The Return of the Nightmare, Emergency Situation, and Erosion
The resurrection of Adolf Hitler. To be honest, the first thing that came to my mind was --- why now of all times? Ama no Murakumo has entered a semi-combat state ever since we lost contact with our intelligence agent. I've also been thinking about various battle plans, but with my amateur knowledge, all I can come up with are just counters to the opponent's moves. There's so much we need to do, such as investigating their hideout, combat strength, and so on. However, since this may involve something beyond human power, we cannot act rashly.
"This is such a pain. Octa One, do you have any good strategies?"
"*beep*.... I suggest we destroy the entire planet. If Adolf Hitler, according to the data, has somehow been reincarnated, he might use cheat skills to restore the Third Reich and conquer the world."
"*beep*.... Setting aside Octa One's suggestion, what exactly do you want to do, Lady Misaki?"
"What I want to do, huh.... I mean, we are talking about the resurrected Adolf Hitler. If he starts another world war, a lot of people will die. He might even carry out a century's great massacre without hesitation."
If it were just ordinary humans fighting, I wouldn't be so disturbed and would think they can do as they please. Both sides would have their own beliefs and opinions, so there's no point for me, as a third party, to get involved. However, this case is different. Who can stop someone with cheat power from God besides me?
"*beep*.... Ideally, we should cooperate with other countries in dealing with this problem, but will they believe if we say that Adolf Hitler has come back to life?"
"*beep*.... If we seek cooperation from other countries, there's a chance they'll use it as an excuse to demand us to share our technology."
"Master. In the worst case scenario, they might just brush off our story after getting our technology. That is war diplomacy all about."
"So, are you saying that we should wait until something happened!?"
I couldn't help but raising my voice.
Humans tend to take immediate action only when they themselves are in danger. However, even if people say I’m naive, I believe that we should do the same if we know that someone could be in danger.
"*beep*.... We will obey Lady Misaki's decisions. These are merely our personal opinions."
"*beep*.... If Misaki-sama were to unify the world, no one would oppose."
"*beep*.... That is a reckless plan. Rebellious forces will always bare their fangs against a dictator."
"Everything is according to Lady Misaki’s wish. We will do our utmost to support your decisions."
They have self-awareness, but they obey me. Depending on how I steer, history ahead might change drastically. However, the bigger the farce, the better.
"Call the UN Secretariat and tell them Misaki Tendo has something to say to the Secretary-General directly."
"*beep*.... Understood. Please wait a moment."
The communication line was connected. They answered the call in panic, never expecting a direct call from me.
"H-Hello, this is Martin Henderson, Secretary-General of the United Nations. What can I do for you today?"
"I won’t beat around the bush, do you believe in the existence of soul?"
"I.... cannot definitively say that I believe in the existence of soul from a religious or philosophical standpoint. However, throughout history, Christianity has not entirely lacked such stories. I would say that the possibility is not zero."
He skillfully evaded my question. But well, I have expected this kind of response coming.
"I see.... Then, what I'm about to tell you is something that, we in Ama no Murakumo, believe as a fact. I won't force you to believe it as well. Just consider it as our opinion."
I emphasize that I just want him to hear what I want to say and not to force him to believe it. Even we are not 100% percent sure about this. However, it's an undeniable fact that there's an entity capable of crushing orichalcum golem with their bare hands.
"Alright, I’m listening."
"There is a possibility that Adolf Hitler has been resurrected. During a certain mission, one of our intelligence agents encountered someone who resembled him and was defeated instantly."
"........"
There was silence for a short while. This conversation was probably being recorded, but anyone listening to it would probably giving the same reaction.
This must be what it means to be at a loss for words....
"Are you certain about this?"
"I'm 80% certain about this. In the footage sent before we lost contact with our agent, he was interacting with someone bearing the face of Adolf Hitler."
"Are you confident with the strength of the said agent?"
"His body was as strong as Ama no Murakumo's outer armor at least. I'm sure you have the data the inspection team brought back and the battle records from Tokyo Bay."
"Where did he encounter Adolf Hitler? If possible, I'd appreciate it if you could share the location."
"Argentina, Chubut Province. The last location of our agent before we lost contact was the outskirts of Comodoro Rivadavia."
"Understood. There are many theories about Hitler, one of which is that he survived and escaped to South America. Therefore, we can't completely rule out the possibility that he was his descendant and not Adolf Hitler himself. However, I'll take your opinion and advice into consideration."
He gave such a businesslike response. Oh well, I've warned them. The rest is for them to decide.
"That's all I want to say. Thank you for your attention."
"Please wait a moment. Assuming that he was really Adolf Hitler as you said, he would become a global threat, and the UN would have to take action. In this case, can we expect Ama no Murakumo's cooperation?"
"I'll make a decision when the time comes. That's all I can say at this point."
"I understand. I hope we can cooperate when the time comes."
The call ended with that.
The resurrection of Adolf Hitler. This is a common plot in movies and manga. I'm sure he is skeptical about it. Let's just hope that they didn't brush it off completely.
"*beep*.... I heard a chuckle just before the line disconnected."
"You don't have to report that. I would probably give the same reaction if I were in his shoes."
Jumping down from the captain seat, I stretched my body.
Is there anything I can do next? I just want to take some countermeasures, whatever they are.
"Octa One, can you calculate the strength of the Servant’s head frame and Adolf’s grip strength based on the footage?"
"*beep*.... The sensor system was not operational, so I can only measure based on frame distortion and time."
"That’s fine, please do it. I will strengthen the bodies of all Servants and Valkyries based on that."
"*beep*.... Understood."
