I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 19

To Jerusalem (4)

* * *

“Alright, is everyone here?”

Reynald surveyed the scene before him, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

Hundreds of knights and soldiers stood arrayed. In effect, the entire force of Kerak [Reynald’s stronghold] was gathered before him.

The sound of armor clashing echoed through the air.

“Yes, Lord. With this many soldiers, Eilat will open its gates right away.”

“And fall into my hands like a ripe apple.”

Reynald laughed heartily and shouted, “Those foolish Bedouin! Give them some food, and they roll over so easily. Don’t you think?”

The Bedouin tribes had attacked Eilat as he commanded. Now, all that was left was to betray them and bring Eilat under his control.

“But the royal family won’t just stand by,” the black-clad butler said, his voice a low murmur.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to join hands with Prince Baldwin…”

“That guy protected the Saracen [a medieval term for Muslims] bastards with ridiculous excuses! Have you forgotten that already?!”

Reynald growled, his face reddening.

The butler lowered his head deferentially. “Ah, no! I was just worried that it might be harmful to you, Lord.”

“Chatting and exchanging letters with Saladin [the famous Muslim leader]. He has no honor as a royal,” Reynald spat, his contempt palpable.

His gaze turned towards Jerusalem, a glint of malice in his eyes. “He’ll probably hear this news by the time he arrives in Jerusalem. Then he’ll realize how much he messed up.”

“Then how will you deal with the Bedouin? If they find out they’ve been deceived, they won’t stay still.”

“What can they do anyway?” Reynald burst into laughter again, the sound echoing ominously.

“As long as I control the food supply, they’ll have to grovel before me forever. That’s their fate.”

The future that would soon unfold appeared in his mind’s eye: the citizens of Eilat welcoming him as a hero, the money and silk offered by Venetian merchants, the distorted, envious faces of young Baldwin, Balian, and even the King.

“Tonight, for the first time in a while, I’ll be able to stretch my legs and sleep well.”

At that moment, a soldier ran up, breathless, and knelt before him. “Lord! This is a report just sent by the scouts!”

The soldier stammered, his eyes wide with fear. “Th-that is…”

“What’s wrong? Did the Bedouin already run away?”

“They… they all surrendered!”

“Surrendered, to whom?!” Reynald raised his eyebrows, his voice sharp with disbelief.

“Are you saying they surrendered to the handful of defenders in Eilat?”

“No, Prince Baldwin and Lord Balian’s forces have returned to Eilat.”

The soldier said, panting, struggling to catch his breath. “In less than a day, all the Bedouin warriors surrendered, and now they are waiting for you to come…”

“What?”

Reynald and the butler stared at each other, speechless, their carefully laid plans crumbling before their eyes.

“How could that guy, who left for Jerusalem days ago, be here already?!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know about that…”

“You incompetent fool!” Reynald roared, kicking the soldier, who fell to the ground.

As he growled, everyone around him flinched, sensing his barely contained rage.

“We’re leaving right now. I need to see it with my own eyes.”

“If the scouts’ report is true, it would be better to stay in Kerak…” the butler ventured cautiously.

“You idiot! Then it would look like I admitted to instigating the Bedouin tribes.”

Reynald’s body staggered slightly. He muttered in a small voice, barely audible, “Just what trick did he use to ruin my plan…”

* * *

Hmm, what should I call this scene?

Unfamiliar? Awkward?

‘No, it’s better to say it’s beyond what I imagined.’

That was the conclusion I came to as I took in the scene before me.

Balian, Hugh, and the cavalry I led had easily defeated the Bedouin warriors near Eilat. They couldn’t even mount a proper resistance against the sudden, large-scale surprise attack.

The time it took to surround them and accept their surrender was only about half a day.

‘And then Reynald came.’

As soon as Reynald saw the captured Bedouin warriors, he started shouting, his face contorted with fury.

A typical reaction of a thief caught red-handed.

“It was Lord Reynald of Kerak who instigated this attack! The butler of Kerak personally visited the tribes and asked them to attack!”

The Bedouin chiefs, bound with ropes, shouted, their voices filled with desperate conviction. They all looked like they were prepared to die rather than face Reynald’s wrath.

“He said that if we attacked Eilat, he would exempt us from tribute and allow us to buy as much food as we wanted…”

“Shut up, you dirty Saracen vipers! Surely you don’t believe the words of those infidels, do you, Prince Baldwin?” Reynald said, hissing, his eyes blazing with anger.

He looked at me with a flushed face, desperately trying to salvage the situation. “They’re just saying anything to save their own lives!”

“It seems too detailed to be just anything, Lord Reynald,” I said with a disarming smile, my voice calm and measured.

He probably hadn’t expected Balian and I to return so quickly.

‘We were practically resting in the front yard in the first place.’

It hadn’t taken even a few hours to arrive after seeing the beacon of Eilat [a signal fire] light up.

‘I roughly understand the situation.’

It was as I expected. He must have been trying to tarnish my reputation by using the Bedouin tribes.

That plan became a boomerang and returned to Reynald himself, striking him squarely in the face.

I looked at the Bedouin chiefs. I could feel their anger and desire for revenge radiating from them.

Everything they were saying was true. Reynald had lured the Bedouin tribes with the promise of food sales and tribute exemptions.

‘The Bedouin, who were short on food due to the famine, accepted such unreasonable requests.’

Bedouin tribes didn’t always live by robbery. I know they basically make a living by raising livestock.

