Chapter 563: The Past(1)
Chapter 563: The Past(1)
As the Xenon Festival drew near, the serialization of Blood and Iron paused just before the outbreak of the German-Soviet War.
Even though it stopped right before the invasion of the Soviet Union, it wasn't as if nothing was happening. Italy was there, acting as the ever-present fixture that added flavor to the narrative.
Hitler had originally planned to invade the Soviet Union before winter, but everything was derailed from the start when Italy invaded Greece.
It might have been different if Italy had actually won, but their track record of being crushed by French mountain troops followed them—they were humiliated by the Greeks as well.
It got to the point where Nazi Germany complained that they had to deploy twenty divisions for a task that should have only required two, all because of Italy.
[Nazi Germany is a devil. The Soviet Union is a monster. What on earth is Italy?]
[It’s almost impressive how they manage to mess things up to that extent. However, historically, such situations are surprisingly common.]
That wasn't all. On the North African Front, they achieved a miracle of mathematics: advancing 100 kilometers only to be pushed back 800 kilometers.
Even considering that Britain had finished defending its mainland, Italy’s behavior was the height of absurdity. They were already throwing parties, convinced they had won.
Fortunately, Nazi Germany deployed Rommel, and since not every Italian unit was incompetent, they managed to put up a fierce fight.
However, once the German-Soviet War broke out, support—logistical or otherwise—became impossible. Rommel himself also had a weakness: he was brilliant at tactics but poor at strategy.
[Germany breaks the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact! The head-on collision between the devil and the monster finally begins.]
[While Germany has built strength and experience through constant combat, the Soviet Union is in a weakened state, as seen in the Winter War.]
[Stalin continues to ignore reports from spies. This will lead to a great disaster later on.]
People looked forward to the clash between the "devil" and the "monster" with great anticipation.
[The casualties of the previous Great War were approximately 40 million?! Is such a number even possible?]
[Counting only soldiers, about 32 million were killed or wounded. This was possible because the invention of the gun allowed anyone to be turned into a soldier.]
[This war will be even worse, certainly not better.]
As the German-Soviet War began, the revealed casualty figures from World War I left everyone in a state of shock.
These numbers soon sparked a controversy. People argued that since the casualties in the Race War were around 3 million, these figures were surely an exaggeration.
In response, many scholars offered the opinion that such numbers were only possible because of the invention of the "gun." Most people eventually agreed.
While the Race War was a conflict between "warriors," a World War was a place where every citizen could become a soldier. The sheer scale of conscription was on a different level.
Furthermore, the "firepower" that had been consistently described throughout the story put the controversy to rest. To the people of this world, it must have felt like Meteors were being rained down constantly.
[What about logistics? Is it even possible to properly supply an army of that size?]
[They might be able to meet production demands, much like the factories currently operating in the Minerva Empire. But food is a different story.]
[France has its granaries, but that alone won't be enough.]
[There must be a secret here. A secret to feeding a massive army of over a million men.]
However, many people found the "logistics" aspect difficult to accept. Naturally, this included the firepower fanatic, Marshall.
Marshall wrote what was practically a thesis explaining the importance of logistics—the amount of supplies a soldier consumes per day, preservation, transportation, and so on.
He provided a thorough analysis across various fields. However, these were strictly professional opinions, not a critique of my writing.
[Fritz Haber, the chemist who made bread from air. A Jew exiled due to Hitler’s beliefs.]
[The concept of chemistry is similar to alchemy. Is alchemy the key to solving the food shortage?]
[The time has come to designate alchemy as a formal 'academic discipline.']
Thanks to Marshall’s persuasive commentary, many people began to delve into alchemy—or rather, chemistry.
Food shortages have been the worst enemy of humanity and the primary cause of conflict throughout history. It is a field that even Divine Power cannot fully address.
I had expected this to some extent, so I moved past it easily. It was something I had already advised Lina on, and progress was being made.
Originally, alchemy was closer to philosophy than science, but that was slowly changing. The development of the mana engine played a huge role in this.
