Ch.32Devotion Offered by the Sword (7)

    “Investigator. Testify.”

    The judge leaned back. Father Heinrich continued in a monotone voice.

    “First, I want to clarify that the purpose of this trial is not to judge heresy, but to confirm whether evil has intervened and whether there has been any following of evil.

    As investigator, I began a comprehensive and detailed investigation of the Usher County, and found the following decisive evidence.

    Before that, I must explain about the tunnel collapse that started all this tragedy. Your Honor, may I request someone with more authority, expertise, and wisdom on this matter?”

    “You may proceed.”

    Shortly after, a man in an Imperial Army uniform entered.

    His clothes were bulging as if about to burst, and his face was even more swollen. To Kain, he looked like a blood sausage stuffed to capacity. His face was so puffy that his lips were buried in his cheeks like a carp.

    “I am Senior Engineering Commander Richter von Kruger of the Imperial Army Southern Command.”

    The crowd stirred again, wondering why an Imperial Army engineering commander was brought to a religious trial. Judge Malachia shuffled through documents.

    “It says here you’re the Empire’s top expert in siege warfare. Is that true?”

    “Not the best, but I strive to repay the position and responsibility His Imperial Majesty has bestowed upon me.”

    The judge grimaced with a grunt. Even in Magdeburg, practically the Pope’s front yard, mentioning the Emperor’s grace seemed rather irritating.

    “Investigator. Continue.”

    “Thank you,” Father Heinrich bowed deeply.

    “Commander Kruger, in siege warfare, besides scaling enemy walls, is there also a method of infiltration by digging through abandoned mines, underground tunnels, or burrows?”

    “Yes. We dig through the floor of villages or houses near the fortress, then tunnel toward the weak points in the foundation walls. The tunnel is supported with props.

    When we judge we’ve dug deep enough to collapse the wall, we burn the supports to bring down the wall at once, breaking the defenders’ will to fight.”

    “That sounds very difficult and arduous,” Heinrich gave him a pitying look. Commander Kruger smirked.

    “It’s difficult, dirty, and messy. It’s not visible like bravely climbing walls or launching catapults, so it doesn’t look impressive. It’s not a manly tactic.

    However, if shedding ten drops of sweat today means shedding one less drop of blood tomorrow, a commander must naturally do so. For the lives of his subordinates and for victory, a commander can be as cowardly as necessary.”

    Pride and dignity showed on Kruger’s face.

    “So…” Father Heinrich glanced at the judge, then briefly toward the plaintiff’s side.

    “To find more efficient ways to dig tunnels, you’ve deeply researched mine exploration and pioneering methods throughout the Empire. And in that process, you learned about ‘flammable air.'”

    “That’s correct,” Commander Kruger answered slowly.

    “This often happens in places where there are legends or traditions of land that was once sea or river. When digging deep underground, there are places where the smell of dead animals wafts up.

    Experienced miners, upon smelling this, immediately extinguish their lights and grab their lifelines to climb back up, being careful not to create sparks by metal striking stone. Then they carefully light fires and wait until the ‘flammable air’ is gone.”

    “Was the smell in Usher County the same?”

    Kain clearly saw Rodric’s lips twitch. The Senior Commander answered calmly.

    “It was the same.”

    “That is all.”

    Having finished his testimony, the Senior Commander was escorted out of the courtroom by a guard. Father Heinrich continued speaking as dryly as if reading a boring history book.

    “The stench didn’t exist before the unfortunate Count Lancelot Usher pioneered additional tunnels. Afterward, the stench spread throughout the territory. Any reasonable person would think that the tunnel explosion and unquenchable fire were not a witch’s flame, but ‘flammable air’ rising to the surface.”

    The judges examined their records. The one seated on the left asked:

    “It’s reported that dogs and cats were found burned to death. How do you explain this?”

    “Not all, but most had deep burn wounds on their legs, bellies, and tails. Since ‘flammable air’ rises from the ground up, these should be read not as someone deliberately setting fires, but as part of a natural phenomenon.”

    “The terrible stench would be explained by that too. The smell of rotting animals. But this alone doesn’t explain why flies swarmed the Countess’s cottage.”

    “That was because of human intervention, not natural law.”

