Episode 136
“You seem like you’d be good at killing people.”
The unexpected comment left Nur al-Din momentarily stunned. But only for a moment. As the meaning sank in, his heart dropped.
‘What does this mean? Has the plan been leaked? Is there a traitor among us? Or is this just some twisted European joke?’
Despite the turmoil inside, Nur al-Din’s face remained impassive. He responded with a casual air, masking his inner chaos.
“Haha… Is that a joke? Do I really look that menacing?”
“No, you actually have a gentle face,” Marshall replied, still smiling.
Nur al-Din couldn’t make sense of the situation. If Marshall knew something, should he act now? Or should he retreat immediately? But if Marshall was aware, wouldn’t the escape routes already be blocked?
Feeling the cold sweat trickle down his back, he glanced at Nasr, who appeared as calm as ever.
‘Seeing his face, it seems like nothing’s wrong… No, that’s not it. He’s just as good at hiding his emotions as I am. What a foolish assumption.’
The confusion was so overwhelming that even basic facts were slipping away from him.
Marshall, observing Nur al-Din’s demeanor, asked again with feigned concern.
“Is something bothering you? You seem a bit restless.”
“Oh, no. I was just momentarily taken aback by your joke, Prophet.”
“Hahaha! I see. I was trying to lighten the mood, but it seems I only made you more tense.”
“Ah… Haha. So it was a joke to ease the tension.”
What kind of joke is that? These barbaric Europeans are impossible to deal with.
Whether Marshall sensed Nur al-Din’s inner turmoil or not, he continued to lean back in his makeshift chair, laughing.
“There’s no need to be so tense. But I think you might be mistaken about something.”
”…What do you mean, mistaken?”
“I never said it was a joke.”
At that moment, the hidden Assassins from Syria launched a surprise attack on the Alamut Assassins who had been lying in wait.
Swoosh!
Thud!
“Aaargh!”
“What the hell is going on?!”
“These bastards have betrayed us!”
With everyone’s attention on Marshall, the ambush came from right beside them, leaving no time to react.
The elite Alamut forces Nur al-Din had brought were quickly incapacitated, their arms and legs pierced by blades. Though their vital points were spared, few were left capable of fighting back.
Despite the sudden chaos, the crowd gathered in the square didn’t scream. Instead, they began to encircle the area as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Anyone with half a brain could see what was happening now. These weren’t ordinary citizens. The people who had been mindlessly praising Marshall moments ago were now sealing off the square and subduing his men.
Whether they were Crusader soldiers or not, it was clear they were highly trained elites. This was all premeditated, and they had been completely duped by this farce.
Nur al-Din glared at the traitor who had stabbed him in the back, his eyes filled with rage.
“Nasr, you traitor! How dare you betray us!”
“Betrayal? What are you talking about?”
“You deceitful bastard. What do you gain from stabbing us in the back like this…?”
Even as he raged, his men were being overwhelmed by the Syrian traitors and Marshall’s forces.
Yet, amidst the anger, confusion reigned in Nur al-Din’s heart. He couldn’t understand why they had betrayed him. Betrayal usually comes with a reward, doesn’t it?
Why would the Syrians do this without any apparent gain?
”…Could it be that your grudge against us is that deep? Did Rashid tell you not to forgive us…?”
“I have no personal grudge against you, Imam.”
“This bastard is mocking me to the end…”
“Nur al-Din Muhammad.”
Before he could finish, a voice as sharp as a serpent’s hissed his name.
“Don’t blame Nasr too much. He was just fulfilling his role.”
“So it’s true. That traitor sold us out to you! What did you promise him? To hand over Alamut to Syria if you drive out the Khwarazmians? Don’t make me laugh! Even if I die here, we’ll never bow to the Syrians!”
“Die? I have no intention of killing you.”
“You think I’ll follow you like those traitors if you spare me? Don’t be ridiculous…”
Looking around, the situation was nearly resolved. The square was completely surrounded, and escape seemed impossible unless he could fly.
That left only one option.
‘I’ll have to take Marshall hostage and demand a way out.’
