I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 7

The Song of Departure (2)

* * *

A month later, I received a letter from the Venetians saying they had completed their preparations.

The departure to Eilat.

Finally, the day had arrived.

I stood at the gate called the Gate of Zion, looking ahead.

A massive fortress wall.

And camels and people lined up along the wall.

It looked like something out of a movie.

‘Am I supposed to lead all these people?’

Although the actual work would be handled by the Knights and merchants, I was nominally the chief in charge.

This would be on a different level from being a company commander cadet at the military academy.

A thirteen-year-old royal proxy and chief in charge.

Even I have to admit, I don’t sound very trustworthy.

“Prince, the Venetians have arrived.”

Garnier approached on horseback.

Behind him were several other knights.

The Knights Hospitaller, the Knights Templar, and even knights directly under the royal family.

About forty in total.

All of them were armed with spears and clad in heavy armor.

This seemed like quite a large escort.

It must mean Baldwin IV was that concerned.

“Marco said he wants to see you before we depart, Prince. I’m not sure why.”

“I understand. I’ll find out when he comes.”

I sighed involuntarily.

Did he still have complaints left?

Marco had continued to try to lower the price even after the negotiations.

Of course, it was a futile attempt since I knew his mind inside and out.

“Ah, I almost forgot. There’s someone I need to introduce to you before we leave, Prince. Aygu!”

At Garnier’s gesture, a boy stepped forward.

Slightly dark skin and short hair.

His face looked familiar.

“Ah, in the Hospitaller hall…!”

It was the boy who had been nursing the other patients.

The boy blushed at my words.

“I was very rude at the time, Prince. I didn’t even recognize who you were….”

“There’s no need to worry about it.”

I said with a smile.

It’s not like I go around with ‘Royal’ written on my forehead.

Hmm, is this too much of a 21st-century mindset?

Maybe I should scold him to make it seem more plausible.

But a thirteen-year-old scolding someone would just be funny.

I should just let it pass naturally here.

“Aygu will be your page during this journey, Prince.”

“My page?”

I asked, looking at the boy.

Well, I couldn’t bring any maids.

But is he a Turcopole [a locally recruited soldier, often of mixed parentage, serving as light cavalry or archers]?

Turcopoles, auxiliary troops of Turkic origin who served in the Crusader or Byzantine armies.

As I stared at him, the boy quickly made the sign of the cross.

“I believe in Christ, noble and benevolent one. I’ve also learned a little reading and writing in the Knights Hospitaller. Of course, there’s still a lot I don’t know….”

“Even so, he seems too young.”

I said to Garnier.

My body may be thirteen, but my mind is in my twenties.

The boy in front of me looked to be about 13 or 14 at most.

“He’s an excellent archer for his age. He can even hit rabbits running into their burrows. I can guarantee his skill.”

The boy nodded vigorously at Garnier’s words.

With a face full of enthusiasm, he said.

“And I can help you put on your armor! I’ve helped others put it on every day. Noble and benevolent one.”

“Alright, I look forward to working with you. Your name is….”

“It’s Aygu, noble and benevolent….”

“Let’s skip that part, starting now. Especially the benevolent part.”

I said with a smile.

It’s making me cringe.

“Anyway, there’s no need to call me that long name.”

“But how dare I, a lowly person….”

“It would be good to leave out the lowly part too. Just drop all the honorifics when you talk to me.”

“Understood, noble… I mean, Prince Baldwin!”

I burst out laughing again.

Just then, a man approached, leading a group of horses.

It was the Venetian merchant, Marco.

I waved to him first.

“Excellent horses, Mr. Marco. Are you planning to sell them in Eilat?”

“As expected, you have an eye for horses, Prince. Unfortunately, there are too many to take all the way to Eilat.”

Marco shook his head with a smile.

“First, I would like to express my gratitude for you accompanying our group like this, Prince.”

Marco said, patting his bulging belly.

The horse carrying him stuck out its tongue and panted.

Isn’t that animal abuse?

“So, our Venetians have decided to give you a small gift, Prince. You refused the hunting falcon last time, so please accept this gift.”

A torrent of words flowed like a clear stream.

As expected of the Venetian merchant passive skill.

He pointed to the horses behind him.

“Each and every one of them is a high-quality breed. Choose the one you want, Prince. Whichever one you choose, the money is on us! Absolutely free!”

“If you put it that way, I can’t refuse.”

There was no reason to refuse a free horse.

The falcon wasn’t very useful except for hunting, but horses were different.

‘Even in the game, horses had separate stats.’

The outcome of a battle often depended on the quality of the horse.

The best-performing horse could retreat from a lost battlefield without a scratch.

