Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 97 The light that pierces the darkness!

"Then, Laurent, Simon, you were injured while protecting your comrades, that's right, we have each other's backs and rely on each other."

After talking about the other lightly injured people present one by one, Gailis looked at the other young man, and his expression changed from a slight smile to a serious one.

"As for you, Pierre, don't think of blocking the knife for me. I don't need it. You were in the way of me killing the enemy at that time."

Such slightly harsh words made the young man Pierre feel a little embarrassed and ashamed.

Garys called out the name of every lightly injured soldier, and a warm feeling surged in everyone's heart.

[The Prophet] Remember them, their injuries are not meaningless, they have devoted themselves to an unprecedented great cause, and they have never experienced such a strong sense of honor.

As Gérice finished speaking about Pierre, he also came to the end of the room.

There were several single beds at the end of the room, and Abdullah was busy treating a patient in one of them.

Unlike the others who still had the energy to try to stand up, the ones at the end of the room could only force a smile after noticing Garys' arrival.

"Shh..."

Garys made a gesture, indicating to the people around him not to disturb Abdullah's treatment, and he just sat next to a seriously injured person.

The man looked at Garys, his face flushed a little, and he wanted to say something, but Garys held his mouth shut.

"Don't be impatient, Jacques. Keep your voice down and think about what you want to say first."

Jacques is a typical Frank with brown hair and blue eyes, and is about the same age as Gérice.

He stood beside Gellis on the battlefield as they faced a cavalry charge and was trampled by the falling horses.

"Sir, I have nothing to confess. I don't think I have committed any sins in my life, but a priest once taught me something, and I want to tell you."

"Go ahead." Gellis forced a smile.

“Even though I must walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”

Garys felt his eyes moisten a little and he didn't know what to say for a moment. But after a while, he reacted and asked Simon to hand him the bottle of oil.

Garris poured some olive oil into his hands and rubbed it on Jacques' forehead and hands.

Then he took Jacques's right hand, made the sign of the cross on his palm, and murmured the prayer: "With this holy unction, may the infinitely merciful Lord help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and may He who has forgiven your sins save you and restore you to health."

Jacques's face became more and more rosy, and he was very happy. This was the brightest and most brilliant moment in his past dark life.

He never thought in the past that one day he would receive such favor.

He could feel the divine power rushing into his heart through the sign of the cross that Gellis had made on his palm with holy oil.

Everything was so sacred, everything was so beautiful, and the new world unfolded before his eyes like a scroll.

Looking at the raised corners of his mouth, Gailis felt a little bitter in his mouth. He handed the oil back to Simon and asked Simon to hand over the bread wrapped in cloth.

Garys broke off a small piece and put it into Jacques' mouth.

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

This passage comes from John 6:54. In Christian culture, the Body and Blood of Christ are the source of eternal life and the power of resurrection.

What Gellis did was to provide Christians with the most formal end-of-life care based on Christian culture.

First, the unction of death is given to the sick and the wounded, giving them the courage to overcome their pain, enabling them to resist the temptation of evil, the temptation of disappointment and the fear of death, so that they can make the final struggle.

Then there is the Eucharist of the Last Communion, which is the final sacrament for Catholics, the sacrament of Christ’s death and resurrection, the sacrament of [from death to life], and [from the present world to the Heavenly Father].

What is the value of the life of an ordinary person?
This question has a different answer for everyone.

Now, Jacques, such a young man, only 18 years old, is about to end his life. No amount of money or blessings can save it.

The mottled gray shadows on the stone wall seemed to shroud the entire room in endless haze.

There was a dying body on the hospital bed, with dazed eyes and weak breathing, only the last breath left.

The world in his eyes was about to lose all its colors, leaving only grayness, deathly silence, and hopelessness.

But when he was about to sink, a man came to Jacques, and the white holy robe fluttered gently, as if a ray of morning light broke through the depressing night.

The man held Jacques' hand, made the sign of the cross with holy oil, and murmured a holy prayer.

The wings of angels slowly brush away the shadow of death.

It was as if the person in front of him was emitting bright golden light, dispersing the mottled gray shadows, and illuminating everything in the world again.

The world revived at this moment, life became vibrant again, colors returned to the world, and a corner of a new world opened up for him.

It was an era where no one was selfish, everyone was equal, and there was no longer any distinction between high and low based on power or wealth.

"Oh, by the way, prophet, please tell Charlie to marry Emma and take good care of my father..."

Jacques' voice became weaker and weaker, until he failed to finish his last words. Gailis felt a little lost.

"Dear brother, you are about to leave this world. May your soul ascend to the eternal kingdom of heaven."

