CHAPTER 51: JORGKLUSBURG

Chapter 51: Jorgklusburg

In the stands, Princess Sibylla, wearing a small, exquisite golden coronet, sat beside Queen Mother Agnes. Beneath her veil, her expression was somewhat complex, showing no excitement whatsoever that two nobles were about to duel for her pursuit.

Admittedly, she had instigated this duel, but that was merely a minor side effect of her attempt to take control of her own destiny. She had never imagined Lothar would actually refuse the olive branch she extended, and instead pass it on to Balian.

To her, what difference was there between Balian and Guy? She didn’t object, but she held little expectation either, because as a princess, her marriage had never been her own to decide.

She looked towards Lothar, who sat with Baron Godfrey, his bearing imposing and spirited. Her eyes felt as if pricked, and she subconsciously clenched her fists. "Mother, this Knight Lothar, isn’t he just a knight without a fief? Where did he get such an elite army to serve him?"

"No, he is already Baron Lothar."

Queen Mother Agnes did not look old; on the contrary, due to proper maintenance, she was still a charming noblewoman, and many nobles were willing to be her guests of the bedchamber.

"Baldwin is very fond of this child. He intends to give him important responsibilities. In the future, he will attain a status within the Kingdom no less than Baron Godfrey’s." The unspoken meaning was that to be so highly regarded by Baldwin IV, this man must have extraordinary qualities.

"So my brother thinks so highly of him..." Sibylla mused.

Agnes’s smile held a deep meaning. "Sibylla, you must understand, no matter who rules the Kingdom, they will need capable ministers like Lothar to assist them. Sooner or later, he will be of use to you."

Agnes knew her son did not have long to live, but she wasn’t worried. No matter what, her daughter would become the Queen of Jerusalem, ensuring her continued glory and wealth.

Sibylla nodded impassively. ’That’s right, sooner or later, he will be of use to me!’

***

Meanwhile, the duel between the two nobles had already begun. Since Balian was not a knight, the combat between them started on foot.

Guy wielded a hand-and-a-half sword and used no shield; he had sufficient confidence in his swordsmanship.

The instant His Excellency William, the Chancellor and Archbishop of Tyre, declared the duel begun, Guy strode forward rapidly, launching a fierce attack. In comparison, Balian appeared somewhat flustered, holding his shield with one hand and instinctively retreating.

Just as people thought the outcome of this battle was a foregone conclusion, a loud ’thump’ was heard! Balian, shield in hand, had forcefully knocked Guy to the ground.

He hesitated for a moment, dropped the blade in his hand, and then, with his iron fist clad in a chainmail gauntlet, fiercely smashed it onto Guy’s helmet. Punch after punch, as crisp and regular as the chiming of a church bell on the hour.

The battle ended too quickly. Before people could even react, Balian, panting heavily, staggered to his feet. Guy, clearly, had already fallen unconscious.

Lothar exclaimed in surprise, "What just happened?"

When he had visited at noon, Balian was still fighting an evenly matched bout with Knight Kevin. How had he suddenly acquired such terrifying strength now?

Baron Godfrey glanced impassively at Banu and Fringilla behind Lothar, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You should know."

Lothar suddenly understood. ’Was it the power of a witch?’

After a long pause, Chancellor William, his face filled with shock, finally announced, "Balian! Balian of Ibelin is the victor! He has successfully defeated his opponent and won the right to pursue Her Highness Princess Sibylla!"

The surrounding crowd looked utterly bewildered. ’This was a knightly duel? This is bullshit!’

The duel ended anticlimactically. Guy, this valiant knight who, with his brothers, had once dared to rebel against Richard the Lionheart’s rule, attacked the convoy of Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and had even killed an earl, had been so easily defeated by an illegitimate son—who, before this, was merely a blacksmith! No one could have foreseen this.

Godfrey, smiling, exchanged courtesies with the various nobles. Lothar could even imagine how smug Godfrey must be feeling right now. The pressure from all factions on him had, at this moment, been entirely broken. Instead, he now held the initiative.

"Not bad, Balian." Seeing Balian walk up to the platform, Lothar went to meet him and clapped his shoulder. "You are very smart. You knew how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, exploiting Guy’s arrogant mentality to directly overpower him with your superior strength, giving him no chance to even draw his sword."

Balian’s face, however, showed no joy, but rather some apprehension. He looked at his father and said in a voice only the three of them present could hear, "I used a witch’s power. This was not a sacred duel."

Lothar put his arm around Balian’s shoulder and said resolutely, "No! This was power granted to you by the Heavenly Father, through the hand of a witch!"

Godfrey also smiled and said, "Witnessed by so many nobles of the Kingdom, this was indeed a sacred duel!"

These two consecutive statements had a huge impact on the still somewhat naive Balian.

***

At dusk, Lothar’s party, formed into a winding caravan, slowly made its way through the desert. Since the duel had ended so quickly, there was still ample time in the afternoon, so Lothar decided to set out immediately for his fief. Jorgklusburg was not far from Jerusalem; it was also a fief located by the Jordan River, very close to Raynald’s territory.

Jorgklusburg, when first built, was intended to defend against the incursions of desert nomads into Imperial territory. But now, times had changed, and things were different. It was no longer a frontier fortress, and the annual funds allocated by the royal family for its repair were pitifully small.

In his ear, the system’s notification sound chimed.

[You have arrived within your territory. All functions of the system are now activated.

Buildings and special cards will now be added to your weekly card draw pool.]

[Upon your first entry into your fief, you have obtained a basic building: Lord’s Hall.]

[Lord’s Hall: Possesses an additional comfort bonus. Retainers residing here will experience increased stamina recovery speed.

Upgrading it will provide a higher comfort bonus and slowly increase retainers’ affection towards you.]

"Have we already entered the fief’s range?" Lothar gazed into the distance. Sure enough, he could see cooking smoke rising from a village not far away. That should be the village attached to the Barony of Jorgklusburg. In the future, he could consider enfeoffing it to a subordinate as a knight’s demesne.

"Order everyone to quicken their pace! Treat this as a field march training!" Lothar urged. He couldn’t wait to reach his fief and see it.

In the future, he might spend a considerable amount of time residing in Jerusalem rather than his fief, perhaps even holding an official position in the royal palace. But the fief was his foundation!

Passing through the village, the party only stopped briefly. Lothar announced the arrival of the new lord to the villagers, then continued on their way. Soon, they could see a solitary stone castle perched on a distant hill.

"Hans, display my banner!"

Lothar’s exclusive coat of arms had already been designed: a black, single-headed eagle, its head facing to the right, with no other adornments. If he acquired other titles in the future, he might add new emblems to the eagle’s talons or wings to expand it.

The garrison on the castle walls seemed to stir upon seeing an elite-looking troop approaching. Someone shouted loudly from the ramparts, and many men ascended the walls, aiming their bows and arrows in this direction.

Hans rode forward and ordered them to open the castle gate and come out to welcome their lord. As Lothar’s temporary herald, he presented the letters patent for the fief, handwritten by Baldwin IV himself, to the castle’s castellan.

The castellan immediately welcomed everyone into the castle. This castle was not large. Behind its weathered walls were stables, a smithy, a carpentry workshop, a kitchen, soldiers’ barracks, and other buildings, arranged in sequence. The main keep was also not spacious, even more rustic than Hawk Castle in Aargau. Coupled with the climate here, it was far less comfortable than living in the manor in Jerusalem.

"How many defenders are there here?" Lothar inquired.

The castellan replied cautiously, "Thirty men, Milord. They are all here."