kingdom of nations

Chapter 114 Frustration
Baldwin sat quietly alone on the floor of the chapel.

Cesar slowly walked over and sat down with him. They sat shoulder to shoulder in silence for a long time before Baldwin finally let out a heavy sigh.

“I might have to move into the main tower,” he said.

Cesar hummed in agreement. Before leaving Holy Cross Castle, Baldwin had insisted on living in the left tower and keeping his father Amalric I's room in the main tower. But what happened today made Baldwin realize that this idea was too naive. Baldwin had to abandon this precious but fragile emotion and face his current identity as soon as possible—the king, not the king's son.

Baldwin turned to look at Cesar. Everything left behind by Amalric I was rapidly fading away—his horse, his room, his weapons and clothes. When people spoke of the Lord of the Holy Land, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Commander of the Crusades, they no longer referred to Amalric I, but Baldwin IV.

Even though his memorial Mass would still be held on the last day of each month until December of the following year, he was already a thing of the past for the generals and ministers of Arazarus, as well as the people there.

But they didn't seem to be expecting a new king.

Cesar knew that Baldwin would need some time to adjust to his new identity, or rather, to decide the path he would take. He gazed at the altar covered with white linen—on which sat the priceless chest, and behind it stood a large cross, gilded and inlaid with gems, mother-of-pearl, and pearls. It was almost as tall as two people and as wide as an outstretched arm. Even in the dim candlelight, it was still dazzling and breathtaking.

But it was just a container. The real fragments of the cross were kept in that box. When a grand ceremony was held in the castle, or when the Crusaders were about to go to war, they would take the fragments of the true cross from this box, soak them in holy water, and then share them with everyone. Or they would put the fragments into this gilded cross and take it to the battlefield.

Baldwin now resembles a large, gilded cross.

He was placed in the most honored position, magnificent and revered by everyone, but they did not worship him, but his bloodline and surname—the descendants of Charlemagne, the descendants of the guardians of the Holy Sepulchre, and perhaps even another spiritual symbol of Arazars.

Even if he received God's blessing and demonstrated his abilities, his age and seniority would still be regarded as a symbol by those veterans of the battlefield and the court, and a symbol should not have its own thoughts and will.

"Perhaps we've been too hasty," Baldwin said in a low voice.

“They think we’re acting too hastily,” Cesar pointed out incisively.

Even though Cesar has presented evidence that Nur ad-Din, far away in Apollo, may not live much longer—his death might cause even greater turmoil than that of Amalric I—this ruler, hailed as the “Light of Faith,” is like the only support of a massive building; once he falls, the whole of Syria and even Egypt will be thrown into turmoil.

"Did you see Raymond's eyes?" Baldwin turned his head to look at Cesar, his eyes devoid of much emotion. "He's not looking at a king, nor a commander, but at a spoiled child. He can't do anything to me because he has sworn allegiance to me, but that doesn't change his deep-seated perception of me—a child."

He was somewhat angry, but more so helpless, and a little contemptuous. Perhaps he thought that I couldn't even wait a year before trying to seize power and establish authority—especially in the name of a 'holy war'—which was far too frivolous and disregarded the overall situation.

Nobody is willing to support us.

They might share Raymond's thoughts, or they might simply be driven by practical interests—they'd rather deal with the Mulei in Dalu than Nurdin.

He paused for a moment: "I remember you telling me that when you and the Templar Jovroil went to aid Count Etienne, you encountered Murray on your way back—I was really terrified for a while, even though you had already returned to my side by then, you can imagine how dangerous the situation was."

If Murray had known that Count Étienne was a holy envoy sent by Louis VII to Arrassa, and a guest of King Amalric I of Arrassa and his vassals, he would certainly have invited the count to his castle without hesitation, and then demanded an exorbitant ransom from both Louis VII and Amalric I.

If that's the case, it's still considered lucky. If Murray knew why Count Etienne had left Sainte-Croix in such a hurry and was lured to his territory by the guide—his asking price might be higher, because he knows that Amalric I absolutely cannot allow this scandal to be made public.

Fortunately, Cesar reacted quickly, impersonating Abigail, the Grand Prince of Antioch, and tricked Murray into abandoning the big fish that had jumped right in front of him.

"And thankfully you insisted that I wear your cloak and the golden cross."

"I was thinking that, in case of any unforeseen circumstances, they might be able to save your life."

“It did buy lives, and not just mine,” Cesar said with emotion. At that time, he wasn’t very confident—what if Murray had seen Abigail? But he had to do it. Count Etienne might still have a chance to escape with his life. After all, as a valuable hostage, even if he didn’t receive the treatment a count deserved, he wouldn’t be killed immediately.

But the Templars and Cesar are another story.

Murray was once a member of the Knights Templar, having sworn an oath before the cross, but that oath was as worthless as his farts. He joined the order only to use the knights' power to kill his brother, and upon realizing his true intentions, the order rejected his request without hesitation.

Mullah's plans fell through, and he harbored deep resentment. When one of his operations failed, he did not hesitate to switch sides from the Christian camp to the Saracen camp, becoming a sharp-toothed dog under the Seljuk Sultan.

The Knights Templar were furious about his defection and issued a document ordering every member of the Knights Templar to kill him as soon as they found him.

