Ch.31Devotion Offered by the Sword (6)

# The Earl of Usher

Earl Lancelot Usher was a diligent, devout man who took the lead in matters of his domain. That’s why he died at such a young age.

The only source of income for the Usher earldom was the silver mine. Though they called it a mine, the veins had dried up, making it little better than an abandoned pit. That’s why Earl Usher had gone out with other workers to explore for new veins when disaster struck.

There was a loud explosion, and the entrance collapsed.

The countess and the domain’s people rushed over with shovels and pickaxes, but the earth that had swallowed people stubbornly refused to open its mouth. In the end, people wailed as they threw down their blistered hands in defeat.

Like the others, the countess painfully moved her bandaged hands to collect her husband’s hair from pillows, clothes, and the bed as keepsakes. It wasn’t even a handful, but that was all her husband had left behind.

After the funeral, the earldom passed to Lancelot’s brother, Rodric Usher. Since Lancelot and his wife had no children, his brother inherited the title instead.

The brothers had been close, so even after his brother’s death, Rodric took excellent care of his sister-in-law. However, no matter how kind and trustworthy Rodric was, he couldn’t fashion bread from dirt.

The domain’s debt had reached an unmanageable level, and the people who had lost their families and livelihoods struggled to eat even one meal every two days.

Then the merchants descended. These were people who had plenty of money but had been looked down upon due to their low social status.

The Usher earldom was an attractive property—easy to drive down the price since the land was worthless, yet it came with a castle, subjects, and fiefdom, enough to play the role of an earl.

They secretly, or sometimes openly, proposed that Rodric Usher “sell” the earldom. They were willing to pay for the title of earl as well.

The countess was a kind person, but she was a woman who had lived her entire life with the pride of nobility. Selling her noble position for money was the most miserable thing she could imagine.

But Rodric persuaded his sister-in-law. He argued that while they could think only of their family, shouldn’t they do something for the domain’s people who had lost their providers?

“What would my brother have done in this situation?”

The countess crumbled at those words.

After weeping bitterly for a long time, the countess said she would follow Rodric’s wishes, then fainted. Rodric, along with his half-brother Edgar Usher, persuaded the domain’s people. Edgar, though their father’s illegitimate son, was known as a good-natured and amusing parish priest.

After negotiations, Rodric Usher secured a good deal. It was an amount that would shock anyone familiar with the Usher earldom—namely, the nobles of neighboring fiefdoms.

“My goodness, even if money grows on trees, who would pay so much for a gravel pit?”

The nobles sent their servants to gather information, and they returned with heartwarming stories.

A significant portion of the sale price was distributed evenly among the domain’s people who had lost their families—not enough to live in luxury, but enough to ensure they wouldn’t starve for the rest of their lives.

Additionally, the countess received a secluded house near the village, with enough money to keep a maid and live the rest of her life without financial worries. This was thanks to Rodric Usher giving a substantial portion of his share to his sister-in-law and the domain’s people.

In exchange, Rodric kept only enough capital to establish a small trading company, planning to do business in the southern part of the Empire. Records show he frequently consulted with the new lord on various business matters.

The new “earl” who became the domain’s owner was unexpectedly frugal. While he didn’t reduce expenses for the workers’ livelihoods, he cut unnecessary luxuries and waste.

He saved on food costs, reduced meaningless beverage purchases, sold unnecessarily ornate decorations, and used the money to buy livestock to secure the domain’s future. He rarely even went hunting unless it was to entertain guests.

Those who enjoyed mockery sneered that he must have spent all his money buying the land, but the domain’s people were secretly touched by the earl’s kindness. Even if he had bought their goodwill with money, it was money they desperately needed.

Up to this point, one might think this is just a common story of fallen nobility.

But then strange things began to happen. Flies started swarming throughout the domain.

Rural domains are dirty, and the people accept that filth as part of daily life. But the flies multiplied so rapidly that even they thought it was “too much.” What’s more, it was especially strange that the flies clung only to windows and doorframes of houses.

The countess’s cottage had it worse—flies covered the outer walls so thickly that no one could enter or leave.

