Chapter 465: Nibble (2) |
An utterly unexpected conspiracy theory(?) suddenly popped up, and my mind felt like it was spinning.
I mean, seriously. Just because I used a metaphor involving the protagonist, people are now comparing me to Hitler?
The thought alone is horrifying.
Still, I can’t just outright say, “Hitler’s the villain.”
I’ve decided to hold the line and wait to see how readers react.
But if I stay completely silent and Hitler’s atrocities gradually start coming to light… who knows what kind of chaos will break loose?
Will people even believe me if I try to explain things then?
Most readers are already cheering him on wholeheartedly.
It’s a complete checkmate situation.
In the end, I have no choice but to write the story in a way that exposes Hitler’s crimes sooner rather than later…
‘Up to the annexation of Austria, he really did seem like a hero. Damn it.’
From the Beer Hall Putsch to the Nazis seizing power, it’s like any standard political drama.
And everyone knows politics is dirty, even those who usually don’t care.
This world, thanks to the Zeros Revolution that broke out in the Kingdom of Ters, has a high level of political awareness.
People are too busy surviving day by day to pay attention, but the Zeros Revolution made even commoners realize they had power.
That’s why many countries, including the Kingdom of Ters, adopted constitutional monarchies.
Anyway, after the Nazis seize control and Hitler gains absolute power through the Enabling Act, that’s when true dictatorship begins.
‘At that point, people will probably start thinking, ‘Huh? What’s going on here?’’
The people of this world—especially citizens of Teres—would definitely flinch if they saw the Enabling Act.
After all, Teres has a history of revolting against royal tyranny.
They’ve been directly scarred by monarchy abuse and created a Commoners’ Assembly to fight back.
And I plan to explain democracy before introducing the Enabling Act, which should make the shock even greater.
After seeing democracy, people will probably be like, “Hey, this might actually work. Should we try this too?”
Then, just as that thought is settling in, Hitler’s dictatorship begins.
‘But if we go all the way to Austria’s annexation… well…’
People will be blinded.
He expanded territory through diplomacy without spilling a single drop of blood.
If we add the invasion of Poland and the occupation of France on top of that, he’ll go down in history as a “great war monarch.”
But that’s only from an external viewpoint.
Once the Nazis took over, terrifying policies began surfacing one by one.
The infamous Holocaust happened during WWII, but before that, there was Operation T4, which began right after the war broke out.
‘That’s probably when people will start realizing—ah, Hitler isn’t a hero, he’s a tyrant.’
But who knows how long it’ll take to even reach that point.
That’s my biggest problem right now.
This world is so different I need to explain a lot, and I also have to show what’s happening outside of Germany.
Next up is Japan.
The Second Sino-Japanese War played a surprisingly big role in WWII, after all.
‘Though I’m not sure if people will believe the reason the war started.’
A soldier went off to take a crap, and that triggered the war.
I’m exaggerating slightly, but that’s basically the truth.
What will people think when they read that?
‘What kind of dumbass starts a war like that?’
The problem is, there are so many absurd incidents during WWII.
There’s even a saying: “If it sounds unbelievable, it’s probably historically accurate.”
Anyway, it’s going to take a while for Hitler’s crimes to come fully to light.
I’ll try to lay the groundwork bit by bit, but with everyone’s eyes already covered, it won’t be easy to get them to notice.
Rather than exposing the truth through the media, maybe it’s better to slowly let those around the protagonist catch on.
“Senpai…”
“Hm?”
“How did you create a world like this…?”
First things first, I need to focus on what’s in front of me.
I looked at the pink-haired girl sitting across from me—Cherry.
Her eyes still held that same gloomy look, but now there was a hint of life in them.
‘So she really did spend winter break writing without worrying about others…’
Instead of answering her question, I glanced down at the table.
While I was struggling with worldbuilding, she had somehow managed to write five whole volumes at an insane pace.
They say no amount of hard work can beat someone who enjoys what they’re doing—and unlike me with my typewriter, Cherry writes everything by hand.
