Chapter 64: Chapter 58: Discussions in Normandy
A countryside village in Normandy
A group of villagers returning home from a day’s work in the fields noticed that something had been written on the village notice board—a rare sight.
They were drawn to it. After all, life in the countryside was hard and dull; any bit of news was a welcome distraction that could keep them occupied for a long time.
"Huh? What does it say?"
"Who knows? Probably something about taxes again. Do those noble lords ever think of anything else?"
"Rouen... journey... go... What the heck! What does any of this mean?!"
"None of you can read it, so why are you all crowding around? Look at you lot, acting like you’ve never seen the world! How embarrassing! Everyone, make way! Let me through!"
"So what if I can’t read it? Doesn’t mean I can’t look, can I? You’re saying you can?"
"Everyone, stop arguing. None of us can read it anyway. Let’s just wait for the village elder. He knows more than any of you, doesn’t he?"
"So I can’t read it, that means I’m not allowed to talk?!"
"Of course I understand! Let me see... hmm..."
A middle-aged man pushed through the crowd, walked up to the notice board, pointed at the text, and stroked his chin, studying it with a serious expression.
"What fine words! ’God is with me! Long live the Franks!’ It’s simply brilliant. The Duke has such a way with words."
"Is that all? There are a lot of words on there. It must be something important."
"What do you know? That’s just how Latin is—a whole lot of useless words with very little meaning. I studied Latin with a Priest when I was a boy," the middle-aged man said, defending himself with righteous indignation.
Just as the villagers were getting into a heated debate, some even coming to blows over the notice’s contents, a shout rang out from nearby.
"The elder’s here! Make way, everyone!"
At the mention of the elder, the crowd hastily parted.
An old man, perhaps in his sixties or seventies, slowly approached the notice board, flanked by two burly men. He gazed up at it for a long time, then waved a hand at the two men beside him.
The two men understood immediately. They pulled the notice board from the ground and hoisted it onto their shoulders.
Then, the elder slowly turned his head and looked at the villagers gathered behind him.
"You’ve all had a long day. You can all disperse now. It’s nothing important. The Duke just wants to let us know that, according to his calculations, the rainy season will arrive early this year. He wants everyone to make preparations."
"Oh, so that’s what it was about. You gave me a scare. I thought it was about taxes."
"It seems the Duke is a good man. He even went out of his way to inform us about the rainy season so we could prepare. It’s just that the Counts and Barons under him are no good."
"Yeah! One day I’m going to leave the village and work for the Duke. I’ll kill all those rotten Counts and Barons!"
"See? I told you so. A long string of Latin with hardly any real meaning. I studied Latin with a Priest for two years when I was a boy," the self-proclaimed expert said with a smug look.
The people nearby praised him, apologizing for their earlier doubts and promising to be less judgmental in the future.
"How boring. I thought it was something important. I’m going home for dinner."
"A bunch of idiots, getting all worked up over something they can’t even read. I said we should wait for the elder. The elder knows everything."
The crowd readily believed the elder’s explanation.
After the crowd had dispersed, the elder and the two burly men were still standing in the same spot.
Once he was certain all the villagers had left, he turned to one of the burly men. "Olivier, you will go and attend the meeting. It’s nothing of great consequence, and our small village can’t influence matters anyway. It would be good for you to see the world."
"Yes, Father."
....
「Normandy, The Nobility」
"A merciful Duke, worthy of our fealty. I have awaited this day for a long time. The great Robert, may God bless him!"
"The Duke’s magnanimity is a model for all Nobility. His merciful actions would put the King of the Franks to shame. There is no one in the world more worthy of our allegiance!"
"Compared to him, that self-important Conqueror is hardly worth mentioning. The arrogant fool has no idea what we need, or he simply pretends not to."
"Humble and just, His Highness Robert! Under his leadership, Normandy will once again make the name ’Conqueror’ echo throughout Europe! May God be with him!"
"Inviting that flock of chattering Priests is one thing. But to actually invite that rabble of peasants who don’t know a thing? I refuse to sit with a crowd that stinks of mud."
"What’s the hurry? So what if they go? We should be thinking about how we might get more land out of this merciful Quasi-Duke. It’ll certainly be easier than with that odious old Duke, as long as we make a good show of our support."
"....."
....
「Normandy, The Clergy」
"His Highness Robert is indeed completely different from his father. Normandy is blessed. May the glory of the Lord drive out the tyranny of the secular world."
"I will never trust these greedy nobles. Though he offers fragrant flowers, there is surely a sharp dagger hidden in his sleeve!"
"The temporal sword must be placed within the spiritual sheath! Brothers and sisters! Let us return the Church to its rightful place!"
"This is not a matter for Priests to manage. Our only task is to revere God. Brothers and sisters, do not eat the apple of Eden."
"Perhaps we should contact the Holy See. The Holy See might offer a more enlightened judgment."
"The Church must possess enough Power to protect the Lord’s lambs, so that we Priests may serve God in peace."
"Honestly, a bunch of idiots. Do you really think you can decide anything? Is this a meeting you low-level Cultivators can attend? If anyone is to go, it should be the deans and the Bishop!"
"....."
....
「Normandy, The Citizens」
"Has the Lord of Heaven finally had enough and awakened this arrogant Nobility? To think they would make such a proposal."
"Christ above! They are finally afraid. Our long struggle has had an effect! This city is undoubtedly ours."
"It’s probably just another deception. Lying is easier than breathing to those nobles, how can we possibly trust them? Maybe they want to round us all up in one go..."
"No! We have suffered enough casualties. We might be able to obtain what we want through more peaceful means."
"If he is sincere, I will find a way to win the most favorable charter for everyone, to obtain a truly free city that is completely ours."
As a few citizens were deep in a heated discussion, a portly man, dressed in clothes far more splendid than theirs, walked up to the notice board and patted it.
He was a member of the Silk Weaving Merchant Guild, a silk merchant of some renown.
"Remember to nominate me, all right? I know many of the Nobility, so I’ll be able to do more for everyone. I’m willing to personally cover one-third of the expenses for next year’s Midsummer Festival."
"Don’t listen to this fat man’s nonsense! Where would he get that kind of money? Put your trust in our Shipbuilding Guild! We are willing to cover half the expenses for next year’s Easter!"
"And there’s our Shoemaker Guild! We’re willing to provide everyone with a new pair of shoes, free of charge, next year!"
