The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 58

[Indiana Jones (1)]

-Levant Region-

“Waaaaaaa!”

“In the name of God, I have dedicated a new castle.”

The Crusaders captured another castle today.

Two great rulers, Henry II and Alexios II, who possessed vast empires, had different ambitions, but they agreed on one thing: to eliminate the Islamic forces first.

Around that time, the story of Guy de Lusignan’s disastrous blunder was spreading throughout the Levant.

King Philip II of France was annoyed.

The reason was simple: Guy de Lusignan was, strictly speaking, a knight from France.

“Damn it, he’s disgracing France.”

Philip II was furious. Of course, the knights around him tried to comfort Philip II.

“Your Majesty, he is now a knight of the Kingdom of Jerusalem anyway, isn’t he?”

“Baldwin IV [King of Jerusalem, known for his leprosy] must be the most upset right now.”

“Thank you for comforting me, proud knights of France.”

He pretended to be comforted, but Philip II’s anger had not yet subsided.

‘Guy de Lusignan, that guy is a knight I hired.’

What was truly important was that Guy de Lusignan was Philip II’s informant.

This also meant that his access to the latest news about the Safe Zone, which was updated regularly, had become significantly more difficult.

Of course, Henry II wasn’t one to let Philip II stew in his anger without comment.

“The Frankish ruler is very angry.”

“He is the King of France.”

The King of the Franks is a reference to Hugh Capet, the ancestor of the Capetian dynasty, who was elected by the nobles. In short, it was an insult to Philip II, who desired centralization, implying, [‘Don’t even think about ‘centralization,’ you young and weak guy.’]

“The young ruler of France is very angry.”

Anyway, while Philip II, whose national power was inferior, was ‘controlling his anger’ despite Henry II’s mockery, news arrived from Cairo, Egypt, far away.

The latest story of Prince John’s new antics.

“Huh… my son did this?”

Henry II, who had a special fondness for John, naturally reacted.

“Our youngest is truly amazing. He’s overcoming the slander against him like this. He’s not Safe Zone, he’s Dangerous Zone!”

“Brother Henry, haven’t I already told you that John is the most cunning among our brothers?”

The young Kings Henry and Geoffrey, who were gradually feeling threatened by John, clicked their tongues.

John is a Safe Zone, but he is definitely a Dangerous Zone pretending to be a Safe Zone.

The knights with unwavering faith were now thinking,

‘I think I’m going crazy.’

They were going crazy because of Prince John, who had become Indiana Jones.

Pharaoh, Goseongso [Limbo]… What on earth is Prince John doing?

While stories about John were being created throughout the Levant, the situation throughout the region became urgent.

“Oooooooooooo!”

“Is it those damn Eastern Muslims again?”

The Western Liao mercenaries led by Quchlug, an Easterner who converted to Islam, and the army of the Ghurid Sultanate, which had finished organizing northern India, had joined the Islamic camp.

***

-1186, Egypt Region-

Cairo was peaceful today as well.

It’s not that there weren’t those who coveted the territory, but Guy de Lusignan had failed miserably in his attempt to gain a larger stake by obtaining Alexandria, so they were holding back.

But the seemingly lazy Holy Roman Emperor and these crusaders did not forget their patience.

“When I defend Cairo, I will recruit knights to go south along the Nile, and I will distribute those territories according to their merits in the name of the Emperor.”

Many knights drooled and immediately prepared to go south, but I had some concerns.

“Your Highness, aren’t you going?”

Smart Godfrey thought that he should definitely seize this opportunity, and so did I.

“I’m going, but in a slightly different way.”

Of course, if I went south from Cairo, there was a ‘possibility’ that I could get good territory. From the beginning, the southward march was an opportunity recognized by the Holy Roman Emperor, who held the decision-making power.

Of course, I was also a medieval aristocrat, so I wanted to take the delta region of Egypt as my territory, not just by conquering it in a crude way, but in a different way.

Now was the time to be safe.

Thanks to the Guy de Lusignan incident, the attention and jealousy towards me had dulled a bit.

That was a relief.

But there were still knights who unnecessarily scrutinized me, especially knights from proud aristocratic families, especially those from East France who served Philip II, or nobles who had relationships with my brothers. Why did ambitious Crusader knights make me, the Safe Zone who pursued the most peaceful path, a target?

‘I need a hot potato from the late 21st century.’

These days, the scrutiny had increased, so I thought I should eliminate the petty jealousy of the small-minded towards me.

Yes, it wouldn’t be easy. The Middle Ages that allowed me to exist were not a peaceful and sweet era that came easily.

