I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 112

The Lion and the Hunter (2)

* * *

“Priest, you should sleep in the tent. You’ll catch a cold.”

Aigue sighed.

Managing Priest Pierre was not easy.

Every day, he wandered around with his donkey, followed by countless believers.

Aigue’s job was to ensure they didn’t cause any trouble.

“Ah, Sir Aigue! I’ve been waiting for you. You’ve come at the right time!”

Pierre waved his hand.

“Priest, I’ve told you many times, I haven’t been formally knighted yet…”

“I had something to tell you! No, I knew it just a moment ago.”

The priest looked into the air.

“There was definitely something I wanted to say. Ah! Yes, that’s it.”

“What is it?”

“I heard that the local residents are very unhappy with the ‘military scrip’ [temporary paper money] that the Gongja made.”

Priest Pierre said.

He pointed to the believers around him.

“The residents who came to pray at the Holy Cross said so. They say they can’t trust such scraps of paper.”

“I can’t blame them. We’re foreigners from the Levant [historical region encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean], after all.”

Aigue shrugged.

“How many people would believe that they’ll get money later? Frankly, I’m more surprised that anyone accepts it.”

“I didn’t expect you to say that, Sir Aigue.”

Pierre’s face flushed.

He waved his hand again.

“The Gongja is sent by Christ to save not only Jerusalem but the entire Christian world. The Lord has told me so through the Holy Cross.”

“Ah, yes…”

Aigue scratched his head.

“I’ve heard that many times, but I don’t see what it has to do with this.”

“You don’t see what it has to do with this! Do I have to explain such obvious things one by one?”

Pierre clicked his tongue.

“Now, think about it. The Gongja came all the way here to do Christ’s will, didn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right. And…”

“And! It was difficult to get food because the ship carrying the funds didn’t arrive. This is clearly a sign from the Lord!”

“A sign? What kind of sign?”

“The Lord is giving the local residents a chance to participate in this glorious history!”

He shouted, and the donkey next to him raised its head slightly before lowering it again.

The donkey’s buttocks had no fur, revealing its white skin.

“The Gongja made ‘military scrip’ that he said he would exchange for money later. Using this is the same as helping the Gongja and the army of Jerusalem, am I wrong?”

“I don’t think you’re wrong, but…”

Aigue scratched his head and replied.

It was strangely persuasive, making it hard to dismiss as mere nonsense.

“Please continue.”

“Then using military scrip is the easiest and fastest way to do the Lord’s will!”

Priest Pierre took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

“Isn’t this a token to reduce suffering in purgatory and go to heaven? This itself is a guarantee!”

“Military scrip is a token to help Jerusalem. That sounds plausible.”

“It’s not just plausible! This is Christ’s will! His will is contained in all things!”

Priest Pierre shouted.

People had gathered around him.

Believers who had accompanied him from Paris.

People who had joined from various parts of Italy and France.

Soldiers and knights also gathered.

“The fact that the ship carrying gold didn’t arrive was also the Lord’s will! He sank the ship to give more people a chance for salvation!”

He gasped for breath.

“Even the most ordinary farmers can contribute to the holy war, so how can this not be the plan of the divine!”

“Praise the Lord.”

The gathered people nodded and talked.

The sound of their murmuring echoed.

“Yes, wasn’t it strange that the Gongja came up with the military scrip so quickly?”

“He could have just requisitioned it.”

“He knew everything from the beginning. He received a revelation.”

“Now, Sir Aigue! Go and tell the Gongja what I said. He probably already knew. He was just waiting for me to say it first.”

“The Gongja has gone to the camp of young King Henry. But I will tell him as soon as he returns.”

Aigue sighed and looked around.

He couldn’t pour cold water on this atmosphere.

‘Well, whatever works. I wonder what he’ll say when he hears this.’

Aigue shrugged and moved on.

A new service had already begun in front of the Holy Cross.

More and more people gathered as time passed.

“Oh, Lord. We throw ourselves at your feet, weeping and fully embracing your glory and blessing…”

* * *

“Your swordsmanship is better than I thought. I hope to have the opportunity to face you in a tournament someday.”

“I don’t know. Facing Sir Marshal might not be a good choice.”

I looked at Marshal and replied.

The hand holding the sword trembled.

How many people get this experience?

Sparring with the best knight in England.

It wasn’t easy even with my sixth sense maximized.

I could barely defend.

It was impossible to switch to offense.

The blades collided in the air.

Each time, a tingling vibration shook my hand.

I looked at Marshal.

“You’re going easy on me.”

“I didn’t mean to insult the Gongja. I just wanted to check your skills.”

He lowered his sword.

“Why don’t we stop here today? There will be other opportunities to settle the score.”

He smiled.

“I can’t hurt the King’s guest.”

“That’s fortunate. I didn’t want to hurt the King’s knight either.”

I said with a smile.

Knights and soldiers were sitting on the surrounding plains, watching us.

Young Henry had invited me and Ruark before the meeting with Richard.

The Knights of Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre entered the tent with Marshal’s guidance.

“Were you such a good fighter since you were a child, Sir Marshal?”

“My mother told me…”

Marshal shrugged.

