kingdom of nations

Chapter 16 The Rise of Venus (Part )
When Cesar thought he had made another mistake, Longinus asked, "Do you have five gold coins?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Because you can hire me for five gold coins." Longinus said, then turned around with his sword and faced the enemy who had emerged from the darkness at some point.

"You see," Cesar said calmly, "I also want to trust in God's servants." They were not in the hills of the Judean Mountains, nor in the filthy port of Jaffa, but in the Lord's residence and resting place, assassins could still run rampant.

This time, Longinus really laughed out loud. He fearlessly faced the mercenaries with expressions of astonishment. They had similar backgrounds to Longinus, with no ambition, nowhere to go, and empty pockets. The only thing they could rely on was their own martial arts. They thought Longinus would compete with them for the reward, but unexpectedly, he chose another path.

"Go away, Longinus," the leader said. He had heard of Longinus's name and knew he was a warrior extremely skilled in fighting and warfare, and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. "We can count you in as one, as long as you go away."

"Come," said Longinus.

"Very noble, but also very stupid." The man said as he rushed forward. He was very confident. There were five of them, three to deal with Longinus, and two to catch the child.

At least four of the five men were too careless, Longinus judged. They might have thought that this business did not involve human lives. Although they would not understand why Longinus suddenly changed his mind, they thought he would not take it seriously for a slave. This gave Longinus an opportunity. His sword first pierced one man's lower abdomen and then rotated. The unfortunate guy howled and knelt forward, just blocking the steps of his accomplices. Although his accomplices pushed him away anxiously and angrily, they failed to stop the dagger thrown by Longinus.

He collapsed, clutching his throat.

"I told you to be careful of him!" shouted the leader furiously.

Wandering knights who were not accepted by the king or the brotherhood would often gradually lose their courage and strength in the arms of strong liquor and women, but Longinus was never one of them. His sword was always sharpened by the bandits who attempted to rob priests, and so was his will. The disadvantage in numbers would not make him shrink back, but instead made him fight more fiercely and vigorously.

"Catch that kid!" the leader shouted again. His martial arts skills might not be inferior to Longinus', but when he saw the smile on that dark and thin face, he subconsciously wanted to dodge. He knew that such thoughts were extremely deadly in a fight, but you couldn't expect much courage from a man who was willing to attack a child. However, his heart sank suddenly when he glanced behind Longinus.

The boy with black hair and blue eyes did not stand there upright waiting for them to catch him like the noble brats they were used to seeing. When Longinus turned around, he threw the bucket and the wooden pole to the ground, and then nimbly climbed up a pillar on the side. When a mercenary wanted to jump up and catch him, he jumped vertically and threw himself into a flag of the Christian Kingdom of Alaska - many such flags were hung on the ribs of the church dome, which were used to ask God to give these countries and groups asylum.

The dyed wool flag was rough and strong, tied to an iron ring at the top, so it was no problem for it to carry a nine-year-old boy. The flag was hanging in the air, at a very safe level from both height and distance, but the hunters took off the small crossbows hanging on their belts without hesitation. The crossbow arrows were extremely thin and almost useless against knights in armor, but for a child... as long as the child fell, they could grab the reward.

Their leader entangled Longinus, but by then, Cesar had drawn a whistle and was blowing it with all his might.

Among the gifts given to Cesar by his attendants and servants were several whistles, made of bone, horn, and metal. He always carried a palm-length copper eagle whistle. This whistle used to summon falcons could produce a very penetrating sound, otherwise it would be impossible to recall a falcon that might have flown thousands of feet away.

They were in the corridor connecting the second and third naves. In order to prevent pilgrims from sneaking in to admire the holy relics, this corridor could be regarded as a long room with windows at a high position, a niche on one side and an uncovered arch on the other. The sharp and long sound of the eagle whistle was like an arrow piercing Christ's throat, resonating rapidly in his chest.

In order to avoid excessive disturbance, Cesar chose the time when there were the least people in the hall. The pampered nobles certainly did not have to worry about the time, as the diligent priests were always waiting. Those who could get up after the morning prayer were considered diligent, and most of them came during the afternoon prayer, around two or three in the afternoon. There should be priests on duty here, who were either bribed or transferred away. But no matter how far away from here, or how focused on the scriptures, as long as one had a valid ear, one would definitely hear the sound.

