Episode 76
“As long as the current king rules, this country is doomed.”
When a nation is in turmoil, prophecies like this tend to circulate. But to declare such a thing directly to the king’s face is exceedingly rare. After all, it’s essentially saying, “You need to step down for the country to survive.” What king would tolerate that?
Even the most revered clergy would likely lose their heads for such audacity. Perhaps the only exception was the biblical Samuel. King Saul of Israel was tormented to the point of madness after Samuel told him, “God has rejected you.” Yet Samuel remained unharmed because his authority in Israel was as great, if not greater, than the king’s.
But things were different in the Byzantine Empire. No matter how influential I might be, this was the emperor’s domain, and he could have me killed with a mere thought. The emperor never imagined he’d be blindsided in such a public setting.
“Rome won’t last another twelve years? Who dares say such a thing?” Emperor Isaac II blinked in disbelief, as if his mind refused to process the words he had just heard.
His attendants reacted first, their voices rising in outrage.
“What blasphemy is this?”
“How dare you speak such sacrilege in the holy church!”
“Retract your words immediately!”
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the attendants shouted angrily, but the hall fell into an eerie silence. Most of the senators and even the citizen representatives held their breath, watching the scene unfold. Even a fool could see that many had been forewarned.
“Your Majesty! You must order the soldiers to remove this man at once!”
“How dare he slander His Majesty! There’s no need to wait for orders—remove him immediately!”
“Who dares to remove anyone in the sacred church?” Patriarch Georgios II’s voice cut through the commotion, halting the soldiers in their tracks. They hesitated, caught between conflicting commands.
Finally regaining his composure, Isaac II looked at me incredulously. “Do you know what you’re doing? Or have I gone deaf and am hearing things?”
“I’m afraid not, Your Majesty. God has declared that He will no longer entrust Rome to your hands.”
“You insolent fool! How dare you twist God’s words to defame me? Guards! Remove this man at once!”
At the emperor’s command, the soldiers, who had been hesitating, finally stepped forward. But Georgios II raised his voice again.
“Does His Majesty intend to ignore God’s words? In the church, no less, where a prophet has received divine revelation?”
“It seems the patriarch is also part of this conspiracy. Remove him as well!”
Even a prophet and the Ecumenical Patriarch must abide by the laws of Rome. And here, the emperor was still Isaac II. Yet I stood my ground, calmly listing the emperor’s transgressions.
“Emperor Isaac II of Rome has forgotten his role as the head of the church, showing relentless greed and disobedience to God. He has even attempted to distort God’s words for personal gain. Anyone who supports the emperor in this is defiling God’s name!”
“What are you waiting for? Remove that madman so he can no longer spew nonsense!”
Despite the emperor’s shouts, this was a church. Apart from the few soldiers he had brought, no one else drew their weapons. Still, an imperial command was an imperial command. A couple of brave soldiers charged at me, but I quickly subdued them.
While I could have gone straight to the point, a bit of spectacle was necessary to make an impression. As expected, people began to murmur, “Ah, he’s the famous knight from the Crusades,” looking at me with admiration.
“Isaac II! Even if you refuse to acknowledge your sins, He sees everything!”
“I can’t listen to this any longer. Guards! What are you doing? This is an imperial order! Remove him now! Where are the commanders?”
By now, the commotion should have drawn the generals waiting outside. Sensing something amiss, Isaac was about to shout again when Alexios entered the church with a group of soldiers. Following him were senators who hadn’t attended the mass.
The atmosphere was tense, but the emperor, thinking his allies had arrived, urgently called out.
“Alexios! Remove that false prophet before he can speak any more lies!”
”…”
“Why aren’t you moving? Didn’t you hear me?”
Isaac II’s voice rose, but Alexios remained silent, standing firm. Even the most oblivious person would realize what was happening by now.
The emperor’s attendants glanced between me and Alexios, then began to retreat. Soon, the vast hall was empty around the emperor.
Alexios sighed softly, looking at his brother. Understanding the meaning, Isaac II’s face twisted as he stammered.
“B-brother… What are you doing? That man is insulting the Roman emperor! You should arrest him!”
His cry was almost a plea, but Alexios didn’t spare him a glance, asking instead, “Who truly defamed the Roman throne? The one who delivered God’s message or the one who used God’s name for personal gain?”
“B-brother! Do you believe that man’s lies? Or were you in on this from the start?”
Isaac II’s eyes darted between Alexios and the senators behind him, filled with betrayal.
“You traitors! Conspiring with an outsider to overthrow your emperor? Such treachery is unheard of!”
He had no choice but to realize it now. Not only I, but also the patriarch, Alexios, the senators, and the citizen representatives were united. While there were still some loyalists, they were few and far between. And with a prophecy declaring the emperor’s downfall, none dared to step forward.
The senators turned to Patriarch Georgios II, asking, “In our history, there’s never been a prophecy of an emperor leading the nation to ruin. What is the church’s stance on this?”
“Prophet Marshall’s predictions have never been wrong, and he is not one to exploit God’s name for personal gain. If he were, God would not have spoken through him.”
“I see.”
“And indeed, the current emperor was planning to levy a special tax using the prophet’s name. I tried to dissuade him, but he even attempted to distort the scriptures to justify his plan.”
“This is a conspiracy! You think you can defame me with this farce?”
Isaac II shouted, but he was already a non-entity in the room. Seeing him so thoroughly ignored, I almost felt a twinge of pity. But a deposed emperor must be vilified; that’s a universal truth.
Georgios II recounted the emperor’s religious transgressions before Alexios and the senators. Had Isaac II managed domestic affairs well, he might have had a chance to redeem himself, blasphemy or not. But he had utterly destroyed the people’s livelihoods.
And his relations with the nobility? He was so focused on selling offices and lining his pockets that even the senators found him distasteful. With Alexios controlling the military, there was no one to stand up for Isaac II.
The fact that no one here defended the emperor proved it. His sycophantic attendants had already melted into the crowd, eager to distance themselves.
“Prophet Marshall, who has God chosen as the next emperor?”
The senators asked, though the answer was already clear.
“The next great emperor, ordained by the divine. The only one who can restore order to the crumbling Rome and lead this nation to prosperity once more.”
I raised my finger and pointed to Alexios, who stood proudly among the soldiers.
“A valiant leader endowed with faith, wisdom, courage, and compassion, and a royal descendant of the Komnenos dynasty. This is Alexios Angelos!”
A chorus of admiration erupted from the crowd, strategically placed supporters cheering enthusiastically.
“Indeed!”
“If anyone can set this country right, it’s Alexios!”
The senators nodded in agreement and turned to Alexios.
“If this is the will of the divine, we would like to formally send a delegation to the palace for a Q&A session. Do you have the desire to become the new emperor of this nation, Alexios?”
Alexios closed his eyes briefly, then opened them slowly. With a resolute tone, he declared, “If this is the burden given to me, I will gladly bear it.”
“Who dares! I am the emperor of this land! I, Isaac II—”
“Take him away.”
At Alexios’s command, the soldiers, who had been mere spectators until now, seized the frantically shouting Isaac II and led him away.
As he was dragged out, Isaac continued to shout, but no one showed him any sympathy. It was a fitting exit for a tyrant who had sacrificed the present and future of the nation for his own greed.
A bishop, who had been watching the entire scene, shook his head and muttered to himself, “I’ve never seen such a bold coup in my life…”
Indeed, I silently agreed.