Chapter 236: Chapter 236

Varia boarded the carriage with Remus.

She had no other choice. Remus was holding a hostage and gripped his sword tighter as he threatened to kill the child if she didn’t obey him.

She couldn’t possibly allow the younger sibling to die in front of the older one.

“...But I have a condition too.”

As a condition for boarding the carriage, Varia demanded to bring one of the knights with her.

“How am I supposed to trust you and follow you? Who knows what kind of harm you might do?”

“You think too highly of yourself.”

Remus scoffed but granted her condition as though doing her a great favor. He thoroughly enjoyed being in a position where someone had to ask for his permission.

The knight Remus chose was Probo.

“I have to be prepared for the worst too.”

By “the worst,” he meant a potential confrontation with the knight—he wanted someone he could handle easily.

Probo immediately understood what Remus meant, and it irritated and insulted him. His pride was wounded being so brazenly underestimated by this scum.

“Gladiago is the strongest knight order.”

“No matter who you picked, there’s not a single person in Gladiago you could defeat.”

Probo looked at Varia with puppy-like eyes. Varia gave him a firm smile and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

Probo was now on the verge of tears.

“Sir Elephan, let’s go.”

Just before boarding the carriage, Varia looked back at the remaining knights.

And with that, she handed Kella over to the knights. Kella, still worried about her hostage younger brother, couldn’t take her eyes off him.

The carriage carrying the four of them set off. The coachman drove the horses with a feeling like he wanted to throw away the reins altogether.

All he could do was steer slowly and safely, praying that nothing would happen to the lady riding in the carriage.

The destination Remus gave the coachman was the imperial palace.

“The Gate leading to the North.”

In the carriage, filled with tense silence, only Remus appeared relaxed as he finally opened his mouth.

“Do you know why it’s located in the imperial palace?”

“I’ve never really thought about it.”

Varia replied indifferently. She clutched her hands tightly on her lap, pretending to be calm.

She did it to stop herself from reflexively wrapping her arms around her belly in protection.

'I can’t let him know I’m pregnant.'

If he found out, there was no telling what Remus might do.

“No, now’s the time you should.”

Remus crossed one leg over the other and leaned back as he spoke.

Opposite him sat Varia and Probo, and Remus’s boot precariously rested between them.

“Specifically, of their power.”

“...Then it doesn’t make sense.”

If they feared Voreoti’s power—if they feared the Fangs of the Beast—they should never have placed the northern Gate inside the imperial palace.

“They were afraid. That’s why they kept it close.”

Remus spun the dagger he had pointed at the young hostage like a toy.

It nicked his finger and blood dripped, but Remus, unaware of the pain, only played with it more excitedly.

“That’s what people are. The more afraid they are, the closer they keep it—foolishly thinking they can control it if it’s nearby.”

That’s how the law banning use of the northern Gate came to be.

“How stupid they are!”

Remus swiped his bloodied hand across his face and laughed with his mouth stretched wide. Blood streaked his face where his hand had passed.

'He’s completely insane.'

Not just your average madman—Remus had lost grip on reason. It was so deranged that it no longer felt real.

Probo was worried about Varia.

Even he, after years of harsh training and countless monster hunts, found this moment chilling. For Varia, an ordinary person, it must’ve been even worse.

'In the worst-case scenario...'

He considered casting a protective spell on Varia and then using a detonation spell on the carriage.

But that would unavoidably cost the lives of the hostage and the coachman. And likely his own as well.

Even so, the top priority in Probo’s mind was Varia’s safety.

Kea trembled as he apologized.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

The child kept repeating the words in a shaky, broken tone.

Kea looked to be no older than three or four. For a child that young to instinctively say sorry was unnatural.

Varia asked gently, trying not to scare him.

“My sister... my nuna...”

“It’s okay, your sister is safe.”

“I’m scared. I’m scared...!”

Varia stroked Kea’s wet cheek.

As she reached out, she locked eyes with Remus—but he didn’t stop her.

Rather, the crying was beginning to annoy him, so he turned away, looking pleased to be rid of the noise.

“Nothing will happen to you.”

“That depends on what you do.”

“If you really want to go to that damned Northern Mountains and meet the gods, then you must not lay a single finger on this child.”

“I don’t know how much you know about the Northern Mountains.”

But she told him that bringing her had been a wise choice.

