Women only affect my ability to spread the fire

"This is what the wet nurse finds the strangest part of the coronation ceremony."

Eleanor said this.

Bunches of fennel and sorghum stalks...these two words reminded Russell of what Knight Friedman once said about one kind of witchcraft in which wizards "fight at night with bundles of fennel or sorghum stalks in their hands."

Given the similarities, it's hard to say the royal family has no connection to witchcraft. Knight Friedman's speculation certainly seems correct.

Seeing that Eleanor, racking her brains, had stopped talking and seemed to have nothing to add, Margaret nodded and added, "This is a folk custom in Usedom to pray for a good harvest, and it is often held in villages."

Russell asked curiously, "So this isn't witchcraft, but just a folk custom?"

"Witchcraft?" Margaret frowned. "I've never heard of witchcraft."

"A knight of trial from the church told me that this is a typical form of witchcraft." Russell spread his hands.

"Perhaps the more failures one has, the less forgiving one becomes." Margaret shook her head. "At least fifty years ago, the monks didn't take these folk customs seriously. Sometimes even young priests would participate in these folk rituals."

Russell nodded. He felt that what Margaret said made sense, just like when Russell heard a scholar named Jin say before he traveled through time that Americans were becoming less and less able to take jokes.

"But this ritual is a bit dangerous. Maybe after someone dies, the church wants to ban it on the pretext of witchcraft," Margaret continued.

"Isn't this a folk ritual? Why is it dangerous?" Russell was very curious.

Margaret explained, "Because they have to fight for real. One side takes bundles of fennel, the other takes sorghum stalks, until a winner is determined. If the side with the bundles of fennel wins, it means good weather and good harvests in the coming year, but if the side with the sorghum stalks wins, it means a year of famine."

Rather than a folk ritual, this looks more like a large-scale divination.

"I once read about a knight who, after the demons in his territory, armed with sorghum stalks, won three consecutive years, issued a decree prohibiting the villagers in his territory from growing sorghum."

Why are you so anxious? Russell almost laughed out loud.

Finally, Margaret added, "It's not ruled out that witchcraft has developed over the past few decades, to the point where previous folk customs have indeed become witchcraft. After all, I've been away from Usedom for a long time."

Margaret's words were full of melancholy.

Russell nodded, frowned and thought for a moment, then raised his hand to stop Margaret from continuing.

"Okay, let's leave this topic for now, Margaret. I think Leia found you and used both soft and hard tactics to get you to influence me. I believe her ritual will be related to the trial or its outcome."

Russell didn't mind listening to Margaret share some interesting folk stories, and he was also quite interested in these little stories.

In the alternate world after traveling through time, after losing the ocean of garbage information, these strange stories that were also garbage information suddenly became interesting.

If it were during his leisure time, Russell could chat with Margaret all day long, but now that it was certain that Rhea was going to cause trouble, Russell temporarily had no time to listen to stories.

Russell once again turned to the wonderful painting. "Eleanor, are there any other steps in the ceremony related to the trial, the criminal, and the pardon?"

Eleanor stammered and was speechless. She really couldn't think of anything more.

Russell couldn't help but suspect that there might be something wrong with the direction of his guess.

Perhaps this ambitious maid who calls herself "Mistress" is not trying to ascend to the throne in one go and hold a coronation ceremony, but is trying to use some other ceremony to gain enough power to make her the Mistress?

"Well, but, won't the king pardon criminals when he ascends the throne?" Rosalyn suddenly spoke up. "I heard from my grandmother that in Vitalos, every elected king pardons prisoners."

"But didn't that Rhea want me to declare old Ernst not guilty?" Russell raised his eyebrows and winked at Margaret and Rosaline.

The two ladies who knew Russell well knew from his expression that he probably had an idea in his mind, but because he did not trust Eleanor, he did not say it out of caution.

Russell deliberately changed the subject: "Forget it, let's put aside the confusion for now and think about other things, such as witchcraft. I brought back some herbal residue. You can analyze how this medicine was prepared and what its effects are."

…………

Just when Russell deliberately shifted the topic to witchcraft, the knight Friedman who went to hunt down the witches now looked very ugly.

Although the groom obediently provided his home address, when the two knights found the groom's home, his wife had already fallen dead on the ground.

There were no signs of external injuries on her body, and she didn't even look in pain. It looked like she died naturally.

However, when he saw his wife's dead face, the groom struggled desperately. He widened his eyes in fear, let out a hoarse growl, and struggled with his limbs tense, almost trying to break free from the hands of the two knights.

After the two knights took great pains to hold him down, foam came out of his mouth, and then his head tilted, and he also died without leaving a single word.

