kingdom of nations

Chapter 150 Kamal's Plea for Help
The funeral the following day was hasty and bloody. As the stars began to appear, Sultan Nur ad-Din's coffin had already left the south gate of Abpol Castle. The Fatah and Emirs who had once followed him dispatched their soldiers, who rode swiftly through every alley of Abpol, their hawk-like eyes scanning every door and window to ensure they were all securely shut.

The night before, the Grand Vizier and the great scholars had issued their respective decrees—the people of Apol must stay at home today, whether they are going to work, get food, or study. If they dare to step across the threshold, the Sultan's soldiers have the right to cut off their heads. Indeed, some people did so. The previous lucky ones made them green with envy. Whether for faith or something else, there are always people who take the risk with a sense of luck.

They should never forget those great figures they once revered. The latter might be negligent, but they would never repeat the same mistake. The rolling heads and splattered blood served as the best warning. Whether male or female, old or young, everyone dared only huddle in their rooms at this moment. Even the bravest dared only to lean tightly against the doors and windows, watching through the cracks as the solemn and long procession slowly left their sight.

Some people saw that what the sixteen pallbearers were lifting on their shoulders was no longer the original simple wooden coffin, but a pure white stone coffin inlaid with gold, silver, gemstones and pearls.

He was somewhat surprised, because this was not what Nur admired. Indeed, the sarcophagus was presented to the Sultan by a Frankish nobleman in gratitude for his willingness to release one of his relatives. People at the time marveled at it, but Nur admiringly touched it and said that it was not something that God's people should possess.

When our bodies decay in the soil and wood and return to the earth, our souls ascend to heaven; but when we sink into this magnificent sarcophagus, our souls are imprisoned here, turning into fuel for the inferno along with everything inside.

So initially, no one had considered the sarcophagus. It was only because of the riots that had occurred the day before—Nur ad-Din's coffin was so badly damaged it was unusable. They could only find a simpler wooden coffin to re-encase his body. But just in case, they placed this wooden coffin inside the sarcophagus.

The sarcophagus was almost the size of ten camels, far too heavy for the original pallbearers to lift—the eldest and second princes gave up without even trying, not to mention that several of the original pallbearers had been injured or even killed in previous conflicts. Therefore, the new pallbearers were almost entirely soldiers who had received divine guidance. Even so, the terrifying weight made it almost impossible for them to breathe, and each step seemed to leave a deep indentation in the stone pavement of Apol.

Fortunately, they arrived at the Wormaia Temple without incident. In the temple square, the stone coffin was lowered and the wooden coffin was taken out. It was placed into the already excavated tomb. Then, people covered it with soil, leveled it, and moved the stone coffin above the tomb and lowered it down.

“Nurdin probably won’t like this approach,” a Fatah member muttered to himself.

The scholar, however, said with displeasure, “He certainly wouldn’t be happy to see his body stolen. Those foolish people will buy them, collect them, and enshrine them on the altar, just like those foolish Christians do.” Their doctrine does not allow the worship of anyone or anything other than God, but even the people of Apollo are still deeply influenced by previous sectarianism. These errors may take much longer to correct; it’s impossible to change them now.

The scholar took a deep breath; his heart could finally settle. Unfortunately, it was immediately gripped by anxiety again. The Sultan had been buried, and the two princes could finally drop their masks; the mourners clearly divided into two groups.

Fortunately, as a highly respected scholar, he was still able to firmly refuse the two princes' offers of service. "I will pray for the Sultan," he said. He would remain at the Wormaia Temple until the clash of swords, the wailing and weeping of people could be heard outside, and the flames would die down and the smoke would dissipate before he would emerge again to bless the final victor.

What the great scholars did not know was that before Sultan Nur ad-Din's body was laid to rest, the Christians still inside the second gate of the Apol Citadel were receiving a gift that no one could have foreseen.

Cesar didn't know if the Saracens had a tradition of mourning for their relatives, but strangely enough, they also had a requirement to pray for the dead on the seventh and twenty-first days—because Sultan Nur ad-Din died on Arrassa Road, and on the seventh day, they were still negotiating, even though scholars from Arrassa Road still came to pray for the Sultan—today is the twentieth day, which means the mourning period is not completely over. What did the second prince, who had grown a beard, send?

