Medieval Gacha Lord
Chapter 89: The Expedition (Bonus - ))

Chapter 89: The Expedition (Bonus Chapter))

Chapter 89: The Expedition

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately resonated with many. Most of the true warmongers had already joined the northern Crusade. Even those newly arrived knights, eager for fiefs and titles, did not speak up to volunteer for battle. No one was a fool. Letting others deplete Saladin’s military strength first, and then joining in themselves, was both safe and practical.

Lothar and Baron Godfrey exchanged bitter smiles. Indeed, the two of them had become thorns in others’ sides.

"Silence, you cowardly lot!" someone cursed angrily. "How can the warriors of the Heavenly Father stand by and watch their Christian brothers in peril and not save them! You are all a bunch of treacherous and disloyal men!"

Among the nobles and knights, there were also fervent believers with simple minds; many of these were even part of the Queen Mother’s Party.

The clamorous and fierce debate threatened to lift the entire roof. But no one could control them.

Amalric shouted "Silence!" several times, but he utterly lacked Regent Raymond’s authority. Blindly imitating him was merely like a clownish spectacle.

"Silence!" A heavy scepter slammed onto the floor, emitting a loud thud. People turned towards the sound. The original clamor gradually subsided.

From the darkness, a young man in magnificent robes, wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter, slowly walked out. Beneath a silver-white mask, a pair of eyes filled with majesty coldly swept over everyone present.

Baldwin IV! He had actually appeared!

"Who is that?"

"Silence! It is His Majesty the King!"

"Good heavens!"

"His Majesty is still alive!"

The Crusader nobles looked at each other in dismay. They had never expected that the King, who had not managed state affairs for so long and whom many had prepared for the sudden news of his death any day, would actually stand forth at this moment.

"Gentlemen, it has been a long time. It seems you have even forgotten the etiquette of how to have an audience with a king."

Baldwin IV’s tone contained not a shred of warmth. His gaze was like ice. The cold iron mask, combined with the rumors of this king being cursed by God, gloomy, and evil, made him appear particularly terrifying.

Lothar was the first to kneel on one knee. "I am honored to have an audience with my King! I am willing to obey your will! Whatever you desire, so shall it be done!"

Godfrey quickly followed suit. Then came those Crusader nobles who had arrived on pilgrimage; they still held reverence for royal authority, unlike those old nobles who had long grown accustomed to Baldwin IV’s figurehead status and even frequently cursed privately, wondering why this divinely punished leper hadn’t died yet.

Soon, the entire great hall was kneeling.

Amalric and the others were trembling; they had lost reverence for Baldwin IV because he had been absent from managing state affairs for too long.

The entire court had been controlled by Queen Mother Agnes and Regent Raymond. Now, with Baldwin IV stepping forward again, all authority immediately and automatically returned to the hands of this monarch.

Baldwin IV slowly approached the throne. He caressed the gold-inlaid seat and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

"Tomorrow morning, all of you are to lead your armies and report for duty under my command. Those who fail to arrive by the deadline will be considered to have broken their sacred oaths. I, in the sacred name of the King of Jerusalem, will launch a punitive expedition against them. All rebels will be stripped of their titles and sentenced to hanging!"

"Yes, my King!"

Baldwin IV coughed lightly and said, "At the age of seventeen, I led eight hundred cavalry to break Saladin’s thirty thousand-strong army. It was so then, and it will be so today. Baron Lothar, how many men do my Royal Knights have?"

Lothar stood up and said loudly, "Forty-five valiant and skilled knights, and one hundred and ten armored cavalrymen! Additionally, there are five hundred sergeants. Including the newly conscripted pilgrim recruits, the total is one thousand men!"

A flash of satisfaction passed through Baldwin IV’s eyes. He nodded slightly, then asked, "Baron Godfrey, how many men do the Knights of Jerusalem have?"

Godfrey quickly replied, "Three hundred cavalrymen, twelve hundred armored sergeants, and fifteen hundred pilgrim recruits!"

"My two knightly orders already have four thousand troops! Baron Amalric, Baron Humphrey, you too must provide this number of troops!" Baldwin IV’s tone brooked no argument.

Amalric opened his mouth, intending to make excuses about needing to leave enough city guards, but remembering the money he had embezzled from the court and city garrison over the years, he ultimately dared not speak. He decided to go find Queen Mother Agnes later to plead his case.

"Thus, the main body of the grand army will already have nearly ten thousand! Tomorrow, all who have received my summons must obey orders at the front! I will personally lead the grand army to a decisive battle with Saladin’s infidel forces!"

The nobles and knights all accepted the command. Some were worried, others ecstatic. Regardless, Baldwin IV’s appearance at this critical moment undoubtedly provided a backbone for the disunited nobles of Jerusalem. NovelFire

After the court assembly dispersed, Baron Godfrey approached the throne, his eyes somewhat moist. "Your Majesty, I feel as if I have returned to the eve of the Battle of Montgisard. Back then, you were also so full of heroic vigor... Your health, how is it truly?"

He choked up for a moment. As a staunch royalist, his loyalty to Baldwin IV was absolutely genuine.

Baldwin IV sighed lightly. "Baron Godfrey, my body has received treatment with medicine found by Baron Lothar. There is no major issue."

Baron Godfrey looked at Lothar in shock, as if to say: ’You brat, how did you accomplish such a major feat without a sound?’

Lothar said with a wry smile, "I wasn’t entirely confident before either."

Father Uldin’s grave voice sounded, "Your Majesty, you are too hasty! The treatment is not yet complete! This will greatly overdraw your life force!"

Uldin emerged from a dark corridor, the King’s personal attendant, Abraham, holding a Magic-Resistant Gold sword, following closely behind him.

Lothar didn’t know how effective Magic-Resistant Gold was against local witches, but against Fringilla and Banu, it had no restrictive effect. The retainers from the system world and the supernatural beings of this world were two entirely different systems. Perhaps there were commonalities, but they were definitely not the same thing.

Baldwin IV removed his mask. His face, surprisingly, was not as hideous and twisted as people imagined; one could vaguely still see traces of his former handsomeness.

"This, I have no one to blame but myself." He looked at Lothar. "I originally intended to entrust this heavy responsibility to you. But since you found a way to treat me, how can I continue to hide away ignobly in a sunless room? Baron Lothar, Baron Godfrey, you are both my pillars of support. This expedition relies entirely on your assistance."

"Cough—" Before he could finish, a fit of sharp coughing seized him. Baldwin IV gripped the armrest of his chair, struggling to keep himself from collapsing.

Uldin once again reminded him, "Your Majesty, please return with me to the inner palace to continue your treatment."

Baldwin IV looked at Lothar somewhat apologetically. "Next, I’m afraid I’ll have to borrow your attendant for some time longer."