A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

Counts in England were generally not permitted to grant the lower title of Baron. William had granted this right to only three men: Odo, the Earl of Hereford, and the Earl of Shrewsbury.

Robert had also granted this right to Eric, but Eric didn’t plan on using it for the time being. After all, he had only just taken up his post.

The Earl of Hereford had only ever created one Baron—his own younger brother. Odo, despite being the King’s brother, had never created a single Baron, nor had Belem’s father, Roger, the Earl of Shrewsbury.

Based on the amount of land he had received, Eric could probably support about three hundred Knights.

Eric’s Warband had originally consisted of forty-seven men. In the last battle at the Trent River, he had lost sixteen, leaving only thirty-one.

He enfeoffed all the members of his Warband as Knights, granting them knight’s fees.

Still, they were more than satisfied. Three months ago, they were prisoners with nothing to their names; now, they were knightly lords.

The most excited of all was Hessin. He wasn’t just a Knight, but also the head of the shipwrights for two shires.

He also summoned his three older brothers from Herefordshire. Their father had been an excellent shipwright, and they had all inherited some of his skill. Hessin was the most skilled of the sons—at least, that’s what Hessin himself believed.

Eric had them build ships of Hessin’s own modified design, which combined the style of a Viking Longship with something resembling a Kirk Ship with a few extra masts.

Its sailing speed was slightly slower than a Dragon Ship’s, but it was more resistant to wind and waves, and its direction was easier to control.

Considering that Eric lacked sufficient fighting men, the Earl of Hereford also sent him two hundred Knight’s Squires. Eric equipped them with horses, promising that if they fought well in the coming campaign, he would dub them Knights.

However, more than Knights, Eric wanted archers. He also commissioned the Earl of Hereford to requisition a contingent of five hundred longbowmen from Kaldog, the lord of Glamorgan, a Welsh lord with whom the Earl was on good terms.

Additionally, some Flemish spearmen who had fought alongside Eric before, hearing that the famous up-and-coming noble had been made a Count, also chose to join him. About eighty-seven of them pledged themselves to Eric’s command, hoping to be granted fiefs after the war.

In fact, about two hundred Genoese Crossbowmen also wished to enter Eric’s service, but in the end, he only picked a dozen or so familiar faces. This was because the Genoese Crossbowmen were hired by the King of France, and he suspected there might be spies among them. It was possible one of them had helped Rufus escape.

...

「France, the Royal Domain, Beauvais」

Dusk was approaching. The sun’s light faded, and twilight gradually took hold of the sky.

The clouds in the west were slowly shifting, and the angle of the light changed with them. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the last few rays of twilight pierced through the castle window and struck Yuge’s face, making his eyes ache. In truth, it wasn’t just his eyes that hurt; the incessant shouting that reached his ears was giving him a headache.

The shouting was not chaotic, but surprisingly orderly. It was nearing evening, a time when stalls should be packed up and shops closed, yet a crowd of citizens was still blocking the castle gate, clamoring. Their numbers were growing, as stall owners and shopkeepers, instead of going home after finishing their work, joined the rowdy assembly.

”We want to see the King!”

”This is what His Majesty promised us!”

”A city that belongs to us! Glory to the city! King, get out of Beauvais!”

”Damn it! That greedy King Capet has deceived us! He took our money, and now he wants to turn us into slaves!”

”...”

Yuge knew exactly what they were shouting about. It was all about the town’s freedom—driving out the governor appointed by the Royal Family and having the city ruled by a citizen’s commune.

It sounded absurd just hearing it.

It was just that his brother, Philip, had handled this matter poorly. A few months ago, he had funded the conflict between the Duke of Lorraine and the Count of Flanders, which left him short on funds for the campaign against Normandy. So, he had used the pretext of granting town freedoms to levy a tax on the citizens of the royal cities.

Then again, this business with the citizens seemed to be a growing trend. Similar protests were cropping up in many places. They had happened before, but the recent ones were especially fierce. Yuge had seen it in several cities on his way from Vermandois to Beauvais.

Speaking of which, his trip to Vermandois was for an arranged marriage. The Count of Vermandois had gone mad, making his sister the sole heiress. To bring Vermandois and Valois under royal control, his mother and brother were demanding he marry her.

In truth, his brother could have simply invoked the Salic Law, stripped the female heir of her rights, and granted Vermandois directly to him.

Besides, Yuge didn’t even like Vermandois. It was too close to the Île-de-France, and the thought of his mother dropping in for frequent visits was unbearable.

