Women only affect my ability to spread the fire

Under Russell's questioning, Mark recounted incoherently the many rumors about the horror of demons that he had heard from the hunters.

Russell discovered that these rumors emphasized the devil's invincibility, saying he could lift mountains, cause tsunamis, and even swallow the sun...

The demon in the rumors seemed very absurd and was completely different from the demon Russell had actually encountered and fought.

Russell wasn't sure how much of this was based on false rumors. It seemed that the hunters who hid in the mountains had suffered quite a few shocks during the battle, which only added a lot of spice to the horror of the demons.

As for other details about Usedom, Margaret, who was mentally prepared but still unwilling to give up, questioned him carefully, but failed to get any more nutritious information.

Perhaps the only hunter willing to provide information had been frightened by the devil, or perhaps he did not want to talk about the sad past of his hometown.

After leaving their homes, they hide in the mountains and make a living by hunting. They are very poor. Such people either never want to talk about the past again, or they always talk about the good old days.

Unfortunately, the hunter Mark met this time was the former type.

"Do you know how many years ago the Great Retreat took place?" Margaret asked.

Margaret wanted to confirm how long it had been since she came back to life. Before, on Saint Margaret Island, she felt that she had been dead for more than a year. Now it seemed that this period of time might not be so short.

However, in this era, only scholars and priests cared about the calendar. Margaret repeatedly asked about the current year, but she always got vague or irrelevant answers.

Even the knight's niece, Elda, was not clear about the current year. So far, the only person Russell and his party had met who might know the calendar was Father Berthold, who was killed by Russell with a sword.

This time Mark was also confused, he shook his head slowly.

Margaret was not discouraged. She changed the question: "How old does the hunter who told you these things look?"

Mark said that the hunter looked very young, about the same age as him, only fifteen or sixteen years old.

This answer is actually quite ambiguous, and Margaret doesn't know whether to be happy or sad.

The most optimistic estimate, of course, is that the great retreat happened in recent years.

However, judging from the absurd descriptions of the demon, Margaret believed that the young hunter probably had not experienced the Great Retreat personally.

"Okay, I don't have any other questions." Margaret nodded.

Margaret actually wanted to express her gratitude formally. After all, Mark had run into the distant mountains, injured himself, and only then did he get the news.

But Margaret hesitated.

Although Margaret judged that Mark did not have the same stress reaction as old Ernst, who was afraid of the polite tone of his superiors, this was, after all, a lesson learned by the working people at the bottom of society at the cost of their lives.

If she really thanked him politely, Margaret was afraid that it would give young Mark the wrong experience in dealing with other superiors, which would harm him instead - Margaret was well aware of Usedom's various chronic diseases.

So Margaret finally said indifferently: "Have something to eat and drink first. I'll call someone to treat your wound."

Mark was exhausted, thirsty, hungry and had a slight fever. He felt dizzy and dizzy.

Despite this, Mark still did not touch the water and food in front of him.

Because he still used his remaining sanity to clearly judge that the two people in front of him were not so satisfied with the information he brought back.

Mark was anxious, fearing that Russell would not do his best to clear his father's name.

So he persevered and continued to repeat the news he brought back from the mountains, hoping that Russell and Margaret could get some useful information from it.

"Don't worry, I've already found out that old Ernst is innocent. I will find a way to prove his innocence."

Russell knew Mark's concerns, so he whispered a promise to Mark in words that only the two of them could hear.

This promise is certainly a sincere compliment to the young man.

When Mark heard Russell say this, a huge stone fell from his heart. The breath he had been holding was released. His eyes went dark, and he fell forward to the ground with a thud and fainted.

Russell reached out and touched his forehead: "Why is it so hot? Go call a doctor!"

The author says:

Author's words: Thanks for the tips and coins without a nickname

Thanks to the Bloodthirsty Bronze Bull for the coin

108 Judge

Mark fell into a high fever and coma. Like his father, old Ernst, he was only taken care of by the person arranged by Russell and Elda at his bedside. It was very lonely.

Meanwhile, the entire Meldorf was rapidly becoming bustling with activity. The room in Heinrich's manor, originally designed for gatherings, had been dusted off and put back into its proper function.

Interestingly, most knights were unwilling to go to the arena, seemingly viewing the tournament as a low-level hobby enjoyed by crude and nameless country folk.

They were more keen to gather in large rooms to chat, flatter each other with elegant conversation, and compete with each other with cards.

Margaret felt that these knights today were simply bringing disgrace to the title of knight.

"Is a knight who doesn't enjoy jousting still worthy of being called a knight? Did the nation of knights, Usedom, even have its backbone broken after the failure that led to the great retreat?"

