The Forgotten Field - Chapter 171

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 171
Thanks to their hurried pace, they arrived at the Norden Plain far sooner than anticipated.
Barcas, having emerged from the Argand Forest with its millions of birch trees, led three hundred mounted warriors across the expansive field.
After riding for some time, a colossal city encircled by sand-colored walls materialized beyond the horizon, surrounded by clusters of smaller villages.
Barcas urged his horse forward without hesitation, passing through dirt roads lined with scattered vegetable patches and wooden structures, his gaze sweeping methodically across the landscape.
The villagers, occupied with pulling weeds or thinning early spring crops from their gardens, instantly removed their hats in deference. A handful of children gathered along the roadside gazed up at the Knights mounted upon their massive steeds with admiring eyes. It presented an outwardly peaceful scene.
Examining the villagers’ faces with narrowed eyes, Barcas promptly directed his horse toward the Castle Gate. The Guard Unit stationed upon the watchtower responded by blowing a long whistle, announcing the Grand Duke’s return throughout the city.
“Welcome home!”
The moment Barcas passed through the Castle Gate and entered the city, a resonant voice thundered from above.
Raising his gaze, Barcas spotted a powerfully built young man bounding down the staircase connected to the Castle Walls with long strides, and his brow furrowed slightly.
A man with movements as lithe as a leopard approached him, his amber eyes gleaming brightly as he flashed a cheerful smile.
“I heard word that the war appears to be drawing to a close. You must have endured much hardship, brother.”
Barcas regarded him with a measured gaze tinged with curiosity.
The last time he had visited Laedgo Castle, Lucas had been deployed to the northeastern territories, so it had been nearly a year since they had seen each other face to face.
Barcas leaped down from Torque’s back and lightly patted his younger brother’s shoulder, whose height had grown nearly equal to his own.
“I hardly recognize you.”
“I’ve been exposed to the blazing sun all day, so my skin has darkened considerably.”
Lucas laughed and spoke in jest.
“It seems you’ve been avoiding sunlight, brother. You’re as pale as the northerners.”
Barcas dismissed his brother’s banter, pulling the reins to move aside toward the roadside, allowing the Knights lined up behind him to enter the city.
As the Knights filed in in formation, he surveyed the checkpoint.
“Has there been any significant trouble during my absence?”
“Nothing beyond what was written in the last dispatch you received.”
The young man shrugged his shoulders, speaking as though it were of little consequence. Yet a peculiar tension lingered beneath his cheerful expression. He exhaled a troubled sigh before continuing.
“However, I suspect something troublesome may arise soon. The creature that the Duchess keeps….”
Lucas, speaking with evident displeasure, caught himself and quickly corrected his form of address.
“The creature that the Duchess keeps is causing the entire city to be in an uproar.”
“The dispatch mentioned that my wife is suspected of heresy because of that beast.”
Barcas murmured in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Lucas glanced at him sideways, exhaled a deep sigh, and scratched the back of his neck.
“My retainers exaggerated somewhat. To be precise, she is being accused of inciting heresy.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Only a small minority actually suspect the Duchess of being genuinely devoted to heretical ideology. It’s simply that a few ignorant people have been spreading strange rumors because of that beast.”
Lucas spoke in her defense.
Gripping the reins, Barcas walked slowly along the main road, his eyes narrowing as he regarded his brother.
“What exactly are they saying about my wife?”
“Well….”
Lucas paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts, before launching into rapid speech.
“The Duchess is naturally someone who draws attention, is she not? But when she walks about with a wolf beast the size of an ox…. The sight is so striking that some residents have begun connecting it to the legends of Tiramere.”
Barcas, who had assumed the accusations stemmed merely from keeping a beast, came to an abrupt halt.
“Are you suggesting my wife is some sort of spirit of the earth?”
“Only a tiny fraction of people actually believe that, I suspect.”
Lucas spoke with uncertain hesitation.
“However… it is undeniable that the Duchess Sierkan is actively encouraging the indigenous beliefs of the Eastern Territories. At least, that is what they believe at the Grand Cathedral.”
Barcas gazed toward the towering spire of the Grand Cathedral rising prominently on the western side of the city, his eyes cold as ice.
Lucas, observing him from the corner of his eye, continued his explanation in a measured tone.
“The conflict intensified last spring, after the Duchess Sierkan appeared at a festival held outside the Castle Walls. The villagers who witnessed the Grand Duchess emerge alongside the Wolf Beast caused such an uproar, as though some incarnation of Tilamir herself had descended. After that, the entire city buzzed with tales of the young, beautiful Grand Duchess and her massive beast. And that…”
“Unnecessarily provoked the priests, it seems.”
