I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 2

Deus Vult? (2)

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“I think it’s been five days already…”

Two maids whispered as they passed through the hall.

The royal palace of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The hall was bustling with merchants, servants, and knights.

The clatter of scabbards against armor rang out, and the sound of wine dripping from wooden barrels echoed.

“He stays in his room all day. Do you think he’s still sick?”

“The Saracen [Muslim] doctor said he’s completely healed, didn’t he? More likely, he hasn’t recovered from the shock.”

The old maid replied.

“He fell off his horse in front of everyone. And the hawk he cherished so much died too.”

“I think it’s better now, actually. He doesn’t get angry at us, and rather…”

The young maid whispered.

“He spends all day in his room reading history books and records. It’s like he’s become a different person.”

“Don’t say unnecessary things. Someone might misunderstand if they hear you.”

“It’s not just me who thinks so. The rumors have already spread. They say the young lord has changed completely since the fall.”

Just then,

The sound of armor clanging echoed through the hall.

Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—

The maids and servants all stepped aside at the intimidating footsteps of the knights.

A woman appeared among the knights.

A light green dress with a golden shimmering veil and ornaments.

It was Sibylla, the king’s sister.

At her appearance, all the maids quickly bowed their heads.

Sibylla stopped in front of the door right in front of the maids.

“Is Baldwin still in his room?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Step aside. I’ll go in myself.”

“But the young lord said no one is allowed in the room…”

“Does a mother need permission to see her son?”

“Ah, no!”

At Sibylla’s gaze, the maids hurriedly knocked on the door.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

“Young lord, Lady Sibylla has arrived.”

Silence fell.

Just as the maid was about to knock again, a faint voice leaked from inside.

“Let her in.”

Sibylla pushed past the maids and entered.

The room was a mess.

Ancient books scattered haphazardly everywhere.

A wooden training sword and armor were also lying on the floor.

The boy was sitting in the middle of that mess.

Sibylla looked at her son without a word.

Tall and fair-skinned for a thirteen-year-old.

Sculpted features with golden hair.

But at the same time, he looked too weak.

A flower in a greenhouse.

There was no better way to describe her son.

“I heard you haven’t eaten or drunk anything for days. Your complexion seems worse than before.”

“…”

“It’s good to read ancient books, but the most important thing is your health. Royalty must take care of their bodies more than anyone else, Baldwin.”

Instead of answering, the boy nodded slightly.

Sibylla sighed and sat next to her son.

“It’s not such a shameful thing to fall off a horse while hunting. Fulk V [King of Jerusalem, 1131-1143] couldn’t last three days after falling from a horse. You’re lucky compared to him.”

“…”

The boy still didn’t answer.

An awkward silence filled the room, and finally, young Baldwin opened his mouth.

“Then this isn’t a dream.”

“A dream?”

Sibylla tilted her head.

She reached out and stroked his cheek.

“His Majesty wants to see you. If you’re still not feeling well, this mother will accompany…”

“No.”

The boy said in a strained tone.

He raised his head for the first time and looked at Sibylla.

“I’m not so unwell that I can’t go myself, Mother.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Sibylla nodded and stood up.

“I brought medicine made by the best doctors in Jerusalem, so be sure to take it.”

As she left the room, the escort knights hurriedly followed behind her.

In the empty hall, only the maids’ curious sighs remained.

“What on earth is going on?”

* * *

“Sibylla…”

I stared at the back of the woman leaving the room.

Five days.

It had already been five days since I fell into the middle of the Middle Ages.

When I came to my senses again, I was lying on a bed I had never seen before.

A strange ceiling to see when I opened my eyes.

There couldn’t be a more cliché situation than this.

Fell off a horse while hunting.

That was all I heard.

Over the past few days, being cared for by servants and doctors, I came to one conclusion.

‘I’ve entered Last Crusaders.’

And as the character I set, Baldwin.

If I had known this would happen, I would have played a dating sim game instead of a historical simulation.

Then at least I could have been surrounded by pretty girls.

A royal of a country on the verge of collapse.

“Haa…”

Unconsciously looking for a cigarette, I gave up and sighed.

Getting out of bed and standing in front of the mirror, I saw an unfamiliar boy.

Shimmering golden hair.

Eyes that were blue as if wearing lenses.

Is this me now?

Just like the illustration I saw when creating the character.

“But it’s strange to just call it a game.”

As time passed after regaining consciousness, new memories came to mind one by one.

The song I heard while falling asleep in my mother’s arms.

The excitement and thrill of riding a horse for the first time.

