Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: July Crisis (2)
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“As you probably know, that shooting in Sarajevo has finally triggered the Great War.”
“You seem awfully certain.”
“Neither Austria nor Russia can back down now. That means the Entente powers and our allies will get dragged in too... It’ll be a chain reaction.”
Minister Falkenhayn spoke dreamily as he kept stroking his glass.
But I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
I knew he was right because I remembered the future, but how could he be so sure?
The leaders of every nation had desperately tried to avert war right up until it broke out.
We weren’t even at that point yet. How could he be so confident?
“...”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
I stared at Minister Falkenhayn, letting my confusion show, and he chuckled softly.
“The diplomatic interests and relationships between nations are like interlocking gears. No single person can stop them. Not even...”
He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.
“...that baguette-munching president of theirs, the pirate chief of the barbarians’ Tsar... not even our Kaiser could halt this.”
“...”
“The gears are already turning. I always knew a day like this would come.”
He really was an exceptional general.
Minister Falkenhayn had an eerily accurate grasp of the situation.
He was right. The July Crisis meant it would all be over by the end of July.
There was just over a month left until the gears fully engaged and the war machine roared to life.
The minister raised his voice again.
“But you were even more precise. Pinpointing the year? It gives me chills.”
I could see greed burning in his gleaming eyes.
“How on earth did you make that prediction? And five years ago, no less. What method did you use to foresee it and write that book?”
“It’s just a novel... Please, calm down.”
“Incredible. Truly incredible.”
He was practically shoving his face into mine, on the verge of toppling over, so I had to calm him down.
My suspicions only grew.
What exactly did he want from me to embarrass me like this?
Whether he sensed my unease or not, Minister Falkenhayn dropped a bombshell.
“I even passed that book along to His Majesty the Kaiser. He was deeply worried but also amazed.”
“I... see.”
I’d figured important people might read it someday, but hearing it straight from him made my head spin.
No, I remembered the Kaiser hated war. What was the point of telling him that? Was this some kind of setup to screw me over?
But Minister Falkenhayn’s expression showed no such hint.
“...So, may I ask why you summoned me today?”
“Ah, right. I forgot the main point.”
Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I asked cautiously, and the minister nodded.
Then, with a smile, he continued.
“The War Ministry wants to recruit you.”
“!”
“Why not hang up your uniform and put that wisdom to better use in a higher position—as a civilian official?”
I quietly took a sip from the glass of water in front of me.
As I carefully chose my words, Minister Falkenhayn eagerly made his pitch.
“I want to place the General Staff under the War Ministry in the future. It’d be far more efficient that way.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! What do those General Staff pencil-pushers know about administration, logistics, or supply lines? All military operations and war plans are built on the foundation of administrative power.”
The minister shook his head in disgust for a moment.
“But those pencil-pushers don’t see it that way. They think you just throw every man at the front and every factory at making bullets, and victory’s yours. Ridiculous.”
Falkenhayn was more capable than I’d thought.
“We can’t entrust the war—or the fate of this empire—to such idiots.”
He nailed exactly what had happened in actual history.
But wasn’t I just another one of those pencil-pushers?
“I’m just a lowly soldier myself.”
“Haha, you’re different.”
I voiced my doubt, and he wagged his finger.
Narrowing his eyes with a sly grin, the minister said,
“You... you’re the one who drafted the Schlieffen Program.”
No, how did he know?!
I couldn’t hide my shaken expression.
Minister Falkenhayn’s smile deepened.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? Who else but the War Ministry could handle a project that big?”
“...”
“Besides, I remember the rumors when the program was being planned. Something about a young cadet poking around, wondering what he was up to.”
Even as he said it, I pulled myself together.
“You don’t have any proof I drafted it.”
“True.”
“Then how—”
“I was just fishing lightly... and it hit the mark perfectly.”
Damn. I’d been had.
To think I’d fallen for the same trick I’d pulled on those soldiers!
