The Restoration of Rome: In the Name of Augustus

Chapter 131 The Victory Celebration in Beirut

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Gilbert stood up, his posture respectful: "I am honored by the Duke and the Grand Master's high regard. However, the position of acting Grand Master is not something that can be accomplished by personal bravery alone. I am merely an illiterate knight, skilled in charging into battle, but I am truly incapable of managing the internal affairs of the Order and communicating and liaising with the outside world. I fear I am unable to represent the Order in the presence of His Majesty, His Highness, and all the esteemed lords."

Gilbert thought for a moment and said sincerely, "I believe that we should choose a wise man of higher status who can broadly represent the interests of the order and the will of the kingdom."

Raymond pondered for a moment and said, "According to custom, the acting Grand Master is usually chosen from among the most respected senior knights within the order, or a special envoy is directly appointed by the Papacy. Now that the Papacy is far away in Rome, communication is time-consuming and laborious, and it's not a solution to our immediate needs."

Earl Reginald of Seton instinctively wanted to recommend his friend, saying, "Perhaps we could consider having Lord Roger temporarily oversee things? After all, we are both military orders with similar regulations."

Roger slowly shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Reginald, please stop joking with me. The Knights' charter clearly stipulates that the Grand Master of this Order may not concurrently hold a position in another Order."

Of course, there were a few points he didn't mention. After all, no one would gossip if he acted expediently. What really made him want to avoid suspicion was the competitive relationship between the hospital and the Temple Brothers Order.

The two brothers appeared to be on good terms in their religious order, but in reality, they had been arguing fiercely over their respective assets and taxes for the past two or three years.

Looking at the different reactions and choices of the crowd, Raymond fell into deep thought.

"We cannot overstep the rules of the Vatican. However, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken," Raymond said slowly. "The candidate for acting Grand Master must be devout, have a status that is potentially recognized by the Vatican, possess sufficient prestige or a noble status, be able to pacify the inner circle of the order, quell any potential disputes without getting too involved in the order's existing conflicts, and be able to act with impartiality."

Raymond paused, then added, "Ideally... to maintain close ties with the royal family..."

The lords tacitly agreed, and with each statement Raymond made, their eyes involuntarily searched the room.

Piety, close ties to the royal family, prestige, neutrality... those who meet all these criteria seem to be extremely rare among the lords and knights before us.

Roger pondered for a moment and said, "If they are secular nobles, it may be difficult for them to directly govern the cultivation association; if they are foreign cultivators, they may not understand the situation in the Holy Land and the operation of the cultivation association..."

He seemed to suddenly remember something, and his gaze fell on the monk beside Lyon who had just recited the Hymn of Praise.

"Speaking of faith and status... this Lord Jacob comes from the noble Komnenos family, of Roman imperial lineage, and has always been highly respected in the churches of the Levant and Constantinople. We have already witnessed the sincerity of his faith," Roger said with a smile. "Furthermore, since he was first a monk and later joined the Temple Order, his temporary appointment as Grand Master might be more acceptable in terms of canon law than that of a purely secular nobleman."

His gaze, along with Raymond, Jocelyn, and the others, seemed to fall, intentionally or unintentionally, on the Accord who was arguing with Zahir about which wine was more likely to cause headaches.

Accord suddenly felt countless eyes focused on him, looked up blankly, a little sauce still on the corner of his mouth.

"Why are you looking at me?" he mumbled, instinctively pulling the wine jug closer to his chest.

Count Raymond smiled and said, "The Knights Templar are the pillars of the kingdom, and their leader must be of one mind with the royal family. Brother Jacob, as a member of the Komnenos bloodline and a close relative of His Highness, holds a noble status. His piety is beyond doubt, and his martial arts have been recognized by the Grand Master in a contest, which is enough to convince the masses."

"The Earl is absolutely right!" Gilbert almost immediately echoed, a look of deep agreement on his face. "His Excellency Jacob is of noble birth and devout faith; he will surely lead the order! Gilbert and the brothers of the order are willing to do their utmost to assist him!"

"I...oh...uh..." At this point, Reinald was not only slurring his words, but also losing his mind. His head drooped on the table, and a mixture of saliva, meat juice, and wine flowed all over the floor. He could only utter syllables that did not sound like a human voice.

Jocelyn smiled and nodded: "The close ties between the royal family and the religious order are beneficial to the kingdom's finances and military."

Seeing that his friends Raymond and Roger had no objections, Reginald nodded in agreement.

Thus, under a strange consensus, all eyes, a mixture of expectation, scrutiny, and curiosity, fell upon the Accord.

"Pfft—!" Yage spat out the mouthful of wine he had just drunk, choking and turning his face red.

"Wh...what? Me? Acting Grand Master of the Knights Templar?" He pointed at himself with a trembling finger, his eyes wide open, looking at Raymond, then at Leon who was suppressing a laugh, and then at the group of nodding nobles around him, as if he had heard the most absurd joke.

"I'm a monk, a monk who has received canonization! The Church forbids canonized monks from participating in war and shedding blood! Besides drinking and keeping His Highness company, and although I occasionally work part-time as a member of the Temple Order, what else can I do? I've never been to a battlefield, and I can't! You want me to manage those killing gods? Manage their money? Manage their arguments with His Holiness the Pope?"

Accord's comical reaction instantly dispelled the slightly serious political atmosphere, and a burst of suppressed laughter erupted in the hall.

Zahir kicked Jacob's shin under the table, his voice low and urgent, "Holy crap, Father! This is incredible news! Quick, thank him!"

"Oh dear, sorry, Uncle, I think I went a bit too far. Just accept it," Leon said with a mischievous grin. "I don't see anything wrong with it; at least it's quite lively."

Accord was kicked so hard he grimaced, finally recovering slightly from the shock, but his face was still full of resentment at being forced into this situation.

He scratched his already messy curly hair, sighed with a resigned air, and said, "Fine... since His Highness and you all have gone mad... let's get this straight!"

He suddenly raised his voice, pointing at Gilbert: "I only know some fancy but useless swordsmanship. Fighting, especially deadly things like mounted charges, I know absolutely nothing about it, Gilbert!"

"Here!" Gilbert replied, beaming.

"You seem reliable to me! From now on, you'll be in charge of everything in the order—from fighting to managing daily necessities! You're... the military commander! Yes, that's settled!"

"I will obey the acting captain's orders! Gilbert will do his utmost!" Gilbert's heart was surging with joy, but he tried his best to maintain a solemn and grateful expression. He pulled over another old knight beside him and excitedly introduced, "And...and there's more..."

Accord replied knowingly, "Yes, may I ask your name, sir? Knight?"

The old knight respectfully replied, "Emond de Ace, who joined the order more than ten years ago along with Gilbert."

"Very good!" Jacob pointed at Edmund. "You seem more obedient than him! I'll make you my deputy commander. Keep an eye on him and don't let him squander money or lead the Knights astray!"

Edmund was overjoyed and hurriedly got up to accept the order.

In the blink of an eye, Accord had absolved himself of all responsibility, generously handing over real power to Gilbert and Edmund.

Zahir shook his head, muttering with exasperation, "You certainly know how to enjoy life..."

Accord glared back fiercely, snatching the wine jug: "A life of leisure? No more time for drinking! What's so great about being an acting team leader! For this wretched job, I'll take it!"

He tilted his head back and drank the wine, looking as if he were about to die a tragic death.

An even louder burst of laughter swept through the hall.

The Templars looked at their new superior, their expressions gradually shifting from bewilderment to a mixture of amusement and exasperation, but the atmosphere became strangely much more relaxed.

At least, this new commander seems...not difficult to get along with?