I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 149

< 149. Courage in Chaos (4) >

“Aaaah…”

Father Pierre closed his eyes and bowed his head.

When he kissed the ground, he felt the hard, rough stones.

The Holy City, Jerusalem.

The center of the world and the sacred city of heaven.

He kissed the ground until his lips felt numb.

A shadow fell before him.

“Welcome to the Holy City of Jerusalem, Father Pierre.”

“Your Grace the Patriarch!”

Pierre clasped the hand extended by the Patriarch.

Patriarch Heraclius looked at him and smiled.

“I heard that you were a great help while the Prince was in Europe.”

He said.

“There has been much talk about you in the Roman Church as well.”

“Such words are too generous for a humble man like me.”

Pierre looked at the Patriarch.

A priest’s robe made of rough, cheap cotton.

It was distinctly different from the splendid silk robes worn by other archbishops in France.

“I merely testified to the miracles performed by Prince Baldwin.”

“I am also one of those who directly experienced the Prince’s miracles.”

Patriarch Heraclius said.

“He showed me a new path away from my hypocrisy and sin. Since then, I have been reborn.”

“I feel the same way.”

“…”

Pierre and Heraclius.

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

After chatting about Prince Baldwin for a while, they moved on.

“Come this way, I still have much to discuss with you, Father. I also have questions about the records you are writing.”

“I would be happy to.”

Pierre said with a smile.

God was truly with him.

The moment he met Prince Baldwin.

And here in Jerusalem as well.

* * *

“It’s been a while.”

I took a deep breath.

The sight of Jerusalem was just as I remembered it.

High stone walls and sentries.

Knights, pilgrims, and even Muslim merchants of all kinds.

Breathing in the hot air, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

It felt like coming home after many years.

I headed to the main palace under the escort of the knights.

The knight at the head raised the golden cross.

The citizens all stopped and bowed, and even the Muslim merchants stared at me.

Inexpressible emotions mixed and swirled within me.

Anticipation, fear, excitement, dread, joy.

“The people of Jerusalem love you, Baldwin.”

Theodora said.

“People hear stories about you from Europe during the day, and watch shadow puppet shows starring you at night.”

“I’d like to see a shadow puppet show myself.”

I said with a smile.

A shadow puppet show where I am the main character.

What kind of being am I there?

A hero of the Roman Church who receives divine revelations and defeats the infidels?

A noble royal of Jerusalem?

The procession soon arrived in front of the main palace.

I got off my horse and entered in my chainmail.

A man with a sturdy build stood in front of the hall.

Balian of the Ibelin family.

He greeted me with a smile.

“You have finally returned, Prince. His Majesty has been waiting.”

“It’s been a while, Lord Balian.”

We clasped each other’s wrists.

Balian was Hugh’s younger brother.

He must have heard the news a long time ago.

“…”

“…”

We exchanged glances.

That was enough.

There was no need to talk.

I nodded and went inside.

The bedroom was full of doctors.

Europeans and Middle Easterners.

Even Moors [North African Muslims].

The doctors were dressed differently and looked different.

They had been shouting at each other, but they closed their mouths when they saw me.

A faint voice echoed through the silence.

“Baldwin? Is that Baldwin?”

“Yes, it is I, Your Majesty.”

I approached the bed.

The king’s condition was clearly not good.

The blood and pus that soaked the bedsheets were worse than I had seen before.

He looked as if he was lying on blood instead of on the bed.

“Come a little closer. It has been a long time since I heard your voice.”

I moved closer to the bed.

The king’s face was visible through the foul smell and incense smoke.

Two eyes blurred behind a silver mask.

He’s already blind.

“Why did you go on the expedition yourself, Your Majesty?”

I asked.

Saladin went to Egypt and briefly besieged Kerak [a Crusader castle in modern-day Jordan].

In response, Baldwin IV personally led his army to lift the siege.

Even going on an expedition in this condition.

His physical condition must have deteriorated even more.

“Kerak would have fallen into Saladin’s hands otherwise. You know that, don’t you?”

He coughed.

“I believed you would win. I believed you would win against that dullard.”

His voice faded for a moment.

“So I went to face Saladin myself, leading the army.”

“…”

As expected, even when suffering from leprosy, a great ruler remains a great ruler.

Baldwin IV drove Saladin away just by leading the army.

I probably would have done the same.

When I focused my mind, I felt the pain.

Excruciating pain beyond imagination.

I staggered and gasped for breath, feeling as if insects were burrowing into my body.

The doctors approached with bewildered expressions.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m just a little dizzy.”

I replied.

I would rather be stabbed in the stomach with a spear or a sword.

How did he go all the way to Kerak with this body?

The hardships I have suffered so far felt like a drop in the bucket compared to this pain.

“I heard you had a hard time in Italy and England. Is your body alright?”

“I was not seriously injured. I didn’t go to the front lines much either.”

I said.

Emperor Frederick, Geoffrey, and even Henry II.

I fought a lot.

“Henry II will soon lead his army to Jerusalem. Lalibela of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Duke Richard, the Italian cities, and Eastern Rome will also join.”

“It’s like hearing the story of the First Crusade. No, it’s even more than that.”

Baldwin IV said.

A voice filled with joy.

“You are the first to bring in Constantinople. Something that even I could not achieve during my reign…”

He coughed and added.

“And the Roman Church even gave you the title of Defender of the Faith. You have exceeded my expectations. It feels like I’m dreaming.”

“…”

I looked at the chessboard on the table next to the bed.

Baldwin IV and I had been playing chess through letters.

The outcome had already been decided.

‘I lost again this time.’

It was difficult to beat Baldwin IV even with my sixth sense.

“But I still haven’t won a single chess game.”

