Chapter 586: Extermination(3)
Chapter 586: Extermination(3)
The illustration of Succubus Cecile has been posted in the announcements! Please go take a look!
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If Xenon Biography had varying degrees of influence on each race, Blood and Iron left its mark on civilization itself.
Because of this, it tended to be more polarizing compared to Xenon Biography. While Xenon Biography was a story that gave each race a "rush of pride," Blood and Iron was different.
However, that didn't mean its popularity was any lower. Even if it didn't inject racial pride, it spread far and wide as a book that "showed the future."
In fact, tanks and factories powered by mana engines had already begun to appear. Furthermore, the value of oil had skyrocketed.
Above all, Blood and Iron was fantasy—a type of fantasy that the people of this world could never have dared to imagine.
Moreover, the fact that it wasn't pure fantasy, but a "realizable fantasy," held a tremendous allure.
[If you wish to see the future, read Blood and Iron.]
As a famous critic once said, Blood and Iron was literally no different from a glimpse into the future.
It depicted the development of political ideologies and scientific civilization in that future, and further, the horrific wars that resulted from them.
In this world, where wars did not break out as frequently as on Earth, it might have sounded like a story from a distant land, yet Blood and Iron contained so many relatable elements.
Take Albenheim, for example—a nation that suffered a massive blow to its pride after being defeated by the Human Alliance in the Race War.
It was often evaluated that if a figure like Hitler had appeared there, Albenheim would have soon become just like Nazi Germany.
And it wasn't just Albenheim; Helium was no different. People often said that Helium would have been even more dangerous.
They were a race that lacked for nothing compared to others, yet they faced discrimination; they were a race strong enough to be compared to the Elves.
Because they held restraint as a virtue, they had developed great patience, but it was also an environment ripe for the spread of fascism.
Blood and Iron was a book that showed the future, but it was also a warning—a warning so that even if someone like Hitler appeared in the future, people would not be swept up in the madness.
In this sense, Helium was an excellent customer for Blood and Iron. Just as with Xenon Biography, it was establishing itself as essential reading and a textbook.
Of course, compared to Xenon Biography, it was quite a "spicy" read, leading to mixed reviews. Furthermore, most of the main characters were men.
Did this make it unpopular among women? When the Second World War began in earnest, that was somewhat the case.
[War affects everyone, regardless of age or gender. The German-Soviet War vividly shows the situation when a nation is pushed to the brink.]
At least, until the German-Soviet War broke out.
In the early stages of the German-Soviet War, the Soviet Union was pushed back helplessly due to the Great Purge and Stalin's sheer incompetence.
This led to the Siege of Leningrad, where the "Path of Hungry Ghosts" unfolded, and the front lines pushed right to the edge of the capital, Moscow.
Every man capable of fighting headed to the front lines to risk his life, while the rest, including women, produced supplies in munitions factories.
A wartime system where everyone, regardless of age or gender, focused solely on the war. It was more than vivid; it was so profoundly realistic that it became immersive in a different way.
There was almost no hopeful content. If the front lines were breached and the soldiers vanished, all that remained for the civilians were horrific war crimes.
So, people were looking forward to it—waiting for the day Nazi Germany would be thrashed soundly by the Soviet Union or other nations.
Nazi Germany was certainly a compelling villain, but even that charm could not cover up their atrocities. Though, ironically, that only served to increase their dark allure.
In any case, while many people hoped for the downfall of Nazi Germany, not everyone felt that way.
"I hope Moscow falls soon."
Here was a Demon boy who looked to be in his early teens. He had the black hair and red eyes characteristic of his race, along with ordinary horns.
Currently, the boy was lying on his bed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Resting on his thighs was the newly published volume of Blood and Iron.
Judging by this alone, he looked like any other ordinary reader of Blood and Iron, but the boy's room was anything but ordinary.
He had boldly hung a cloth emblazoned with the Hakenkreuz, the flag of Nazi Germany.
One didn't need to think twice to know what the boy was obsessed with.
Knock, knock—
"Son? Are you going to eat dinner now?"
Just as he was about to open the book, a woman's voice drifted in from outside. The knock followed.
To the carefully phrased question, the boy gave a curt reply.
"I'll eat after I finish this!"
"Alright. You make sure you eat, okay?"
"Yes~"
Hearing the boy's answer, the woman moved away from the door. Or rather, she tried to.
"I'm just saying this just in case, but it's fine to read books. However..."
