Thanks to their great haste on the road, they were able to reach the Norden Plains sooner than expected.
Barcas, having escaped from the Argand Forest, which consisted of millions of birch trees, led three hundred mounted warriors across a wide plain.
How far did they travel on horseback? Beyond the horizon, a huge city surrounded by a sunlit wall and hearts large and small formed around it appeared.
Barcas rode his horse there in one breath and looked around carefully as he passed the dirt road lined with scattered gardens and wooden buildings.
Residents, weeding their gardens or showing off their early spring crops, took off their hats in unison to pay their respects. A few children gathered along the roadside and gazed with admiration at the knights perched atop their massive warhorses. At first glance, they seemed peaceful.
Barcas, who had been studying the faces of the residents with narrowed eyes, rode his horse straight to the city gate. Then, the guards atop the lookout tower blew their whistles, announcing the Grand Duke's return to the entire city.
"Welcome back!"
The moment he passed through the gate and entered the city, a loud voice echoed from above.
Barcas raised his head and frowned as he spotted a muscular young man striding down the stairs leading to the castle wall.
The man who approached him with the agility of a leopard had bright, amber eyes and a cheerful smile.
"I heard that the war seems to be coming to an end. Thank you for your hard work, brother.
Barcas looked at him with a cold gaze.
The last time he visited Riedgo Castle, Lucas was on a campaign in the northeast, so it had been almost a year since they last saw each other.
Barcas jumped down from Tork's back and lightly patted his younger brother's shoulder, who was now about the same height as him.
"I guess you don't know."
"After spending all day in the dark, my skin turned black."
Lucas grinned and cooed.
"It seems you've been avoiding the sunlight. You're as white as the Northerners."
Barcas, listening to his farmland, pulled back on the reins and stepped aside to the side of the road, making room for the knights lined up behind him to enter.
He looked around the checkpoint as the knights filed in.
“Have there been any particular problems so far?”
"Except for what was written in the last telegram you received."
The young man shrugged his shoulders and spoke casually. But his cheerful face held a strange tension. He let out a distraught sigh and continued.
"But something might happen soon. My sister-in-law is raising it..."
Lucas, who was walking with a grimace, looked at him and quickly corrected his address.
Lucas, who was walking with a grimace, looked at him and quickly corrected his address.
"The whole city is in an uproar because of the beast my sister-in-law is raising."
"The telegram said that my wife was suspected of being a heretic because of that monster."
Barcas muttered in a voice completely devoid of emotion.
Lucas, who had been looking at him with a sidelong glance, sighed deeply and scratched the back of his neck.
"The vassals are exaggerating a bit. To be precise... it would be more accurate to say that she is being accused of inciting heresy."
"What's different?"
"I'm saying that very few people actually suspect that she, Sister-in-law, is steeped in heretical ideology. It's just that a few ignorant people are spouting strange things because of that monster."
Lucas said defensively.
Barcas, who was walking slowly along the road, holding the reins, looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"What are you talking about my wife?"
"That..."
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Lucas began to speak rapidly.
"She's a very eye-catching person, aren't she? But she even has a wolf the size of a bull with her, so she's so impressive. Some residents have started to associate this with the legend of Tiramer."
Barcas, who thought he was being criticized by the Imperial Cultists simply for raising monsters, stopped walking.
"Are you saying that they think my wife is an earth spirit?"
"There are probably very few people who truly believe that."
Lucas said in an uncertain tone.
"It is clear, however, that she, Sister-in-law, is promoting the indigenous religions of the East. At least, that is what the Great Temple thinks."
Barcas gazed with icy eyes at the towering island of the Great Temple to the west of the city.
Lucas, who had been observing the scene from the corner of his eye, continued explaining in a calm tone.
"The conflict intensified last spring after my sister-in-law showed up at a festival outside the castle walls. When the Grand Duchess appeared with the wolf, the people of the whole city made an uproar as if the incarnation of Tiramer had appeared. After that, the whole city was filled with the story of the young and beautiful Grand Duchess and the giant wolf..."
"I guess I provoked the priests unnecessarily."
