The dissatisfied look she gave him sent a pounding heat rushing into his head.
He barely managed to cling to his reason.
"...The sun is already high in the sky. I have a mountain of work waiting for me. I need to get up."
Brushing the strands of hair clinging to her face behind her ear, he placed a gentle kiss upon her smooth white forehead.
She looked at him thoughtfully before asking in a slightly husky voice,
"When will your work be finished today?"
"...Around sunset."
"Then come back to this room tonight. I'll be waiting..."
Whispering seductively, Talia traced the prominent veins across the back of his hand with her fingertips.
The blatant temptation made his lower abdomen tighten painfully.
His Adam's apple bobbed as though swallowing the heat rising within him.
Sweat trickled down his back as he fought the urge to pin her to the bed right then and there.
Masking it with a composed expression, he laid his hand gently over hers.
"...Very well."
He lifted her hand and kissed it before rising to his feet.
If he had followed his heart, he would have escorted her back to the bedroom on the second floor.
But if he touched her body again, he feared the last thread of his restraint would snap.
He rang the bell to summon a maid to help her get dressed, then threw a coat loosely over his bare torso before leaving the room.
As he stepped outside, he abruptly stopped.
A gigantic beast stood beside the doorway.
The dire wolf sat like a silent sentinel outside his bedroom, calmly watching him with grayish-blue eyes.
Contrary to his expectations that it might resent him for secretly stealing away its mistress, the wolf remained perfectly quiet.
As it silently looked up at him, it almost seemed to pity his predicament.
Uneasily meeting those gray-blue eyes, so unnervingly human in their emotions, Varkas eventually turned and walked down the corridor.
Having finished preparing himself in no time, he headed toward the council chamber to deal with the official business he had neglected that morning.
The moment he entered the outer fortress built for military purposes, every knight seated around the long rectangular table rose simultaneously and saluted.
Returning their greeting with a slight nod, Varkas took the seat at the head of the table and picked up the stack of reports before him.
Most concerned territorial disputes between local lords or the damage caused by raids from the Zram.
While everyone's attention had been fixed on the war in the north, the barbarians had steadily expanded their strength.
The eastern mounted warriors had continued tracking every trace of the enemy, yet even now they had failed to locate the raiders' main base.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Varkas set the report down and turned to Lucas beside him.
"The High Priest suspects that some of the residents are cooperating with the Zram. What do you think?"
"I'd like to dismiss it as nonsense..." Lucas answered, roughly brushing back his thick dark-brown hair. "...but considering the raiders' recent movements, it's difficult to shake the suspicion that they have inside help."
He continued,
"The raiders knew our soldiers' shift rotations perfectly. Not only that, they plundered our armories and food warehouses before disappearing without a trace. That would have been impossible unless someone inside the territory was helping conceal them."
"Has a search been conducted?"
"We've carried out multiple inspections and searches, but... we've found no meaningful leads."
Tapping his fingertips lightly against the table, Varkas skimmed another report detailing the damage inflicted by the Zram before clicking his tongue.
"Investigate every suspicious individual. Anyone capable of hiding more than a dozen barbarians must possess considerable wealth. Instruct the investigators to focus on influential citizens whose families have lived in the East for generations. Dig into everything."
After issuing the order in his usual flat tone, Varkas turned his gaze toward Beyrof, who stood waiting at his right.
"Have the men we sent beyond the walls returned yet?"
"No, my lord. It appears they're still investigating."
Varkas nodded and moved on to the next agenda item.
It concerned recruiting additional trainees.
He quickly reviewed the proposed budget and pressed his seal onto the document.
Once all the major matters had been settled, Varkas briefly relayed the information brought the previous night by the Guildmaster of the Silver Alliance.
The knights did not take the northerner's warning particularly seriously.
That was understandable.
At this point, the chances of the tide of war suddenly reversing were exceedingly slim.
However, the report that the leader of the rebellion might have escaped from Amasek was something they could not afford to dismiss lightly.