Chapter 575: Karma(2)
Chapter 575: Karma(2)
A few more days passed after I received what was essentially a declaration of war from Geist.
During those days, life flowed by in a mundane routine. The Xenon Festival was just around the corner, so I had to help my father with the preparations.
In between, I received some sweet yet passionate "care" from my lovers, played with Ariel and Lily, and played Baduk with Grandfather Clark.
Oh, speaking of Baduk, Grandfather Clark recently started playing with Kate. He claimed it was a "test of patience" or something like that.
From where I stood, it just looked like he’d finally found a newbie and managed to rope her in. Still, Baduk is good for cultivating patience and character, so I didn't mind.
Aside from that, I checked the list of high-profile figures arriving from various countries. I had a rough idea of who would show up, but there were some unexpected guests.
"Father, I heard there are people here from Stavirk?"
"What?"
My father, who had been buried in paperwork, looked up in genuine surprise. It was rare to see him that startled.
With that thought, I handed him the documents. He frowned slightly as he scanned the contents.
Eventually, he clicked his tongue and spoke in a tone that suggested a growing headache.
"I suppose I should have expected this. They were the ones who came when you first revealed your identity. I’ll have to warn them strictly against any political activities, though."
"We definitely have to stop that."
the moment a festival is tinged with political intent, it loses its essence. A festival is a cultural event meant to be enjoyed by everyone without resentment.
Of course, there would be artists sending political messages through "satire" using Xenon Chronicle or Blood and Iron.
But that much was tolerable. It was acceptable as long as it stayed within the realm of art; they just couldn't hold blatant protests.
Besides, the people from Stavirk would likely seek me out after they’d finished enjoying the festival.
Recalling the Stavirk representatives I had met during my identity reveal, I asked my father, "What do you think of the people from Stavirk, Father?"
"To be honest, I don't have much interest in them. However, if they're going to make this much noise, I'd rather they just go ahead and gain their independence. They've always felt more distant compared to other regions anyway."
"But given their location, it won't be easy for the Empire to let them go."
Father nodded in agreement. As I’d mentioned before, Stavirk’s geography was similar to the Korean Peninsula.
It had far more access to the sea than other regions and was quite close to the Kingdom of Tayros across the water.
Furthermore, it held high geopolitical value because it provided a sea route to Albenheim. The land was even larger than the actual Korean Peninsula.
In fact, looking at history, Stavirk had been invaded as frequently as Korea. It was constantly being attacked from both the north and the south.
The only reason they were incorporated into the Human Alliance during the Race War was thanks to the genius diplomacy of the Alliance leader at the time.
However, as time passed and those ties weakened, the desire for independence began to burn brighter.
"It would be best to meet the Stavirk officials separately and give them a warning. Tell them that while everything else is fine, they must not conduct independence movements publicly outside of their art. Tell them it will only damage their image."
"Understood. Is there anything I can help with?"
"No. I'll just have the knights relay my message. Is there anything else?"
"If you mean other guests..."
I thought of one particular group of dignitaries who had officially announced their attendance—one that weighed on my mind.
It was the participation of the Ters Royal Family. I hadn't expected the royals themselves to attend, even if the nobles did.
After the crushing blow I dealt them, Friedrich, the former king, had been demoted to Prince Consort, and Queen Maria had taken the throne.
Fortunately, Queen Maria was a capable ruler; she had quickly managed the chaos and stabilized the kingdom.
'The participants are everyone except the royal couple...'
"Everyone else" meant Laos, Hiriya, and finally, Lara. The same group that had attended the first festival.
Lara, the last conscience of the Ters Royal Family, was fine, but the other two concerned me.
Crown Prince Laos was someone who had refused to apologize to the very end, and Hiriya had become a total wreck.
I’d have to wait and see how they acted, but I doubted they would be the same as before.
"The Kingdom of Tayros is a bit concerning, but it'll be fine."
"Tayros... I see. We'll just have to keep an eye on them."
Knock, knock, knock—
A knock sounded at the door. Both my father and I looked up instantly.
I had given orders not to knock unless it was an important matter. The fact that someone was knocking meant something was up.
[Baron Hawk. The guests the Young Master mentioned have arrived.]
It was Adelia's voice. I looked at my father as soon as I heard her.
Since he had already been briefed, he simply nodded in response.
With my father's permission granted, I stood up without delay and walked toward the door.
Click—
"They've arrived?"
"Yes. They should be entering the mansion right about now."
Talking with Adelia, I strode toward the main entrance on the first floor.
I exchanged greetings with everyone I passed in the hallway while we discussed the people I was about to meet.
"Nothing unusual, right?"
"Aside from the fact that he's trembling so hard he looks like he might collapse? He asked me countless times if he was really going to meet you."
"That's a bit much. He already broke through the guards once just to get an autograph."
"Oh. And also..."
Adelia hesitated, glancing at me as if she had something more to say.
There’s nothing more tantalizing than someone stopping mid-sentence. I urged her on with a look that said, Spit it out.
However, she just smirked and left me with a cryptic remark.
"No, it's better if you see it for yourself."
"What is it?"
"Let's just say it's one of the things you're responsible for."
I had no idea what she was talking about. No matter how much I asked, Adelia just kept repeating that I’d understand once I saw him.
And I realized exactly what she meant the moment I reached the first-floor entrance.
"...That's him, right?"
"Yep. That's him."
"The guy who risked his life to get my autograph a year ago?"
"The very same."
It was Roy, the adventurer who had won the Demon Worshipper Subjugation event and received a signed copy from me.
Thanks to his incredible performance during the event, both his name and face were well-known. I knew he had also participated in Jin's funeral event.
"Why is there a muscular Hitler standing there?"