“Because only a Voreoti can reach the Northern Mountains.”

“But what I’m wondering now is—does a Voreoti in name only still count?”

Remus gave her a sideways glance.

“As if you had any other choice?”

“And do you really think you could’ve gotten close to my husband or my daughter?”

There was no way Remus could have gone up against Ferio or Leonia and won.

So he’d taken a child hostage and targeted the most vulnerable: Varia.

“If anything happens to that child, I’ll order Sir Elephan to cut you down.”

Not to kill him outright—just enough to drag his bleeding body across the ground and keep him barely alive.

“And then I’ll feed your corpse to your bastard father.”

Probo stared at her, eyes wide.

He had long known that Varia was a strong-willed woman. Anyone who could call her own lord “cute” was clearly not ordinary.

But this—this went beyond mere resolve.

She looked like someone who had completely lost her sense of fear.

“Have you lost your mind?”

Even Remus seemed to think the same and looked at her oddly.

Truthfully, she was filled with regret. She was just now realizing how foolish she had been.

All for a stupid new book.

She should’ve waited until Leonia’s lessons were over and gone out with her.

She should’ve resisted the urge to step out just to get a breath of fresh air.

If only she had been a little more cold-hearted and ignored the hostage child and walked away... she wouldn’t be here.

But the greatest fear born of all those regrets wasn’t aimed at Remus.

“I’m terrified of my husband and daughter scolding me.”

Shivering, Varia trembled at the thought of the worried scolding and nagging she was bound to receive.

“I’ll probably be locked up for life now...”

“...Is your head alright, my lady?”

Probo finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

Remus silently agreed with the sentiment.

Varia let out a short, empty laugh.

The place Remus had brought her to was full of memories.

It was the doghole she’d escaped through after being unjustly suspended from the treasury.

'So that’s what it was.'

This doghole was made for Olor.

A secret exit so the imperial knight could come and go without being seen.

Varia instinctively touched the back of her neck. She now understood why, despite the budget being approved for repairing the palace walls, the hole had never been sealed. It had been left open on purpose.

“Before our family was granted the viscount title, I always came and went through here.”

Remus, the true owner of the doghole, jerked his chin at her.

“If you try anything funny, you know what happens.”

He gestured toward Kea with his sword.

Varia glared at him as though she could kill him, but had no choice. She climbed through the hole.

'I can’t let him reach the North.'

Just before exiting the tunnel, Varia wondered how she could stop Remus once and for all.

'In the worst-case scenario...'

She might have to give Probo a selfish order.

In this damn situation, she wracked her brain trying to figure out what she could do.

But unfortunately, she didn’t have much time.

Just as a wave of fatigue hit her, Varia closed her eyes tightly.

Probo followed after.

Then it was Kea’s turn—but as the child crawled through, Remus wrapped an arm around his waist and followed closely behind.

Seeing that, Probo felt nauseated. Even the monsters in the Northern Mountains weren’t this vile. The poor child didn’t even have the strength to cry out anymore.

“Are you trying to pass through the Gate?”

Probo asked, eyes fixed on Remus’s back.

“But the Northern Gate is quite far from the mountains—”

Remus’s voice cut sharply. He had grown noticeably more sensitive the moment they stepped into the palace. Probo subtly moved to shield Varia behind him.

“There’s a fifth Gate in the North.”

In every region, there were only four Gates—but the North uniquely had five. And one of them was inside the Northern Mountains.

“They say the fifth Gate connects directly to the gods.”

Finally having heard enough, Probo spoke in as calm a voice as possible.

“I don’t even know where the fifth Gate is, let alone where it leads.”

He didn’t believe it had anything to do with gods.

Probo was the only magic knight in the Gladiago Order—a knight and a mage.

Mages only believed in results that could be proven through experiments and research. They were eccentric that way.

'There’s no such thing as gods.'

Sometimes, when he saw his lord and Leonia performing feats that bordered on miracles, he’d briefly wonder if gods really did exist.

But even then, Probo remained skeptical.

“Even if gods did exist—what could they possibly do for you?”

“So just stop this now, while you still can.”

“I’ve already changed my mind.”

Remus narrowed his red eyes.

“That’s why I’m doing this.”

But ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the change of heart that came from that cracked voice was pitiful.

“I’m finished anyway.”

You’ve committed so many crimes, Probo almost said, but quickly shut his indiscreet mouth.