CHAPTER 61: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 61: Development

At daybreak.

The armored sergeants were cleaning the battlefield. Lothar rolled up Banu’s sleeve, looking at the scorched, curled skin underneath, and said with some heartache, "Let me bandage that for you."

Banu shook her head, placed her hand on her arm, and rubbed gently. A layer of skin sloughed off, revealing new skin beneath, as tender and white as a newborn’s. Seeing Lothar’s astonished expression, a slight smile touched the corners of Banu’s lips. "I’m fine. Go do what you need to do."

Lothar, seeing Banu’s rare smile, subconsciously reached out, pressed her cheek gently, and her cute little canine teeth were revealed. Banu’s appearance easily made one overlook her actual role.

"Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know how many times I would have died already," he said with heartfelt gratitude.

"Y-you don’t need to be so polite." She uncomfortably lifted her hand, wanting to remove Lothar’s, but stopped halfway. "Go quickly. Protecting you is my inherent duty."

Lothar nodded deeply and began to direct the soldiers in collecting the spoils from the bandit camp. The bandits who had laid down their weapons were tied together in a long line. A Winged Hussar guarding them announced loudly, "Our lord is a holy person beloved by the Heavenly Father! He has made a promise not to harm your lives and will not break this sacred oath! As long as you are honest, all of you will live!"

Some armored sergeants were looting corpses, while others rummaged through chests and cabinets searching for wealth. In last night’s battle, casualties had been minimal; this was the effect of their night vision.

The power of spellcasting retainers was evident.

Just then, someone shouted, "Milord, I’ve found their treasury!"

Spoils of war were private property. However, the spoils Lothar referred to were merely the armor and valuables the bandits carried on their persons. Both the pack animals and the bandits’ hidden treasures belonged to Lothar.

This was already a rare display of generosity. After all, the armor and weapons of these armored sergeants, and even they themselves, belonged to Lothar by right of ownership.

Lothar hurried over and was immediately stunned by the dazzling array of gold and silver coins, sculptures, silks, gemstones, spices, and other items piled up like a small mountain.

This wealth, if entirely converted to gold coins, would be worth at least three thousand Solidi! And this was after the bandit chief had consumed a considerable amount during the great ritual last night.

"No wonder so many lords are keen on plundering," Lothar murmured to himself. "No business is better than robbery."

With this sum in hand, he finally wouldn’t have to worry about military expenses for a long time to come.

"Ryan, Moder, you two supervise. Load all these valuables onto the carts and prepare to transport them back to Jorgklusburg. Hans, you take a contingent and escort these bandit prisoners to Kerak Castle, as a greeting gift to our neighbor."

***

Within Kerak Castle Countess Stephanie, who hadn’t slept all night, was filled with indignation. "That ill-mannered baron dares to break his appointment! Is there still no news of them?"

A knight entered from outside the hall. "My Lady, the envoy from that Baron of Jorgklusburg has arrived. He also delivered a letter."

"An envoy? He didn’t come himself?" Countess Stephanie, seething with anger, took the envelope, tore it open, and as she read, her expression softened considerably. The handwriting in the letter was elegant, the wording refined, not at all like that of an upstart baron ignorant of noble etiquette.

’"Esteemed Lady Stephanie, I am your admirer, Lothar von Habsburg, Lord of Jorgklusburg. Even before arriving in the Holy Land, I had heard of your generous reputation. As a devout believer, I must thank you for your selfless gifts and donations to pilgrims. It is with great regret that during my journey to visit you, my retinue and I were once again attacked by a band of desert bandits. This disrupted the meeting that should have occurred last night, but the situation was urgent. Destitute as I am, I could not afford to lose this gift intended for you. Fortunately, by questioning the captives, I discovered the lair of these desert bandits. Therefore, I decided to eliminate this band of robbers who have plagued the Jordan River valley for many years, and present them to you, my neighbor, as a gift upon my recent arrival."’

"Heh, this Baron Lothar truly doesn’t know his own limits." Countess Stephanie sneered. "Who doesn’t know that if those infidel bandits even think of revealing their hideout, they will be immediately consumed by demon fire? If this scourge on the banks of the Jordan could be dealt with so easily, would it have been his turn to act?"

