"That’s not funny, Sir."
"Alright, alright. I’d already made my decision from the start."
"You’re just making things difficult for me."
"Yes, I am making things difficult. I want this place to be as chaotic as possible—at least, I do today."
"If tormenting me brings you joy, I suppose I’m not entirely without value."
"You don’t seem all that angry." Eric lifted her veil.
"Because there’s nothing to be gained from excessive rage. Anger is the cheapest thing in the world. Though, if it could have elicited a bit of pity from you, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so cheap after all. It seems that didn’t work so well, however."
"I enjoy talking to intelligent people," Eric said with a smile.
"But you don’t seem very intelligent yourself. You could have taken the prize money, comfortably claimed your honor, and been hired as a Knight by some wealthy Nobility. Instead, you chose a lowly Jewish woman. After all your hard work, you’re left with nothing.
Many of the Knights will be targeting you in the group battle later."
"That will make me look like a Devil, won’t it?"
This was precisely the effect Eric was aiming for.
Besides satisfying a Knight’s lust for battle and glory, tournaments were ultimately about gaining Reputation.
Rufus’s current, fragile position was in desperate need of something so intangible.
Thus, by making himself hated, he should be able to incite Rufus’s urge to defeat him single-handedly.
"More or less. A Jewish Devil. They’re already starting to wonder if you have Jewish blood."
"That’s exactly what I want. A Devil needs to be eliminated. A hero eliminates the Devil, so a hero is bound to make an appearance."
"You’ll be turned into a pincushion."
"Is that so? Once the hero takes the stage, the other Warriors are merely background characters. No lowly Warrior would dare try to steal a noble hero’s glory."
"Alright then, O brave, invincible, and utterly smug Sir Knight. I wonder if you might finally spare a moment to display some of that Knightly Spirit."
"Of course. I am most generous. But before we get to that, out of basic respect, you should tell me your name."
"Sarah," the girl said.
"It’s not truly respectful if you don’t include your family name."
"Very well. It’s a rare day that you have the refined inclination to remember a lowly Jew. Sarah Maimonides."
"Maimonides? Let me guess, you were born in Iberia." Eric was slightly surprised.
"Indeed. That’s not a difficult guess." The style of her dress gave it away; the Jews in France didn’t dress like that.
"Were you also planning to move to Egypt?"
"How did you know that?" Sarah was a little surprised.
Her uncle had only brought it up a few months ago.
"So, what’s the status of your considerations?" Eric didn’t answer her directly.
"We were considering it, but it seems to be a distant dream now."
"Did something happen?" Eric pressed.
"We used to live in the Kingdom of Galicia, in Iberia. But Galicia recently changed rulers. King Alfonso defeated all his brothers and inherited all the lands of his father, Fernando."
"His wars against the Muslim taifas have been one victory after another, and it’s gone to his head. He’s become arrogant, forgotten all ties of loyalty, and started confiscating the property of the Jews and forcing them to convert. A portion of my father’s property was seized."
"We were planning to go to Egypt, but after that happened, our only option was to come to Normandy and try our luck. So how did you know we were planning to go to Egypt?" Sarah was still curious about that.
"I guessed. I once knew a Rabbi who also happened to be named Maimonides," Eric said with a smile.
"Was his name Joseph? If so, he’s my cousin. It was his idea to go to Egypt."
(The wise Joseph Maimonides, a Jewish Rabbi active in the Córdoba region of Iberia.)
(Joseph’s grandson, Moses Maimonides, was an Iberian Rabbi and philosopher of Judaism who became one of the most prolific and influential Tola scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a preeminent astronomer and physician who served as Saladin’s personal physician.)
(Moses dedicated himself to placing Judaism within the framework of Aristotle, reconciling the inherent discord between faith and reason.)
(His work, *Guiding Light*, was highly revered by later Catholic Theologians like Abelard and Thomas Aquinas, who regarded him as ’their Rabbi.’ [A Rabbi is a religious teacher and sage in Judaism.])
"I suppose you could say that." Eric shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"How did you two meet?" Sarah asked, still a trace of suspicion in her voice.
’Though, there are many Norman adventurers in Iberia too.’
"We both love Aristotle," Eric said, smiling.
"Very well. It seems you’re both hopelessly addicted to the wisdom of Heresy." Sarah shrugged as well. (The Maimonides family are either Judges or Rabbis.)
"So, if you’re planning to settle in Normandy, perhaps I can offer some help as compensation."
"Right now, all I want is to be able to leave Laponti City safely. We only came to see the festivities."
"Your seats in the stands aren’t exactly shabby. That’s more than just ’seeing the festivities.’ You were seated quite close to Prince William and the Lord Earl."
"..." Sarah fell silent.