I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 128

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (3)

* * *

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Confucius.”

“I am equally pleased to see you freed, Queen Eleanor.”

I bowed my head.

Queen Eleanor.

She sat alone atop a white horse.

She slowly dismounted.

“Master Confucius stopped my sons’ fighting and saved the English royal family by finding King Arthur’s tomb.”

“You helped me as well, Your Majesty.”

I replied with a smile.

I lightly kissed the back of her hand that she offered.

She was over sixty now.

Yet, she looked like she was in her forties.

Some fine lines were present, but her beauty remained.

‘Like seeing a queen from a fairy tale.’

An aura of antiquity emanated from her.

There was a reason she was so famous.

“Seeing you reminds me of when I went on the Crusades with Louis [Louis VII of France, her first husband]. Those who are there have a unique atmosphere. Noble, I should say.”

She smiled faintly.

“From the start, you were chosen by the heavens, so perhaps it’s only natural.”

“King Arthur chose young King Henry and Prince Richard. I merely conveyed his words.”

“And Beckett too [Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury]. There could not have been a more fitting time.”

She said.

“How is Jerusalem these days?”

“It is still peaceful…”

I said.

There was no need to exaggerate here.

“A great war is coming soon. The fate of the holy city hangs in the balance.”

“So you intend to take my sons to Jerusalem.”

Eleanor nodded.

She mounted her horse with an elegant motion, without the aid of maids or servants.

“You found King Arthur’s tomb and foretold the comet and earthquake. Perhaps going to the holy city is my children’s destiny.”

She gave a faint smile.

“Let us talk more later, about how to repay the favor I received from you.”

“There is a more pressing matter at hand.”

I nodded.

More and more people were gathering as time passed.

The streets were so packed there was barely room to stand.

Soon, I would have to walk over people’s heads.

I smiled at Eleanor.

She was the star of today’s show.

A queen unfairly imprisoned by her husband, and

The Eagle of the Broken Oath, as Merlin foretold.

The citizens of London wanted her.

When the eagle spreads its wings.

“Please lead the way, Your Majesty.”

* * *

The city was filled with cheers.

The knights and soldiers guarding the fortress and streets were taken aback by the surging crowds and retreated.

It felt like a festival.

Queen Eleanor led the way, receiving the cheers of the citizens.

“Deus Vult! Deus Vult!” [God wills it!]

“God wills it!”

It was like setting off on a crusade.

God wills it!

Queen Eleanor’s return to London was, after all, God’s will.

And the comet and earthquake that befell the wicked king.

What clearer evidence could there be?

‘This feels strange.’

I had deceived all of England.

No matter what I said, the comet and earthquake would have happened.

I had simply added prophecies and threats before and after.

Well, that’s what prophets do.

‘It was similar to what Moses did in Egypt.’

Of course, it lacked the impact of the ten plagues.

That would be hard to replicate.

Turning the river to blood, raining frogs, hail, and even summoning locusts.

But the English regarded me as their Moses.

Eig approached me.

“I didn’t realize the queen was so popular among the English. Especially since she’s from Aquitaine [a region in Southern France]…”

“You thought she wouldn’t be popular?”

I asked with a smile.

In fact, Henry II himself had created this situation.

“Henry II made a big mistake from the start. Imprisoning the queen like a criminal was the problem itself.”

I said.

“While openly sleeping with his prospective daughter-in-law and other women.”

In truth, I could understand why Henry II had imprisoned the queen.

Eleanor had supported her sons in their rebellion.

She ensured her sons gained legitimate power, and she played a leading role in the process.

Henry II prevented another rebellion by imprisoning her.

‘But that’s not how the people see it.’

Imprisoning the queen and committing adultery with his prospective daughter-in-law!

No Christian could accept that.

‘That’s why Merlin’s prophecy comparing Eleanor to an eagle spread.’

And most of the troubadours of Aquitaine and England supported the queen.

By imprisoning her, he gave her supporters a reason to rally.

“He would have been better off divorcing her. But he wouldn’t want to give up Aquitaine [Eleanor’s inherited territory, a significant source of wealth and power].”

“That mistake led to this situation. So, if…”

Eig shrugged.

“If Henry II had admitted his sins and repented, would the comet and earthquake not have happened?”

“Well, that would have depended on the Lord’s will.”

I replied with a smile.

It was surprisingly convenient to invoke God’s will in times like these.

Whatever happens, you can just say it’s God’s will.

“Now young Henry and Queen Eleanor will lead the kingdom. Henry II will step back.”

Effectively becoming a toothless retired king.

The political damage Henry II suffered this time was irreparable.

‘Even the lords who supported him will turn away.’

The monarch of this era could hardly maintain power without the support of the lords.

The moment the English saw the earthquake, the game was over.

‘God has abandoned the king!’

There could be no greater blow than that.

“Let’s make him pay the price for attacking my army.”

Ruark, who was at the front, approached.

He said with a smile.

“We will soon arrive at the palace, Master Confucius.”

* * *

The palace was empty.

The maids, servants, and attendants.

You could tell at a glance that their numbers had dwindled.