    Father Heinrich gestured. From outside, a nun entered carrying a small wooden box. She was a nun with reddish-gold hair and a dark face. The priest opened the box.

    Nothing was visible except the lining, but the priest picked something up from inside.

    “What did you pick up?”

    “Marten fur. A material often used for high-quality brushes, and extremely rare and expensive in a poor place like Usher County.”

    “What connection does marten fur have to this case?”

    “This marten fur was found in the wall of the Countess’s cottage. It was in a tiny crevice, where some sticky, sweet-smelling liquid remained. It was honey that the flies hadn’t completely consumed.”

    The murmuring grew louder. The judge struck his desk. “Silence!”

    Heinrich waited until people quieted down. However, he didn’t look toward the plaintiff’s side.

    “Someone applied honey to the Countess’s cottage using marten fur, and flies attracted by the ‘flammable air’ stuck to the cottage to eat the honey.

    The Countess, grieving her husband’s loss and terrified by the swarm of flies outside, didn’t dare venture out. And the merchant who acquired the county specializes in fur and leather trade… and is also an ardent patron of artists.”

    The faces of the brothers at the plaintiff’s bench changed through various shades of red and blue. Father Heinrich finally turned toward them. He approached them one step at a time.

    “The cottage was also full of flies, so the Countess couldn’t even eat properly. She suffered from hunger, terrible nightmares, and constant insects, causing hysteria, sleep deprivation, and mental anguish.

    According to a Magdeburg doctor’s diagnosis, judging by wounds on her head, back, and shoulders, she had already suffered multiple seizures and rolled on the floor. She couldn’t dress properly because she lacked the mental capacity, strength, and clean clothes to do so. And decisively.”

    Heinrich nodded to the nun. The nun pulled out documents from within her garment. Two rolled-up documents.

    “No, impossible.”

    Father Edgar Usher groaned.

    “According to this pledge signed by the Countess, she agreed to donate half her property to the parish after her death. The recipient is Father Edgar Usher. Father Usher, answer me. Did you explain everything to her?”

    “There, there was nothing to explain! I told her to just read and write what was written, and the Countess clearly read everything and wrote her name correctly! I even told her to ask if she didn’t understand! The Countess, as a noblewoman, received all the education she should have!”

    “Is that so?” Father Heinrich tilted his head.

    “The Countess cannot read or write. You didn’t know that, it seems. No. Let me rephrase. To be precise, she cannot read ‘properly’ or write ‘properly.’ The letters appear jumbled to her.

    This is neither the devil’s mischief nor a learning problem. It’s merely an optical illusion. Since the Academy’s establishment, many cases of this phenomenon have been recorded, which doctors call ‘dyslexia.’ The Countess has this condition. So.”

    Heinrich pulled out the second document.

    “Here. This letter, supposedly written by the Countess herself, is either ghostwritten or forged. This document states that after the Countess’s death, half her property will go to her ‘beloved family member’ Rodric Usher, and it’s written in very orderly, square handwriting.

    It’s remarkably similar to the handwriting of the maid assigned to the Countess. The maid you assigned, Rodric Usher.”

    Heinrich looked down at the two men seated at the plaintiff’s bench. His voice was gloomy and melancholic.

    “Tracing the root of causality is arduous, but I’ll boldly venture a guess. I don’t know why such bad air existed below the silver mine tunnel. There must be a deeper meaning beyond our understanding.

    However, these two people here used that misfortune very conveniently.

    Seeing the stench and flies gathering, they smeared honey on the widow’s cottage to attract them, caught stray dogs and cats and placed them on the naturally burning fires, incited the people of the county to brand the Countess a witch, drove her to an extreme situation, and then handed her over to the religious court.

    The mere fact of being referred to a religious court is enough to ruin the Countess, you see. You drove her away from the county, but she couldn’t be burned as a witch. If that happened, her property would be immediately confiscated and burned.

    With no food, no drink, and everyone she once trusted turning their backs on her, if family members were the only ones to extend a helping hand, a young widow wouldn’t have many choices. So tell me.”

    “What, what should I say?”

    “Which of you filled the Countess’s belly?”

    Sweat ran down the faces of the half-brothers.

