CHAPTER 1187: CHAPTER 748: AUTUMN OF 1489 AD, SHOCKING NEWS! A NEW BLACK DEATH!

The autumn wind of October blew through the valley, carrying a hint of chill and a silent, murderous air. The two knights, one old and one young, exchanged a few more words, then took their men and captives to the upstream water source. Once everything was settled, the Venetian cavalry squad set off on their return journey to the northeast.

The return path lay through valleys and streams in the mountains, and dry land far from the streams. Along the way, abandoned farmlands and burnt Moorish villages were everywhere to be seen.

The towering Sierra de Baza undulated in everyone’s line of sight. The peak at the highest point of the mountain range is the Calar de Santa Barbara, over two thousand meters high. The name originates from one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of Christianity, "Babara" from the Roman Era, Saint Barbara. In fact, veneration of her is more common in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

As for the Moorish name of this peak, no one in the squad knows it, and it is not passed down through later generations. Because the Spaniards’ Inquisition would thoroughly erase the Moorish traces on the peninsula and the Moors on the peninsula after hundreds of years of brutal trials.

The sky was bright, and the mountain valleys were clearly visible. The Venetian cavalry squad, with captives in tow, hadn’t traveled long before they saw several cross-clad cavalry riders kicking up a cloud of dust in the distant sky, rushing towards them.

"Everyone be careful! Take out your weapons, prepare for battle!"

The old knight Lorenzo’s expression changed, and he ordered sharply. He remained vigilant, holding a shield in one hand and drawing his knight’s sword with the other, ready to charge at any moment. He knew even if they were Crusaders in cross-clad robes, meeting them in the wild without witnesses wasn’t trustworthy. Because the infighting and battles over spoils of war were not uncommon in the Crusades. Many ordinary knights died not because of the Moors.

"Almighty protect us! Honorable Knight Giovanni, Honorable Knight Lorenzo, we finally found you!"

Not until the cavalry got close did the old knight lower his weapon, recognizing them as a few knight’s attendants left in the camp before the squad’s departure.

"Marino, is that you? What brings you here? Hmm? All the attendants left in the camp came with you?! Who’s guarding the supplies back at the camp now?"

"Honorable Knight Lorenzo, we took all the valuables. As for the remaining odds and ends, we left them in the besieged camp, couldn’t manage them... Something big happened in the camp; we can’t stay any longer!... Huff! Huff!..."

Saying this, Marino was panting heavily, finding it a bit hard to breathe. He was already not young, and running outside for two days had exhausted his strength. Now finding old Knight Lorenzo, the tension in his heart eased, and he felt slightly dizzy.

"Almighty protect us! What exactly happened in the Crusader camp?"

Seeing this scene, old Knight Lorenzo frowned, a trace of unease welling up in his heart. Marino was a trusted leader of attendants, never making such rash moves, unless...

"Marino, don’t rush! Rest for a while, speak slowly!"

"Huff! Huff!..."

After catching his breath, Marino slowly calmed down. Talking about the events in the camp, his face involuntarily showed fear.

"Almighty! A new plague broke out in the besieged camp, a new Black Death! Many people, hundreds, thousands, have already been infected and died!..."

"Ah! Black Death?!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, old Knight Lorenzo could no longer maintain his usual calm expression, and for the first time, deep fear appeared on the fearless face of young Knight Giovanni.

For the Europeans of this era, the recurrent Black Death was the symbol of the God of Death, even more frightening than death itself! Because, according to the Church, it was a disease spread by the Demon. To die under the power of the Demon meant even the soul might be defiled, unable to reach the Lord’s kingdom after death!

All the knights present, as well as most of the soldiers in the camp, had experienced the trials of the Black Death. Logically, they shouldn’t catch it again. But according to Marino’s words...

"Almighty bear witness! Marino, are you certain it’s a new form of the Black Death?!"

At this moment, old Knight Lorenzo’s expression was more serious than ever before. He locked eyes with the attendant Marino, waiting for a definite answer.

"I... I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, I don’t know what it is!"

Attendant Marino painfully tugged at his hair. Then, with an extremely uneasy expression yet with firm certainty, he said.

"Almighty bear witness! But I am certain that a plague broke out! The two Castile Thousand-man Camps at the rear have been completely sealed off. The accompanying priests have all left, no one knows where they’ve gone... Black smoke from burning bodies was also seen in the rear camp. That smell, I’ve smelled it, just like the witch trials, they’re definitely burning people!"

"I quickly asked fellow attendants, only to find out the Crusader knights from England, just got wind of it and fled in advance! They said, only four years ago, when Henry VII was crowned King of England, a mysterious ’Sweating Sickness’ swept across all of England! Everyone, regardless of status, would suddenly fever, vomit, and then suffer severe pain in the neck, back, and abdomen, sweating profusely, and die within a day! In just two months, hundreds of nobles died, thousands of knights, and tens of thousands of commoners... It is said, that’s because witches opposed the king and summoned an evil Demon..."

Speaking of this, Marino was full of horror, sweat trickling down his back. His attendants were also in a state of fright. In these days, they heard too many terrifying stories, rendering them unable to stay in the camp any longer.

"Later, after a few months, England’s ’Sweating Sickness’ suddenly disappeared. The Church burned over two hundred witches, said to have burnt the mastermind summoning the Demon... This time, as soon as the plague appeared in the camp, the English Crusader knights, like startled sparrows, left their supplies and retreated to the northeastern hinterland overnight. It’s said that even King Fernando himself couldn’t bring them back... When we left, the Germanic knights and Swiss mercenaries in the camp were also clamoring to leave..."

Old Knight Lorenzo furrowed his brow tightly, listening closely to every word Marino said. The expression on his face grew heavier, the same thought arising within him.

"Almighty protect us! Marino, are the symptoms of the plague in the camp this time similar to the ’Sweating Sickness’ that appeared in England?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, Marino was momentarily stunned, then sunk into his memories. Subsequently, a profound terror appeared on his weather-beaten face, even causing his voice to tremble.

"No... it’s not! This time, the new plague seems to be unprecedented! It is, it is..."