The Return Of The Nightmare, The Awakened Threat, And The Confused People
The security alarm in a certain office room where the skeleton of Adolf Hitler was kept went off, indicating that someone unauthorized had entered it. Together with some Schutzstaffel members, Klaus Gehlen immediately rushed there to catch the intruder. However, he saw something unbelievable inside the room.
"It's a familiar face.... I see, it's been a long time, Reinhard Gehlen."
It would take some time for the God of Destruction's Remnant to fully extract the memories of Adolf Hitler who had been dead for decades. However, from the faint memories that resurfaced in his mind at that moment, he recognized the man before him as Reinhardt Gehlen.
"Sieg Heil! Your Excellency, I am Klaus Gehlen, the son of Reinhard Gehlen. I have succeeded my father to be one of the cornerstones for the revival of the Third Reich."
"His son?"
"Yes. Please let me explain it!"
From there, Klaus began to explain the great achievements of his father. Hitler had fragmentary memories of Reinhard's wartime exploits, but he ultimately incurred Hitler's wrath and was dismissed. After Germany surrendered, Reinhard fled to the US while bringing various important documents. Drawing on his previous experience as a commander of anti-Soviet intelligence, he also cooperated with the US intelligence agencies in exchange for protection.
Reinhard eventually returned to Allied-occupied Germany, gathered his former comrades, and sent them to the South America, where he had founded an intelligence agency called the Gehlen Agency. From the outside, he seemed to be in a cooperative relationship with the US, but in reality, he was gathering Hitler's followers, including former SS survivors, to infiltrate the US.
Time passed and Reinhard became the first director of the German Federal Intelligence Service, where he began to work even more zealously. He secretly recovered Hitler's legacy and sought the cooperation of various scientific academies to find a way to resurrect him. These activities began to bear fruit ten years ago, and from then on, believing that Hitler would return to them, he devised plans to restore the Third Reich.
Even after being dismissed by Hitler, Reinhard Gehlen still swore absolute loyalty to him. He sent comrades into the political centers of various countries in the world to control or destabilize those countries from within. One of these efforts was the introduction of a thought-inducing drug known as the Needle.
From analyzing the legacy left behind by Hitler, they learned the human body, and in particular, how the brain controlled it. This thought-inducing drug was one of the results of various researches. By giving suggestions to someone who had Needle inserted into them, it had become possible to efficiently guide their thoughts without brainwashing them. The Needles were made from crystallized chemicals, and even if injected, they dissolved into the body over time, leaving no trace. The Schutzstaffel members, scattered around the world, used these Needles to manipulate countries from behind the scene.
"You have my gratitude, Gehlen. I can truly feel your loyalty. Now that I've returned, I will also do my part to restore the Third Reich. Will you follow me?"
*swosh*
Gehlen, along with all the Schutzstaffel members present, stood upright. They then stretched their right hand out, held it horizontally at chest level, and thrust their arm diagonally upwards.
"Heil Hitler!!"
"Heil Mein Führer!!"
"Heil Deutschland!!"
"Heil dem Vaterland!!"
Everyone praised Hitler with tears in their eyes. After decades waiting, it was a moment when their long-cherished wish finally came true.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ten days had passed since we discussed about our next plan. The renovation of tourist district into hospital district was progressing smoothly, and it might be possible to finish it within the next few days. But while our hospital was almost ready to receive patients, our country was still far from ready to welcome a large number of visitors from other countries yet. The biggest hurdle was our on board runway wasn't build to handle a lot of traffic, so we needed to build an offshore airport outside. Of course, it would take time to build a 4000-meter-long runway and hangars, so this work would begin in earnest after the renovation was 100% completed.
"My Lord, when will we formally announce this to the world?"
"I guess after all the facilities are completed. First we need to decide our national flag, but I think this will do...."
This is the flag I have finally drawn after several days of racking my brains. It's just a giant tree in the background, with Ama no Murakumo facing left in the foreground. Even so, I think it is clear enough that it represents Ama no Murakumo.