Developing an alloy that is light yet tough and strong.... as an alchemist, I’ll see how far I can go.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Did she make up that story to distract us? No, I don't think so. I could feel a sense of urgency from her words. Even so, no one would take a story about the resurrection of Adolf Hitler seriously...."
After the call ended, Henderson wandered around the room for a while, like a bear in a cage. He recalled all Tendo Misaki's moves since her first appearance and then came to a conclusion.
In any case, since this information came from Tendo Misaki directly, I can't just ignore it, can I? However, she said that she wasn't even 100% sure about this....
"Phew~ Let's go with partial disclosure for now."
Henderson picked up the phone and called the permanent members of the UN for an emergency meeting.
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United Nations Security Council. Henderson personally contacted the representatives of the UN permanent members for an unscheduled meeting.
"Where are the non-permanent members' representatives? What’s going on?"
"I heard it was en emergency meeting, but are we the only ones who were called? I guess we are going to discuss some kind of secret deal."
The representatives of China and France spoke as they took their seats. Meanwhile, the representatives of the US, UK, and Russia were already waiting in their seats. Not long after, Henderson entered the room and started talking through an interpreter.
"I've received a certain information from Misaki Tendo. But before that, please keep what we discuss here confidential. It would be helpful if it only reaches the heads of each country."
"You're being very careful. I suppose that means you've received some highly classified information."
"I'll get straight to the point. According to Misaki Tendo, Adolf Hitler has been resurrected. One of her intelligence agents encountered him during a mission and was instantly defeated."
*silence*
Even the seasoned bureaucrats representing big countries fell silent upon hearing these words.
"Are you sure it's not a misinformation? Or maybe it was just someone who looked like Hitler."
"I never thought I’d hear about Hitler’s resurrection in this day and age...."
"Nonsense.... I want to say that, but since it’s information from Ama no Murakumo, I'm sure it has some credibility...."
"Misaki Tendo said she was 80% sure that he was Adolf Hitler. Since there was a fatality from her side, she might be overestimating it a bit, but even half of that is still 40% probability. In addition, we can assume that this agent was as strong as Ama no Murakumo Combat Servant."
While Henderson calmly explained, the representatives read the report titled Ama no Murakumo Document in front of them, which also contained the details about Combat Servants. It stated the existence of orichalcum alloy, which did not exist in Earth, used as their internal frame. In terms of strength, no modern weapons could even scratch them. Even if we dropped them into a smelting furnace, they would just give a thumbs up and swim around.
"Let's say that Adolf Hitler has really been resurrected. What do you think his next moves will be?"
"The United States Representative, isn't it obvious? He will surely try to restore the Third Reich."
"If that were to happen, wouldn't Russia be at risk the most? And so would the countries that were part of the Allied Forces like the UK, France, and China."
"It was the UK and France that picked a fight with Germany first! China is the victim!"
*clap-clap*
The representatives suddenly started arguing over the history of the war, but Henderson clapped his hands to get their attention.
"Now is not the time to talk about the past. I mean, if you are worried about the possibility of revenge, does this mean you believe that Adolf Hitler has been resurrected?"
"It's not like I believe it. But after the appearance of Ama no Murakumo, I couldn't help but to think that anything is possible."
"The US is preparing to engage in diplomacy with Ama no Murakumo. Therefore, we cannot afford not to believe them."
"This could be Ama no Murakumo's attempt to deflect the criticism directed at them. However, I can't imagine they would use such a ridiculous story...."
"France has not resolved our recent conflict with Ama no Murakumo. But even without that in mind, just as the Russian Representative said earlier, it was probably just an attempt to divert the criticism. The resurrection of Adolf Hitler is nothing but a farce."
The US, UK, and Russian Representative judged that there was a possibility that this information was true, so caution was needed. Meanwhile, the French Representative stubbornly refused to believe Ama no Murakumo.
"China will take a non-intervention stance for now. If you or Ama no Murakumo want to fight, then go ahead, but don't drag us into this. So what if Adolf Hitler has been resurrected? It's not like he can start World War III tomorrow, or even has the ability and resources to do so."
China declared that they would do nothing. If Hitler's goal was revenge for World War II, Europe would likely be his first target. The next would be Russia and then probably China that was located further south. When Hitler began to invade Europe, there would be still plenty of time for China to prepare countermeasures and build cooperation with the US, Japan, or even Ama no Murakumo. The UK and French Representative glared at the Chinese Representative with sour expressions, and was responded with a calm smile.
(You think you can take your time, don't you?)
(Are you planning to use Europe as a shield?)
The two countries representatives immediately understood his intentions, but since it was not spoken aloud, they could not protest.
"If it were a resolution, it would mean France opposing and China abstaining. However, this is not a forum to decide a motion. Please understand this as merely an exchange of information."
After this introductory remark, Henderson said that if what Misaki Tendo had said was true, the dispatch of UN peacekeeping forces would have to be considered, and then he concluded the meeting. The representatives returned to their offices and immediately contacted their home countries.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
On a certain night, an emergency occurred in Mar del Plata, the homebase of the Argentine Atlantic Fleet. A TR1700 Santa Cruz-class submarine --- the Santa Fe, that was moored at the submarine dock of the naval port, had disappeared. The submarine had completed preparations for its next voyage when a report reached the military headquarters that it had vanished along with its crew. They had lost the San Juan, a submarine of the same class as the Santa Fe, just a few years earlier due to an accident. However, this time, the submarine suddenly disappeared right under their nose. Immediately, the naval base went into a state of high alert, started investigating for intruders, and at the same time began a search for the Santa Fe at sea.