"Did you make out their banners?"
"The banners are a real jumble—fierce dragon heads, double-headed eagles, Crusader flags with all sorts of backgrounds, and even a few Lion of St. Mark emblems."
The captain looked extremely tense. Such a complicated array of banners was beyond his understanding, and he suspected it might be some pirate ruse meant to confuse them.
"Are you certain you didn't see wrong?"
"Of course, my lord. Jacob is the sharpest lookout in the fleet. Judging by their course, they should have sailed in from the northern Aegean Sea."
Duke Leopold visibly relaxed, and his tone became much lighter. "I never expected there to be such a coincidence in this world. No need to worry—it is His Majesty Lothar's fleet. Quickly, prepare to receive them."
Other than Lothar, who had just subdued the Crusaders besieging Constantinople, he could not think of anyone else capable of flying so many banners at once, with Venetians serving under him as well.
"His, His Majesty Lothar?"
The captain's mouth fell open in astonishment. "That Crusader King of Egypt, the Regent of the Eastern Empire?"
It was not only the Greek peasants who saw it that way. People in the Western Empire also believed that an Imperial Vice-Emperor was equivalent to a Regent—in other words, a co-ruling emperor.
"Yes, old friend. Stop standing there in a daze. Raise the welcoming banners at once, polish the deck until it shines, and invite this most distinguished guest aboard our flagship for a meeting!"
After the captain hurried away, the red-robed Witch who slowly emerged from the shadows gave a soft snort and said mockingly, "Welcome him... You really have no pride at all."
Leopold was unbothered. "The most pathetic people in this world are those who cannot understand their own identity and standing,