Granted, when I was writing The Chronicles of Zenon, I released one volume every ten days.
But even so, Cherry’s pace is on another level.
‘It’s great that she’s enjoying it, but…’
Maybe she got a little too into it.
Before winter break, she had soft, chubby cheeks—but now, her face is noticeably slimmer.
Looks like she barely ate and just kept her hands moving.
Her already mature appearance (thanks to her… generous figure) now looked even more adult-like with the loss of baby fat.
Still, considering she’s only eighteen, it’s probably just her face maturing naturally.
I had a growth spurt after last year’s summer break, too.
Cherry, it seems, grew in a different direction… but let’s not dwell on that.
Her school uniform already looks like it’s about to burst at the seams.
If she moves too suddenly, the buttons might actually fly off.
Anyway, back to the topic—
“I just imagined it once. Like, what if there was no mana in the world? And what if the only ones left were weak humans? How would that world turn out?”
I figured I should answer Cherry’s question.
She blinked slowly at my response.
That’s her habit when she’s deep in thought—I know her that well by now.
She’s probably still confused even after hearing my answer.
But I’m not planning to tell her the full truth just yet.
Not until she really steels herself.
Not until she shows she has the courage to take another step toward me.
“I get that there’s no mana or magic… but why only humans? Why not any other race…?”
“Elves and demons, without mana or magic, are just long-lived lifeforms.
Beastkin are too driven by animal instincts to build a civilization, and dwarves have physical limitations.
In the end, humans were just the most balanced choice.”
“…Hmm…”
Cherry nodded like it made sense.
Even though I kinda BS’d the explanation, it actually does make sense when you think about it.
Elves and demons are only considered overpowered because of their innate magic abilities—without those, they’re not that different from humans.
They may not be as strong as beastkin, but they’re a race with excellent physical abilities and extraordinary memory.
On the other hand, due to their long lifespan, they tend to be extremely stubborn.
Because of that, unlike humans, they often lack creativity.
“Then… why did you make the existence of gods so vague…? If gods don’t clearly exist, there’s nothing for people to rely on…”
“Exactly. That’s why people become weak. And in turn, they create something to depend on—something to center themselves around.”
“…?”
Cherry blinked slowly, seemingly not understanding what I meant.
Which isn’t surprising.
Think about the medieval period on Earth, when the church held immense power.
Consider what they did during that time—
Starting with the infamous “witch hunts,” to the Thirty Years’ War that greatly impacted European history.
Different cultures developed different religions, and because of conflicting ideologies, history is littered with wars fought like rabid dogs.
But here, while fanatics exist, actual wars between religions are extremely rare.
If Luminous and Mora—twin gods—were to fight, that would just be defiling their name.
‘Unless the gods themselves go to war.’
Let’s leave that part out.
“You still don’t get it, do you? That ambiguity is exactly what makes it useful.
Because the gods’ existence is unclear, worshiping them is a choice—and so is criticizing them.
You can even claim yourself to be a god.”
“…Aren’t you afraid of the gods…?”
“If we were afraid, we wouldn’t treat them so carelessly.
But their very existence is uncertain.”
Of course, most people who’ve claimed to be gods haven’t ended up well.
That’s not pride—it’s arrogance.
In truth, Cherry’s question is important, especially in the context of Blood and Steel.
What if, on Earth, the existence of gods was as clear as it is in this world?
The moment Hitler revealed his ambitions for world domination, divine punishment would’ve struck him down.
Especially from the God of the Jews, who would’ve been the most furious.
But because god’s existence was ambiguous, Hitler wasn’t punished at all—at least not until Germany was defeated.
‘Gods definitely act as a form of restraint.’
Back when the Holy Saviour Theocracy went on a rampage, the one who stopped them was Luminous.
And Mora embraced the oppressed demons and dark elves.
So while gods function as suppressors, they also hold back progress.
Racial wars here weren’t born of madness but ideological conflict between races.
But World War II? That was just one man’s insanity.
“Ugh… I still don’t get it…”
“You don’t have to.
Like you saw in the papers—it’s all fantasy, right? Just go with it.”