Barcas answered dryly.
Lucas nodded.
"Not only the priests, but also the majority of the devout followers of the Imperial Church in Kalmor believe that she is deceiving the ignorant peasants. In addition, a corpse was recently found devoured by a beast in the area north of Raedgo Castle, and rumors are even spreading that it was the work of a monster led by the Grand Duchess. The public sentiment is at its worst."
As he listened to his story in silence, Barcas let out a faint sneer.
"Who among you has been attacked by wild beasts while carelessly wandering outside the castle? What is the basis for spreading such rumors?"
"It's not a completely baseless rumor. The dead..."
Lucas suddenly stopped talking and looked around.
The main street was bustling with citizens, eager to witness the return of the Great Lord and his knights after six months. Despite the commotion and the distance between them, which made it impossible for conversation to escape, Lucas kept his voice low.
"The watch discovered belonged to the person who served my sister-in-law. Why, you know, he was a healer brought by my sister-in-law from the royal family.”
Barcas's face hardened. Whenever he served his wife, the image of a calm, middle-aged magician immediately came to mind.
Lucas continued speaking seriously.
"The healer was found with her neck bitten off by a beast. That's why everyone is suspicious of my sister-in-law's wolf, but my sister-in-law kept defending him, so no proper investigation could be conducted."
"What happened to that healer? Did anyone actually witness it?"
Lucas shook his head.
"It seems she must have escaped the castle alone at dawn and met with misfortune. No one has ever seen her that day."
He remained silent, gazing blankly at the towering Raedgo Citadel at the northern end of the city. Listening to Lucas's words, it seemed as if everything was turning against his wife.
Barcas pressed his fingertips against his forehead, quickly grabbed the reins, and started walking along the busy road.
"First, let's go back to the castle. I need to see that monster myself."
Lucas and the knights followed him silently.
Barcas, having quickly left the bustling city, led his horse across the vast square. After a short distance along the gentle slopes and steps leading north, the moat surrounding Raedgo Castle came into view. He quickly crossed the drawbridge and passed through the massive arched entrance.
"Welcome, Your Excellency!"
As he entered the courtyard connected to the parade ground, hundreds of vassals rushed out.
Barcas strode briskly toward the main palace, not even sparing them a glance. Finally, the massive citadel, gleaming with sandy light, came into view.
"Thank you for your hard work on your long journey. Your Excellency, you arrived earlier than scheduled."
Just as he was about to hand over Tork's reins to his attendant and enter the small entrance, the white-haired butler rushed out, leading his servants.
Barcas skipped the formal greeting and got straight to the point.
"Where is the Grand Duchess?"
The butler swallowed hard and answered in a trembling voice.
"Her Highness went out to the spring around noon."
As he stepped into the hall of character, Barcas stopped and looked down at him.
“Spring?”
"The wolf she raises suffers from extreme heat, so since the start of summer, she has been heading to the spring every day. She will probably be back in an hour."
Barcas turned his gaze to the walkway leading behind the building.
"How many people did she take with her?"
"That's... because Her Highness the Grand Duchess really hates having maids following her around..."
“How many?”
"Only the bodyguards you gave me would have followed her secretly."
Lucas, who followed him, answered on behalf of the butler.
Barcas's eyes narrowed. That meant that the woman was alone in her efforts to take care of the aftermath of a beast as big as an ox.
Barcas, roughly scratching his hair, turned back to the patronage.
“There is no need to follow me.”
After firmly stopping Lucas, who was trying to chase after him as if it were natural, he walked along the path with wide strides.
Passing through the small garden behind the castle, a small forest of lush bushes and trees appeared. There, Barcas spotted the guards leaning against the trees, his eyes sharp.
He had strongly instructed them not to take their eyes off her even for a moment. Their backs turned, keeping their distance from the object of their escort, was a far cry from his instructions.
He approached them, gritting his teeth.
At that moment, a clear laughter mixed in the wind.
Barcas, who had been stiff as if paralyzed, slowly turned his head.
The early summer sunlight poured down intensely through the lush leaves. In that shard of brilliant light, she was smiling.
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