Even if this place where I breathed was Egypt, I must not forget that this era was the Middle Ages.

‘Okay, it’s excavation. Yes, I’m going to be Indiana Jones.’

Tutankhamun, whose tomb had a chance to be looted once and had simple burial goods looted first, but the looter was caught in the middle, or the tomb was not completely looted, and Psusennes I, who acted as a regional pharaoh when Egypt was declining.

However, considering Psusennes I’s tomb, which had no worthwhile burial goods other than the silver coffin, what was valuable was Tutankhamun, the pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, who had abundant burial goods.

I felt a little sorry for Howard Carter, the proud descendant of England who originally excavated Tutankhamun’s tomb, but I had to preempt it first and leave one ‘meaning’ there.

Having finished thinking, I wrote a letter to Bishop Lothair. The cunning but wise Bishop Lothair would interpret my intentions well.

I immediately showed him this letter.

“Your Highness… what is this all about?”

Godfrey, who originally dreamed of becoming a clergyman, was horrified as he was very interested in the Bible.

“What do you think? Can this be a new controversy?”

“Your Highness, this… will work.”

After finishing the conversation with Godfrey, I woke up screaming the next day.

“Aaaaaah.”

I screamed like that and surprised some servants.

“Quickly, I have to go see His Majesty the Holy Roman Emperor.”

I immediately went to see Grandpa Friedrich.

“Your Majesty, I had a strange dream yesterday.”

“What kind of dream?”

“That is…”

“That dream is…”

In my dream, I saw hell.

And there I met a pharaoh who regretted in a sorrowful voice, [Why didn’t I know Jesus Christ and Jehovah God?]

[Oh, aren’t you John, a faithful Christian?]

The pharaoh, who recognized the existence of others, lamented his situation while looking at Safe Zone.

[I, burning in hell… am a heretic pharaoh crying more miserably than the countless babies in Goseongso (Limbo) [the supposed abode of unbaptized souls]. But I heard that you have built a temple for the Lord. I will give you my burial goods. I am going to make a proposal to get a sip of water for your ancestor Abraham.]

Roughly speaking, my dream to these people is that the pharaoh in hell in the dream will tell me, Safe Zone, the location of his burial goods. It’s a pipe dream to crave a sip of water.

Then Grandpa Friedrich, who had chased out one pope and made one pope with his own hands, said to me with a ‘very serious’ expression.

“John, you are really cunning, to use the most controversial topic in nearly a hundred years like this.”

As expected, Grandpa Friedrich focused on the part that said, ‘crying more miserably than the countless babies in Goseongso (Limbo).’

“Is it just a dream?”

“But looking at your eyes, it seems like an ‘unusual’ dream.”

“Of course. I want to excavate the tomb of the pharaoh who appeared in my dream.”

“Hahaha.”

Grandpa Friedrich, who was laughing for a while, said.

“Okay, that’s good! I’m seeing a lot of interesting things in my old age. Yes, there are too many people who are slandering you these days. At this point, they will be too busy discussing other issues to talk about you.”

Anyway, the boss Grandpa Friedrich agreed.

From now on, I am Indiana Jones.

‘Of course, Indiana Jones who also creates and spreads controversies!’

[If a baby who has not been baptized to wash away original sin but has no sin other than original sin dies as soon as it is born, will it go to hell or to Goseongso?]

This is the Catholic version of ‘Yesong Controversy’ [a theological debate about the fate of unbaptized infants] that started to burn in earnest in the 12th century. It is a controversy that was definitely not over even in the 21st century where I was in my previous life.

Damn nobles, you’re making me ignite even this controversy.

Suddenly I felt depressed and heard hallucinations.

[Safe Zone, that’s a ridiculous nickname. Don’t you miss those days when you raised your index finger and killed people after the war, honey?]

I heard the voice of my wife whom I loved in my previous life. The memory of my previous life in the 21st century rushed in and I almost became a slightly serious John, but I became Safe Zone again and thought.

Anyway, now I’m going to dig for myself.

***

-Somewhere in Mongolia-

A ger (Mongolian tent) is burning, and there is a bloody smell and the smell of rotting corpses. A fierce battle took place here, and the battlefield that had just ended was being cleaned up.

“Are you still going to resist?”

“I will surrender.”

“Brothers of the steppe, please spare our lives.”

Looking at them, Ong Khan said leisurely.

“I will spare you. We are not opponents who had an honorable battle.”

Ong Khan, who showed mercy to those who surrendered, smiled brightly and said.

