In a suburb of Berun, the royal capital, at a laboratory of the Association for Space Travel...
“Surely an outstanding individual such as yourself understands that the weapon will upset the world’s current balance of military power.”
“.....................”
Auguste didn’t respond to Meitzer’s comment. He merely sat very still on the sofa, holding his now lukewarm cup of coffee. The ballistic missile Verne 1 was a new type of weapon that could, with the flip of a switch, directly attack a foreign nation.
“Technology opened the way for space travel... It’s still difficult, but ballistic flight has made it possible to send bombs across long distances.”
If that were to become a reality, the next war would cause the slaughter of unprecedented numbers of civilians. No, it would be worse than that. If news were to spread that such a weapon existed, that alone would light the spark for a new war.
“What’s more, it appears you have joined forces with a vexatious partner.”
Meitzer had asked Elvin to introduce him to Auguste. If an organization was secretly developing military weapons, there was no way Elvin, as the supreme commander of an army, could let the general of another nation go. Moreover, Elvin assigned him only a single inexperienced soldier, Marissa, who was hardly a sufficient watchdog.
“Marshal Elvin doesn’t properly value the Association for Space Travel. At least not yet. But your research has already reached the practical stage.”
The amount of funding the association would receive was limited if the military and the government didn’t value its work. The only research they could perform would be to launch a test rocket no more substantial than a pencil.
“The man who supported your research up to this point is no longer among the living, am I right?”
“—?!” Auguste’s face paled even further.
So it’s true...
Meitzer made a point of not saying that man’s name. If he did, Auguste’s position would worsen whether he denied it or not. Meitzer took that into consideration.
Even after death, that man still shows his face.
Perhaps that was because he was an outstanding man, but the trouble he had caused made Meitzer sigh all over again. That man’s name was Genitz. And he had instigated the rebellion in the capital. He was also the man involved in numerous plots designed to spark a new Great War.
You could say this facility is his legacy...
Having confirmed that much, another question occurred to him. Genitz had left this world, and the Schutzstaffe had collapsed. Despite that, the Association for Space Travel was still receiving aid, so who in the world...
“After the rebellion, Marshal Elvin’s regular army hunted down all remnants. They refused to overlook even the slightest connection. And yet you escaped the purge.”
No investigation had been conducted here. Auguste had not been taken into custody or placed under observation. Some kind of organization was protecting, hiding and supporting them. If there was an entity in Wiltia that could do that...
“The Security Department?”
“—!!!” Auguste was no longer able to keep his face blank. He was pale and trembling violently.
“Oh my...” Learning this fact, Meitzer groaned.
The Security Department, aka the Sicherheitsdienst, was the organization of secret police feared as “Wiltia’s ears.” And its members had appointed themselves to carry on Genitz’s mission.
“Someone is sure to continue my research.” As he shook, Auguste spoke. “Even if I stop, someone else will accomplish it sooner or later.”
The association was receiving support from a secret society and was involved in the development of a weapon of mass destruction. But if he didn’t do it himself, someone else would finish it. Auguste was suggesting that it would be worth it to further his dream of sending humanity to the stars.
“But whether it’s sooner or later is crucial.” As Meitzer spoke, he narrowed his eyes sadly.
Auguste was a good person. He had the good conscience not to openly state that he didn’t care how many sacrifices were made for scientific development. But he also wasn’t resistant to the desire to leave his name in the history of space development.
“It has only been two years since the war ended. Or... three years? Anyway, the nations are still in the middle of post-war reconstruction and they’re exhausted. If they learn that a weapon like Verne 1 exists, another war will break out.”
And it wouldn’t be confined to a single continent. It would spread to other continents and cultures such as Noa and Aesia and culminate in a global Great War.
“If that happens, it will be bigger than the Great European War. The next war will be a World War.”
And it would result in casualties far outnumbering those of the last Great War. The problem was even bigger than that. Humanity would be unable to withstand such a war. There would be poverty and chaos from which it would be impossible to recover, and post-war conditions would be worse than during wartime.
“Our current pace of development is abnormal. It’s like livestock that would normally take a few years to raise and force feeding them so they fatten grotesquely while the bones and organs can’t keep up.”
As Auguste had said, the ballistic missile would be developed, whether sooner or later. But it must not be used in battle until the world developed to the point where human society could survive it.
“At this rate, humans will become animals who do nothing but wage war. War may be part of human nature, but it must remain no more than a means of survival. The way things are now, war has become the goal!”
