There Is No World For ■■ - Chapter 804



Only Noblemtl

EP.804 Code name Joe-2

Things you can only realize have come after looking back.

[On what the new era and dreams have in common, by Queenie Cowan.]

***

Three hours after the red star walked out of the nuclear explosion.

Despite the US military’s desperate efforts to suppress information, the world learned what had happened in Apollo City.

『America Under Attack.』

『Shock! The Communist Revolution in America’s Front Yard!』

“Has Trotsky’s Ghost Resurrected?”

“Moscow is ‘silent’.”

The Apollo City disaster, the Apollo City communist terror attack… The incident was so sudden that the media didn’t even have a consensus on the name of the incident until noon.

Of course, it was a bit unfair from the media’s point of view.

Due to the nature of radio waves that cannot cross dimensional gates, it took some time for correct information to reach Earth, and even the information that was passed on was no different from fake news.

-Red Star declared that he would become the secretary.

-Stalin’s medals have reappeared in the world.

-The US has launched a nuclear bomb at the Secretary General. Hide in a bunker immediately. Prepare for nuclear war.

-Browning is defeated. A new top 10 is born.

-The second change of Count.

It was a series of information that was hard to believe. Third-rate tabloid media and yellow media poured out sensational articles without much verification, but first-rate media outlets broadcasted as conservatively as possible until the correct information came out.

But half a day after the disaster, as Apollo City evacuees were making their way to Chicago, the Washington Post released footage that would change everything.

-Urrrrrrrrr!!

A city dyed red with life and a mad, rampant city.

-Everyone! Have you seen it?? The red star!! Saved an American citizen!!!

A red star that suddenly appears and saves a child.

– I, the Red Star, as the successor to Stalin’s Gold Star Medal, hereby declare that, by my legitimate rights and qualifications, I will succeed to the vacant office of the Secretary General of the Soviet Union.

Declaration of the Secretary General of the Red Star.

-Everyone stand back! Browning is opening fire!

The 10th and Big Three, the Battle of Browning and Red Star, and…

-Sea, nuclear… I, endured it…

Even the red star that walks out unscathed from a nuclear explosion.

None of it was shocking. The Washington Post, which edited the footage, received countless questions and threatening phone calls, and the U.S. and Moscow governments were asked even more questions.

But Moscow and Washington were simultaneously silent. People interpreted that silence in their own ways.

***

The auditorium of a snow-covered Communist military base north of Asha.

Hundreds of Communists gathered in the spacious auditorium, huddled together as if trying to ward off the cold, watching a TV placed on the podium.

What is being broadcast on the TV that is large enough for everyone in the auditorium to see is…

[… And now, from this place, I will give my first order as Secretary General. I will resume the Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which was suspended after the 29th. Bykov from the North, Demerond from the Elven Forest, Yevgeny from Moscow, and any other communist who is loyal to me, or who is dissatisfied… Come to the 30th Congress. Come… Prove yourself to your heart’s content.]

A scene of a red star wrapped in a crimson haze declaring the Communist Party Congress.

The reactions of the Communists who saw that scene were divided.

Those who worry and those who are moved.

Those who were concerned were those who understood the political situation of the Asha Communist Party. They watched the TV with stern expressions, sensing that the Red Star was going to take away their position in waging an armed revolution against the Empire.

Those who were moved were those who truly believed in the saying, “All proletarians and party members are brothers.” They were delighted that the Red Star directly mentioned Bykov and were glad that they had found an ally in the revolution.

And Sabakhan, a fighter for the Asha Communist Party and Bykov’s personal messenger, clearly belonged to the latter group. He seemed unable to control his emotions and jumped up from his seat and shouted:

“Comrade Bykov! Do you see? The great sage Engels was right! He said that when the revolution begins, more and more comrades will join him, and it is true!”

Soon, other communists cheered in response to Sabakan’s words. The cheers were so loud that Bykov, who was watching TV behind him, couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Comrade of the revolution.