The female slaves were young, beautiful, and each had their own unique characteristics; they were white, brown, and black, and their numbers were equally astonishing, totaling a hundred.

A group of eunuchs herded them like dogs tending a flock of sheep, leading them into the courtyard, and then asked Cesar and the other Christian knights to choose as they pleased.

“This is truly a magnificent gift,” Cesar said with a bitter smile.

“Not only is it beautiful, it’s also very valuable,” said Jean-François with a mocking smile.

Indeed! There are a hundred women here, each wrapped in a silk robe, but even more dazzling than their beauty is the brilliance of gold and jewels. Each of them wears a necklace, breast chain, bracelet, anklet, and a heavy belt.

This was truly a grand gesture! The jewelry on these female slaves was worth no less than a thousand gold coins, and their own value was either half or a third of that amount. Several of them were exceptionally beautiful or alluring, clearly prepared specifically for old knights like Cesar and Geoffroy. As soon as Cesar came out, they immediately went to greet him, knelt down before him, lifted their veils, raised their faces, and opened their arms, posing as if ready to be taken. Geoffroy couldn't help but lower his head and pinch the bridge of his nose. The other knights didn't show any joy; instead, they seemed somewhat embarrassed.

Those knights transferred from elsewhere were one thing, but the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre who were serving the king in the castle at the time had personally witnessed Cesare's sister, Natia, and her posture then was exactly the same as now. Of course, this was a lesson every female slave in the Sultan's harem had to learn, but since they already knew that Cesare's sister had been sold here and even almost became the Sultan's concubine—they couldn't possibly have any romantic thoughts when they saw this scene.

Those who knew that Natia had once been one of the palace slaves, it's unclear whether they were threatening, warning, or mocking her; of course, it's also possible that they were all three.

At this time, the Saracen court was not comparable to the later Ottoman Empire. Princes might fight each other, but they could also coexist peacefully—although this peace was debatable. This meant that the descendants of a great ruler might all be fools. At least the second prince, the master of these female slaves, was certainly not a smart fellow.

The fact that he is still alive and well to this day proves that the eldest prince is also highly likely to be mediocre and incompetent; otherwise, there would be no second prince. They know that the Sultan has a younger son, but unless he is Baldwin IV or a person of great divine favor like Cesare, what can a young child do?

Cesar turned to look at the young knights behind him. “We need to discuss this,” he said to the eunuch who had brought the female slaves. “Take them to rest elsewhere and come back tomorrow for further instructions.”

Froy stepped forward and discreetly placed a gold ring set with a sapphire into the eunuch's hand. "Please tell your master," he said, "that this gift has truly overwhelmed us, making it difficult to make a decision so quickly. Or rather," he leaned closer to the eunuch and lowered his voice, "if he has any requests, he should tell us. If the master is generous, the guest will certainly not be stingy. Frankly, only with a definite answer can we determine our next step." The eunuch accepted the ring, his expression softening considerably. "I will truthfully report to my master."

When he returned, he told the second prince the same story without changing a single word. The second prince couldn't help but let out a contemptuous sneer. "They're planning to wait for the best price," he said angrily. "But they'll soon find that there won't be another person as generous as me in Apollo Castle." He bit his nails, looking annoyed.

He did indeed have a considerable sum of money. But this money was used to bribe the Emirs, the Fatah, and his father's guards. The female slaves who were sent away were also taken from the palace maids and slaves in the harem, thanks to his father's generosity. The jewels they wore also came from his mother's treasury.

But now the Christians' attitude was clear: they were either waiting for a second bidder or trying to force him to raise the price. He coveted these Christian knights but was unwilling to suffer losses for these pagans. "I had heard that the Isaacs had colluded with bandits in Damascus."

The words came out of nowhere, but the eunuch immediately understood their meaning. Yes, Apollo also had many Isaacs, who were like fattened cattle and sheep, ready to be slaughtered at any time. However, Nur ad-Din hadn't had a chance to enjoy them before he went to meet Allah, leaving them to his wife and sons. Now was the time to use them. "Then take my men and go warn them," the second prince said lazily, leaning back. The eunuch obeyed and left.

