Part 2

SOME DAY IN MARCH, UNIFIED YEAR 1926,

TEMPORARY IMPERIAL ARMY POSITION ON THE SOUTHERN FRONT, FOX'S DEN

-x-X-x-

General von Romel of the Imperial Army, surveying the status of the battle through his binoculars, suppressed a frustrated grimace and shrugged. The Imperial Army had a decent advantage, but it also seemed too much like a battle of attrition.

If victory came at the cost of running all available firepower into the ground, there would be no next time. Romel had to settle for dealing a blow instead of wiping out the enemy.

"…We can't quite manage? Then I guess we have no choice. Withdraw."

He found it regrettable, but as long as his forces couldn't break through, continuing to attack head-on was nothing more than mudslinging.

"Are you sure, General von Romel? If we keep this up…"

"We don't have enough water, and more importantly, our losses keep increasing."

The staffers maintained that they could win if they pressed on, but to Romel, the conditions for victory were different. Limiting attrition had to be prioritized above all else on the southern continent.

The worst of their problems was that they were nearing the limits of their water supply. If they retreated immediately, what was left would last until they reached the rear. If the fight dragged on, there was a chance they would run out even if they withdrew.

Knowing when to quit was critical in such a place. The allotment of limited resources could change everything.

"For now, let's call the blow we dealt good enough. Begin withdrawing. I do want to take de Lugo's head someday, though."

"Yes, sir."

The Free Republican Army was stubbornly holding out. Not only that, but it was

Romel's personal opinion that their combat strength seemed to be growing with each passing day. Unfortunately, he'd also heard that the resistance efforts of de Lugo's anti- Empire organization were popping up in more places.

The home country had started earnestly hoping for the elimination of de Lugo as part of the occupation policy. But their opponent was no pushover. He was attempting to aggravate imperial attrition while avoiding a decisive battle.

If the Empire let it go on too long, they risked losing their chance to crush the Republican leader. That said, whether de Lugo's intentions had filtered all the way down was another question. It wasn't clear if the colonial units were up to speed on the situation.

We could try to pull something—which is why before Romel knew it, he had an idea.

"Mm-hmm, a scuffle should be fine. We'll ready an ambush as we withdraw. If they bite, we'll surround and annihilate them. Otherwise, we'll just pack our things and go."

"Seriously?… You want to set a trap for them?"

His staffers' doubts—but I thought we were pulling out—irritated him. If she was here, she would have understood, acknowledged, and handled it without needing another word.

"You bet. Make it look like we're fleeing in a panic."

He wasn't sure what the chances were that they could draw in the enemy, but it was worth a shot. If even one enemy unit started poking out its head, the momentum would sweep along the rest, and more would come pouring through the gap.

Conversely, if the Republicans were on their guard, Romel's troops would be able to make a safe retreat. Basically, it wouldn't hurt to give this operation a try.

"Understood."

For the moment, the Imperial Army began retreating under Romel's eye. The troops at the tail end pretended to flail about in confusion as they went. They purposely left no abandoned vehicle traps; they'd been instructed to make it look like they lacked the presence of mind to set booby traps.

That would make the enemy less cautious about advancing, meaning everything would go more smoothly.

"All right, how's this going to play out? This'll be a piece of cake if they bite." Romel wondered what their enemy would do. Best case, they fall for it, of course, he thought, sipping cold coffee.

It would depend on what happened, but a successful retreat wouldn't be bad, either.

Are there any problems in my plan? I think I'm doing my best, but did I miss something?

He reflected on his actions and was satisfied for the time being.

At the very least, he'd done everything he could. Now he just had to wait to see the results.

"…We did it! General, they came right out!"

"All right, let's tease them a bit. Don't send the mages yet. Reel them in!" And the results were good.

Were they spurred by the romance of the military? Or did they simply not understand? Whatever the case, the poor Republican fools casually left their defensive positions and exposed themselves.

At the very least, they seemed to have momentum. The belief that they had repulsed the Imperial Army bolstered their morale.

"Buy time with the central unit so we can reorganize."