“I was playing with swords even on the catapult.”

“On the catapult?”

“When I was young, King Stephen besieged our family’s castle. During the truce negotiations, I was sent as a hostage.”

Marshal nodded.

He stopped and smiled.

“But the negotiation was actually a trick by my father to buy time. Later, King Stephen was furious when he found out and put me on the catapult so the people on the castle walls could see me.”

“…”

“Even then, I was playing with a wooden sword, not knowing what was happening around me.”

“So what happened?”

“My father shouted at King Stephen, ‘Kill him if you want! I still have a hammer and anvil to make a better son!'”

Ruark burst out laughing.

He waved his hand at Marshal.

“Ah, I’m sorry. ‘Hammer and anvil.’ That’s a metaphor I like. I should use it later.”

“Feel free. But it’s not common for a son to be placed on a catapult.”

Marshal smiled too.

He looked at me again.

“I heard that your mother, Sybilla, remarried with Guy of Lusignan.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Guy.

The first guy I’ll deal with when I return to Jerusalem.

“Ten years ago, I was a knight serving Queen Eleanor. One day, Guy attacked the Queen in the forests of southern Aquitaine.”

Marshal said.

Unlike before, his tone was cold.

“My uncle, the Earl of Salisbury, lost his life that day. They attacked him from behind, without armor. It was a cowardly act that violated chivalry.”

“He did the same in Jerusalem. He seduced the Knights Templar to commit evil deeds.”

I said.

He didn’t care about endangering the Kingdom of Jerusalem and tried to interfere with me.

I looked at Marshal.

He’s testing me.

Is he trying to see what kind of person I am?

He nodded.

“I heard that too. I wanted to join the Knights Templar someday, but…”

He continued.

“The most important thing for a knight is chivalry and loyalty to his lord. Nothing else is needed.”

“I think so too.”

I looked at Marshal.

He served five English kings.

He could be called the embodiment of chivalry and loyalty.

These are traits that can only exist in this era.

“Then I would like to ask Sir Marshal honestly. What do you think about this war?”

“…”

He paused for a moment.

We passed the soldiers and went deep inside the camp.

“It can be said to be a meaningless war. In the end, it was Henry II who started this war.”

Marshal opened his mouth.

“Young King Henry was deprived of the rights he should have enjoyed as king. That’s why he’s so obsessed with taking his brothers’ territories.”

“And there must be people encouraging him from the side.”

I said.

Typically Geoffrey and Bertrand.

First, Geoffrey, the younger brother of young Henry and Richard.

As the Duke of Brittany, he could gain more benefits if his brothers fought each other.

‘And the troubadour Bertrand…’

A troubadour [a medieval Occitan poet-musician] and noble warrior, he was one of young Henry’s closest aides.

On the surface, a loyal subject.

But I knew the truth.

‘In fact, he’s the one who designed this war.’

A man who spreads false rumors and plots all sorts of schemes.

If William Marshal is the number one recruitment target when playing as an English character, Bertrand is the number one target for elimination.

“If the war continues, no one will escape death.”

I said.

I know better than anyone what their respective ends will be.

“Young King Henry and Geoffrey will die of illness, and Richard will fight and defeat his father and become king. But he will lose his life meaninglessly after going on a crusade.”

I continued.

“After that, Richard’s brother John will inherit the throne. But he won’t be a very good king.”

“…”

Marshal stopped and looked at me.

A brief silence flowed.

“Did the Lord say that? Is that the predetermined fate?”

“I’m telling you a possible future. It can be changed as much as you want.”

I said.

I’ve changed countless things so far.

Right now, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Italian cities.

Even the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

“That’s why I came here to change that fate.”

“Then you should persuade Henry II first. But it won’t be easy.”

Marshal said.

“A lion never gives up its claws.”

“Then we have to make him give them up.”

I answered with a smile.

How can I make Henry II give up his power?

I shook my head.

First, I have to stop this war.

We finally arrived at the central tent.

A tent as big as a circus.

As soon as I entered, I was enveloped in warmth.

The man sitting in the center.

Young Henry stood up and greeted me.

“Oh, welcome. I was waiting for the Gongja.”

“Thank you for the welcome, Your Majesty.”

I answered with a smile.

Let’s take it one step at a time.

“I have a lot to talk about with Your Majesty today.”

* * *

Additional explanation: In original history, William Marshal joined the Knights Templar after the death of young King Henry according to his will (a will to fulfill the oath of the cross on his behalf) and fought in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

There are not many records about Marshal’s time in the Levant, which is presumed to be due to the prohibition of boasting, which is one of the Knights Templar’s rules.

Some records show that William spent two years in the Levant region of Syria, and that he showed as much achievement and generosity there as others did in seven years.

William Marshal returned to England in 1187 when Henry II’s health deteriorated.

If his return had been delayed a little more, William Marshal might have participated in the Battle of Hattin as a Knight Templar and lost his life.

– Source: William Marshal, the Great Knight (Georges Duby)

+ The ‘hammer and anvil’ in the play is known to be a statement made by John Marshal, William Marshal’s father, to King Stephen. – Source: The Age of Chivalry (Time-Life Books)