I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 83

The Three Romes (3)

* * *

I woke up before the sun had even risen.

I saw Theodora smiling.

She said,

“You’re up early.”

“I had a strange dream.”

I rubbed my eyes and replied.

It was a dream where I was getting married at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

It didn’t take long for the sleepiness to wear off.

We both burst into laughter at the same time.

There was no one else in the room.

With the Holy Sepulchre Order members standing guard outside the door, no one would dare to sneak in and peek.

“Come to think of it…”

Theodora clapped her hands and said.

She got out of bed.

“I almost forgot the gift for you, my lord.”

“Gift?”

“I told you before, I still have plenty of gifts to give.”

Maidservants entered the room.

They were all holding something in their hands.

It wasn’t easy to see in the dim candlelight.

As they got closer, the shapes became visible.

One was holding a helmet.

The others were holding paper ledgers.

“Put them down there and leave.”

The maidservants carefully placed the items on the table.

Theodora, now dressed, picked up the stack of documents.

“Let’s start with this.”

I took the paper she handed me.

It was filled with Greek writing.

And at the very bottom, a golden seal.

There was no way I couldn’t recognize it.

“The seal of the Basileus (Emperor).”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s an order to all imperial spies in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.”

Theodora nodded.

“The content is simple: Cooperate fully with the kingdom for the protection of Jerusalem.”

“…”

I stared at the paper.

I wouldn’t have expected to receive this, even more than money or other gifts.

The intelligence network of a country was one of its most closely guarded secrets, including its operation.

To issue such an order meant…

“It’s a sign that you fully support me.”

“It’s more of a support for you, my lord, than for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.”

Theodora nodded.

“It’s a sign of trust from the Roman Empire, and purple silk [a symbol of imperial favor]. But any silk, if not well cared for…”

She smiled faintly.

Her eyes were serious.

“…is bound to wear out and tear.”

“Then I’ll have to take good care of it so it doesn’t wear out.”

I burst into laughter.

So this is how you tell someone not to cheat.

In the end, Theodora was the one managing this intelligence network.

The same could be said for the Holy Sepulchre Order in a way.

If the relationship between me and the Empire went sour, they could pull out at any time.

That was the meaning of what Theodora said.

After all, you can’t ignore the experience of Constantinople.

I said in a calm tone.

“I’m satisfied with just one purple silk.”

In fact, it’s not uncommon for kings to cause problems by cheating in this era.

Just look at Henry II.

Countless lovers and illegitimate children.

Imprisoning his wife, Queen Eleanor, was basic.

It was a well-known story that he even laid his hands on his prospective daughter-in-law.

‘But I have no intention of doing that.’

Just saving Jerusalem was already overwhelming enough.

Marriage with Theodora didn’t seem like a bad idea either.

“To be honest, I don’t even know if I can handle that one silk.”

“You’re a very unique person, my lord.”

Theodora burst into laughter.

She approached the table and picked up the helmet.

A shape I’d never seen before.

At first glance, it looked similar to the great helm I used, a shape that covered the entire head.

But there were also quite a few differences.

Golden wings attached to both sides.

There was also a golden ornament attached to the center.

A very unique-looking decoration.

Something I could recognize at a glance…

“Archangel Michael.”

“That’s right. The Basileus of Constantinople personally ordered this helmet. It’s a fitting gift for you, my lord.”

Theodora nodded.

She handed me the helmet.

As I took it in my hands, I felt the heavy and cool metal material.

It strangely felt like I was looking at a mid-to-late medieval helmet.

It would easily block arrows or melee attacks.

The front of the visor could be lifted up and down.

“It’s a really elaborate helmet. I can hardly see the seams.”

“From what I heard, the court artisans spent weeks working on it. Not just the helmet, but…”

She continued.

“…there’s also armor made to match. I’ll have them bring it later.”

“I should send a letter of thanks to Constantinople.”

I feel this every time…

I’m really glad I went to Constantinople when I did.

I never knew Alexios would be such a reliable force.

The gifts and funds I received last time are still left.

And there’s Cyprus too.

Thanks to that, Jerusalem’s finances are more solid than ever.

“I heard you have a lot to prepare for this European journey…”

Theodora said with a faint smile.

“If it’s alright with you, my lord, I’d like to help, in any way possible.”

“Well, I already entrusted you with the immigrant plan last time…”

I said.

The administrative power and skill that Theodora showed at that time were astonishing.

But is it okay to keep entrusting her with work like this?

“For me, the most important thing right now is for you to return to this room. I’ll do anything for that.”

She said.

“If I have to stop the sun, I will.”

“Stop the sun, huh? That doesn’t sound bad.”

I replied with a smile.

When was the last time I felt this comfortable?

“I want to stay like this a little longer.”

* * *

That afternoon,

I headed to the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller.

Eigg asked with a playful expression.

“How’s married life, my lord?”

“Would you believe me if I said it’s better than I thought?”

“I also had a few enjoyable days thanks to you, my lord.”

Eigg burst into laughter.

“There was so much wine being shared from all over the place that I was out of my mind. I still have a hangover.”

“I thought excessive drinking was prohibited in the Order?”

“It usually is.”

Eigg cleared his throat.

