AYKRR Chapter 5
The Lancer of the Mediterranean
8th June 1942,
Ludwig Alfred Henry Albrecht Ernst (Ludwig Ernst for short), third grandson of Wilhelm II, the last Kaiser of the Empire, exited his hotel and glanced at his pocket watch. Half past seven, he still had an hour before he was scheduled to meet Walther von Schiel.
Yawning and stretching his arms above his head, Ludwig tried to use a mental spell to make himself more alert, but the spell just fizzled out. He was always terrible at using mental enhancement spells anyways, but it was worth the try.
Ludwig had always been a dutiful man. as a former royal, duty and responsibility for the Empire was the centrepiece of his upbringing. The country above all else.
That was why he'd apply for Germania's aerial mage academy the moment he was old enough. That was why he'd struck down dozens of enemy mages with glee. That was why he had clamoured to go back to fighting when he'd been injured fighting in Ildoa and had been subjected to the rear pushing papers. It was definitely not for the adrenaline rush that he never got to experience during his pampered upbringing.
Was he a bit of a war maniac? Perhaps. But he would never admit it out loud.
Aside, it was actually his sense of duty that had caused him to agree to his grandfather's mission without complaints.
He just wished that his grandfather had taken consideration to give him some extra political training before this mission. He'd received a perfunctory education on politics, but it was nothing extensive since he wasn't expected to inherit. Sure, his childhood education on politics wasn't bare bones, but it sure wasn't enough for him to consider himself competent on this shifting political landscape. Everyone knows how merciless politics can be.
Ludwig honestly preferred the frontlines to politics. At least on the front lines, you knew which ones wanted you dead.
Oh well, grandfather couldn't possibly expect him to assist Walther von Schiel politically. Sure, his royal status might have some lustre left, but he doubted anyone except for aristocrats cared. Likely, grandfather was simply sending him in as a well-compensated bodyguard for von Schiel and didn't want Ludwig to go sir-crazy from lack of action. He was always so considerate like that.
Ludwig probably only needed to stand there next to von Schiel, look intimidating and let the aristocrats in the Imperial Party know that von Schiel's position couldn't be stolen. Von Schiel will likely handle the bulk work of putting Degurechaff on the throne.
Ludwig fidgeted with his civilian computation orb in his inner pocket; he was no longer allowed a military grade one after leaving the military. Tge computation orb wouldn't allow him to fly, but reinforcement spells would still allow his punches to break bones and cast barriers to stop bullets.
As he walked down the street, he noticed a marked change in the people's mood compared to just a week ago. If the mood of Berun could be called jubilant before, now it was positively ecstatic. And the only difference had been the announcement of the plebiscites being held in Pullska, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The news had only started circulating this morning, even though politicians and nobles like Ludwig and his family had already been aware of it for some time.
Practically everyone and their mother were talking about Imperial reunification. Businessmen were talking about expanding their businesses now that less paperwork will have to be done. Football enthusiasts were discussing the potential expansion of the Germanian football league. Housewives doing the shopping were gossiping non-stop to each other.
Making a detour to a newspaper stand, he noticed that it was nearly sold out, despite the owner of the stand having put up extra racks of newspaper in preparation. Buying one of the last copies left, Ludwig started perusing the paper right there.
The front-page news was obviously related to the plebiscite and even included a few international reactions. The opinions of the plebiscites in Germania were wholly positive, with many calling it a result of Chancellor-President Degruechaff's genius in persuading the former Imperial states to reform the Empire.
The Francois had obviously kicked up a fuss, with many calling for OZEV members to leave the alliance before they get absorbed by Germania. Needless to say, the term 'Devil of the Rhine' got thrown around more than once.
Across the pond, the American response was optimistic. They were mostly excited about having Germania having a bigger customer base. Congress was also calling for strengthening of economic ties to Germania, with it looking obvious that Germania was heading to become the hegemon of Europe.
And on the topic of hegemon, the response from the Allied Kingdom had been lacklustre. Parliament and the Prime Minister had been completely silent about the plebiscite. This was completely out of character. The Albish would never accept the emergence of a continental hegemon right on their backyard. Ludwig wondered what Degurechaff must have offered them to make them shut up.
