Episode 194

“Phew, I don’t quite understand what you mean by leaving a scar…”

“If you’ve been caught, admitting it is the least disgraceful option. When did the warriors of the plains become so petty?”

As the soldiers were ushered inside, Jelme flinched, his unease palpable.

“What are you planning…?”

“We can’t just let cunning schemers who pretend to surrender while spreading disease walk away. We need to verify first. Restrain them.”

“Isn’t this treatment of surrender envoys against the rules?”

“Since when did we ever follow the rules? You must be really scared.”

Under normal circumstances, Jelme wouldn’t be easily subdued by knights, but now he was weakened by smallpox.

With five knights charging at once, even Jelme couldn’t resist and was quickly bound and forced to his knees.

He shouted something, but since I couldn’t understand Mongolian, it was all gibberish to me.

As I slowly unwrapped the bandages from Jelme’s face, he thrashed wildly, held down by the knights.

Once the bandages were off, the rash on the opposite side of the self-inflicted wound was glaringly obvious, leaving Jelme with no room for excuses. He hung his head low.

“So, how do you plan to explain these marks on your face? Going to claim it’s a skin disease from not washing?”

“Th-that…”

“We’ve already checked your soldiers and found the same. Any excuses are pointless. Or are you going to claim all Mongols are filthy and riddled with skin diseases? You can’t, can you? Especially since if you were healthy, you wouldn’t be kneeling before me so easily.”

Looking into Jelme’s eyes, I saw my own infuriatingly smug smile reflected back.

Of course, to him, it was probably filled with fear and confusion rather than anger.

“You might wonder how I knew, but you already know the answer. You’ve heard plenty about my abilities. Tiraun must have explained it vividly.”

“A prophet who sees the future…”

“Exactly. I’ve seen all your schemes long before you even thought of them. Who would fall for a plot they’ve already seen?”

In truth, it was thanks to the intelligence from Nasr and Muhammad II, but they have no way of knowing that.

Combined with the information about me that’s already out there, they wouldn’t dare doubt my abilities.

Jelme’s eyes now held a completely different emotion, similar to the fear the Khwarazm soldiers had when they looked at Richard.

“You… you saw everything? Since when…?”

“From the very beginning.”

“You knew from the start of our plan?”

“No, no. Didn’t I say? From the very beginning.”

In a situation where they have no choice but to believe whatever I say, a little exaggeration won’t hurt.

Might as well indulge in some bravado.

“From the day you crossed the border. I’ve seen the future that awaits you.”

“The day we invaded? Are you saying you saw this moment before we even burned Baghdad…?”

“No, not that.”

Jelme’s expression visibly relaxed at my denial.

Right? Even a prophet can’t claim to have seen every future from the day the Mongols invaded until now.

But what can I say? I denied it because it’s far more than that.

“I told you. Not just this moment, but every future you will face. And unfortunately for you, events are unfolding exactly as I saw.”

“Lies. It’s a lie! There’s no way someone like that exists…”

“Isn’t the fact that you’re kneeling before me proof enough?”

If you don’t want to believe it, try to refute it.

I generously gave Jelme time to find a flaw in my words, watching him think hard.

There must be a contradiction somewhere, so why think so deeply?

As time passed and he was on the verge of frustration, Jelme finally gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“I can’t believe you. You knew what we would do from long ago? Then why are you here in person?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”

“Of course! If you knew what disease we have, no one, not even you, should come into contact with us. You can’t say you didn’t know what this disease is, can you?”

Yes, that’s the point you should have raised from the start.

That way, I can deliver an even greater blow of despair, and I almost let it slip myself.

Watching his eyes waver with anxiety, I leisurely tapped Jelme’s head.

Normally, he would have foamed at the mouth and drawn his weapon, but with his hands bound, all he could do was glare at me.

“Are you stupid? I revealed you had smallpox, so do you think I met you without knowing you were infected?”

“That…”

“To be precise, you should be asking this: Why did he meet us knowing we were infected? And I already gave you the answer when we first met, but you seem to have forgotten.”

“Are you referring to when you said we’d suffer from our own curse?”

“Oh, you remembered. Good. I was worried I’d have to explain it all over again.”

“That’s ridiculous! You claim you can unleash plagues at will?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

Jelme’s jaw dropped at my absurd answer, blinking in disbelief.

It was a statement not even worth refuting, yet it left him more confused, his eyes darting around like a lost lamb.

“Can’t believe it? Then let me explain. Why did smallpox suddenly spread through your army? And why, despite it spreading throughout, did others remain untouched?”

“Others weren’t infected…”

“Why ask when you already know? The Shia defectors must have come to you, right? They wouldn’t have been infected.”

“You knew that too?”

