The appearance of two people claiming to have received divine revelations sent shockwaves through noble society. Even as time passed, the intense repercussions showed little sign of dying down.
There was one thing that had to be understood.
England was fighting with its homeland safe, while France was fighting a war on its own soil.
Perhaps it was the difference between an overseas campaign and a war at home, but the two sides had entirely different perceptions of the same war.
“Humphrey of the Stafford family has risen tremendously in standing thanks to the French campaign, hasn’t he? Just goes to show, when war goes well, it can be an incredibly profitable business.”
England waged war out of greed. War was a game of roulette governed by high risk and high reward. When people lived in a peaceful world, they naturally sought out anything that could give them even a little rush of excitement.
France, on the other hand, saw things differently.
“Battle is… frightening. Arrows rain down like a storm, and every day you see men dying or fleeing. If you run, you might save your life, but disgrace will be waiting for you afterward. If not for God, no one would ever choose to fight such a battle. It is martyrdom precisely because it is suffering.”
They sought honor in war. They were romantics, pursuing abstract values that did not exist in the material world. Chansons de geste, a spirit of adventure, and feudal loyalty.
To the French, war was more than a heroic tale.
Maxime’s sculpture struck directly at that French way of thinking.
“Are you truly saying that young saint created that sculpture? In all my life, I have never seen a work of art greater than this!”
“Father in Heaven, grant peace to the knights of France who departed before us…”
Works of art depicting war commonly emphasized honor and glory in order to inspire soldiers to fight. Even when they did not, most works demonized the enemy or emphasized the religious justification for war.
Maxime’s work went a step beyond such conventional art. Its tragedy made it all the more powerful, stirring even memories that had long been forgotten.
“My brother also fell at Agincourt. He was only nineteen.”
“He was the rightful heir who was supposed to succeed me as head of the family, and such a brilliant boy… He was never meant to die in a place like that…”
“When I saw the face of the lady… saying farewell to the knight… it was so sad that—sniff—I cried all day… sniff…”
“When I was a child, I could only stand there and watch my older brother leave for the battlefield. …I should have taken up the sword in his place.”
The knight’s tragic death gave the nobles, divided among countless factions, a chance to come together and remember the war as one.
The nobles of the court forgot all sense of decorum and burst into tears. The sense of loss exposed one of humanity’s most fundamental fears.
It worked exactly as I intended.
Making the figures in the sculpture to be nobles had itself been deliberate.
He had intentionally portrayed them as noble and exalted as possible. The young knight’s armor was adorned with all manner of extravagant decorations that served no practical purpose in battle, imitating the way the sons of great nobles decorated their armor as a display of status.
The noblewoman cradling him was portrayed as gentle and immaculate, like someone who knew absolutely nothing of fighting. The various details subtly signaled her exalted status.
People will always admire those above them and take an interest in them.
Unless something unusual happened, mainstream culture and the spirit of the age were shaped by the upper classes.
The Dauphin viewed the situation favorably.
He used the sculpture he had received as a gift to exert influence over the nobles.
“Put it on display in front of the chapel.”
When the nobles heard the news, they gladly gathered before the chapel. They socialized as they admired the sculpture.
“Look at the sword the knight dropped. The design is unlike anything we’ve seen before. …What if we actually made one like this?”
The work had been impressive in the darkness, and it lost none of its impact when viewed again in daylight. If anything, the light revealed meticulous details that had previously been hidden by the darkness. A single work allowed for all sorts of interpretations.
“The knight’s blood is depicted on the noblewoman’s hand. That blood continues down to the area of her womb. According to Leviticus 17:11, the life of the flesh is in the blood, and blood has the power to make atonement for sin. Could this mean that through the knight’s sacrifice, the noblewoman was given a chance to bring forth new life? In other words, his sacrifice was not entirely in vain.”
“There’s no way this is merely a sculpture. The saint must have received a revelation and recreated something that actually happened.”
“Do you have any proof?”
“Of course. Do you really think a commoner from the countryside could depict armor in such intricate detail?”
“…That does make sense.”
Each noble had their own interpretation of the work. Some saw pure sorrow in it, while others used it as an opportunity to show off their knowledge.
Once a trend gained momentum, a touch of madness inevitably followed. This growing fervor soon translated into support for the newly arrived saint and saintess.
“I will provide them with mercenaries.”
“I support the son and daughter of God. If this is a battle we cannot avoid anyway, then we should lend them our strength.”
Some of the more cunning nobles saw the craze as an opportunity to unite the court’s various factions against England.
A very small number still doubted the revelations, but after seeing the court’s tangled power structure come together as one, they chose to remain silent and wait.
***
There was no intense inquisition.
“That concludes our interview, blessed one.”
Jeanne and I had a brief interview with the clergy of the royal court, including Gérard Machet.
They acknowledged that our faith was sound.
“Your Highness, they are of sound mind and chaste conduct. For people without formal education, all their answers are remarkably clear and devout. Only the hand of God can explain such solemnity.”