"In the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit, my Father created you with His own hands, the eternal Son of Man Jesus Christ gave His life for you on the cross, and gave you the Holy Spirit, which is the source of your strength and peace."

“May you be in the Kingdom of Heaven in Holy Jerusalem today, sharing the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven with the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Saint Joseph, and all the angels and saints.”

"When you have left the burdens of this world behind you, may you return to the arms of our Father, who created you from dust. May the Virgin Mary and the angels and saints come to meet you. May the face of Christ shine upon you, delight you, and grant you eternal rest and joy, forever and ever."

Garys turned his head and looked at the other people around him. He whispered, "Who is Charlie, who is Emma, ​​and where are they?"

After all, both names were very common, and Garys had no idea where to look for them.

After a while, another seriously injured soldier turned his head and looked at Garys, and said softly: "Charlie is the young boy you sent home earlier. As for Emma, ​​she is Jacques's sister. Those two guys have been having an affair for a long time."

"However, Jacques was reluctant and disagreed. We all come from Labret Manor, and the distance is not too far, at most two days' journey."

Looking at the wounded man who was still full of energy, Gailis nodded: "Thank you Andre, I understand."

"Not just Jacques, but also Paul, Henri, Antoine... I remember all their names. I will go find their parents, tell them about their children's future, and bring them comfort."

Gellis remembered everyone's name and the scene of each person's death.

……

Palestine, an ancient name, contrary to what many people think, this place name does not come from Islamic culture.

Originally, the name came from the Hebrew word:, which appears many times in Jewish scriptures, meaning "rolling (in the dust)" and then extended to "invasion". It was used by ancient Jews to refer to the Philistines, a maritime nation from the Aegean Sea region.

The Philistines settled in a narrow strip of land on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean around the 12th century BC and had a long historical conflict with the ancient Jews.

In the 5th century BC, Greek historians called this land: Palaistinê, which was already heard for the first time at this time.

After the Roman Empire suppressed the Jewish Bar Kokhba uprising in 135 AD, it renamed the Jewish province "Syria Palaestina" to weaken the influence of the Jews.

In essence, this is more of a humiliation, naming this land after the history of the Jews' enemies in order to reduce the Jews' identification with the land of "Israel".

Since then, the name Palestine has been passed down, and even the Crusaders would occasionally use Palestine to refer to the land under their feet.

In short, using Palestine more and Israel less is not pro-Islamic, but anti-Semitic.

The rainy season in Palestine is mainly from winter to spring, so it is not as dry as many people think.

Even in the 21st century, annual rainfall in Palestine can reach 400 to 700 mm, roughly close to the rainfall in Hebei Province, China.

In the 12th century, Palestine was much more livable than in the 21st century. It was not at all like in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven", where there was only yellow sand everywhere.

Night has fallen, and the drizzle, which is unusual in autumn, is falling gently, driving away the last trace of heat left in the summer.

A carriage drove slowly south along the road left by the Romans, leaving a trail of ruts.

When it came to a fork in the road, the carriage stopped. After the driver had a brief exchange with the people in the carriage, he left the Roman road and continued on the small road.

The air was filled with cold moisture, and fine raindrops seemed to silently soak the sky and earth, suppressing all sounds in silence.

Darkness and gray seemed to be the only colors of this land. The fence was vaguely visible in the night, like some kind of poisonous snake lurking in the darkness, coldly watching the arrival of the carriage.

When passing another intersection, a man with a spear came out of a pavilion nearby, stopped the carriage and shouted loudly.

"Who are you? Stop!"

The loud voice broke the original dull atmosphere, and the coachman, hearing the familiar voice, couldn't help but smile, leaned his head out slightly, and greeted the man.

"Charlie! What a coincidence! It's me!"

"Master Simon!"

The person who was blocking the road came over quickly and saw that the familiar figure was sitting in the unpretentious coachman's seat.

"What are you doing? Standing here at this intersection in the middle of the night?"

Simon asked casually.

"Hey, isn't it my turn to stand guard? These days, things are not peaceful around here. There are more and more signs of Bedouins, so the butler arranged for people to stand guard at night. Look, there's a brother over there, with me."

Charles said, pointing to another person in the pavilion. By the light of the fire in the pavilion, Simon judged from his figure that it was also a young man, leaning against a spear beside him.
Because of Charlie's friendly gesture, the man let down his guard and waved towards the carriage. Simon responded in a friendly manner.

"Why are you here? What's the matter?" Charlie asked curiously.

"There's something being delivered from Scarr Village. I'm driving this carriage here. Do you want to come and check it out?"

　It's Friday, and I have a company meeting, so I can't slack off and write. But I have to open a new map, deduce a new story, and portray new characters.

　　It's been delayed for a long time. I'll see if I can make up for it next weekend.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)