"Ugh, I told you I'll take care of it!"
The boy replied somewhat irritably, unlike before. At his response, the woman outside let out a faint sigh.
"...Alright. Just make sure you eat."
Leaving only those words, the boy's mother quietly disappeared. Regardless, the boy opened the book with an expectant face.
However, as a story different from his expectations unfolded, the boy's expression soon turned to disappointment.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Pearl Harbor Attack, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom appeared as the primary nations.
'Well, it's still fun, so whatever. These details must be important too.'
His disappointment was brief, and he began to read Blood and Iron with a joyful heart.
'Hitler and Nazi Germany will definitely conquer the world.'
Currently, Hitler and Nazi Germany were undeniable "villains," so many people had turned their backs on them.
However, a significant number of people were still rooting for them, and even they did so because the duo's charm as villains was so outstanding.
In other words, few were deeply impressed by their actions or ideology. But that was only the public sentiment.
'A person like Hitler should have appeared in Helium.'
The boy fit into this category. As a Demon, he followed Isaac as a Savior, but separately from that, he desired a Hitler.
Just as Hitler had rescued his beloved Germany from the quagmire of defeatism, he wanted a Demon hero to save Helium.
'We Demons use magic as freely as Elves, and our martial prowess is superior. I don't understand why we pursue restraint.'
While Cecile compared the Jews, who were under heavy pressure from Nazi Germany, to the Demons, the boy did the opposite—he projected Helium onto Germany.
Innate abilities that rivaled the Elves. Unlike the Elves, they were never arrogant, and they even had a culture they had built themselves.
They lacked for nothing, yet Helium had been isolated until now, half by choice and half by force. All for the trivial reason of being descendants of demons.
With a mindset that had not yet mentally matured, he could not understand Helium's culture.
'Lady Mora protects us, too. It wouldn't have mattered if we went to war under the pretext of showing that we Demons are human.'
In such a situation, the work Blood and Iron had revealed itself to the world. In particular, the ideological parts aligned to some extent with the boy's thoughts.
One of the things Isaac had feared had manifested in the boy: not the development of civilization, but ideological assimilation.
Furthermore, the boy was in the period Demons were most wary of—puberty, the "Little Devil" stage. An age where one is mentally and physically immature and prone to causing all sorts of trouble.
In the past, there would have been concerns about Demonization, but that problem had been somewhat alleviated thanks to Isaac.
However, the fact that they were emotionally unstable remained unchanged, leaving Demon parents with deep concerns.
'Mom and Dad said I shouldn't have such thoughts... but not me.'
The boy firmly believed that Helium absolutely needed a figure like Hitler. Wasn't that why he had hung the Nazi flag in his room?
An atmosphere that went beyond discriminating against Jews to outright hating them? If it weren't for Isaac, all Demons would have been facing discrimination.
The war crimes committed by Nazi Germany? It was just that Nazi Germany was extreme; that's just how war was.
Just as Isaac had predicted that they would be the most susceptible to fascism, the boy truly sympathized with Hitler's ideology.
Of course, due to his immature mind and lack of experience, his way of thinking was bound to be biased.
He ignored the negative aspects and interpreted even those to his liking—a judgment fitting for his unstable emotions.
'There are many people who think like me.'
The boy wasn't the only problem. Currently, in Helium, there were people here and there who sympathized with fascism.
Cecile had worked so hard to drive out the radical Demons, but now the time to face fascism was slowly approaching.
Fortunately, they hadn't crossed the line like the radical Demons yet. For now, it was nothing more than a small gathering.
'The first party Hitler joined was similar to this. We'll be able to grow in size gradually.'
However, if that gathering grew, it was highly likely to become a headache for Helium in the future.
After all, hadn't Dwarven Communism already established itself in Machina? There were even signs of democracy being introduced to the Animus.
A fascism that shaved off the extreme aspects of the fascism in Blood and Iron, a fascism that everyone could accept.
Not an ideology that made enemies of everyone around it, like the radical Demons did, but one that could unite the Demons as one.
'To do that, we need a strong leader like Hitler. I wonder if Princess Cecile will become such a leader?'
In fact, Cecile enjoyed powerful support in Helium. First of all, being Isaac's lover gave her a huge advantage.
It was originally known as an open secret, but recently there were reports that they had been walking around openly with their arms crossed at the Xenon Festival.
If it had been anyone else, it would have been headline news, but because it was Isaac and no one else, everyone accepted it and moved on.
