldiers.
"Clean it up right away!"
Barcas looked down at the statue with a calm gaze, then turned his gaze towards the village.
Judging from the fact that they had taken advantage of their visit, it was clear that it was someone's malicious act.
He let out a dry smile.
'Apparently, there are people who are not happy that I'm back.'
He had no way of knowing whether it was the work of superstitious pagans or provocations by anti-imperial forces, but he had a feeling that life here would not be easy either.
"Shall we search for the culprit?"
Darren looked at him and asked.
Barcas pulled the reins and shook his head slightly.
"Let it go. If you just take a statue and pick it up, it will be more than a mockery."
The man swallowed his sigh and nodded.
"That's right."
Even though he accepted it, he couldn't feel relieved, and his eyes were fierce as he looked back at the village. He thought that maybe he would drag his subordinates and do bad things.
All he had to watch was for a while, but the man had a particularly warlike temperament among the mounted warriors.
Barcas felt a strange feeling of fatigue coming over him and spurred his horse.
When they reached Raedgo Castle again, the sun was tilting to the west.
Barcas dismounted from his horse, handed the reins to the stable keeper, and crossed the wide compartment.
When she entered the main castle, the butler, who was in charge of the servants, ran out.
"Are you here, my Lord?"
He nodded and accepted the greeting, then walked through the cluttered hall and stepped onto the stairs.
The man hurriedly followed and said.
"Lords from various regions are coming to see you."
He frowned and looked back at the butler.
"Local lords?"
"They are vassals who have jurisdiction over the southeastern region."
The man added cautiously.
"Apparently, the owner of the small family came to stamp his eyes before the succession ceremony."
He gently rubbed his chin with his gloved hand, then went back up the stairs and spat out indifferently.
"To prepare a banquet for the guests. Let's change our clothes and go to the venue."
"That..."
Barcas looked over his shoulder.
The man, who had been hesitating for a long time, carefully opened his mouth.
"Will Her Highness Attend the Evening Banquet..."
Barcas narrowed his eyes.
The butler, who was observing him, spoke quickly as if he were a high-ranking official.
"Aren't Her Highness the one who will soon become the hostess of this place? Wouldn't it be a good idea to set up a place to greet the food officials? Everyone is curious about her. But Her Highness stays in her bedroom all day and doesn't show herself."
"Butler."
Barcas interrupted him in a low voice.
"Do you think that to relieve the curiosity of my relatives and servants, Her Highness should lead her uncomfortable body to the banquet hall?"
Blood flowed from the butler's face. Barcas added coldly.
"Her Highness had a major accident just a few months ago. She had not yet fully recovered and went on a grueling journey that lasted several weeks. She has to recuperate for the time being, so tell everyone not to be a nuisance for nothing."
As he walked towards his bedroom on the second floor, the butler stretched his tail.
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