kingdom of nations

Chapter 189 Help
Those who hadn't completely sunk into the swamp immediately let out shrill cries for help upon seeing them. Some unlucky ones even sank a little deeper because their cries were too loud—their cries became even more frantic and desperate. Fortunately, although the knights weren't carrying ropes, even if they weren't wearing cloaks, they would still have a robe that reached their knees. They quickly took off their robes, cut them into strips with their daggers, tied them up, and threw them to the people in the swamp.

A Byzantine nobleman closest to the edge of the swamp struggled ashore, clutching a cloak thrown to him by a knight. His first words were not thanks, but rather: "...The Emperor...The Emperor has sunk."

"Where did he land? Is that his garment? Are you sure it's down there?" Cesar asked three questions in a row. After receiving a definite answer, he nodded slightly to Baldwin and, to everyone's disbelief, stepped onto a piece of dead wood hanging over the swamp. He calculated the distance, leaped, and jumped more than ten feet, landing right next to the half-submerged purple silk robe.

The soil there was very soft and had almost no load-bearing capacity. Although Cesar had removed his chainmail before leaping into the swamp, he still sank down suddenly. The filthy water immediately reached his waist, but he did not show any panic. Instead, he immediately bent down and plunged his hands into the mud.

At first, he caught nothing but slimy fish, wriggling worms, thick moss, duckweed, and seaweed.

As he moved, he himself sank down—he waved to Baldwin, who had involuntarily taken two steps into the swamp and was then grabbed, and made a third search under the other's anxious gaze—this time his little finger touched something hard, and he immediately grabbed it with his other hand. Just by the touch, he knew it was a round metal brooch. The brooch was very large, connecting the two pieces of fabric, and he immediately guessed that it was a garment most often worn by nobles of the Byzantine Empire.

It is a rectangular cloak that, when worn, only exposes one arm, concealing the other arm and body beneath it. This cloak is typically made exceptionally thick. Regardless of whether the base is cotton or silk, it is covered with heavy gold and silver embroidery and sometimes inlaid with gemstones and pearls.

Cesar was overjoyed and immediately continued to probe downwards.

He touched an arm, but he couldn't maintain his current posture any further. He looked at Baldwin and made a gesture. Baldwin hesitated slightly, but eventually knelt down solemnly and prayed to his saint. The Spear of St. George reappeared in his hand.

The people were filled with suspicion and uncertainty. Whether it was the knights who had come with them or the Byzantine nobles they had rescued, they did not understand what Baldwin meant by summoning his St. George's Spear at this moment. Was it because an enemy was coming? Or was it because of a wild beast in the forest? They became tense and looked around, but the fir forest was silent and there was nothing they needed to be wary of.

Baldwin reached out and grasped the Spear of St. George. He lowered his head slightly, estimating the distance between himself and Cesar. Then, leaning back slightly, he hurled the dazzling spear—towards Cesar.

Some cried out in alarm, thinking that the King of Arazarus had suddenly gone mad, but only Bohemond knew that even if he had gone mad, the young King of Arazarus would not harm his closest friends and blood relatives.

He hurriedly put down a nobleman he had just dragged up and quickly walked to Baldwin's side.

The spear flew about a third of the way across the swamp before stopping—literally stopping, neither falling nor dissipating, but hovering in the air like a real, tangible spear. The astonishment of onlookers is beyond words, especially when they saw Cesar reach out to touch it.

The Byzantines might not have known much about it, but the people of Arrassa almost all knew that the Spear of St. George that Baldwin summoned was an extraordinary and wondrous gift.

It seems real when it is in battle or simply presented to people, but if anyone dares to touch it, it will feel a burning pain and cannot hold it, like a phantom. And when they brought its owner into the room (at that time Baldwin was in a coma), it did indeed pass through the heavy doors and stone bricks.

Later, Amalric I also tried to touch the spear while Baldwin was conscious, but the result was the same.

The same was true of others, whether it was the Countess of Jaffa or Patriarch Heraclius.

But they never knew that Cesar could be the exception. Not only that, when Cesar's fingers touched the holy spear, it even emitted a pleasant hum, as if it was happy to be used by him, even if it wasn't for fighting.

Cesar took off his belt, put one of the buckles on the spear of St. George, and then wrapped the other end around his wrist. He took a deep breath and lowered his body. The resistance of the mud and water was great, but he did not intend to dive to the bottom of the swamp.