Of course, he didn't want to clash head-on with an enemy who was chomping at the bit. He promptly considered his options before ordering a change in positions. They would buy time for the units that had managed to pull back so they could reorganize the chain of command.

"Pretend to continue withdrawing. Have the main forces set up some distance from the enemy."

In any case, the best idea would be to divert enemy energy for as long as a delaying battle could be maintained. After all, they were seething.

Actually clashing with them was beyond pointless. Conversely, if their morale could be broken, they'd be sitting ducks. The moment they realized they were surrounded, they'd become the ones trying to make a break for it.

The plan was to tighten the encirclement right as the situation became clear, trapping them like mice.

"To get them in a better position for us?"

"Exactly. We'll feign a withdrawal, then surround them."

The enemy was operating with tunnel vision. They would probably assume any unit they couldn't see had gotten away. And that was why an attack on their naive flank would work.

It seemed the Republican Army lacked more commanders like de Lugo, who had a wealth of experience. Even simple tactics could lure in forces that didn't report directly to him.

Aiming for weak points is how you fight a war. Sorry, but I'll be doing exactly that.

"So how should the mages move?"

"Ah, right. The mages will provide support and follow-up once the central unit starts to crumble."

He realized he hadn't given any orders to the mages yet and promptly issued them. He thought he was being careful, but apparently, he was quite tense. At some point, he had begun assuming the mages would move without him saying anything.

"Understood. Right away."

"…Sheesh. Looking back on it, Major von Degurechaff sure was easy to work with."

She was a commander who could grasp his intentions and take the best actions without needing to be told. Once you got used to it, there was no officer easier to use.

They had finally gotten in sync…

"Things would go more smoothly if I could have her back."

He never thought she would be summoned by the home country. The top was always meddling with his hand. Maybe that was the fate of a soldier, but it was still lamentable.

He was especially desperate for skilled mages.

"Well, there's that trouble with the Federation. Things are tricky."

Still, good mages were in demand everywhere. That had to be why command had pulled out her battalion and stationed them at home. Considering the deteriorating situation, he had to agree it was a reasonable course of action.

After all, the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion's job was guerrilla-style maneuver warfare. If the General Staff was anticipating that war with the Federation would take place on a much larger front than what they dealt with in the fight against the Republic, they would definitely want a mobile unit.

Tanya's battalion's superb ability to act independently, which Romel had to admire, was perfect for putting out fires. On top of that, mages could cover a greater range with fewer people than infantry could. He'd heard the General Staff was fretting about logistics, so they would appreciate that.

"Sheesh. I guess we should offer our condolences to the Federation." "Huh?"

"Even I wouldn't want to face that battalion."

I guess all I can do is wish Major von Degurechaff luck. My belief that she doesn't need my well wishes must mean I trust her too much. Well, that's fine. Romel drained his coffee and changed gears.

Coffee in the desert is great. It changes your mood, and even better, you can make a habit of it without being criticized, unlike alcohol. Not that there's anything wrong with alcohol.

Anyhow, time to get to work.

"Ah, I see. That's for sure."

"Okay, I think it's about time for us to get down to business, too."

Our job for the moment is to finish off the Republic.

-x-X-x-

MAY 9, UNIFIED YEAR 1980, THE FEDERATION CAPITAL

-x-X-x-

Hello, everyone.

This is WTN Special Correspondent Andrew.

I'm here with the WTN crew on Great Patriotic War Remembrance Day covering the ceremony being held in Moskva. Would you like to take a look?

This is a parade of veterans who served in the war.

They did battle on the eastern front, a region comparable to the Rhine as one of the areas that saw the fiercest fighting. It was most likely the eastern front that caused the most casualties during the war.

Let's take a moment to honor their sacrifice… Now for a little history lesson.

Up until hostilities broke out, the relationship between the Federation and the Empire during the Great War had been extremely delicate. These days we can laugh about it, but… up until the fighting began, both countries' attitudes were to simply keep an eye on the other, despite the tension.