“…Okay.”
“By the way, should I send this to the publisher?”
World War II can wait—for now, checking Cherry’s work comes first.
Like I mentioned, during winter break, she wrote five whole volumes.
Seriously impressive.
It seems she already went through a round of revisions too, because as soon as I asked, she nodded slowly and spoke.
“Yes… It’s okay to take them.”
“Got it. Just curious—when do you think the story will end?”
“Probably within two more volumes…”
So roughly ten volumes total.
Cherry’s pace is actually normal—it’s Zenon’s Chronicles that are absurdly long.
When I asked her about a possible side story, she said she’d write an epilogue, like with the Jin & Lily side story.
It’s been exactly a year since I met Cherry, and a month after that, her first work was published.
‘If I’d just passed by a girl who loved writing this much…’
I still can’t get the image out of my head.
Back then, her eyes were lifeless—pure despair.
If I’d ignored her, she’d probably have been found cold and dead in the dorm.
I reluctantly revealed my identity, thinking I was just saving a life—but I’ve never once regretted it.
That’s something I can say with confidence for the rest of my life.
At some point, I found myself looking at Cherry, who now wore a gentle smile.
I chuckled quietly and said:
“You even know how to smile now?”
“…? Oh…!”
She looked startled, like she didn’t even realize she was smiling.
It reminded me of a surprised squirrel.
Adorable.
She used to give off a gloomy vibe, but not anymore.
Now her smile is filled with genuine joy.
Maybe out of embarrassment, her cheeks flushed red.
I looked at her gently and continued.
“You look…”
“…Nice…?”
“Yeah. You look nice.”
As soon as I said that, Cherry raised the corners of her mouth in an exaggerated smile.
But unlike before, it was clearly forced—a creepy kind of smile.
…Is she doing that just because I said it looked nice?
The sentiment is sweet, but honestly, it’s a little scary.
With a conflicted tone, I gently scolded her.
“You don’t have to go that far…”
“…”
“…Sigh.”
Can Cherry really make friends?
She’s so socially awkward from being so deeply broken.
Thankfully, she and Kate seem to get along well—though that’s probably because Kate’s also socially awkward in her own way.
But Kate is currently away.
She said she’d be back soon, but no one knows exactly when.
I mulled over what to do for a while, then asked a question that popped into my mind.
“Hey, Cherry… you’re not in any clubs or anything?”
“Clubs…?”
“Yeah. Like a literature club or something?
Doesn’t Halo Academy have that?”
Come to think of it, Halo Academy does have clubs.
I just never mentioned it because I wasn’t interested.
Besides, I’ve been busy being an assistant to Elena and Cindy.
In any case, there are a ton of clubs on campus—and most people use them to build connections.
“Y-Yes… there is one…”
“Then why not try joining?”
“But if I have that time… I’d rather write something…”
“Ah… right. Then what about—”
“I’d still rather write.”
“…Okay.”
I should probably just stop talking.
I’m not her parent—I can’t force her to do anything.
Still, I had to ask one more thing.
I looked at her cautiously and asked in a soft voice:
“Then… are you interested in romance at all?
Not necessarily you starting something, but maybe a guy might be into you…”
“Other than you, Isaac-senpai… no one.”
“Uh… so does that mean… you want to date me?”
“I-I couldn’t possibly… someone like me…?”
“… …”
Seriously, when will this girl’s self-esteem improve?
If Kate were here, things might be better.
But alone like this… there’s no helping her.
“Well… if you ever change your mind, you can always come to me. Okay?”
“Yes… You won’t abandon me, right…?”
“Ha ha ha…”
Honestly, nuclear fusion seems easier than this.
—A few days later—
[Blood and Steel Vol. 3 Already Released: What’s Hitler’s Next Move?]
In my rush, I released Blood and Steel Vol. 3.
Like I said before, this one covers the Munich Putsch up to Hitler’s arrest.
And it’s revealed that Hitler had… just one testicle.
[Wait—does that mean Zenon is also one-balled?!]
Fucking bastards.
★★★★★
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