Bikoff clenched his teeth so as not to reveal his true colors. He felt as if he would burst out at any moment, saying that he and Red Star were enemies and that the convention was nothing more than a pretext to purge the opposition.

He tried hard to swallow the truth and decided to live up to the expectations of his comrades.

“Comrade Sabakan. You are right. As soon as our revolution got on track, a secretary who inherited his symbol appeared… Isn’t this proof that our revolution is right?”

A clever way of linking their revolution with the Red Star. Far from finding it strange, the Communists under Bykov cheered once more, saying that the words were correct.

And before the cheers died down, Sabakan said:

“Then when are you going to the party congress? With the new secretary and the support of Moscow, the Asha revolution will be almost complete!”

Although the Red Star did not specify the exact location or time of the congress, Sabakan naturally believed that it would be held in Moscow.

It was only natural. All 29 previous Communist Party Congresses were held in the Moscow Kremlin Palace of State.

But Bykov shook his head.

“I’m sorry, comrade, but we won’t be going to Moscow.”

“yes?”

“Red Star… no, why do you think the new Secretary General didn’t tell us the exact location of the convention?”

“Uh… that’s… .”

“Of course the party congress will be held in Moscow? No, no. Moscow is rotten now. Not only are there no communist traditions, there is no one who maintains party membership. There are only maggot-like nomenklatura there.”

Bikoff’s voice was calm, but it had the power to grab attention. He stood up and walked toward the TV.

“So now, the only ones who continue the traditions of the Soviet Communist Party are us, the Asha Communist Party and the World Tree Revolutionary Corps. We are all based in Asha, not on Earth. Do you understand what this means?”

“No, I don’t know.”

Following Sabakan’s answer, the anonymous communist swallowed his saliva. After a moment’s pause, Bykov went up to the podium, placed his hand on the TV broadcasting the nuclear explosion, and spoke.

“A new era must begin on a new land.”

“… .”

Kwaaaaang – Bikob declared, amidst the sound of nuclear explosions streaming from the TV.

“I declare as the First Secretary of the Asha Communist Party, Pervi Secretarius, that we will go to the Zodiac as planned. And we will destroy the rotten empire, and on its corpse! We will hold a convention to announce a new era!”

“… .”

“We have a corps of 50,000 rats and a tank corps. We have the Soviet heritage and weapons, and above all, we have comrades who gave their lives for the revolution! And now the lost General Secretary has returned!”

At that moment, a scene of a red star walking through a mushroom cloud was shown on TV. The scene that was combined with the speech was blurry, but because it was blurry, there was room for imagination.

And hundreds of Communists looked at the dim red star and thought of the Count. The hero of Asha, abandoned by the Empire, the warrior of tragedy.

Although no one explained it to them, the new secretary seemed to them like the one who would set the distorted history straight. Or so they believed.

And at the very end of the video, Bykov thrust his fist at the party members.

“Now, I ask you. Do you agree to hold a convention in the capital of the Empire? Do you agree to open a new era, if necessary, with our blood and the corpses of our enemies? Do you agree to become the torch of revolution, to die for equality and freedom?”

There was no answer. Only the heavy breathing of suppressed excitement filled the auditorium, and Bikoff swung his fist and smashed the TV with a bang!

“If you agree, comrades, stand up! To prove that we are right!”

The next moment, everyone in the auditorium stood up and shouted. It was the call for war.

***

『Rep. Sears, ‘We should nuke Moscow now…’ War Mention!』

『Australia, entering wartime mode?? The Holy Sword is on standby along the Australian coastline!』

『Moscow issues statement: ‘It’s none of our business’.』

『Astronomic property damage… New York Stock Exchange major indices fall simultaneously.』

The chaos that began in Apollo City has long shaken up everything in politics, economics, and diplomacy.

As the sun was setting, the American president, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for the Lord is with me.’