The mana engine was an invention created by humanity, not a gift from the gods; it was a "machine" that remained largely unaffected by the natural environment.
[Humanity grew under the blessing of the gods. The gods are the parents and the sanctuary of humanity. Therefore, it is now time for us to become independent.]
A fairly renowned philosopher went as far as to make such a bold statement. That commentary has been sparking various controversies ever since.
Naturally, the strongest opposition came from Savior. I heard they were even making threats, telling people to prepare for divine judgment.
A tiny snowball had started rolling and was gradually growing in size—a "snowball effect" was in progress.
As for the Demon Worshippers... they were doing nothing. I didn't know what they were plotting, but they were just staying quiet.
However, their influence was beginning to surface in a different way.
[The human experimentation conducted by the Demon Worshippers, though inhumane, is useful. They have meticulously categorized which herbs become toxic when combined and which do not.]
[According to records written by a Demon Worshipper who forcibly removed a stomach, digestion is impossible without one.]
[There is something in the ear called a eardrum. If the eardrum is damaged, hearing is severely impaired...]
[Drinking seawater increases thirst. The Demon Worshippers divided subjects into several groups to experiment...]
It was the data from the human experiments conducted by the Demon Worshippers. Since they were the type to offer humans as sacrifices, they didn't hesitate to perform human experiments either.
Even more shocking was the existence of "baby factories"—something even Nazi Germany had eventually scrapped as going too far.
I heard news that most of the people who discovered those sites were suffering from PTSD.
[You want us to learn from the knowledge of Demon Worshippers? This is blatant sacrilege!]
[What do you intend to do with the evil knowledge of Demon Worshippers!]
[God will not tolerate this!]
As expected, a backlash of a completely different magnitude erupted. Records of Demon Worshippers, of all things?
It was at a level where no one could complain even if the gods were so enraged they caused a natural disaster. Not just Savior, but others as well, tried to discourage it, saying this was crossing a line.
As I explained before, temples serve as hospitals in this world. Most wounds or illnesses can be treated with Divine Power.
The debate was split between those who questioned the need to develop medicine and those who argued it should be accepted because it might be useful someday.
[Demon Worshippers are abominable beings. Yet, paradoxically, we would never have gained this knowledge if not for them.]
[We cannot always rely on divine help to save people. God surely wants us to perform miracles ourselves.]
[You claim God won't tolerate saving lives? What a joke.]
Amidst the heated debate, I maintained my silence.
If I intervened unnecessarily, I might face a severe backlash. Besides, I still didn't know the Demon Worshippers' true intentions.
Still, I wanted to support the "medical" side. The knowledge the Demon Worshippers gained through human experimentation was extremely useful.
What was even more surprising was that their work was closer to "academic study" compared to the human experiments conducted by the Axis Powers during World War II. This was something I heard from Lina.
The experiments performed by the Axis were driven by eugenics and weapon development rather than the pure advancement of medicine.
In contrast, while the Demon Worshippers treated humans like animals, they conducted "research" in the truest sense of the word.
What is their actual goal?
That made me even more curious. Their actions were like radioactive waste, yet they were useful in this regard.
I was confused as to whether they truly wanted progress or if they wanted to reset the world.
One thing was certain, though. They were pieces of trash who deserved to rot in hell, not be forgiven.
The moment someone identified themselves as a Demon Worshipper, I was ready to slap them across the face.
"So, is there a reason you brought us to the temple?"
And now, I was ready to show my past to the people I loved.
Inside the White Room of the Temple of Mora, my father asked with a voice full of curiosity.
There was exactly one week left until the Xenon Festival.
During that time, I planned to show my loving family everything about my previous life.
Since Dave and Nicole happened to be on leave, it was the perfect timing.
"Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I want to show you my past."
"Your past..."
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
The atmosphere grew heavy the moment I mentioned my past. My mother looked at me with a worried gaze.
I didn't know what they were imagining, but it definitely wasn't that.
"I'm fine. I really called you all here because I want to clear up any misunderstandings."
"If you say so, then alright, but..."