In stark contrast to his wife's peaceful appearance, the groom's death looked particularly hideous.

Friedman was so angry that his face turned blue after receiving the reward. He openly revealed his identity as the Knight of Judgment, recruited a team of knights, and arrested all the villagers.

Knight Friedman vowed to find the wizards behind the plot - in his own words, "these hateful witchcraft demon lackeys."

The author says:

Author's words: Thanks to Bloodthirsty Bronze Bull for the reward and coins

Thanks for the tip without a nickname

Thanks to readers 1697116370 and Feixueshengxia for their coins

130 Breaking the tacit understanding

Friedman's big move naturally alarmed Russell.

Russell went straight to Friedman. Along the way, Russell heard a mixture of torture, whipping, and wailing for mercy.

"Ah, Mr. Russell, you've come at the right time. I was just about to send someone to invite you." When Friedman saw Russell, a smile appeared on his gloomy face.

To Friedman, Russell was the son-in-law of the Walhausen family and a member of his own family.

Elda, who was left aside by Friedman and was sitting there restlessly, looked a little better when she saw Russell appear.

In Elda's mind, Russell once killed Father Berthold with a sword cleanly and neatly, and he was one of her own.

"Sir, Mr. Russell." Elda quickly stood up and spoke before Friedman could, "Please help us persuade Mr. Friedman to release these innocent villagers!"

Elda's voice was sharp and penetrating, and Russell was sure that it could pass through the house and reach the ears of the villagers who were being or waiting to be tortured.

Russell felt that this was probably Elda's intention. Since she was already the female leader here, she had to show favor to the villagers.

Elda acted as if she was protecting the villagers, making them believe that the female leader was trying to protect them, which was undoubtedly an effective way to consolidate her rule.

This displeased Friedman. After exchanging greetings with Russell, Friedman directly challenged him, "Elda Heinrich, please recognize your situation. I didn't lock you up with these unruly people who colluded with wizards because of the late Adrian Heinrich! Do you really want me to throw you into the dungeon as well?"

Friedman's voice was very loud, and he did not try to hide the booming sound of his rage. Russell had no doubt that these sounds could also reach the ears of the villagers.

Maybe the relationship between these two people is not as rigid as it seems on the surface. Don’t they cooperate very well?

Perhaps the phrase "for the sake of the late Adrian Heinrich" was not meant for Elda, but for me.

Russell didn't bother to investigate the knights' complex network of connections. He closed the door and lowered his voice, saying, "Alright, let's talk some truth now. Mr. Friedman, Miss Elda, how did the grooms die? Why did you arrest all the villagers?"

"The deaths of the grooms are indeed related to wizards." It was Elda, not Friedman, who spoke, "But these villagers are indeed innocent."

Russell glanced at the silent Friedman and raised his eyebrows.

It seems that Miss Elda's search for a husband is already underway.

"How did you know that, Miss Elda?" Russell asked knowingly.

Russell already had a guess in his mind when he saw that Elda was not accompanied by her personal maid Leia.

As expected, Elda sighed deeply. "Unfortunately, I have a maid who wasn't so obedient. She's strayed from the right path, abandoning her faith in the Lord and secretly indulging in witchcraft... Alas, despite my subtle attempts to get Rhea, who was once like a sister to me, to return to the right path, she completely ignored my hints and even assumed I knew nothing."

Neither of you, the master and servant, is a good person.

Russell sighed in his heart.

Although Miss Elda looks weak and helpless, she is not confused at all. It seems that she has noticed Leia's little tricks a long time ago, and she may even have endured it for many years.

"I recently secretly investigated Leia, but unexpectedly discovered that Leia had secretly murdered Father Berthold! She was so obsessed with witchcraft that she even dared to murder the Lord's messenger. Therefore, I really couldn't stand it! I carefully investigated her every clue and confirmed her involvement with witchcraft!"

Elda did not forget to try to drag Russell into the water.

To this end, Elda even dragged up the death of Father Berthold, half threateningly trying to get Russell to endorse her statement.

However, Elda underestimated Russell.

Russell didn't buy Elda's tricks. He waved his hand nonchalantly and corrected her, "I think you've made a mistake, Miss Elda. I was the one who killed Father Berthold."

"What? You?" Elda's eyes flashed with surprise and disbelief.

Friedman was also shocked and stood up from his chair. He subconsciously pressed the sword at his waist, but hesitated and did not dare to draw it.

"Hmph, that scoundrel Berthold revealed his identity as the Inquisition to me, trying to force me to hand over Margaret to him. Do you think he should be killed, Lord Friedman?" Russell asked proudly.

Are you kidding? Margaret is the sister of a genuine national knight. Killing a flea that has set its sights on her is just a matter of hiding something.