The speech to the nation, which began with a quote from Psalm 23 of the Bible, was not long. As if to compensate for the silence up until now, the president conveyed the truth(?) as concisely as possible.

‘Today, Apollo City, our and Asha’s pride, has become the target of a vicious terrorist attack… .’

‘The perpetrators of this attack have been identified as the Asha Communist Party. The terrorist known as Lvov has been targeting Apollo City for a long time… .’

‘Their terror left enormous property damage. But while they tore buildings apart, they could not shatter America’s righteous will. Women, men, old people, our fathers and children, the American soldiers stood together as one and protected each other. The unusually low casualties are a miracle our people have achieved…’

‘Our military is strong, our government is doing its best to handle the situation, our finances are sound, and no amount of malicious terrorism has shaken or destroyed anything in America…’

As a speech written by America’s greatest elite, the president’s speech was flawless.

Except for one thing, the red star thing.

The President avoided mentioning the Red Star so clearly that anyone could tell. He did not mention that he had fought with Browning against the Communists, nor did he mention that he had fought with Browning. There was no reason to say.

nuclear.

A superman who declared himself the Secretary General returned alive from the nuclear fire. That was not a question that even the United States could answer in a day.

… Anyway, after the president’s address to the nation, the chaos subsided. And as order returned, questions began to arise.

Will Red Star really become the secretary?

If he gets hit by a nuke, will he retaliate with a nuke or not?

Could we wage a nuclear war against a Secretary General who cannot be killed with nuclear weapons?

From ordinary citizens to military experts, everyone came up with the same answer, but no answer was found. This was because the Red Star was such an incomprehensible entity.

Terrorist, savior, communist, secretary.

Optimists believed he was a pacifist, citing Red Star’s role in saving people in Australia and Apollo City.

Pessimists feared that he and Demerond would attack the American mainland, citing the terrorist attacks in Japan as an example.

And everyone who remembers the Cold War saw Stalin in the duality of the Red Star. People hoped that he would not be a brutal dictator like Stalin… .

Of course, those who knew the identity of the red star were asking a completely different question.

if…

***

“You didn’t become a ghost, did you?”

Those were the first words that Dawn heard when she woke up. As she got up from her battle fatigue, the group that had been muttering came running to her in surprise.

“Brother-in-law!”

The first one to run to Yeomyeong was Siri. She held Yeomyeong’s hand tightly, sobbing.

“I was worried because you suddenly collapsed. How are you feeling? Where does it hurt?”

“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”

As she said that, Yeomyeong stretched exaggeratedly. Even so, Siri looked at Yeomyeong with worried eyes, as if her worries were not going away. Yeomyeong looked around and asked her to put her at ease.

“Here?”

“An inn outside of Apollo City. I wanted to get a better room, but… there were too many refugees, so this was the best I could get. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m not seriously injured… This is enough. And I like small rooms like this. It reminds me of my days as a janitor.”

“… .”

“Well, it might be nice to be with my sister-in-law instead of my sweaty brothers.”

As Yeomyeong continued to act coquettish, Siri smiled faintly. Then, Neti, who knew that he was okay, came closer, fidgeting.

“Hey, brother-in-law, that…”

“that?”

“That’s… umm… dick, that…”

As she continued to ask questions, seemingly embarrassed, the sire who was also behind her… Orsay Ranal, intervened.

[Are you ready?]

“… .”

While Netty, surprised by the question that was no different from a straight ball, hit the back of the bird’s head in surprise, Yeomyeong answered.

“Just in case, I wrapped my body in the power of ink to block the radiation. I guarantee you that you received less radiation than someone who had an X-ray.”

It was a reasonable answer, but his colleagues who had seen their loved ones get nuked could not be persuaded by rationality alone. Siri was one of them.

“Yes, I believe you, brother-in-law. But…”

“… .”

“… I hope you don’t do this anymore. Brother-in-law, you’re not alone anymore, are you?”

