Two days after Prince Baldwin departed—
The walls of Eilat.
The shouts of soldiers and knights shattered the stillness of dawn.
The newly repaired walls trembled with the force of it.
"They're approaching the eastern gate!"
"And the reinforcements I ordered stationed there?"
"As instructed, the conscripts have been deployed. Fortunately, it doesn't look like they brought any siege equipment."
"They're all cavalry. They know better than anyone they can't take a fortress."
Garnier muttered as he gazed beyond the battlements.
Hundreds of horses and camels circled the city in tightening loops.
A familiar sight.
"They're the same ones we encountered on the road to Eilat."
Bedouin warriors.
The dust storm they whipped up made it difficult to keep one's eyes open.
Inside the walls, horns sounded the call to arms.
Soldiers armed with bows and crossbows rushed up onto the ramparts.
All wore tense expressions.
"It's exactly as Brother Garnier said. The moment the prince left, they attacked."
A Hospitaller knight spoke up.
"Now I understand why you remained behind."
"I decided nothing on my own. I merely followed the prince's instructions."
Garnier lowered his visor as he spoke.
"It was he who ordered me to stay in the first place."
Prince Baldwin had told him plainly a few days earlier:
'It would be best if you remained here for a while. If nothing happens, you may rejoin us in Jerusalem.'
He had predicted that Eilat might be attacked immediately after his departure.
And now, as foretold, the Bedouin tribes were assaulting the city.
Too precise to dismiss as luck.
He foresaw even this far ahead?
Garnier let out a dry laugh.
Another knight muttered,
"They can't even breach the walls—why bother with such pointless theatrics?"
"Even if they can't take the walls, they can plunder the surrounding villages and orchards."
Garnier replied.
"With our current garrison, we can't stop them outside the city."
"Then are we supposed to watch helplessly while they burn Eilat's lands? Reconstruction has barely begun…."
"There's no need to worry. Do you think His Highness would have left without preparation if he foresaw this?"
Garnier flashed a grin.
He clapped the younger knight on the shoulder.
"Go. Light the beacon."
Drawing his sword, he added,
"Before long, His Highness will come riding with the knights."
"But didn't the prince depart for Jerusalem days ago?"
The subordinate tilted his head.
"By now, he should already be beyond the range where he could even see the beacon…."
"Well, let's see about that."
Amid the roar of men and noise of war, Garnier's laughter rang out.
North of Eilat.
The fortress of Montreal.
"You don't understand why we're staying here?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Aig let out a heavy sigh, waving his hand in frustration.
"I thought by now we'd be sleeping comfortably at the Jerusalem headquarters."
"Don't worry. We'll be in Jerusalem soon enough."
I smiled.
"And staying here isn't so bad, is it? The food's decent."
I popped a grape into my mouth.
We weren't far from Eilat.
Montreal Fortress—
one of the Hospitaller strongholds north of the city.
Not exactly cozy, but not uncomfortable either.
Certainly better than sleeping on bare ground.
"Think of it as a short rest before we head to Jerusalem."
"It's not just about my bed. By now, there must be chaos in Jerusalem."
Aig sighed again.
Outside the window, the sound of knights training echoed.
"You came here without notifying anyone. Why must we hide here like fugitives?"
"We're not hiding. We're waiting for the right moment."
I looked out the window.
Eilat lay just beyond the hills, out of sight.
Would they move as I expected?
We would soon know.
"The right moment…?"
"Well, let's say we're waiting for Reynald to make his move."
Aig tilted his head.
Just then, a shout came from outside.
"Smoke! There's smoke rising!"
"Smoke?"
The training knights began murmuring.
Aig rushed to the window.
"It's a beacon! From Eilat!"
"Why would Eilat be lighting a beacon—"
Realization dawned across his face as he turned to me.
"That's why you left Sir Garnier in Eilat!"
"I entrusted Eilat to him. I didn't abandon it."
I gestured toward my armor.
So it had come to this.
Sometimes the worst suspicions prove correct.
Now, time was everything.
"Help me into the armor—quickly. The helmet can wait."
"Yes, Your Highness. Good thing we prepared in advance."