“Move the queen one square forward.”

“Yes?”

I frowned without realizing it.

A blatant sacrifice.

“You don’t have to deliberately lose to me.”

“Whether you are ready or not, the ball is now in your court, Baldwin. There is no choice.”

He gasped.

“And the king always wins. Always, always…”

“You’ve been talking for too long. Let’s stop here for today.”

Balian put his hand on my shoulder and said.

I got up.

Baldwin IV was asleep as if he had fainted.

Balian and I left the bedroom together.

“There is something I would like to ask you, Your Highness.”

Balian said.

“The proposal to send Count Guy to the East instead of punishing him. Are you serious?”

“Are you unhappy with it?”

“That man took advantage of the kingdom’s turmoil to start a civil war. Dozens, hundreds of knights were injured and killed for no reason or justification.”

Anger emanated from his body.

“His Majesty was forced to go to Kerak with his sick body because of that bastard. If I had my way, I would tie him up in the square and whip him…”

“You don’t have to worry.”

I said with a smile.

“Guy’s end will be more miserable than that.”

“Is there really a kingdom ruled by Prester John [a legendary Christian patriarch and king] in the East?”

“In the distant lands of the East, there are warriors who fight on horseback. They believe in neither Christianity nor Islam.”

The legend of Prester John.

This was one of the popular stories among medieval Europeans.

A vast Christian kingdom ruling over Asia and India in the far East.

‘They are coming to save Jerusalem!’

The weaker the Crusader forces became, the more popular the rumor became.

But it was the Mongol army that actually came.

By now, Genghis Khan would be in the midst of his unification war.

I shook my head.

“But Guy will disappear at the hands of the Saracens [a general term for Muslims during the Crusades] before he even reaches there. I will take care of it myself, so you don’t have to worry.”

It was practically a death sentence.

It was like sending him to find a non-existent Holy Grail.

That’s why Guy himself went crazy when he heard my story.

“Using the Saracens to deal with him instead of killing him directly. That’s a pretty good method. I will contact Aleppo separately.”

Balian said.

“As Your Highness said, the other Islamic rulers will not leave him alone.”

“Then it’s all settled neatly.”

I sighed.

It would be better than sending Guy to Europe.

He has a base in Aquitaine [a region in southwestern France].

There was a possibility that he would cause problems while Richard was away.

“…”

Silence fell, and Balian spoke again.

“In the first place, Guy was not the one to lead such a large army. Maybe if he only had a few knights… but to lead such a large army and not even properly supply them. It’s like a stupid mule leading an army.”

“What if that man became the King of Jerusalem?”

“…I guarantee that Jerusalem would have fallen into the hands of the Saracens within five years.”

“Five years. You rated him quite highly.”

I said with a smile.

In the original history, it took two years.

After the main forces of Jerusalem were all captured, Balian alone defended Jerusalem.

‘If you do not accept our surrender, we will destroy everything in the Holy City of Jerusalem and commit suicide. All Saladin will be able to have is the ashes that were once Jerusalem.’

It was also Balian who half-threatened Saladin and safely evacuated the citizens.

“By the way, what is the situation in Egypt?”

I started a rebellion in Egypt to prevent Saladin from intervening in the civil war.

By now, Saladin’s army would be passing through the desert and marching towards Cairo.

“The Nubian blacks who started the rebellion captured the fortress that was under construction and released our prisoners. The confrontation is ongoing.”

Prisoners?

I think I heard that Frankish [Western European] prisoners were being mobilized to build the fortress.

“How many of our prisoners are there in Egypt?”

“Over five hundred. Most of them are lower-ranking knights or soldiers who cannot afford to pay the ransom.”

“Those who cannot afford to pay the ransom…”

I fell into thought.

Then there is a high possibility that they will be suppressed and executed after the rebellion is suppressed.

Will Saladin be able to suppress the rebellion in time?

“There hasn’t been much information since then. But the Assassins [a Nizari Ismaili Shia sect known for their political assassinations] seem to have their own agenda.”

Balian said.

“It doesn’t seem like their goal is simply to start a rebellion. They committed large-scale assassinations and then disappeared. The ones who are continuing the rebellion are practically the Nubian blacks.”

“…”

Disappeared.

The Assassins led this rebellion plan.

Contacting the reactionaries in Cairo and providing weapons.

Even assassinating officials to create chaos.

But why did they stop there?

Even if the rebellion was a diversionary tactic, it was an important issue for the Assassins.

‘They can’t give up so easily.’

The Assassins were fanatics, but at the same time, they were ruthless realists.

Suddenly, I realized.

“The Assassins were after the money.”

“Yes?”

“There is a tremendous amount of money piled up throughout Cairo. Wealth that has been accumulated for hundreds of years.”

I said.

Egypt has been famous for its luxury, wealth, and money since ancient times.

The pyramids were built around 2500 BC.

Even by today’s standards, that’s three thousand years ago.

“By now, all the troops in Cairo would have been deployed to besiege the fortress. The security of the warehouses would be relatively lax.”

I said.

Instigating the blacks to revolt, and then stealing the money in the meantime.

That would make sense.

Are they going to sacrifice the blacks and Frankish prisoners in return?

“How many of our spies are there in Egypt?”

I looked at Balian.

It was a day or two by boat to Damietta port in northern Egypt.

From there to Cairo is two or three days by horse.

If I send a messenger right now, they could arrive within a week.

“Why all of a sudden…”

“We can’t just let our knights and soldiers die.”

I said with a smile.

Our prisoners are holed up in the fortress.

If we’re lucky, we might be able to save them.

Looking at Balian, who was tilting his head, I said.

“I need to send a letter to Cyprus. I’ll need Theodora’s help too.”