The Federation's stubborn neutrality during the hard fighting on the Rhine front is considered decisive. Because of it, the Republic didn't get to destroy the Imperial Army with the multifront saturation attack they were so eager for.

And as a result, the Republican intelligence agency guessed at the time that the Federation was maintaining a friendly neutrality toward the Empire. The leader of the Free Republic's forces, General de Lugo, even assumed the Federation must have been sending voluntary armies over.

In reality, the only action the Federation had taken since the beginning of the Great War was to condemn it via the Commissariat for Foreign Affairs.

On the other hand, there was a period of time, albeit brief, during which the imperial and Federation militaries had built such a close relationship they nearly formed an alliance, as can be seen in the partially released Treaty of Rappalo. The two countries seemed to be against each other, but they secretly exchanged military knowledge and signed a nonaggression pact.

With that background in mind, I'd like to look back on the day the Federation joined the war.

That year, the Free Republican Army and the Commonwealth Army were having a tough fight on the southern continent. They could both hardly believe their ears when the good news came through.

The reaction of the Commonwealth's Foreign Office to the first report is still talked about today.

It's said that when they received word that the Federation had joined the war, they hastily concluded it had joined the imperial side.

There's even a legendary anecdote that says Major General (at the time) Habergram of the Commonwealth Army's Foreign Strategy Division sent the messenger away three times. Incidentally, General de Lugo of the Free Republican Army is said to have believed it in two tries.

…Well, it must be proof that we with John Bull spirit7 stay on our toes and don't give in to positive thinking.

Naturally, the Empire's reaction stands in contrast.

They say it shocked even General von Zettour, who with his fiendish plans plunged allied countries into fear. According to his adjutant's records, when he received the report of signs the Federation Army would join the war, the first words out of his mouth were, "Of all the ridiculous—" It's also noted that he and his colleague General von Rudersdorf, unable to comprehend why the Federation would enter the fight, were so stunned they practically started staring into space.

That said, these days this isn't viewed as their mistake.

After all… the Federation's involvement in the war was unexpected even to most of its own military officers.

The decision to join the war was made a mere month before their initial move. The generally accepted belief is that the plan was drafted by only a handful of key figures.

They made slight changes to the regularly scheduled large-scale exercise, choosing a staging point near the Empire and setting expectations of a great deal of live fire.

Obviously, it was mobilization under the pretext of an exercise. And since at the time there was a war on, the other countries were surely sensitive to such scheming— especially the Empire, right next door.

Imperial intelligence discovered something brewing in the Federation.

But after making every effort to collect intel, the Imperial Army General Staff concluded that the Federation's exercise wouldn't overstep the bounds of a demonstration.

That was a complete miscalculation.

Of course, after suffering the Republic's sneak attack on the Rhine front, they knew enough to keep their defensive lines sharp.

Still, after surveying "the great majority" of Federation officers, they were convinced. They believed the Federation Army was not interested in starting a major war.

Given that on the all-important Federation side, the majority of commanders believed they were heading to an exercise, the survey results were a matter of course.

The true intentions of the masterminds were completely hidden from the Federation commanders until the last moment. As proof of this, even the State Defense Committee was informed only seventy-two hours before the fighting started.

Which is why, despite its cautious handling of the situation, the Imperial Army was outsmarted. And it was forgiven as such. It did barely manage to get defensive lines built, but the deployment of backup was definitely not ideal.

And that's why, as I mentioned earlier, General von Zettour lamented that they'd been

tricked ("Of all the ridiculous—").

So let's take a look at how this war came to pass, even when Generals von Zettour and Rudersdorf doubted it would start.

Remarkable progress has been made in scholarship of this area in recent years.

Today I'd like to welcome Professor Sherlock of Londinium University's Political Science faculty, who specializes mainly in the key figures of the Federation of that time period.

Thank you very much for coming, Professor Sherlock.

"Thank you for having me. So you want to know the latest news in Kremlinology?"

Yes, sir. I understand that your area of expertise is Kremlinology, the analysis of the Federation leaders.