It seemed like a slim chance, but it was the only choice he had left. He had no powerful weapons, but he did have a dagger hidden in his shoe.
To subdue him, he’d need to catch him off guard.
“Let me ask you one thing. What did you offer those Syrian traitors?”
“You were raging a moment ago, and now you’re calm. Have you regained your senses?”
“I just want to satisfy my curiosity before I die.”
“I told you, I have no intention of killing you…”
Feigning submission, Nur al-Din suddenly lunged at Marshall.
Bending his knees was just a ruse to gain momentum and draw the dagger from his shoe.
If he could catch Marshall off guard and hold a weapon to his throat, he could…
“Predictable. I knew you’d try something like this.”
He had reached for Marshall’s throat, but suddenly felt himself spinning, followed by a dull pain in his back.
“Ugh! Argh…”
Had Marshall anticipated the attack?
Nur al-Din groaned in pain, his body twisted from the textbook-perfect throw.
‘Come to think of it, wasn’t he a renowned knight in the Crusades… Damn it…’
He had hit the stone floor back-first without a chance to break his fall, leaving him breathless and unable to even curse.
Marshall, looking down at him, sighed lightly and raised his foot.
“Just take a nap for now. We’ll talk once everything’s settled.”
As something flew toward his head, a sharp sound echoed in his ears, and Nur al-Din lost consciousness.
The attempted assassination by the Assassins, as thrilling and spectacular as expected, was resolved in less than thirty minutes.
To keep the incident under wraps, all personnel involved were soldiers from my domain and Syrian Assassins. The Crusaders would be told that all attackers were killed, but of course, I had no intention of doing that.
I had instructed Nasr to capture, not kill, the Assassins for a reason. I intended to keep them alive for future use. The Crusaders would believe they were all dead, so there was nothing to worry about.
I had Nur al-Din Muhammad and his men confined in a secret location prepared by Nasr, waiting for them to regain consciousness.
I worried I might have been too harsh, but fortunately, about an hour later, Nur al-Din began to stir and regain consciousness.
“Marshall… Nasr, those bastards…”
“You’re tougher than you look. How are you feeling?”
”…I have nothing to say to you. Just kill me.”
“Come on, let’s have a calm conversation. Didn’t you say you wanted to know before you died?”
Nur al-Din shook his head in frustration and silently surveyed his surroundings. Though bound, he seemed to realize they weren’t in the Crusader camp, and a look of confusion crossed his face.
”…I don’t understand. If you were going to interrogate us, why bring us to such a secluded place instead of your camp?”
“Because secret conversations are best held in secret places.”
“You’re no ordinary conman, are you? No, you must have secrets you don’t want the Crusaders to know.”
His words were almost to himself, but the response came swiftly—not from me, but from Nasr.
“Speak carefully, Nur al-Din Muhammad, if you don’t want to suffer in the fires of hell for eternity. God sees and hears all.”
“Are you serious? If you’re truly afraid of divine judgment after death, you’d better change your ways now!”
“How pitiful you are, spouting nonsense even in the presence of the true apostle. If you have eyes, open them; if you have ears, listen. Can’t you see that he is the true apostle we’ve been waiting for?”
“Now I see you’ve all lost your minds together. I was a fool to think, even for a moment, that we shared the same heritage.”
“Apostle, should we just silence him? Listening to him is like polluting my ears, and it’s hard to bear.”
What an idiot. If you silence him, we can’t have a conversation.
I gestured for Nasr to step back and slowly bent down to meet Nur al-Din’s gaze.
“I hear you keep calling Nasr a traitor. Do you realize that from their perspective, you’re the traitor?”
“What nonsense are you spouting now…?”
“Think about it logically. The Assassins of Syria are disciples of Rashid al-Din Sinan, who spoke his mind even in front of Saladin. So why would they follow someone like me, who came from Europe?”
“I’m curious too. Nasr calls you an apostle, but how cunning must your words be to have swayed them like that?”
That’s a great question.
I was just about to show you exactly that.
I glanced at the status window floating above Nur al-Din’s head, savoring the moment.
Now, how should I put this so that word gets around about how well I handled it?
I’m practically salivating.