The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 46

[46. The Foreigner of Jerusalem (1)]

As the waves crashed on the medieval sea,

news spread throughout the world.

It was the news that John, the youngest prince of England, who had been resting comfortably in Ireland,

was once again braving the high waves of the rough sea, heading back to the Middle East where war was raging again.

“What? Prince John has reappeared?”

The fact that Prince John was crossing the sea had already reached the ends of Samaria.

Both Muslims and Christians alike learned of Prince John’s return to the field.

Of course, Prince John could be in danger, as his fleet carried a lot of reserve supplies and ‘money.’

Moreover, near the sea, there were many pirates, bandits, and warlord forces making a living who were somewhat distant from the Crusades.

However, those who had even the slightest opportunity to target Prince John and his party,

decided not to act rashly.

“Let’s not mess with him this time.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Our job is to eat the crumbs that fall from the war of the higher-ups.”

This was because those who had foolishly provoked Prince John in the past had displayed their ‘lessons’ quite vividly.

Back then, the ‘world’ knew nothing about John.

There were those who tried to make a fortune by taking John hostage, thinking it would be easy.

But as a result, they were utterly ruined.

What happened to those who targeted ‘John,’ who seemed like an easy treasure?

They were either killed, became rowing slaves, or were sold to mines.

The Iberian-Islamic forces, who had sent their subordinates disguised as pirates at that time,

‘No one would ignore the opportunity for the Reconquista [the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula] that Prince John created, right?’

‘Little Eleanor wants the Reconquista!’

‘You detestable Islamic infidels, get out! This place is taken over by our Iberian Crusaders!’

were plundered by the Iberian Crusaders.

After losing their base in Granada, they became penniless.

And the perception of John changed.

Wasn’t he a commander who had already experienced the Battle of Lepanto and the Siege of Acre?

Unlike John when he first participated in the Crusades, who didn’t know the ways of the world, if they carelessly provoked John, who had prepared everything in Ireland and set sail,

and got beaten again, there would be no greater disgrace!

Moreover, it was not easy for their Islamic allies to regain the sea control once taken by the Crusaders.

The enormous power of the Christian fleet and the ‘Sicilian Fleet’ led by John’s youngest brother-in-law, as well as

the Castilian Fleet of his second brother-in-law,

had no intention of ever letting the Islamic forces take over the Mediterranean’s sea control.

In any case, Prince John’s return

was clearly a huge topic for both the Islamic and Crusader forces.

Around that time,

members of the Angevin family became mad knights and literally slaughtered the Islamic forces.

[What are these monsters from the cursed Angevin family?]

[Why is that damned old heretic Henry II fighting so well?]

[Henry the Vainglorious, Geoffrey the Scheming!]

[Richard, that guy is a strong yet composed monster.]

The fact that John’s brothers possessed monstrous martial prowess and leadership.

Well, that was something that could happen.

However,

the nomadic allies who started rampaging on horseback from the east were also a problem.

The old Mongol chieftain Ong Khan persuaded the fearsome Jin Dynasty

to attack the Islamic forces in the east who were trying to go as reinforcements.

Indeed, humans are the scariest.

-1186, Kingdom of Jerusalem-

[Jerusalem, O holy city~]

A hymn echoed in my ear.

The Holy City, sung in churches.

Jerusalem, called the alpha and omega of the Crusades!

There were many pious and splendid buildings befitting the name of the holy land,

but what concerned me was the peaceful state.

Yesterday, I drank with old man Friedrich and heard news about how the world was turning.

We are currently in a tacit truce with Saladin.

Of course, whether the infidels talk about a truce or not,

the Crusaders could sweep away the Islamic forces with the majesty of Joshua’s army,

but the Crusaders in the Jerusalem area were also tired of the war and

needed to rest for a while.

In the educated words of the 21st century, the offensive end point had come to the Jerusalem front.

I, who had listened to old man Friedrich’s [The Great Emperor Overthrows Duke Henry the Lion] until morning,

finally welcomed the morning.

“Oh, it’s Prince John!”

“The Timothy of England!”

Timothy.

He is a faithful young man recognized by the prominent apostle Paul of early Christianity.

They were saying that I am just an incredibly faithful person.

Thanks to winning a naval battle by luck and the miraculous event of surviving in Acre,

Safe John has virtually become an idol of this Crusade.

Anyway, old man Friedrich, who had been excitedly boasting about himself for over 10 hours yesterday,

“My nephew John, I have something to give you.”

He openly called me his nephew.

And a gift?

“This is armor made for you.”

“This is a sword produced in the Brandenburg region.”

But like a novice game operator trying to get something for granted,

I gradually felt burdened as he kept giving gifts.

But there was someone else I had to meet.

“Baldwin IV is looking for you, John.”

Just as I was about to call Richard, Richard said that there was someone he wanted me to talk to first.

It was the ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

“John, Count of Mortain, Duke of Ireland, and Prince of England, greets the knight-king of the Holy Land.”

“John, my family.”

Baldwin IV, the ruler of Jerusalem wearing an iron mask.

The knight-king I imagined was an unfortunate monarch suffering from leprosy in his prime,

but he was like Job [a biblical figure who endured immense suffering but remained faithful].

Who is Job? He received disasters as a comprehensive gift, but he was a righteous man who did not abandon his faith in God until the end.

‘What a great person.’

While I was thinking that,

Baldwin IV brought up a topic that I absolutely could not have anticipated.