Although Manuel I sank, it was for a very short time, and he was only a few feet away from the muddy water. But at that depth, Cesar alone could not possibly pull him up—or rather, pulling him up directly might dislocate the emperor's shoulder or even break his body.

Baldwin, now standing at the edge of the swamp, spread his arms wide, praying that the Spear of St. George would return to his hands, and the spear answered his call.

It skimmed across the dark water and plunged straight into his chest. For a moment, people were so horrified they couldn't cry out—not to mention the Byzantine people, even the people of Arazari were seeing such a holy site for the first time.

Is this the saint's tolerance towards the devout, or the holder's trust in his "companion"?
At this moment, many people must have had the same question in mind, but their attention was immediately drawn to the two people who were being dragged ashore, soaking wet. Although they were not wearing crowns and their faces were obscured by tangled seaweed and disheveled hair, the people of the Byzantine Empire immediately recognized them as their emperor.

Their priests rushed over immediately, trying to save their monarch. They poured holy white light into his cold body in turn, but received no response.

Manuel I lay there motionless, his face pale and his eyes closed. A priest stood up, looked up at the sky, and raised his arm. "He's dead!" he announced. "Your Majesty, Manuel I is dead!"

The people of the Byzantine Empire cried out in grief once more. Other priests began to pray for their emperor, and some inquired whether the knights had brought any relics, Bibles, holy water, or holy oil to perform the last sacraments for Manuel I.

Although Manuel I did not have time to repent, they can assume that he did.

Cesar hesitated for a moment, then exclaimed, “Your Majesty!”

Baldwin went over immediately. He exchanged a few brief, hushed words with Cesar, a hint of hesitation on his face, but ultimately made his decision. They went over and shooed away the busy priests—since they were no longer of any use.

César quickly gave Manuel I a brief examination. To onlookers, it seemed he was simply trying to make Manuel I look more dignified, and no one stopped him.

After all, they had all heard that this Knight of Bethlehem and Earl of Edessa had always had a deep compassion for the weak, and that the Saracen Sultan Nur ad-Din was the one for whom he performed the "purification".

For those who also believe in God, he should show even greater respect to their Emperor Manuel I. César not only straightened Manuel I's face but also removed the debris from his mouth and nose, and the onlookers couldn't help but show expressions of gratitude.

But his next move almost made them jump out of their skin.

He instructed Baldwin to pound Manuel I's chest as if it were a wicked enemy, while he himself placed his hands on Manuel I's face and began to passionately kiss his lips.

If it were anyone else, or even just him, the Byzantine nobles would have dragged him away without hesitation.

But the problem is that the King of Arrassal was also kneeling beside Manuel I.

A Byzantine nobleman, speechless, turned to the Christian knight beside him, "You Franks..."

He didn't press the matter further. The knight understood his meaning: he was asking, "Do you Franks have such a peculiar custom? When a person leaves this world, do their friends and family express their grief in this way?"
The knight didn't know how to answer. He believed that neither his king nor the Earl of Edessa were frivolous people, and even if they were, they wouldn't treat a dead person so absurdly, especially since the dead person was not a charming noblewoman, but a middle-aged man with a full beard.

Cesar called Baldwin along for this very reason: with Baldwin standing between him and the others, his task would not be disturbed.

The men looked at each other in bewilderment for several minutes before a bold priest cautiously stepped forward. He seemed to want to ask something, but Cesar simply looked up, and his sharp, fierce emerald eyes forced him back.

He took two steps back and cast a pleading look at the most esteemed person present besides the king, Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch. As a relative by marriage and vassal of Manuel I, Bohemond could have spoken at this moment. But the old fox, as always, remained silent, his face, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, even appearing quite intrigued.

He seemed surprised by the two young men's behavior, but made no attempt to stop them.

“What are they doing?” he said in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible to a second person.

This was the same question on everyone's mind, but they soon got the answer.

The man they thought was dead, whose soul might be struggling in hell, the Byzantine emperor suddenly trembled, let out a terrible, chilling groan, his head jerked, and then he opened his eyes.

Cesar stood up first, then helped Baldwin up.

Now everyone could see that the chest, which had been quiet for a while, began to rise and fall again. "He's alive," a priest murmured as he knelt down.

Finally, everyone except Cesar and Baldwin knelt down, including Bohemond.

(End of this chapter)