There was a small cry in Siri’s voice as she grabbed his arm. Yeomyeong patted her head to tell her that it was okay.

While Neti was intervening, asking to be stroked as well, Yeomyeong checked on the other members of the group. Miridis, who was supposed to be the most angry, was staring at his face with a pleased expression, far from being angry.

“lol.”

The fact that the corners of her mouth were drooping as she smiled faintly was clearly wrong in another sense. Yeomyeong, who realized her guilt, turned her head in the direction where her Master was.

Corvus, who had returned to being a crow, closed his beak as soon as he made eye contact with Dawn.

“Disciple, seeing you so healthy, I am proud, but my heart is also complicated. Should I praise the disciple who has survived in the nuclear zone, or should I scold the disciple who went ahead and took the nuclear bomb despite his master’s objection?”

“… .”

“… But if I may give you one piece of advice… How about answering the Saint’s phone?”

ah.

Only then did Yeomyeong take out her cell phone and check the saintess’s phone. There were… more than 1,000 missed calls. Yeomyeong felt a little creeped out, and Miri added.

“I replied that I was okay, but then he got even angrier and called me back.”

“… .”

“Just looking at the momentum… isn’t he probably angrier than all of us combined?”

Yeomyeong said, pushing the phone aside.

“Then, I guess I’ll answer the saint’s call after I cool down a bit…”

“… Disciple, is that okay? If there is a message, it means that the Saintess is in Asha.”

“… .”

By the way, the phone call didn’t work because there was no radio transmission between Earth and Asha. Corvus added as Dawn glanced away.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think the saint has ever shot a disciple. Would you like to get shot this time?”

“… Even though the saintess is a bit strange, she’s not the type of girl who would shoot at me.”

At that moment, Miri intervened.

“Are you sure?”

“… Of course I’m not sure.”

Wouldn’t they let you off if I hugged you before I shot you? Seomiri giggled as if she noticed Yeomyeong thinking that.

“I don’t know about the Saint or Salome, but I don’t think Seti will be overlooked.”

“… .”

“I’ll apologize over the phone right now….”

At that moment, squeak! The old inn door opened and someone came into the room. Could it be Seti? The startled Yeomyeong turned her head, then sighed in relief when she saw the pink-haired woman.

Rashik said as if it was absurd.

“What? Why do you feel relieved as soon as you see someone?”

“Because Rashik is a person who gives me comfort in many ways.”

“…Is that an insult?”

“There is room for interpretation.”

“Shit.”

Rashik, who had shot like that, entered the room and closed the door. Then, after looking around at the circle of people surrounding Dawn, he said this.

“By any chance… we’re not still talking about that, are we?”

Unlike Corvus, who confidently snapped his beak shut, the other party members all kept their mouths shut. It was a silent affirmation.

Rashik clicked his tongue.

“So, liberal arts students… how many cases of people becoming ill due to radiation are you worried about?”

Then Nettie protested.

“… But there are also cases of change of Count.”

“That old man is a special case.”

“… .”

“Hey, and do you think you’ll get any answers if you just think about it among yourselves? You won’t know until you prove it.”

“Proof? Something like an infertility test?”

“You can just get someone pregnant before you do an infertility test….”

Rashik couldn’t say anything else. Everyone in the room, even Ranal, was looking at her with dull eyes. Rashik glanced away.

“… Are you kidding??”

“The person who asked his brother-in-law for sperm and got shot by a saint made such a joke…?”

“… .”

“If you don’t mind, can I shoot you a shot…?”

While Neti was poking Lashik’s chest like that, Yeomyeong, who had checked the number of people, asked.

“By the way, where did Lieutenant Colonel Duke and Dilla go?”

The question was answered in advance.

“Well, Dilla will be back soon. And Lieutenant Duke… I don’t know if he’ll come or not.”

What are you talking about all of a sudden? Miri began to speak as a question mark floated over Yeomyeong’s head.

“Right after that, Dawn fainted….”