The Forgotten Field - Chapter 200

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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 200
My younger sister’s face drained of color in an instant, her venomous words cutting short.
Only when I saw that terrified expression did I realize I was gripping her by the throat.
Cold sweat beaded across her sun-darkened skin beneath my fingers. I pressed my thumb lightly against her rapidly fluttering pulse and spoke in a low murmur.
“It seems your ability to read a situation has deteriorated considerably.”
Though I hadn’t even applied significant pressure, her face had already turned ashen—a reaction befitting a sheltered noblewoman who had never experienced physical intimidation in her entire life.
I twisted my lips into a cold sneer and continued in a flat tone.
“You’ve seen with your own eyes what lengths your brother has gone to because of that woman you condemn, yet you still conduct yourself with such foolish arrogance.”
“Brother… please…”
“There are limits to how much leniency I can extend, even if Father indulges your every whim.”
Tears began to well up in her reddish-brown eyes, which had widened with shock.
I looked down at her with an expression devoid of any sympathy and added quietly.
“If you dare speak carelessly about my wife even once more, you will pay the price. You would do well to conduct yourself properly while I still treat you as family.”
Raina swallowed hard, her throat rigid as stone. Goosebumps visibly rippled across her neck.
I released my grip and turned toward the Servants and Inner Castle guards gathered near the Back Gate, my voice turning glacial.
“Confine the Grand Duchess to quarters. Take her to the Separate Building at once.”
The Soldiers immediately surrounded Raina.
I watched the scene unfold with cold eyes, then turned sharply to leave. Just as I was about to take my first step, a resentful voice pierced the air behind me.
“Why do you take her side so completely?”
I turned back to see my sister’s face flushed red with tears, her voice trembling with sorrow.
She could no longer contain herself and raised her voice sharply.
“That woman nearly killed you! Everyone said you wouldn’t wake up! You suffered a terrible betrayal!”
Her shrill voice echoed across the open courtyard.
I flexed my fingers, which trembled slightly, and studied my sister’s face in silence. Recognizing the chilling fury in my gaze, Raina faltered and took a step backward.
I exhaled a weary sigh.
“You simply refuse to understand.”
I muttered the words as if spitting them out, then gestured to the Soldiers with my chin.
“Take her away now. Not a single step outside her Chamber until I permit it.”
The Soldiers hastily restrained Raina as she tried to protest, seemingly intent on preventing the Grand Duchess from receiving further punishment. Yet the girl, oblivious to their intentions, continued to shriek relentlessly.
I crossed the courtyard, leaving all the commotion behind.
As I emerged from the Garden, I saw my Attendants waiting near the entrance to the Inner Castle walls. Only then did I remember that I had committed to attending the Calmor Council Assembly.
I glanced up to gauge the sun’s position, then issued a curt command.
“Cancel all afternoon appointments. Send a messenger to the Meeting Hall.”
“Is your health not satisfactory, sir?”
The Squad Captain, well aware that I was pushing myself through a schedule despite my incomplete recovery, regarded me with concern.
I shook my head dismissively.
“The Grand Duchess’s Wolf Beast has gone missing. It may have escaped the Castle. Send the Soldiers to search.”
The man’s eyes widened in alarm, but he quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and rushed toward his subordinates.
While the Squad Captain relayed my orders, I moved along the outer walls.
If the beast had truly slipped past the guards and escaped the Castle, it meant a Secret Passage of some kind lay hidden somewhere within the Inner Castle. Perhaps she too had used such a passage to come and go from the Castle.
Barcas clenched his fists tightly as his thoughts reached that point.
If a hidden passage truly emerged, the heresy charges against the Grand Duchess would only deepen. The testimony that she had been witnessed attending the Heretic Gathering would gain even more weight.
He felt the sensation of a branding iron searing his brain intensifying by the moment, and he pressed his forehead with one hand.
Suddenly, a question arose—why was he exerting himself so desperately?
That woman cares about nothing.
Not about him.
Not about herself.
Nothing matters to her except that Wolf Beast.
Barcas let out a hollow laugh.
He found himself thinking it might be better if that wolf simply vanished forever.
Wouldn’t that be one less headache for him? Was there any real need to hunt down that creature and deliver it?
Barcas, gazing up at the overcast sky with weary eyes, soon gathered his scattered resolve.
Regardless of her plea, he could not simply abandon that beast.
If Khan caused even the slightest trouble, all blame would fall upon the Grand Duchess. And the aftermath would inevitably circle back to his own shoulders.
With a self-deprecating smile, Barcas resumed his interrupted steps. He intended to venture beyond the Castle and search through the Armund Forest. If that creature had a place to hide, it could only be there.
He passed through the Inner Castle and made his way toward the North Gate. Then he sensed a peculiar presence nearby.
Barcas instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt and turned his head to survey his surroundings.
A massive shadow darted like an arrow through the small Garden near the Castle Chapel.
He immediately gave chase. Pushing through the densely overgrown shrubs, a small clearing in the Chapel Courtyard came into view.
As Barcas strode across it, he suddenly stopped. At the far end of the well-maintained yard stood a small stone marker.
As he approached it, he noticed a heap of withered flowers piled around the marker and furrowed his brow.
No inscription was carved upon the stone. Yet it appeared meticulously maintained, its surface smooth and polished.
As he bent down to gently touch it, a rustling sound came from nearby.
Barcas turned his head sharply and spotted a gray wolf standing amid the dense undergrowth, his expression hardening.
From wherever it had come, the wolf was thoroughly drenched. Its ash-gray fur, heavy with moisture and drooping, appeared almost black, and clumps of mud clung to its paws.
He carefully rose to his feet.
The wolf stared at him without the slightest movement. Sensing strong killing intent in those eyes, Barcas took a step back and called out the wolf’s name.
“Khan.”
The wolf’s ears perked up, then it slowly lowered its head.
He continued speaking in a soothing tone, observing the wolf carefully.
“Your master is looking for you. It’s time for you to return to her side.”
The wolf, which had been watching him intently, turned its head toward the marker.
Barcas narrowed his eyes as he witnessed a shadow of sorrow flicker across the beast’s blue gaze. Beyond mere high intelligence, the creature seemed to experience emotions like joy and sorrow as a human would, and for a moment, a powerful question seized him.
Could this truly be a Dire Wolf?
Since there were few examples of monsters being domesticated like livestock, he had no way of knowing whether this creature’s behavior was typical.
Barcas, his eyes clouded with doubt, cautiously extended one hand as a test.

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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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