The leader of the mercenaries cursed angrily, "You beast deserve to go to hell!" He didn't care at all that he was the one who sneaked into the Lord's earthly residence and did evil things. Longinus guessed that he must have a lot of indulgences.

When the priests arrived, the surviving mercenaries had already fled, leaving only one dead man and one dying man. A priest hurried to the man whose lower abdomen was pierced, held his hand, and rubbed oil on his forehead (taken directly from the lampstand nearby), shouting, "Repent!" He did the same to the dead man next to him to prevent this sacred place from being defiled by sinful souls.

Longinus silently extended his hand, shielding Cesar behind him, and the two retreated into the shadows. The priests who arrived either intentionally or unintentionally ignored them until Thomas angrily stepped in with several monks. However, he only glanced at Cesar and focused his attention on accountability and getting to the bottom of the matter. The priests and monks were divided into three clearly defined groups, or even more, but it was clear that Thomas was in a state of equal strength with another senior priest.

Someone intentionally let in mercenaries who wanted to disrupt this practice. Of course, they should be punished both by church law and customary law, but as for who would suffer losses and who would gain, even outsiders like Cesar and Longinus could see at a glance - Amalric I and Prince Baldwin were Cesar's secular masters, and the Gerard family was Cesar's guarantor before Christ. If Cesar could complete this difficult task, it would be a great thing not only for himself but also for his supporters.

About a quarter of an hour later, Thomas...at least achieved a partial victory. His opponents left in disappointment with a group of priests and dead people. He finally had time to care about the latest investment of the Gerard family. When he learned that Cesar was not afraid of what happened today and would not back down because of rumors, he clapped his hands happily, praised God and the saints to his heart's content, and assured Cesar that he would not be disturbed in the future. He would entrust two strong brothers (the name that priests call each other) to serve Cesar and ensure that his wish could be fulfilled smoothly.

"You should also go and let the priest take a look at your injuries." After returning to the quiet corridor, Cesar said, while taking off the purse and hanging it on Longinus' belt. "I will go back after I finish this."

"Can I take you back?" Longinus asked tentatively.

Cesar smiled. "I'm not even a squire yet," he said. "The situation outside the castle is just as bad as it is inside. I don't want to lie to you, sir. Baldwin and I are still young. We don't have the extra strength to protect others."

Longinus weighed his purse. "That's not entirely true," he said, curling his lips sarcastically. "The lives of people out there aren't as valuable as you think. The power of gold is far greater than you imagine."

"Then you have suffered a great loss?"

"I'm not a shallow fool," Longinus said. "Although I'm not very smart either, I know that anything involving the court, the church, or the nobles isn't as simple as it appears." He glanced down at Cesar and crunched the gold in his purse. "In the past, I would have chosen to stay away from this, but I guess not this time. As for why I'm on your side—it's because I don't trust them. If those people can ignore the gods and have no fear of law or morality, how can I trust them to keep their promise to a knight without a surname?"

"It's a pity that there are so few people like you who understand." Cesar said calmly, "Then, if you are willing to wait for a while, can you do something for me?" "Please go ahead."

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This incident did not cause much stir.

Both Longinus and Cesar were calm and composed, without any indignation. Perhaps the most precious quality of them was their self-awareness. A wandering knight, a squire of a leper... Although Amalric I reiterated from time to time that his attitude towards Baldwin would not change, almost everyone was watching and waiting - that is, the subsequent selection ceremony.

If Baldwin was chosen, all obstacles (at least most of them) would be overcome. If not, his best future would be to become an unknown ascetic.

Amalric I handed the matter over to Heraclius for investigation. Unfortunately, the final result could only be attributed to the ridiculous gambling game. Apart from the two mercenaries, there was no one to be held accountable. Firstly, there was no evidence, and secondly, they could deny that they had committed serious crimes against the prince's attendants - it could even be said that they just wanted to play a joke on Cesar. In the end, this man-made accident did not cause any irreversible consequences.

As a consolation, Cesar received many rewards, so generous that if he could leave Alaska, he could get himself a small fiefdom in some barren place. Of course, he couldn't.