In a normal situation, one would assume the Shia defectors were spies and avoided the attack.

But this isn’t a normal situation; it’s an indiscriminate epidemic.

How could the disease selectively infect some and not others?

Even if they were my spies, it wouldn’t make sense to reveal it openly like this.

“No matter how you think about it, it doesn’t make sense, right? Why are you suffering from smallpox while others are fine, and why am I standing here before you? The answer is simple. The curse upon you cannot harm me. It was decided from the start.”

”…?”

“Only your Mongol army will suffer and die from this disease, while others will be spared. That’s the future I saw, and that’s why I’m here.”

It’s not a lie.

Everyone who would come into contact with them has been vaccinated and confirmed immune to smallpox.

Of course, the Mongols have no way of knowing this, and it must be driving them mad.

“I… I can’t believe it. I refuse to believe it! Such convenient things don’t happen in reality!”

“Of course not. You can’t believe it. So, should I create a situation where you have no choice but to believe?”

Jelme’s eyes were now half-dazed, as if he was on the verge of breaking.

It’s almost over. Just one more decisive blow, and he’ll crumble.

Ignoring his desperate plea to stop, I turned my back on him.

“I’m going to meet your Khan now, so follow me. It might be tough with your illness, but they’re moving slowly, so we’ll catch up soon. Once you see me unharmed, you’ll have no choice but to believe.”

”…”

There was no response, as if he had no strength left to argue.

Glancing back, I saw Jelme with his head buried in the ground, completely defeated.

“Perfectly broken.”

Now, if I send him back to Genghis Khan’s camp, I wonder how they’ll react.

Before, I just imagined it, but this time, I can’t resist.

I’ll make sure Muhammad II writes a detailed report on it.

*. *. *

Jelme and his men, hailed as the only hope to save the Mongols, were sent out.

Before Genghis Khan’s guilt over sending sick men to their deaths could settle, they returned, all with dark circles under their eyes, dead.

“What is this? How did they come back?”

He wanted to rush out and ask, but knowing he’d catch smallpox if he did, he couldn’t face them.

However, the Mongols, having learned that those who recover from smallpox don’t get it again, used previously infected soldiers to relay Jelme’s words.

But…

“Edward Marshall caused all this disaster?”

“He saw all the future events before we even attacked Baghdad?”

“Who would believe such an outrageous lie…?”

The truth, which would have been better left unheard, was far harsher and more terrifying than expected.

Genghis Khan and his trusted advisors huddled together, trying to refute the message brought by Jelme. Yet, all they could do was confirm the lack of evidence to the contrary, leaving them trembling without realizing it.

“They say Marshal’s pursuit party is trailing us by about two days. Jelme was sent ahead to deliver his message, so they might be even closer by now.”

“We’ll soon hear from the scouts, then.”

“Scouts or not, that’s not the main issue right now. Smallpox is spreading rapidly through our camp, and if those bastards attack us here, how are we supposed to fend them off? Worse still, the story of what Jelme experienced is spreading like wildfire among the soldiers. If this continues, we won’t be able to control them!”

Despite Subutai’s urgent outcry, no one could offer a satisfactory answer, only sighs filled the air.

Even Genghis Khan, who always maintained his composure, found himself rubbing his temples with trembling hands.

“If what Marshal says is true… does that mean we were wrong to decide to fight him in the first place?”

”…”

“Great Khan, that is…”

“They say Marshal and his men, despite being in contact with Jelme for days, haven’t caught the disease. As unbelievable as it sounds, we have to accept that they might be immune. Marshal even knew that the Shia Liberation Front, who are aiding us, are also unaffected by the disease, didn’t he?”

Astonishingly, as smallpox ravaged the Mongol army, leaving even the commanders bedridden, Muhammad and his followers remained untouched.

No matter how closely they observed, they couldn’t find any suspicious signs among them.

Could it be that, as Marshal claimed, this disease was meant only for the Mongol army from the start?

“Great Khan, you must steel your heart. We’ve faced strong enemies and defeats before, haven’t we?”

“True. But this… this is beyond a battle we can win or lose. How do you defeat someone who can read the future, see into people’s hearts, and even control a plague? And before that, is he even human?”

Once again, no one answered.

It was inevitable. Even Genghis Khan, who posed the question, wasn’t expecting an answer.

Yet, they couldn’t just sit idly by.

They had to take the best course of action available to them in this situation.

Regrettably, only one option came to mind.

“For now… send out scouts to find Marshal’s forces. Propose a face-to-face meeting.”

Whether meeting him would be a blessing or a curse was uncertain, but there was nothing else they could do.

Above all, there was a growing desire to see the face of this Marshal, who was now even suspected of being more than human.