The same went for the knights and soldiers guarding the palace.

They all looked at us with uneasy eyes.

No one stood in our way.

I crossed the hallway with Richard and Eleanor.

‘They’re good at reading the atmosphere.’

Those who realized Henry II was finished had left.

It was common for vassals to flee with treasures and money when the king was on his way out.

Still, some remained in their places.

Those who were too late to switch sides now.

Their fate depended on Henry II.

I entered the audience chamber with Eleanor and Richard.

There were only about ten people inside.

There was no herald.

Henry II sat in the center.

His face, illuminated by the sunlight, looked more haggard than before.

He looked like he had aged more than ten years.

The dark circles under his eyes were also deep.

He looked at us and sighed.

There was no animosity.

Only emptiness and fear.

Even guilt.

A completely drained reaction.

I didn’t expect him to collapse this much.

He looked at Eleanor and let out a weak laugh.

“Eleanor. It seems no one can stop you.”

“It was bound to happen someday, Henry.”

Eleanor said.

Her voice was mixed with bitterness rather than joy.

She approached the throne.

“You treated our sons like puppets. You thought they would follow without complaint if you pulled the strings.”

“…I thought you were the same.”

“I was just trying to give the children a chance. Their rightful chance.”

Eleanor said.

“It is cruel to prevent eaglets who have seen the sky from flying. It is not possible in the first place.”

“I was just waiting for the children to be more prepared. Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John. I personally tended the nest and cleared away the trash for those children…”

“Were you tending the nest while frolicking with Alys [Alys of France, Richard’s betrothed and Henry II’s mistress]?”

Richard asked with a smile.

Henry II frowned and glared at his son.

His gaze turned to me.

“Noble Master Baldwin of Jerusalem. You have overturned the kingdom I have cultivated for decades in just a few weeks. I should have prevented you from crossing the strait no matter what.”

He sighed deeply.

“Not stopping you was my biggest mistake.”

“Everyone has regrets.”

I shrugged.

He must also regret sending me to Glastonbury.

He couldn’t have imagined that I would detonate the super-sized bomb that was King Arthur’s tomb.

“But that’s not all Your Majesty will regret.”

“Do you still have prophecies left? To destroy this palace entirely or…”

He rose from the throne.

“Or to plunge London into the sea?”

“I did not come to England to fight Your Majesty. Rather, I came to offer a chance for salvation.”

I said.

It was his turn to step down.

If Henry II refused to relinquish power and struggled to the end, the problem would become complicated.

A son cannot kill his father.

He knew very well that the kingdom would be destroyed if that happened.

“…”

Henry II slowly opened his mouth.

“Ever since you prophesied the earthquake, Beckett has appeared in my dreams. Every day without fail.”

Fear and guilt swirled within him.

“He sits on a cloud and stares at me without a word. No matter how much I shout, he doesn’t budge.”

“I told you. You shouldn’t have appointed Beckett as Archbishop. He simply chose God over you.”

Eleanor said.

“But we still have a chance to correct our mistakes. Master Baldwin’s arrival in England is God’s will.”

“…”

Silence fell.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

Ah, that’s right.

As the representative of Christ and the Pope, I was here to judge Henry II.

Therefore, I was the only one who could forgive him.

I walked towards the throne.

My cloak fluttered in the wind outside the window.

“Do you acknowledge the sins you have committed?”

I asked.

“Committing adultery with Alys of France, hiring mercenaries to destroy King Arthur’s cross, and imprisoning Queen Eleanor. Do you acknowledge these sins?”

“I hired mercenaries because…!”

Henry II bit his lip.

Now there were only two options.

Unconditional surrender.

Or a desperate struggle to the end.

Everyone looked at the king.

Silence flowed….

“I acknowledge my sins.”

Henry II said with a sigh.

I nodded.

“Then the Lord will forgive Your Majesty. Leave England to young King Henry and go to Canterbury with the Queen.”

“To Canterbury?”

“Yes, Saint Beckett is waiting for Your Majesty. If you confess your sins there, the saint will no longer appear in your dreams.”

“…I understand.”

Henry II staggered towards me.

He grabbed my arm.

His grip was tight.

A sense of relief and comfort was felt simultaneously.

“I will do as you say, Master Confucius. And immediately hold the wedding of Richard and Alys…”

“I have no intention of eating an apple that my father chewed and spat out. Especially when that apple is rotten.”

Richard frowned.

“King Philip demanded that you and Alys marry. It was an unchangeable agreement.”

“That was before you held Alys in your arms.”

Eleanor said.

“I have no intention of making Richard the laughingstock of Europe, Henry.”

“Philip won’t stay still. But there’s nothing we can do since things have turned out this way.”

Henry II muttered and turned his head towards me.

“I will hand over the rule of England to my son, Henry. After receiving confession in Canterbury…”

He said.

“I will lay everything down and prepare for the Crusades. I will leave with you.”

“Excuse me?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Crusades, what?

“What did you say, Henry?”

Eleanor and Richard also looked shocked.

The old king tilted his head.

“Isn’t this what you wanted, Master Confucius?”

He and I looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

This is a bit unexpected.