Medieval Gacha Lord-Chapter 77: Departure Ceremony

Chapter 77: Departure Ceremony

Today in Jerusalem, many streets appeared much quieter and emptier than usual. The people had all gathered before the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to watch the departure ceremony for the Crusade marching north. A dense tide of humans blocked everything, making passage impossible.

With Regent Raymond needing to head north, all affairs of the Knights of Jerusalem fell into the hands of Baron Godfrey, who served as Commander. He rode alongside Lothar on their warhorses, conducting a patrol.

Lothar chuckled, teasing, "Baron Godfrey, your dark circles look like the eye powder used by those Saracen slave girls. It seems the position of Commander isn’t so easy either."

Godfrey retorted irritably, "I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in three days! The Knights of Jerusalem are vastly larger in scale than the Royal Knights!"

The Knights of Jerusalem had over thirty thousand registered members in total, though this included numerous honorary members. But the portion stationed in Jerusalem, directly under the command of the King and the Grand Master, still numbered as many as three thousand armed personnel, not even including non-combatant servants and the like.

Compared to the Royal Knights, who numbered no more than eight hundred in total, the Knights of Jerusalem were a veritable behemoth. Their strength in Jerusalem was not much weaker than that of the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Lothar jested, "Let’s hope Lord Tiberias isn’t like Sir Godfrey, leaving a Commander in his Knightly Order who is solely focused on unseating the Grand Master. Oh wait a minute, Sir Godfrey ’is’ the Commander? Then never mind."

Baron Godfrey said huffily, "This year, I had to spend half my time in my own fief and even took a ship to Provence. The affairs of the Knightly Order had to be handed over to Count Philip, which is how his prestige in the order greatly increased. But how was I to know he would openly stand up to challenge your position?"

Their mood was actually quite good.

After Count Raymond and other members of the Nobles’ Party, along with some nobles from the Queen Mother’s Party who were also joining the expedition, left Jerusalem, the King’s Party had finally gained more power.

The Royal Knights, with nearly eight hundred men, and the Knights of Jerusalem, with more than three thousand, were now respectively controlled by Lothar and Baron Godfrey, two staunch King’s Party loyalists.

Although the city garrison, the Queen Mother’s Party’s private troops, and the newly formed Crusader army of pilgrims were still in the hands of the Queen Mother’s Party and the Nobles’ Party, the balance of power had finally tilted towards equilibrium.

Lothar bid farewell to Baron Godfrey and, rejoining his personal Winged Hussar guards, hurried towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—a grand departure ceremony was unfolding there.

Throngs of soldiers marched past the great church, receiving blessings from the clergy.

First came the elite knights, clad in chainmail, surcoats, and capes. They were accompanied by their squires, carrying various banners, their heads held high, accepting the salutes of the onlookers. Many cavalrymen even had their mounts adorned with surcoats and leather armor to protect against Saracen arrows.

The white field with a red cross of the Templars, the black field with a white cross of the Hospitallers; crosses, eagles, bears, lions, lynxes, fleurs-de-lis... various emblems were emblazoned on the chests of those nobles and knights.

There were five hundred knights heading north, and including their squires, they could muster over a thousand armored cavalrymen—and this was less than half of Jerusalem’s total strength.

This was all thanks to the mobilization order recently issued by Baldwin IV, as well as the new Crusade called by His Holiness the Pope, which had brought a large number of unattached knights across the vast seas to the Holy Land.

Following them were neat formations of sergeants. They advanced in square formations, also wearing surcoats representing their respective factions, colorful yet distinctly separated.

In their very center, they escorted a giant war chariot. Upon the chariot stood an enormous golden cross. This was not the True Cross itself; the actual holy relic, a mere piece of wood, was kept in a box on the chariot beneath the cross, guarded by an entire contingent of warrior monks. Because it was only a small fragment and couldn’t be raised high enough for everyone to see, this golden cross had been forged to signify the Holy Relic’s presence within the army.

Last came the Crusader army formed from pilgrims. Their ranks were somewhat disorganized, only managing to maintain a relatively neat state. They couldn’t even ensure every man had a deformed, old iron helmet; many used spears whose iron heads were already covered in rust. Their worn-out surcoats had red crosses made with cheap paint, clearly a rush job.

