The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 29

[29, Pirates of Allah (1)]

In the Balkans and the Middle East, where Crusaders and Muslims now face each other.

As expected, a chilling tension filled the air.

*Whoosh.*

Soldiers were sweating, facing the harsh winds of the desert and the sea.

They knew better than anyone that even a minor mistake could lead to dire consequences.

‘Ah… I’m scared. The Crusaders!’

‘Ah… We are also scared. Islamic infidels!’

A massive battle seemed inevitable, regardless of who attacked first.

Perhaps because of this, neither the Crusader camp nor the Islamic Empire ordered a preemptive strike.

The time to fight was not yet ripe.

And the Republic of Venice.

[I will give you all the fleet and subsidies. Just save me.]

Venice, watching its naval ports burn, had to shed tears and release funds to prevent the capital from being looted.

**

-1184, Dublin, Ireland-

Ireland was peaceful as always.

Birds sang, and calm waves swayed.

Watching the beautiful scenery, I sang a song.

“How beautiful it is~ The Lord’s world is more beautiful than Solomon’s clothes~”

“The lily among the thorns, the fragrance of Jesus flies, Hallelujah Amen~”

I played the lute and sang to my son, James.

My son, who could speak French quite well, clapped his hands happily.

“Again, again!”

My son James, born in ’82, asking for an encore, was so cute.

‘I still have to act like a father until the end!’

There weren’t many days left for this father to play with his son.

He would be very lonely during that time.

Ah. Still, with Mary around, James would grow up well without me, right?

The reason I was so sad was nothing special.

A few days ago, I was eagerly waiting for my father’s call when a letter came from Henry II.

[John, you must go to the Eastern Roman Empire as a special envoy.]

He instructed me to meet Alexios II and have a ‘good’ conversation.

Instead of leading the troops I had been preparing, my father intended to use me as a diplomatic envoy for now.

It seemed he planned to use me as the commander of reinforcements in case of an emergency.

‘The moment has finally come.’

Now, I too must leave this peaceful haven called Ireland.

It was time to go abroad.

“James…”

My father’s heart was heavy at having to leave such a young child behind.

“Papa, go? Where?”

Two years old by European reckoning, my really cute son, James, made parting feel so regrettable.

And there was another person to say goodbye to: my mother.

“Mother, you’re not going to run away, are you?”

“Of course not, Ireland is my home.”

With Mary next to her and the Claire family in the northeast, there wasn’t much to worry about.

No matter how much of a Queen Eleanor she was, she wouldn’t move recklessly!

But my mother said something unexpected.

“I want to go to the battlefield like Henry. Beheading infidels was really fun.”

Ah, ah. Mother.

Our lovely mother would seize the opportunity during my absence and plan to ‘run.’ How obvious!

But no way.

How thorough was our father? He wouldn’t send me to the Eastern Roman Empire, the safe zone, without any precautions or defense.

Knights and an Irish representative dedicated to my mother came to our Irish territory from England.

The knights from Henry II’s bodyguard greeted us with precision.

-Chuck!

“We greet Her Majesty the Queen Mother and His Highness the Duke of Ireland.”

“Who are you?”

“We will be assisting Her Majesty the Queen Mother from now on.”

“Henry is still keeping me in check even though I’m old. Exile should be enough.”

My mother openly complained and cursed my father.

But I understood my father.

If my mother were to escape from Ireland, my father, who prioritized the Crusades, didn’t know what might happen to her.

Because my beautiful mother was the living ‘Aquitaine Territory.’

My mother, having grasped the situation, said in a very regrettable voice.

“Henry! No, your damn father is telling me to take care of the kids.”

Ah, grandparents are supposed to take care of their grandchildren!

Finally, the day I left arrived.

My wife personally put on my armor and said as calmly as possible.

“John, be careful on your trip. You know that if something happens to you, Mary and James won’t be able to live properly, right?”

“Of course, I know that.”

A long-term business trip!

Well, I can’t help it either.

After a while, I said to Mary, who was silently looking at me.

“Don’t worry. I will return safely. Well, you guys just have to assist me as you have been doing so far.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I left the internal affairs vassals as they were.

I took Godfrey, Charles, and Robin with me.

‘Looking at these people like this, the roles of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis fit perfectly.’