“John, you saved me.”

“Pardon?”

After that, I

was able to hear all sorts of ‘praises’ from the pious knight-king.

‘Tired.’

Of course, I am a vibrant European youth on the outside,

but if you add up my age from my previous life, I am quite old.

But.

‘Ah… when will this end.’

I had no idea how much a pure and righteous person could tire someone out.

‘… Therefore, you are already a hero.’

“It’s good that the knight-king thinks highly of me, but I’m not a hero.”

As I muttered that, Charles, one of the vassals next to me, said.

“Your Highness is already a hero.”

“What about my accomplished brothers?”

I have three successful brothers, but suddenly I’m a hero.

The reason is obvious.

“Do you need a naval budget?”

“As expected, Your Highness knows me too well.”

Finally, the full-fledged meeting with Richard that I had been wanting began.

Originally, he was a scary brother, but after Queen Mother Eleanor’s pardon, Richard was the most comfortable person for me.

So I got straight to the point comfortably.

“I swear to Christ and the Virgin Mary to devote my body and soul to the Duke of Normandy.”

“So you’re going to be my vassal?”

“Yes, brother.”

“John, who is loved by our father, what are you lacking?”

He’s already heard everything in the letter, but he’s still asking me.

“To be safe. Frankly, aren’t Henry and Geoffrey keeping an eye on me right now?”

There is no complete neutrality in politics. Unless I’m a munchkin prince with the power to become a casting vote.

Especially someone with weak power like me had to quickly get into someone’s shadow.

Rather than my brothers who had already started to antagonize me in various ways,

I liked Richard, who would become a reliable Lionheart.

In the end, I made up my mind.

To go under Richard’s wing, no, his shadow!

‘Okay, full buy-in on the Lionheart coin.’

Of course, before coming here, I had told the people in my Irish territory about my decision in advance.

‘As expected, our youngest made the right choice. Yes, Richard is the only lion.’

Mother Eleanor, who already doted on Richard, was delighted.

‘It ended up like this. It’s a good choice.’

My wife Mary’s reaction wasn’t bad either.

While I was feeling so happy,

“I’ll ask again. What do you want that makes you choose me?”

That’s because Richard was the one who loved Prince John no matter how much of a nuisance he was in the original history,

but the most important reason is.

“… That’s why.”

It just came out of my mouth.

At my words that were not easily heard,

Richard pondered for more than 10 minutes, which didn’t suit his personality.

“Okay. I will accept you, the Duke of Ireland, as my vassal.”

In the end, Richard decided to follow my words.

Soon, Richard and I called a clergyman and completed a simple vassal ceremony.

Now I have truly crossed the Rubicon [a point of no return].

Honestly, I didn’t get along with Henry, who pretended to be smart, and Geoffrey, who was sly.

Even in the holy Kingdom of Jerusalem, the slave market was actively held.

Well, the slave trade is an ‘industry’ that led the trend until modern Europe, but it is a pitiful and unfortunate thing.

‘Our Irish territory also has a fixed income from the pagan slave trade, so I have nothing to say.’

But a strange rumor circulated regarding these ‘pagan slaves.’

It was that a true barbarian from the East, incomparable to the Turks, had been captured as a slave.

Why just say barbarian, what nonsense is a true barbarian from the East?

Curious, I

“I can’t miss this spectacle.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Not long after,

I was able to see the true barbarian from the East.

Yes, judging by the way he’s dressed, he’s definitely a barbarian.

Leather clothes reminiscent of the Mongols or Huns in movies, a truly rooted nomadic style.

He has a manly beard, but surprisingly, he has a handsome face.

And the muscles that are sparsely visible.

I muttered to the slave I saw for the first time.

“He looks like he’s good at fighting. Don’t you think so?”

Then the vassals next to me began to evaluate him.

“It’s a waste to use him as a rowing slave, we can just entrust him with the melee combat on our deck.”

“Could he be a barbarian with good blood?”

“Nomads are good at shooting arrows…”

My close aides were drooling.

‘There’s such a unique slave among the slaves.’

I was also intrigued.

Right then.

The ‘true barbarian from the East’ sighed and opened his mouth.

“Western Liao! Damned Western Liao, to be dragged to such a distant land by those barbarians.”

Huh? Isn’t that Chinese? And barbarians?

This is the kind of talk that only someone intoxicated with Sino-centrism [the belief that China is the center of the world] can say?

Even if the tones (pitch of the sound) or accents are different, it has commonalities with the Chinese of the same 21st century.

The meaning was heard to me, who had learned Chinese in a globally oriented past life.

“Ah, ah, to be born into the world as a great man, to possess a seven-foot sword and ascend the steps of the Son of Heaven, yet I have not yet realized that ambition, so how did I become a slave?”

The slave is striking an incredible pose, as if convinced that no one understands his words anyway.

But what to do?

I can hear everything?

Of course, I pretended not to know Chinese at all and stared blankly.

I heard the man’s desperate voice again in my ear.

“Ah, ah, Heaven, why do you give me this harsh trial?”

I, who understand Chinese very well, barely suppressed my laughter.

Of course, my vassals didn’t understand the words, so they interpreted the slave as just screaming.

“That barbarian is out of his mind.”

“Well, it’s no wonder since someone who was far away in the East was sold as a slave all the way to this holy land.”

“He seems like a barbarian who can shoot arrows amazingly.”

‘Look at this?’