Even after my explanation, their worried looks didn't fade. I chuckled and looked around.
My loving family and my lovers were all gathered together. Seeing them like this felt strange.
There was no way for anyone else to see us. I had already informed the Temple of Mora, and we were hidden by magic.
"Ahem. Isaac."
As I was looking around, Nicole approached me cautiously. I turned my head to look at my dependable older sister.
She stared blankly at the pregnant Mari for a moment before glancing at Adelia.
Adelia looked fascinated by the interior of the Temple of Mora, as it was her first time visiting.
"This might be a weird question given the situation, but... let's say Mari was an accident. I can understand that."
"What are you trying to say?"
"But Adelia..."
Before Nicole, unable to contain her curiosity, could finish her sentence—
"You, come here. Stop talking nonsense."
"Ah, hey!"
Dave, sensing it beforehand, grabbed Nicole by the scruff of her neck and dragged her away.
Nicole struggled, but she couldn't break free from Dave's grip.
"I'm just worried! What if he accidentally gets Adelia pregnant too?"
"I can hear everything! Adelia! Do something about your friend!"
"Ugh. How embarrassing."
"Hey! Don't you have any pride? Regardless of being the primary wife or whatever, as a woman, your pride—"
Nicole, who cherished Adelia, shouted something, but she was quickly silenced. I scratched my cheek with a sheepish smile.
I understood Nicole's behavior; to her, Adelia was her best friend. And that friend's lover was her own younger brother.
It must be complicated for her in many ways. She probably even felt a sense of responsibility since she was the one who forced us together.
But as Nicole said herself, it had nothing to do with the current situation. We could talk about that slowly once we returned to the mansion.
"Ahem. Since things seem to have settled down, I'll continue. As I said, I'm going to show you the story of my previous life—my past. You shouldn't expect too much. As I've always said, I was just an ordinary human in my past life."
"Wouldn't a story about an ordinary human becoming a Saint with divine help sell quite well?"
Cecile raised her hand and offered a clear counterargument to my explanation. Her smiling face was incredibly radiant.
As I stood there blankly, not knowing what to say, Leona added in her characteristically cynical tone.
"After the Xenon Biography, is it the Isaac Biography? I think it'll be interesting."
"It may be nothing more than an autobiography, but I am certain it will be a tale rivaling the Xenon Chronicle."
"You're already far from ordinary, so do you really need to tell us not to be disappointed?"
Following Leona, Arwen spoke, and then Mari delivered the final blow. I couldn't help but scratch the back of my head.
If I actually wrote it down, it would be a legendary achievement, a story bordering on myth. Hearing it again made me wonder if I just had low self-esteem.
"A-anyway. There's no big reason for showing you my past. Since I have nothing left to hide, I just want to clear up some misunderstandings."
"Misunderstandings... You mean about your country being prosperous?"
"Yeah. And I also want to show you what kind of world mine was. Showing you once is better than explaining it a hundred times. The first thing I'll show you is..."
I slowly closed my eyes and visualized. To clear up their misunderstandings, it would be best to show them the true face of South Korea.
My family and lovers thought of my country as a place devastated by civil war.
They didn't believe me at all when I said it developed with the help of advanced nations. On top of that, there was the issue of me being forcibly conscripted due to the draft.
Explaining all of this one by one would take too long, so I had to build up to it slowly.
Let's see. What should I show first?
A flashy downtown area? Or my school days? Or...
"Ah, fuck."
At that moment, a vivid curse word pierced my ears. Startled, my eyes snapped open.
Instead of the White Room, I saw a very familiar military barracks. It was a place that felt both nostalgic and like total shit.
And in front of the television placed in the center...
"Those bastards fired another missile. Are they protesting for rice again?"
Before heading out for guard duty, my past self sat there, grumbling while watching the news.
Wait. Why am I showing them this?
[Hehe.]
...Lady Mora?
[You seemed to be struggling with what to choose, so I helped you out a bit.]
"..."
I seriously doubted whether she was joking or just completely lacked tact.