Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 112 "Guest Rights"

The land area of ​​the Kingdom of Jerusalem is not very large, roughly around 40,000 square kilometers, but the diversity of the landforms within the country is not as simple as outsiders think.

Forests, river valleys, Gobi Desert, deserts, oases...

The diverse natural scenery makes up the land of Canaan, which is described as flowing with milk and honey.

Of course, whether the land of Canaan flows with milk and honey is a mystery, but since the beginning of historical records on this land, it has definitely been flowing with blood and mud.

Reynald was gathering his spoils. He had not brought many people with him on this expedition, only 15 knights. Together with other attendants and entourage, there were less than 50 people in total.

Although Reynald was the lord of Transjordan and a duke in mainland France, most of the time the number of his followers was not exaggerated, basically no more than a hundred people.

After all, attacking passing caravans is essentially the same as doing business, and one needs to consider costs and benefits.

How will he divide the money when he brings more people out?

Just as the attendants and other entourage set up tents and counted the captured slaves, Reynald noticed something different and looked to the north.

In the vast wasteland covered with yellow sand, there was a vague shadow on the distant horizon, slowly advancing forward.

The wind blew up gusts of dust and gravel whizzed past, as if even the earth was giving way to it.

As the team gradually became clear, the first thing that caught the eye was the flag. The golden cross was particularly eye-catching against the white background.

Four knights silently guarded the center carriage, their white robes fluttering in the wind, the cross of the Knights Templar dancing with them, the contrast between white, yellow and red made them particularly eye-catching.

As the wind whistled again, Reynard felt vaguely uneasy, as if the dead man had come back to life, his procession had crossed the boundary between life and death, and was coming towards him with the lonely royal power...

"Tsk, you're overthinking it. How could the Leper King still be alive..."

Reynald muttered to himself in a low voice. He was over sixty years old and had experienced half a century of ups and downs. He had fought under many kings.

But in his heart, the only one who is truly qualified to bear the title of king is that one.

Baldwin IV, a leper, a young man 37 years his junior, was blind, suffering from frequent fevers, and his body was rotting at the end of his life.

But such a king truly demonstrated the demeanor of a king.

Be clear about rewards and punishments, have the ability to manage people, face strong enemies head-on, and remain neither arrogant nor discouraged.

It can be said that due to the limitations of the times, national strength, and factional conflicts, the Leper King found it difficult to accomplish great things, but his unique personal charm managed to bridge the rift in the kingdom while he was alive.

In comparison, in Renard's mind, Guy is really just a clown.

As Leonard reminisced about the past, the "king's" procession gradually approached.

Leonard didn't know who the visitor was, but since they had raised the royal flag, he would naturally go to receive him in person, just for the sake of the deceased.

However, when the carriage and the ceremonial guard arrived in front of them, Leonard and the several knights beside him were quite stunned.

After all, whether it was the flag bearers or the ones guarding the carriage, they were all acquaintances of theirs.

"Charles! Clovis? What are you guys up to?"

From the shapes of horses and armor, Reynald and the knights beside him easily identified the identities of these guard knights.

Then they saw the knights lift up the visors of their helmets, revealing faces that looked like they had been beaten.

"Anyway, uh, it's hard to put it into words."

What could these knights say? Should they tell Reynard that while everyone was still working hard on their physical training, some of them had already started to behave like non-human beings?

With a creaking sound of a wooden door being pushed open, a person that none of the knights present, including Leonard, had expected, walked out of the carriage.

The short, slightly naturally curly light blond hair revealed his identity to Leonard.

"Long time no see. Are you still thinking about my death? Lord Hebron and Montreal, or rather, His Excellency the Despot of Transjordan."

Hearing these somewhat frivolous words, Leonard felt uncertain. With the help of some private intelligence networks, he had already heard about Garys' deeds.

Everyone knows that this guy is the real host behind "Isabel" in Alhadi Town, and there are also rumors that this guy calls himself a prophet and deceives the villagers.

After slightly restraining his expression, Leonard asked:
"What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you about something concerning the war next year and who will own the throne."

Hearing Garys' words, anger showed on Leonard's old face. With white hair and beard, he showed the momentum of a lion for a moment.

"Are you still trying to solve the problem with force? Or do you think this is a good place to talk about those things?"

