The Return of the Hero (3)
* * *
Constantinople
The Imperial Palace
A shadow entered the bedroom.
Agnes sat up in bed and said,
“You’re late again tonight. Were you in meetings until this hour?”
“I had many questions for the generals. I also need to keep learning basic strategies.”
Alexios yawned and spoke.
He collapsed onto the bed.
“And I even squeezed in some swordsmanship training. It feels like I have more and more to do.”
“The Empress Dowager is very pleased, though, isn’t she? You’ve completely changed.”
Agnes said with a smile.
She reached out and gently stroked her husband’s back.
“Before, you spent all day at the chariot races. You ran away from your lessons every day.”
“I didn’t run away. I just forgot.”
Alexios said, blushing.
The young emperor slowly raised his head.
“But I was lazy. I only chose the easy and fun things. I left all the hard work to my mother and the regency council. But I can’t do that anymore.”
“…”
Agnes slowly opened her mouth.
“Is it because of what happened back then?”
“Back then…”
Alexios murmured.
He closed his eyes.
“If it weren’t for Lord Baudouin, I would have died at the hands of assassins. And you too, Agnes, surely…”
“There’s no need to regret what didn’t happen.”
Agnes lit a candle.
A faint light illuminated the bedroom.
Alexios’s silk robe shone brightly.
Outside, the Varangian Guards [the elite bodyguard unit of the Byzantine Emperors, composed primarily of Norsemen] could be heard patrolling.
“I still remember Lord Baudouin fighting the assassins. He fought them off with just a dagger. And then Andronikos, Cyprus. And now even the Saracens.”
Alexios clenched his fist and said,
“I want to be like him, Agnes. An emperor who is as strong and dignified as a lion, crushing his enemies.”
He murmured.
“My father was like that too. But I, his son… I’m a coward who isn’t fit for the empire or for you, Agnes.”
“Just by trying this hard, you’re already a great emperor, Alexios.”
Agnes said.
She smiled and continued.
“Even the strongest-looking lion was once a cub. But a lion cub is still a lion.”
She looked at her young husband.
“I’m glad you’re my husband.”
“…”
“Because you’ll be recorded in the history books as a great emperor. If not you, who else could save the Kingdom of Jerusalem and bring peace to the Western and Eastern Churches?”
Alexios nodded, his face flushed.
The two of them went out to the balcony next to the bedroom together.
Numerous churches and chapels, public buildings, towers, and domes.
All the queen of cities welcomed them.
* * *
Jerusalem
The Patriarchate of the Holy Sepulchre
A man unfurled a long piece of silk.
The colorful silks displayed their hues as they spread across the floor.
“These are all newly imported silks. Rare items made in the East…”
The man continued in a fervent tone.
“Expensive items brought in exclusively for the Patriarch.”
“Didn’t I say I don’t need such silks anymore? Are you trying to win me over with mere pieces of cloth?”
Patriarch Heraclius said, frowning.
He carefully turned the pages of the Bible in his hand, one by one.
He waved his hand without even looking up.
“I don’t even want to hear it. Leave now.”
“Pa, Patriarch! I don’t expect any money. These are all gifts from our merchant guild to the Patriarch, so please, accept our goodwill…”
“Even if it’s goodwill, I have no intention of accepting it, so leave now. Whether you sell it for money or give it away for free, aren’t you still trying to win me over?”
He shouted.
“Get out!”
The surprised merchant picked up the silks and fled from the room.
Patriarch Heraclius sighed as he watched him leave.
He spoke to the priest entering the room.
“Didn’t I tell you not to receive such merchants anymore?”
“I apologize, Patriarch. He forced his way in…”
“I no longer have time to waste on such people. I have more than one or two things to take care of.”
Heraclius said.
He stood up and put on his priestly robes.
A priestly robe made of cilice [a coarse cloth or garment worn as a penance or mortification], known as the roughest cloth.
He wore the clothes swarming with insects without a second thought.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t washed the feet of the poor yet. Let’s go to the church quickly. Have you prepared the relief supplies to distribute?”
“Yes, but since you performed the flagellation of the whips yesterday, perhaps you should skip it today…”
The priest said.
“If the Patriarch collapses, all the believers in Jerusalem will be greatly shocked. And Rome as well…”
“Do you think I’ll collapse from mere flagellation?”
Heraclius said, shaking his head.
“I have attained enlightenment. Until I met Lord Baudouin, I was a sinner and a layman. Just someone who defiled the name of the Lord.”
The Patriarch stretched out his arms to both sides.
The priest stepped back.
“Only after hearing that he had received a revelation from the Archangel did I realize. The Lord was speaking to me through the Lord. I have been given the opportunity to be forgiven for the sins I have committed.”
Staggering with his emaciated body, Heraclius walked on.
“So we must be even more thorough with this investiture ceremony. There must not be a single thing out of place. Do you understand? Is everything prepared?”
“Of course, Patriarch. Everything has been prepared according to your instructions.”
The priest bowed his head deeply.