Murray showed no weakness, guarding every road and leading his pagan cavalry to plunder pilgrims passing through his territory. Christians, Isaacs, and even Saracens were all caught in his net. Templar Knights serving as guards were subjected to inhuman torture before being hanged or beheaded. Templar Knight Geoffrey likely met the same fate, while Cesare, a mere squire, at best was sold into the Caliph's court.

What did you see of Murray back then?

"A rather dangerous fellow; he reminds me of those wild beasts with gleaming fur."

"The teacher also said that he was a terrible existence, a devil who was almost unrestrained by any laws, morals and beliefs. He was once a prince of Armenia, but he once started a rebellion because he was fighting with his brother for the throne. After the rebellion failed, he fled Armenia without hesitation and came to Arrasar.

He had pleaded with my uncle and my father to give him a place to stay, and his brother had sent messengers to request that this shameless traitor and cruel blood relative be returned to him.

Later, in order to save his own life, he vowed to join the Knights Templar.

The Knights Templar is an armed order of monks. Once you join the order, everything in the mortal world becomes irrelevant to you. You will lose your inheritance, land, and personal property.

For this reason, the Armenians were willing to back down. However, they hadn't expected him to rebel after only a few years in the Knights Templar. Not only that, he fled to the Saracens. But then again, no Christian nation would accept a Knight Templar who had broken his oath.

“I have heard that he not only received God’s blessing, but also received prophetic revelation from the Saracens.”

Baldwin said in a very low voice, “We all know that both the Caliph and the Sultan occasionally have Christian knights under their command, and we also have Turks in our army, but they do not convert. Our knights still receive the favor of the saints, while their soldiers can only hear the revelations of the prophets.”

But I've heard that Murray did indeed receive both blessings and revelations, though no one knows how he did it. Our clergy all say he's a disciple of the devil, that the blessings he received were false, that the devil was impersonating a saint.

"Besides Mule, is there anyone else in this situation?"

“As far as I know, no,” Baldwin said in an even quieter voice. “Perhaps there are, but they haven’t made a fuss about it.” This could indeed shake people’s faith, and they would inevitably wonder, what exactly is “grace” and “blessing”?
If someone like Witt, who never underwent the ceremony, was of bad character, and was a sinner, could receive the "gift"—of course, he was at least a Christian, but it was truly...puzzling that an apostate, a heretic, could retain that special power.

"However, they want to conquer Murray because he has seriously affected the income of the Knights and various cities," Baldwin said.

César immediately sketched a rough map in his mind—when they went to rescue Count Étienne, they followed the route of the Second Crusade, and the territory of Mle was located right between Byzantium and Armenia, which could be said to be a necessary passage for pilgrims traveling overland.

He also kept pirates. They often hid near unknown islands, and when they saw ships carrying pilgrims, they would swarm them and attack like sharks hunting seals.

The importance of pilgrims to the Holy Land is self-evident, not to mention that one of the most important sources of funding for the Knights Templar was protecting pilgrims from disturbance and ensuring their safe passage.

The Knights Templar were originally founded to save pilgrims from untrustworthy merchants (who promised to take them to the Holy Land but actually sold them to infidels), brutal thieves, and ferocious beasts—that's how they built their reputation. People trusted them enough to entrust their lives, assets, and land to them, allowing them to grow from a humble organization that required two knights to share a horse into the behemoth they are today in just a few decades.

While Murray's actions and threats certainly bothered them, it's not necessarily true that that was their sole reason.

After all, for seasoned ministers and generals like Raymond, even if Nur ad-Din did indeed die suddenly as the merchants said, his three sons and the Emir (military general) would fight endlessly for the power and territory he left behind—the Saracen civil war could last for several years, and even if it were to end, the region would remain divided.

This is a good thing for the Crusaders and the Holy Land nations. Why would they send troops at this time and draw them into fighting against a foreign enemy?
Instead, we should take advantage of this great opportunity to quickly remove the thorn in the side of Mule, ensuring the safety of the pilgrims and maintaining the prosperity of holy cities and ports such as Arrassa.

If it were just two ordinary children standing here, they might actually be persuaded.

But after all that had happened, and with the earnest teachings of Amalric I and Heraclius, Baldwin and Cesar both thought of one possibility. Although Nur ad-Din might die soon, he was still alive, and not long ago he had summoned Shirku and Saladin in Egypt in the name of holy war.

But what if this "nominal" is not just a "nominal"?

Even Amalric I stubbornly held on to pave the way for his only son before his death. Would Nur ad-Din choose to die silently?

What if this aging lion chose to use up its last bit of strength and remaining power in the final moments of its life?
It is known that once Nur ad-Din died, his Zengid dynasty and territory would quickly fall into chaos and weakness, but before that, there was another place that was also struggling in chaos and decline, and that was Arrasar.

Amalric I's sudden death, coupled with the previous expeditions that had depleted the holy city's wealth and resources, left him with a new king who was only fourteen years old. This young man, suffering from leprosy, faced ministers and generals with their own agendas, while others coveted his throne...

What they can think of, Nurdin can't possibly be unaware of, and what he's waiting for is perhaps the moment they let their guard down.

(End of this chapter)