The second prince tapped the armrest of the chair with his eyes slightly closed. He had never felt that his favorite chair was so narrow and so cold and hard.

He wanted to change his chair; the Sultan's throne would be quite nice.

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César and Geoffroy dismissed the eunuch and returned to their temporary palace. They looked at each other and found that they were both pale.

They had been at Apollo Castle for nearly a week. During this long period, even though the court and the harem were busy with Sultan Nur ad-Din's funeral, the release of Count Joseph III of Edessa, one of the most important terms of the verbal agreement, should have been put on the agenda, but no one had come to discuss this matter with Cesar.

In fact, on the fourth day, César vaguely sensed something was wrong, and Froy also began to feel anxious on the fifth day. Even if Josephine III was imprisoned in a remote fortress some distance from Apol, he should have gone there—even if the official return date had not yet arrived, father and son should have been reunited to reminisce. In fact, even if they did not allow the Christian mission to leave Apol before Sultan Nur ad-Din was buried, Josephine III and his wife should have lived in the same place as César. This was the proper attitude towards hostages who were about to be released.

Even though the First Lady, the Second Lady, and the Third Lady, along with their three sons, all sent generous gifts and rewards, and the First Lady even wrote a heartfelt letter on behalf of the Third Prince to thank him for everything he had done for Sultan Nur ad-Din, this letter made no mention of Josephine III. It seemed as if they had all tacitly placed the matter of Josephine III in a place beyond the reach of the Christians.

César had previously requested to meet with the Grand Vizier or other scholars on several occasions, but all requests were politely declined.

César had sworn to care for Josephine III and his wife in place of the original owner of his body, but the Saracens' attitude sent a chill down his spine. He suspected the couple had met with misfortune. What puzzled him was the behavior of the people in Apollo Castle—they didn't seem to think the couple's death would lead to any terrible consequences. Everyone was handling the matter rather calmly and perfunctorily. Did they think César didn't have genuine feelings for Josephine III and his wife?
Indeed, they have been separated for more than a decade, but as long as Cesar continues to possess the life, surname, and title bestowed upon him by Joseph III, he has the right and obligation to avenge him. This will be an ironclad rule that no one can doubt or shake.

If he did not do so, it would only arouse suspicion. They would despise him, loathe him, and drive him away. He might even be unable to remain on Arazari Road or in any Christian land—nothing could be more shameful. A son who refused to avenge his father, whose father had died at the hands of pagans,
The second prince's actions today further confirm Cesare's suspicions—if he intended to hire or use these Christian knights, wouldn't the best way to win Cesare's favor be to send Joseph III and his wife to him? But he didn't; he preferred to use a hundred female slaves adorned with expensive jewels to please the Christians—clearly, he had no more of his most important bargaining chip.

The knights had not yet dispersed. One of the young knights from the Order of the Holy Grail stepped forward and took Cesar's hand, worried that he might be overwhelmed by the sudden confirmation of the terrible news. Some knights had not yet thought of this, but through their companions' analysis, they learned of the horrific truth. They were first shocked, then indignant, and they all whispered vows to wash away Cesar's shame.

César did feel an overwhelming sorrow welling up inside him, but he could still think that more important than avenging Joseph III and his wife was to safely withdraw from Apollo. The reason they could remain unharmed was not only because the lady and princes could not openly repay kindness with enmity for the time being, but also because they planned to use the Christians to fight for them in the upcoming civil war.

But with the unveiling time drawing ever closer, the time left for them is dwindling, and may even be fleeting.

Cesar made a decision immediately: "From today onwards," he said in a hoarse but firm voice, "everyone must always be in armor, with weapons at hand, and our horses..."

Geoffrey immediately nodded. As a seasoned knight, he certainly couldn't leave the knights' horses out of their sight; they were kept on one side of the courtyard, their droppings and noise causing complaints from the eunuchs and female slaves, but Geoffrey didn't care about these lowly servants.

However, even Cesar did not expect how timely his order would be, as someone eagerly knocked on their door that very night.

When the two knights brought the man before Cesar, Cesar was momentarily taken aback.

"Lord Kamal, what brings you here?"

(End of this chapter)