I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 45

The Fish-Catching Falcon (5)

* * *

“No way.”

Aigre muttered.

He stared at the scene before him.

Baldwin stood alone on the quarterdeck.

He constantly gave instructions to the helmsman.

“There’s a large reef directly ahead. And once we pass that…”

Each time the helmsman turned the wheel, the reef narrowly scraped the side of the ship.

Once, the reef screeched as it grazed the ship.

Aigre stared blankly at the sight.

The other sailors were the same.

Knights, even the Vikings of the Holy Sepulcher Order.

All were넋 놓은 채 바라봤다 [넋 놓은 채 바라봤다 is a Korean phrase that means ‘stared blankly’].

The same reaction as when they rescued the sailor who fell into the water.

“May the Lord protect us…”

“To the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is both virgin and wife…”

The sound of everyone praying echoed.

“It’s amazing every time I see it.”

Garnier muttered.

He stood next to Aigre and continued.

“First, he noticed the sea tribes. Then the attack on Eilat. In Constantinople, he even noticed the emperor being attacked.”

“Now he’s even avoiding reefs. How can he possibly see in this thick fog…”

Aigre made the sign of the cross.

Those around him quickly made the sign of the cross as well.

Garnier placed his sword on the deck, standing it upright.

He, too, watched the prince in silence.

Then, the sailors’ shouts rang out.

They shouted towards the ships following behind.

“Follow our ship closely! Stay as close as possible!”

“Alright, you crazy bastards!”

Aigre looked back.

There were a total of three ships infiltrating Cyprus.

Two ships were closely following behind.

If they hit a reef, all three ships would sink.

Prince Baldwin was still busy giving instructions to the helmsman.

An eternity seemed to pass, and finally, the reefs disappeared.

And land appeared through the fog.

“Land!”

“The Archangel is with us!”

The knights and members of the Holy Sepulcher Order shouted.

But everyone fell silent at the fierce gazes of Ruarc and 위그 [Wig, likely a name, retained as is].

“Quiet, you fools!”

Aigre looked at Prince Baldwin.

His face was wet.

Was it sweat? Or fog?

He approached with a smile, as always.

“Is there a problem, Aigre?”

“No, Your Highness.”

Aigre replied with a smile.

The prince was always like this.

“I knew you could do it. What Your Highness does…”

Aigre added.

“Is soon what God wills (DEUS VULT) [“God wills it” in Latin, a Crusader battle cry].”

* * *

‘I’m never doing that again.’

I sat on the sandy beach and came to that conclusion.

To do that for an hour.

I almost died of tension.

I wiped away the sweat.

I’m glad I didn’t piss my pants in the middle of it.

Armor in this era didn’t have diapers.

If you made a mistake, there was no way to hide it.

“There’s no one around. No one could have seen us because of the fog.”

Wig said.

He and the scouts searched the surrounding coastline.

As Marco reported, it was empty.

Wig coughed and said.

“We should move before the fog lifts.”

“Then let’s do as planned.”

I said.

There were a total of one hundred and fifty warriors accompanying me.

After leaving twenty of them on the coast, we began our march.

The northern part of Limassol was a rugged mountain range.

There were hardly any people.

I stood at the front and changed direction whenever I sensed human presence.

Thanks to that, we arrived at the meeting place without being detected.

But Marco was nowhere to be seen.

Aigre muttered with an anxious expression.

“If Marco is caught and spills everything…”

“They would have ambushed us already. Let’s wait a little longer.”

I said.

Then, a rustling sound was heard.

“Who’s there?!”

“It’s me! Your Highness!”

A man jumped out of the bushes.

A protruding belly and long hair.

It was Marco.

Unlike usual, he was wearing tattered clothes.

He spread his arms wide and shouted when he found us.

“I swear to God! I was constantly worried that you wouldn’t come!”

He gasped for breath.

“I thought you would give up landing because of this damn fog.”

“I almost did. Let’s just say we barely made it.”

I said with a smile.

“Were you late because you thought we wouldn’t come?”

“It took some time to shake off the guards that Admiral Kontostephanos had placed.”

He shook his head from side to side.

“Even when I sent the signal last night, I had to get them drunk…”

“Stop the chatter and tell us the information quickly. Has anything changed since you sent the letter?”

Wig said.

“First of all…”

Marco continued his explanation.

The location of the fortress and the deployment of troops.

The patrol times and even the specific number of defenders.

It was much more detailed information than what he had sent in Morse code.