Since I, the excellent one, was taking on the role of D’Artagnan, it became a pseudo-Three Musketeers.

Anyway, having made up my mind like that, I secured sturdy bandits and thieves as manpower to row the oars, sentencing them to ‘deck duty’ instead of hanging.

After organizing a fleet loaded with supplies and troops, I finally boarded the flagship (the ship where the commander is).

If Robin Hood has cheerful friends, I have safe Three Musketeers.

Now, let’s go to the Eastern Roman Empire, which has not yet collapsed.

**

-Eastern Roman Empire-

Constantinople, the city of the world.

Among them, the most noble and splendid place is the ‘Sacred Great Palace’ where the emperor resides.

Emperor Alexios II, located there, was recovering from the damage of the great rebellion and preparing to face the Crusaders.

In the meantime, a letter arrived from Duke John of Ireland.

[John, the lord of Ireland, writes a letter to His Majesty Alexios, the rightful Emperor of the Roman Empire.]

A letter that begins not with the Eastern Roman Empire, as Westerners call it, but with ‘the rightful Emperor of the Roman Empire.’

‘Good.’

Alexios II, who was fond of the first phrase, continued to read Prince John’s letter written in Latin.

But as he went on, each and every sentence was filled with ‘excuses.’

[I am just the most ordinary prince in our family. In fact, I was lucky enough to see Your Majesty, but I didn’t do anything.]

The excuses that Prince John wrote in his letter gave him a good impression.

“He’s humble.”

Many people mistakenly thought that they had influenced Alexios.

Everything was written as if Alexios had inherited the abilities of Emperor Manuel I from the beginning.

In short, he doesn’t claim any merit for himself.

And finally:

[I am planning to come to Constantinople as a plenipotentiary envoy related to the Crusaders. Most of the practical work will be handled by the great nobles, but I also want to play a role as a bridge between the West and your Roman Empire.]

John expressed his intention to visit the Eastern Roman Empire.

“General, John says he’s coming here.”

To Alexios II’s words, spoken in an excited voice, General Andronikos Kontostephanos smiled.

“Your Majesty, are you that happy?”

But he soon erased his smile and said with a worried face.

“They may demand a lot because of the friendship between Prince John and His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Don’t worry, Lord Kontostephanos. I am an emperor who is clear about public and private matters.”

He was always grateful to John.

However, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire had no intention of becoming a tree that gives without reservation.

Once again, he read the letter sent by the Republic of Venice that he had read before.

‘Now is the time to forget each other’s grudges…’

Like that, Alexios II muttered the words sent by the Doge of Venice in his heart.

**

-Mediterranean Sea-

The ship is always tiring.

Even the England-France sea route is burdensome.

The sea route from England to the Eastern Roman Empire was even longer and more tedious.

And damn seasickness.

While sailing so hard, when passing the Italian peninsula, there was a joining of allied fleets.

[Our Venetian elite fleet is in charge of escorting the Duke of Ireland.]

Seeing them escorting our Irish fleet that had set out to the Mediterranean was somewhat reassuring!

Not yet, a naval battle with the Islamic Empire has not broken out.

Hew, that’s a relief.

However, as much as a lot of supplies are distributed, there were many bug-like guys in the Mediterranean.

“Your Highness, it’s a pirate ship.”

Fanatical pirate bastards who are picking a fight have appeared.

“Wow… are those guys crazy?”

They are really crazy bastards. Even so, to be running wild in front of a regular fleet!

This is really scary!

“Punish the infidels who do not believe in Allah.”

“Allahu Akbar!” [God is the greatest]

The number of pirate ships was quite large.

Of course, the fleet battle of this era can aim for a jackpot in close combat rather than cannon fire.

Even so, targeting a fleet with the flag of a country waving is crossing the line!

You bastards, do you want to taste the longbow?

The longbow, meticulously crafted by Peter’s maternal family at the Safe Guild, is fired.

-Poong.

They went up on the deck aiming for close combat.

-Seogeok.

The knights from Normandy took care of it themselves.

“These infidel bastards!”

“That’s cowardly!”

It’s no use screaming and shouting those obvious screams!

Did you think we wouldn’t expect an attack from pirates or something?

Anyway, they perfectly repelled the pirates.

How dare pirates act up against the regular army?