Her subordinate’s face showed some embarrassment. He reminded her in a low voice, "My Lady, by the time this letter was delivered, that band of robbers had already been dealt with."

"That’s impossible!" Countess Stephanie blurted out subconsciously.

The subordinate stated with certainty, "I also wish to say it’s impossible, but I saw it all with my own eyes. That Baron of Jorgklusburg’s wagons transporting treasures and the captured Bedouin bandits formed a long line. Not just me, many people saw it with their own eyes."

An awkward expression crossed Stephanie’s face. After a long pause, she coughed lightly and said, "It seems we have all underestimated this young man. Then again, how could someone favored by His Majesty the King be an ordinary person? That envoy, what else did he bring?"

"A group of bandit prisoners. Baron Lothar said he has spared these captives’ lives, but this cannot make up for the monstrous sins they have committed. He hopes Your Ladyship can help sell these infidel captives into slavery, so they may spend the rest of their lives atoning for their crimes."

Countess Stephanie paused, then sneered. "What ’sell into slavery’? He just doesn’t want to break his own oath by truly pardoning these villains. Take them at a price of twenty Denarii (silver coin) each. I want them taken to the banks of the Jordan and all hanged."

These bandits had committed numerous evils in Stephanie’s lands; now that they had fallen into her hands, could they possibly expect a good end?

***

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

Over these ten days, the development of Jorgklusburg had gotten onto the right track. The originally dilapidated and abandoned city walls were now completely renovated, as if newly built. Upon the battlements, small catapults were placed at each crenellation. The two carpenters were busy constructing irrigation canals leading from the castle well to the village below.

Villagers from various settlements, preparing for Mass, stood outside the Lord’s Hall with apprehension, looking at the brightly armored sergeants guarding the entrance. Each guard wielded a two-handed great axe and was clad in multi-layered chainmail.

Several of them were acquaintances they had previously known, friends who would greet them with a smile. Yet now, they stood with cold expressions, gripping their axes, scrutinizing them with wary eyes. An air of fierce martial prowess emanated from them, striking fear into these villagers who had come for Mass.

Knight Hans had been temporarily appointed to conduct Mass.

This was clearly against regulations. But Lothar’s prestige in Jorgklusburg had evidently reached a level comparable to His Holiness the Pope; many actions that others would deem entirely rebellious were completely overlooked by them.

Castellan Leonard, that fanatic, even shouted privately, "Our Lord’s will is the Heavenly Father’s will! For our Lord is the Holy Son, and the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Father are a Trinity!"

During these ten days, Lothar’s two newly acquired card draw chances had yielded a Varangian Guard Barracks and a City Wall—both building cards. There wasn’t much to say about the City Wall; a Level 1 wall merely heightened and reinforced Jorgklusburg’s existing defenses, without expanding the castle’s size.

The Varangian Guard were an extant infantry legion of the Eastern Empire, its members mostly Vikings from Northern Europe and Rus. Training one also cost fifty Solidii, and the training limit for a Baron-level title was 100 men.

They were mostly heavy infantry wielding two-handed axes and carrying shields, having replaced the Praetorian Guard with its fine tradition of regicide, becoming the standing mercenary group guarding the Eastern Empire’s imperial palace.

In terms of combat effectiveness, they were indeed at the pinnacle of infantry in this era. The problem was, apart from sieges, both offensive and defensive, opportunities for infantry to shine in this era were truly scarce.

In field battles, a few elite infantry units would be swallowed up by large masses of conscript infantry, hardly noticeable. If an army primarily composed of conscript infantry routed, even if Lothar had a hundred Varangian Guards by his side, he couldn’t turn the tide.

For the same price, Lothar would rather add another warhorse and train a Winged Hussar than a Varangian Guard. Nevertheless, in these ten days, Lothar had selected ten of his most elite armored sergeants, including Ryan and Moder, and retrained them as Varangian Guards to serve as his personal bodyguards.

***

At dusk, a messenger delivered a meticulously worded letter.

"War is coming, Baron Lothar. As a baron sworn to the crown, in the name of the King of Jerusalem, your liege, I summon you to Jerusalem. You are to bring all your cavalry and at least ten armored sergeants, and report to the city of Jerusalem within two days."

This letter was signed by Baldwin IV.