"Caliph! Hassan Sabbah of Alamut has firmly rejected our proposal to join forces against the enemies of the faith. They say they will never again ally with the homeland!"

"Caliph, the crusaders surrounding Antioch have also dismissed the Great Seljuk alliance proposal! They say they'll only negotiate after the homeland relinquishes all rights to Sinai and Palestine!"

"Madmen."

A weary curse erupted from the center of the magnificent Caliph's Palace located in the Khan el-Khalili district in the heart of Cairo.

It had been so long since he'd heard good news that he could barely remember when. The 9th Caliph of the Fatimid Dynasty, Al-Musta'li, lamented as he roughly set down his jewel-adorned golden goblet.

"Even Allah seems indifferent. How can such absurd situations keep arising during these critical times?"

Hassan Sabbah's betrayal after departing for Persia was somewhat predictable. That fellow had been a bit strange in the head since his time in Cairo.

But the sudden arrival of an overwhelmingly large army from Western Europe? No matter how favorably he tried to view it, he simply couldn't.

And of all times, just when the long-desired recovery of Palestine was within reach! Al-Musta'li furrowed his brow deeply and shot a sharp glance at his subjects.

"What's the situation in besieged Antioch?"

"Not good. Though they say food supplies are sufficient, those defending the city are terrified by rumors of the crusaders' brutality."

"Terrified?"

"Yes, word has spread rapidly that thousands of Rûm soldiers who resisted were mercilessly burned alive in the forest."

"That story we heard before."

Al-Musta'li couldn't be certain whether thousands of the Sultan's soldiers had truly burned to death. What was clear was that someone within the Roman and crusader alliance was skilled at such information warfare.

He rubbed his forehead and continued.

"We must make peace with them before reclaiming the Holy Land. We don't yet have the strength to directly confront so many crusaders."

Domestically, Nizar's remaining supporters were still causing trouble by denying the Caliph's authority.

Reclaiming the Holy Land would play an important role in bringing them back into the fold. But that would only be possible after stably governing the Holy Land for years, if not decades. If they lost the Holy Land to Europeans now, the Caliph's authority would obviously plummet.

The Caliph looked carefully around at his subjects. But no one dared offer him a solution.

Just as I expected from you lot... With a sigh, he picked up his goblet again and changed the subject.

"I'd like to hear some good news for once. Anything?"

At this point, he desperately needed something hopeful for his mental health.

Fortunately, Vizier Badr quickly stepped forward and answered.

"A Roman merchant fleet has arrived at the delta. They're selling food to the hungry people at remarkably low prices."

"Food... I suppose these are the relief supplies Rome promised to send."

The drought sweeping across the Mediterranean had not spared even the fertile Nile region.

Deep in thought, Al-Musta'li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"But how does Rome have such resources to spare? They must have more mouths to feed after reclaiming Anatolia."

"They've been reinforcing dikes and expanding reservoirs throughout their agricultural lands at a national level. They're also implementing crop rotation using clover."

"...Clover?"

"Yes, for reasons I don't fully understand, planting clover during fallow periods yields much better crops than simply letting the land rest. The clover itself is used as livestock feed."

"Hmm... an interesting method."

Though interesting, crop rotation was largely unnecessary in the fertile lands of Egypt.

Al-Musta'li shrugged with apparent disinterest and asked.

"Is this another achievement of that woman?"

"Yes, since she became regent, she's been focusing on spreading this farming method to every corner of the empire."

Princess Thoma, then. An inexplicable feeling of frustration bloomed in Al-Musta'li's heart.

After contemplating something briefly, he nodded and said to Badr.

"We should express our gratitude nonetheless. Invite the fleet's representative to Cairo."

Following the chaos of the Seljuk period, many refugees were flocking to the safety of Egypt. Rome's support couldn't be more welcome.

And...

"Perhaps we could request Rome's mediation?"

The thought suddenly crossed Al-Musta'li's mind.

There's a saying that the enemy of my enemy can become an ally. Watching Badr's retreating figure after he nodded and withdrew, Al-Musta'li quietly pondered this possibility.

※※

"Father has recaptured Castra Comnenon?"

"Yes, there was a battle with the Danishmend coalition forces, but he achieved a splendid victory."

For the Komnenos family, Castra Comnenon held meaning beyond just being a city. Known as Kastamonu in the 21st century, it was not only the central city of Paphlagonia but also the birthplace of the Komnenos family (Castra Comnenon itself means "fortress of the Komnenoi").

In other words, this victory held even greater significance for the Komnenos family than the ultimate goal of recapturing Amastris.

I too smiled brightly, overcome by an inexplicable feeling of elation.

"I should send gifts to Father and the soldiers. What would be good?"

I asked, looking at Nikephoros.

"How about octopus?"

He suggested without hesitation.

"Octopus?"

Puzzled by this unusual suggestion, I tilted my head. Nikephoros continued his explanation in a calm tone.

"The palace tanks are currently full of octopuses. If we don't use them soon, His Majesty will be quite surprised when he returns."

"But those are for the business! What will we do if we use them all?"

In the 11th century, without refrigerators, the only way to preserve seafood was to keep it alive as long as possible. Or to dry it completely, though that ruined the taste.