"That's correct. Information is so limited that it's been a bit like a whodunit, though." Ah, the Federation is secretive to the core indeed.

You wouldn't believe how much time and effort it took to just get our visas to come out and film. I mean, really? Even though the country's Foreign Office issued us entry visas for the Day of Remembrance, there was another form we needed!

Aside from the border police requiring a different permission slip, the Public Health Service required yet another document. Then the Propaganda Ministry nearly confiscated our camera because we didn't have a filming license!

"Ha-ha-ha! That sort of thing must happen all the time. Most of my progress with sources took place outside the Federation."

I see; they're so secretive that you need to do a lot of deduction. But I'm curious about your "progress with sources." For example, are you saying that documents were declassified outside the Federation?

"Exactly. We're finally beginning to discover documents from one of the sides of the conflict—the Empire."

Did you hear that, everyone? Yes, it's the key to unraveling the mystery of this Great War we're investigating. Apparently, there were several pertinent items in these "confidential imperial papers."

So, Professor, what was the reason the Federation decided to go to war? "Probably mass paranoia."

Huh? Sorry, Professor, but could you say that one more time? What did you say?

"Sure, 'mass paranoia.'"

…Sorry, but I don't know much about psychology. Do you mind explaining?

I believe I know the definition of "mass paranoia," but… I can't quite wrap my head around it. I'm incredibly embarrassed to admit this in front of all you viewers, but perhaps I'm not a very bright student.

If you please, Professor.

"Ah, well, the straightforward explanation is that mass paranoia is when members of a group all fall under the same delusion. In this case, the leadership of the Federation as an organization was utterly convinced that their neighbors were out to get them or that if they didn't attack first… they'd be done for."

That strikes me as an awfully extreme hypothesis… What kind of examination did you perform that led you to infer such a conclusion?

"That's a good question. Actually, I hit on it when I was taking a historical approach by trying to understand the context in which the decision was made."

So you investigated the history of the era?

"Exactly. And after much analysis and examination, I found that, from as far as twenty years prior, the Federation leadership's mental state had been gathering attention."

I see. So you looked into the background of the decision. And that's quite a long time ago.

"There was no helping it. In Communist nations, the health and mental status of the leadership is a state secret."

That's similar to our country's politicians. I think they should learn from the royal family and make that information public. Well, not that I think we should allow pushy gossip mags to hound them for it.

Now then, we got off topic. So the Federation leadership was as stubborn about maintaining confidentiality as the Commonwealth's?

And that made your analysis difficult?

"No, no, no. The thickness of the Federation's veil of secrets blows the Commonwealth's out of the water. That said, my main issue was a lack of documentation."

Still, I'd say the Commonwealth's politicians have their guard up higher than average. Our reporting team is never welcome. Anyhow, if the Federation is even more secretive, then I understand why getting your hands on any documents has been so difficult. But you say the situation has changed now?

"That's right. It's all due to a secret we found in the Imperial Army General Staff's documents. After the war, all the materials seized by the alliance armies were declassified, and we finally found it."

Secret Imperial Army documents? And? What did you find?

"Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Dzhugashvili was like a man possessed. The head of the Commissariat for Internal Affairs, Loria, was concluded to be a monomaniac."

Er, that's another awfully extreme conclusion. How in the world did they end up there? Given that these documents are from a country at war, surely the most generous interpretation you can give is that the facts are distorted.

"That's a very good question. But the analysis was performed in a serious, neutral manner by specialists. Even judging by today's standards, they adhered well to the principles of psychological analysis. Our general impression is that they did a proper job."

So we can believe what they said? It's correct and unbiased? If we can believe this information, how reliable do you think it is?

"It's certainly more reliable than the Federation's official accounts."

Which means that the reason the Federation entered the war was… paranoia? How surprising!

…So a mass delusion changed the course of history. It really gives you a sense of how ironic, or perhaps how strange, history is.

This has been WTN Special Correspondent Andrew and Professor Sherlock of Londinium University's Political Science faculty.

-x-X-x-

TEXTBOOK FOR LITTLE CITIZENS: THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION

-x-X-x-

Kind Mr. Josef was worried.

