Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Emperor and the Boy (1)
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“Ugh...”
In the midst of a foggy garden, Wilhelm II, Emperor of the German Empire, groaned and tilted his head.
“Where is this?”
He had clearly been sleeping in his bedroom at the New Palace, Potsdam, just like always.
Yet when he came to his senses, Wilhelm II found himself standing here at some point.
Withered flowers and trees twisted grotesquely without a single leaf.
His eyes and mustache trembled with fear, but Wilhelm II forcibly suppressed his terror.
He was the emperor.
And an emperor had to maintain his dignity no matter the situation.
Ooh... Billy...
“Hic?!”
But Wilhelm II's resolve didn't last long.
The moment he heard that voice—which chilled his blood just from listening—he let out an undignified scream and rolled on the ground.
“Wh-who are you?! Show yourself!”
Whoosh────
No sooner had Wilhelm II shouted than a translucent figure materialized before him in a swirl of blue smoke.
A ghost.
It was hard to believe, but it was unmistakably a ghost.
“You?!”
The instant he saw the ghost's face, Wilhelm II's fear-stricken eyes filled with shock.
It was a familiar face. No, a face he couldn't possibly forget.
“F-Father...?”
It's been a long time, Billy...
The ghost was none other than Wilhelm II's own father, the previous emperor of the German Empire, who had died thirteen years prior.
Friedrich III.
Wilhelm II's face brightened in an instant, as if his fear had never been.
“I never imagined I'd see you again like this, Father, after you'd passed.”
There's no time, Billy...
Friedrich III spoke in a grave tone.
A grave threat looms over the German Empire. If things continue like this, the empire will perish in your reign...
“Wh-what did you say?”
The empire perishing in his own generation? What thunderbolt from the blue was this?
Wilhelm II's eyes and mustache quivered不安ly.
“What do you mean? Who dares threaten our German Empire?!”
France, that old nemesis still unable to learn its lesson after being crushed in the Franco-Prussian War?
Arrogant Britain, led by that rotten, potbellied uncle of his since Great-Grandmother Victoria's death?
Or perhaps his kind but somewhat dim-witted cousin Nicky's Russian Empire?
Wilhelm II spun wild imaginings, but Friedrich III didn't answer his son's question.
No, he couldn't.
Friedrich III couldn't bring himself to tell his son that he himself would be the one to ruin the empire.
I can't tell you that. But fate isn't absolute, so there's still a way to avert the destined destruction...
“Ooh! What is it?”
Soon, you'll face great danger. But a noble man from the distant East will appear and save your life. He is the empire's hope!
“Pardon? The East...? You mean one of the yellow races?”
Wilhelm II's expectant face twisted in an instant.
“Impossible! Asians are a treacherous, untrustworthy lot. They're the enemies of white people, just waiting for a chance to devour Western civilization!”
True to his reputation as an original yellow peril advocate, Wilhelm II spouted his delusions.
Friedrich III shook his head sadly.
Unfortunately, my time is up...
“Pardon?”
In the end, the choice is yours, Billy. But never forget my words...
“Father? Father!”
Friedrich III's form faded into the mist.
Wilhelm II hurriedly chased after him, but only pitch-black darkness awaited ahead.
“Gasp!”
With a choking gasp, Wilhelm II bolted upright in bed.
“Hah... hah... Where am I?”
Breathing raggedly, Wilhelm II collected himself and looked around.
His bedroom.
It was his bedroom.
“A d-dream, then.”
Wilhelm II let out a sigh of relief and calmed his pounding heart.
“Dear?”
At the sound of his voice, his wife—the Augusta Empress, who had been sleeping beside him—woke up, rubbed her eyes, and sat up.
“Good heavens, you're drenched in sweat. Are you all right?”
“It's nothing, Dona.”
“A dream?”
“Yes. A dream. A bit vivid, but just a dream.”
Yes. A dream. Just a dream.
Probably because he'd been overworking at his desk lately and his body was worn out.
'The empire falling? Why would it fall?'
The German Empire was as solid as ever.
No country in Europe dared stand against the invincible German Army, and though the navy was still lacking, it was striving to surpass that Great Britain.
The economy and industry grew daily, so far from falling in his reign, it would last a thousand years easily.
'And some Asian as the empire's hope?'
“As if.”
Wilhelm II muttered softly as he wiped the cold sweat from his face.
Yes. A dream was just a dream.
Because it didn't happen in reality.
March 6, 1901.
Bremen, German Empire.
“Waaaaah!!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the German Empire!”
'In the end, nothing happened.'
Wilhelm II waved to the cheering Bremen citizens and slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
Several days had passed since that dream, but his daily life remained as peaceful as ever.
He'd wondered just in case, but as expected, it was just a dream.
“Well then, time to head back.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As Wilhelm II boarded the carriage, the coachman nodded and took the reins.
Time to return to the palace.
Just as the carriage bearing Wilhelm II began to move slowly under the guard of the escort, it happened.
