Vult snorted.
I looked ahead.
The people of Hama could hardly believe the city had been taken.
The knights and soldiers were the same.
Rather than occupiers, they looked like travelers on holiday.
Escorted by soldiers, I marched down the center of the street.
Nine days.
It had taken only nine days to take Hama.
Count Joscelin and his knights had infiltrated through the sewer and opened the gates…
And not long after the gates opened, the city council surrendered.
No—if anything, they seemed to welcome us.
The civil strife between Sunnis, Shi'a, and Isma'ilis had grown so severe that they welcomed an outside army.
The Christians in the city welcomed us as well.
After entering, we focused first on restoring order.
Now, two days later—
I was marching down the central street under guard.
Homs was the same.
The knights and soldiers from Tripoli had crossed the outer wall and entered the city.
I heard the citadel had not yet fallen…
But it did not matter.
With the outer wall and the city in our hands, it was effectively taken.
Aig approached me with a smile.
"To think there weren't any iron bars on the sewer at all. The more I think about it, the stupider it seems."
"Everything made by men has flaws. What matters is finding them."
I replied with a laugh.
Only now did I remember a similar story from Europe.
Château Gaillard.
King Philip II of France besieged Château Gaillard, but its strong walls yielded little.
Then a soldier stepped forward.
A big-nosed man famous for his keen sense of smell.
He found a hole in the wall.
A sewer opening, wide open, with no iron grate.
The French infiltrated through it and finally took the fortress.
I recalled the king personally knighting that soldier.
Knighted for having a good nose.
I still remembered the classroom bursting into laughter.
Philip II…
He was from this era as well.
How old would he be now?
Probably around my age.
I might even meet him soon.
Aig shrugged.
"These Levantine fortresses were built decades, even centuries ago, so it's not surprising."
"This is the first time I've seen such a peaceful conquest, my Prince."
Count Joscelin came up with a laugh.
"If the siege had dragged on, the atmosphere would not be like this."
"Probably not."
I nodded.
Normally, when a city fell after a long siege, tradition allowed three days of looting.
But taking a city with so little damage was different.
Only the defenders and nobles had been taken for ransom.
Ransom.
Absurd by twenty-first century standards…
But this was the twelfth.
There was no Treaty of Genoa yet—people would be grateful simply not to be killed.
I glanced at the captives tied along one side of the street.
Capturing high-ranking nobles was a windfall.
It was ironic.
Fewer killed meant calmer streets.
Thanks to that, the city remained relatively quiet.
There were plenty of Saracen townsfolk still moving through the market.
"It would not have been possible if you had not led the way, Count."
I said with a smile.
Otherwise, I would have had to take the risk myself.
"I will entrust the defense of Hama and Homs to you, Count Joscelin. Though this is not Edessa…"
I added with a smile,
"These cities need a capable leader to defend them from the Saracens. His Majesty will approve as well."
"..."
Joscelin fell silent, staring at me.
I could feel his heart pounding.
"Hama and Homs… When I set out merely to escort you, I never imagined it would come to this."
"Sir Garnier and Sir Hugh said the same."
I laughed.
Both had first met me as escorts.
Now they were comrades, companions, and supporters.
Joscelin was the same.
A firm royalist, he was worth securing on our side.
He had taken the lead in both the arrest of the Templars and the capture of Hama.
He had earned it.
Count Joscelin.
A tragic count who had lost his lands to Islam at a young age.
Hama and Homs.
There could be no better gift to bind him to my side.
And I had no intention of remaining here indefinitely.
"It seems it truly is as they say—you are under the Archangel's protection."
Joscelin laughed.
"If not you, who could have swayed the Assassins and stopped the Templars?"
"…."
I gave a faint smile.
It had been a constant tightrope walk.
Even in the game, I did not recall situations this extreme.
"To lose Edessa, and then be given such an opportunity… The Lord shows fate in ways we cannot understand."
"Holding these cities will not be easy."
I said.
In truth, this was nearly a dead end.
Sunni Islam to the north and south, and the Assassins to the west.
A position that demanded constant conflict.
"Nothing is ever easy. But for now, we are fine. The supplies we brought are ample…"
He continued,
"And Tripoli's forces are here. The problem is Saladin. When he hears Hama and Homs have fallen, he will come at once."
"Even if he lays siege, it will not last long. We are pressuring Damascus and Damietta."
I said.
Not long ago, news of victory had arrived from Damietta.