Now the sea route will be peaceful, right?

By the way, what should I say when I meet the Eastern Roman Emperor?

No.

What kind of image should I show in front of the Constantinople bastards who still harbor Western hatred?

Unlike the gangster Crusader commanders who went to the Eastern Roman Empire during the First Crusade, Safe John, who is going to the Eastern Roman Empire as a special envoy of the Third Crusade, has many worries.

Still, I am someone who has some acquaintance with Alexios II.

Surely he wouldn’t poison me, right?

While thinking about many things like that.

“Your Highness, there are new pirate ships over there!”

It’s not like the age of great pirates in some pirate manga.

The number of Muslim pirates began to increase further.

Like that, when defeating the pirates who were constantly approaching the deck, reinforcements came.

It was the fleet of the County of Tripoli, with a yellow cross on a red background!

“Your Highness!”

“They are fellow Christians.”

“It’s the fleet of the County of Tripoli.”

“Oh, brothers of faith.”

However, looking at the knights of Raymond IV from the proud County of Tripoli who boarded our deck, I felt a sense of reassurance as if I had eaten a double portion of *gukbap* [Korean soup with rice].

“Prince John, I have come to escort you under the Count’s orders. Oh Lord, thank goodness.”

Luxurious Latin and the disciplined posture of drawing the sign of the cross at our safety.

‘But… why do I feel strange?’

They look no different from Crusader knights protecting Christianity, but at the moment when a sense of déjà vu arises, Godfrey said urgently.

“I would like to deliver our Count’s letter to His Highness the Prince.”

However, due to an instinctive aversion, I did not approach him closely.

“Duke, I have something to tell you.”

As soon as Godfrey called me, I quickly moved to where he was.

As I approached him, Godfrey said urgently.

“Those guys are Saracens (Middle Easterners). Attack them.”

“What are you talking about?”

The knight of the County of Tripoli tilted his head at Godfrey’s sudden action.

“You have to be more careful. Your accent is not from the County of Tripoli, but from Saracen! Besides, your armor is too old-fashioned to be the armor of the County of Tripoli.”

“Tsk, not used to it yet. Capture the infidel Prince John who denies Allah.”

“Allahu Akbar!”

“Damn it, approaching the deck pretending to be Crusaders.”

“Protect His Highness!”

I’m going crazy, really.

**

-Kingdom of Jerusalem-

When Prince John was undergoing a real-time *jihad* [holy war] by the pirates of Allah, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the land of knights protecting the holy city of Jerusalem, reinforcements from the Third Crusade flocked to the kingdom.

There is no large-scale support yet, but tremendous support was pouring in.

A man with a huge physique who arrived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem at this time said with precision to Baldwin IV, who was also privately related.

“Your Majesty, I have come to protect the holy land of Christ.”

“Was it you who was the commander sent by Henry II? Richard.”

“Yes, I am the first commander to support the Kingdom of Jerusalem.”

Richard, the Duke of Normandy, who showed medieval courtesy to Baldwin IV like that, recalled something.

‘A lot has changed because of that guy.’

After the great rebellion was suppressed in the old days, while being brutally retaliated against by losing several territories, Henry II replaced the territory of Normandy, the territory of his eldest son Henry (Young King Henry), and Aquitaine (actually Henry II), the territory of his second son Richard.

Richard, who was resentful of losing that land of milk and honey, Aquitaine, resisted.

[I cannot accept this. Rather, cut off my head.]

What Henry II said at that time:

[Richard, you take Normandy. Unlike wolves like Henry or Geoffrey, you will never harm John.]

Because of those words, Richard gave up and became the Duke of Normandy, which was perfect for protecting his younger brother.

‘Your role is crucial, be sure to be a safe zone like you always say.’

He heard that John was going to the Eastern Roman Empire by sea.

Richard was still in that place where there was a lot of backlash against Westerners.

I prayed that my youngest brother would be safe.

Of course, I don’t know what the other brothers think about the youngest John.

Meanwhile, Baldwin IV, who had gained strong support with the joining of his relative Prince Richard and the Crusaders, took out the sword of purge that he had been putting off.

“We will now begin internal reorganization.”

Since it is common sense to eliminate internal instability ahead of the ‘Great War’ in which everything must be bet.