The expectations of all who believed in him were weighing on his shoulders.

Thinking only of the people's happiness, he thought it was time to work hard at developing the Federation.

But…

Its citizens, spoiled by his kindness, only fell into decline. How awful!

Mr. Josef was so upset.

He decided to ask his trusted comrade, Comrade Loria, for a solution. Capable Comrade Loria jumped into action.

First, in order to get the people to understand the importance of work, he took the initiative in starting inspections.

It goes without saying that Comrade Loria had a perfect understanding of Mr. Josef's orders.

He began trying, though never with a high-handed attitude, to persuade the people. If your current job is too difficult, why not try an easier one?

Comrade Loria's activities reflected his understanding of Mr. Josef's kind heart; he thought together with the people about what sort of work would be a good fit for each of them.

Of course, he actively encouraged the people who wanted to try intense or difficult jobs. But Comrade Loria felt that only encouraging them was irresponsible.

In order that they not feel lonely, he sent them helpers. And he decided to look for a manageable job for the people who couldn't handle intense, difficult work.

Actually, this was Comrade Loria's biggest challenge. Each and every person was different. Some comrades were fast runners, while other comrades were slow but strong. Some comrades had very quick minds but a weak sense of responsibility.

It was incredibly difficult to grasp the diversity of the people. That was precisely where his predecessor, Comrade Iezhov, had failed.

But Comrade Loria couldn't betray the trust of Mr. Josef, whom all the people respected.

He had his people investigate nearly the entire country.

He preferred assertive, revolutionary action; there is even a story about how he sent his staff into the wheat fields of a farming village. They kept searching for a new job even as they helped the tearful people bring in their harvest.

Finally, far in the east, they found a simple job that anyone capable of counting could do. Comrade Loria was pleased and asked his subordinate who had found it how many people could be employed that way. The response was ideal.

All the nation's people could be employed, and there would still be openings! This surprised Comrade Loria, so he asked another question.

What in the world is this job?

The answer:

The environmentally friendly job of counting trees in Sildberia.

It was work that soothed the tired people's hearts with the power of nature and would surely protect the environment as well.

People could enjoy forest bathing while gazing up toward the clear starry sky while spending their days devoted to this noble task.

It was truly labor by the people, for the people.

Comrade Loria gleefully decided to report this to Mr. Josef.

Of course, when Mr. Josef heard, he practically jumped for joy.

Pouring his prized Georziyan wine for Comrade Loria, he thanked him for living up to his trust.

The two men looked each other in the eye, and Mr. Josef expressed his sincere gratitude for Comrade Loria's devotion. And he praised him, saying that the country itself should be happy to have such a fine comrade.

It goes without saying that Comrade Loria was thrilled. He promised to work even harder for Mr. Josef—and he faithfully kept that promise, so much so that not a day went by that the people didn't speak of Comrade Loria's unflagging efforts. It seemed like things would go on this way forever, but then one day, Comrade Loria had a dream like a divine revelation.

It almost seemed to predict the future.

Of course, Comrade Loria was a logical Communist, so he wasn't fazed by such unscientific things. He continued to solemnly perform his duties day after day.

But he was tormented by the dream nearly every night.

At that point, even Comrade Loria had to wonder if he was exhausted due to overwork. He decided to ask Mr. Josef, whom he trusted and respected, for advice.

And what do you know—Mr. Josef had been having the same dream! What could it possibly mean?

After thinking for a little while, Mr. Josef logically concluded that both of them had the same worries. After all, the future of the nation was resting on their shoulders. Even if the weight was different for each of them, they both felt it.

Perhaps the dream was caused by some concern they shared.

In other words, perhaps there was something they needed to do.

Mr. Josef and Comrade Loria put some serious thought into that idea. But Mr. Josef hadn't made any particular mistakes domestically. All the people, his comrades, were living happy lives.

Not only that, but he had received a report that the economy was growing well. He searched and searched, but no matter how hard he looked, he could find only reports that said the people's happiness was growing.

