I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 5

Deus Vult? (5)

* * *

Royal Palace of Jerusalem

The laughter echoing from the room made the guards tilt their heads.

It was rare for the king to laugh.

“Still, it seems the boy wasn’t just bluffing, don’t you think?”

Baldwin IV said, panting.

His hand pointed to the parchments on the table.

The proposal drafted by young Baldwin and the Venetians.

It also stated that Venice would pay 20,000 dinars [a gold coin formerly used in the Middle East] annually for port usage fees.

“To summon merchants from other cities to the palace and pressure the Venetians. A brilliant move.”

The middle-aged man standing opposite him,

Balian, said.

“What’s most impressive is something else: the bills of exchange using the knight orders.”

Baldwin IV tapped his fingers on the desk.

“How did he know what the Venetians wanted?”

“Perhaps young Baldwin has informants within the knight orders or the fondaco [a trading post or warehouse in a Mediterranean port]….”

“Young Baldwin, you say? Perhaps he does.”

“But Saladin won’t just sit back and watch us advance into the Red Sea.”

Balian said.

His cheek scar twitched whenever he spoke.

“He’ll probably find some excuse to stop us.”

“Saladin is currently gathering troops in Cairo. More than anything, he’ll try to secure Aleppo and Mosul first.”

Baldwin IV said.

“Plus, we have a truce with him, so he has no justification. Even if he does respond, it’ll probably be years from now.”

Stopping his laughter, he stared at the map with a sharp gaze.

The yellow flags of Egypt and Syria.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was being driven out to sea.

He shook his head.

“Once the port is established, the Venetians will invest considerable resources to protect it. Even if problems arise, we can sufficiently aid them.”

“It’s just that Renaud being there is a concern….”

Balian stroked his chin.

“If it goes as Your Majesty says, we can secure a firm foothold in the south.”

“Yes. Things ended more smoothly than expected, don’t you think?”

Baldwin IV said.

“For Baldwin, that young one, to finish things so skillfully. It can’t be explained unless he prepared in advance.”

“If he prepared in advance….”

Balian frowned.

“Are you saying Lady Sibylla predicted this situation?”

“Perhaps she did. But Baldwin said he would go to Eilat himself. My sister couldn’t have come up with such a dangerous plan.”

Baldwin said.

“Anyway, it’s become interesting.”

“So, you really intend to send Prince Baldwin to Eilat? Even if he is royalty, he’s too young….”

“It might be too dangerous, but it’s a good opportunity for him to build his reputation.”

Baldwin coughed.

He refused Balian’s hand, which was trying to support him.

“I don’t have much time left, Balian, and I can’t hand over the throne to that idiot, Guy.”

He looked at Balian.

His sister’s new husband, Guy.

Just saying that name made his face turn red.

“What about the task I entrusted to you last time?”

“It seems certain that Guy has been tampering with the royal treasury.”

Balian lowered his voice, looking at the door.

“The treasurer confessed to me directly. He’s been embezzling a considerable amount of money, using Lady Sibylla’s name.”

“He’s scheming to buy the throne with money. Then I have no choice but to take action.”

“Does that mean….”

“First, I need to entrust Baldwin with bigger tasks. I need to see if he’s qualified or not. I’ll also give you a task.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

The King of Jerusalem looked out the window and took a breath.

The air of the holy city was always hot and dry.

***

The land flowing with milk and honey.

Jerusalem.

Milk and honey, huh.

I didn’t know it would literally mean that.

“Bring me one more bowl of this, and some apples too.”

“Yes, I’ll inform the chef right away.”

The maid bowed and left the room.

The table was already piled high with dishes.

‘Have I been eating too much lately?’

When I first fell into this world, I couldn’t eat anything but water for the first few days.

Now that I’ve found things I like, it’s the opposite.

A huge variety of foods and fruits.

Bananas, melons, watermelons, grapes, cherries, apples, nuts.

Even though they’re slightly different in form from the 21st century, the taste is similar.