More seriously, fire began shooting up from the ground. Once lit, these fires wouldn’t extinguish. Dousing them with water or sand worked only temporarily. The flames kept rising.

Birds and beasts began to run wild more frequently, and the domain’s people complained of insomnia. They said they could hear monsters howling when they lay in bed.

‘It’s the earl’s curse,’ people whispered.

‘The dead Lancelot Usher and the villagers are scratching at the earth, trying to crawl out of that mine shaft. Their grudge must be deep. With their flesh rotting, imagine how many flies there must be.’

When a strange smell began to spread, suspicions turned to certainty.

It was a stench stronger than rotting waste and compost combined. It was so terrible that it was difficult even to open one’s eyes, and it permeated clothes and bedding so thoroughly that no amount of washing could remove it.

‘It’s the smell of sulfur. They say it’s the smell that comes when demons rise.’

Bizarre rumors spread. People whispered about will-o’-the-wisps around the cottage and talked about the corpses of cats and dogs that had burned to death. People were also suspicious about the countess becoming increasingly beautiful.

‘Her skin has become whiter.’

‘They say she meets someone every night. And moans loudly. Loud enough to be heard outside the cottage.’

‘Well, she is in her prime. Twenty-five years old.’

‘But is what she’s meeting actually human?’

Suspicion transformed into condemnation.

‘Look how she doesn’t come out while the domain is falling into this state. Is that acceptable?’

‘These flies are insufferable. With flies clinging to her cottage like that, what on earth is she doing? Is the inside still intact? No. Maybe something is crawling out from inside the cottage?’

‘What is she doing with candles lit inside? And where have her maids gone?’

Secret knowledge mixed into the gossip.

‘They say there’s a demon called Beelzebub. He spreads stench and brings plagues wherever he goes, and when he meets his followers, he copulates with them in unspeakable ways… Ugh… so dirty and obscene.’

‘They say she cries every night. How good must it feel for her to whimper and cry like that?’

‘My goodness… it seems she doesn’t even wear clothes properly now. Did you see how she glances? So lustful. I tell you, lustful. She’s become prettier. Devouring her husband, devouring the villagers, enjoying herself with demons every night. She’s living quite the life.’

After that, things spiraled out of control. People armed themselves with hunting dogs, torches, and farming tools and stormed the cottage. The new lord’s men rushed to block them, but even they cast sidelong glances at the witch in the cottage.

“Look at her glazed eyes, how much must she have done! These flies, these little flies! All born from you, aren’t they! All hatched by you, aren’t they! Filthy woman, cursed woman, lustful beast! Not a human but a bird of ill omen laying eggs! Divine punishment will fall upon your head!”

“Stop! Please stop!”

Rodric Usher and Father Edgar rushed out. Both were sweating profusely. The villagers couldn’t bring themselves to harm the former lord’s brother and the kind-hearted priest.

The new lord, who had arrived late after hearing the news, shook his head and suggested:

“If that’s the case, let’s call for an inquisitor.”

He proposed to find out if there really was a demon. Shouts of agreement rose, but the new lord seemed reluctant to be the accuser himself. Rodric, who had been hesitating, steeled himself.

“My brother and I will make the accusation. Rather than someone else making a malicious accusation, I think it would be better to prove my sister-in-law’s innocence.”

“I appreciate your help.”

The gravity and seriousness of the matter, along with the public unrest, made it impossible to resolve locally, which is why it was brought to the religious court here in Magdeburg.

When the clerk finished reading, a moment of silence fell.

Thanks to this, Kain could glance at the back seats. An old man who had clearly just arrived from the countryside was trembling his legs, and since he had his feet against the seats where Kain and Lily were sitting, the vibration was transmitted directly. The old man lowered his head and removed his feet, but the faint tapping sound was still irritating.

The central figure at the judgment seat was an elderly man whose eyelids drooped, perhaps due to his advanced age. However, his impression was not gentle. His protruding eyebrows looked stubborn, and his jutting finger joints resembled eagle talons.

“First, I regret that you have come to this court from so far away. This is a place to determine right from wrong, not to give rewards. May the Prophet of Life and Death bestow blessings of wisdom and discernment upon us all.

