CHAPTER 79: CHAPTER 70: JUDGMENT

PS: To make up for yesterday’s.

The battle ended quickly.

Reality is not "Unrivaled Assassin".

These assassins, who specialize in assassination, are not adept at fighting head-on.

But before dying, these assassins, fueled by "Frenzy Potion", still claimed over ten lives.

Especially those attendants appointed by Princess Sibilla to the Crown Prince suffered the worst casualties.

"My lord, if you hadn’t arrived in time, we would have surely died at the hands of these vile assassins."

A Royal Knight holding a Kite Shield was filled with joy at surviving the ordeal.

Losa furrowed his brows and said, "Don’t let your guard down yet, inform everyone to increase vigilance; no one knows if there are more assassins lurking in the Royal Palace."

The wounded lying on the ground already had their faces turning blue.

The blades of these assassins were coated with highly poisonous substances; if wounded, the medical standards of this era offer no possibility of recovery.

Losa’s expression was quite grim.

The visible losses at the scene included three knights, six attendants, and twelve soldiers.

Those attendants left by Princess Sibilla to protect Baldwin V are another matter.

"Get the Inspector over here to collect and repair the deceased’s bodies and belongings."

Losa loudly ordered, "Especially remember to stitch the heads and torsos of those who were beheaded together. They fought bravely and honorably fulfilled their duties and should ascend to the Celestial Kingdom."

"Yes, Grand Master!"

Members of the Royal Knight Order looked at Losa with admiration. They had witnessed firsthand how those fierce and brutal Assassin assassins met their end at the hands of this Grand Master and his subordinates.

The Franks, who still retained "Barbarian" traditions, deeply ingrained "worship of warriors" in their hearts.

Losa walked towards the room behind the corridor.

"My lord, you must not go over there!"

The attendants, forced to take up arms to protect the Crown Prince, blocked his path.

"I need to see the Crown Prince and confirm His Highness’s safety; move aside immediately."

Clang——

Hans’s sharp Armed Sword was unsheathed behind Losa, scaring the servants into a shiver.

To them, Hans’s performance in the recent battle was akin to the legendary knight protagonists in novels who, favored by witches, could slay Evil Dragons and Devils.

They knew that even if they joined forces, they would absolutely be no match for Hans alone.

Losa pushed aside the obstructing attendants and directly broke into the room.

Inside the room, there was no one.

The iron light stands held hundreds of white candles burning, illuminating the closed room that had only one small window.

Losa lowered his head and saluted, "Your Highness, I am Losa von Habsburg, Grand Master of the Royal Knight Order. The assassins from the Assassins have been cleared. Please come out."

The room remained silent.

Until one attendant quietly entered and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, the enemies have indeed been cleared. The new Grand Master of the Royal Knight Order is here."

From under the bed draped with white veils, a pale little head emerged.

The young boy slowly crawled out, lifted his head, and stared at Losa.

His body was very frail, his voice somewhat tremulous, perhaps from fear, his face pale, but he still made an effort to straighten his chest: "Thank you for coming in time, Baron Losa."

Seeing that Baldwin V was unharmed, Losa secretly sighed with relief; turbulent Jerusalem could not withstand such turmoil.

"Your Highness, I hope you will immediately move to His Majesty the King’s sleeping quarters, where my Winged Cavalry will protect you relentlessly."

Little Baldwin nodded: "As you wish, Baron."

"We can protect the Crown Prince!"

A knight loyal to Princess Sibilla stepped out at this moment, disgruntledly saying, "This is the sacred duty bestowed upon us by Her Highness the Princess. If we hand His Highness over to you, it will tarnish our honor."

Hans looked at him coldly.

This knight felt an overwhelming terror envelop him, as if a giant werewolf were howling at the moon.

He subconsciously took two steps back.

Hans coldly said, "Please adhere to the Grand Master’s orders."

"Y-yes."

The knight hurriedly complied.

No one dared to speak any more.

Losa picked up little Baldwin and, amidst the crowd’s accompaniment, headed for His Majesty the King’s sleeping quarters.

The knight who had spoken earlier quickly followed behind him and politely said, "Baron Losa, I must inform my liege, Her Highness Sibilla; she will request to reclaim the guardianship of the Crown Prince from you."

"Hmm, let her come see me then."

Losa nodded.

He was contemplating who was the mastermind behind this assault.

First to be eliminated is Her Highness the Princess Sibilla, despite the legends of her past life conspiring with Guy for power, murdering her own child, and seizing the throne.