“We’ll have to enter the fortress as planned. Using ropes…”

“There’s no need for that.”

Marco smiled slyly.

He continued with a confident tone.

“I’ve already taken care of the gatekeepers. The north and east gates will be open all day today.”

“Hold on a second.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

You bribed the gatekeepers?

“You did that while gathering information?”

“If you have gold, you can move the world. That’s what we Venetians say.”

Marco nodded.

“The Cypriots are very dissatisfied with the admiral who greatly increased the tax rate. Thanks to that, I was able to bribe a few people at a cheap price.”

I’m glad I chose Marco.

He’s a named character for a reason.

Come to think of it, Antioch was also taken over like this.

During the First Crusade, the seemingly impregnable Antioch was captured by a single traitor.

Well, strictly speaking, there were more than one or two fortresses that fell due to internal traitors.

Constantinople was also in such danger.

“The defending forces are mostly sailors who only ride ships and farmers conscripted from the island.”

“Then their morale won’t be very high.”

I said.

“You’ve done a really great job, Mr. Marco.”

“How could I fail the task entrusted to me by the Archangel Michael?”

I nodded instead of answering.

I should still check to see if he’s betrayed us.

I examined his emotions.

I didn’t feel much.

Sincerity, joy, relief.

What he said was sincere.

“We’ll give you appropriate compensation when this is over.”

A simple gift won’t be enough.

Should I give him an elixir regular supply contract?

“We can each take one of the north and east gates and go in. We need to capture the fortress before they come to their senses.”

Ruarc said.

Wig also nodded.

“Your Holy Sepulcher Order will take the north gate. We’ll take the east gate, which is heavily guarded. Your Highness…”

“No, what are you talking about? Our warriors are the elite of the elite…”

“You’re talking nonsense again. Stop being stubborn…”

Ruarc and Wig glared at each other.

Garnier sighed as he watched them.

Aigre was the same.

He shook his head as if he couldn’t stop them.

“If you two keep fighting, I’ll exclude you both from the battle. This is my last warning.”

I said.

“The Knights will take the north gate, and the Holy Sepulcher Order will take the east gate. We must seize the fortress and secure the admiral as quickly as possible.”

“It doesn’t matter which way we go, we’ll arrive first anyway.”

“Then how about we make a bet? Let’s bet on who will capture the admiral first.”

Ruarc scoffed and said.

“Unless you’re scared now…”

“Yes, a bet is good!”

Wig burst out laughing.

“Let’s bet on who arrives first. We need to bet something. How about eating only oat porridge for a month?”

“Are you sure? That seems too harsh for a leper.”

I cleared my throat, and both of them stopped talking.

“If you two are done, let’s go now.”

I grabbed my crossbow.

Even if the walls are open, we can’t avoid a battle.

I looked back and saw the knights and members of the Holy Sepulcher Order.

Giant warriors who have only fought their whole lives.

I’m leading these people.

What would my 육사 동기들 [ROTC classmates] say if they heard me?

‘They’d tell me not to talk nonsense.’

I smiled and moved my feet.

Thus, the recapture of Cyprus began.

* * *

“Where did the gatekeeper go?”

“I don’t know. He said he had something to do.”

The two guards chatted.

The watchtower in front of the gate was not clearly visible due to the thick fog.

“Is it okay to leave the gate open for this long?”

“I heard they opened it because supplies will be coming in soon.”

“Supplies, what supplies?”

“How would I know? I wish it was elixir. After drinking one glass of that, I can’t drink other cheap wines. So…”

A sound of cutting through the wind was heard.

A sharp sound of 휭― [whoosh].

And something fell with a thud.

“Did you hear that?”

“It sounded like it came from the watchtower.”

The two guards looked at each other.

Then, a sharp sound rushed towards them.

A guard with a bolt stuck in his neck coughed and fell.

The colleague who saw it opened his mouth.

“The enemy…!”

But that was it.

A bolt flew through the fog and pierced his neck.

* * *

“Fire at the harbor, what does that mean?!”

“They set fire to the ships and attacked the harbor. All the ships have already set sail…”

The adjutant flinched and replied.

“We are looking for the enemy’s main force. We will be able to repel them before sunset.”

“I can’t see anything properly because of this damn fog.”

Kontostephanos muttered as he approached the window.

Humid air entered through the open window.

“To think they could defeat my fleet with just a few fire ships. He’s still a kid…”

His expression hardened.

“To attack just after our assault fleet left. Isn’t that strange? Information must have leaked from somewhere. How many ships are patrolling now?”

