The people of Vaucouleurs said they were the shield that protected Lorraine. Their pride was well founded, and it gave the village a sense of unity that allowed everyone to work together.
Maxime thought to himself.
Pride was both a strength and a weakness.
“Vaucouleurs certainly has a lot of remarkable people. That story about driving off an English knight with a club…could you tell me more about it?”
“Well, if you really want to hear it, I suppose I could…”
Maxime appealed to the human desire to boast.
He listened carefully, reacted with admiration, and peeled back the layers of each story like an onion.
“If the weapon I used back then hadn’t broken, I’d still be beating the hell out of those arrogant English bastards with it…”
“That’s a shame. …If you don’t mind, could you show me the weapon that broke? I may not look like it, but I’m a craftsman. I might be able to repair it.”
“Really…? My house is nearby, so it wouldn’t be hard to bring it over.”
“You’ve treated me to such a valuable tale of valor. I have no intention of letting it go unrewarded.”
He repaired the damaged weapons. If a weapon had simply gone dull, he sharpened it instead. He gladly welcomed the soldiers who came after hearing the rumors.
Listening to their stories while working with his hands wasn’t difficult either.
“Food is what keeps people going. Vaucouleurs owes its remarkable reputation to the mothers who quietly kept its able-bodied men well fed behind the scenes! I won’t overlook everything you’ve done.”
He cleaned and repaired all kinds of tableware and household goods. He even built cabinets so they could keep everything organized more easily from then on. The women told their husbands in no uncertain terms to treat Maxime well.
The women cooked, while the children began delivering food to Maxime and his companions like little errand runners.
“The village stretches quite a ways, but the roads are awfully uneven. It would be nice if at least the center were properly paved… I noticed some decent stone around the Meuse. Would you mind if I cut it roughly and laid it down? Just fixing the road would make it much easier to transport supplies to the castle.”
“W-Well, if you’re willing to do that, I certainly have no reason to refuse.”
The road was broken and washed out in places, causing not only carts but even pedestrians to stumble frequently.
Repairing it required the cooperation of the residents, since sections of the road couldn’t be used while the work was underway. Fortunately, the villagers were more than willing to cooperate with Maxime.
Since he was already at it, he also improved the supply carts. He added a mechanism that distributed the weight of their loads so they could get out more easily even if they became stuck in the mud.
“Are you an angel?”
“I’ll speak to you with proper respect from now on. I had no idea you were such a good man.”
“Look at this gleaming sword! My favorite blade looks like King Arthur’s Excalibur now!”
“…Doesn’t life seem a little easier these days?”
“Maxime, you’re welcome to stay at our house. No, actually, I’d really like you to!”
“No, our house is bigger and more comfortable! We can fit all five of you! Come stay with us!”
“…My, look at those arms. How about you and I have a little fun? Come see me tonight. I’d love to treat you to something nice.”
“……Mister, those ladies are fighting over you again. Come break it up.”
In no time at all, Maxime and his band of craftsmen had completely won over Vaucouleurs.
Talking with Maxime was enjoyable, and the villagers had learned that simply having him around brought unexpected benefits.
They began to show the interest in Maxime and his companions that had previously been hidden behind their wariness.
“Why are they staying in Vaucouleurs anyway?”
“I don’t know the details, but apparently they left their hometown after receiving a revelation from God?”
“Even Lord Robert is leaving them alone. If they’re people like that, maybe they really did receive some kind of revelation.”
“I wish they’d settle down here… I heard he’s not even married yet.”
Robert had been avoiding Maxime on the pretext of being busy. But once Maxime’s presence had grown too significant to ignore, even Robert, the most powerful man in Vaucouleurs, was left dumbfounded and finally decided to summon him.
“Bring him to me. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to speak with him at least once.”
The soldier pretended not to notice his superior cracking open a bottle of wine in the middle of the workday.
***
“Let me make one thing clear. Helping Vaucouleurs isn’t going to change my mind about you. Considering all the taxes Domrémy has failed to pay until now, I see no reason to reward you, either.
Your village seems to be under the illusion that it has survived through its own strength, but remember that Domrémy has only been relatively safe because I’ve been defending this place.”
I immediately saw through Robert’s intentions. They were so obvious that I had to suppress a laugh before answering.
“I never intended to ask for compensation in the first place. I was simply offering my help out of genuine goodwill.”
“Don’t lie to me. You’re still here because there’s something you want, aren’t you? What is it? Do you want Domrémy’s tax rate formally established? As long as you drop that ridiculous claim about receiving a revelation from God, I could at least ask Duke Charles of Lorraine whether he’d be willing to consider it.”
He still thought we were acting out of greed for personal gain.
He was a practical soldier, so his interpretation was straightforward. If I agreed to that here, he really would move forward with adjusting the tax rate. He wasn’t the kind of man to resort to trickery.
I was about to object, but Jeanne spoke first.
“You’re a man of principle. Please take us to the Dauphin.”
There was something unwavering about her. It wasn’t mere charisma. Even I couldn’t clearly explain what it was.
“Still playing at being some ridiculous prophet?”
“You can insult me all you want, but I will go before the Dauphin. Without me, more blood will be shed.”
“You’re delusional. Even if what you say is true, I’d be reprimanded if I sent some commoner to him without good reason. I have no intention of sending you.”
He refused flatly. That was a good sign. Robert was clearly wavering.
