Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 545 - 323: Coronation

Outside Damietta City, within the Crusader Camp.

Cardinal Sebastian, sporting a Mediterranean hairstyle, cut a large piece of smoked ham from the table and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed, his face was filled with mockery as he said to his Knight, "He’s just captured Damietta, and now he wants to be crowned Duke of Lower Egypt. If he captures another city, will he proclaim himself King of Egypt?"

"This is simply heresy, reckless and audacious. Does he not know that all the territories occupied by the Crusaders should belong to His Holiness the Pope? Without His Holiness’s permission, I can completely declare his title of Duke illegal!"

The Knight beside him chuckled helplessly.

According to the law, things should indeed proceed this way, but ultimately it’s nothing more than a formality. During the first Crusade, the Crusader Princes became kings after capturing cities without the Pope’s approval.

"Lord Sebastian, you must absolutely not do this!"

The Knight chuckled bitterly and said, "We haven’t reached the point of breaking with Marquis Losa yet. At the very least, we should wait until some truly influential nobles arrive in Egypt before we have the confidence to confront him. Until then, please exercise patience."

Sebastian snorted lightly, "Of course I know I need to be patient, but he’s planning to have an heretical Bishop crown him. His intention to abandon Public Teaching for heresy is already blatantly obvious. How can I tolerate this?"

This is the point that angers him the most.

If Losa were to bow his head to him and offer many benefits, such as giving half the commercial tax of Damietta City to him, and donating the largest Fire Worship temple in the city to him, he wouldn’t mind crowning Losa.

But since the beginning, Losa hasn’t even asked him a single question. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

It’s imaginable how frustrated he would be if Losa really became the King of Egypt, considering his role as Patriarch of Alexandria.

"Moreover, since the southern Crusade began, he’s pocketed all the territories captured along the way, without ever convening with us for negotiation. I believe there are plenty of people who are dissatisfied with him. They’re just too afraid of him to step forward."

"Tomorrow, if I stand up first, surely others will join me in droves!"

The Knight froze for a moment, slightly exasperated by the naive assumptions of the Cardinal he served.

If you truly intend to clash with Marquis Losa, why not first delve deeply into the army and connect with various nobles to probe their opinions...

Thinking this, he found it difficult to say directly and could only tactfully advise, "Since the Crusaders set off, every major battle has had Marquis Losa’s troops contribute the most, with the greatest achievements. This time, capturing Damietta was also thanks to Marquis leading the charge. Taking the largest share of the spoils is only right."

"As for the territory of North Sinai, it’s now a wasteland. If Marquis Losa really gives these barren lands as rewards to meritorious figures, it might indeed provoke dissatisfaction among other Princes and generals."

Sebastian’s anger gradually cooled, though his mood sank even deeper.

"Then what should we do?"

Somewhat bitterly, he said, "Don’t forget, before I came to Egypt, I promised His Holiness yearly tributes as well as the mercenaries’ salaries... That’s not something that can be assembled by selling indulgence certificates sitting in a church."

"I’m worried that if this continues, the foreign usurper’s prestige will become greater and greater. John, haven’t you heard many Copts in private already calling him the king of Eastern Frankish Heat?"

The Knight remained silent.

He wished he could say: faced with someone like Marquis Losa, even if you can’t be friends, it’s best not to become enemies.

But alas, Sebastian had spent considerable favors and issued numerous empty promises to secure the position of Bishop of the Alexandria Bishopric, whereas Marquis Losa would clearly not allow Sebastian to levy heavy taxes.

Their conflict was destined from the start.

...

Early next morning.

Saint Mark’s Cathedral.

Losa examined this Christian church steeped in Saracen and Egyptian style, with its Eastern round dome supported by dozens of massive stone columns, windows patterned with intricate carvings surrounding numerous Shen Kans.

Inside the Shen Kans, were frescoes of Saint Mark riding a winged lion, beneath which were admonitions written in Coptic letters that somewhat resembled Greek — unfortunately, he couldn’t understand them.