Garys was issuing a warning. After all, there had been three violent clashes between Reynard and his group. After paying so much, Reynard should also consider the issue of sunk costs.

"Indeed, this place is not very suitable, but do you think you are qualified to talk to me on an equal footing? Have you been so carried away these days?" "Capture him without shedding blood."

Reynald gave the order, and the knights and servants beside him were ready to go.

As those people rushed forward, he vaguely heard Charles or Clovis on horseback shouting hurriedly: "Stop! You can't win!"

To be honest, Leonard was quite polite. Even though assassinations happened one after another in private, he never thought of killing Garys in public.

After all, Gailis was a nobleman whom he recognized, and he did not want to create a scandal by killing a nobleman in public.

But it was just so awkward for the Franks of that era.

A noble can die in a duel or in an assassination, but he should not die at a "banquet".

Now, since Garys came without any weapons, he was a guest and was protected by the "guest rights".

Of course, this "guest right" is not as outrageous as in Ice and Fire. It is a kind of hospitality etiquette originated from ancient Greece and was clarified in the Roman era.

Generally speaking, this right can be reflected in providing food and accommodation, protecting guests, exchanging gifts and information, and exercising diplomatic functions.

Garys' arrival obviously meets the last requirement.

But Leonard wanted to take Garris down and humiliate him by slapping him a few times on the grounds that Garris was disrespectful to him, which was actually quite consistent with the hierarchy of that era.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the people sent by Leonard can capture Garys.

Neither side drew their swords, and Gellis began his own duel: one against ten.

Garys took the initiative and struck the knight in the front with a thunderous punch, and then he raised his left leg and kicked the knee of the second opponent who rushed over hard.

After getting used to the different flow of time speed from that of ordinary people, Garys can easily deal with the punches and kicks of mortals even without entering the time-stop state.

Garris's current performance was not a miracle, but it was precisely because of the precision of his punches that Leonard's face became even uglier.

This is not a beating of his subordinates, it is clearly a slap in the face!

Soon, in the shocked eyes of others, Leonard's face turned completely gloomy, and the people he sent out were all knocked to the ground by Garys's fists.

"Now, do you think I am qualified to talk to you on an equal footing?"

While speaking, Gellis moved his body slightly.

It must be said that although Leonard was a villain, he was also an upright villain. Even though the expression on his face was about to burst, he still said in a deep voice: "Let's go into the tent and talk."

Garys spread his hands around to show his helplessness. He didn't want to fight like this.

After entering the tent, Garys and Leonard each sat down on a chair, with four people standing side by side behind them.

Seeing this, Reynard's face darkened a little, and he asked loudly: "Charles, Clovis, why are you four following us?"

After all, although Charles, Clovis and other knights are subordinates of the Knights Templar and strictly speaking have no superior-subordinate relationship with him, the Knights Templar are now his, Reynald's, allies.

So why did these guys with bruised faces and noses so consciously help Garys to hold up the scene?
It was obviously Leonard who came here first!

After hearing what Leonard said, the four of them all twitched their eyelids. Could it be that Leonard couldn't understand why they had pig-like faces?

Among the four, Clovis glanced at Garys, caught his gaze, and immediately cleared his throat and spoke loudly.

"Well, after Lord Garys's teaching, we have come to a profound understanding of one thing: we Franks, in the name of false gods, did human things, shouted the name of faith, and established our 'Israel', that is, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, through massacre and slavery. This is a big mistake!"

"From this moment on, we swear to follow Lord Garys. I believe that the sword will be drawn for justice, and the flames of freedom and equality will be ignited on the earth. I believe that all darkness and tyranny will be destroyed, a new order will rise from the ruins, and the kingdom of heaven on earth will be established in the hands of mortals."

"For the rest of my life, I will strive to atone for my past sins and build a new heaven and a new earth."

Leonard's serious expression was completely broken, wasn't it? How long had you been reunited with Garys? Three hours?

Why are you so skilled!
Could it be that you and Garys had been in contact with each other as early as in Karak Castle? !

The old Reynald glanced at the other three people and saw that their eyes were as firm as Clovis's and did not seem fake. For a moment, he felt that he was indeed old.

"Okay, Clovis, stop talking."

"It's my lord!"

Garys gave a casual instruction and then smiled at the disgusted Leonard.

"Now, let's talk about what happened in the past few months."

(End of this chapter)