9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 166 - The Paradigm of Lies (4)

“Hah!”

My pale body sank deep into the large bathtub. Nearly two weeks’ worth of accumulated grime and dust dirtied the water, but the magically circulating bathtub quickly sent up fresh water.

“This is heaven.”

I think I understand the feelings of people who go hot spring hopping. It’s like all the world’s filth is being washed away, not just dirt.

The sparkling bubbles rolled and frothed, cleaning my skin with each touch.

I recalled the day when Kruger had forcibly scrubbed me clean and polished me up to display before the crowds. He provided such luxurious service, then turned me into the regime’s mouthpiece.

Favors aren’t free.

That’s true even in friendships. Like with the Queen and me.

After finishing my bath, receiving new clothes, and eating a lavish meal.

The head chamberlain personally attended to me. Apparently this was the Queen’s private resting area, so only someone of the head chamberlain’s rank could enter.

I didn’t mind.

Anyway, the fewer people who saw my face, the better.

Once my physical needs were adequately satisfied, my mind began working again.

While hastily devouring honey-topped pancakes, lamb, lemon pie, and stew, and gulping down coffee that had become syrupy with ten spoonfuls of sugar like a hippo, I quickly organized my thoughts.

This was a golden opportunity created by insane coincidence. It was also an opportunity obtained at the cost of Eisler’s blood. Though he hadn’t intended it.

I had to extract maximum benefit from this.

***

The Queen’s spacious and comfortable drawing room.

I was sitting on the sofa by the window, leisurely basking in the sunlight when the Queen entered.

“Have you come, Your Majesty?”

“Did you rest well, Luca?”

She smiled gently.

About three hours ago, the Queen had said what kind of conversation could we have when I was half-dead and entrusted me to the head chamberlain.

Thanks to that, I was able to completely regain my senses. Otherwise, I would have collapsed again while talking.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t mention it. Rather, you said you urgently needed to meet?”

The Queen, wearing comfortable clothes instead of a frilly dress, sat across from me.

“It’s a bit complicated.”

I moistened my throat with tea and parted my lips. Then I spilled everything.

Eisler, canil, the train hijacking incident, the deserters and no man’s land.

The Queen listened silently without interrupting my words even once, and when the story ended and silence flowed, she tilted her head slightly.

“So that’s what happened. In the end, it was all caused by a powerful drug.”

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

“Canil. That was a toxic plant native to Cortana, wasn’t it? Luca, I’m reminded of the murder case that happened when you were with the border forces. Canil components were found in the soldiers’ corpses. It was used as justification for invading Cortana, but it was actually all Schufaben’s fabrication, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve received reports about canil. They said they created a miraculous tonic by turning crisis into opportunity. Crisis into opportunity, indeed.”

I’d seen such newspaper advertisements too. Acting like that, anyone would be suspicious.

Actually, wasn’t Cortana truly innocent?

Wasn’t the murder case involving canil Schufaben’s false flag operation?

That’s what I was thinking.

The problem was that Kruger was shameless enough not to care about such things.

“Our mages obtained some to analyze. It was such a dangerous drug that we eventually disposed of it. No matter how we refined it, we couldn’t reduce its harm to the human body or its addictive properties.”

“Kruger is spreading that dangerous drug everywhere, Your Majesty.”

“Now I understand why you brought up the deserters. I heard about it from Aveline.”

“Yes, desertion isn’t the problem—the cause is the problem, Your Majesty. While fear of combat might have played a role, there’s a high possibility they took extreme action because their judgment was impaired after becoming addicted to canil they encountered by chance.”

“The treatment of deserters isn’t important enough for the Queen to issue separate orders. But Luca, were you trying to say that canil could spread to our Rubellia side as well?”

I swallowed hard. There was no need to beat around the bush.

“To be precise, Your Majesty. It’s already spreading. And as time passes, it will spread more and more uncontrollably.”

“Good. So what do you want?”

“……Your Majesty.”

I took a deep breath. From now on, the weight of what I was about to say was something any politician—no, any human—would understand.

“I sent word through Aveline. The war ends after summer, I said.”

“You did.”

“Do you agree?”

“Yes. Both Schufaben and our Rubellia still have strength left. We’ll have to wait until everything burns down and nothing remains.”

“You speak truly.”

More soldiers would die, more supplies would be consumed, the economy would become more difficult, and politics would become more ruthless.

In short, a world that was harsher and more painful to live in had to come.