With the famine going on, and the nearby cities not selling food, they had no choice but to rely more on Reynald.

“Even if their words are true, it must have been something my subordinate did on his own,” Reynald said, exhaling, trying to appear nonchalant.

He looked angry, but in fact, his heart was full of fear and anxiety. He shouted loudly, trying to project an image of strength and control. “Why are you still keeping those guys alive? Cut off their heads right now and throw them into the Red Sea!”

“I am the one who captured them as prisoners, so their treatment is up to me, Lord Reynald,” I said, my voice firm and unwavering.

Is he now trying to kill even the accomplices? I can’t allow that.

I looked at the Bedouin chiefs, who were tightly bound with ropes, their faces etched with worry.

“The Bedouin tribes will offer two hundred horses and one hundred camels as compensation for this attack,” I announced, my voice ringing with authority.

I added, “And some tribal leaders and their families will have to remain as hostages until the payment is made.”

“But horses and camels are our tribes’ lifeline. Taking them away means…”

“Be grateful that we’re not taking your heads right now!” Hugh, who was standing next to me, shouted, his voice booming.

The Bedouin chiefs flinched at his fierce shout, intimidated by his imposing presence.

“Even if there were no casualties, you attacked a city of the kingdom. Originally, it wouldn’t be enough to cut off all your heads…” Hugh pointed at me, gesturing towards my position.

“Are you going to insult the mercy that Prince Baldwin has generously bestowed?”

Mercy.

I chuckled inwardly at Hugh’s words. It’s like a good cop, bad cop strategy.

Did Hugh notice my intentions?

‘The Bedouin tribes can be a good card if used well.’

Although they are Muslims, the Bedouin tribes were realistic people. In the original history, they even joined hands with the Mongols and the Crusaders.

‘If we kill all the warriors here, the remaining ones will rely more on Reynald.’

The reason they attacked the city was also because of the food shortage. If we solve that, it wouldn’t be impossible to bring them over to my side.

To do that….

“I heard that you cannot trade in Aqaba [a port city] or other Templar [a powerful religious military order] fortresses. In the future, if you need supplies, trade legally in Eilat,” I said, laying out my terms.

“Instead, to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, only a limited number of merchants will be allowed to enter at a time. If you have any objections, speak now.”

“N-no, we don’t!” The tribal chiefs quickly lowered their heads, their voices filled with relief.

I smiled and looked at Reynald. A red and blue face. A trembling body.

‘It’s the same reaction I saw last time.’

That reaction when I protected Muslim merchants and pilgrims. But the situation is a bit different from then.

‘Because I’m in a much more advantageous situation now.’

I directly defeated the Bedouin tribes who attacked Eilat, and even secured testimony that Reynald instigated this attack.

At this point, it was practically checkmate.

“And from now on, as subjects of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, you will pay tribute to the royal family, not to Lord Reynald,” I declared, my voice leaving no room for argument.

After saying that, I looked back at Reynald. “Do you have any inconveniences regarding this matter, Lord Reynald?”

“…No,” Reynald said, growling, his face a mask of barely suppressed fury.

I smiled again, savoring his discomfiture. Yes, he can’t say he has nothing to do with the Bedouin tribes and continue to receive tribute.

“Even if you, Lord Reynald, did not instigate the Bedouin tribes, you cannot completely avoid responsibility for this incident.”

“As I said before, I…”

“If you hadn’t cut off the food supply, Eilat wouldn’t have been attacked like this,” I countered, my voice sharp and unwavering.

If my words are wrong, try to refute them.

“In the future, consult with the Hospitallers [another religious military order] and the Templars before conducting any military operations in this area. That’s all I have to say.”

With that, I turned my head, dismissing him.

Balian immediately approached me. He looked at me and gave a faint smile, his eyes filled with approval.

“Do you think my punishment was too lenient, Lord Balian?”

“I think the opposite, Prince Baldwin. It was a very appropriate judgment. All we had was the testimony of the Bedouin chiefs. We wouldn’t have been able to prove Reynald’s guilt with that.”

He shook his head, his expression thoughtful. “You warned Reynald. If Reynald makes another unreasonable move…”

He added with a smile, “Then the other nobles of the kingdom will turn their backs on him. He might even lose his lordship. Even Reynald knows that much.”

“That guy is just plotting these schemes. Nothing has changed since he was pirating in Cyprus,” Hugh said, looking at Reynald with disdain and spitting on the ground.

He shook his hands from side to side, expressing his disgust. “It would have been better if he had just charged with a sword. He’s so boring.”

“But thanks to him, we benefited greatly,” I said with a smile, my eyes twinkling with amusement.

I managed to deal with the Bedouin tribes and Reynald with just a flick of my finger.

Now, Eilat and its surroundings were completely safe.

I wonder what will happen when today’s story is known in Jerusalem?

‘A thirteen-year-old kid crushed Reynald’s nose!’

I couldn’t imagine what kind of reaction Sibylla, Guy, Baldwin IV, and the other nobles would have.

“Well, I’ll know soon enough.”

I wanted to go back and get some sleep. I looked towards Jerusalem and fell into thought, my mind already racing with new plans.

Aigre approached me with a smile, his eyes knowing. “You have that look again, Prince Baldwin. Do you still have something left to do?”

“I have one thing left to do,” I said, a mischievous glint in my eyes.

I smiled at him. “Because now I have to go back to Jerusalem.”