Lothar walked alone, slowly toward the center of the great hall.
The breastplate of his custom-made plate armor bore the emblem of the Cross of King David. In his left hand, he held a helmet adorned with black feathers, while a black cloak bearing an eagle crest was fastened over his shoulders.
Set into the hilt of the arming sword at his waist was a large red gemstone.
He was dressed completely differently from the first time he had delivered an impassioned speech in this hall.
At a glance, he looked like the noble heir to a kingdom, brimming with heroic spirit and Noble Bearing.
Faced with the nobles' questioning, furious, disdainful, and puzzled gazes, Lothar showed no trace of fear.
He even calmly looked around and nodded in greeting to the nobles in every direction.
In the Holy Land, the King of Jerusalem had never been able to settle matters with a single word.
But what had truly caused royal authority to plummet was Baldwin IV's worsening leprosy, which had kept him from appearing in public for a long time.
Before this, bolstered by Eastern traditions and Divine Authority, the King of Jerusalem, who alone could use the Cross of King David as his emblem, had wielded considerable influence in the Holy Land.
"Baron Lothar, how dare you lead a troop of armored warriors straight into the sacred royal palace?"
"This is an insult to all the nobles!"
"Is this how Count Werner taught you?"
Guy of Lusignan, his eyes bloodshot, shouted, "Guards, why aren't you driving this insolent fool out?"
He hated Balian so much that he hated everyone associated with him. Having lost to Balian was the greatest humiliation of his life, and he naturally had no favorable impression of Lothar either.
The guards looked at one