“Kaiser Wilhelm!”
Click!
A man suddenly burst from the crowd that had gathered to see him off and shouted.
He drew a pistol from his coat and aimed it straight at the emperor.
“In the name of the people, I come to judge you!!”
“Kyaaah!”
“A-assassin! Guards! Guards!”
“Protect His Majesty!”
The citizens screamed and fled in all directions at the assassin's appearance.
In the chaos, the guards protecting the emperor lunged toward the assassin, but the trigger pulled a step faster.
“Die, Kaiser—!!”
Bang────!
With a ear-splitting gunshot, a single bullet flew toward the emperor.
“Your Majesty! Get down!”
The guards who failed to stop the trigger cried out desperately, but it was too late.
The bullet was already hurtling straight for Wilhelm II's head.
'I'm going to die!'
The moment Wilhelm II, sensing death, squeezed his eyes shut.
Something extraordinary happened.
Thud!
With the sound of the bullet hitting something, time seemed to freeze—everyone present stood stock-still.
A child.
It was a child.
Had he come to watch the emperor's procession?
From among the onlookers, an unidentified boy suddenly darted in front of the carriage and took the bullet meant for Wilhelm II.
Splat!
Red blood sprayed into the air as the boy's body crumpled to the ground.
And at that moment, the frozen people began moving again.
“What? What happened?”
“A kid got shot!”
“Everyone, stand back! Now!”
No matter the country, no one could stay calm seeing a child shot right before their eyes.
The citizens buzzed and surged toward the boy, but the guards hurriedly blocked their path.
The assassin had been subdued, but the situation wasn't over.
They had to guard against any further attacks.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
A pale-faced guard officer urgently checked on the emperor.
He could have failed to protect the emperor's safety.
Bracing for the emperor's rebuke over this inexcusable blunder, the officer was surprised when Wilhelm II ignored him entirely, pushing past to approach the boy who had taken the bullet for him.
“An Oriental...!”
Upon seeing the boy's face, Wilhelm II's eyes shook violently.
The dream had been real.
Just as his father said, danger had come upon him, and an Asian had saved his life.
“He's still breathing, at least.”
But he'd lost too much blood.
Though no expert in medicine, Wilhelm II could tell the boy wouldn't last long at this rate.
“Your Majesty?!”
Wilhelm II scooped the boy up in his arms and hurried into the carriage.
His aides looked bewildered, but right now, the emperor's focus was solely on the boy.
“To the hospital. Hurry.”
“Pardon?”
“Now!”
“Y-yes, sir! Hya!”
At Wilhelm II's firm command, the coachman nodded and cracked the reins sharply.
He wondered if this was really okay, but it was the emperor's order.
True to his German blood, the coachman obeyed faithfully.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Damn it, what do we do?”
“What do you mean? We follow!”
Of course, the guards watching the receding carriage were going mad with frustration.
“Fortunately, the surgery went well.”
The doctor in surgical garb spoke with a face aged years in an instant.
It was shocking enough for the empire's top noble to burst into the hospital covered in blood, but then came the order to save some yellow-skinned boy at all costs.
The unprecedented pressure and tension had worn him ragged.
Thankfully, they'd saved the boy's life, but at the cost of shredding the doctor's nerves and body.
“However, the child's condition wasn't great to begin with, so full recovery will take quite some time.”
“Hm.”
Wilhelm II nodded.
Judging by his clothes, the boy was likely from the slums or a street urchin.
It would be stranger if a child raised there were healthy.
'To think I'd truly be saved by a yellow man...'
It might just be a cruel coincidence.
But the fact remained that this boy had saved him.
Race aside, failing to reward someone who saved the emperor's life would only tarnish his own dignity.
“Your Majesty. The boy is awake!”
Several hours later.
The news he'd been waiting for arrived at last.
Wilhelm II, resting in the hospital's finest reception room, shot to his feet and headed straight to the ward.
“Your Majesty.”
Upon entering, the doctors and nurses inside bowed deeply.
The emperor's gaze lingered on them briefly before turning to the boy.
“......”
Black hair, black eyes.
The quintessential Asian look.
But contrary to white prejudices, his eyes weren't slanted slits, nor did he have buck teeth protruding.
Instead, he had a handsome face that would break hearts when grown, and above all, his eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence.
“Good. You've finally woken up.”
“Uh...”
At Wilhelm II's voice, the boy's eyes went perfectly round.
He seemed to recognize who he was.
“Too shocked to speak, eh?”
An utterly ordinary boy at first glance.
Was this really the noble man from the East his father spoke of?
“Well, regardless. Thank you.”
Wilhelm II still couldn't quite believe it.
But there was time.
“You've saved my life.”
The empire wasn't collapsing in ten years or anything.
He could take his time getting to know him from now on.
Illustration
Author's Note
This is a newspaper article from the time covering the Wilhelm II assassination attempt.