Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Is Paris Burning? (2)
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The Eiffel Tower was, in name and reality, the tallest structure in the world up to this era.
Just looking at its steel framework revealed the ambition of its architect, Eiffel, to build it as high and sturdy as possible.
However, that ambition, which would have required at least another 130 years after completion to be fully realized...
Kiiiiiiing— About 25 years later, it began to tilt with a chilling metallic groan.
This was because a bomb weighing roughly one ton had struck the core of its steel structure dead-on.
"Aaaah...!! No...!! Lord, please!! Lord!!!"
Cruelly enough, the father of the Eiffel Tower, Eiffel himself, was witnessing this from below.
"No!! You damned bastards!! This, this isn't right!!!"
"Father!!"
"Please!!!"
His son barely managed to stop Eiffel, who was rushing toward the tower like a madman.
But Eiffel, as if his son were invisible, extended his trembling hands toward the collapsing tower.
"Father, hold steady!!"
"Ugh, no!! It's my child... The tower I dreamed of my whole life...!!!"
Kigigigik—!!! Kuuuung!!!! In the end, the damaged legs and core of the Eiffel Tower gave way all at once and collapsed.
"Ah... Ah...!"
With its supporting legs crumbling, the Eiffel Tower toppled completely, crashing into surrounding buildings with a thunderous roar and clouds of dust.
"Father!!! Ugh..."
"Cough..."
As the dust cloud engulfed them in an instant, Eiffel's son shielded his face with his arms while holding his father.
Soon, with an ominous sound, Eiffel's full weight slumped onto his son's arm.
"Father?! Father!! Pull yourself together!!!"
Built with all his heart for his homeland.
When his lifelong masterpiece, the Eiffel Tower, collapsed before his eyes, Eiffel could not withstand the shock.
"Father!!!!"
Thus ended the life of Gustave Eiffel, France's great architect whose name would live on in history books.
"How can this be..."
"The Eiffel Tower... collapsed?"
"This... this shouldn't be happening..."
The Eiffel Tower was visible from anywhere in Paris.
In other words, everyone in Paris had witnessed its collapse.
"...Fucking hell."
With the collapse of the Eiffel Tower, Eiffel's death, and the final collateral damage, the disaster came to an end.
In total, 15 military and police personnel and 122 civilians were killed, including 8 children. The number of injured was not tallied for some time.
The Eiffel Tower's demolition had destroyed its listening post, leading to the unit's disbandment.
Property damage included minor impacts on industrial zones, but civilian losses were far greater.
In a fury, the National Assembly unsheathed its blade of purge against the Grand Army, which bore responsibility for the incident. Rumors swirled that Joffre's head was on the chopping block.
The German air raid on Paris was headline news worldwide within a day, sending shockwaves everywhere.
...And it left behind seeds of outrage from this excessively overwhelming success.
Seeds of blood that would never dry.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The enraged French forces threw everything they had at the zeppelin squadron that had bombed Paris.
In the end, one returning zeppelin was brought down by concentrated anti-air fire.
However, the remaining 19 zeppelins landed safely within German-held territory under the escort of Jasta 11.
"Waaaaah!!!!"
"Well done!!! Sons of Greater Germany!!!"
"Heroes of Paris in flames!! We welcome you back!!!"
The Germans, already informed of the results via wireless, welcomed them with fervor.
Having bombed the enemy's capital, inflicted massive casualties, and destroyed its symbol, German morale had skyrocketed.
They acted as if France would surrender that very day.
In the midst of this ecstatic frenzy, I...
'This isn't right.'
...secretly broke out in cold sweat.
'How did it turn out like this? Does this even make sense probabilistically?'
I was utterly bewildered.
I had been certain zeppelins lacked the precision to cause significant damage.
At best, maybe neutralize the Eiffel Tower's listening station if we concentrated the bombing... That faint hope was all I had pitched to Falkenhayn.
Yet the zeppelins had not only dropped bombs on dense crowds but outright demolished the Eiffel Tower.
'No, no, no no no.'
This was nothing like what I'd planned.
The 'collateral damage' was far beyond expectations—catastrophic. My entire scheme was in ruins.
I need to... contain this somehow...
But how?
"..."
"Ah, there you are."
As I hid my trembling pupils in the shadows, Falkenhayn approached stealthily after finishing his welcome speech.
His face beaming with smiles.
I quickly turned my head.
Right, this rational Chief of Staff had always listened to me before.