The allied fleet led by Ruaak and Hugh had defeated the Egyptian navy.
The pressure on Damietta continued.
"When Saladin's army advances, the Assassins will inform us. Until then, we will have time to prepare."
"First thing, we should install iron bars over the sewer."
"And from now on, when I relieve myself, I should check below first."
I replied with a laugh.
***
Aleppo.
Palace.
"Atabeg Mas'ud. You have trampled on the goodwill I showed you."
Saladin said.
Calm eyes, a neatly groomed beard.
His expression was as it always was—without excitement.
"And you turned your sword against fellow Muslims, benefiting the infidel."
"B-benefiting the infidel? No one has fought the Franks harder than I have!"
Mas'ud rose.
His arms trembled.
All the courtiers watched in silence.
"Saladin—did you not once serve my father as your lord? By what right do you criticize me, his son?"
"Your father was a great commander and leader. He was also a warrior who led the jihad. But you have taken a different path. I seek only to guide you back to the glory of jihad."
Saladin continued,
"Driving the Franks from this land and returning al-Quds—Jerusalem—to the embrace of Islam. Is that not what matters most?"
"O-of course."
"I have heard you received support from the Kingdom of Jerusalem."
"Support?"
Mas'ud frowned.
"I merely bought food and supplies from them. If you had not marched an army here, I would not have done even that."
"To fear your own brothers and reach out to infidels—there can be no greater disgrace, Atabeg."
Saladin folded his arms.
"And you spoke of peace to my face, yet brought out your army for an ambush—"
"I already explained!"
Mas'ud wiped sweat from his brow.
"That was done on my commander's own authority! I punished the man myself!"
"…."
Silence fell.
"Very well. But the matter of Aleppo and the other cities remains."
"Aleppo is now your city, Saladin. Take Hama and Homs, and all the southern cities as well. But Mosul is—"
"I do not intend to strip you of Mosul, Atabeg. Take your money and possessions and go to Mosul. But remember this."
Saladin smiled faintly.
"You swore before the faithful to join the jihad. If you hesitate when I call upon you again, then all the Muslims of the Levant will judge you."
"…I will remember."
"Then let us hold a festival. Brothers have ceased fighting and joined hands again—should we not celebrate?"
Saladin clapped his hands and turned away.
After he left the hall, Taki al-Din—Saladin's nephew—approached.
"He was trembling with fear."
"Stupid fool. Teaching a pig to speak would be easier than dealing with him."
Saladin nodded.
"To blame his failure on his subordinate—who would follow such a man now?"
"If the Atabeg were even half like his father, Aleppo would have been an impregnable fortress."
Taki waved a hand.
"So Aleppo and the north are now in your hands, as Allah willed. But will you truly not punish him?"
"After such humiliation, he will not dare dream of rebellion."
Saladin nodded.
"If I brandish the sword needlessly, others will only grow fearful. Now is the time to unite our strength. First, we return to Damascus—"
"I will drive the Jerusalem dogs out myself. The moment they see us, they will tuck their tails and run."
"…."
Saladin fell silent.
He muttered,
"The spies' reports are too fragmentary. If the Assassins have joined hands with the Franks… and I dislike that we have lost contact with the south."
He continued,
"Once this campaign ends, we must deal with the Assassins first. We will declare a new jihad. And then—"
At that moment, a messenger in armor halted before them.
Panting, he said,
"Commander of the brave warriors. A report has just come from the southern scouts. It is hard to believe, but…"
"Hard-to-believe reports are always the ones that prove true. What is it? Speak."
Saladin sighed.
"Time is what matters most now."
"An urgent dispatch says the Franks seized Hama and Homs a few days ago…"
Saladin and Taki looked into each other's eyes.
An awkward silence followed.
"You mean Hama and Homs have fallen? To the Franks?"
Taki demanded, almost shouting.
"Their main force should be at Damascus. What army attacked those cities?!"
"I only heard it in the report—"
"Go and confirm it yourself, Taki."
Saladin said, frowning.
His hand went to the scabbard at his waist.
"Hama and Homs… Was that their aim from the moment they began transporting supplies?"
"But the banquet here—"
"We have no leisure for banquets."
Saladin shook his head.
"Go at once and assemble scouts. Take plenty of horses. Do not stop until you have confirmed the situation."
"Yes, Uncle."
"If there is a Frank who would join hands with the Assassins…"
Watching his nephew rush off, Saladin let out a sigh.
"It would be that boy."