“It will be done according to the Lord’s will.”
“It will be done according to the Lord’s will.”
The Patriarch said, looking out the window.
His two eyes burned with heat.
“As it always has been.”
* * *
“May these weapons, according to the Lord’s will, protect the weak and bring fear to the wicked…”
Hmm, this is a bit unfamiliar.
I looked at Patriarch Heraclius.
The homosexual Patriarch who liked flashy things.
And he had a young boy as his lover.
He tried to extort money with the elixir.
I remembered him clinging to me and begging.
His current appearance was the complete opposite of what I remembered.
A tattered priestly robe and a gaunt face.
Even the emotion filled with faith.
A sacred aura emanated from him.
It’s like he’s become a completely different person?
What on earth happened?
Did he get possessed by Thomas Becket?
Thomas Becket.
Before being appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, he was a close friend of Henry II.
A typical worldly man who went hunting with the king and collected expensive clothes and treasures.
But after becoming Archbishop, he changed 180 degrees.
Having been reborn as a true clergyman, he confronted Henry II head-on.
Eventually, he was brutally murdered in Canterbury Cathedral and even posthumously recognized as a saint.
It’s like seeing that person.
“Able to exalt the glory of the Lord…”
He recited the prayer.
The royal palace hall.
Hundreds of nobles and knights stood watching the scene.
Only Baudouin IV, the three Patriarchs, and I were at the front of the hall.
Anyway, a knighting ceremony.
I didn’t expect to have to go through something like this as soon as I came to Jerusalem.
I looked at Baudouin IV.
I could feel a sense of satisfaction.
‘He said it was a gift for me.’
The Hagia Sophia came to mind.
Emperor Alexios bestowing a title on me.
It’s the same atmosphere as then.
But thankfully, there are far fewer people.
Patriarch Heraclius recited the prayer and consecrated the sword, shield, and spear.
The process of blessing the armaments.
Silence fell as the prayer ended.
The Patriarch carefully handed the sword to Baudouin IV.
“Come here, Baudouin.”
I knelt before Baudouin IV.
My body was trembling, perhaps because I hadn’t slept last night.
Staying up all night in prayer and ablutions [ritual washings as part of a religious observance].
Who knew receiving a knighthood would be this difficult.
I thought it would be easier if I were royalty.
Baudouin IV slowly raised the sword.
His golden crown sparkled in the light.
The sword as well.
It was so polished that my face was reflected like a mirror.
“Baudouin of Jerusalem. Do you swear before the Lord to save His universal Church and the holy Jerusalem… and the poor from injustice, to defend peace, to shed blood for your brothers, and, if necessary, to lay down your life?”
Silence flowed.
The sound of people breathing could be heard.
Numerous gazes focused on me.
I looked at the sword.
“I swear before the Lord.”
“Then rise as a knight, Baudouin of Jerusalem.”
Baudouin IV came over and fastened the sword to my waist.
The longsword was longer and heavier than the ones I had held before.
I stood up without showing any sign.
The sound of applause thundered.
It was deafening.
As Baudouin IV slowly raised his hand, the sound subsided.
He came to me and whispered.
“Now, no one will be able to look down on the achievements you have made. Go around Jerusalem once.”
He patted me on the shoulder and said,
“I’ve told them to prepare a procession for you. All the citizens of Jerusalem will see it.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
I answered with a smile.
As I passed by, all the nobles and knights bowed their heads.
Even as I passed through the hall and corridors, the gazes of countless people were directed at me.
After going outside the palace, I got on Bucephalus.
Ganier and Eudes, who had been waiting, approached me.
“Congratulations, Lord. Now that you have officially received your knighthood from His Majesty…”
Ganier said with a smile.
“There could be no greater reward than this. No amount of wealth can compare.”
“But you’re already royalty, Lord. Is there any need to receive something like a knighthood?”
Eudes asked, scratching his head.
Then Ganier shook his head.
“A knighthood bestowed directly by His Majesty the King is different. Especially doing it so publicly. Investiture is like sharing the king’s power. It’s an official recognition of the Lord.”
I nodded instead of answering.
Unlike a typical knighthood, the knighthood of a royal had a special meaning.
Richard I also received a knighthood from the King of France, whom he was close to.
Of course, that was to screw over his father, Henry II.
“Does that mean His Majesty the King has recognized you as his successor? If you were to become king someday…”
“I will be king.”
I said.
I had no interest in power.
The only way for the Kingdom of Jerusalem to survive.
That was for me to become king.
I’ve only taken one step now.
“I won’t have a choice.”
“…”
Ganier and Eudes both looked at me, silent.
I smiled at them.
“But for now, let’s enjoy what we can. It’s not often that we get to parade through the streets like this.”
I looked ahead.
An investiture ceremony instead of an inauguration.
‘Knight of Jerusalem.’
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Living in this era isn’t so bad either.
I leaned back on Bucephalus and added,
“And today will be the last day I can rest. Starting tomorrow…”
I’ll have to run around here and there.