All of these were Baldwin’s memories, not mine.

The woman who came to see me just now.

The feeling I felt the moment I saw Sibylla was the same.

Sibylla was a royal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the sister of King Baldwin IV.

And my mother.

I think she appeared as the heroine in a Crusader-themed movie.

I didn’t expect her real appearance to be similar to the actress.

The sense of relief, love, and anxiety I felt when I saw her were all Baldwin’s emotions.

“Let’s sort out the situation first.”

I lost consciousness while playing Last Crusaders.

And the place I woke up was in the middle of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

In 1181.

As the character I set.

“What I last saw on the monitor was definitely…”

[Final Objective: Defend Jerusalem]

[Reward: Return to the original world + Bonus]

[Failure will result in annihilation in both worlds]

[Good luck. Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre]

‘Annihilation in both worlds.’

That means nothing but death.

Perfect, perfect.

First, I was expelled from the Military Academy, and now I’m in danger of dying in a game.

What sin did I commit in my past life?

‘I can’t die like this.’

If that phrase is true, I had to protect the Kingdom of Jerusalem at all costs.

That’s the only way to escape this damn world.

“It’s fortunate that I’m older than in the original history…”

I looked in the mirror again.

I didn’t look too bad.

No, I’m much better than the original.

I’m glad I didn’t choose any strange traits.

If I had chosen weaknesses like [Terribly Ugly] or [Deformed]….

I don’t want to imagine it.

The two bad traits I chose were.

[Innate Frailty] and [Spoiled Brat]

I definitely felt weaker than before.

I was out of breath even after walking a little.

Holding a sword or wearing armor was close to hard labor.

And the maids and servants subtly avoided me.

This must be because of [Spoiled Brat].

Then I have to somehow get through it with [Innate Charisma] and [Unexplainable Intuition]….

I’m not sure about innate charisma yet.

But intuition definitely existed.

Sibylla’s affection towards me.

And even the maids’ surprised emotions.

As intuition would have it, it was difficult to explain in words, but I could vaguely understand what emotions they were feeling.

‘Can I feel the emotions of people around me?’

Okay, so what do I have to do now?

If I do nothing, Jerusalem will fall into Saladin’s hands in six years.

If it’s 1181, then surely….

The Islamic forces are busy fighting each other.

There’s still time left.

The important thing is how I act.

“I’m sure the king said he called me.”

If it’s the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem now, it’s Baldwin IV, my uncle.

Why did he call me?

Whatever the reason, I couldn’t ignore the king’s order.

I turned around and approached the door.

I need to change my clothes first.

When I knocked on the door, the maids came in.

“I need to leave the room.”

“Yes, young lord.”

The maids came and took off my clothes.

Before I could stop them, I hurriedly raised my hands.

A questioning gaze.

No, is this normal for royalty in the first place?

I ended up shutting my mouth.

It was a few minutes later that I barely got dressed and came out of the room.

I retraced my newly acquired memories and took a step.

Passing through the hall, the outside scenery unfolded.

Marble pillars and walls sparkling in the sunlight.

The smell of sand and spices stinging my nose.

And even the windows sparkling in all sorts of colors.

“I couldn’t have imagined that the Jerusalem Palace would look like this.”

It was on a different level from what I saw in the game.

Jerusalem.

The holy land of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

This place was an Islamic city just a few decades ago.

The First Crusade conquered this place and established the kingdom in 1099.

The kings of Judah, the Roman Empire, the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, and even Israel.

I was in the middle of it all.

Passing through the hall, people bowed their heads and paid their respects.

“I’m glad you seem to have recovered, young lord.”

“If you knew how worried we were…”

I nodded lightly each time I received a greeting.

I also heard small whispers from behind.

“He’s been in his room all day, but he seems to have changed somehow. Don’t you think?”

“Well, I don’t think it’ll last even a week.”
Hmm, most of them are close to slander.

This must be because of the trait I chose.

I shook my head.

‘I don’t need to worry about it now anyway.’

Soon after, I stopped in front of a door where guards were standing.

It seems like this is the king’s office….

Hesitating in front, one of the guards approached me.

“Welcome, young lord. His Majesty is waiting for you.”

The guard knocked on the door.

“It is Prince Baldwin.”

“Come in, Baldwin.”

The door opened to both sides like a huge mouth.

I paused for a moment.

Do it naturally. As naturally as possible.

Last Crusaders played for over 1000 hours.

There’s no reason for a Crusader otaku like me to be intimidated.

I took a deep breath and went inside.

* * *