Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 31 Paladin

Gelis knew what he was looking for, or Defter, a term commonly used by different Islamic regimes to refer to ledgers or registers that recorded taxation, land, and population information, a tradition continued by the Seljuk Empire.

The present-day Kingdom of Jerusalem was established on the fragments of the Seljuk Empire, and a large number of tax farmers, or tax collector families, were inherited from the Seljuk Empire.

After conquering this land, the Crusader lords who came from afar also retained the original taxation system in order to obtain profits as quickly as possible, and chose to cooperate with the tax collectors' families who controlled the tax books.

However, Ahmed would not carry such a valuable item with him. He would only leave it in his lair, a small town not far from Monterey Village, the town of Alhadi.

Garys frowned with some worry. He was not sure when Reynald would realize that he had lost a tax farmer, nor was he sure whether the Ahmed family would destroy the tax ledger in a panic because all their private soldiers were killed or injured.

Judging from the current situation, he could only move with speed and rush to Alhadi Town as soon as possible.

In this case, another problem arises. If it is just a rural survey or missionary work, Garys alone is enough, with at most two helpers.

But if he wanted to intervene in a small town, take over the tax account, write or print a booklet, the few people around him would not be enough, even if the five teenagers were added.

Or maybe it was precisely because of the addition of the five young disciples that Garys and his companions were unable to take care of them all, and something even more dangerous might happen.

But if they wanted to transfer personnel from Scar Village, it was obviously too late. It would take two or three days to send a letter and wait for John to send personnel over.

"We still need to ask Cardo for people. Simon also needs to be canonized as a knight before he can lead the team."

Garys sighed.

……

Early in the morning, Simon came to the river, took off his clothes beside the river, wet the cloth with river water, and wiped his body.

This symbolizes washing away sins through bathing and getting rid of the filth of past worldly experiences.

When the ritual cleansing was over, he returned to the village and rested for a while on his bed covered with clean linens, which meant that he had survived a difficult battle with sin and the devil.

When this step was completed, Simon opened his eyes again, got out of bed, knelt on his knees beside his bed, clasped his hands together, lowered his head and closed his eyes, and began to recite in a low voice.

It was a long prayer, asking the Lord for strength, wisdom, love, mercy and many other virtues, so that he would be qualified to continue to follow Garys.

When the sun was about to completely jump out of the mountain, Simon stood up and walked towards the threshing ground in the village. He looked very steady, but the frequency of his steps revealed an impatience.

In the threshing ground, the heavy infantrymen who had died yesterday were stripped of their armor and clothes, taken to the back of the village and buried, and all the bloodstains were cleaned up as much as possible.

As for the high platform, Simon could see the rising sun with his back to Garys, who had been waiting for a long time. Around the platform, many villagers gathered, looking at this unprecedented scene with curious eyes.

Even though he was extremely impatient, Simon still took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and walked up the stairs step by step to the stage.

The sun had just risen, and the thin morning mist had not yet completely dissipated. The golden sunlight shone through the mist and fell on Garys, bringing a sense of ethereality to him.

Seeing this scene, Simon took another deep breath and then lowered his head towards Garys's back.

"Do you know your mission?" "I already know. I should use my sword to protect the righteous path and protect the unarmed from the disaster of swords."

“Do you know how difficult the road ahead is?”

"I know that the night is long and wild beasts are rampant. I will hold the torch against the wind and go against the tide."

"Do you know what you got in the end?"

"I already know that the Kingdom of the Lord will come from heaven to the earth, and all the people will be one family, sharing peace."

After completing these three questions and three answers, Gailis turned around and faced Simon.

The light that came through the morning mist sprinkled on his face, bringing a glimmer of light to his face.

Seeing this scene, Simon and the surrounding villagers couldn't help but feel their heartbeats quicken.

How holy, how divine!
Garys gave Simon a hug, and after letting go, Simon immediately knelt on one knee.

Gailis patted Simon on the shoulder, and then took the sword belonging to Simon from Isabel's hands beside him.

Simon's sword had been used by Garys many times, and each time it seemed to be accompanied by a miracle. It witnessed the healing of diseases, the sight of a god, and the fall of ten villains...

And now, Gellis gave the sword that he blessed back to Simon, just as he had received the sword from his predecessor, King Baldwin.

“May my Father’s love and glory always bless you and brighten your future.”

“May the grace and honor of my Father rest upon you like the morning light, guiding your steps.”

“May my Father’s blessing and glory always protect you and accompany you through every day and night.”

Garys chanted in a low and powerful voice, as if carrying an echo from heaven. He tapped Simon's shoulder with the blade of the sword, and then handed it to Simon's hands raised above his head.

"From now on, you are given the title of knight and you should shoulder the sacred duty of protecting the weak and defending justice. Divine grace has been bestowed upon you. Go, fulfill your mission and spread my name!"

Simon stood up with the help of Garys. He was feeling uneasy and his body was slightly unstable. From now on, he was no longer a knight's squire, but a real knight.

Even the one who knighted him was not a secular lord or king, but a true saint.

He was convinced that he was different from those secular knights who were obsessed with money, desire and sin, and he was also different from armed religious knights like the Knights Templar.

He truly shouldered this sacred mission, took on the lofty ideal, and set a goal to pursue throughout his life: the Kingdom of the Lord will come from heaven to the earth, and all the world will be one family, sharing peace.

Perhaps, Simon felt that he should not be called a knight, but should use a completely new word to refer to people like himself, a completely new identity - a paladin.

　Thank you all for your support. I am adjusting the situation and thinking about how to maintain my writing style during the transitional chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)