Plus, sugar, salt, honey, and even cheese.

I could eat as much as I wanted whenever I asked.

‘Living as a gourmet isn’t so bad.’

Is there a separate heaven somewhere?

This is heaven.

No, I have to exclude the swordsmanship training.

The hellish swordsmanship training continued for hours every day.

I remembered what Garnier had said.

‘You have a natural sense, but your skills are still at a child’s level.’

Of course, they’d be at a child’s level.

I’m a thirteen-year-old kid.

My arms and legs were tattered from the daily rigorous training.

The kendo I learned roughly at the military academy wasn’t of much help either.

“And….”

I’m worried about leaving for Eilat right away.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

The knight orders decided to send support troops, and the Venetians are accompanying us.

A royal like me can just laze around and occasionally show my face.

Just as I was picking up a walnut, someone opened the door.

Garnier.

“Prince, you were in your room.”

“Sir Garnier, it’s not training time yet, is it?”

That startled me.

I tensed up without realizing it.

“Sit down and have some walnuts with me. I happen to have some with honey….”

“I heard from the chef that you’ve been overeating lately.”

He said, folding his arms.

“I’ve told him to only make food according to the diet I’ve set for the time being.”

“Excuse me?”

No, is that even allowed?

I’m royalty, you know.

“It’ll be hard to eat proper food on the way to Eilat, so you need to get used to it from now on. Besides that, there’s a lot to do. Let’s go get your armor fitted first.”

I stared at him.

Armor….

“You weren’t thinking of going to Eilat without armor, were you?”

He smiled at me.

When I came to my senses, I was already in the middle of Jerusalem.

“Come this way. It’s best to avoid the crowded main roads as much as possible.”

Garnier said, turning his head.

He and I rode our horses through the city of Jerusalem.

Was this the first time I’d come out to the city like this?

The streets of Jerusalem were bustling with all sorts of people.

From Muslim merchants wearing turbans to Jews wearing their distinctive hats.

Most of the women were wearing veils.

The alleys, filled with the smell of spices and food, were crowded with various people.

Looking at it like this, it’s like a medieval version of New York.

The brick buildings were the opposite of the medieval image I had imagined.

What did this city look like a hundred years ago when it was captured by the Crusaders?

The Crusaders were famous for being fanatical at the time.

‘Instead of raping Saracen women, they stabbed them to death with a single blow of a spear!’

This was even praised as a virtue.

But they also adapted to this Levant [historical geographical area encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean] over time.

Employing Turkic mercenaries or making peace treaties or alliances with Islamic forces.

Allowing Muslims to make pilgrimages, reside, and trade was also part of that.

“The Knights Hospitaller headquarters will be visible soon.”

After a brief tour, Garnier stopped in front of a building.

“This way. The central hall is too crowded, so let’s go straight to the smithy.”

The Knights Hospitaller headquarters was right next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Was that the church built on the site of Jesus’ tomb?

The inside was packed with Christian pilgrims.

A thick smoke blinded me as I avoided the crowds and entered the smithy in the back.

I waved my hand in the air, and the spacious smithy came into view.

Chain mail hanging everywhere.

Blacksmiths hammering away at swords and helmets.

Garnier and I entrusted our horses to the squires and went deep inside.

“Ah, Sir Garnier. The parts you requested have arrived!”

A white-bearded old man approached.

His gaze turned to me.

“This is a face I’ve never seen before….”

“This is His Excellency, Prince Baldwin of noble lineage.”

“Oh, a noble person. This old man didn’t recognize you. Please forgive me.”

I hurriedly stopped him from kneeling.

“There’s no need to kneel.”

It’s burdensome to have this happen everywhere I go.

“Zernal is the most skilled blacksmith not only in this Knights Hospitaller but also in Jerusalem.”

Garnier said, looking at the blacksmith.

“Zernal, we need armor for the prince to wear.”

“Armor? Are we going to war with the Saracens again this time?”

The old man frowned and asked.

“Fortunately, that’s not the case. We just need good armor.”