Only then would the people finally resent the Supreme Leader, and only then would I be able to kill Kruger.

But.

“Your Majesty. No matter how we try to stop it, canil will spread in secret, and addicts will never be able to return to normal life. Not only Schufaben’s but Rubellia’s economy and population will obviously be ruined. The battlefield right now is hell. We don’t know how many more young people will die in that hell. Even so, are you all right with this?”

I asked in a trembling voice, enduring my stinging cheek. Then the Queen smiled brightly.

“Of course, Luca.”

Her smile was firm and beautiful.

“You know, don’t you? I hate war.”

“I hate it too.”

“Blood and corpses are all just horrifying.”

“I feel the same, Your Majesty.”

“But the people wanted war.”

“Schufaben is the same.”

“Luca, you couldn’t stop Supreme Leader Kruger from starting the war.”

“I’m ashamed.”

“So then, let’s burn it all down spectacularly. That’s what you said.”

“I certainly did.”

“Yes, we tried to prevent war. But we failed, so now we have no choice but to make the most of this situation.”

“I agree, Your Majesty.”

The Queen’s eyes looking at me seemed sad yet also held relief.

The kind of relief that only someone who had spent countless sleepless nights agonizing before casting off all lingering attachments could have.

“Many people will surely die. We’ll go through hard times. We might not be able to stand up for a very long time. But have you imagined it? How the world will change after going through such a difficult and tragic war?”

“……”

I didn’t answer.

“Schufaben will fall. Probably in a wretched and horrible way. They’ll receive condemnation from every nation on the continent. Conversely, our Rubellia will become the most benevolent and powerful nation on the continent.

Some will be intoxicated by superiority, but others will realize how hollow the names ‘pure savior’ and ‘righteous judge’ really are.

What use are such accolades when you’ve immediately lost family and jobs? So perhaps they’ll come to fear war.”

Marianne is a queen.

A kind and benevolent elderly person, but a power holder and politician who stands at the pinnacle of a nation.

Therefore, she seeks to take the lead in building the post-war world order.

She wants to beat down rival Schufaben, which had been competing for the position of continental big brother, and make Rubellia the ‘number one.’

Even if it means sacrificing hundreds of thousands of lives, even if it means forcing suffering upon her people.

‘No, this isn’t forcing.’

The people wanted it. The Queen was just making maximum use of that opportunity.

Even if she became a cold-blooded gambler who used and discarded young people like chess pieces, who could blame her? It was all the people’s will.

I asked the Queen with a strangely distorted expression.

“But Your Majesty. Is it all right to tell me such things? I’m from Schufaben. Would I agree to a plan where Schufaben sits as a second-rate nation and Rubellia soars?”

Her smile didn’t fade.

“Luca, you don’t love Schufaben, do you?”

It was a remark that hit the mark precisely.

Post-war order or whatever, that wasn’t an area I could interfere with anyway. I just wanted to kill Kruger.

Laughter came out. My heart began beating with light excitement.

Right, I’m going to kill Kruger.

That was my only thought.

“Let’s make good use of each other. Just as we have been doing. Now, tell me, Luca. What should I do for you now?”

The corners of my mouth curled up.

“Hide me, Your Majesty. Until the chaos deepens sufficiently.”

***

At some point, strange rumors began circulating among the soldiers.

“I’m telling you it’s true, I know a guy in 7th Squad. His buddy went to the rear because his knee got smashed. But guess what—Ossel tore up headquarters!”

“So the deputy commander was arrested? And the commander is missing?”

“Can’t you believe it? Even the mages were saying so. That the commander suddenly stopped showing up.”

Private Ralph Brandt perked up his ears while stirring the watery stew in the pot with a ladle.

The stew made with old pork tasted like boiled boots every time. But meat was still meat. Without this, he’d have to eat those flavorless rations.

The night was dark, but the inside of the trench was warm from the fire. They blocked the cold rising from the earth by wrapping blankets around themselves.

If they knocked over the fire and it spread to the blankets, it would be a disaster, but no one was thinking of removing their blankets.

Squad 19, or somewhere. There really was a big fire and several people got burned and were carried to the rear. Even then, everyone was foolishly envious.

“But what changes for us even if the commander is missing? It’s the same anyway!”

“Stupid, what if the Rubellia bastards kidnapped him? What if they say they’ll spare us if we surrender?”

“You’re talking shit, talking shit.”

“What, you son of a—”

“Time for dinner.”

