Chapter 170
“So what of it?”
When he asked back in a cold tone, Gareth, who had been panting with an enraged face, flinched and took one step back.
Varkas looked at him with a sickened gaze and added mercilessly,
“I am fulfilling my duty as a loyal subject of the Empire. Wherever my heart may be, it is not something Your Highness should concern yourself with.”
His sun-browned face darkened.
The man glared at him with eyes filled with betrayal and said through clenched teeth,
“You swore to our mother. You swore to protect me and Ayla...”
“Is that not why I am here now?”
Varkas cut him off rather irritably.
“If I had not stopped it, Her Highness the First Princess would now be a hostage of Duke Heimdal. If I had not grasped the north’s movements in advance and blocked their funding routes, it would not have been possible to isolate the rebel army so smoothly as we have now. And now, I am trying to end the war quickly to prevent misfortune from befalling Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Varkas paused briefly and stared fixedly at the face of his second cousin, which had reddened from humiliation.
“What more must I do for Your Highness to be satisfied?”
“Hah! You talk as if you are so great, but in the end, you abandoned Ayla and chose that illegitimate wench. Even now, you care more about that wench than supporting me! So how can I trust your loyalty...!”
“Your Highness.”
At the low voice he released, Gareth, who had been raging wildly, closed his mouth.
He approached the Crown Prince, gripped one of the broad shoulders wrapped in armor with one hand, and pressed down hard.
“We made a deal. Did we not? Your Highness also ultimately agreed to my marriage.”
Tendons stood out on the Crown Prince’s neck and cheeks.
As the man twisted his body as if trying to escape his grasp, Varkas pressed down even harder and recited coldly into his ear.
“Then why do you keep biting and refusing to let go?”
For an instant, the Crown Prince’s face turned ashen.
It was the expression of someone whose neck had been bitten by a hunting dog he had raised.
Varkas let out a long breath and loosened his fingers.
“My words that ending the war at this point is the path for the Empire are sincere. So please exclude your emotions and judge the situation coldly.”
He lightly patted the man’s shoulder and left the tent, where the rich smell of soil struck his nose.
Varkas looked up for a moment at the blackened sky, then slowly crossed the barracks under the rain that had begun to subside little by little.
Between the evenly erected military tents, the rough and desolate scenery of Kairas Valley appeared faintly.
After establishing a camp at Beldis, which connected the East and the north, he had moved part of the elite unit northwest in preparation for later developments.
The new garrison was a strategic location from which they could immediately advance into Amasek, the center of Balto, in an emergency, and also a place from which they could reach Dolakan Castle, where the meeting was likely to be held, in four days.
He intended to remain stationed here, then either march north to Amasek or move to Dolakan Castle according to the Emperor’s decision.
Fortunately, the meeting had been decided, so at daybreak, he planned to go down south and watch the signing of the peace treaty.
The Emperor would send a separate proxy, so there was no need for him to keep his seat there personally, but it would be better to prepare nearby for any unexpected variables.
He swept back his hair, soaked thoroughly by the drizzle, and looked at the narrow gorge where rain mist wavered.
If the peace agreement was concluded smoothly, the Heimdal family would be expelled by the hands of their own people, and the rebellion would be completely suppressed.
Then he, too, would be able to return home soon.
She will not welcome me, though...
Varkas let out a bitter sigh and sat on the crude fence, then took out the canteen tied to his belt and wet his mouth.
Just then, a black shadow approached through the rain, leading a horse.
Recognizing his face, Varkas narrowed his eyes.
Tyrone El Drakan, who had been stationed at Beldis, was crossing the barracks, splashing muddy water.
“Your Grace.”
The man stopped before him and paid his respects politely.
Varkas frowned as he looked over the man’s appearance, which suggested he had rushed over.
“What is it?”
“A message came from Kalmor. I thought I had to deliver it to Your Grace as quickly as possible, so I came running, but...”
The man slipped one hand into his clothes, trailed off, and looked around.
Following his gaze, Varkas saw the Crown Prince’s guard lined up on the outskirts of the military camp and let out a low sigh.
“He merely came to complain after learning that I proposed peace talks to His Majesty. Do not mind it and report.”
“Ah, so it ended up that way after all.”
The man brightened, apparently just as sick of the conflict as anyone else.
Instead of telling the lancer that even if the peace agreement was concluded, they would have to remain at the border for the time being to pressure the north, Varkas held out one hand toward him.
The man looked puzzled for an instant, then soon recalled his purpose in coming here and took a letter from inside his clothes.
“Your Grace has left the castle empty for quite a long time this time, have you not? It seems several problems have arisen during that time.”
Varkas accepted the crumpled bundle of parchment and rose, moving beneath a nearby tent.
The warriors warming themselves around a fire nearby hurriedly gave up their places.
He sat at a table where cards, dice, and cups were placed and unfolded the letter.
The ink was slightly blurred as if rainwater had soaked into it, but there was no major difficulty reading it.
Most of the words written in the letter were reports about various legal disputes that had arisen in Kalmor and unresolved raiding problems caused by the wild tribes.
Varkas read through it with dry eyes, then distorted his eyes when he reached the end of the letter.
The lancer, carefully watching his reaction, cautiously added,
“It seems quite a large commotion occurred in the territory because of the magical beast Her Highness the Grand Duchess is raising. It seems they want Your Grace to return and mediate as soon as possible.”
Varkas slid his gaze down to the very end of the report, then crumpled the parchment.
A sensation like fire spreading from his temple to his eyelids rose.
As if wiping it away, he covered his forehead with his fingertips, when the sound of a trumpet came from afar.
Varkas turned his head and narrowed his eyes when he saw Gareth crossing the barracks with angry steps.
The Crown Prince, whose anger did not seem to have subsided, cast a fiery gaze toward him and approached his guard.
Then he quickly mounted his golden horse and led the knights north.
Since he should have received orders to make camp at Amasek until the results of the peace talks came out, he would not storm into the meeting place and overturn the whole board.
Varkas tapped his temple with his fingertips and soon rose.
“Call Beirof. We will dismantle the camp immediately and move toward the East.”
“Immediately?”
The knight looked flustered.
Varkas stepped toward his tent and explained in a calm tone.
“The meeting will take place in Balto’s southern region. There is no need for us to keep camp in this area.”
“In that case, what do you intend to do with the cavalry unit stationed at Beldis?”
“I will leave command to Daren and you for the time being.”
Varkas crossed the military camp in an instant and replied as he lifted the flap covering the entrance of his tent.
The lancer who had followed him immediately darkened.
It seemed he, too, had hoped to return to Kalmor with him.
Varkas lightly patted the shoulder of the subordinate who had been forced to stay away from his hometown for quite a long time.
“The civil war will end soon. Endure only until then.”
“Does Your Grace intend to continue staying in Kalmor?”
At the unexpected question, Varkas frowned.
Certainly, if this meeting was concluded smoothly, there would be no need for him to go on campaign again.
The fact that the lord of the East had wandered the battlefield for two years was itself an unprecedented move.
He could not leave the management of the territory only in the hands of his vassals forever.
Although it was somewhat early, it might not be bad to end the stationed life on this occasion.
The problem was how she would accept his return.
“Well...”
Varkas looked at the wavering candlelight with thoughtful eyes, then picked up his armor and said,
“I think I will only know what I should do from now on... once I go.”
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