With great effort, he forced his unwilling feet to carry him away.
Before entering the meeting room, he stopped by the kitchen and instructed them to prepare the foods she had requested.
Fresh fruit would have to be ordered from merchants in the southern regions, but candied violets and citron, both suitable for long-term storage, would not be difficult to obtain.
He also considered what other foods she might enjoy.
Ideally, he wanted her to eat something nutritious like meat and vegetables, but for now, he was satisfied simply because she had finally shown an interest in eating.
After ordering the steward to summon a trading merchant as quickly as possible, he briskly left the main castle.
As he entered the building used by the mounted warriors, a practical interior devoid of even the most common decorative cabinet spread before him.
These days, most of the mounted warriors were stationed along the borders of the territory, exterminating monsters and raiders, leaving the building eerily quiet.
He walked past a hall lined with every imaginable weapon before climbing the stairs.
Inside the meeting room, three powerfully built warriors were already waiting.
After offering them brief formal greetings, Varkas immediately got to the point.
At present, there was little they could do besides strengthen the defenses along the northern frontier and secretly stockpile weapons and provisions.
While writing encrypted orders, he gave each knight several additional instructions.
Most of them concerned maintaining absolute secrecy.
“Shouldn't we also begin gathering additional troops?”
One of the younger knights, who had listened silently until now, cautiously voiced his opinion.
Varkas rubbed his chin for a moment before slowly nodding.
“It would be best to prepare without attracting attention. Send secret messengers to the lords throughout the region and instruct them to quietly ready their forces.”
Suddenly, a premonition stabbed at the back of his mind that even that might not be enough.
“And gather our most capable scouts. We should conduct a thorough survey of the Valto frontier.”
“...Do you truly believe Valto will launch a war for independence?”
“If that lot ever gets the opportunity, they'll bare their fangs without hesitation.”
Studying the map spread across the table, Varkas continued,
“Our best outcome is to prevent a war before it begins, but there's nothing wrong with preparing for the worst.”
Picking up his quill, he quickly marked the reconnaissance areas before moving on to the next topic.
If he wanted to determine how far House Heimdal's influence had spread, he would have to mobilize every branch of his family's intelligence network.
After that, they would have to carefully eliminate the family's hands and feet one by one.
You couldn't burn down an entire house simply because it was infested with rats.
As troublesome as it might be, they would have no choice but to lay poison and set traps until the vermin were gradually exterminated.
“It would be wise to buy off the guildmaster of the Silver Alliance in advance. Arrange a meeting with him soon.”
“That won't be easy. The current guildmaster is said to come from a noble family in Valto.”
“Even so, he's still a merchant. Anyone capable of becoming the head of a merchant alliance with such tremendous influence across the northeastern region must possess the instincts of a businessman down to his very bones.”
Leaning back against his chair, Varkas spoke with absolute certainty.
“If he's enough of a fool to reject my proposal, then we'll simply replace him with an easterner. I noticed several suitable candidates during our tour of the East. Contact them as well.”
The advisers briefly showed expressions of surprise at his uncompromising words before quickly regaining their composure.
The man who had raised the question nodded solemnly.
“I understand exactly what you mean.”
After issuing several more orders, Varkas rose from his seat.
It was still too early to reach any definite conclusions, but House Heimdal likely had no intention of starting a war immediately.
They, too, would probably want ample time to prepare.
By this winter, the general direction of events would likely become clear.
Pressing firmly against his burning eyelids, he left the meeting room.
By the time he had finished several official duties and returned to the main castle, the sun had already begun sinking beyond the fortress walls.
As always, it had been a day without a single moment to catch his breath.
Yet today had felt especially, unbearably long.
Stepping into the Great Hall, Varkas headed straight for the kitchen.
He collected the drink that had been prepared in advance along with several snacks for her before turning to leave.
At that moment, a familiar voice called from behind him.
“Your Grace.”
Turning around, Varkas narrowed his eyes at the neatly composed face that could not conceal its tension.
The family's healing mage looked up at him with worried eyes.
“There is something urgent I need to discuss with you.”