I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 20

To Jerusalem (5)

* * *

Jerusalem

Holy Sepulchre

As the sun rose, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was bathed in bright light.

Numerous pilgrims knelt, hands clasped in prayer.

The shrine where Jesus Christ was said to have been buried and resurrected.

Pilgrims who had traveled for weeks, even months, to reach this place shed tears of emotion.

But they weren’t the only ones there.

A small prayer room away from the central hall.

An angry shout echoed off the walls.

Guy.

He roared.

“Reynald is such an idiot! How could he be outplayed by such a child?”

He waved his hand dismissively at the man across from him.

“Tell me! Why did your master make such a disgraceful mess!”

“That young Baldwin used vile tactics,” the man in the black robe said.

He kept wiping the sweat from his brow.

“He pretended to lead the knights out of Eilat, setting a trap. How could we have known that in advance?”

He continued, “Hiding in the Knights Hospitaller’s fortress from the start….”

“If he had thought before rashly moving the Saracens….”

Guy growled, interrupting. “If he had thought, he wouldn’t have made such a gamble. At least he would have moved after hearing that Baldwin had arrived in Jerusalem.”

“This is just a minor setback. The Lord of Kerak is still our master.”

“But what good is that! People will see young Baldwin as a tamer who has tamed the lion.” Guy continued.

“Isn’t it because your master ignorantly dragged in the Saracen tribes that Baldwin got wings?!”

With that, he drained his wine glass.

The red wine ran down, soaking his white coat and chainmail.

“Now even the king is trying to make him a hero. A royal who rebuilt Eilat and maintained peace, ha! What better propaganda could there be?” He scoffed.

“If Reynald had just stayed still, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.”

“It would be best to avoid saying things that would anger my lord,” the robed man said.

He crossed his arms and continued, “Because the lord is one of the few who supports you as the next King of Jerusalem.”

“But now he’s ended up helping young Baldwin. Unless Lord Reynald did it on purpose….”

Guy fiddled with the hilt of his sword, then waved his hand as if he didn’t want to say more.

“Go now. Tell your master to lie low for the time being.”

The man bowed slightly and disappeared out of the prayer room.

Left alone, Guy spat on the floor.

“He’s creating all the justification in the world for him.”

He stared out the window.

The streets were bustling with the sounds of people.

Everyone was out to welcome Prince Baldwin, who would arrive today.

* * *

“Your complexion seems much better than before, Baldwin,” Sibylla said, staring at her brother standing next to her.

Brother and sister from the same womb.

But the worlds she and her brother had lived in were not the same.

“Thanks to the Saracen doctors,” Baldwin IV said, waving to the gathered crowd.

The citizens of Jerusalem cheered when they saw him.

“Applying herbs and sticking needles all day, how could it not have an effect?” He looked at Sibylla. “But they haven’t found the elixir to cure my disease. And probably never will.”

“Baldwin….” Sibylla gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Baldwin IV’s body was wrapped in bandages.

It was hard to find any exposed skin.

“You’ve always seen me as I am,” the King of Jerusalem said.

“Others have always pretended not to see my leprosy. As if it didn’t exist. Only you were different.”

“Because you’re my brother,” Sibylla smiled faintly.

“Now, tell me honestly. Why did you hold such a grand welcoming ceremony for Baldwin?”

“I thought you’d be happy, Sister?” Baldwin IV replied with a smile.

His gaze was directed forward.

“This has made it clear. Baldwin rebuilt the city and stopped that ignorant Reynald from rampaging twice.” He murmured.

“Do you think this is a coincidence?”

“You mean….”

“He’s been acting all along. Hiding his claws like a clever hawk. Even being obsessed with falconry and tormenting servants and maids was all an act,” Baldwin IV said.

“And he ended it after the fall from the horse. What do you think as a mother?”

“….”

Sibylla said nothing.

Her son’s sudden change was not easy for her to accept either.

“Baldwin has changed overnight. But he hasn’t become a completely different person. Even after the fall, the look in his eyes was the same,” she said.

In the meantime, Baldwin’s deviations were due to anger caused by his weak body, inferiority, and anxiety.

The fall was just the trigger to reverse that.

“That child is still my son.”

“And a royal who inherited the noble blood of our ancestors,” Baldwin said in an amused tone.

He pointed towards the city gate. “There comes today’s protagonist. Let’s go and greet him.”