“My nephews, thanks to your abilities, we have accomplished great things.”

“It is because the Keraite tribe of my uncle is strong and Jamukha is capable.”

“It is because Temujin is capable and my uncle’s command is strong.”

“Those guys, they’re flattering me again.”

Ong Khan looked happily at Jamukha and Temujin, who were not his real nephews but cherished like real nephews.

He was a man who had experienced all kinds of tragedies because of the Naiman tribe.

Now he has repaid all the humiliation and is even showing mercy.

Of course, Quchlug, the real Naiman, was not there, and the tribe was already divided and lacked strength.

Anyway, the Naiman tribe was destroyed by the allied forces of Ong Khan, Temujin, and Jamukha.

Ong Khan, who was feeling so happy, said to Temujin and Jamukha, who were like his real nephews.

“Temujin, Jamukha.”

“Yes, uncle.”

“Tell me, uncle.”

As the young men, who were no different from his real nephews, listened intently, Ong Khan said with a serious face.

“I think that the Eternal God (the main god of Tengriism [ancient Central Asian religion]) is the God of Christianity. So why don’t you convert to Christianity?”

Ong Khan’s remarks, which stated the main point without any embellishment, left Temujin and Jamukha speechless.

Considering the influence that the Eternal God has in the Mongolian steppe, it was a shocking statement.

“Do we have to maintain the old-fashioned faith of the Eternal God?”

“Temujin, I know you are checking the priests who serve the Eternal God. And Jamukha, you too. Think about why our Keraite tribe changed its faith. The priests who serve the Eternal God have been corrupt for a long time.”

Still water rots.

What had been stagnant in the Mongolian steppe was Tengriism, and the priests of Tengriism sold the name of the Eternal God.

“They have gone too far. Even when my father (Yesugei) was alive, and even now, aren’t they the ones who interpret the words of God according to their tastes for their greed rather than the future of Mongolia?”

“As Temujin said, the priests… are going too far. They are selling the name of the Eternal God.”

Temujin and Jamukha confessed the state of Tengriism in their own ways.

“Of course, there is an important reason why I am urging you to convert to Christianity.”

“What is the reason?”

“My nephews, this old uncle will soon return to the soil of the steppe. But how long will you stay in this narrow steppe? East-West-South-North. You have to run your horses to various places and increase the grazing land for the beasts. Of course, this uncle thinks you should conquer the ‘West’. The weather is mild there and there are many things to ‘eat’ and ‘feed’.”

Unlike the history that Safe Zone knew, no, because of the changed history, Ong Khan quickly destroyed the Naiman tribe.

‘Wise time’ has come.

Ambition subsided and enlightenment arose.

‘Temujin, Jamukha… these children are steppe heroes who have surpassed me. Maybe they will be steppe warriors who will run in the West and the East. Then…’

Ong Khan, who made such a big decision, said.

“The moment you convert to Christianity, you will have the justification for conquering the West. We are also Christians like them. Why shouldn’t we wage a ‘holy war’ like them? And I have no intention of giving everything to that guy just because he is my son. Convert, and I will divide everything I have achieved in my life in half and leave it to you. Of course, I will not ask you to choose right now.”

Ong Khan’s words that he would hand over the Keraite tribe if they converted shook the hearts of Temujin and Jamukha, who had been conflicted until just now, like a tsunami.

‘If I convert to Christianity or whatever, I can learn more about Prince John.’

For some reason, Temujin was conscious of Prince John. After that time passed.

“…I will convert.”

Temujin chose to convert, and so did his close friend Jamukha.

“It wouldn’t be bad to believe in Jesus Christ and strike the West.”

He put conversion into words.

Soon after, the baptism for the conversion of the two was over.

“Now you are also Christians.”

When Ong Khan was smiling, Jamukha said to Temujin.

“Temujin, after hearing Ong Khan’s decision, I realized something. Even though we have made Anda (sworn brothers) [a bond of brotherhood], we will one day fight for the dominance of the steppe, but I will reject that terrible fate.”

“Jamukha… could it be?”

“…”

Temujin’s eyes changed at the words of his close friend, and Ong Khan was silent with an understanding expression.

“Is there a need for us to fight over the steppe? I already recognize you, Temujin, more than anyone else. Isn’t that right, Ong Khan?”

“Jamukha, what on earth are you talking about since a while ago?”

“Temujin, I, Jamukha, am saying that I will abandon all my pride and become a horse that will run only for you.”

That’s how the history of the East and West changed, but Indiana Jones didn’t know anything.