The only consolation was that Cesar's pious practice became known to more people through this evil act. People no longer referred to him as "the lucky slave" but as "the pious servant." As Heraclius hoped, people would say "What a noble man!" when they saw a man dressed in extravagant clothes and with a dignified appearance. Because Cesar made such a vow and completed such a heavy task, some people believed that Prince Baldwin, who had such a servant, should not be a sinner punished by God.

On the last day of Cesar's work, the steps, roads and streets around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were filled with people who came to visit him. Among them were people of noble status, but most were poor people with ragged clothes and haggard faces. They may have exhausted their life savings and the last bit of energy for the pilgrimage, but in the end they were rejected outside the Holy Gate because they underestimated the greed of the priests.

Their only hope was to meet a kind lord or lady, or as it is now, a respectable and virtuous person, worship him as a saint, and use him to open the door to heaven.

The knight accompanying Cesar saw this and couldn't help but click his tongue: "Should I call some servants to drive them away?"

"Will they tear me apart and eat me?"

Cesar was not joking, but the knight thought he was, and he laughed a good deal. "No," he said, "but they are filthy and will steal your lace and ribbons."

"If it's just this little loss, I can afford it," said Cesar.

When Venus rose, Cesar had already seen those poor people who were not allowed to enter, but those who wandered outside the Holy Gate were not considered the poorest. Among the ragged clothes crowded in the shadows, only eyes full of desire were still shining, and the hands stretched out were like dead branches in the mountains of Judah. ​​They made almost no sound, perhaps because they had no strength, or perhaps because they were afraid of being scolded, they did not dare to approach boldly, until a brave mother held her infant son in her hands and crawled to Cesar's side on her knees.

"Sir, sir," she begged in an almost indistinguishable dialect, "touch him, touch him, make him better..."

A stench hit them faster than the sound.

In this era when only the powerful and wealthy who are seriously ill can bathe every day, the poor, whether due to financial constraints or the requirements of the church, may only take a bath once in their entire lives - that is, at the baptism ceremony. Not to mention, their wooden basins and clothes are also a precious heritage worth passing on to future generations, and must not be wasted. Therefore, it is inevitable that they stink all over.

Cesar looked down. Due to lack of nutrition or illness, even a baby of only a few months old looked as ugly as a monkey. He reached out and touched his forehead.

The mother continued to speak for a few words, which Cesar could not quite understand. "Wait," he said, motioning for the mother to take a date from him. "Give it to your child."

He didn't know whether the child was sick, but he knew that at this time many poor people were suffering from malnutrition. The candied dates Baldwin gave him were an expensive food containing a lot of sugar, and sugar meant energy. These civilians who were struggling to survive like wheat straw in the wild might be able to survive with just this little comfort.

Cesar could feel that the knights around him were a little nervous. To them, these people were cattle, horses, and wild beasts, not even as good as servants. When they were docile, they were cattle, and when they were violent, they were wild beasts. They might even secretly blame them in their hearts, why make things so complicated? But Cesar knew very well that his touch would not help with illness and hunger - the king would give the patient an extra gold coin during the touching ceremony so that he could eat, drink, or get treatment, not to mention a small servant.

A date may only sweeten him for a moment, but it may save the child.

The mother held the date tightly in her hand. "You will be blessed, saint," she said firmly. "God will reward you. If I can, and my children can, we will reward you too."

Cesar heard the knight behind him sneer: "That's enough, madam." He said, and continued to walk forward. The riot that the knight worried about did not happen. People kept reaching out to Cesar, but they were satisfied as long as Cesar touched their fingertips. No one pulled, no one shouted, and no one tried to steal his purse, cross or other trinkets.

Longinus followed behind Cesar. He knew that some people mocked him as a slave of a slave, but he didn't care. He kept staring at the black-haired boy and the hands that were extended to the pilgrims who were so poor that even thieves didn't bother to look at them. Those hands swayed like grass touched by the wind. If only one or two people were impulsive or had bad intentions, he would fall into the crowd and be trapped in the smelly, rotten flesh and rags. He might be injured, disabled, or even contract the plague.

But those hands did not withdraw until they stepped onto the hill where the Holy Cross once stood, and until the priests pushed open the Holy Door, isolating the pilgrims from the temple.

(End of this chapter)