* * *

We stared blankly at the crowd gathered in front of the gate.

“I didn’t expect such a big welcoming ceremony. Could there be another festival?” Aig and Garnier whispered in small voices.

The soldiers on the walls waved at us.

Our soldiers and knights also waved with excited expressions.

‘I didn’t expect Sibylla and Baldwin IV to come out to greet us together.’

Seeing them made my heart ache for some reason.

A feeling of being rewarded.

An uncontrollable emotion flowed through my heart like an electric current.

“There comes His Majesty,” Garnier whispered.

Baldwin IV on horseback approached me.

I and the knights dismounted and paid our respects to him.

“Welcome back to Jerusalem, Baldwin. I heard the journey wasn’t easy.” He looked at the Balian brothers and continued, “You have worked hard too. Lord Balian, Lord Hugh. You helped Baldwin do great things.”

“We only did what the prince wanted,” Balian bowed.

“If we did anything, it was just riding horses and swinging spears a few times.”

“I’m glad your humility is still the same, Balian,” Baldwin IV laughed heartily and gestured to me—a gesture to have a private conversation.

What is he going to say?

I cautiously approached him.

“You did a great job in Eilat, Baldwin. You have achieved far more than I expected,” he said with a smile.

“I never imagined you would use Balian to save Eilat.”

“It was His Majesty who sent Balian and the knights. I couldn’t have captured all the sea tribes alone,” I said.

It was he who gave me the cards to use.

“I only sent them to protect you. It turned out so well because you handled it wisely.”

“I didn’t expect you to hold such a grand welcoming ceremony.”

“People in Jerusalem need a hero more than ever now. Someone to give them hope. It’s not unreasonable in such dark times.” He pointed to the crowd at the gate.

“You mean….”

“You are that person to them right now, Baldwin.” Baldwin IV looked at me.

Two smiling eyes were visible through the silver mask.

“You successfully rebuilt Eilat and protected it from the sea tribes. You even put Reynald in chains.”

“They were all coincidences,” I bowed politely.

I finally scored some points, so I can’t look arrogant.

“I will give you a gift, Baldwin.” He patted me on the shoulder.

“All the funds earned through this Eilat reconstruction are yours. I have already prepared the permit, so you can take out as much as you want at any time.”

“You mean….”

I couldn’t react for a moment.

He’s just going to give me tens of thousands of dinars [a gold coin used in many Middle Eastern countries]?

That’s enough to run a small army.

It was too much to give as a reward.

Seeing me standing there blankly, he laughed again.

“I’ll see how you use that money. You better not disappoint me.”

He gestured, and a man came with a piece of paper.

Is he a royal scribe?

He looked like a scholar at a glance.

The paper the man handed over was filled with ornate Latin.

[Know all those in the future and present, I, Baldwin IV, the blessed sixth King of the Holy City of Jerusalem…….]

It was a certificate to give me the funds.

He’s even giving me the documents.

As I was lost in thought, Baldwin IV asked, “Well, is there any other city you want to rebuild besides Eilat?”

“Not yet. And I don’t think there will be for the time being,” I sighed and nodded.

Being in charge of a city is too difficult.

‘What takes one button in the game takes at least a few days in reality.’

Circuit court, negotiations, construction command, fund management, etc.

I looked at Baldwin IV.

‘If one city is this hard, how hard is it for the king?’

He’d probably be working all day.

Then, if a rebellion or war breaks out, he’d summon the army and go to war.

How did he do all that with leprosy?

“Well, it’s natural that you want to rest after doing so many great things in a row,” he said in a thoughtful tone.

“If you want, I can contact the coastal cities so you can take a break….”

“No.” I hurriedly interrupted.

I don’t have time to go on a long vacation.

‘Now is the most important time.’

Even if I take a break, I can’t stop moving.

To survive in this era, I had to keep moving.

“I’ll rest in Jerusalem even if I rest,” I said with a smile.

I pointed to the camels in the back.

“And I have a lot of things I got from the Saracen alchemists. I won’t be able to take them all with me.”

“Saracen alchemists?” Baldwin IV tilted his head with interest.

“I didn’t know you believed in such things, Baldwin. Did you buy any magic devices?”

“You could say that.” People often say that alcohol works magic.

I smiled as I looked at the walls of Jerusalem.

It was time to add to the funds I received from Baldwin IV.