Episode 72
The chaos caused by the Islamic and Jewish scholars who had completely fallen under my influence left the assembly in a state of paralysis once again.
Saladin, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation, whispered softly, “What exactly did you say to provoke such a reaction?”
“I merely spoke the truth.”
“The truth?”
“Yes, a truth that cannot be denied or avoided.”
The message from the status window reveals facts that can be a weakness for the person. It was an unshakeable truth, but Saladin seemed to interpret it differently.
“If what you’re proclaiming is the truth, then… I’m curious. What truth did you share with them? And why did you choose the cumbersome method of meeting them individually instead of revealing it here?”
“I thought it would prevent complications later on. For them, not for me.”
“Hmm… so that’s how it is.”
Having experienced something similar before, Saladin quickly grasped the situation. Though he understood, his surprise did not diminish.
“So, you’re saying you’ve unearthed the deep secrets of not just one, but ten of them… Are you truly a prophet sent by Allah?”
“Isn’t that why I’m here, to confirm that?”
“Indeed.”
Saladin chuckled softly and addressed the chaotic assembly once more.
“Everyone, this is a sacred gathering under the watchful eyes of God. If the commotion continues, we may have to remove you to proceed with the meeting, so please restrain yourselves.”
”…”
”…”
His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority that was hard to defy. The room quickly fell silent, and all eyes turned back to me.
I deliberately enunciated each word clearly, ensuring they could hear me.
“God is.”
”…!”
“Watching.”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“Over everything.”
“Eek!”
With fear gripping them so tightly, there was no need for me to intervene further. As the meeting resumed, the Christian side refrained from being overly aggressive, just as I had hinted.
There was no need for me to become the villain for Islam.
“No, I’m telling you, Edward Marshall is indeed a prophet sent by Allah!”
“Oh, come on! Make some sense. What did he say to you that made you change your stance so suddenly?”
“I simply saw evidence that he is indeed a prophet.”
“Then tell us what that evidence is.”
“He can hear the revelations from Allah. What more undeniable proof do you need?”
Despite the criticism directed at him, Ahmad raised his voice, undeterred. Others who shared his belief stood firm, insisting I was indeed a prophet.
But when pressed for reasons, all they could say was, “I don’t know, but he’s definitely a prophet.”
The Jewish side was no different.
“Edward Marshall is a prophet sent by the Lord. We must acknowledge what is true.”
“But Elijah, didn’t you say that false prophets who defile God’s name would be punished?”
“The one who deserves punishment is the blind fool I was! He has done nothing wrong.”
“Well… if you could provide a clear reason and evidence, we might be convinced.”
With internal disagreements like this, a proper faction debate was impossible. Watching the Jews and Muslims argue among themselves, Cardinal Rotario cautiously stepped forward.
“Excuse me… it’s good to have discussions, but may we also have a word?”
Saladin nodded.
“Go ahead, Christian side.”
“If even within Islam and Judaism there is no consensus, can we continue this meeting?”
“That’s a valid point. Each faction should solidify their stance.”
“We Muslims cannot recognize anyone not mentioned in the Quran as a prophet!”
“I’m telling you, he is the 26th prophet sent by Allah after Muhammad!”
“Are you saying the Quran is wrong?”
As the arguments escalated, Saladin signaled with his chin. The guards promptly escorted the disruptive scholars out.
Yet, the commotion in the hall did not easily subside. Following the Muslims, the Jewish side also erupted in noise.
“Are you asking us to recognize a non-Jew as a prophet?”
“God does not anoint only Jews. Even Cyrus of Achaemenes, who was not of our people, was anointed by Yahweh! You should study the Tanakh properly!”
“It’s you impostors who are insulting the Tanakh! Did Marshall bribe you?”
“Watch your mouth about bribery!”
With the situation as it was, the attempt to unite against me and the Christians as a common enemy had failed spectacularly.
A fortress is brought down by traitors within, and the bravest lion is felled by parasites inside. The spark has been lit; now I just have to wait for it to catch fire.
Thus, the first day’s meeting ended with the best possible outcome for me.
Saladin, realizing that normal proceedings were impossible, declared that all matters would be temporarily suspended until a consensus was reached.
However, with the religious delegation so divided, there was no way to mend the rift.
The next day, and the day after that, and even the day after that, Islam and Judaism failed to unify their opinions.
“Can’t we just exclude those traitors and resume the meeting? Or better yet, can’t we just execute them? How long must we tolerate those who defile Allah’s name?”
“That’s not possible. The Sultan and Caliph have guaranteed the absolute safety of the Islamic representatives participating in this meeting.”