Fortunately, they could at least ensure every man had a shield, though most were unadorned. The gold donated by Henry II was a considerable sum, but even after scouring all the armory reserves, it was impossible to arm such a vast army in a short time.

Moreover, the army heading north was only half of Jerusalem’s military strength, and it would be reinforced by troops from local lords along the way. Therefore, the truly well-equipped Pilgrim Crusaders mostly remained in the Holy City, still undergoing training.

Lothar and his Winged Hussars, along with the Royal Knights, stood guard at the very front of the church, protecting the still-empty King’s throne behind them.

From the minaret, bells chimed ceaselessly. Ordinary citizens crowded the streetsides; even the windows of the two-story buildings along the road were packed with onlookers. They held aloft icons of the Holy Son, the Holy Mother, and the Saints, piously praying for the warriors to return victorious and to slaughter all the infidels violating their borders.

The Archbishop of Tyre and numerous clergy stood before the throne, proclaiming loudly, "May Saint Michael protect you, devout believers! As you pass before the Holy Sepulchre, you too shall be bathed in sacred light! May you be ever-victorious on the battlefield, may arrows and blades inflict no harm upon your bodies! Even if you die in battle, you shall attain redemption and gloriously ascend to Heaven! All past sins shall be wiped clean!"

"In the name of the Father!"

"It is God’s will!"

The people roared with fervor. On this day, regardless of rank or status, it seemed everyone was wholeheartedly demonstrating their piety to those around them.

Just then, from within the great church, servants carrying a litter slowly emerged, arriving before the throne. Baldwin IV, who had not been seen publicly for a long time, rose from the litter and, with the support of servants, made his way to the throne. His movements were elegant and slow. Apart from still wearing a veil and being completely wrapped in cloth from head to toe, he looked almost no different from a normal king.

His Majesty the King today wore a white royal robe, a golden crown upon his head, and held a golden scepter in his hand. Atop the scepter was a curved, golden cross, symbolizing divinely granted royal power.

The meaning was clear. The King of Jerusalem was both a secular king and, theologically, a "shepherd."

Gold and white were the colors represented by the royal coat of arms of Jerusalem, just as the French royalty favored blue, the English royalty red, and the Imperial royalty purple.

A plainly dressed attendant, holding a sword, stood beside Baldwin IV. His posture, always by the King’s side like a shadow, was just like Banu’s with Lothar. He was the same attendant who usually relayed the King’s will to Count Raymond and had escorted Lothar for audiences with the King each time. Usually so inconspicuous, cautious, and taciturn.

But Lothar now understood that this attendant was by no means a simple figure, because Lothar had observed carefully: the scabbard of the sword he held was clearly made of Magic-Resistant Gold. This meant this attendant’s imagined enemy was none other than those elusive and mysterious sorcerers!

As His Majesty the King raised the golden scepter in his hand, all nobles, knights, sergeants, commoners, and clergy acclaimed, "Long live the King!"

This was the first time in a long while that many of them had seen His Majesty. Although legend said the King was an unclean one cursed by leprosy, he was also the heaven-mandated monarch who had once saved Jerusalem from Saladin’s iron hooves.

In the eyes of most, he was the closest thing to a divine presence. Some knights and nobles began to loudly recite their family mottos, signifying that their journey would surely bring honor and not disgrace their family names.

His Majesty the King did not speak. He merely held the scepter high, allowing the people to gaze upon the brilliant radiance it emitted. Baldwin IV did not linger long. He re-boarded the litter and proceeded into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The vast army began to exit the city in an orderly fashion. It was a long process. Many of the nobles standing on the viewing platforms felt their feet go numb, but they still had to remain there to observe the ceremony.

Lothar, with Banu and Fringilla, vigilantly scanned the surroundings, wary of anyone intending to take advantage of the situation to stir up chaos.

For this ceremony, all infidels within the city had been ordered to remain indoors. Even the Zoroastrian shrines and temples had all been closed.

Furthermore, with the flames of war about to ignite, Saracen merchant caravans dared not easily visit Jerusalem, fearing they might be robbed by "oath-breaking" Crusader nobles like Count Raynald.

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