And that improvement showed no signs of slowing down.

It was to the point that people who made mistakes competed to see who could participate in the canal construction project first. The people who had been spoiled by Mr. Josef's kindness were finally learning to have a work ethic.

What could there possibly be to worry about?

That was the question flitting across Mr. Josef's mind.

The answer became clear as Mr. Josef, whose strong intellectual curiosity made him eager to learn, was reading a foreign newspaper. Tragically, the world had been enveloped in war!

Since he was in a peaceful country, the war naturally had nothing to do with him. But he had to do something.

And he didn't even have to think to know that the people of the world, surely suffering, needed a final solution.

Mr. Josef, with his wonderful loving heart, tried to think what he could do. Surely there were people somewhere who needed his help.

As the leader of the people, dear Mr. Josef couldn't hesitate.

Comrade Loria persuaded the reluctant Revisionists,8 and Mr. Josef finally knew what they had to do.

Even so, they didn't give up on words at first.

They tried to have a conversation with the militaristic imperialists. Very sadly, however, their words and good faith did not get through to them.

For the peoples of the Republic and the Commonwealth, and for the people oppressed under the imperial authorities, Mr. Josef was forced to act.

That is how Mr. Josef and Comrade Loria's battle began.

Of course, peace-loving Mr. Josef's army severely lacked the experience necessary to fight against the bloodthirsty Imperial Army. Unfortunately, no small number of soldiers went to Sildberia to count trees.

It was certainly not Mr. Josef's intention to force the people to change their jobs. He always gave them a choice, but even so, many people felt they should respond to his kindness and volunteered to join the army.

And that is how the Federation Army ended up fighting for the people of the world.

(from the Commissariat for Education–approved textbook, The People's Textbook for Schoolchildren)

-x-X-x-

JANUARY 17, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, FEDERATION CAPITAL MOSKVA

-x-X-x-

He was a boring man.

His friends didn't find him worth debating against, and in truth, he wasn't. As his

friends were promoted, the organization trusted him with administrative duties, if that.

He was also a stranger to military glory. Rather, he failed stupendously and even hampered his allies' victory. For that reason, he was looked down upon, and no one ever considered him someone to be wary of.

And then he quietly built up his status in an administrative position everyone had avoided.

Having the rights of the administration effectively meant controlling personnel. Little by little, he put people under his influence in inconspicuous yet important positions.

No one saw him as a legitimate threat. They just thought of him as a good underling. And that is how he managed to achieve a definitive rise unhindered by anyone. Until the critical moment, no one saw him as anything but an office worker.

But he held literally every power.

Yes, his famed seniors with illustrious careers were nominally employed in higher- ranking positions, but directly beneath each of those people was one of his men actually managing affairs.

In secret.

That was the modest yet critical key to his ambition. Without anyone knowing, he had taken control of the government's workings. And with that power, he became a force in government by his very nature.

It was right before his predecessors' deaths that they finally realized how dangerous he was, but it was too late.

They had ignored the warning. Everyone aiming to lead the government had let it go in one ear and out the other without bothering to consider it seriously. They paid for that—for what could be described as a "fatal" error—with their and their families' lives and assets.

That's how the man called Josef snatched up one of the world's leading nations, the Federation.

He believed he was the only legitimate leader of the Federation and that he had a mission in history, a mission to restore the Federation's immense power.

He was a calculating man with a devious mind.

To him, the Empire was an allowable disorder. If the Empire didn't exist, the world's bourgeois hatred for Communism might have instigated an alliance against the Federation.

If, however, the Empire was there to meddle in their interests, the bourgeoisie would spend their time on the nearer object of their hate. Even the Federation Army, though reluctantly, acknowledged this strategy to be correct.

But suddenly, they were at war.

It was terribly sudden for the Federation, to say nothing of the Empire.

Every single person had been wanting to know what the dictator's true intentions were; Josef had been brooding in isolation.

He'd been tormented by dreams.

It all started one night as he savored a glass of Georziyan wine, recalling the screams of the irritating, high-level military men he had successfully purged. He nodded off and then awoke with a start.