    “That, that joke is too much.”

    The investigator silently turned to the judge.

    “Your Honor. I said there was someone here influenced by the devil. This pitiful woman was that person. Not possessed by the devil, but tormented by him.

    And these two devils are defiling this court even now, just by breathing. But there are more devils, enough to be called a legion.”

    “Who are they?”

    “First, the corrupt merchant. He is currently on the run, with trackers on his trail. Rodric Usher and Father Edgar Usher planned to return half of what they received from the Countess back to that merchant and keep the rest for themselves.

    Another is the people of the county. There. The village headman of the mining town is seated here, so I will ask him…”

    It was the old man whose legs were trembling. Now his chin was also chattering. Father Heinrich approached him as quietly as death.

    “Who taught you knowledge of Beelzebub? Knowledge of demons isn’t accessible to just anyone. Who whispered it to you, and who silenced you with money?

    And why did you all defame someone who once showed you kindness, based on stories you yourselves didn’t even know?”

    “Pl-please spare me…”

    “Your Honor. The devil is sealing their lips, so I await the answer of wisdom.”

    Judge Malachia struck his desk.

    “This is truly absurd and appalling. How could people wearing human masks treat the Count’s widow, who valued them, so cruelly? And yet they dare to brazenly lie in the sacred place of warriors who received the Veneration of the Sword.

    This could not happen without the devil’s clear intervention. Therefore, I pronounce judgment here.

    Take away the plaintiffs and the villagers of the county, everyone involved in this matter. Pierce their ears with arrowheads and hang them upside down from the warehouse ceiling for three days without food or drink. If they thirst, let them moisten their throats with the blood flowing from their ears.

    Anyone who dares speak or groan has the devil screaming inside them, and must be spun in the air to expel the evil.

    During this time, they shall not meet the inquisitor, nor should the inquisitor engage in conversation with them. Everything they say before they’re ready to tell the truth is all lies.”

    “Pl-please spare me, please spare me! Just forgive me this once…!”

    “Guards!”

    A guard struck the old man in the stomach. He doubled over without even making a sound. The old man still struggled as if trying to say something, but the guard grabbed his mouth with an iron gauntlet.

    “Seeing how they submit to force rather than proclaiming truth and justice, they truly are devils. You impious ones. You false children of vipers. By the glory of the Two-headed Eagle, I shall see if any humanity remains in you. Who instigated this? Who planned all this?”

    “It was my brother!” Rodric shouted.

    “It was my brother!” Father Edgar cried.

    They looked at each other. And then fiercely condemned each other’s misdeeds. The Countess sobbed. The nuns surrounded her like guardian angels, comforting her.

    “You filthy bastard!”

    Rodric pushed Edgar. The fat priest floundered disgracefully on the floor. In Rodric’s angry eyes, he spotted an iron stylus on the plaintiff’s bench.

    “I only touched her chest!”

    Rodric gripped the stylus tightly. He thrust it toward Edgar’s eyes. Guards rushed in. But Rodric didn’t succeed.

    Thwack.

    Kain struck Rodric’s chin upward with his cane. He pressed down on Rodric’s Adam’s apple as his head jerked back.

    “Oh, oh, oh my goodness!”

    Kain threw his cane on the floor as if it had been accidental. He trembled as if he couldn’t bear to look at it. None of the guards who rushed in paid any attention to him.

    Judge Malachia, as if tired even of calling for silence, shook his head and withdrew. A shadow fell across Kain.

    “That was a courageous act.”

    It was Father Heinrich. Kain scratched the side of his head embarrassedly.

    “I did it impulsively, without thinking…”

    “I heard you wanted to meet me.”

    “Ah… yes.” Kain rose unsteadily. Lily rose with him.

    “My wife and I have something urgent to discuss with you…”

    “It’s too chaotic here.”

    Father Heinrich shook his head again. The unsightly brothers were screaming like pigs being slaughtered, and each time, the guards’ iron gauntlets struck them.

    The nuns hurriedly carried out the unconscious Countess. Kain suddenly thought the red-gold haired nun had glared at him. She seemed vaguely familiar.

    “…Let’s go to my room to talk.”

    Heinrich personally picked up Kain’s cane for him.


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