Chapter 476 - Finding A Scapegoat (1/2)

Within the confines of the Mamluke Sultanate, an Agent of Austria was currently dressed from head to toe in Arabic attire; Though a German by blood, he had spread enough makeup across his skin and dyed his hair in an attempt to blend in with the local population. If one did not pay close enough attention, they likely wouldn't tell the difference.

This Agent had a singular purpose: to frame the attack on the Second Prince on the Byzantine Empire's long-term rival. This was a task easier said than done, as it required smuggling ordnance into the country through the Emirate of Granada.

Yet despite the difficulties in his journey, at the moment, this man was on the back of a camel with several crates that were filled with artillery shells. These shells were a faulty product fired during the war in Iberia and remained undetonated. Despite this, they were fully armed and capable of being detonated if one knew what they were doing.

Of course, they could also be drilled out, where the TNT could be retrieved and turned into a makeshift explosive like what was used in Antioch. His goal was to plant the evidence within the Mamluke arsenal, as for what came after that, only time would tell.

In order for this operation to succeed, the man had taken up the identity of an Islamic radical who had salvaged the equipment in Iberia and was willing to sell it to the Mamluke Sultanate. As the camel slowly approached the gates of the Mamluke Arsenal, the Austrian Agent was stopped by the local guards, who immediately began to speak to him in Arabic.

”Halt! State your business!”

The Agent immediately did as he was told and stopped his mount before speaking in a perfect Granadan Accent.

”My name is Insaf Al-Mursi; I am a humble scavenger from Granada; I have acquired some assets from the war in the Iberian peninsula that your masters will be greatly interested in...”

The guards looked at this stranger with questioning gazes. Currently, the Islamic world was preparing for a Jihad against the Byzantine Empire; despite this, they had not included Granada due to their secular leadership and close ties to Christendom. For a Granadan to cross the straight of Gibraltar with gains from the battlefields in the Iberian Peninsula was suspicious.

Nevertheless, if he was genuinely faithful, then they could make great use of whatever was retrieved, and thus the leader of the guards nodded his head before responding to the strange scavenger from the North.

”Very well, I will escort you to the Magistrate. However, if you make one move out of line, I will cut your throat. Do you understand me?”

The Agent immediately nodded his head in silence, signaling that he understood the threat. After doing so, the gates opened, and he rode his camel through the entrance, where he eventually was led to the center of the facility.

After reaching a certain point, the Austrian Agent hitched his camel before following the guard further into the Armory, where the Mamluke Magistrate in charge of overseeing its operations was located. When the man witnessed the stranger beside his guards, he immediately began to question what was happening.

”Who is this? Why have you allowed him to have access to this facility?”

With this said, the guard immediately began to explain his actions

”This is a scavenger from Granada; he comes bringing weapons scavenged from the battlefields of Iberia. I thought you might be interested in what he has for sale...”

The Magistrate's eyes immediately widened in excitement as he heard this news; anything utilized by the Austrian Army in warfare was a considerable gain and was greatly desired by the various powers of the Western World. As such, he quickly addressed the Austrian Agent with a welcoming response.

”My friend, I am Ufayr Ibn Sulaiman, Magistrate of the Mamluke Sultanate. Please show me your wares; I promise I will pay a fair price for whatever you offer.”

A smile immediately etched itself upon the Agent's face as he bowed before the Magistrate.

”It would be my honor...”

After saying this, the group walked over to the camels where the Agent lowered one of the crates; after doing so, he opened it up to reveal the unexploded ordnance.