I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 106

Intermission (1)

* * *

The sound of trumpets echoed.

The Lombard League soldiers stood in rows, holding pike spears on both sides.

At the end of the procession stood the Holy Cross, me, and the Pope.

I stood before the cross and looked at the Emperor.

He looked more exhausted than when I had seen him before.

A woman in white stood beside him.

Was that Empress Beatrice?

She looked like a deer standing next to a massive lion.

The two walked steadily through the passage formed by the Allied soldiers.

The eyes of the Italian soldiers followed them.

Arriving before the Holy Cross, the two knelt before the Pope.

“Your Holiness.”

“My sons and daughters of the Church, I welcome you.”

Pope Lucio spoke in a gentle tone.

He embraced the Emperor’s head with both hands and kissed him.

Then it was the Empress’s turn.

The Pope smiled and said.

“We have been waiting for you both. I believe you know Duke Baudouin here.”

“Of course.”

Friedrich and I looked at each other.

The man known as ‘Barbarossa,’ meaning ‘red beard’ [an Italian nickname referring to Frederick I’s red beard].

He was dressed in plain formal attire, not chainmail.

Golden ornaments were visible here and there.

I unconsciously tried to suppress my frown.

He approached me.

“So, you’re the one who sent Priest Pierre. Aren’t you?”

“The day before this battle, Christ appeared in my dream.”

I said.

“And He told me this: Emperor Friedrich has chosen the wrong path, but he can still correct it.”

I smiled at him.

“Priest Pierre simply conveyed my words. Didn’t Your Majesty believe my words and come all the way here?”

Of course, Friedrich didn’t believe me.

And I knew he didn’t.

But who believed what didn’t matter.

‘What matters is giving him a chance to surrender gracefully.’

Guido was right.

If the Emperor died here, he would become a German hero.

I couldn’t allow that.

The Emperor had to survive.

So that all of Europe could know how cowardly and fearful the German Emperor was.

“You could have broken through this encirclement at any time, I presume.”

I scoffed.

The Imperial Army was on the verge of collapse.

One attack.

Just one, and all the Germans could be killed.

“If it is the Lord’s will… stopping the fighting may be a wise choice.”

Friedrich’s lips trembled.

His face flushed red, matching the color of his beard.

I arranged the soldiers to make him feel humiliated.

Lined up on both sides were ordinary soldiers, not knights.

It was unprecedented for an Emperor to walk among peasants to surrender.

“I agree with Your Majesty.”

I smiled faintly.

We were the ones who won the battle.

No matter how much I tried to preserve his pride, I had to make it clear who the victor and loser were.

I used the revelation to save him face as much as possible.

‘If I lie, the Emperor pretends to believe it.’

The Emperor was not surrendering because he lost the battle.

He was only surrendering according to the Lord’s will.

It was a play on words, but the Emperor had no other way out.

The Emperor bit his lip and muttered.

A voice so small that the Pope couldn’t hear.

“Duke Baudouin, if you had taken my hand, I would have launched a crusade for Jerusalem in a few years.”

He continued.

“I would have driven out the Saracens [a broad term used by Europeans during the Middle Ages to refer to Muslims] and chased them beyond the East. Because of this, that possibility is gone. You have endangered the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

“Well, shouldn’t you take care of your empire before giving such advice?”

I stared directly into his eyes.

If you had stayed still, this mess wouldn’t have happened.

“This could have been resolved diplomatically. Even when Count Hartmann was defeated, there was still room for negotiation.”

Expanding the Holy Roman Empire’s influence could have been easily done by just throwing money around.

Any alliance crumbles if there is no clear enemy in sight.

Especially the Italian cities; their solidarity was even weaker.

By spreading some money to increase allies and spies, the Lombard League would have collapsed on its own.

If the alliance collapsed, the Pope of Verona would have been on the defensive.

Then the Holy Roman Empire could have taken the lead.

‘But you chose the opposite path.’

Emperor Friedrich crossed the Alps with a larger army than ever before.

Faced with a powerful enemy, the Italian cities united, and I led them.

In the end, the Emperor tripped over his own feet.

“Even if this expedition had succeeded, the Italian cities would have rebelled again. Then you would have had to come on another expedition.”

“…”

The Emperor said nothing.

I could tell that his emotions were hurt without using my sixth sense.

“And it doesn’t matter if Emperor Your Majesty doesn’t come on a crusade.”

I smiled again.

At first, I was planning to drag Emperor Friedrich into the crusade as much as possible.

But having achieved such an overwhelming victory, Friedrich would surely be hostile to me.

“Christ revealed to me that another German hero will come on a crusade. He said that man is currently in London.”

Friedrich had one lever.

Henry the Lion, who was related to him by blood.

Duke Henry had opposed the Emperor, had all his titles and territories taken away, and had fled to England, his wife’s home.

He later rebelled against Friedrich several times.

‘He’s like a thorn stuck in Friedrich’s palate.’

Now that the authority of the Holy Roman Empire has been thrown to the ground, it was the perfect moment for him to step forward.

What if he were provided with adequate funding?

“You insolent brat! If you’re threatening me….”