Barcas replied tersely.
Lucas nodded in agreement.
“Not just the priests—the majority of devout Imperial Church followers in Kalmor believe the Duchess Sierkan is deceiving ignorant farmers. Moreover, recently a corpse was discovered north of Laedgo Castle, bearing marks of being torn apart by a beast. Rumors have begun spreading that it was the work of the creature under the Grand Duchess’s command. All in all, public sentiment has reached its worst.”
Barcas, who had been listening in silence, let out a thin, derisive laugh.
“How many have fallen victim to wild beasts after carelessly wandering beyond the Castle Walls? What grounds do they have for spreading such rumors?”
“It is not entirely baseless gossip. The deceased…”
Lucas suddenly stopped mid-sentence and glanced around.
The main street was crowded with citizens gathered to catch a glimpse of the Grand Duke returning after half a year, along with his Knights. Despite the commotion and the distance people maintained, Lucas lowered his voice considerably.
“The body discovered belonged to someone who served the Duchess Sierkan. You see… the Healer whom the Duchess brought from the Imperial Family.”
Barcas’s expression hardened. He immediately recalled the composed, middle-aged Healer who had always attended to his wife’s side.
Lucas continued gravely.
“The Healer was found with her throat torn out by a beast. Because of this, everyone suspects the Duchess Sierkan’s Wolf Beast. However, the Duchess Sierkan’s fierce defense has prevented any proper investigation.”
“Did anyone actually witness what happened to the Healer?”
Lucas shook his head.
“It appears she slipped out of the Castle alone at dawn and met with misfortune. Everyone claims no one saw her that day.”
He fell silent, his gaze fixed upon Laedgo Castle standing tall at the northern edge of the city. From Lucas’s account alone, every circumstance seemed to turn against his wife.
Barcas pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, then grasped the reins and proceeded along the crowded road.
“First, let us return to the Castle. I must see this creature myself.”
Lucas and the Knights followed silently in his wake.
Barcas swiftly cut through the bustling district, leading his horse across a vast Plaza. After traversing the gentle slope and Staircase leading northward, the moat surrounding Laedgo Castle came into view. He crossed the drawbridge directly and passed through the enormous arched entrance.
“Welcome, Grand Duke!”
As he entered the Inner Courtyard connected to the Training Grounds, hundreds of retainers came rushing out.
Barcas paid them no attention, striding purposefully toward the Main Palace. At last, the colossal fortress, gleaming with sandy radiance, loomed before him.
“You must have had a long journey, Your Grace. You have arrived earlier than expected.”
Just as he was about to hand Torque’s reins to the Elderly Attendant and step toward the Hall entrance, the white-haired Steward came rushing out, leading the Servants.
Barcas dispensed with formalities entirely and proceeded directly to his inquiry.
“Where is the Grand Duchess?”
The Steward swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he answered.
“Your Grace… the Grand Duchess departed for the Spring around midday.”
Barcas, who had been about to enter the Hall, paused and looked down at him.
“The Spring?”
“Since the Wolf Beast Your Grace’s wife keeps is sensitive to heat… she has been visiting the Spring daily since summer began. She should return within an hour.”
Barcas turned his gaze toward the promenade that extended behind the building.
“How many attendants did she take with her?”
“Well… the Grand Duchess despises having Handmaidens follow her around so much…”
“How many?”
“Only the Guards your brother assigned to her would have followed discreetly.”
In place of the stammering Steward, Lucas, who had followed behind him, answered.
Barcas’s eyes narrowed. That meant she was managing the beast—grown as large as an ox—entirely alone.
Running his fingers roughly through his hair, Barcas immediately turned his steps toward the Garden.
“There’s no need for you to follow.”
He firmly stopped Lucas, who was about to follow as if it were only natural, and strode past the promenade with long steps.
After passing through a small garden arranged behind the Castle, a dense thicket and small forest came into view. Upon spotting the Guards standing with their backs against the trees, Barcas’s eyes flashed with sharp intensity.
He had given them strict orders never to take their eyes off her. Yet there they stood, turned away from their charge and maintaining distance—a far cry from his instructions.
He ground his teeth and approached them.
In that instant, clear laughter mingled with the breeze.
Barcas, who had frozen rigid as though paralyzed, slowly turned his head.
Through the dense foliage, the intense sunlight of early summer poured down brilliantly. Within those radiant fragments of light, she was laughing.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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