It was a necessary measure to ensure the free expression of opinions by the scholars. Initially, the Islamic representatives welcomed it.
In debates or discussions, one might inadvertently cross a line or make unrefined statements. If punished for such things, it would lead to timid and unproductive discussions.
But who would have thought that the much-praised safety guarantee would become a stumbling block like this?
Some scholars earnestly approached those who had changed their stance.
“Didn’t we all vow to unite and reveal the truth, even at the cost of our lives? What happened? What did that fraud say to you?”
“Oh, God! I have nothing to do with this man. This is not my opinion, but his alone…”
“Did Marshall use some kind of dark magic?”
“Stop speaking such blasphemous words!”
Most conversations went like this.
After a week of this, Saladin concluded that continuing the council was impossible.
And no matter what anyone said, the blame lay with Islam and Judaism, not Christianity.
The Christian side was demanding answers from the Muslims, asking when the council would resume.
But admitting this would tarnish Islam’s reputation.
In the end, the Islamic delegation secretly approached me for negotiations.
I never intended to push them into a corner from the start.
“I never expected everyone to reach a consensus. It’s a bit disappointing that the meeting didn’t last a full day, though.”
”…We are at a loss. But it’s because your side bewitched our representatives with strange words…”
“Bewitched? Is that what they said?”
“No, not exactly…”
From an outsider’s perspective, the sequence of events was clear.
I showed evidence to about ten people in private meetings, and without exception, they all accepted that I was genuine.
This led to internal strife, and with the meeting unable to proceed normally, it was as if they had raised the white flag.
“In this state, you can’t participate in the meeting properly. What does the Sultan say?”
”…His Majesty is a neutral figure. He instructed us to take responsibility and resolve this, or he would have to intervene…”
“Then let’s do this. I don’t wish to blame the other side unduly in this situation. It’s not like there were no achievements; we did reach some agreements, didn’t we?”
At least, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam officially acknowledged that they worship the same God, which was a significant achievement.
Of course, my real goal was to sow a seed of doubt within the Islamic and Jewish communities, but I didn’t let that show.
“So let’s pause the discussions for now and continue them later. Isn’t it better to resolve things peacefully rather than through war?”
”…Are you suggesting we hold another council?”
“Yes. By officially scheduling the next meeting, it won’t seem like the meeting ended due to one side’s fault. We can explain it as a temporary pause due to unforeseen circumstances, with plans to continue later.”
For the Islamic side, this was the best option.
In the end, the imams of Islam signed the agreement I proposed without much objection.
They might think they’ve narrowly escaped, but the real spectacle is just beginning.
It was chaos.
I watched them hurriedly leave, struggling to suppress my laughter.
Rumors travel faster than a galloping horse, slipping through even the tightest of seals like air.
Muslims and Jews around the world, their eyes fixed on the Great Council of Jerusalem, held a firm belief.
They were confident that the imams and scholars representing them would unmask the false apostle.
But their hopes were thoroughly betrayed.
While it was understandable that they couldn’t reach a definitive conclusion and decided to hold a second council—after all, such contentious issues are rarely resolved in a single meeting—the real problem lay elsewhere.
Some imams at the council had become completely enamored with Marshall.
“He is truly the unerring apostle of Allah. Oh, God, forgive us.”
Whenever asked, they parroted the same line like a broken record, leaving onlookers with three distinct reactions.
Some dismissed it, thinking, “Did they eat something bad? Are they out of their minds?”
Others, filled with doubt, wondered, “This is strange… They’re not the type to spout nonsense. Could there be something to Marshall after all?”
And then there were the extremists, fuming, “Those traitors should be executed, but we can’t touch them because of the Sultan’s decree. It’s driving me insane.”
As soon as the council ended, those who wanted to claim that everything was orchestrated by Edward Marshall and that all evidence was a Christian conspiracy to defame Islam found their efforts stymied.
However, the real trouble was brewing elsewhere.
The Muslim imams and scholars who attended the meeting were protected by Saladin’s orders, making them untouchable.
But that protection didn’t extend to the Jews.
In the end, the extremists blamed the Jewish representatives for the failure to achieve their desired outcome.
“If those bastards had cooperated properly, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
“Turns out the Jews were in cahoots with the Christians all along. They planned to betray us from the start.”
Wild rumors, akin to the old tales of Koreans poisoning wells, spread, fueling the Muslims’ rage to a fever pitch.
“Kill the Jews!”
“As long as they live, Allah’s wrath will not subside!”
“Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!”
And so, the trigger for the massacre was pulled from an entirely unexpected direction.