There are many factors necessary for survival—such as land and resources, worldviews and religion—and war sometimes kept people alive. But people should never live for the purpose of war.
“No...” Now Meitzer noticed something.
Human thought is mysterious. Some conclusions are impossible to reach in solitude. However, speaking your thoughts to others and hearing them with your own ears can stimulate a synergistic effect.
“Oh... Is that her goal?” Meitzer unintentionally mumbled at the same moment that Auguste, who was sitting in front of him, grew pale. Not because he grasped the significance of Meitzer’s words. Rather, the blood drained from his face when he saw the man standing behind Meitzer.
“No, don’t.” Meitzer issued this warning without turning around. “It’s a futile gesture. No matter where you plug me with that peashooter, it won’t have any effect.”
During the recent fracas in Organbaelz, Meitzer had taken a direct hit from a grenade launcher fired by an Augustan special ops soldier, but remained unharmed. The average human couldn’t comprehend the power he possessed. If the person behind him fired a bullet directly into the back of Meitzer’s head, it would have no effect.
“So don’t bother, um... was your name Helmut?”
Auguste’s helper stood behind him with a gun.
“Ah, I see. You’re a spy from the Security Department.”
Helmut had looked young, as if the freckles had barely faded from his face, but now he wore the grim expression of a soldier.
“Yes, Lord General.” Helmut readily answered Meitzer’s question.
“What the...” Auguste was astounded. He hadn’t even noticed that his pants were wet from the contents of the cup he had dropped. Apparently, he hadn’t known that Helmut was observing him either.
“But if you just wanted to stop me, you wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”
“Hm?”
Helmut continued speaking to Meitzer, who raised an eyebrow at these words.
“You know about the existence of the Saint.”
“Oh... ?” Meitzer quickly dissembled, but he understood it was pointless. He sensed the situation was worse than he thought.
I see... The Security Department knows about her. Or rather, that was why it was established.
He understood that Genitz, who had formed that organization, had also launched his reckless rebellion in order to oppose the Saint.
Apparently, he was descended from the imperial family of the Holy Empire.
Meitzer remembered a report he had once received from Noa’s information department.
While the Holy Empire was at death’s door, the Saint used the Lion Emperor to destroy it. To Genitz, she was the enemy of his ancestors.
The Saint had been interfering in human society and manipulating history for the past 150 years. Genitz had vowed to defeat her, and had tried to seize control of Wiltia to mount resistance. And Verne 1 was one means to that end. Now Genitz was dead and his remaining adherents were trying to carry out his plan. But the results benefited the Saint.
Those people are also Europea’s... No, they are our sacrifices.
A feeling of guilt akin to sadness gripped Meitzer’s chest.
“Helmut... No, uh, I don’t know if that’s your real name or not, but if you leave right now, I won’t pursue you or do anything.”
He knew it was pointless, but he issued a final warning to try and make the man understand. If that didn’t work, Helmut should expect a broken bone, at the very least.
“General Douglas Meitzer, I hear you’re incredibly strong. Inhumanly strong. But what about her?”
Helmut’s tone of voice didn’t change. On the contrary, it became even colder.
“Hmm?!” Meitzer noticed too late.
Helmut’s gun wasn’t pointed at his head. It was pointed at Marissa, who sat beside him in shock with no idea what was happening.
“So what are you going to do?”
It was an unnecessary question. Marissa was a low-ranking soldier. She didn’t occupy a position of importance to the nation, and she didn’t possess precious technology. Furthermore, she wasn’t from a respected household. If she died, nothing would happen. Negotiations between the nations might get a bit sticky, but no loss that couldn’t be handled.
However...
We made a promise...
Marissa had swooned at the bakery’s high prices on Court Way. And they had promised to go there later.
“If I let her die, my daughter will never speak to me again!” Meitzer raised both hands as if surrendering.
“Thank you for deciding wisely.”
“Whatever.” Meitzer responded to Helmut in scathing tones while the young spy gloated in his victory.
“But let me ask one thing. In what stage is Verne 1?”
There were various stages of development. There was preliminary planning on paper, theoretical development, and the creation of models for launch tests. The situation would change depending on that information.
“I suppose it’s all right if I tell you. After all, this is a day to celebrate.” Helmut’s voice contained joy so palpable Meitzer sensed it from behind his back.
“Celebrate?”
“Yes. We finally finished the experimental model. The test launch of Verne 1 is slated for this week.”
And with his answer, the hands on the clock jumped closer to the world’s destruction.
The Nine Earth-Shattering Days... were only half over.