This is Margaret's blunt evaluation of the knights.

Margaret believed that the knights who were close to her father would never be so cowardly, so she temporarily gave up the idea of ​​dealing with these knights.

Of course, more importantly, she believed that she had spent a considerable amount of time from death to resurrection, and she could hardly imagine what kind of mood her father, mother and brother William had gone through all these years.

"My Lord, please allow me to calm down. If you need me to help intercede on behalf of Mr. Ernst, I will."

Margaret said this and shut herself up in isolation.

Rosalin has always been shy and doesn't like socializing. Talking to the hostess Elda with Russell and Margaret was the limit of her social activities.

Now facing so many strangers, especially the smelly men, Rosalin felt suffocated and about to faint even if she just looked at them, so Rosalin also hid in the room and refused to come out.

As for Francine, although she unexpectedly expressed a desire to play a trick on the guys, she always stayed with her sister Rosalyn—in fact, she could not go anywhere without Rosalyn holding her box—so she also stayed in the room.

In short, the ladies were unwilling to come forward for various reasons, so the only man who showed up was the only one.

In reality, Russell wasn't particularly fond of dealing with these knights. However, if he wanted to clear Old Ernst's name, it was crucial to understand the knights' preferences.

In order to fulfill his promise, Russell had to go to the banquet hall and socialize with these knights.

When the knights heard that the slave who killed Adrian Heinrich was still in prison and had not been convicted, those knights who wanted to win the beauty suddenly had a direction to work towards.

They always put pressure on Russell, overtly or covertly.

In fact, Russell was initially met with hostility, not only because he was a foreigner, but also because of his face.

Some people also wanted to snatch the position of chief judge from Russell. This was not because they were dissatisfied with Russell, a foreigner, serving as the chief judge. They simply felt that the chief judge could better interact with Miss Elda and more easily win her favor and win her heart.

A knight named Friedman casually said, "Speaking of which, the border between Occitania and Usedom is now cut off by the gray fog. How are you getting in touch with your own territory?"

Then one of his followers chimed in, "Yes, yes! It would be fine if Mr. Russell were of noble Occitania descent. Such noble blood would be enough to understand the customary laws of Usedom, especially the customary laws of purebloods! But if he's just an Occitania commoner, how can he understand the rules and customary laws of Usedom?"

Most of the knights just watched coldly.

Compared to the rough-looking Friedman, this pretty boy from Occitania who is more popular with women at first glance is obviously a greater threat.

What's more, people are looked down upon when they leave their hometown. Russell, an Occitania, mixed in with the people of Usedom, and everyone wanted to step on him.

Russell considered in his mind the feasibility of knocking all these people to the ground and forcibly declaring old Ernst not guilty, and then instantly rejected this very tempting method.

This would relieve his anger, but when he was gone, old Ernst would not be able to deal with the aftermath.

Law is essentially a tool for maintaining social order and class rule.

If Russell really wanted to overthrow all these ruling classes, it would be tantamount to causing the social death of old Ernst.

If it was Mark, it would not be impossible for the young Ernst to run away with him, but would the old man, who had only a few teeth left, really be willing to leave his hometown and wander around? How many days could he live after leaving home?

So Russell decided to change his mind. He looked at Friedman, who was puffing out his chest like a rooster courting a mate, and shook his head. "Oh, what a shame! I don't mind the position of presiding judge."

Friedman showed a triumphant smile on his face: The Occitania man in front of me really retreated. I guess the heroic display of me putting pressure on him will surely reach Miss Elda's ears, right?

Friedman's chest then puffed out like a cock-a-doodle-doo.

Although Friedman would have liked to declare victory immediately, there was something called "grace" that was now popular in Usedom's social circles.

Since the Occitania man in front of him had not finished speaking, Friedman had to wait for him to finish speaking, otherwise he would lose points in the social arena.

Such lack of grace and etiquette would definitely reach Miss Elda's ears, and even back to Gritzburg, causing Friedman to die socially.

Russell said slowly, "My lady and I were passing through Meldorf when His Excellency Adrian Heinrich tragically passed away. Therefore, it was at Miss Elda's kind invitation that I took on the position of judge."

Russell spoke especially slowly on “My Lady,” making sure everyone fully understood the meaning of those four words before continuing.

"I have always suspected that I lack understanding of Usedom's customary laws. If someone is willing to take over this position, I am willing to step down. I just wonder if any of you knights have a satisfactory candidate?"

Although Russell said a lot of nonsense about retreating to advance, the knights present still grasped the key points well.

You said you had a lady. So you're not a competitor.