’I’m already eighteen,’ he thought. ’Alexander the Great launched his Eastern Expedition at twenty and ruled the entire East by thirty. And me? Yuge? My mother still treats me like a child. And I hate that stepfather of hers.’

Hearing a noise, Yuge turned and spotted a furtive figure.

”Philip, about letting me lead the troops, have you considered...”

Yuge called out several times, but Philip didn’t seem to hear him at all.

Philip walked briskly to the last room at the end of the corridor. He glanced left and right, and after confirming no one was there, he slowly pushed the door open.

”My love, my dearest love, my beautiful Betred.”

Philip pushed the door open, saw the familiar figure, and immediately embraced her from behind.

However, he quickly realized something felt wrong.

”My love, it’s been a while. Why are there so many new wrinkles on your face?”

Philip gently released his grip and slowly walked around to the front.

But before he could get a clear look at the person’s face, his chin was seized in a tight grip.

”What do you think, my child, Philip?” It was a face Philip knew all too well, but it wasn’t Betred. It was his mother, and her fair cheeks were frozen with cold fury.

Anna of Kyiv, the Regent Queen Mother of the Franks.

”AHHHHHHH—”

Philip screamed, but quickly clamped a hand over his own mouth.

”Mother, my dearest mother, it has been too long. Your son, Philip, offers you his sincerest blessings. May you be in... in good health. This is a surprise, Mother. My advisor informed me of your arrival in advance,” Philip said with a laugh, trying to hide his panic.

”Is that so? I see no signs that you were prepared in the slightest. Also, your scream made my ears hurt. And pull up your trousers,” Anna said, releasing her son’s chin.

”Er... it’s a new welcoming ceremony I learned. A bit odd, I know. I hired a few Bohemian advisors, and they say it’s one of their customs.

”As for the trousers, they’re new. My tailor is clearly incompetent—they’re quite unstable. I’ll deal with him later,” Philip said, awkwardly hitching up his trousers.

”You don’t have to make excuses for me. I’ve already sent Betred away. Did you know she is betrothed to the Count of Anjou!? And you, as King of the Franks, have a wife of your own.”

Anna then tossed a letter at Philip.

Philip hurriedly broke the seal, for he had seen the coat of arms of the Papal States on the wax.

”I don’t know how you had the gall to send such a letter to the Holy See. The Pope has already issued a warning. If you persist, the only thing awaiting you is excommunication.”

’Did I not send enough money? Damn it, that was my tax revenue for an entire year. I hope the Emperor teaches him a lesson,’ Philip muttered through clenched teeth, his head bowed.

”What are you saying?” Anna asked, her eyes narrowing as she watched her son.

”I said, the Holy See’s judgment is wise,” Philip replied instantly, looking up with a smile.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open again.

”Philip, when are you going to let me lead the troops—AHHHHHHHHH—Mother!!?”

Yuge let out a scream, then immediately clamped a hand over his own mouth.

”Your son, Yuge, greets you... greets you. May God bless you, my mother.”

”What did you just say? Lead troops? No! Absolutely not! Philip, I will not allow you to let Yuge do something so dangerous. He’s still just a child.”

”Of course, of course, my dearest mother,” Philip said wearily, covering his face with his hands.

The shame of having just mistaken his mother for his lover made him want to get her out of the room as quickly as possible.

”No, Mother! I’m eighteen years old. I should be able to make my own plans! I want to be a General, a warrior, a true Knight! Philip promised he’d let me lead troops here in Beauvais...”

”We’ll talk about it when you turn twenty. Do you have any idea how few people even live to be twenty? I want you to live a long life, not leave this world in haste like Robert, who never even had a chance to see it. I won’t allow it! I won’t allow it!

”Besides, you should be in Vermandois right now, marrying that young lady and continuing the bloodline of the Capetian Royal Family. Not here, listening to your good-for-nothing brother lead you astray.

”His so-called promise was just an excuse to use you so he could have a secret rendezvous in Beauvais with his illicit lover. And now, you should be off to bed—”

Before Anna could finish, Yuge ran out of the room.

’Bastards, all of them! Why? Why me?’

’What does Robert’s death have to do with me? What connection is there?! Why shouldn’t I be allowed to...’

’What do you even know? Do you have any idea what people outside are saying about me?’

’A noble who can’t fight? What kind of noble is that?’

’You don’t know anything. You don’t know anything at all...’

’You only care about yourself. You only care about yourself.’