The fact that he had a fiancée wasn't an issue either, as rumor had it that even she couldn't handle Isaac's stamina at night and had brought in another woman.
Of course, this was beyond the boy's understanding. He only anticipated that Princess Cecile would become a strong leader.
'Her true colors will be revealed when Lord Isaac returns to the embrace of nature.'
Isaac was a human. A human with a lifespan far shorter than that of a Demon.
Though he was loved by the gods, it was highly likely he could not escape the laws set by nature.
So, in a hundred years at the latest, Isaac would no longer be in this world. From then on, all the restrictions placed on the world would be lifted.
'Let's prepare for that time. I can be of great help to Helium.'
The boy dreamed of a future that was very much like a typical adolescent's. He read the book, firmly believing that Helium would achieve wealth and military strength just like Nazi Germany.
The Hakenkreuz flag hanging on the wall behind him seemed to represent the boy's heart.
"Huh?"
But what was this? The boy felt a sense of doubt as he read about the "Wannsee Conference" taking place toward the end.
"The Final Solution to the Jewish question? What is this?"
His joy at the appearance of the SS was short-lived; the contents of the meeting were ominous.
The boy was well aware that discrimination and persecution against Jews were taking place.
He had simply brushed it off, thinking the Jews must have done something wrong to deserve it.
It seemed the Wannsee Conference that appeared this time was also deeply related to the Jews.
'They said there are more Jews because of the war, right? Are they just going to deport them?'
Even though the boy was a "Little Devil" with many immature traits, he still possessed at least a sense of "morality."
One must not hit people without reason. One must not take a life recklessly. One must not commit crimes, and so on.
The crimes that appeared in the war were due to the special circumstances of war. Therefore, even the boy admitted that Nazi Germany was too extreme in this regard.
He never thought that crimes were justified or moral. This was not an ideological issue, but a moral one.
Of course, Hitler was also a man far removed from morality. It was thanks to that that Nazi Germany could take power.
In a situation where he was occasionally confused by this, the boy realized that "morality" was not his final line of defense.
"......Eh?"
The boy's eyes widened as he learned the meaning of "extermination." He re-read it several times to see if he had misread it.
But nothing changed. The theme of the Wannsee Conference boiled down to just one thing.
The extermination of the Jews—that is, the elimination of the Jewish race itself.
The word "extinction," which should only be used for animals, was being used for people without a shred of guilt.
And beyond just using the word, they had approved the project. A project for the total massacre of all Jews.
'Come to think of it, Operation T4 was also...'
The boy's mind fell into uncontrollable chaos. If nothing else, he could clearly judge that this was "wrong."
At the same time, he felt the blood in his entire body turn cold. It felt as if he had seen the end of the ideology he had sympathized with until just a moment ago.
It was the other races that first discriminated against the Demons. Therefore, it was a just price for the Demons to persecute other races as well.
On an individual level, it was an ideology akin to racial supremacism, but if it grew to a national scale, it was no different from Nazi Germany.
'This... this isn't right. This is just...'
They were demons in human skin. Only a demon would choose extermination as a "final solution."
It was absolutely not a thought a human would have. Perhaps a god could, but for one human to exterminate another race...
Before morality, his "humanity" triggered an instinctive revulsion. It was a shock massive enough to stagger even an immature boy.
"..."
The boy quietly closed the book. Perhaps the aftereffects were severe, as he stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time.
Then, the Nazi German flag hanging proudly behind him caught his eye. The flag that had looked so great until just a moment ago now looked like the symbol of a "demon."
The boy wanted Helium to be a strong nation; he never wanted it to become a demon.
And so.
Rip! Tear!
He immediately tore it to shreds. Then, he used magic to burn it to ashes so that not even a trace remained.
"Hey! What is this energy... what are you doing?!"
"Ah! Mom!"
"I can't deal with you! I really can't! Didn't I tell you magic is forbidden in the house! What if the house collapses?!"
His mother, sensing the magical energy, burst in and gave him a smack on the back for good measure.
Thus, the boy, who had almost fallen into fascism, was able to escape safely.
[Groups sympathizing with fascism in Helium voluntarily disband.]
[The contents revealed in the Wannsee Conference are the ideas of 'demons' themselves.]
[Will they actually carry this out? If they really do, even demon worshippers would have to take a back seat.]
[Demon worshippers engaged in slave trading for sacrifices. But this is literally for the sake of extinction...]
The world was in an uproar.