But why had he become Hitler? And a buff Hitler at that.
The mustache was one thing, but his overall appearance was a dead ringer for Hitler. That couldn't have been easy to pull off.
While I stood there dumbfounded, the muscular Hitler spotted me and his face lit up.
The short-haired woman next to him reacted the same way, her eyes widening as she stared at me.
"Z-Z-Zenon-nim! Heil—!"
"Stop it! You crazy bastard! You absolutely cannot do that!"
Whoever stopped him, thank you so much.
*
The Xenon Festival was fast approaching. Even though the festivities hadn't officially begun, the Maishal Territory was already teeming with people.
Food vendors wore happy smiles as their goods sold like wildfire, and inns offered top-tier service, inviting tourists to rest.
It was a festival that happened only once a year. It was the most famous and popular festival in the world.
The world's masters came to showcase their work, aspiring artists came to take their first steps, and veteran artists came to spread their philosophies.
Though their purposes varied, the essence of the festival remained the same, and under the protection of the gods, it was incredibly safe.
However, not everyone was happy. With so many people—especially different races—gathering in one place, incidents were bound to happen.
Someone who discriminated against a Demon in a tavern got beaten to a pulp; someone who recklessly challenged a Beastkin got bitten; someone called an Elf a "pointy-ear," and so on.
In such cases, divine judgment followed immediately, making the cleanup very efficient, but preventing the accidents themselves was extremely difficult.
As a result, the guards responsible for public order were suffering. It was to the point where the Minerva Empire had sent direct support.
And there was one place suffering just as much as the security forces.
"Why can't I pass! I have my ID right here!"
"It's not about the ID; we need to search your person. So please, take off that outfit."
"Absurd! You dare touch this clothing? This uniform that a master craftsman painstakingly labored over?!"
It was the checkpoint. The knight in charge of the checkpoint sighed at the shouting pedestrian.
Again. Another person talking nonsense. The knight looked at the man with a face etched with fatigue.
The pedestrian's attire was certainly unusual. It looked like a modified uniform, reminiscent of a soldier's.
However, anyone who had read Blood and Iron would have guessed. This person had also been inspired by the stylish Nazi uniforms and had one custom-made.
'Dammit. If you're going to do it, at least make it pitch black like the Nazis.'
The problem was that, originally, uniforms could only be worn by soldiers or nobles of equivalent rank. It was actually mandated by law.
Of course, since uniforms themselves exuded a certain charm, it had been decided to turn a blind eye during the Xenon Festival.
In particular, the Nazi-style uniforms—the black ones that evoked a villainous image—were allowed to pass.
Now that Nazi Germany had been transformed into the perfect "villain" in the books, it was considered nothing more than cosplay.
"If you're going to imitate them, do it properly. I just need to confirm you're not an actual soldier, so hurry up and take it off."
"Blast it..."
However, anyone wearing a uniform who wasn't a soldier had to undergo a thorough inspection.
It wasn't just one or two people showing up in uniforms; so many were wearing them that they had to be inspected one by one.
If an accident were to happen later, someone might try to dodge responsibility, or the blame might fall on the wrong people.
The knight passed the man in the uniform after a thorough check. He didn't even know how many times he’d done this today.
"At least the uniforms are better. Some crazy bastard came dressed as a Demon."
"Sigh. Don't even get me started. I don't know why there are so many weirdos in this world."
As the knight grumbled, the world was indeed vast, and weirdos were plenty. There were quite a few people who had even dressed up as Demons, claiming they were from Xenon Chronicle.
It was so convincing that the guards had almost sounded the emergency alarm in a panic. Fortunately, the person had removed their disguise, and the situation was resolved quietly.
"How is it that the quality keeps getting higher every year? You don't think a bomber is going to fly over, do you?"
"No way. It's more realistic to expect an armored division of tanks to come rolling in."
"That would be an act of war. What kind of lunatic would show up like—"
Boom— Boom— Boom—
As the knight was speaking, a heavy drumming sound reached his ears. At first, it was so faint he thought he’d misheard.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But he hadn't misheard. The knight and his subordinate turned their heads toward the source of the drumming.
It wasn't just them; everyone at the checkpoint, whether they were guards or travelers, did the same. They all shifted their gaze toward the rear.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
The sound of footsteps synchronized with the steady beat of the drums. The disciplined sound exuded a sense of intimidation.
The knight shouted up to the watchtower to find out what was happening. The lookout should have seen it by now.
"Watchtower! Do you see anything!"
"Yes!! I see them!!"
Fortunately, they were in sight. The knight moved to the next question.
"What do you see!"
"Uh..."
But this time, an immediate answer didn't come. It seemed the lookout was at a loss for words.
Frowning, the knight climbed up the watchtower himself. He’d rather just see it with his own eyes.
"Give me the telescope. What could it possibly be that you can't—"
The knight, identifying the source of the sound through the telescope, was left speechless.
Because in the distance, the flag of Nazi Germany was clearly visible.
And beneath that flag, soldiers of Nazi Germany were "marching" with perfect discipline.
Their rifles looked like they were crudely made of wood, but their uniforms were immaculate. They were the spitting image of the descriptions in Blood and Iron.
[Where we are, there is only advancement,]
[And the devil just laughs when he sees us.]
[Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.]
Perhaps because they were getting closer, the sound of their singing began to reach his ears.
The knight slowly lowered the telescope, looking as if he had lost his ability to speak.
Now, even without the telescope, the marching soldiers were clearly visible.
[We fight for Germany.]
[And we fight for Hitler.]
[The Reds shall never find rest.]
The world was vast.
"...Are we going to let those ones through too?"
"...Even if they're weirdos, we have to. Let's just get to work."
And there were far too many weirdos.