I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 113

The Lion and the Hunter (3)

* * *

“Those are truly wonderful stories.”

“Anything told firsthand tends to be exaggerated.”

I said with a smile.

The air inside the tent was thick.

In the center, jesters danced and frolicked, while wine glasses and food were passed around.

Eig was drunk, having fallen asleep with his head on the table.

Luark…

He’s less drunk than I thought.

He was shouting and clinking glasses with another nobleman.

Are they having a drinking contest?

“Then let me continue.”

I continued the story.

From Eilat to Jerusalem.

Constantinople and Hama.

From Italy to Aquitaine and the lands of France.

“So, the Saracens helped the Prince?”

“The Assassins [a Nizari Ismaili Shia sect] also believe in Islam, but they don’t get along with the Sunnis. They are more like enemies.”

“Like the Eastern and Western Churches not getting along, you mean.”

“Your Majesty is correct.”

I smiled and looked at the man before me.

The young King Henry.

Is this our second meeting?

He wasn’t as well-known as Richard, to be honest.

He lived in his father’s shadow his whole life before dying of illness.

One might say his fate is similar to that of Alexios of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The more I talked, the more envious he became.

Envious of me.

“I, I have always wanted to participate in the Crusades. I have already taken the oath of the Cross. It’s just that my duty as king… damn it!”

He shouted, frustrated.

Everyone in the tent stopped talking and looked at us.

The young Henry waved his hand as if to say it was okay, and the atmosphere returned to normal.

“I, I’m sorry, Prince. I can’t help this damn stutter.”

He sighed.

“U, unlike you, I have lived my whole life according to my, my father’s orders. Where to go, wh, what to learn, I followed my father’s orders.”

He added.

“You wouldn’t know what that feels like.”

I could feel the anger flowing through his body.

I looked at him without a word.

Anything I say would sound like pity.

I didn’t realize Henry II’s desire for power was this strong.

To hold his son so tightly and control him.

What would it feel like to live your whole life under your father’s surveillance and permission?

Especially when his younger brothers are living more like monarchs than he is.

No wonder he’s obsessed with jousting.

It’s like a frustrated second-generation chaebol [a South Korean family-owned conglomerate] running a professional soccer team.

“Y, you are fighting infidels for the fate of the holy city of Jerusalem, wh, while I’m here fighting with my brother.”

The young Henry said.

“I feel like a puppet being moved by someone else.”

“Everyone tries to use everyone else.”

I nodded.

“But there are always choices.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“The choice not to be a puppet.”

I said.

I always had choices.

The 21st century where I originally lived.

And here in the 12th century as well.

I could have just stayed in the palace, trembling.

Or run as far away from Jerusalem as possible.

Then I wouldn’t have had to risk my life running around like this.

But I made a choice.

A choice I made, not someone else.

I looked at the young Henry.

What the young Henry wanted was simple.

To break free from his father’s interference and control and become a true king.

“Isn’t what Your Majesty wants to become the true King of England?”

“Th, that is…”

His face turned red.

It was a reaction that made me wonder if my words were an insult or not.

Soon, he sighed.

“You are not wrong. I am not yet a true king.”

“I can help Your Majesty become a true king. But to do that, we must first stop this war.”

I said.

“To do that, Your Majesty must take the lead. As the eldest brother, you must take charge of the situation.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“Soon, those who want to stop this meeting will appear. Perhaps those who do not want peace.”

I looked at Geoffrey, who was sitting across from me.

He was sipping his wine and occasionally looking at us.

‘He’ll probably be at the forefront. His profits will increase if his older brothers keep fighting.’

What kind of scheme will that guy come up with?

I recalled the events I saw in Last Crusaders.

And the conspiracies and rebellions that occurred in real history.

After thinking, I leaned forward.

“Let me briefly explain what will happen. First, they will start with Sir William Marshal. And…”

The young Henry listened to me with his mouth shut.

“…”

When I finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Y, you speak with such certainty, Prince.”

“Because I have already seen it.”

I replied with a smile.

Politics was, after all, politics.

I had seen enough of it in Last Crusaders to be sick of it.

Laughter erupted around us.

“Ah, I almost fo, forgot to mention it.”

The young Henry took something out of his pocket.

A letter sealed with a red ring.

That’s a familiar crest.

“Y, your mother sent you a letter, Prince.”

“Your mother…?”

The mother of the young Henry and Richard.

Eleanor of Aquitaine.

That woman sent me a letter?

* * *

The next morning.

I rested with Eig on the plains next to the encampment.

Eig kept frowning, as if he had a bad hangover.

“Wasn’t Queen Eleanor imprisoned?”

“No matter how strict the security, it wouldn’t be difficult to secretly send a few letters.”

I looked at the letter in my hand.

Elegant sentences in an elegant script.

The content was simple.

‘Stop the fighting between brothers and help Duke Baldwin come to England safely!’

Eig opened his mouth.

“But why would Queen Eleanor send such a letter to the Prince? He’s not even her son.”

“It’s simple. She’s trying to let me know her purpose.”

I replied with a smile.

Did Queen Eleanor also realize why I came here?

It seems like she’s trying to use me to gain her freedom.

