Yoglusburg

On the grandstand.

Princess Sibylla sat beside Queen Mother Agnes, a small, exquisite golden crown upon her head.

Beneath her veil, her expression was somewhat complicated.

She felt not the slightest excitement over the two nobles about to duel for her favor.

Indeed, she had caused this duel.

But it was merely an insignificant consequence of her attempt to take control of her own fate.

She had never imagined that Lothar would reject the olive branch she had extended and hand it over to Balian instead.

To her, what difference was there between Balian and Guy?

She did not object, but neither did she hold much hope.

For as a princess, marriage had never been something she could decide for herself.

She looked at Lothar, who sat with Baron Godfrey, dignified and imposing. Her eyes seemed to sting, and she unconsciously clenched her hand.

"Mother, isn't this Sir Lothar merely a knight without a fief? Where did he find such an elite force willing to serve him?"

"No, he is already Baron Lothar."

Queen Mother Agnes did not look old at all. On the contrary, thanks to careful upkeep, she remained a charming Noble Lady, and many nobles were willing to become her lovers.

"Baldwin is very fond of this child and intends to make good use of him. In the future, he will attain a status in the kingdom no less than Baron Godfrey's."

The implication was that anyone valued by Baldwin IV must possess extraordinary qualities.

"So my brother thinks so highly of him."

Sibylla fell into thought.

Agnes's smile carried a deeper meaning. "Sibylla, you must understand that whoever rules the kingdom will need capable subjects like Lothar to assist them."

"Sooner or later, he will be yours to use."

Agnes knew that her son did not have long to live, yet she was not worried.

No matter what, her daughter would become Queen of Jerusalem and ensure her wealth and glory.

Sibylla nodded impassively.

That's right. Sooner or later, he will be mine to use!

At that moment, the duel between the two nobles had already begun.

Since Balian was not a knight, their fight began on foot.

Guy wielded a hand-and-a-half sword without a shield. He had ample confidence in his swordsmanship.

The instant Lord William, Chancellor and Bishop of Tyre, declared the duel begun, Guy strode forward and launched a fierce assault.

By comparison, Balian seemed somewhat flustered. Holding his shield in one hand, he instinctively retreated.

Just as everyone thought the outcome was beyond doubt.

There came a bang—

Balian slammed Guy to the ground with his shield. After hesitating briefly, he threw aside his blade and drove his iron fist, clad in a chainmail gauntlet, viciously into Guy's helmet.

Punch after punch.

The blows rang as crisply as church bells marking the hour.

The battle ended so quickly that before anyone could react, Balian was already gasping for breath as he staggered to his feet.

Guy, meanwhile, had clearly fallen unconscious.

Lothar asked in surprise, "What is going on?"

When he had visited at noon, Balian had fought Sir Kevin to a standstill. How had he suddenly acquired such terrifying strength?

Baron Godfrey calmly glanced at Prajna and Fringilla behind Lothar, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"You should know."

Lothar suddenly understood.

The power of a Witch?

After a long while, Chancellor William finally cried out in shock, "Balian! Balian of Ibelin has won! He defeated his opponent and earned the right to court Princess Sibylla!"

The spectators wore bewildered expressions.

This was a knightly duel?

If tickets had been required to watch this match, everyone would probably have had the same thought: Fuck, give us our money back!

The duel ended in an anticlimactic fashion.

Guy, the valiant knight who had once, together with his brothers, dared defy Richard the Lionheart's rule, attack the convoy of Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and even kill two counts, had been easily defeated by an illegitimate son—who, until then, had merely been a blacksmith!

No one could have anticipated this.

Godfrey smiled as he greeted the nobles one by one. Lothar could even imagine how pleased Godfrey must have been at that moment.

The pressure exerted on him by all the factions had been completely shattered.

Instead, he had seized the initiative.

"Not bad, Balian."

Watching Balian walk up onto the grandstand, Lothar stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "You were clever. You knew how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. You took advantage of Guy's pride, using the strength you excelled at to suppress him outright, leaving him no chance to draw his sword—I think Guy will be beating his chest in fury once he wakes up."

Yet Balian showed no joy. Instead, he seemed somewhat uneasy.

He looked at his father and said in a voice only the three of them could hear, "I used the Witch's power. This wasn't a holy duel."

Lothar put an arm around Balian's shoulders and declared firmly, "No. This was power bestowed upon you by the Heavenly Father through the Witch's hand!"

Godfrey smiled as well. "Before so many nobles of the kingdom, this was a holy duel!"

Those two successive statements struck the still somewhat immature Balian deeply.

By dusk.

Lothar's party formed a long, winding convoy as they slowly traveled through the desert.

Since the duel had ended so quickly and there was still plenty of time left in the afternoon, Lothar decided to set out for his territory at once.

Yoglusburg was not far from Jerusalem. It was also a territory located along the Jordan River, quite close to Reynald's lands.

Yorgrys sounded like a heavily Hellenized name.

Greek civilization's rule over this region could be traced back to Seleucus among the Successor States, followed by the Eastern Empire's long reign.

Hellenization had long since seeped into the bones of this land.

When Yoglusburg was first built, it had been intended to guard against raids by nomads from the desert into imperial territory.

But now, times had changed, and nothing remained the same.

This was no longer a frontier fortress, and the royal family's annual repair funds for the castle were pitifully small.

A system notification sounded in his ears:

You have arrived within the territory. All functions of the Yesterday's Great Ship system have been activated.

Building and special furniture cards will be added to your weekly draw pool.

As this is your first time entering your territory, you have received a basic building: Lord's Hall.

Lord's Hall: Provides an additional comfort bonus. Retainers living here will gain increased stamina recovery speed.

After upgrading, it will provide a greater comfort bonus and slowly increase your retainers' affection toward you.

"Have we already entered the territory?"

Lothar looked into the distance and, sure enough, saw thin curls of cooking smoke rising from a village nearby. That should have been a village attached to the Barony of Yorgrys.

In the future, he could consider granting it to a subordinate as a knight's fief.

"Order everyone to pick up the pace. Treat this as a forced march!"

Lothar urged.

He could hardly wait to see his own fief.

In the future, he might spend a considerable amount of time living in Jerusalem rather than on his own lands, perhaps even serving in an official post within the royal palace.

But his territory was his foundation!

As they passed through the village, the group only paused briefly. Lothar announced the arrival of the new lord to the villagers before continuing onward.

Soon, they could see a solitary stone castle rising amid the distant hills.

"Hans, raise my banner!"

Lothar's personal coat of arms had already been designed: a black single-headed eagle facing right, with no other decoration.

If he gained other titles in the future, perhaps he could add new heraldic devices to its talons or wings to expand it.

The garrison atop the castle seemed to stir upon seeing such a formidable party.

Someone shouted loudly from the walls, while quite a few men climbed up holding bows and aiming them in their direction.

Hans rode forward and ordered them to open the gates and come out to greet them.

As Lothar's temporary herald, he presented the castle's Guard Captain with the land grant charter personally written by Baldwin IV.

The Guard Captain immediately welcomed them into the castle.

The castle was not large. Behind its severely weathered walls stood, in succession, stables, a smithy, a carpentry workshop, kitchens, soldiers' barracks, and other buildings.

The main keep was not spacious either. Compared with Eagle Fortress in Argao, it was even more shabby, and the climate here was far less pleasant than living in an estate within Jerusalem.

"How many guards are there here?"

Lothar asked.

The Guard Captain answered cautiously, "Thirty, my lord. They're all here."