“I’m just telling you what could happen in the future.”

Friedrich strode towards me.

His two eyes, blazing fiercely, looked down at me.

I gestured to the knights not to approach.

I’d be happy if he came at me like this.

“Feel free to hit me if you want. In front of His Holiness the Pope and the Holy Cross.”

Try it if you have the guts.

Silence followed.

“…”

It was the Pope who broke the silence.

He said with his unique gentle smile.

“Now, both the Emperor and Empress should pray before the Holy Cross. There will be plenty of time to talk in the future.”

Emperor Friedrich stood before the Holy Cross.

I naturally stood right next to the Holy Cross.

It wouldn’t be that easy.

Now, the Emperor was in a position to kneel before me.

He frowned and looked at me.

His face flushed red again.

“…This doesn’t seem to have been planned. I will only kneel before Christ, not you. Get out of the way.”

“And I am the one who represents Christ’s will. Am I not? Not only did I bring this Holy Cross from Jerusalem, but I also received revelations.”

I said.

“Your Majesty is not kneeling before me, but before the Holy Cross and Christ.”

Saying this reminds me of a drama I saw a long time ago.

‘You’re not saluting a person, but a rank.’

The Emperor looked at the Pope as if asking for mediation.

But the Pope only smiled and said nothing.

Silence flowed again.

I could feel anger and embarrassment flowing through his body.

The Emperor hesitated for a moment and then knelt down.

“Waaaaah!”

The soldiers’ cheers echoed.

When it was Empress Beatrice’s turn to pray, I stepped away from the Holy Cross.

It would be enough for the Emperor alone to receive such humiliation.

When the Pope signaled, a soldier brought out a calf.

The Pope personally led the calf and approached the Emperor and his wife.

“This calf is a gift for the son who was thought to be dead but came back to life, who was thought to be lost but was found again. Please accept it, Your Majesty.”

“Of course, Your Holiness.”

The Emperor accepted the calf and exchanged a kiss of peace with the Pope.

The soldiers’ cheers echoed even louder.

* * *

The next day.

The Emperor, the Pope, and I entered Rome together.

The Roman Senate grasped the situation faster than anyone else.

They opened the gates as soon as they heard the news of the Pope’s arrival.

With a splendid welcoming ceremony.

Just a few days ago, they welcomed the Holy Roman Emperor, then opposed that Emperor, and then welcomed the Emperor again.

‘These bats are like no other.’

The Pope issued a statement forgiving the city of Rome.

The Lombard League army, the Knights of Jerusalem, and the knights of the Holy Roman Empire also entered Rome together.

Bells rang from all directions.

“Bless the Lord! His Holiness the Pope has returned to the heart of the world, the city of Rome!”

Countless flower petals fluttered in the air.

Well, it wouldn’t be a bad result for the Romans either.

Emperor Friedrich promised to pay compensation for the ‘unfortunate incident’ that had occurred recently.

The corpses he killed were still floating in various parts of the river.

“It’s the Emperor! The Emperor is walking with His Holiness the Pope!”

“Barbarian butcher! Go back to Germany!”

They threw fruit at the Emperor and jeered.

Some German knights stepped forward, but the Emperor had already been hit with apples and grapes.

I openly laughed at the sight.

You shouldn’t be upset with just this much.

You’ll be treated like a loser until you return to Germany.

Anyway, so this is Rome.

I looked around.

Once the heart of the world.

From the Colosseum where gladiatorial contests were held to the forums where politicians debated.

Now, there seemed to be more ruins than buildings in use.

It feels strange to walk here in person.

Pope Lucio approached me.

“You have done a great thing in Italy, Duke Baudouin. No other Christian has ever achieved such a feat.”

“I have only done what I had to do, Your Holiness. Any believer would have done the same.”

I bowed my head.

By defeating the Emperor, the Pope’s power has become stronger than ever.

Then you must pay the price now.

Reconciliation with the Eastern Church.

And the Third Crusade.

The Pope seemed to have read my eyes.

“I have already sent clergy to Constantinople and Europe. We will soon be able to hold a new ecumenical council.”

He said in a gentle tone.

“Now is the time for the two brothers who were separated to meet again. There will be no better opportunity than now.”

“I will do my best to help Your Holiness.”

“Let’s discuss the Third Crusade in detail later. I have several things in mind for you, Duke.”

He patted me on the shoulder.

“Now you are qualified to stand beside the Emperor. Come, let’s go together.”

The Basilica of Saint Peter was below the hill.

As we entered the cathedral, bells rang and the ‘Te Deum’ [a hymn of praise], praising the Lord, echoed.

The Pope led the way, and the Emperor and I followed him.

As I sat in the chair next to the Pope, the service began.

Songs and prayers continued, and I unknowingly began to close my eyes.

How frantically have I been running around for the past few weeks?

Numerous battles and fights.

And the people who lost their lives.

Was this enough?

Wigue suddenly came to mind.

He must be crossing the Mediterranean Sea by now.

I fell asleep, imagining the coffin on the ship.

Cold seawater brushed against my face.

* * *

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld – Emperor Friedrich (Public Domain)