“If Lord Garnier were here, he probably would have said something.”

“He should have arrived by now.”

I muttered.

Far away in the Zagwe Kingdom of Ethiopia.

It would take ages to receive news from there.

All I could do was trust that he would do well.

Having arrived at the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, we entered the smithy.

As always, hot air hit my face.

The heat felt like it would burn all my hair off.

Sweat droplets fell from my cheeks.

“My lord!”

Jernal shouted.

The chief blacksmith of the Knights Hospitaller.

He said with a smile.

“I thought you’d be in the royal palace by now. What brings you to the smithy this time?”

“I stopped by because there were a lot of things to check.”

I replied.

With the European expedition decided, a tremendous amount of weapons and armor were needed.

“And I also want to get this helmet and armor fitted.”

“No, what on earth is this helmet?”

Jernal asked.

The helmet and armor I received from Theodora.

“It’s a helmet of a shape I’ve never seen before. It seems excessively ornate, but…”

He examined the helmet from every angle.

“It’s designed so that the front of the face can be lifted up. I don’t know how they managed to join these iron plates together, but…”

He continued to speak.

He seemed to have forgotten that I was even there.

“They were made in Constantinople. I received them as a wedding gift.”

I cleared my throat and said.

Jernal clapped his hands.

“Constantinople! That makes sense then. It might take some time, but…”

“It doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t take too long.”

Well, as long as I receive them before I leave.

I looked around.

“By the way, you seem busier than before.”

“Don’t even mention it. There are so many things that need to be made right now. Even the Turkic mercenaries are coming to us asking for bows and arrows.”

He scoffed.

“As if they entrusted us with their bows.”

“There must be a lot to make.”

I guess it wouldn’t be easy.

The existing Knights Hospitaller and the Holy Sepulchre Order.

Even the Turcopoles, the Turkic horse archers.

I looked at Jernal.

“It mustn’t be known to the outside world that we’re preparing for an expedition.”

The delegation from the Holy Roman Empire was still here.

They would be trying to find out information about Jerusalem.

We had to hide our intentions and purpose as much as possible until the very end.

Balian had already taken measures to conceal information.

“Of course, my lord. And there’s no need to worry.”

Jernal nodded.

“The guys who were committing corruption and leaking information were all caught a while ago. There were also some who were secretly stealing elixirs.”

“I heard about it in the report.”

Having seen the Knights Templar fall apart, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights of Lazarus hurriedly launched their own audits.

I helped from the side too.

It would be safe for the time being.

Lost in thought, I heard a familiar voice.

“No, you’re saying it’ll take a few more days? Didn’t you promise it would be finished soon?”

The commander of the Holy Sepulchre Order.

It was Luaq.

I approached the direction of the voice.

A long mustache and a huge build.

He smiled broadly when he found me.

“My lord! I didn’t expect you to be here too.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I was just saying something because the work is so slow. Even the things we need right now…”

“We’re already using all our manpower to make your weapons.”

Jernal said.

“And the Holy Sepulchre Order members have too many unnecessary requests. Asking for gold to be embedded in the ax handles and shields…”

He added grumbling.

“Asking for elaborate decorations. The other knights don’t care about that kind of thing.”

“Decorations and symbols are very important to us Norsemen. They are symbols that represent the roots of our ancestors.”

Luaq said.

“What could be more important to a warrior than making his presence known?”

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

I scratched my chin and replied.

Showy symbols and decorations. Even flags.

The impact these things had on morale was significant.

As Luaq said, it was an especially important factor for Norsemen.

But is there really a need to decorate only weapons and shields?

A Viking warrior fighting for the Holy City.

There seems to be a more plausible image.

A more impressive look…

An image came to mind.

Knights and flags.

The winged knights of Poland.

The Winged Hussars.

“How about attaching feathers to your backs?”

“Feathers? What’s that…”

“Attach two flagpoles to your backs and then densely pack them with feathers, like wings.”

The Winged Hussars.

A cavalry unit that was synonymous with Poland-Lithuania.

Their unique long spears and winged decorations on their backs.

They were famous for saving the city of Vienna, which was besieged by the Islamic army.

At that time, they defeated an Islamic army of over 200,000 with about 20,000 troops.

“You’ll be able to see them easily from a distance.”

In today’s army, style and morale account for half of the battle.

Feather decorations that can be recognized from a distance.

What could be better than this?

Luaq looked at me and muttered.

“Feathers… that doesn’t sound bad. It could look like an army of archangels. I’ll have to consider it.”

“Soon they’ll be telling us to pluck feathers for them.”

Jernal sighed deeply.

Luaq, Eigg and I all burst into laughter.

“I’ll give you as much budget and manpower as you need.”

“There are things that can’t be solved with those two things. I shouldn’t have worked so hard at the signal tower back then.”

I nodded with a smile.

Once you do something once, they believe you can keep doing it.

I looked at Luaq.

“By the way, it’s a good thing you’re here. There’s something I wanted to tell the commander.”

“If you have something to tell me…”

“Shouldn’t we practice together once before going to Italy? The Knights Hospitaller and the Holy Sepulchre Order together.”

Of course, I wanted something else.

There was something I wanted to test.

‘I need to figure out how to maximize my abilities.’