The priest’s report strengthened the Dauphin’s conviction that Jeanne and Maxime truly were messengers of God.
He gave Maxime and Jeanne quarters in the tower that had once been the stronghold of the August King. He also assigned a young noble to each of them as an attendant.
“When will the examination of her virginity take place?”
“Tomorrow morning. We have obtained the consent of the high-ranking members of the court and assembled the noblewomen.
…Will the saint be examined as well?”
“No need. Why would a man need to be a virgin?”
The next day,
The noblewomen took Jeanne d’Arc away to physically verify that she was indeed a virgin.
A short while later, they emerged. Yolande of Aragon, the Dauphin’s mother-in-law, stepped forward on behalf of the others and made the declaration.
“Jeanne la Pucelle is indeed a chaste virgin. We have all confirmed it ourselves.”
“She’s a virgin! A virgin!”
Not only the nobles, but even the soldiers and servants went around telling everyone about Jeanne d’Arc’s chastity.
A woman’s chastity held particular social and religious significance. There was a reason the Virgin Mary, who conceived Jesus, was called a virgin.
Once the examination was over, Jeanne disappeared at two and a half times her usual walking speed. Whatever else might be said, her face was definitely red.
***
“The Duke of Alençon has requested a meeting.”
“A duke… Tell him to let me know when he wishes to meet.”
I had never met him before, but his rank was too high to ignore.
Two hours later, much sooner than expected, the Duke of Alençon came to see me.
“It is a pleasure to meet someone touched by prophecy. Please, just call me Jean.”
“…A pleasure to meet you.”
The Duke of Alençon was more cautious and courteous than any noble I had met so far.
“Would you tell me more about the revelation?”
I readily told him the details of Jeanne’s revelation.
“You said you intend to aid the saintess. How exactly do you plan to help her?”
He pressed me for specifics. For a moment, I found him suspicious, but I was confident that even a vague answer would give the duke nothing to hold against me.
“By the grace of God, I am highly skilled with my hands. My purpose is to arm the army well and make it strong.”
“I see. God has indeed laid out a great plan.”
He remained so consistently friendly that it almost seemed foolish.
Even I, who had been wary of him at first, eventually realized that his goodwill was sincere.
“…Is there something you want from me?”
“I want to be your friend. I will go to the battlefield and fight alongside you.”
There was no reason to refuse.
“A kind young man like you would be more than welcome to join us on our journey.”
“Oh, I’m touched, my friend!”
The Duke of Alençon reacted with obvious delight.
As a duke, I figured he must have plenty of money and a sizable force at his disposal.
“How many troops do you have, Your Grace? I’d at least like to know the basics.”
I couldn’t hide my anticipation.
“…About fifty men. I may not have the money to hire mercenaries right now, but who knows what the future holds!”
“……”
As it turned out, he was broke. Apparently, much of his territory was under English occupation.
Besides the duke, I met with various other nobles.
Some supported military action, while others considered the plan to retake Orléans reckless and premature.
Most of our conversations were about the war and the prophecy, but some approached me in entirely different ways.
“I hear you are unmarried. Is that true?”
“That is correct.”
“How much experience have you had with women?”
“……”
The man, whose belly bulged from overindulgence, spent the entire meeting talking about women.
I couldn’t understand why, so I tried to feel out his intentions. Whenever the conversation threatened to go too far, I deliberately steered it off course.
He noticed what I was doing.
“Cautious… That’s a good attitude. As a reward, I’ll personally give you some advice about women.”
According to him, marriage was largely political, so it was only natural to seek true love outside the bounds of formal marriage.
…If only he had stopped there.
He even started going on about ways to forcibly abort an illegitimate child.
“Using your fists works, but if you want to be more refined about it, drugs are the way to go. If you’d like, I can introduce you to an herbalist I know.”
My stomach turned. I couldn’t take any more and finally spoke up.
“I am a virgin.”
“What…?”
“According to Catholic doctrine, sexual relations should only take place after marriage. If one is unmarried, remaining chaste is only natural.”
“Well…”
He stared at me as though he had just discovered a unicorn.
Honestly, I hadn’t meant what I said. I had only used Church doctrine as an excuse to put an end to the conversation.
Though unlike in my previous life, it is true that this body is still chaste.
“Impressive… Truly… More than some mere sculpture, this is…
…You know, I have a daughter named Anne…”
I had been on the receiving end of this kind of matchmaking often enough to immediately catch on.
“Is she illegitimate?”
“…I assure you, it would be a good offer for you as well. I’ll hire another three hundred mercenaries to accompany you to Orléans.”
He saw the appearance of a chaste holy man as an opportunity to foist his own embarrassment onto me.
“There’s no time for that. I’ll be leaving for Orléans soon anyway. I’ll be gone before you can even hire the mercenaries.”
“……”
I brushed off his scheme without making a fuss. I didn’t like it, but for now, I decided to focus on what mattered most.
***
“…I’ve received a new revelation.”
Jeanne d’Arc spoke.
Leave a Reply