It’s not a bad deal for me either.

‘As expected of a woman who once ruled Europe.’

The sole heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine.

The Queen of England who divorced Louis VII of France and remarried Henry II, and the only queen who participated in the Crusades.

Even after her sons became Kings of England, she wielded considerable influence.

‘Her stats and abilities were very high in the game too.’

These royals are all overpowered.

“She’s openly saying she’ll help me. The young Henry and Richard can’t ignore their mother’s opinion.”

I said.

Richard, in particular, was more dependent on Eleanor than his other brothers.

“If I go to England and help Eleanor get released, Eleanor will send her sons on the Crusades.”

“Everyone is trying to use you, Prince.”

“That goes both ways. If everyone gets something, it’s not a bad deal.”

I replied.

The conversation I had with the young Henry last night came to mind.

“If I want to gain something, I have to take care of other people’s interests first.”

You couldn’t get anything if you only thought about your own interests.

Give and take.

The young Henry wanted royal power.

Richard wanted his mother, Eleanor’s release, and a truce.

If I help them, they will follow me on the Crusades.

But what Geoffrey wants is to take his brothers’ territories.

I had to stop that no matter what.

If I were Geoffrey or Bertrand, what would I do?

If I wanted to stop the peace agreement and continue the war….

“How are Geoffrey’s movements? What about Bertrand?”

“There haven’t been any significant movements yet. We did find out that some mercenary groups have disbanded….”

“Mercenary groups disbanded? The war isn’t over yet?”

I stroked my chin.

I felt something fishy.

“Disbanding and gathering mercenaries is common during war.”

“Just in case, put more people on it. Find out where the disbanded mercenaries went. Maybe…”

“Yes?”

“I think I need to check it out myself.”

“Then I’ll go prepare your armor and knights.”

“No, I don’t want people to know I’ve left the camp. I want to go out with as few people as possible.”

I looked at Eig.

He flinched as I stared at him.

“Wh, why are you looking at me like that?”

“You happen to be about my size. I have a favor to ask of you.”

I said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, it’s not difficult. Just wear my armor and helmet. You can do that much, right?”

“Wear your armor and helmet, Prince?!”

Eig shouted with wide eyes.

* * *

At the same time.

The young Henry’s camp.

“Sir Marshal committed such an act! This is a clear frame-up!”

“We are at war! War! When would Sir Marshal have time to do such a thing?!”

“The testimony is clear. Several minstrels have already come forward, haven’t they? The rumors have already spread uncontrollably.”

“And the rumors spread before this war broke out. The rumors are circulating in Paris and across the sea in London.”

“From the beginning, Sir Marshal was clearly instigated by Duke Richard! Otherwise, how could a knight commit such an evil act in front of the enemy?”

“Then, th, their words are…”

The young Henry said.

Everyone who had been shouting and yelling stopped talking as if they had made a promise.

“M, Marshal committed adultery with my wife?”

“…”

“According to rumors, some poets and knights in the palace saw it before the war broke out. Marshal…”

A man cleared his throat.

“Entering the Queen’s chambers. Of course, it’s just a rumor. But we can’t ignore the fact that there are so many witnesses.”

“Hmph, an interesting claim. Marshal, what are your thoughts?”

“It’s a ridiculous slander, Your Majesty.”

Marshal said with a flushed face.

He looked around the crowd, but everyone avoided his gaze.

Even those who had been criticizing him until just now could not meet Marshal’s eyes.

Marshal looked at the young Henry.

“Your Majesty. I have served you for decades. I was the one who performed your knighting ceremony.”

He said.

“I have never neglected my duties and responsibilities. I believe that you, Your Majesty, more than anyone else, will trust me.”

He looked at the crowd and added.

“But if Your Majesty cannot trust me, I will prove my innocence by duel. I will face anyone in a duel.”

Everyone knew what he meant.

To prove his innocence by duel!

That meant he would directly fight the slanderers, or their representatives, to prove his innocence.

Still, no one opened their mouth.

A heavy silence flowed through the tent.

“Is there anyone here wh, who will directly duel with Sir Marshal?”

“…”

“Ah, it seems a duel would be difficult.”

“However, Your Majesty! I have never committed such an evil act…!”

“This matter could have a significant negative impact on Your Majesty’s reputation. It must be cut off before the roots are too deep.”

The men began to speak again.

Marshal’s words were quickly buried.

In a fleeting moment, Marshal noticed something.

The young King Henry winked at him.

Seeing this, Marshal closed his mouth.

The young king looked around the crowd and said.

“Anyone who has an opinion, feel free to speak. I want to hear everyone’s opinion.”

He said.

“The scribe must record everyone’s statements without missing a word.”

Marshal looked at his lord.

The young king no longer stuttered.

* * *

Additional information: In real history, William Marshal was plagued by rumors that he had committed adultery with the young King Henry’s queen, and as a result, he had to live as a wandering knight for a while.

‘His companions dug the trap we saw earlier, and they likewise separated the affectionate relationship that their lord (the young King Henry) and William Marshal maintained with slander and defamation, and eventually ruined him.’ – The Great Knight, William Marshal (Georges Duby)