I looked at the horses one by one.

White, brown, black.

Large, medium, or small body.

I still didn’t know which one to choose, even after looking at them like this.

‘To suddenly ask me to choose a horse….’

Should I ask Garnier?

He was talking to the other knights at the front of the line.

Maybe I should trust my gut.

I walked up to the horses and closed my eyes.

I didn’t feel anything from the horses in front.

‘It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not appealing either.’

They must have put the lower-grade ones in front.

As expected of a Venetian.

They don’t want to give away anything too expensive, even when giving a gift.

I moved past the middle towards the end of the group.

Peeking slightly, I could see Marco frowning.

It felt like he was playing a trump card.

‘If you’re going to be that stingy, you shouldn’t have made the offer in the first place.’

Then I felt something.

A feeling I couldn’t explain.

Is it this one?

When I opened my eyes, gray fur filled my vision.

A large body with a glossy mane.

A massive body that looked to be at least 500kg.

I stared blankly at the horse.

It also stared back at me without looking away.

All my senses pointed to this one.

“I’ll take this horse.”

“A, a truly excellent choice, Prince.”

Marco approached with a flustered expression.

He waved his hand and said.

“But this one is so famous for its fierce temperament, I’m worried it might harm you, Prince….”

“It doesn’t matter. A little challenge won’t hurt, right?”

I reached out towards the horse’s head.

A brief battle of nerves.

Finally, it leaned its head in as if to allow it.

“It seems kinder than I thought?”

“It was hard enough just getting him here….”

Marco muttered.

As I stroked its head, the horse neighed and licked my face with its tongue.

Fierce temperament, huh.

It seems like the opposite.

“It looks like a really strong horse. Its legs are sturdy too. It looks like it could carry three people without any trouble?”

Aygu looked at the horse with admiration.

Standing next to the small Aygu, the horse looked even bigger.

“What are you going to name it, Prince?”

A name.

Do I have to think about that too.

A horse name that would suit a Crusader….

One thing came to mind.

Deus Vult! [God wills it! – the battle cry of the Crusaders]

But if I named it Deus (God), it might be considered blasphemy.

“Vult seems like a good name.”

“Vult, huh. That’s a unique name.”

Aygu tilted his head.

“Then I’ll take it and put the saddle on it now.”

“Okay, please do.”

I handed him the reins.

As Aygu pulled on the reins, Vult jerked its head back.

“Whoa, wait a minute!”

Caught off guard, Aygu fell to the ground with a thud.

That must hurt.

“I’m telling you nicely…!”

Aygu shouted, getting up with a flushed face.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the two of them.

I looked back at Marco and asked.

“So, are the Venetians all ready to depart?”

“Yes, we just need to load those items onto the camels.”

He pointed to the camels and horses behind him.

Large pieces of wood were being loaded onto the camels.

They were pieces of a ship that had been disassembled.

They said they would reassemble it at the port of Eilat.

It’s amazing that they’re taking that all the way to the south.

‘I guess you could say the Venetians have a lot of money.’

Restoring the port would be quick, but building a ship would take time.

Besides, there was a shortage of timber for shipbuilding in the Levant [the region encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean].

So, they must be going through all this trouble to bring it.

“It must have cost a tremendous amount of money.”

“Still, if we can transport Saracen [archaic term for Muslim] pilgrims and spices in Eilat, we can somehow make a profit. Of course, if you could reduce the annual tribute we pay, we could do it even faster….”

I ignored Marco’s grumbling.

The scenery outside the gate came into view.

Light brown hills and mountains.

Shepherds herding sheep.

Looking at that scenery, a strange excitement flowed through me.

The hills of Galilee [region in northern Israel] where Jesus walked with his disciples.

And the Temple Mount [a contested religious site in Jerusalem], where the Islamic prophet Muhammad ascended on a ladder.

“If there really is a God….”

I need to ask why he threw me into this world in the first place.

No, I should prepare a list of things to ask from now on.

Then, I heard a commotion from the gate.

Sibylla and the other nobles began to appear one by one.

The sight of dozens of knights and nobles approaching on horseback was spectacular in itself.

Were they going to see me off?

Looking at them, I realized one thing.

‘I can’t see Gi.’

They must have been terrified after hearing my warning.

Plus, I subtly informed Sibylla, so they must have had a fight.

‘For now, I can bring Sibylla and Mother over to my side.’

Have I done quite a bit?

I shook my head and brushed away the 잡념 [Korean word for 잡념, meaning ‘雜念’ or ‘idle thoughts’].

Leaving for Eilat is the beginning of everything.

It was just the first step.

“There’s still a lot to do.”