"Then, I will have this design copied and mass-produced. Once all preparations are complete, we will make a grand announcement with a simultaneous worldwide broadcast."
"*beep*.... Make it flashy and instill fear in those who watch it."
"Are you stupid? Why would we need to instill fear? We are going to announce the establishment of an international hospital and international rescue teams."
"*beep*.... It’s a carrot and a stick."
"There's only the stick! Putting that aside, is there any new development regarding the dimensional disturbance?"
"*beep*.... We haven't detected another disturbance since then, so the rift has probably been closed. Therefore, it's impossible to track the location at this point."
"*beep*.... There also have been no particularly concerning reports from the intelligence agents dispatched worldwide so far."
"I see. In that case, I guess I will work on something else...."
"My Lord, we've actually received a call requesting you."
"Huh? Which country?"
"Japan. More precisely, a Japanese news station hopes you can spare your time for an interview, My Lord."
An interview, huh. I couldn't help but being suspicious that there's more to it.
"Have we received similar requests from other countries' media outlets?"
"Quite a few media outlets from various countries have already contacted us for interviews. Even though we explained that your schedule was packed, they said that they would wait for as long as necessary. Including the recent one, we need to give a clear response to their requests soon."
"I see. However, to come here, they need to charter a small aircraft and transit in Guam first."
We are planning build an airport, but at the moment, they'd have to come in a small plane. In addition, they must prepare fuel for the round trip. The UN inspection team’s small plane was more like a business jet, and since they transited in Guam before flying here, it was manageable. There's a possibility that refueling at Ama no Murakumo will be necessary in the future. However, the thing is we don't use fossil fuels here. This is an issue that must be addressed sooner or later.
"For the US, Chinese, and Russian reporters, they have their country 's aircraft carrier stationed nearby. But what about Japan?"
"I don't know, and it's not our problem."
"They're not going to ask us to come and pick them in Japan, are they? Even if they did, we should just ignore them."
"In any case, tell them that they can come and stay for two days and one night for interview. However, we will limit the number of people to ten for each country and only two countries at a time. In addition, they will be only covering the second floor of the city section and I won't be answering their questions. Helmviecke and Hildegard will handle the interview."
"Understood. I will notify them later."
"Good."
*sigh*
Maybe I’ll go take a flight. I want to see the outside after working inside the room for a long time to clear my mind.
“I'm going to step out for a bit. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“My Lord, where are you going?”
“Just going to fly around in Magia Ritter to clear my head. No problem, right?”
“*beep*.… Lady Misaki, if that’s the case, there's something I would like to recommend.”
“What? Did you make a new model of Magia Ritter?”
“*beep*.… No, the fighter jet you requested has been completed. The test flight has also been finished.”
“I’m coming. Where is it?”
“*beep*.… Starboard side, number four.”
Great, they have prepared something perfect for taking a break. Now I can have an exciting trip in the sky.
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“Whoa!!”
That was all I could say. When I arrived at the starboard side number four catapult, I saw a crimson fighter jet. The design somewhat resembled the Russian prototype fighter jet Sukhoi 47, but it looked even more futuristic.
"This is Ama no Murakumo's first and your personal fighter jet called Ikaruga. It’s equipped with various variable systems.”
“Variable systems? You don’t mean it can transform into Magia Ritter, do you!?”
"*beep*.... Oh!?"
"From your reaction, I guess not. Just to be clear, don't start developing it just because you got a new idea."
"*beep*.... But romance is important. Ikaruga is equipped with a small control brain, so please receive instructions how to pilot the fighter jet directly from it."
He's so overprotective. But well, there's no way I'd be able to pilot it without prior training, so I'm grateful for his consideration. Now then, shall we fly a fighter jet for the first time?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"You are kidding, right...?"
On the bridge of Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Sergey Andreyevich Berens was staring blankly at the monitor where the live footage of a fighter jet taking off from Ama no Murakumo was playing. His reaction was understandable since the fighter jet in question bore an uncanny resemblance to the Russian-developed fighter jet Sukhoi 47.