“Excluding the ships heading to Tripoli, there are less than ten. But the fog is so thick that in this weather…”

“Sailing is the same as suicide. But they attacked the harbor. Unless they found out something in the meantime…”

The admiral shouted.

“Venice! That Venetian bastard must have leaked the information.”

“But his ship is still tied to the port. The soldiers we put on guard are also…”

“That cunning bastard must have used some trick. I don’t know how, but he sent the information out.”

He said.

“Call back all the guys who were guarding him. I’ll have to interrogate them myself.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“And when the fleet returns, immediately increase patrols…”

Then, a shout rang out from outside.

The bell rang a beat later.

“Attack!”

“The enemy has infiltrated the castle――!”

The shout was cut off with a whoosh.

The sound of soldiers shouting and running continued.

Admiral Kontostephanos stuck his head out of the window.

Figures were visible through the fog.

A group of shadows rushed in through the gate.

“Everyone get out of the way unless you want to die!”

Greek with a strong accent.

Giant axes in their hands.

Kontostephanos gasped when he saw them.

“Varangian Guard! They’re here! The Guard…!”

He waved his hand and panted.

“Stop them! Don’t let them into the fortress!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The defenders with spears rushed out.

But the enemy had already entered the walls.

It was impossible to secure a proper view due to the fog.

The sailors and conscripts fell like weeds cut by a scythe.

“Who’s next?!”

The terrified defenders turned their backs and ran away one by one.

“Demons! Demons have invaded! Everyone run away!”

“Everyone hold your ground!”

The defenders were no match for the giant warriors.

Every time the men moved, three or four fell.

The battle quickly continued into the fortress.

“Block the passage! Stack the tables and chairs!”

“Kontostephanos!!! Where is the traitor?!”

The admiral flinched without realizing it.

He had seen a similar sight before.

Berserk.

The sight of Norse warriors fighting in a frenzy during battle.

They were famous for rushing in without caring about injuries.

A man in chainmail burst into the office.

“There you are! You dirty traitor!”

“P-Protect the admiral!”

The giant man swung his axe.

The adjutant and captains all fell in two or three moves.

The severed heads and limbs were scattered on the floor.

Admiral Kontostephanos also drew his sword, but that was it.

He was hit by the axe handle and groaned on the floor.

“How about it, are you feeling a little better now?”

“Where did you get the audacity to call yourself the Imperial Navy, you barbarian who sucks Latin cocks…”

“You still have your mouth.”

“That’s enough, Ruarc.”

A young boy entered the room.

A white cloak and a blue coat.

The coat had one large cross and four small crosses.

The symbol of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

“It seems the Holy Sepulcher Order has won the bet.”

“It was an obvious result, Your Highness.”

“So you’re the famous Baldwin.”

Admiral Kontostephanos spat and muttered.

Blood-mixed saliva splattered on the boy’s feet.

“You’re trying to seduce the emperor and turn the great Roman Empire into a Latin whore…”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to say that, considering you tried to seat someone like Andronikos as emperor.”

The boy smiled.

A calm tone as if saying good morning.

Kontostephanos swallowed hard.

“I came here at the emperor’s request to suppress the rebellion.”

“Even if you capture me, you won’t be able to bring my fleet to its knees. I don’t know how many soldiers you brought…”

“Now that you’ve been captured, you won’t last that long. There are no soldiers who would risk their lives in a fight without cause. The fleet is maintained by you alone.”

The boy said.

“You have two options right now. Resist to the end and take the entire fleet as companions to hell…”

“Or?”

The admiral bit his lip tightly.

“Or issue a surrender order now and save the remaining fleet. Which one will you choose?”

“That’s a stupid suggestion. If I’m going to die anyway, wouldn’t it be better to struggle to the end?”

“I know that the fleet you lead was built by the Roman Empire over several generations.”

The boy said with his arms crossed.

“If this fleet is annihilated, the empire will not be able to face Venice for decades to come. Do you really want such a result?”

“…….”

“His Majesty the Emperor has promised generous treatment to the captains and sailors. You can somehow save your life too.”

“If you think I’ll fall for such a lie…”

“You know best that the game is already over, right?”

Kontostephanos looked at the boy in front of him.

A look as if he was piercing through his head.

The admiral trembled at the look.

Silence flowed.

“I don’t care about my life. If you guarantee the safety of the captains and sailors…”

He said as if spitting it out.

“I will give the order myself.”