"Miss Elda is certainly a discerning judge! In my opinion, Lord Russell is the most suitable judge for this case!"

Immediately, some smart people recommended Russell.

Since Russell is not a competitor, it is much better than a competitor taking the position.

"We in Usedom also need to listen to diverse opinions. It is most appropriate for the insightful Lord Occitania to serve as the presiding judge."

The strange thing is that these words were actually said by the same person who had previously talked about pure-blooded Usedom - it seemed that Friedman also realized that he had made a mistake.

The limberness of her figure was so good that she could compete in Olympic gymnastics, which amazed Russell.

"Although there are several respected seniors present, I also agree with diversity! We must fully consider the opinions of Mr. Russell from Occitania! In my opinion, Mr. Russell is the most suitable person to serve as judge!"

You fools, there are still a few old widowers! If you don't quickly nail Russell, who is not a competitor, to the position of judge, are you waiting for those guys who rely on their seniority to come out and grab it?

Once these words were spoken, there was no longer any objection. Knights who preferred empty talk might not possess sufficient martial virtue, but the hidden meaning of their words was always clear.

Thus, with the unanimous approval of the knights present, Russell completely obtained the legal status of judge in this case.

This was a result that all the knights present could accept. It had to be said that politics was truly the art of compromise.

Russell looked at the courting roosters and it took a lot of effort for him to restrain himself from laughing out loud.

The author says:

Author's words: I am still dizzy and sick.

This chapter was set to automatically publish but the time was set wrong...

109 Rewards and Punishments

Although Russell's power as a judge was temporarily endorsed by the knights, this power came entirely from the knights' mutual compromise out of mutual vigilance and could hardly be called stable.

The knights were trying hard to show off their gorgeous tail feathers like peacocks, and of course they also insisted that the "evil slave" must die.

They don't even need to make such a judgment out of consideration for finding a mate, it comes more from class instinct.

But there is still a lot of work to be done to prove to the knights and villagers that old Ernst is not the murderer.

The biggest problem facing Russell now is that there is no evidence. People will not accept the confession of a cow.

Looking at Russell, who was frowning and thinking about countermeasures, Margaret had a different opinion: "My Lord, your thinking habits are different from those of the people here. You seem to attach too much importance to the importance of facts."

Russell looked at Margaret in confusion. He was completely confused by what Margaret said: "What do you want to say, Margaret?"

"My Lord, perhaps you would get along well with a scholar like me," Margaret said, choosing her words carefully. "But my father once taught me that humans are not like the other things in nature we study. When dealing with people, we must be aware that their prejudices are always greater than the facts."

Looking at Russell, who was still a little confused, Margaret felt that "my intellectual god is completely unaware of the ignorance and filth of the world."

This feeling is very complicated.

On the one hand, she felt that Russell should be such a high-level creature who takes facts as the criterion, which made her feel solemn respect in her heart.

On the other hand, Margaret also had a maternal instinct for education, similar to the sense of responsibility of "I must teach my god well."

Finally, Margaret also felt a sense of shame for exposing the filth of the mortal world in front of the gods - it was like some kind of exposure play - especially when combined with her previous reverence and maternal instinct, it became very strange, which even made her cheeks blush and she couldn't help but squeeze her legs together.

Margaret came back to her senses from her trance and saw that Russell was still patiently waiting for her explanation. Her face turned even redder, and at the same time, a sense of guilt and blasphemy of dereliction of duty surged in her heart.

She quickly cleared her throat, organized her words, and said seriously, "If people don't believe that old Ernst is a murderer, even if he really did kill someone and you convict him, he will still be innocent in people's eyes."

"Aren't you thinking about how people will accept him after he's acquitted? You might as well try to plant the prejudice that he's innocent in people's minds first."

Russell frowned. He understood what Margaret meant. The word "prejudice" she used here was not meant to be positive or negative. It was just a potentially more objective description of a point of view.

Margaret continued, "It's not easy. Replacing one prejudice with another often requires the latter to be sufficiently strong. People have a preconceived notion that old Ernst did kill Adrian Heinrich. After all, he was beaten bloody that day and returned home in a daze. The whole village saw it."

"Even if old Ernst truly had no memory, people would still believe that he was confused and his survival instinct took over, accidentally killing Adrian Heinrich during the struggle."

As Margaret said, Russell was not only concerned with clearing the name of Ernst Sr., but that alone was not enough. Rumors and social pressure were enough to kill a person.

Russell had witnessed countless examples in his previous life.

For example, even if a man has not done anything bad, if he encounters a strange essay, he can easily become socially ruined or even have his career destroyed.