Aig tightened the straps with practiced hands.
Below, the clatter of metal echoed.
Hugh, Balian, and the other knights burst into the room.
"By the Lord! It happened exactly as you said! How did you know?"
Hugh shouted, his green cloak flaring.
"I've heard tales of Saracen witches in the Levant who read the future, but—"
"It was a prediction, not prophecy. And certainly not witchcraft."
I answered with a smile.
In truth, it was that ominous feeling I'd sensed when leaving Eilat.
[Intuition] is absurdly overpowered in reality… who would've thought?
My insurance was simple:
instead of heading straight to Jerusalem, we lingered near Eilat.
No one knew we remained here—not even the Jerusalem court.
Only the Hospitallers of this fortress.
"There's no time to explain everything. We ride to relieve Eilat at once. Prepare the knights and horses."
"Your Highness, we still don't know the full situation. We don't even know who is attacking Eilat—"
Balian shook his head, interjecting.
"There's no need to confirm. It's the Bedouin tribes."
"The Bedouin? Why would they attack Eilat? It would make more sense for Saladin or another Saracen emir—"
Logically, Balian was right.
The Bedouin had suffered heavy losses in our last encounter.
But what if someone was urging them on?
"What if Lord Reynald is using them?"
"Reynald?"
"In this region, his influence cannot be ignored. And at present, he stands to gain the most from such an attack."
I continued.
The Bedouin would gain little from this assault.
But Reynald?
That was another matter.
Since I rebuilt Eilat and escorted pilgrims and merchants, his position had been weakened significantly.
Losing a contest of influence to a mere thirteen-year-old would not sit well with him.
If it means regaining the initiative, he'll attempt anything.
Inciting the Bedouin to attack Eilat was entirely plausible.
Balian frowned.
"You're saying Reynald helped the Bedouin take the city? He would not go so far as to openly aid infidels."
"He likely promised them the chance to plunder. Or offered some other condition. But he has no intention of honoring it."
If Eilat were fully captured, it would be a political disaster even for Reynald.
Rather—
"If they fail to take the fortress, the Bedouin will loot and burn the surroundings."
I continued,
"And at that very moment, if Reynald of Kerak marches in with his army and drives them off, what happens?"
"He becomes the hero who saved Eilat from the Saracens."
Balian murmured.
The pieces were falling into place in his expression.
"The Jerusalem court, Venice, and even Your Highness would owe him."
"Exactly."
I smiled faintly.
Under that calculation, involving the Bedouin made perfect sense.
The game had similar scenarios more than once.
Last Crusaders was infamous for its brutal difficulty for that reason.
Every character pursued their interests with every possible method.
Literally every method.
They would even bend their beliefs to suit the moment.
After thousands of hours playing, I should at least predict this much.
"In any case, we simply ride out and crush them, do we not? I didn't expect battle when we left Jerusalem…."
Hugh laughed heartily, his silver mask bobbing.
"Who can know the Lord's will? I'll gather the knights."
"We depart the moment they're assembled."
I nodded.
It was only a few hours' ride from here to Eilat.
Unless Reynald moves alongside the Bedouin, we'll arrive first.
Aeg sighed beside me.
"So that's why you insisted on staying here."
He lowered his voice.
"But what if the Bedouin hadn't attacked?"
"Then we'd simply return to Jerusalem. Either way, we lose nothing."
I smiled.
Staying at Montreal had been nothing more than insurance.
If Reynald had remained still, we would have resumed our journey.
I rose and placed my helmet over my head.
"Speed is everything now. We must reach Eilat before Lord Reynald does."
I smiled beneath the steel.
"And give Lord Reynald a warm welcome."
"If he arrives only to find the Bedouin already routed, that expression of his will be worth seeing."
Hugh laughed.
"I never thought this old, diseased heart would beat so fiercely again—ha!"
The sound of horns echoed.
I led the way down the stairs.
The Balian brothers and Aeg followed behind me.
Outside the fortress, hundreds of knights stood assembled.
I raised my right hand.
It was time to shatter Reynald's clumsy scheme to pieces.