"This is impressive. I never expected Ama no Murakumo to develop a fighter jet modeled after our own."
"Vladimir, isn't that our Sukhoi 47?"
"No, it's not. The angle of the tail fin is different, and besides...."
Deputy Commander Vladimir pointed at the aircraft on the monitor and continued.
"I can't imagine that Russia could develop such an absurd aircraft, with forward-swept wings that can transform into delta wings midair."
"What's going on? Where are the laws of physics? This is like...."
"This is like a fairy tale, right? Now, Commander, let's make another bet...."
On the screen, the Ikaruga transformed from forward-swept wings to delta wings as it flew at high speed just above sea level. The reason for this physically impossible transformation was because Ikaruga's fuselage frame was made of alloy of mithril and orichalcum, and an alchemical 'transformation' formula had been incorporated into it. If they wanted to, they could even further extend the wings laterally from the delta wing form. Transforming from a Sukhoi 47 to a Rafale, and then to a Tomcat, showed just how perverse the Ikaruga's transformations were. If this scene were from an anime, the mechanical designer and animation director would have been called out for the level of animation collapse, and the anime would have been mocked online.
"Then, I'll bet two bottles of vodka on that fighter jet will transform into a humanoid robot."
"Fine. You already owe me two bottles of vodka, after all."
This rather casual exchange took place aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov. Other crew members were struggling to suppress their laughter, but when they confirmed Ikaruga had transformed back into its original forward-swept wing form and returned to Ama no Murakumo, Sergey tapped his own neck twice with his fingertips.
"That makes four bottles, Commander."
"I admit defeat. Given Ama no Murakumo's absurdity, I expected the fighter jet could transform into a humanoid robot, but it seems they still have some common sense, after all."
"I'd like you to explain which part of their fighter jet that is within a common sense...."
"In any case, continue to keep an eye on their movements."
"Understood."
Unlike other countries' fleets, the atmosphere around the Russian fleet was quite peaceful.
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"That looks like our country fighter jet, isn't it?"
On the bridge of the South Korean fleet's aircraft carrier, the commander and crew were stunned at the sight of Ikaruga, just like the Russians.
"I've seen it in anime. Maybe we should charge them the design fee."
"I will make a report to our home country about this. They will probably file an official protest to Ama no Murakumo and demand that kind of thing."
"I can imagine that. But even our newest fighter jet which is still under development, the KFX Project, couldn't transform like that."
"The netizens in our country who saw this would probably make a fuss again. Do they have to attribute everything to South Korea to be satisfied?"
"This is what the current administration wants, after all. Japan is a country that pays if you push them. Once they get all they can, they change administrations, and pretend it never happened. If they had used their usual tactics, the Choi administration wouldn't have been cornered like this."
"That's right. The next presidential candidate's behind-the-scenes policy was 'bowing to Japan'. His administration probably won't last long either."
The South Korean Fleet Commander Park and Vice Commander Ko were talking about such ominous things. The South Korean foreign policy toward Ama no Murakumo had been changing repeatedly, between accepting them and rejecting them. Had Ama no Murakumo never appeared, the government would use the usual policy toward Japan to control the public opinion. However, the situation was getting out of control since their appearance and the president's approval rating had been plummeting rapidly.
"Still, where is our country headed?"
"President Choi won't last much longer. He's done too many things behind the scenes...."
When Commander Park was muttering to himself, a communication officer brought him a new message. He clutched his head upon reading it.
"What happened? Is this new order?"
"No, President Choi has been suspended. The National Assembly passed an impeachment motion, and the impeachment resolution was immediately issued and presented right in front of his eyes."
"I see. That was quite an anticlimactic ending...."
"Indeed. Everything seems to have already been thoroughly arranged behind the scene. Only the person himself was unaware. Well, that doesn't concern us. It won't be until the next president is elected."
Despite the imminent dismissal of the president, the South Korean fleet viewed the situation with a detached perspective.