I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 129

Became the King of the Crusades – Episode 129

I am the way, the truth, and the life. (4)

* * *

“I don’t know how to thank Your Majesty. If Your Majesty hadn’t been here…”

Bishop of Coutances bowed his head, looking haggard.

“I can’t even imagine.”

“Bishop, I heard you’ve been through a lot as well. I’ll take care of the aftermath, so please get some rest first,” Young Henry said.

“My men will deliver the necessary food and relief supplies to the people.”

“The monks and I will also help. How can we just sit idly by?” Bishop of Coutances said.

He trembled like a child who had fallen into cold water.

“Surely, the Lord has made His will known through the earthquake.”

He pointed outside the tent.

“All that remains of that great cathedral is a shard of glass depicting Christ. How can this not be the will of Heaven?”

“The will of Heaven…” Young Henry murmured.

He stared at the ruins of the cathedral, lost in thought.

‘Confucius never doubted that earthquakes would happen.’

From Geoffrey and Bertrand’s betrayal to King Arthur’s tomb, and now a comet and an earthquake.

It felt foolish to doubt his words now.

‘Those who evacuated in advance saved their property and lives, while those who ignored the prophecy paid the price.’

The food shortages that erupted in various places were quickly stabilized thanks to the release of stockpiled supplies.

This would have been impossible if he hadn’t believed the prophecy.

“Perhaps Christ sent a warning not only to my father but also to me.”

“A warning to Your Majesty? What do you mean?”

“That if I don’t govern properly, divine punishment will befall. How many kings have taken these words seriously?” Young Henry said.

“If my father tries to continue the fight, the whole of England will collapse. More churches will crumble.”

“Already, many people are terrified. If another earthquake were to occur…”

“Bishop, you don’t need to worry. I will somehow prevent such a thing from happening.”

A knight rushed into the tent.

He knelt before Henry and handed him a paper.

“Your Majesty, a letter from Lord Marshal.”

“Finally, the showdown in London is over,” Young Henry said, looking at his men in the tent.

“Why do you all look so surprised? Didn’t you expect this since the earthquake?”

Henry, having received the letter, began to read.

Knights and nobles alike held their breath, waiting for his words.

“Ah, my father has raised the white flag,” Young Henry said in a calm tone.

“He has decided to go to Canterbury with my mother, confess his sins, and repent. He is handing over the crown to me. Immediately.”

“Your Majesty.”

A knight knelt, and one by one, those around him followed suit.

“Now Your Majesty has inherited the true crown of England.”

Someone shouted.

“Long live His Majesty!”

The shouts echoed through the tent.

Young Henry nodded briefly.

“As you all know, I haven’t been a very exemplary king so far. I’ve just been acting like a child, whining for my father’s position,” he said.

“I’ve never deeply considered what qualities are needed for a king. Seeing the people starving outside…”

He paused and looked out of the tent.

Soldiers were recovering the wounded and the dead from the ruined village.

“I think I have a little sense of how heavy my responsibilities are. I’m not happy that my father surrendered.”

He stepped out of the tent.

Knights and nobles hurried after him.

“Your Majesty!”

“There’s still much to do. Find out where food is lacking and check the required amount…” Young Henry said.

His gaze turned south, toward London.

“Make sure to check that no one is stealing relief supplies. I will personally check the numbers tonight.”

“We will follow Your Majesty’s command.”

His men moved quickly.

Shouts and cheers came and went as they carried relief supplies and food.

Watching the scene, young Henry sighed.

He murmured in a small voice.

“Being a king isn’t easy.”

* * *

London Palace

“She replied, ‘My beloved lover, I would rather die with you than suffer at the hands of my husband! If I go back, my husband will kill me!’” A woman in red silk robes exclaimed.

The audience held their breath, waiting for the next words.

“Then the knight reassured her and gave her a ring. As long as she wore that ring, her husband would not remember what had happened.”