As I instinctively rubbed the back of my neck, Minister Falkenhayn spoke earnestly.
“You’re the only one for the job. With a strategist like you—who surpasses even Count Schlieffen—by my side, we can win the war and build a more efficient, stable system.”
“...”
“I’ll give you my full, overwhelming support. Anything you want, I’ll make it happen. I have that kind of power.”
The power of the War Minister. Wow.
It was tempting, no doubt.
Even if the War Ministry had lost some shine, a minister was still a minister.
He literally had the power to move the nation.
“Join the War Ministry.”
But... this deal had a poison pill even Minister Falkenhayn didn’t know about.
“I’ll promote you to colonel right away.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
War Ministry headquarters.
“Hahahahaha!”
Minister Falkenhayn laughed heartily, and his secretary relaxed, lifting the corners of his mouth.
“I guess that lieutenant heard the offer. Good—”
“No? He turned it down flat.”
His smile vanished.
Wait, then why are you laughing?
“Ahem, what a shame. But seeing you laugh like this, it seems things went as you hoped...”
“No such luck.”
“Ugh.”
The minister toyed with his secretary like that before starting on some paperwork and explaining.
“He’s a very polite young man. Even a genius whose predictions all come true shouldn’t get arrogant, but he showed no sign of it. That’s what fascinated me most.”
“Hmm.”
“Reminded me of the late Excellency Count Schlieffen. I chased after him on instinct, but he brushed me off elegantly.”
As Minister Falkenhayn kept smiling and speaking, the secretary quickly chimed in.
“Isn’t it beneath your noble self to show such sincerity to a mere lieutenant?”
“Is it?”
“Yes. He rejected your offer outright, so he’s clearly not going far. There are better talents than some green lieutenant...”
“Hmm.”
Thud! Minister Falkenhayn dropped the pen he’d been twirling and slowly looked up.
“Not... really...”
“...”
The secretary trailed off as he saw Minister Falkenhayn’s face turn ice-cold and his mouth twist downward.
It was hard to believe this was the same man who’d been chuckling amiably moments ago. The minister’s expression was chilling.
Soon, with scorn and disgust pouring from his face, Minister Falkenhayn spoke.
“If Lieutenant Rommel’s an idiot, then I’m an idiot for thinking highly of him, right?”
“E-Excellency.”
“You repulsive fool. If you’re too stupid for brains, at least have some common sense.”
Minister Falkenhayn shoved the paperwork aside and fixed his gaze solely on the secretary.
Overwhelmed, the secretary went pale and dizzy.
“I told you clearly: bring Erwin Rommel lieutenant ‘politely.’ And you sent a bunch of thugs with guns to threaten and kidnap him?”
“A misunderstanding... Th-that was...”
“If you’re not going to use your head, why bother carrying that heavy lump around your neck? And then badmouth the guy after screwing up? To the wrong person, no less?”
As Minister Falkenhayn tapped his temple, the secretary trembled with fear and humiliation.
“Maybe I really can’t judge people. Otherwise, there’s no reason to keep an idiot like you as my secretary.”
“...”
“Tch. Just do your damn job right for once. Now get out.”
The minister grimaced and shooed him away. The secretary clenched his fists and left the room.
This was Minister Falkenhayn’s true face.
Proper treatment for the exceptional... and proper treatment for the incompetent.
But he was too brilliant and demanding to navigate society smoothly like that.
“Tch, this is why I need someone reasonable by my side. Such a shame.”
Soon, he would be promoted to Chief of the General Staff by the Kaiser.
But his personality made too many enemies, and he’d be out in two years.
Rommel knew that well. The lifeline Minister Falkenhayn offered was a rotten one.
The minister was an outstanding soldier, but that was it. History recorded him as a clear failure.
That’s why he’d turned down the offer...
“Smart and bold. Thinks he can climb on his own merit, does he?”
Minister Falkenhayn smiled leisurely.
A shadow of downfall crept over that smile.