“Well, it’s a relief that it’s not a big deal.”

Zernal nodded.

His eyes scrutinized my body as if evaluating it.

“Come this way, Prince. First, I need to measure your shoulder size.”

He took out a leather strap and put it on various parts of my body.

“Now, lift this arm.”

I moved my arms to the sides according to his instructions.

It feels like I’m getting a custom suit.

“Good, I’ll make it a bit generous considering you’re going to grow. By the way, we have a helmet that His Majesty the King used when he was young.”

He went to one side of the smithy and took out a helmet.

The iron helmet shone like new in the light.

“I kept the one His Majesty used during the Battle of Montgisard.”

I took the helmet.

A typical Crusader helmet without fancy decorations.

The only thing protecting the face was the nose guard in the center.

If you get hit in the cheek or somewhere else, it’ll go right through.

“Do you have a helmet that covers the entire face?”

“A helmet that covers the entire face….”

Zernal stroked his chin.

Come to think of it, the great helm wasn’t really used yet.

The can helmet that comes to mind when you think of a knight, the great helm.

That could protect the entire head.

“You’re talking about a completely fixed visor. I can make it that way, but it’ll be hard to breathe. If you’re going to use it in the desert for a long time….”

“It doesn’t matter, I only need to use it during battle. Just make a few breathing holes.”

I said.

It doesn’t seem like a problem if I only use it for a short time.

“You can wear this helmet normally.”

A half-helmet for normal times, a great helm for battle.

This should increase the survival rate.

“Oh, and when you make the new helmet, please round the top. Make it slightly curved.”

“You want to be able to deflect the impact as much as possible, so that swords or spears can slip off.”

“Exactly.”

I never thought I’d use what I learned in history class like this.

Zernal, who heard my words, burst out laughing.

“You know a little bit about armor, Prince. It’ll be fun to make this.”

He talked to Garnier and then looked at me again.

“I’ll try to finish it somehow before you leave. You’re not very big, so it’ll be done quickly.”

“Thank you.”

I looked around at the chain mail and weapons and came outside.

‘I didn’t notice when I first came in….’

The central hall was full of beds and patients.

The smell of pus and blood.

Doctors, monks, and volunteers were busily moving through the corridors.

It’s more like a hospital than a knight order headquarters.

“It’s a space where the poor are cared for free of charge. Poor old people and women who have given birth also come here every month to receive subsidies.”

Garnier approached and said.

“Our knight order originally started as a small relief center. I heard it was from when this city was in Saracen hands.”

“I think I see a few knights too?”

I said.

Among the doctors, knights in monastic robes were carrying bandages and herbs.

“All knights must take care of the sick here at least once a week. Not only Christians but also Saracen and Jewish patients.”

Garnier said.

“There are also separate kosher and halal kitchens for them. We have to feed them meat somehow.”

As expected, they’re monks.

I don’t think I could live as a bachelor, volunteering like this for the rest of my life.

‘There are more patients than I thought.’

I could see at a glance that the hall was full.

From those who kept vomiting to those who were listlessly drooping.

As if reading my gaze, Garnier said.

“The number of patients has suddenly increased since a few weeks ago. All those who were brought in were vomiting and having diarrhea all day long. Hundreds have already died from that illness.”

As Garnier said, most of the patients had the same symptoms.

There were so many people vomiting that the monks were running around with buckets.

Seeing that, my heart was pricked without realizing it.

Someone was enjoying delicacies in the palace, but right in front of them, people were dying in groups.

By the way, vomiting and diarrhea.

It seems to be a type of gastroenteritis or cholera.

“The number of deaths is only increasing day by day. No matter how much water we give them, they don’t get better.”

“Of course, they won’t get better with just water. Unless it’s a fluid like an IV solution that matches the concentration with body fluids….”

“Excuse me?”

Garnier and I looked at each other and tilted our heads.

Only then did I realize belatedly.

‘These people don’t know about that yet.’

A very simple method called oral rehydration solution.