Russell naturally wouldn't allow such a thing to become a handle.

Russell didn't even look at the pale-faced Elda, but stared straight at Friedman, looking at his open mouth, and slowly grasped the hilt of the sword.

But, he is the Lord's shepherd after all, you can't just kill him casually...

Trial Knight Friedman wanted to say something, but Russell put too much pressure on him directly, and Father Berthold was not in the right in this matter anyway.

Friedman's mouth opened and closed, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. After a long pause, he managed to utter a hoarse sentence: "He deserved to be killed. Well done."

Russell smiled slightly and praised, "Well said. Indeed, there are very few insects like Father Berthold in the Church. Most of the Knights of Judgment are reasonable people like Sir Friedman."

Russell laughed, and Friedman felt the pressure on him suddenly ease. He felt weak and slumped back into his chair with a thud.

Only then did Friedman realize that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Russell then turned to Elda and said, "I have always been upright and honest, and I have nothing to hide from others. Miss Elda, I don't need you to cover up for what I have done. Do you understand?"

Russell's words were ostensibly to save Alda's face, but in fact, they were telling Friedman that what Alda said to him was not entirely true.

In Russell's opinion, this pair of dogs and bitches, each with their own ulterior motives, had colluded with each other for various purposes. They must have come up with a story to fool him.

Now that Russell has taken the lead and broken their tacit understanding, he will surely be able to obtain some truly useful information next.

131 Black Princess

Sure enough, just as Russell expected, after he finished speaking, Friedman's expression became quite unnatural.

Friedman's face turned red and white, and he looked quite emotionally unstable.

Elda's face was as pale as snow, without a trace of blood.

"Well, let's talk about your misguided maid, Miss Elda." Russell asked directly.

Russell didn't bother to care about Friedman and Alda's feelings.

Who knows if these guys who are all experts in acting are acting again. After Russell knew that Leia had some kind of plan, he lost his patience to continue dealing with these people. He hoped to solve the problem as soon as possible.

Elda gathered herself together, racking her brains to form her words, then said ambiguously, "Uh, I, I'm just sure she doesn't worship the gods, and instead worships witchcraft, which has some strange and bizarre powers. But, she's my maid after all, so I've never dared to tell anyone about this..."

Elda went around in circles, playing a lot of pitiful games, saying how she had painstakingly endured the evil maid, fearing that her life would be in danger.

Her uncle was old and confused, and the poor countryside of Meldorf lacked young talents like Russell and Friedman. Now that she met the upright Russell and Friedman, she dared to tell them the secret that was buried deep in her heart.

As she spoke, she seemed to feel a surge of grievances in her heart and began to cry softly.

Friedman was moved by Alda's vivid description. He listened attentively, and a look of pity naturally appeared in his eyes.

Russell was unmoved and watched Elda's hard work with a calm expression.

Elda glanced at the stubborn Russell with her red and swollen eyes. She gritted her teeth and said resolutely, "In my opinion, Leia is most likely a spy planted by the royal family to be with me!"

What a pity, not only is she not a spy planted by the royal family next to you, on the contrary, she is a former royal noble.

Russell, who already knew Leia's identity, still looked indifferent.

However, Friedman was suddenly shocked. He asked impatiently, "Is this true?"

Friedman leaned forward, his tone full of urgency, and suddenly blood rushed to his cheeks, making him look flushed.

Russell believed that this sudden excitement was not acted out because it was so natural, including the expression of body language.

It seems that for Friedman, obtaining evidence of collusion between the royal family and wizards is much more important than marrying a wife and inheriting an estate.

Alda was clearly unprepared for Friedman's reaction; she recoiled in fear, her arms folded across her chest—a clear sign of insecurity.

After calming herself down, Elda spoke softly, "It's absolutely true. I've seen Rhea privately commemorating a certain royal princess several times. She's often hummed songs in her own private life, in a court tune never before circulated, praising that princess. I think this must have something to do with her background."

Russell thought that since Leia gave herself such a name, most of the songs she hummed were praising herself.

So Russell asked, "Do you know which princess she is singing about?"

Elda shook her head. "I don't know. I can't remember the name, but I happened to hear an old maid mention it. It was a princess who died in the Great Retreat. She seemed to be the King's sister."

In reality, Elda didn't want to say so much. After all, her maid was involved in witchcraft, and it would be difficult for her to clear herself of suspicion.

If she could get close to Friedman, she could ask Friedman to cover up for her as his wife, but because she wanted to drag Russell into the water, Russell ruined her plan with just a few words.

Feeling the two men's suspicious eyes, she could only tell them everything and then find a way to clear herself.