Considering that our first meeting had ended with him calling her a crazy bitch and storming out, the fact that he was even willing to talk to us now meant there was room to persuade him.
“Even if you say that, I will never give up. Even if I have to crawl there, I will meet the Dauphin and save France.”
“You seem to think my words are a joke, but I can have the two of you frauds thrown in prison! Enough!”
“You may shout all you like. I am following God’s command, so what is there for me to fear?”
“I feel the same way as Jeanne.”
“……”
Robert was taken aback by the sheer determination in Jeanne’s words. She was unlike anyone he had ever encountered in his life.
Her speech and manner were simple and guileless, yet her resolve and persistence were extraordinary. He could tell that she truly felt no fear, and it even stirred his competitive spirit.
“…I’ll find out whether you’re genuine or not. I’ll summon an inquisitor. It’ll be too late even if you beg for your lives. You will undergo the examination. That much is certain.”
“We will gladly submit to it.”
Jeanne answered calmly.
“There’s something I’d like to show you.”
I pulled a letter from inside my coat.
“It’s a letter of recommendation written by Archbishop Jacques Gélu.”
“…The Archbishop?”
Robert was startled by the sudden appearance of such a powerful patron.
This was our trump card, prepared specifically for dealing with nobles. We had a separate letter for the Dauphin.
There was a reason we hadn’t brought it out during our first meeting. He had clearly already decided that we were frauds. If we had revealed such a powerful weapon under those circumstances, he would have simply concluded that it was a forgery.
With trembling hands, Robert unfolded the letter. He read through it with his face practically buried in the page.
“The sophistication of the language… The seal is genuine, too… Did the Archbishop truly write this letter…?”
Robert lowered the letter with a dumbfounded expression.
“Do you still need to examine us?”
“Even if it’s true that the Archbishop vouches for you, an examination is still necessary. Frankly, anyone who saw this would feel an even greater need to examine you. …Because he calls you a saint.”
***
The institution of the Inquisition wielded enormous influence over French society. Its proceedings were kept strictly secret, and the fear of the unknown left the common people terrified. And understandably so. The Inquisition even used torture to prove accusations of heresy.
If someone was found guilty of heresy, the Church would impose its own punishment, and in serious cases, brand the accused a heretic before handing them over to a secular court. Such people were usually sentenced to be burned at the stake.
“You’re going to face the Inquisition? Good God, after everything we’ve done for Vaucouleurs, this is how they repay us?”
“I keep telling you, Coat, you worry too much. The captain will breeze through some little interrogation like that.”
“This isn’t something you can just brush off!”
The fear that anyone could become the target of an inquisition oppressed the common people.
They feared being denounced by their neighbors even more than they feared the war.
The Church and the ruling class regarded the Inquisition as a means of maintaining social order. They exploited religion as a tool to suppress discontent among the lower classes and eliminate political opponents.
“Pierre’s right. I’m confident I can breeze through a little interrogation like that.”
“Brother!”
“You know something? Authority is powerless in the face of greater authority. Conviction is far more frightening.”
Before meeting the priest, Maxime had spread word throughout the village that they had an archbishop as their patron.
True to the people of Domrémy, the rumor spread in no time.
***
Robert’s office was used as the interrogation room.
With Robert and several knights observing, a priest entered.
He was a priest formally authorized to conduct inquisitorial proceedings.
“Defendants, state your names and occupations.”
“I used to be called Jeannette, but now I am known as Jeanne d’Arc. I was responsible for defending the village.”
“Maxime Blanche. I have worked as a craftsman all my life.”
“Here, you will speak only the truth. If you give false testimony, you will be excommunicated. Your souls will also be placed in peril.”
“I swear in the name of the Lord.”
“I will speak only the truth.”
“Were you baptized? If so, which priest baptized you?”
“Yes. I was baptized at the church in Domrémy. Father Jean Minet baptized me.”
“I was told that I was baptized immediately after birth. However, I don’t know which priest baptized me. So I recently asked the archbishop I met to baptize me once again.”
“…Maxime Blanche, I hear you lived as though you were the master of Domrémy. Is that true?”
“I have never claimed to be its master, and I have worked harder than anyone else in Domrémy.”
“Do you recognize the authority of the Holy Church?”
“Yes.”
“Then how dare you speak of divine revelation with such impious intent? Jeanne d’Arc, a witness has testified that you, a woman, spoke of receiving a revelation. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“How presumptuous. Under the laws of the Church, a woman may not speak carelessly of the word of Heaven. Do you admit that you interpreted Heaven’s will without the guidance of the Church? And do you admit that by doing so, you violated the laws of the Holy Church?”
“I have not fabricated a single part of God’s revelation. And it is God’s will to make use of a young woman. Therefore, I have not gone against the will of the Holy Church, which follows God.”
“You are no priest, yet you dare preach before one? Do you not realize that such words are themselves the seeds of heresy!
Confess and repent. Return to the embrace of the Church and repent. If you do, your punishment will be reduced.”
The priest shouted, carried away by his own words.
I muttered quietly.
“Do you reject the authority of the archbishop who accepted the revelation? Or are you suggesting that Archbishop Jacques Gélu is himself a heretic? If so, then I suppose that makes us heretics as well for following him.”
“……That will be all for today’s interrogation.”
***
“Lord Robert, Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, has sent a letter requesting a meeting with Maxime Blanche.”
“…I feel like abandoning the whole damn thing and disappearing into my estate.”
Robert cracked open a bottle of wine as he stared at the letter.
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