Someone had spoken to him.

He had experienced someone speaking to him, inviting yet certain. It was a kind voice, yet still horrifying for the listener.

"…'s… st… problem… ,… ink…"

The voice was making some sort of appeal to him. At first, he laughed it off. It's a bit late for that, isn't it?

He had stopped feeling anything about the purges a long time ago. The last bit of humanity left within Josef had vanished with the death of his beloved wife.

Even if he felt unsure about the purges, there was no way he could stop them now. At

any rate, it was kill or be killed. If he stopped, he would die on the blade of a traitor's knife.

"…, wh… think… ,… simple."

Is it telling me to rethink things?

He had cast away the Bible and its ilk in his youth when it hadn't saved him.

The enlightenment of superstitious people would take time and effort, but eradicating them would solve everything, too. Loria was particularly talented in that realm, and Josef was satisfied for the first time.

"…w… sol…"

But the voice calling him didn't know when to quit. Perhaps, as he feared, it had something to do with the mages. Unlike the more replaceable soldiers—or to put it another way, the ones whose necks he could slit at any time—mages were harder to manage. Since even a single mage could resist the organization, letting any of them remain was like leaving live charcoal lying around.

That's why he made a proactive move to stop the dissidents ahead of time. Still, there seemed to be some kind of interference happening that he couldn't comprehend. He reached in annoyance for the receiver to call the head of security. Depending on the situation, he thought it might be better to put someone else in charge.

But he would regret picking up that receiver for the rest of his life. Up until then, the voice had been full of static, but now it rang clearly from the machine.

"It's because you all exist that there's a problem. Very well, let's think about that, then. Yes, after a little thought, it's simple. If none of you was here, there would be no problem."

He felt like something was watching him, a chilling fear… That was the moment his heart clenched.

"Death will solve everything. Therefore, you Communist dogs, this I pronounce unto ye: Dzhugashvili, apostate, God will punish thee. An apostle comes. Even now, an apostle approaches from the west. Thou and the rest of the eastern barbarians shall be eradicated. Fear the apostle's punishment."

"An apostle?" he retorted in spite of himself.

He'd heard the stories when he was a young child, that God sent apostles to both save and judge, but… he never believed them.

God is a fantasy. God doesn't exist.

Of course he doesn't, he told himself. But before he knew it, he realized there was something he might be frightened of.

…The west.

Yes, the west. He couldn't ignore the Empire in the west.

It had been attacked from three directions and come out victorious each time. If they didn't stop the Empire now, whether God existed or not, the Federation… would have to face that immensely powerful Imperial Army alone.

I don't want to think about it, but on the off chance… His thoughts raced, but then he realized he was being deceived. Who came up with this? This must be the work of those miscreants.

"Ha, I'm not going to fall for that. Don't give me this horseshit."

He meant to slam the receiver down at the same time, but instead he found himself perplexed.

He heard something shattering on the floor. When he returned to himself, he saw he had dropped his glass of wine. There wasn't even any sign that he had touched the receiver to call security.

"Sir? What was that noise?!"

"Ah, nothing. I just dropped my glass."

He gave his subordinate a look that silenced the question about what had or hadn't happened—Don't worry about it.

In the eyes on the receiving end of this glare was the fear of being sent away. This learned behavior showed he understood that opening his mouth would be the man's ruin.

Josef firmly believed that the key to controlling people was this fear. "Sorry, but do me a favor and clean it up."

It wasn't hard for him to save face in this situation. No, not this one time.

But similar troubles continued for nights on end. It didn't take long for even this man with nerves of steel to yield to the nightmares.

I must eliminate it.

I absolutely must eliminate it. Josef's mind couldn't tolerate foreign threats any longer. Which is why…

Even though it was low on officers due to the purges, the farmers' ressentiment stemming from the collectivization policy was about to explode, and he had just finished purging the mages; he had to mobilize the army.

He had to turn his imperfect military into the war machine that was the Empire. Of course, in Josef's country, soldiers grew on trees.