Ralph thrust bowls forward to stop the two corporals who were starting to fight.

Just then, someone came down the ladder stretched across the pit.

“Everyone still got their heads attached?”

“Yes! Squad leader!”

Ralph jumped up and saluted.

“Good, you made stew? I was getting hungry at just the right time.”

The squad leader’s fierce face was lit by the firelight.

He’d originally been a fairly neat-looking person, but with small scars on his face and a missing tooth, he’d transformed to look like some bandit chief.

Ralph thought his own face probably looked the same.

Time for everyone to sit around eating stew together.

Of 3rd Squad’s original 50 members, only 7 had survived this far.

They kept saying new recruits were coming, but their squad hadn’t gotten its turn yet, so the numbers just kept dwindling day by day.

The trench had now become like a home. There were crudely made tables, chairs, and even cots.

When the sun rose and fighting began, they’d crawl out of the pit to charge toward enemy trenches, then return to this pit without conquering even a bit of ground—a daily repetition.

Ralph thought.

If the commander’s disappearance was real, couldn’t that incident bring some change to this tedious and terrible war? Not ending the war, but at least a temporary ceasefire?

He knew it was hope bordering on delusion, but he couldn’t help secretly expecting it.

“Squad leader, there’s been weird rumors going around lately.”

The corporal who’d been fighting earlier also seemed to have the same thought and tried to probe the squad leader.

“What rumors?”

“Well, they’re saying Ossel appeared at headquarters.”

“What nonsense—”

Peeeep!

Peeeeeeeep!

The moment the squad leader’s face hardened with anger, irritating alarm sounds began blaring from all directions.

“Air raid alert! Air raid alert! Beware of bombing!”

The voice through the loudspeaker was ear-splitting.

“Damn! Why do those dragons only mess with us!”

Air raids usually happened during the day when Schufaben forces were charging defenseless, but dragons would also appear at night occasionally to scatter bombs.

Then the flimsy trenches would often collapse, crushing soldiers in groups.

“Hurry!”

At the squad leader’s instruction, they covered the trench entrance with tarpaulin, put out the fire, and placed wooden boards against the dirt walls.

Boom! Crash crash crash boom!

“Kiiiiiiiii!”

Just as they finished preparing hastily, the bombing began. Whether Schufaben’s air force had also deployed, the sound of dragons battling each other could be heard between the explosions.

All the squad members pressed against the walls, put on their helmets, and waited for the bombing to end quickly.

“The holy Lord comes to me and helps me, delivering me from trouble, keeping me from worry, giving me the Lord’s temple to save my soul……”

Someone right next to Ralph was muttering prayers in a trembling voice.

It would be the only remaining private in the squad. Judging by the clicking sounds, he seemed to be turning rosary beads with his hand.

The private’s rosary had expensive jeweled beads, but no one touched it.

They still had enough conscience left to know that stealing rosary beads was sacrilegious.

Crash crash crash boom!

“Lord, You lifted my life from the pit. You are my shield, my glory, I give thanks to You…… Ahhh! Aaaaaahhh!!”

The private suddenly screamed and jumped up.

“Hey! You bastard!”

“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”

Bang! Bang bang!

He started kicking things around, then climbed the ladder and ran outside the trench where bombs were falling.

He’d lost his mind from the continuous explosions.

It wasn’t the first time they’d seen this, but since a guy who’d been holding up well until now had suddenly gone crazy, everyone couldn’t react properly.

No, they didn’t.

They knew what would happen if they went outside the trench to catch him.

“Damn, this feels terrible.”

“Forget about it.”

When someone complained, the squad leader calmly consoled him.

The bombing stopped.

As the morning sun rose, Ralph left the trench.

Medics were running around everywhere, collecting casualties from the night.

The private hadn’t gone far from the trench. He’d probably crouched down trembling when he got hit by some shrapnel.

Next to his body, which had died in pain, lay a sparkling rosary.

A jewel that didn’t belong on this ashen earth.

Ralph closed the corpse’s eyes and picked up the rosary.

“Poor guy. If he’d just held on a little longer. If the commander really is missing……”

“Who’s missing?”

A voice suddenly came from nearby.

When he turned his head, a military doctor with platinum hair and a kind-looking but tired expression was standing there.

While medics collected the corpse, he stared intently at Ralph and asked again clearly.

“I asked who was missing.”

“Th-the commander.”

When Ralph waved his hand in confusion, the man’s eyes changed strangely.