"We can always get more octopuses. Let's take this opportunity to set up a dedicated octopus tank at Your Highness's private estate rather than the palace."

Nikephoros spoke with a resolute tone. Unlike his usual self, he seemed to be showing an inexplicable stubbornness.

"Well, fresh octopus itself is quite a precious ingredient, valuable enough as a gift..."

Thinking about it, having a celebration with precious food sent by the eldest daughter of the Komnenos family at the family's birthplace did seem quite appropriate.

Well, we could always get more octopus anyway, so I nodded and agreed to Nikephoros's suggestion.

"Alright, let's do that. I'll leave the octopus transportation to Little Niki."

"By Little Niki, you mean... Protosebastos Nikephoros. Understood, Your Highness."

It sounded like some kind of code, but that was indeed the official title that Maria's fiancé, Little Niki, had received. Directly translated, it meant "the first most respected one"—something like a super-ultra-special title.

Nikephoros walked toward the door with inexplicably lighter steps after my decision.

"Your Highness, Lord Chamberlain!"

Just then, the door suddenly swung open and Gregorios rushed in. Finding Nikephoros at the door, he momentarily looked confused before bowing respectfully to both of us.

"What is it?"

Nikephoros asked. Gregorios raised his head and answered.

"Drungarios Eustathius has sent an urgent letter to Your Highness."

"Eustathius?"

Drungarios Eustathius was leading the relief merchant fleet I had arranged, currently staying in Aigyptos—Egypt.

It was part of the "Roman Wave" operation—similar to the Sultan's brother's plan to corrupt Rome—aimed at improving Egyptians' perception of Rome and familiarizing them with Roman culture.

"Yes, this is the letter."

The letter Gregorios handed over bore Eustathius's clear seal.

What urgent matter could he have to contact me from so far away? Curious, I opened the letter and began reading.

"Invited to the palace in Cairo..."

After reading the letter carefully for a moment, Nikephoros, who had returned to my side, murmured.

I nodded and turned to him.

"Doesn't the Caliph dislike Romans?"

"He probably doesn't particularly hate us. There are no rumors of him discriminating against Christians in Egypt either."

Egyptian Christianity, commonly known as Coptic Christianity.

"Still, he's a Shia Caliph after all. He must know that the Roman Princess sent that merchant fleet?"

"Hmm... he probably wants to improve relations with Rome."

"With us? Why?"

"Because the crusaders are advancing southward faster than expected."

"Huh?"

Indeed, the crusaders had reached Antioch much faster than in the original history.

"But we're the very sponsors of those crusaders."

The Caliph must know this fact?

"In politics, there are no eternal enemies or eternal allies. The Caliph probably believes that the alliance between Rome and the crusaders won't be permanent."

In other words, he's trying to preemptively improve Rome's goodwill for a possible distant future.

"Well... I thought there might be some grand plan."

Whatever he thinks is his business, but I had no intention of giving up control over the crusaders.

Of course, my goal of recapturing Egypt soon remained the same.

"Anyway, this is good. I should tell him to observe the local public sentiment carefully while he's in Cairo."

In 1097, the current Fatimid Caliph Al-Musta'li's rule was very unstable. From the beginning, he had been elevated to Caliph by military support, bypassing his older brothers who had legitimacy, solely because he was younger.

Once Rome's rebuilt navy was complete, just one sincere jab would cause their regime to collapse from within.

"...Are you perhaps thinking of making the Caliph another brother?"

Lost in thought, I was suddenly asked this unexpected question by Nikephoros.

Suddenly? I blinked and looked at him.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Well... Caliph Al-Musta'li is quite young too."

At twenty-four, he was certainly young for a Caliph.

"And why does that matter?"

"Even if we recapture Egypt, we'll need someone with authority to appease the locals during the transition period."

That was true. Although Egypt was Rome's most important province, it had been outside Roman rule for well over 400 years.

"So you're suggesting we give that role to the Caliph?"

"It's not my opinion. I just assumed Your Highness would naturally think that way."

Nikephoros slightly studied my expression. But he was barking up the wrong tree. I shook my head firmly.

"That's not it at all. Someone might think I go crazy at the sight of any young Islamic ruler."

Of course, if the Caliph lived to 70, I would gladly consider corrupting him. Having a Shia Caliph in Rome's grasp would make governing Muslims much easier.

"But he's going to die young. In about five years."

In other words, unlike the Sultan, the Caliph wasn't worth corrupting.

Moreover, Egypt was ultimately a region that needed to be completely Romanized anyway.

"I see."

Nikephoros nodded with what seemed like a relieved expression.

Gregorios, who had been watching our conversation, spoke up.

"Then, shall we send a reply to the Drungarios?"

"Yes, and please summon the Genoese merchant Cosimo and the Venetian merchant Lorenzo as well."

"Those two?"

Gregorios looked puzzled. I nodded and continued.

"Since we're talking about Egypt, there's something I want to discuss."

Egypt and southern Italy. If these two regions were secured, the eastern Mediterranean would once again come under complete Roman control.

It was time to seriously consider "our sea."