God, bless this foolish Judge Malachia. Open my dim eyes, unseal my closed ears, and fill me with the clear mind of youth and the wisdom of the elderly.”

After reciting a brief prayer, Judge Malachia asked:

“Plaintiff. Is there anything incorrect or in need of correction in the clerk’s reading?”

But the answer came from the defendant’s seat.

“Lies…”

The countess in the defendant’s seat sobbed.

“Lies. All lies…”

A stern rebuke immediately followed.

“I did not ask you! If you speak out of turn once more, I will consider you ‘possessed’ by something malicious and have you detained. Remember this clearly! If a demon dwells within you, I command it to leave this place at once!”

The voice was so loud it reverberated throughout the courtroom. Kain flinched, and the old man behind him momentarily stopped shaking his leg. Lily also seemed quite startled, judging by her slight jump.

“Plaintiff. Answer.”

“It is correct.”

“If there is anything to add or supplement to the matter thus far, speak now. If you fail to answer regarding matters that might influence the judges’ decision, remember that this too can greatly disadvantage you. So I ask one last time, is there anything to supplement?”

The two brothers looked at each other.

“No, there is not.”

“As this court understands it, the plaintiff’s accusation is as follows. We accuse Sophie Usher, wife of the late Earl Lancelot Usher, of the following charges. First, copulating with Beelzebub, the demon of impurity, king of flies, and servant of the Demon King, thereby spreading countless flies throughout the domain…”

A guard restrained the countess. She was biting her own arm. Her eyes were rolling back, and her waist kept bending. But the judge paid no attention.

“Second. Not only willingly offering her body as an instrument of pleasure, but also sacrificing the lives of her late husband Lancelot Usher and 42 domain residents to regain youth and beauty, thereby obtaining an even more exquisite appearance.

Third. Harboring resentment over the sale of her noble status and earldom, and creating unquenchable fires and stench.

This part is somewhat unclear—was the fire and stench created to ‘summon’ the demon, or had the demon already been ‘summoned’ and the fire and stench remained as evidence?

Plaintiff. Which is it?”

“It was an act to summon the demon,” Rodric Usher answered.

“It was evidence after summoning the demon,” Father Edgar Usher answered.

The two half-brothers looked at each other again. Father Edgar corrected himself.

“I apologize. I believe it was an act to summon the demon.”

“Father Edgar Usher. Do you swear on the two heads of the Two-headed Eagle that the content of the accusation is true?”

“I swear.”

In the defendant’s seat, the countess was trembling. Her head was bowed, her eyes kept rolling back, and white foam formed at the corners of her mouth. Blood flowed from the arm she had bitten herself, but still, the countess kept raising her hand, requesting permission to speak.

However, Judge Malachia didn’t even look at her. Instead, he instructed the guard:

“Call the investigator.”

The guard opened the door at the back of the courtroom. A middle-aged priest with neatly cut reddish-brown hair appeared.

Though his appearance seemed gentle, his distinct features and thick, split chin conveyed stubbornness. Perhaps the considerable gray hair and unmistakable facial wrinkles added to that inflexibility.

Such a person is like a rock at the bottom of a river, sheltering small fish among the soft sand but mercilessly driving away large predators. His considerable bulk and upright posture beneath the red robe indicated that he had once been a soldier.

With experience seemingly as extensive as his age, he wore several emblems. Among them was one with a white cross on a red ribbon—a memento from Father Haspel, signifying he had been a crusader who stood against the Demon King.

The middle-aged priest bowed his head toward the judge. Kain saw deep trust in Malachia’s eyes.

“High Inquisitor Father Heinrich. You personally visited the Usher earldom to investigate, correct?”

“I did.”

“Did you confirm the presence of evil or its influence? Was any circumstantial evidence of involvement in this matter detected in any way?”

“Circumstantial evidence was detected.”

The crowd murmured. The old man sitting behind Kain began shaking his leg violently again. Kain was extremely annoyed but didn’t turn around this time.

“Is there anyone in this courtroom now who is under the influence of evil?”

Father Heinrich looked at the countess.

“Yes. Right before my eyes.”

From the countess’s mouth came a hiss that was neither human nor beast, but truly the hiss of an evil spirit.