A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

England Kingdom, Tower of London

As the master of England and Normandy, the most powerful king in all of Western Europe, Conqueror William was in a particularly foul mood.

He was currently standing at the door of a room—or, to be more precise, a prison cell.

The spot was in shadow, admitting no sunlight. And this being the already rainy England, the air was heavy with damp, cold, and a musty odor that wouldn’t dissipate.

This prison was one of the major projects he had commissioned after ascending to the throne of England. He never imagined that one day he would be standing here, so conflicted.

Though it was only for a moment, he did indeed, in that instant, begin to regret building this place—even if only half of it was complete.

It was a feeling of helplessness, and he hated it.

It was a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time. He remembered the last time was when he had just come of age. His own uncle had rebelled against his rule, and the old King of France had allied with Anjou, Aquitaine, and Blois—nearly all of northern France—to attack him.

He had been forced to go to Paris and bow his head before the King of France. Standing outside the court in Paris back then, he had felt the same way.

But now was fundamentally different. Before, he had been a weak ruler unable to control his own duchy. Now, he was the king of all England, and nothing could stand in his way.

And yet, that feeling had resurfaced.

He had been standing here for a long time, unable to decide whether to go in.

He sighed, turned, and took a few steps down the adjacent corridor—the way out.

But after just a few steps, he stopped, turned again, and walked back.

There were no guards nearby; he had dismissed them all long ago.

William took a key from his pocket and opened the door. A much stronger musty smell assaulted him, making him feel nauseous.

The man inside looked up, his expression devoid of fear or even guilt.

The former Earl of Hereford, now dressed only in a shirt, sat on a bed laid with nothing but a straw mat. His face was pale from two days without food. His neck was covered in bloody marks, and the blood had stained his white shirt.

”William, long time no see.”

”You don’t look too bad, all things considered.” William sat down on the bed with him.

”You seem a little dissatisfied with my reaction.”

”Bullshit. You should be begging me for mercy, you bastard.”

”Is that so?” Fitz suddenly laughed, then broke into a cough.

”Do you know? I was planning to have you executed immediately. You were the one who supervised the construction of this Tower of London, and now it’s being used to imprison you. I just can’t fathom it. How could you betray me?

I don’t get it. What more could I have possibly given you? You ungrateful wolf! What did that boy, Short Socks, promise you?”

He tried to act normal, as if he were meeting an old friend like before, but he found he couldn’t.

”Because I believe he will be a good king. A king who will choose to rule this country with the Norman Nobility, not another tyrant. Many can see what kind of person Little William is. Only you can’t, William. England and Normandy do not need another tyrant.”

”You think I’m a tyrant?” William laughed abruptly.

”History will be the judge of that, William. Perhaps as King of England, you think you’ve done a fine job. Even if that were true, you’ve made the position of King of England so powerful, yet so unrestrained by the nobility. How can you guarantee your descendants will always be as capable as you?

If your successor is a capricious villain, I ask you, what sort of disaster will he bring upon England and Normandy?”

”Such high-sounding words. It’s nothing more than that boy Short Socks being easier to fool,” William said coldly.

William stood up.

”Perhaps. But I stand by my opinion, and I do not regret my decision, William. Just as my father fearlessly gave his life for you, I am willing to fearlessly give my life for Robert.”

”Don’t you dare mention your father. You are not worthy to be compared to him. You’re a traitor! You’ve forsaken the honor of your Osborn Clan!”

”That depends on who is the king and duke.”

”Are you regretting it now? Regretting that you didn’t just leave me in Rouen to fend for myself?”

”I don’t oppose the man you were. I only oppose the man you are now.”

”Fine. Then I’ll see just what that boy Short Socks is capable of. I won’t kill you. I want you to see with your own eyes how I defeat him. Those foolish rebels—I will grind them all to dust.

God is the invisible Monarch, and the Monarch is the visible God. Fitz, you just wait and see. I will crush everything that stands in my way. And when I’m done, I’ll throw that boy Short Socks into this cell with you. I want you to see him beg me for mercy with your own eyes!”

William stormed out of the cell, slamming the door shut behind him.

However, another familiar figure instantly entered his field of vision: Roger of Montgomery.

”Who told you to come here, Roger? Are you spying on me?”

”No, Your Majesty. Sir Savary Guillaume and his son EDe, the men responsible for capturing the Earl of Hereford, request an audience.”

”For a matter this small? If they want Xialing, then give it to them. I don’t have time to deal with the issues in the Wales Border Region right now. If they perform well...”

”Your Majesty, Warren, the Bishop of Hereford, requests that Xialing be placed under the jurisdiction of Philip, the Vice Abbot of King’s Bridge Monastery, so its tax revenues may be used as funds to rebuild the Church.”

”Now that’s interesting. Have them wait. And... was it you who did that to Fitz?”

William narrowed his eyes at Roger of Montgomery.

”Yesterday, Prince William was here.”

”Rufus?”

William tapped the Crown on his forehead with a finger, then said:

”Don’t let Rufus come here again. You must ensure Fitz stays alive. Get him the necessary food on time.”

”Yes.” Roger bowed slightly to William.

”Any news of that boy Short Socks?”

”Word from the north is that they seem to have landed in Suffolk. It must have been the Count of Flanders who provided them with ships.”

”Short Socks actually dares to attack me? How much money did the Count of Flanders give him? How much must he hate me... And Matilda, she actually...”

William clenched his fists and sighed.

He then followed the corridor, intending to return to the palace. After about a dozen steps, he stopped again and looked back toward the cell.

”Roger, from my birth until now, my whole life has been like walking on thin ice over a river. Do you think, in the time I have left, I will be able to reach the other side?”

Roger, standing beside him, did not answer.

William sighed.

”Roger, I hope that you, too, do not betray me before I return to the embrace of the Lord of Heaven.”

Roger still did not answer, merely bowing slightly to William again.