The Dead Testify

#90

The first to step forward was Jeremy Richter, the estate steward.

“I knew nothing of the Marchioness’s wicked deeds. I simply devoted myself to my duties each day. Then one day, Lord Casto, the Inquisitor, came to me in secret. He spoke of the terrible accusations against the Marchioness and asked me to verify them with him.”

Having said this much, Jeremy Richter glanced at Marchioness Scarlet. In that brief moment, Jeha saw his eyes flicker. A trace of guilt remained, it seemed.

“Lord Casto asked where the Marchioness might have committed such vile acts as bathing in blood. I had worked in her castle for a long time and knew its interior well. I told him that if such a thing were done in secret, it would surely be in the long-abandoned basement. Late at night, Lord Casto and I secretly crept into the castle’s basement.”

There was a pause. As if anticipating what would come next, everyone fixed their eyes on Jeremy Richter. After a short sigh, he continued.

“I could hardly believe it. The Marchioness, though demanding, had always been a noble lady who upheld the dignity of the aristocracy. But when we arrived at the basement… there was a bathtub filled with crimson blood. And in the corner of the basement, the bodies of young women were piled up.”

Finishing his statement, Jeremy Richter dropped his head as if in despair. It was quite a convincing act.

In addition to Jeremy Richter, there were three other witnesses—a manservant and two maids.

As the old saying goes: if three people conspire, they can create a tiger where there was none. And indeed, they had.

What had they been promised to fabricate such false testimony?

The maid said she had been threatened. The manservant likely had been as well. But Jeremy Richter was of noble birth, albeit a low-ranking one. Surely, beyond threats, there was a reward waiting for him.

Jeha clicked his tongue at the farce unfolding before him, forcing a calm expression. A bitter taste filled his mouth as he felt disillusioned with humanity. He wanted to leap out and shout that it was all lies. He wanted to give a huge middle finger to the emperor and the temple, who did not hesitate to frame a woman to extort her wealth.

Jeha took a quiet breath. Then he glanced at Hereis, who sat in the judge’s seat. Their eyes met the moment he looked. Seeing those clear blue eyes, the nausea churning his stomach subsided as if by magic.

Jeha gave Hereis a faint, subtle eye-smile. Hereis responded with a slight smile of his own. Though the many eyes upon them forced him to look away quickly, just seeing Hereis’s smile warmed his chest again.

By then, the manservant’s testimony had ended.

He confessed that, on the Marchioness’s orders, he had been forced to kidnap young maidens from the estate and lock them in the basement. He added a lengthy excuse that he had no choice, as the Marchioness threatened to kill his own daughter if he did not comply.

The atmosphere had already tilted heavily toward a guilty verdict. But this was a trial to prove the heresy of a high-ranking noble. The proceedings continued.

Finally, the last witness, the maid Hanna, spoke. Her voice trembled pitifully. Yet she, too, did not avoid lying. She said she had attended the Marchioness while she bathed in the blood of virgins, adding the excuse that she feared for her own life and had no choice but to obey.

The testimonies of all witnesses were complete. Thus, a tiger had been created where there was none.

The courtroom fell silent. Complex expressions flickered across the faces of the attendees.

Nobles, though they may fight among themselves, tend to unite when their privileges or rights as aristocrats are threatened. But given the testimonies presented, it seemed difficult for Marchioness Scarlet to avoid punishment, no matter how high her status.

Of course, some looked as if they could not believe it. If this had been an ordinary court rather than an Inquisition, someone might have stepped forward to defend her. But this was a religious trial directly presided over by the Grand Temple. To side with her would risk being branded a heretic as well. A noble—nay, even royalty or imperial family—could never be forgiven for the crime of heresy.

“Esteemed Judge, I request that you examine the evidence I have escorted all the way to Enkarosha.”

Inquisitor Casto made his request. The archbishop remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

The wooden door through which the witnesses had entered opened again. Young men with white cloths covering their mouths and noses filed in, carrying stretchers. On each stretcher lay a long object covered in white cloth. Those who realized they were the bodies of the slain maidens grimaced or turned their heads away.

The stretchers bearing the corpses were laid side by side in the center of the courtroom. Four in total.

At the end of the procession, a man followed, bowed to the archbishop, and immediately lifted the white cloth slightly to examine the bodies. Ladies covered their faces with handkerchiefs or turned away.

After inspecting all four bodies, the man stood up. He appeared to be a physician.

“What is the condition of the bodies?”

the archbishop asked.

“Each has a deep cut on the neck. It seems they were beheaded to drain the blood.”

As the physician spoke, Inquisitor Casto immediately interjected.

“The place where these poor women’s bodies were found is none other than the basement of the castle where Marchioness Scarlet resides!”

Casto exclaimed in an agitated voice.

At his words, the courtroom fell silent. The verdict was imminent. Everyone anticipated the fate that awaited Marchioness Scarlet. Some of the more tender-hearted women were busy wiping tears with their handkerchiefs.

“Marchioness Scarlet, the witnesses and evidence prove your guilt. Do you have anything to say?”

the archbishop asked in a dignified voice.

“I am innocent.”

Marchioness Scarlet kept her back straight and spoke only those words. She, too, knew that no matter what excuses she made, her fate was already sealed.

“You show no sign of remorse.”

the archbishop murmured.

Then, clearing his throat, he raised one hand as if conveying the will of heaven and declared:

“Marchioness Scarlet has kidnapped and murdered innocent young women and committed the wicked act of bathing in their blood. This is nothing less than heresy, as she sought to use the blood of young women to perform magic to preserve her beauty and youth. Therefore, I pronounce Marchioness Scarlet guilty.”

The guilty verdict had fallen. People sighed, their faces complex. No one defended her, nor did anyone condemn her. They simply remained silent.

The archbishop stared at Marchioness Scarlet for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“Given the severity of the sinner’s crime, this court sentences Marchioness Scarlet to public burning at the stake.”

Gasps erupted from the crowd. Marchioness Scarlet, who had maintained her upright posture even after the guilty verdict, swayed slightly.

The previously silent courtroom began to buzz with whispers. That a noblewoman had been convicted of heresy was already a huge scandal, but to be publicly burned? Concerned murmurs arose from all sides that the nobility’s dignity would be dragged through the mud.

Just as the archbishop was about to speak again—

*Hoooh… hoooh…*

A mournful sob echoed through the courtroom.

“Who dares make a sound in this holy court?!”

the archbishop called out in a stern voice. People looked around to find the source of the sound. And then—

*Hoooh… hoooh… hoooh…*

Several women burst into desperate, sorrowful cries at once. It was the kind of wailing one would hear at a funeral. People’s gazes swept around in confusion.

“Who is it…!”

the archbishop shouted angrily.

*Kyaaah—!*

Someone screamed. All eyes instantly turned to the screamer. It was none other than Miss Fanucci, sitting right next to Jeha.

“Th-the bodies… the bodies…”

Miss Fanucci said in a trembling voice, pointing to the center of the courtroom. People followed her finger. Soon, ladies began screaming everywhere, mixed with shouts from men.

The corpses that had been lying side by side were now standing upright, as if they had risen at some unknown moment. The white cloths covering them slid down, revealing the bluish bodies before the crowd.

*Hoooh… hoooh…*

The sorrowful cries came from none other than the corpses themselves. Jeha watched as they shed streams of crimson blood-tears, a small smile curling at his lips.

“It’s unfair. Unfair…”

One corpse spoke, blood-tears streaming down.

“It’s unfair. Unfair…”

Another corpse wept blood-tears and muttered incessantly.