The submarine’s thick hatch closed, and we sank beneath the sea.
We took turns washing the grime away in the cramped shower room, then changed into clean clothes provided by the sailors.
The moment Major Elise caught her breath, she began tending to the wounded, while the exhausted members of our party collapsed into sleep in the corners of the passageways.
After leaving the mouth of the Londinium River, the submarine cruised leisurely underwater and, several days later, joined the main force of the United Kingdom’s First Fleet.
Even during that brief voyage, the situation changed by the minute.
The coup in the United Kingdom had achieved perfect success. Beyond Londinium, the entirety of Victoria Island was dyed red, and the radical communist forces centered around the Citizens’ Labor Party called themselves the ‘People’s Union Republic.’
The international community was thrown into an uproar, as was only natural. The communization of an entire nation, not merely a single city. And not just any nation—the United Kingdom, one of the pillars of the world’s great powers, had been overturned as smoothly as soapy water.
Once again, the Red Scare had risen across the world.
The Columbia United States froze all assets belonging to the People’s Union Republic and forcibly turned around the merchant ships bound for Londinium. Even the United States Congress, which was forever split in half and fighting among itself, unanimously resolved to drastically increase defense spending.
Our Empire’s reaction was just as hysterical. Emperor Ferdinand declared the incident ‘a vile betrayal of the monarchy and the world order’ and raised the nation’s defenses to full alert. At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior branded all striking workers and subversive elements within the Empire as reds and began a sweeping purge.
And then there was the Federation, the true power behind this entire affair.
Naturally, the great powers, including the Empire and the United States, vehemently condemned the Federation’s manipulation from behind the scenes, even speaking of a naval blockade and military sanctions.
But the Federation did not so much as blink. They issued the shameless official statement, “We merely support the voluntary and glorious revolution of the oppressed people of Victoria. There was absolutely no military intervention.”
And yet, behind the scenes, they were already establishing diplomatic relations with the newborn ‘United People’s Republic’ before anyone else, while beginning to transport enormous quantities of military supplies and ‘military advisers’ to the port of Londinium.
The world had been split cleanly in two, and both sides were pressing the accelerator all the way toward the horrific conclusion of a world war.
At the very center of it all, I—who had just moments ago been rolling through the mud and crossing the line between life and death—stood on the spacious deck of the Royal Navy flagship, letting the sea breeze wash over me.
‘Now I really want to get some rest.’
If I had my way, I would have tossed in my leave request right then and there.
*
The time to part with the United Kingdom’s delegation came sooner than expected.
“I will never forget what I owe you, Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger.”
At Charlotte’s voice, I turned around. Behind her, an unfamiliar fleet was approaching against the backdrop of the blue sea. It was an Imperial fleet, black eagle flags fluttering from its bows.
“When we meet again, I hope I can treat you with the respect due to a monarch of a nation, rather than as a fugitive exile being pursued.”
“I look forward to it, Your Majesty. I wish you a safe voyage all the way to the New Continent.”
Charlotte took a step back. The next person to approach was Admiral William.
“…On behalf of the United Kingdom’s navy, I offer you my boundless gratitude for protecting the sun of our royal family. Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger.”
“I merely did what I had to do as a soldier, Admiral.”
“You even possess humility. I had no idea it would be so reassuring to know that the Empire is overflowing with talented people.”
With a slight bow, Admiral William also turned away.
And in the center of the deck, where the sea breeze blew, only Sydney Wellesley remained.
“……”
A strange silence lingered for a moment.
Sydney, who had been gazing at me with lavender-colored eyes, soon lowered her head politely.
“…On behalf of the Intelligence Bureau, I thank you for safely escorting Her Majesty the Queen. Lieutenant Colonel Max Jaeger.”
“I was merely lucky, Director. You must be terribly busy rebuilding the Intelligence Bureau now.”
“Yes. To make up for this disastrous blunder, I doubt I’ll have even a moment to breathe for the time being.”
Sydney’s lips parted slightly. She seemed about to say something more, but then gave a faint smile.
“The situation is grave. Please take care of yourself.”
“You stay healthy as well, Director. I hope the next time we meet will be somewhere that smells less terrible.”
“…You’re still as insolent as ever.”
Sydney gave me a brief military salute, then turned and followed behind the Queen.
I suddenly wondered what that woman thought of me.
The memories of serving me as Ellie the maid, and the memories of crossing the boundary between life and death together while drenched in blood in the sewers. With two memories so utterly opposed layered atop each other, her feelings toward me must have been rather complicated.
