I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 40

Angel’s Eyes (5)

* * *

The year passed, and 1182 approached.

A new year in Constantinople.

It was also the first New Year I had experienced in this era.

I participated in all sorts of events with the young Emperor.

Countless church ceremonies and services.

But there were also fun things in between.

The development of the telescope and the jousting tournament.

I became quite fond of the latter.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

The roar of the crowd echoed in my helmet.

Holding my lance, I looked ahead.

The target was visible through the narrow slit of my helmet.

A wooden man holding a sword.

As I nudged Bult’s flanks, he sprang forward.

The smell of dirt and sweat wafted into the helmet.

I aimed the lance at the wooden man, ready to strike.

Thud—-

With a heavy impact, the wooden figure fell backward.

The fallen wood immediately bounced back up like a tumbler toy.

But I had already passed.

The crowd’s cheers echoed again.

“Waaaaaah!”

With Aig’s help, I dismounted from my horse.

Taking off my helmet, the magnificent sight of the Hippodrome [an ancient stadium for horse races and chariot races] came into view.

A place where chariot races were held until recently.

I never thought I would be jousting here.

“You handle the lance more skillfully than I do now, Your Grace.”

“I practiced so much; I couldn’t afford to fail.”

I replied with a smile.

It was still difficult to face other knights.

All I did was set up targets and hit them with the lance.

I had to pass before hitting the rebounding target.

My sixth sense has also increased a lot in the meantime.

What I could feel was not only people’s emotions.

If I heightened my senses, I could faintly feel objects like targets.

Wiping away sweat, I looked around.

It seemed a hundred times bigger than the competition I held in Eilat.

If that was a neighborhood festival, this was the Olympics.

I headed to the Emperor’s private seat in the center of the audience.

Alexios greeted me with a smile.

“Excellent skill, Your Grace. I would like to try it too….”

He looked at his bodyguard commander, Ruark.

“Ruark opposes it, saying it’s not allowed.”

“I was just worried about His Majesty’s safety. You can do it when you are a little older….”

I held back a laugh at the sight.

‘Could he be a knight otaku [a person with obsessive interests, commonly in anime and manga]?’

‘Well, lance charging is every man’s fantasy.’

Even in the 21st century, there are otaku who wear full armor and joust.

Moreover, the weapons, armor, and symbols used by the Crusaders survived until the 21st century.

The Knights Templar as well.

The Knights Templar appeared in all sorts of conspiracy theories and stories.

That means they are attractive beings.

“By the way, this thing that Your Grace made is amazing every time I see it.”

Alexios muttered, holding the cylinder to his eye.

He kept opening and closing his eyes.

The reaction of a child handling a toy for the first time.

“It’s like looking down on the earth from the sky with the eyes of an angel. Did the Archangel Michael really tell you how to make it?”

“He appeared and told me on the day I defeated Andronikos.”

I said.

In fact, the Archangel Michael was something I came up with on the spot.

‘I only knew that he was the strongest of the angels.’

It turned out that Michael held a high position in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In fact, he was the guardian angel of Constantinople.

By the time the rebellion ended, I had become a hero who protected the system with the blessing of the archangel.

“Then this sacred object must belong only to Your Grace.”

He carefully handed me the telescope.

I looked at the stadium through the telescope.

The faces of the citizens sitting in the distant audience seats were visible.

It wasn’t completely clear.

‘It’s a bit unfortunate that it’s slightly opaque….’

Making the lenses themselves was not a big problem.

Convex lenses had already been used since the 1st and 2nd centuries.

The problem was processing them as transparently as possible.

Byzantine glass artisans used all sorts of methods to process the lenses.

They experimented with not only glass but also crystal,

Even Naxium, which is used to process abrasives and marble.

The result was this telescope.

A telescope that could see far away, even though it had bubbles and was blurry.

“The Archangel commanded me to use this tool as I wish.”

I said with a smile.

The telescope is no different from an elixir-like liquor.

It will be difficult to mass-produce right away, and the profits won’t be great.

‘Astronomers, soldiers, and sailors will buy it….’

The simple structure will be revealed soon.

I could just use it myself, but….

Then I would be wasting a great opportunity.

‘It would be a great help if I could give it only to knights and commanders.’

Then it would be better to entrust production to the Eastern Roman Empire, which has the most developed glass technology.

