Temple Sword

Chapter 76 Two Hundred Spears

1309 Summer
Buda, Hungary
—

Charles paced the chamber angrily, his knights, archbishops and ministers watching him worriedly, imagining the worst.They were all waiting for the king to start roaring, and they knew it would happen, it was only a matter of time.

"I demand an explanation!" said the King, through gritted teeth, trembling with rage.He didn't yell, but the anger in his voice couldn't be hidden. "Are all oaths so worthless in Hungarian soil?"

No one spoke, some were afraid to speak, and the rest didn't know what to say.

"I had to have the bishop's entourage rebuild their church!" Charlie raised his voice. "They didn't even have time to wash off the blood on themselves! Who is responsible for all this? I am their king, they trust my strength and protection, and now I don't know what to say to them!"

"Your Majesty, I beg you, calm down!" Archbishop Thomas stepped forward, "Drink a glass of wine, you will get better."

"A drink?" Charlie responded in disbelief. "If I pour a glass of wine down my throat, will everything be all right at once, Archbishop?"

"What you need to do," whispered the Archbishop of Esztergom in his ear, "is a donation. Think, Your Majesty, that the bishops of Chanad and Bosnia were attacked by the Kossej's brigands , use land and property to compensate them for what they have lost, and let them know of your generosity and power."

"What about the bishop of Transylvania?" asked the king sullenly. "How can I make him feel better when he's in the dungeon?"

The archbishop couldn't answer the question either, and his first thought was that Laszlo Khan should be paid a ransom, but he knew he couldn't advise Charlie to do so, which would undoubtedly be kneeling to them.At the same time, they can't take the risk of war, not yet, because in that case, other traitors will also wait for the opportunity to appear, and who knows which side the balance of power will tilt at that time.

"Ivan Kossej should not have died on his pillow!" The king's voice echoed off the ancient walls of the hall. "If I had locked him in an iron cage while he was still alive, and dragged him to a parade across the country, as I've always planned, his sons wouldn't dare fight me now! They've got more skin than his The bloody father of the wild dog is even thicker!"

"My uncle fought against them during the reign of King Andrew," said the Lily Knight standing by the window. "If your Majesty sends orders to the south..."

"And then?" the king turned to him.

"Then the Templars will fight for you," Antar said in a calm voice, "just like before."

Charlie Robert only snorted at the suggestion, and he really wanted to go up to his chief knight and push him out of the window, for he was sure Antal was making fun of him.Of course, Antal had no intention of mocking the king, he only vaguely stated that the Templars could still form a powerful force against the Korseggis, just like the Iron Curse before them.

"You may have forgotten, Antal," Charlie told him coldly, "but the Templars are no longer needed, and I have nothing to do with them now, get out!"

Antal did not protest, he pulled out, nodded to the king and the gathered dignitaries, and then quickly left the hall.

As soon as he left, the room fell silent again, for they were afraid that what they said would make the king even more angry.So everyone hid what he had to say, and stared at the hall's flagstones, columns, or vaulted ceiling.

Charlie Robert looked at his most trusted men, and exhaled nervous air.

"Didn't you hear the Archbishop's advice?" Then he snapped at his servant, "Bring the wine!"

-

Antar ran down the stone steps, cursing to himself, and rushed out of the courtyard.As soon as he stepped out of the gate, he saw two hundred heavily armed soldiers standing in front of him. His anger disappeared instantly, replaced by fatherly pride, but when he walked to Laszlo, all expressions were turned away. All hid.

"Well, how's it going?" asked his squire. "How did he react to your idea?"

"He kicked me out," the knight shook his head, "in front of everyone. You should have seen Archbishop Thomas' expression at that time. I haven't seen him so happy since the coronation ceremony. Umber What about Tony?"

"He left an hour ago. He felt that this meeting would continue into the evening, so he wanted to collect intelligence for a while."

"There's nothing to collect," Antar said, walking up to a line of lightly armored soldiers. "The king himself doesn't know what to do, his advisers are at a loss, he has disassociated himself from the Templars, they are no longer needed, he said."

"Where is Archbishop Thomas?" Laszlo asked, "Even if others dare not speak, he should say something!"

"Yes," the corner of the knight's mouth curled up into a mocking smile, "he suggested that Charlie drink a glass of wine and distribute the land property to the bishops who have been robbed and plundered. He and his self-interested ideas..."

"What land?" Laszlo asked in a low voice in disbelief, saying with extra caution, "the king doesn't even have any land himself!"

Lily Knight just waved at him, then looked at the two hundred soldiers.This was exactly twice the size of the corps he had previously commanded: Charles Robert decided after his coronation that Antares could take a hundred more soldiers under his command in return for his heroic exploits, and the knights would take the job of recruiting Handed over to Laszlo.

"Take a break, boys!" he yelled, and two hundred warriors relaxed at once. "You are doing well, my friend," he said to Laszlo, "you should be in charge of them."

"Do you think so?" The attendant grinned, "Look at it."

Laszlo stood up, with his hands behind his back, and looked down at the soldiers: "Who are you loyal to?"

"King Charles!" shouted the soldiers, standing up again.

"Who do you listen to?" came the next question.

"Knight of the Lily!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"What would you do on the battlefield?"

"Fight like a lion!"

"Will you shrink back under the shadow of death?"

"We will shed our last drop of blood!"

"What should I do if my partner dies?"

"Repay the enemy tenfold and say a hundred Lord's Prayer for him!"

"See?" Laszlo turned to Antal again.

"Yes, it appears I'm right," Antar insisted, "you should really be leading them."

"Take a break!" Laszlo waved to the soldiers, and the knight approached him and whispered something in his ear.

"Be careful of the rules you teach them, my friend!" Antar said with a smile, "don't let them think that we train Templars in the palace!"

Both of them laughed from ear to ear, and Antal also slightly forgot his embarrassment in the meeting hall.

"How about we go to your father-in-law's inn for a drink?" Laszlo asked. "It's almost lunchtime..."

"Mr. Uglin is preparing a roast pig," the knight licked the corner of his mouth, "it's just right to go with the wine, and in this hot weather, no amount of wine is too much!"

Before leaving, Antal thought for a while, then looked back at the two hundred soldiers.

"Come on, lads!" he cried cheerfully, "you are all my guests, come and drink ice ale! Time to keep my good father-in-law busy..."

The soldiers followed the Lily Knight obediently, more respectfully than under the king's leadership.

(End of this chapter)