I leaned back in my chair.

‘As expected, a professional minstrel is different.’

Secrets of birth, adultery… Even a nasty husband who torments his wife.

Still, erasing the husband’s memory and raising the lover’s child is a bit…

It’s like a morning soap opera.

I understood why European kings hated courtly romances and minstrels. ‘It’s all about noble ladies having affairs with handsome knights.’

Is this the sensibility of the Middle Ages?

Richard, who was sitting next to me, yawned.

“I don’t know why you find a story you’ve heard dozens of times so interesting. It’s far inferior to those in Aquitaine.”

He looked at me.

“Let’s go to Aquitaine together next time, Confucius. How about singing with me and my minstrels?” He smiled brightly.

“I’m quite confident in my musical abilities.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have the time,” I replied with a smile.

It had been a few days since Henry II and Queen Eleanor had left for Canterbury.

Richard and I were effectively ruling London now.

I was in charge of the donations coming in from all over England and the preparations for the Crusade.

In addition, I was managing the Knights of St. Thomas and the volunteers.

The whole of England had entered into Crusade preparations.

I had inadvertently become the general supervisor.

‘To think he would announce the Crusade there.’

I chuckled as I recalled what had happened in the hall that day.

Henry II’s Crusade. ‘In a way, it was an inevitable result.’

Henry II was cornered by my continued attacks and the earthquake.

If he admitted all his sins, it would only lead to ruin. ‘But he couldn’t help but admit his sins.’

The only way to be forgiven in this situation was to go on a Crusade. The only way to be forgiven and restore his honor.

Henry II was indeed a born king. He came to that conclusion in a short moment.

‘Well, it’s good for me too.’

I was taken aback at first, but the more I thought about it, the better the deal was.

Not just any lord, but the King of England. If Henry II participated, the Third Crusade would gain that much more strength.

Other countries would be pressured to join the expedition as well.

‘Thinking about the flood of work is like a nightmare… But the more I suffer here, the more Jerusalem will benefit.’ I can’t complain.

I quietly got up from my seat.

“I’ll go get some sleep first. It wouldn’t be polite to the minstrels if I fell asleep here.”

“You must go hunting with me tomorrow, Confucius,” Richard nodded. He kept drinking wine as if he wouldn’t get drunk.

“I don’t think I can make it tomorrow morning because I have someone to meet. Let’s go together in the afternoon.”

“Why don’t you put aside work and enjoy yourself? Haven’t you already achieved everything you wanted in England?” He burst into laughter.

“My brother and I have stopped fighting, and the Crusade will begin soon. There couldn’t have been a more perfect outcome.”

“The most dangerous time is when everything seems perfect,” I replied with a smile.

That was true in both *The Last Crusaders* and in reality.

Humans become complacent when everything seems perfect, and it was common for everything to collapse at that moment.

In chess, it was foolish to give up a move just because you thought you had the advantage.

‘What I need to consider now is…’ The Holy Roman Empire, that is, Germany and France.

I needed to take care of them before going to Jerusalem. They would try to interfere with England somehow.

Richard shrugged.

“Who are you meeting tomorrow that you can’t go hunting?”

“I’m planning to meet a lion.”

“A lion?”

“I should say Duke Heinrich the Lion [Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria],” I replied with a smile.

Should I start with the Holy Roman Empire first?

* * *

Holy Roman Empire

Worms

“Voices of discontent are also coming from Würzburg and Besançon, Your Majesty.”

“Discontent? Are they discontent with this little tax?!” Emperor Frederick shouted.

“I’ve given those fellows so many favors. They’re discontent with paying this little bit of money. Is it really just the tax that’s making them discontent?”

“Your Majesty…”

“They’ve been openly ignoring me since I returned from Italy.”

The Emperor growled.

“Just because I lost once to those Italian bumpkins, they seem to have forgotten all the times I’ve won.”

“Your Majesty.”