"I've got a great staff officer here. If we'd bombed London, we wouldn't have gotten this kind of impact..."
"Chief of Staff, sir."
This wasn't the time for that.
Interrupting him, Falkenhayn furrowed his brow slightly but soon smiled brightly and asked,
"What is it?"
"We must immediately apologize to the French and declare measures to prevent recurrence. Scrap the top-secret plan in progress as well."
"..."
"If necessary, consider reparations unrelated to the war..."
At my blunt words, Falkenhayn's expression hardened, his smile dropping like melting wax.
He cut me off curtly, as if he couldn't bear to hear more.
"Why."
"We've blown this out of proportion. It was supposed to be an air raid with maybe a dozen casualties at most, to gain some advantage. But we went and toppled the Eiffel Tower too..."
"And?"
"...Pardon?"
When Falkenhayn asked again, I stared at him, uncomprehending.
And? Did he not realize what situation this could lead to? No, surely the Chief of Staff and War Minister understood...
"What's the problem with this great victory? So what if a few frog bastards croaked?"
"..."
'He really, really doesn't get it?'
I suppressed the urge to wet my parched lips.
He doesn't know yet.
He's sharp; if I explain well, he'll understand.
"We'll eventually have to end the war someday."
"End it."
Gulp— I swallowed hard at his slightly scornful tone and continued.
"No matter how messy the war, we don't need to leave excessive grudges. We must temper national sentiment before it boils over, thinking ahead to the postwar era."
"Ah, you're afraid of retaliation?"
"Someday... we'll have to live in peace with France, won't we? At least eliminate the seeds of endless war."
"Hmm."
Falkenhayn chuckled dismissively.
This time, my face hardened.
"I don't think so."
"..."
Falkenhayn looked me straight in the eye and continued leisurely.
"Given the scale of this war... I have a feeling."
"...What feeling?"
"A sense that international relations and the world order will fundamentally change soon. The right to control that flow... will go to the victors. Winner takes all, you see."
His hand trembled faintly, thrilled at the mere thought.
I listened silently.
"If we win, who cares if those frog bastards rampage? By then, our homeland will dominate all of Europe."
"..."
"Rommel, what's France's population?"
"...Around 40 million."
At my answer, Falkenhayn grinned.
"If all 40 million rise up, we just make 40 million bullets to kill them. Simple as that—kill them all."
What the hell.
"The victor decides the loser's fate. Natural selection."
I couldn't comprehend.
What madness was this lunatic spouting?
"Isn't this the 'efficient operations' you always preached? If flames rise against victorious superpower Germany, shouldn't we cut them off before they spread?"
"No, this is..."
"It's efficient. The listening threat is gone, civilian deaths have boosted our morale. Victory is closer. All connected."
"..."
"I can't fathom any reason to apologize here. Major Rommel, I truly can't see it. What do we gain by softening their hatred?"
My racing heart slowed, my fevered head cooling like it'd been doused with ice water.
Trust turned to doubt, doubt to conviction—in an instant.
Still, clinging to faint hope, I asked coldly once more.
"Then, if we lose the war, must we accept that 'natural selection'?"
"Our German Empire was born in war, staked everything on it through history. A war state losing a war would be absurd... but perhaps natural."
Falkenhayn's pleasant smile soured, like autumn leaves changing color.
"Or gather our strength for revenge... Either way, no path to friendship with France."
"I see."
"...Yes, that's right."
Falkenhayn nodded and patted my shoulder.
But it felt awkwardly forced, like his first attempt at comfort.
"Your fears and foresight come from youth. But this once, trust this old man's word."
"...Yes, sir."
"World opinion is sour, true, so we'll express regrets. Oh, and a staff officer had a good idea—we can use that top-secret to minimize backlash."
"..."
"So smile. It's all fine. Hahaha!"
As I forced my lips up, Falkenhayn laughed louder.
Good... maybe fortunate.
He hadn't noticed me suppressing murderous rage.
'Falkenhayn... so you're just another Prussian warmonger blind to limits after all.'
I swallowed my fury, grinding my teeth.
With it, conviction solidified anew.
The fatherland needed me.
I must seize the helm of the fatherland.
Couldn't hand it to these incompetents, blind fools, failures.
'Natural selection? Fine, the unfit must be culled? Yes, spot on.'
As Falkenhayn finally turned away, I relaxed my forced smile and glared.
'Then I'll cull you soon enough. Can't leave you to cause more disasters.'
I could no longer tolerate Falkenhayn's innate flaws.