And I was not the sort of person who needed to fret over what the other party thought of me.
Watching her back, I glanced at the [Minimap] in one corner of my vision.
We had met as enemies wary of one another. Yet the red dot representing the woman who had always kept her guard up around me had, at some point, changed into a pure white dot signifying neutrality.
‘Not bad.’
I turned away without hesitation.
With the waves splashing below us, our group boarded the launch used for transfers.
*
The Imperial Navy cruiser advanced without hesitation and finally entered Imperial territorial waters.
Then, when our group arrived in the capital, Eisenburg, aboard a special train, we were met with what was quite literally a nationwide welcome.
“Enter, heroes of the Empire!”
In the Imperial Palace’s audience chamber, Emperor Ferdinand IV called out in a booming voice.
Following me as I walked across the splendid red carpet were Minister Josef and the officers of the Jaeger Battle Group.
“To think you rescued My niece from the clutches of the red mob! Your valor shall be recorded in golden letters until the day the history of this Empire comes to an end!”
This rescue operation—which, in truth, had never involved any such plan—had sent the Empire’s standing in the international community soaring to the heavens. Having rescued another nation’s monarch amid the threat of communism, with all the key personnel returning safely, it was hardly excessive to call the operation a ‘miracle.’
Once the audience ended, I was summoned straight to General Headquarters.
Creak—
When I opened the door, Marshal Ludwig was standing there smoking a cigar, as always.
“You’re back.”
I saluted and replied.
“As ordered, I have safely returned from the United Kingdom.”
‘Safe’ hardly described it. The United Kingdom, of all nations, had been overthrown. And amid all that, you extracted the Queen and left them indebted to us. The diplomatic gains you brought back are beyond calculation.”
Ludwig exhaled smoke and grinned.
“But all those gains will only hold if the Queen retakes the United Kingdom.”
“Ha. Already thinking about your next move? Even after everything you went through, you haven’t changed.”
“…My mental constitution is exceptionally strong.”
My private meeting with the Marshal ended quickly. Ludwig had taken pity on me and told me to go rest.
‘If you wanted to show consideration, shouldn’t you have just not called me here in the first place?’
Damn workaholics.
As I swallowed those thoughts and walked down the corridor, I encountered another familiar face.
An elderly man with thick white hair—the commander of the 7th Brigade, Brigadier General Karl von Dietrich.
I had happened to hear that he had briefly returned to the capital, but I never expected to run into him so soon.
“Oh! My wonderful lucky charm! The Empire’s treasure!”
The way his face lit up at the sight of me suggested he had been standing there waiting for some time.
“Brigadier General. It’s been a while.”
“Ho ho ho! Do you know how close my heart came to stopping when I heard what had happened to you? But you’re Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger, after all! You have no idea how much taller I’ve stood at Headquarters thanks to you this time!”
Dietrich approached with both arms spread wide. Beside him stood a beautiful woman with black hair tied in a ponytail—Major Helga. When our eyes met, she gave me a slight nod in greeting.
The old fox rubbed his hands together greedily and massaged my shoulders. He seemed unable to conceal his delight, as if the achievements I had earned belonged to him as well.
Perhaps because of that, his touch no longer felt as comfortable as it once had.
‘He’s starting to get annoying.’
I was on the verge of promotion to colonel. I had Marshal Ludwig and the Imperial family backing me, while my faction within the military continued to grow. The assets Arthur managed for me were reaching new highs day after day, even at this very moment.
Therefore, it was time to seriously consider whether I still needed an aging brigadier general on the verge of retirement standing before me.
Until now, Dietrich’s purpose had been to serve as a breakwater protecting my achievements.
For the achievements of a commoner orphan like me to reach the upper echelons intact, Dietrich had needed to inflate them by casually adding his own share on top. The reason I had been able to withstand the Intelligence Inspectorate’s interference was also because of the name Dietrich carried.
In short, he had been a necessary evil who compensated for the weakness of my birth.
But now I possessed more than enough fame and power to act independently. He was nothing more than a parasite needlessly feeding off my achievements.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Using the skill ‘Status Analysis (Lv. 3)’ on ‘Karl von Dietrich.’]
[Name: Karl von Dietrich]
[Affiliation: 7th Brigade, Imperial Army]
[Rank: Brigadier General]
[Status: Extreme delight, greed, inflated expectations]
[Emotion: That Jaeger fellow has struck it big again! Is there some way I can claim a share of this achievement?]