You have to sell it expensively when you can.

“I will provide the exact manufacturing method through the court artisans today. The Imperial Army will be able to use it soon.”

“That’s a really great gift, Your Grace. Just imagine the generals using this….”

“Instead, I would like to ask one favor of Your Majesty.”

“Anything, please.”

“If Your Majesty permits, I would like to obtain some Greek fire [an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire].”

“Greek fire, you say….”

The young emperor muttered with a thoughtful expression.

Greek fire.

It was useful when dealing with rebels.

Arson in a confined space had a tremendous effect.

In fact, I could probably make it if I wanted to, but….

I didn’t have the time to leisurely dig up oil and test the mixing method.

The symbolism of receiving ‘Greek Fire’ from the Empire was a bonus.

Alexios nodded.

“We can give you as much spare stock as you need. We will deliver it to Antioch.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I can transfer it to pottery in Antioch.

Flaming pottery.

Does it feel like a flame grenade?

‘A sacred grenade made in Antioch….’

Something feels strangely familiar.

I shook my head.

“Ah, and….”

Alexios opened his mouth again.

“The creation of the knightly order will be completed in time for Your Grace’s departure. You will be able to go to the Holy Land together.”

“So soon?”

I asked.

A knightly order created by the Eastern Roman Empire.

‘Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre [the tomb where Jesus was buried].’

It still feels awkward.

A knightly order made up of Norsemen, Vikings.

‘When I first heard it, I thought it was just a bluff….’

The Emperor was serious.

Moreover, there were already hundreds of applicants.

“I didn’t know there would be so many applicants for the Varangian Guard [the elite unit of the Byzantine army, composed of Norsemen].”

‘Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre’ had different aspects from existing knightly orders.

It was a kind of evaluation unit where, after serving in the Guardians for a few years, one would be eligible to join the Varangian Guard.

“The Varangian Guard has one tradition.”

Alexios said with a smile.

“Every time the Emperor dies, they can take as many treasures as they can from the Imperial Palace and retire. As much as they can carry.”

Is it like severance pay?

A kind of Eastern Roman coin.

If you serve the Empire for a few years, you can retire with generous severance pay!

But if this is the case, doesn’t the guard disband every time the Emperor dies?

As if reading my gaze, Ruark opened his mouth.

“What His Majesty said is merely a tradition. Most of the guards choose to stay even if the Emperor passes away.”

He bowed his head and added.

“I will lead the newly created Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre myself.”

“It is an honor to fight alongside you, Ruark.”

I looked at him.

During the Emperor’s assassination attempt, he single-handedly stopped several attackers.

‘If the former commander of the Imperial Guard is leading it himself, they won’t be just a bunch of nobodies.’

The gifts I received from the Eastern Roman Empire are roughly three.

Greek fire, the Eastern Roman knightly order, and later, the promise of expedition support through marriage.

The profits are more substantial than I thought.

The money I spent here feels like a drop in the bucket.

“There is one issue we need to discuss with Your Grace before you leave.”

Alexios carefully opened his mouth.

He waited for the cheers of the crowd to subside before speaking.

“For Your Grace to safely return to Jerusalem….”

He looked at me and added.

“We must first clear Cyprus.”

* * *

“Let’s sort out the situation.”

I tapped the map with my finger.

The Emperor’s office.

I, Wigg, Ruark, and Alexios were standing at the table.

“Admiral Kontosfefanos is acting as the governor of Cyprus by presenting a false letter of appointment.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ruark said.

He pointed to the part where Cyprus was drawn.

“He is detaining ships going to and from the port. He is probably trying to control the flow of information.”

“He has a hundred ships under his command… It won’t be easy.”

I muttered.

The admiral who joined hands with Andronikos.

Kontosfefanos.

He saw that Andronikos’ rebels had been defeated and immediately turned his fleet around and fled.

The place he went was the island of Cyprus.

“The captains and sailors probably don’t even know that they started a rebellion. Rather, they probably heard that the system is in the hands of the rebels.”

Ruark said.

I looked at him and asked.

“How many ships are following His Majesty now?”

“About fifty ships. It will be difficult to fight head-on.”

So that’s why they left it alone until now.

I looked at the map again.

The only ones who know they are traitors are the admiral and high-ranking commanders.