Saint Mark was the author of the Gospel of Mark and recognized as a saint by all branches of Christianity. As the founder of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church and martyr of Alexandria, he is also the widely revered patron saint of Egypt.

In major Egyptian cities like Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, they each have their own Saint Mark’s Church.

Alexandria once housed the relics of Saint Mark, but sadly over 300 years ago, they were stolen by Venetians, and ever since, the Venetian emblem became the flying lion of Saint Mark.

A crowd of Crusader nobles surrounded Losa as they entered the cathedral’s main hall.

The Bishop of the Coptic Cathedral and his clergy had long been waiting, seeing these Crusader nobles who appeared like wolves, with what seemed like an unshakeable aura of bloodlust clinging to them, their hearts trembled with fear.

Compared to those Saracen nobles who long adapted to wander the streets, indulging in pleasures, appearing as lions defanged, these Crusader nobles seemed like a pack of evil wolves!

The Bishop took a deep breath, striving to maintain a dignified expression.

He knew that the relationship between the brethren in his faith wasn’t enough to restrain these battle-hardened Franks, whom, rumor has it, in Europe are notorious for their malicious deeds and bloodlust, unlikely they become virtuous gentlemen in foreign lands.

After the Eastern Empire navy’s raid on Damietta, they nearly razed the entire city.

The Coptic Christians within the city weren’t spared due to their faith brethren status, many Coptic youths were even taken by the Eastern Empire navy as exotic slaves back to Constantinople.

"The ceremony must begin. Your Highness, please take your seat."

The Bishop guided Losa to a chair in the center of the nave, isolated, and behind him, stood a massive fresco, the contrast making Losa seem increasingly insignificant, evidently a tool to emphasize divine authority.

Losa listened with some impatience to the Bishop’s prayers and sermons, this lengthy process was to him akin to imprisonment. Worse yet, was the fact that everyone’s attention in the room focused on his face, he couldn’t even scratch an itch.

Once the Bishop finished preaching, a clergy member brought forward a vessel of Holy Anointing Oil to Losa, applying it to his head, hands, and chest respectively—a gesture mirroring Losa’s usual sign of the cross.

The olive oil’s herbal aroma almost made Losa dizzy.

Following this came a series of tedious ceremonies, Losa like a marionette allowed himself to be maneuvered until at last—the Coptic Bishop of Damietta presented a somewhat petite Duke’s Crown and a Golden Scepter as he approached Losa.

Losa was crowned Duke of Lower Egypt, ruler of the Delta region along the lower Nile, rather than an independent ruler outside the legal realm of the Kingdom, indicating that Losa still adhered to the wishes of a vassal under the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

This was partly a consideration that as a vassal under the kingdom, he could receive endorsement from Baldwin IV or the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, among which his personal connections with Baldwin IV were well known; the current leading candidate for the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop William of Tyr, also shared a good relationship with him.

By temporarily being crowned under this vassal identity within the kingdom, it ensured endorsement from these two parties, bolstering Losa’s legitimacy as Duke of Lower Egypt.

On another note, it served as a warning to Sebastian or other Public Teaching forces not to complicate matters at this time. His connections were extensive, traversing Public Teaching, Orthodox, and Coptic Church alike.

Once the Bishop reached him, Losa appropriately knelt on one knee, clasping his hands in prayer.

He had no intention of pulling a stunt like Napoleon, donning the crown himself. That would be asking for trouble, after all, Napoleon nearly unified Europe, and he was France’s elected Emperor with governance rooted in the French people rather than divine right.

Upon Losa donning the Duke’s crown and accepting the golden scepter, the rather modest coronation ceremony reached its end.

Immediately, the church erupted in cheers and shouts.

It wasn’t an illusion; Losa clearly noticed a subtle change in the people’s gaze toward him, more reverent and admiring, as if the ceremony imbued him with a sacred halo.

The system notification sounded promptly...