[Hidden Desire: To use Max Jaeger’s achievements as a stepping stone to enter the highest echelons of the Imperial Army.]
I swallowed a derisive laugh inwardly. Our brigade commander’s inner self was remarkably consistent, whether in the Ashen Forest or in Eisenburg.
There seemed to be no need to cut him off in a hurry. If he was that honest about his desires, he would be easy to manipulate later.
‘Still, I should make preparations in advance.’
If the day ever came when the fox bared his teeth, I would pull out every last one of them.
Dietrich, unaware of what I was thinking, continued talking to me with a delighted expression.
“Why so silent? Well, after coming back alive from that living hell, I suppose you must be tired!”
‘Captivating Rhetoric.’
[The skill ‘Captivating Rhetoric (Lv. 3)’ is activated.]
“Tired? With you always supporting me so reliably, Brigadier General, I was able to hold out until the very end even in such harsh conditions.”
[The skill ‘Captivating Rhetoric’ affects ‘Karl von Dietrich.’]
[‘Karl von Dietrich’ accepts your flattery as sincere loyalty.]
“Hahahaha! Of course! Absolutely!”
*
At the same time. On the island nation across the sea, dyed red.
Londinium, the underground bunker beneath the former United Kingdom Parliament.
The splendid royal emblems and portraits of the aristocrats had been torn from the walls, replaced by blood-red flags and symbols of crossed sickles and hammers.
Gallich, who had become the first Chairman of the People’s Union Republic, stood before the encrypted communications device at the center of the bunker.
Crackle— Beep.
[I have heard the news. We have cause to celebrate. Comrade Gallich—no. Comrade ‘Chairman.’ On behalf of the Party and the General Secretary, I offer my respects for completing the Red Revolution of Victoria Island.]
The voice coming through the communications device belonged to a high-ranking figure of the Federation.
“Thank you for your congratulations, Comrade. It would have been impossible without the Federation’s covert support.”
Gallich replied with composure.
“But regrettably, Comrade Viktor, the ringleader of our infiltrators, has died.”
[…Comrade Viktor is dead?]
“That is correct. And the Imperial delegation that killed him, along with Queen Charlotte, who was under their protection, have also escaped the island safely.”
[……]
A heavy silence followed.
“It was a level of force beyond what I could control.”
[Regrettable. But losing that incompetent queen is merely a minor blemish compared to your achievements. We shall erect a bust of Viktor in Red Square to commemorate his noble sacrifice.]
The voice on the other end mourned Viktor’s death, but quickly moved on to the main subject.
[What we must focus on is what comes next.]
From the Federation’s perspective, the communization of the United Kingdom was an enormous achievement. Preserving this prize was far more important than Viktor’s funeral.
[Though you have devoured the island, the struggle is not over so long as the Queen remains alive. The Empire will attempt to cross the sea under the perfect pretext of ‘restoring the legitimate monarch.’ You must begin preparing for war immediately.]
“We have already begun preparing for total war.”
The next development was obvious. Charlotte, having fled to the colonies, would lie in wait for an opportunity to retake the mainland, and the Empire, possessing a legitimate pretext, would intervene with all the force it could muster.
“However, our army has only just concluded the revolution, and its equipment is inadequate for facing the Imperial regular forces. We require troops from the Federation. And not a token force—a very large one.”
Gallich’s demand was an uncomfortable one from the Federation’s perspective.
[…Official intervention is out of the question. The moment our Red Army appears openly, a world war will erupt, with not only the Empire but the United States across the sea joining the conflict. We are not yet prepared to confront the entire West.]
“Then do you want me to sink to the bottom of the Londinium River alongside the flame of the revolution?”
[Of course not. We cannot send regular forces, but we can send volunteers who are no different from regular troops.]
It was a transparent stratagem.
[The Party is already organizing an ‘International Brigade’ under the pretext of liberating Londinium. Elite tank divisions and artillery units, stripped of their Federation uniforms and dressed in workers’ clothes, will head your way disguised as fishing boats and merchant vessels.]
A deception operation under the guise of volunteers. They would block the West from gaining a pretext for intervention while filling out the force’s core with the Federation’s elite troops to support the defense.
A sardonic smile spread across Gallich’s lips.
“An excellent decision.”
[Comrade Chairman, defend our revolution.]
The communication was cut off.