(In movies, it is romanticized into Baldwin V suffering from leprosy, and Princess Sibilla not wanting her son to suffer like her brother, ended his life herself. However, there is no evidence that Baldwin V truly had leprosy, and it is a disease that spreads but does not inherit.)

But for now, doing so would not bring her any benefit.

Because she has not ascended to the regency of Empress Dowager, and if she wanted to act, she had plenty of chances to make young Baldwin die quietly.

...

Within Jerusalem City.

A banquet is being held at Count Philip’s estate.

Under the awning, a plump lamb is roasting over a raging bonfire.

Slave girls from Saracen twist their graceful bodies, dancing lightly to the music.

Count Philip raises his glass and says to everyone: "Heavenly Father above, thank you for attending this humble banquet of mine. Tonight, we have Bordeaux wine and tender lamb in abundance, let those damn peas be damned."

The crowd applauds, thanking the count for his generosity.

These days, the people of Jerusalem have been generally living in much more distress, especially these knights who have little more than empty titles without fiefs or estates.

A considerable number of them live off the "subsidies" from the Knight Order.

At this moment, someone shouted: "Salute the Count, only the Count is worthy of the Grand Master’s position. We must ask His Majesty to revoke the decision."

"That’s right. That guy called Losa is not fit to be our Grand Master."

"As long as all of us refuse to obey the orders of that new rustic baron, His Majesty must consider everyone’s wishes!"

"Indeed, just like tonight, my attendants and I have chosen to no longer fulfill our duties, because we will not obey the orders of an incompetent Grand Master."

At this point, the banquet has seen its hidden daggers unsheathed.

Some members of the Royal Knight Order looked troubled, clearly, the few who spoke first were Count Philip’s staunch confidants.

But they do not want to defy the King’s will for such petty gains.

The most important thing for the Royal Knight Order is loyalty to His Majesty the King.

If even they defy the King’s will, then there would be no loyalty left in the whole of Jerusalem.

Would the so-called Royal Knight Order not become a laughingstock similar to the Imperial Guard of the Eastern Empire?

The atmosphere in the venue became stagnant.

Count Philip’s face turned somewhat grim. The development of events was clearly not as they imagined.

These ungrateful bastards!

At this moment.

Dong——

The bell in the tower with a cross mounted at its top, in the style of Fire Worship, rang melodiously.

Then.

A dense sound of footsteps approached from nearby.

Bang——

The closed gates of the manor were pushed open.

One by one, heavily armored infantry, armed with two-handed axes, carrying round shields, clad in multi-layered chain armor, and red and white hooded shirts, stomped through the muddy ground and rushed in from the entrance.

At their center, a young Knight on horseback, cloaked in black, rode out slowly.

The rain soaked their garments, making the blades and iron armor appear even brighter.

"Who goes there?"

"Stop, this is Count Philip’s private estate, you are trespassing!"

A few drunken knights who haven’t understood the situation laughed and said: "Ha, this lad, has he assembled a Varangian Guard for himself like those emperors of the Eastern Empire?"

"Too bad, the emperors of the Eastern Empire have thousands of guards, and they are still beaten back by the Turks. How useful can these few be?"

The Franks have always despised the Greeks’ weakness.

Though they covet the wealth of the Eastern Empire from their hearts, they have little regard for their ill-equipped imperial armies that have suffered successive defeats by the Turkic States in Asia Minor in recent years.

Count Philip quipped: "What’s the matter, boy, did you come specifically to apologize to me?"

Losa, riding on Nisian’s warhorse, didn’t pay attention to these drunkard’s comments, and called out loudly: "Commander Count Philip, neglected duty, and unauthorized removal of personnel, causing the Crown Prince to be attacked by Assassin, your ranks are hereby removed immediately and you are detained in prison, awaiting the Grand Council’s judgment."

"No... that’s impossible!"

Count Philip’s face changed drastically, he stammered: "How... how could this be such a coincidence? What happened to His Highness the Crown Prince, tell me now!"

Losa did not answer him and said coldly: "Commander, were the deployments in the Royal Palace tonight made by your will?"

"Yes... it was, but..."

"Then there is no need for more words. I now suspect you are involved in the Crown Prince’s assassination, please surrender immediately, or I cannot guarantee your safety."

"As... assassination of the Crown Prince?"

Philip’s lips quivered: "There is no way I am part of it, I swear, I swear by the honor of the Welf Family!"

Losa looked around, sneering: "Moreover, I have a list now, anyone whose name is called, stand forward, I promise you a fair trial."