Empress Beatrice opened her mouth. She sighed.

“Now we need to find a new method, not attack or siege. You can’t make mud disappear by sticking a sword into it.”

She looked at the Emperor.

Since the defeat against the Lombard League [an alliance of cities in Northern Italy], the Emperor’s suspicion had grown day by day.

The lords were showing signs of rebellion in various places, and the Emperor’s authority was only declining.

“I know what you’re trying to say, Beatrice. Now that I’ve reconciled with the Pope, I can’t raise an army,” Frederick waved his arm.

“But Baldwin is different. Did you say he’s still in London?”

“Yes, there are many rumors circulating about him and the Duke [Richard],” the bishop bowed his head.

“From stories of finding King Arthur’s tomb to predicting comets and earthquakes…”

“King Arthur’s tomb and earthquakes? Now they’re just making up stories outright,” the Emperor scoffed.

“Soon he’ll be claiming to be the Second Coming of Christ, won’t he?”

“…”

“Most of it hasn’t been confirmed yet. We’ll be able to get more detailed information soon.”

“Let me know immediately about anything related to that fellow. Even if I can’t do anything right now, there will be a way.”

He closed his eyes and murmured.

“I have no intention of letting you go easily, Baldwin.”

The bishops all avoided his gaze. One of them cautiously opened his mouth.

“Duke Baldwin already has the full support of His Holiness the Pope. To touch such a man…”

“You’re saying it’s not a wise idea?” Emperor Frederick asked, leaning forward.

The bishop who had been speaking hurriedly bowed his head.

“For the sake of the Emperor and the Empire, it would be better to leave the Duke alone, especially in front of those Italian bumpkins!”

“Baldwin made me kneel before him,” Emperor Frederick said.

The sound of a lion roaring. Nobles and clergy alike swallowed hard.

“Your Majesty knelt before the Holy Cross, not Duke Baldwin,” Empress Beatrice said.

“And the more Your Majesty gets angry at Duke Baldwin…” She reached out and stroked the old Emperor’s shoulder.

“People will think the Duke has won. There’s no need to make it that way,” she added.

“Your Majesty didn’t lose the battle but rather compromised with the Pope for the peace of Europe. Isn’t that right?”

“Just because everyone pretends not to see it doesn’t mean the shit on my face disappears,” Emperor Frederick sighed. He leaned back on the throne.

“I would have grabbed him as soon as he passed through German lands, and I would have gotten enough gold to fill the Church of the Holy Sepulchre [a church in Jerusalem believed to contain the tomb of Jesus].”

“Before that, the German people would have flocked in and shattered the Empire,” the Empress said.

She continued in a soft tone.

“Whether the rumors are true or not, the Duke is practically being treated as a saint. Fighting him like Henry II would only give him more power,” she added.

“Jesus Christ was able to prove his resurrection thanks to the Romans and Jews who crucified him.”

“…”

Silence fell.

The Emperor fiddled with his red beard.

“Perhaps you are right,” Emperor Frederick said. Some nobles breathed a small sigh of relief.

“But we need to keep an eye on him until he returns to Jerusalem,” the Emperor said.

“We can’t just stay still like this. The honor of the Empire must be protected.”

* * *

Additional explanation: The minstrel story in the work is one of the lays (short stories) that were actually popular in the 12th-century London court, called ‘Yonec.’ It is a work by Marie de France (assumed), who wrote minstrels and fables for the English royal family and aristocracy in the late 12th century during the reign of Henry II. In the story of Yonec, the main character, a noble lady, has an affair with a knight from a foreign country and becomes pregnant with his son. And through a magic ring, she erases her husband’s memory and pretends that the son is her husband’s child.

Later, as time passes, the son learns the truth and has a shocking ending of killing his stepfather.

No matter how much I read it, I feel sorry for the original husband, the stepfather ^^;;

– Collection of Lays (Marie de France, translated by Yoon Joo-ok)