If the captains and sailors don’t know that fact….

“Then shouldn’t we just take a decree with His Majesty’s seal on it?”

Wigg asked.

“Then the captains and sailors will surrender on their own.”

“No matter how much we send a golden decree, Admiral Kontosfefanos will claim that it is a document forged by the rebels.”

Ruark replied.

“It won’t be difficult since he is already controlling people and information going to and from the island.”

“We could ask Venice for help, but then we would have to give them a lot of money.”

I said.

To face them head-on, we needed at least fifty more ships.

It would be faster to go bankrupt trying to get them.

Then the remaining option is….

Cutting off the head of the snake.

“If we just kill or capture the admiral, we can take over the island without much damage. The rest will accept His Majesty’s orders.”

No matter how many hundred ships there are, they couldn’t guard the entire huge island 24 hours a day.

If we can find a gap and land, the knightly order, which is familiar with close combat, will be at an advantage.

In the original history, Richard I occupied Cyprus in this way.

And he gave it to Guy, who had lost Jerusalem, as a gift?

I shook my head.

‘Break through the security network, land, and capture Kontosfefanos!’

It’s easy to say, but.

There are a lot of things to prepare.

“First, we need to infiltrate spies inside to find gaps in the security network….”

“His Majesty and I had the same idea. So we already sent a few spies, but….”

Ruark sighed.

“That Kontosfefanos has completely blocked the port. It is possible to enter, but you cannot leave the port.”

“Then you don’t know where the admiral is staying or where the security network is weak.”

I stroked my chin.

The spy has no way to send information outside.

“Pigeons and carrier pigeons are useless at sea. To use flags or beacons, you have to get as close to the island as possible.”

Ruark said.

“But if you get too close, you run the risk of being discovered by the enemy’s patrol.”

“Yes, we have ‘Angel’s Eyes’!”

Alexios exclaimed in a very excited tone.

He pointed to the telescope placed on the table.

“If you use this, you can see the signal without having to get close!”

“We won’t be able to send detailed information with flags or beacons. Moreover, beacons are more likely to be caught.”

I shook my head.

Moreover, the telescope magnification is not that high.

“Even if we use ‘Angel’s Eyes,’ we have to go at night to avoid being caught.”

“Nighttime. Then we can’t use flags or beacons either.”

“This is a really blocked situation.”

Wigg muttered.

He sighed.

“It seems like we have no choice but to break through head-on, even if there are sacrifices.”

“…”

I looked at the map.

‘I think I’ve seen a similar situation before.’

The content I learned during military academy class.

Was it Drum Fort?

Early in World War II.

American fortresses in the Philippines are surrounded by the Japanese army.

‘We have to find a way to contact friendly forces on the coast somehow!’

The method they came up with was simple.

First, turn the gun muzzle to a predetermined position on a dark night.

Then, send Morse code by inserting and removing a light bulb inside the chamber.

Then, the observer watching that side receives the signal.

There is no need to worry about being heard by people around you, and you can send signals even further than during the day.

‘We can do the same in this situation. We also have a telescope.’

We should be able to safely check the signal even from outside the security network.

When I learned this, I grumbled about where I would use it.

I never thought I would use it in the 12th century Mediterranean.

I told everyone what I had come up with.

When the explanation was over, Alexios opened his mouth first.

“As expected, Your Grace has a plan. Exchanging letters using light….”

“It’s complicated, but I think it’s possible enough.”

Ruark muttered with a thoughtful expression.

Wigg as well.

“Since we’re not making smoke, there’s no need to worry about being caught. Kontosfefanos’s subordinates would never have imagined this method.”

He burst into laughter.

“The problem is finding someone to infiltrate inside.”

“It must be someone who can meet Admiral Kontosfefanos directly.”

I said.

“But it can’t be someone who is too suspicious.”

Hmm, someone like that….

There’s only one person.

I smiled.

Should I go visit Marco after a long time?

* * *

“Marco, what’s wrong? You’re suddenly shaking all over.”

“I don’t know. I suddenly feel chills.”

Marco scratched his head.

He shivered and rubbed his hands together.

“I suddenly felt very scared….”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s calculate again. At this rate, the sun will rise.”

Marco shrugged at his colleague’s urging.

“Okay. Well, it’s probably nothing.”