"Amazing, isn't it?" The newspaper stand owner, a man in his forties, struck a conversation with him. "Most of the Empire's already getting back together. The entire Empire will be back soon, just you wait."
"You sound so sure that Daneland and Lothiern will join too. They're hardly as patriotic as the rest of the former Imperial territories." Which wasn't completely untrue five years ago. If you went down the streets of Amsterdam and asked their opinion on Imperial reunification, only a third of them would give you a positive answer.
But now? After the Germanian Economic Miracle and winning a Great War? Ludwig wasn't so sure anymore.
"Bah, the Chancellor will make them get in line." Ludwig didn't want to question the man's utmost trust in Degurechaff, so he just nodded in agreement. He greatly admired Chancellor Degurechaff for the young woman's political record and her military service. But even he didn't think she could force Lothiern or Daneland to a referendum.
He finished up reading the newspaper and started making his way to the Imperial Party's headquarters.
As he got closer to the headquarters, Ludwig noticed that there were posters on lamp posts, notice boards and walls everywhere. Inspecting one of them, he saw that it belonged to the Imperial Party.
The poster depicted Chancellor Degurechaff as a lifeguard rescuing a drowning man with the word 'Empire' on his shirt. She was lifting the man afloat but a great nefarious kraken, emblazoned with the word 'democracy' was trying to pull her down by the ankles.
Quite the striking imagery. Whoever was in charge of the Imperial Party's propaganda deserved a raise.
Inspecting the other posters, Ludwig could identify the theme of Degurechaff trying to reunite the Empire or saving it but always being held back by the democratic process.
Ludwig continued on his way, finally arriving at the Imperial Party's headquarters. It was impressive, he gave them that. An opera house like this could probably hold thousands if you only care about standing room. Draped over the walls was the new logo of the Imperial Party – the Imperial Crown.
Approaching the guards stationed at the entrance, Ludwig thought he would have to show his invitation, but the guards simply stood aside for him to enter. The implication that Walther von Schiel was prepared to meet him was obvious.
As von Schiel's secretary greeted him and started leading him to von Schiel's office, Ludwig saw that printed on her shirt was one of the posters that he saw earlier. The secretary noticed his curiosity and explained.
"This is Herr von Schiel's latest shirt that he's selling at his clothing store. Every Imperial Party related apparel is 30% off there. He gave everyone at the headquarters these shirts for free too. Said something about it being publicity if we were seen wearing them."
When they got to von Schiel's office, the door was already open, with the man himself waiting by the desk with two steaming cups of coffee. Taking the invitation, Ludwig walked in, and the secretary closed the door for him.
"Your Highness, it's an honour to greet you here at my humble Party." To say that von Schiel was enthusiastic was an understatement. The man practically jumped out to shake his hands and led him to the chair at his desk. His face looked like that of a child getting the gift he wanted for Christmas.
"No need for that honorific, just Ludwig or Herr Ernst would be fine." Ludwig didn't care about his royal status anyways. If anything, it only got in his way when he was trying to enter the academy. He had to endure endless hours of teasing from the other students, the ones that did figure out his royal origin.
They both sat down on opposite sides of the desk, and Ludwig took a polite sip of the coffee offered. Pretty decent.
"Herr von Schiel, I assume you know what I'm here for, yes?"
Von Schiel nodded. "The Kaiser sent me a letter letting me know that you were coming. To be honest, it was quite a shock."
"To be more accurate, the Chancellor asked grandfather for help in growing your Party, who in turn sent me. But yes, I'm sent here to register as an official member of your Party."
Von Schiel looked at him in amazement at the fact that the Chancellor had personally contacted the Kaiser to help the Imperial Party. That's strange, didn't he work right under Degurechaff? Shouldn't he be aware? Perhaps he's getting his orders through an intermediary who neglected to inform him.
"Wait a moment, are you getting direct orders from the Chancellor?" Ludwig had to clear up this mystery first before he dived into the party's dealings.
"No, she came for a personal visit here once to show her support and test my loyalty. She only implied that she was tied down by democracy, then left."
"So you're working under implicit orders with free reign to act as you pleased, as long as the objective of increasing support for the Imperial Party is fulfilled?"
"Yes, quite so." Von Schiel answered.
It was good that they cleared that up. It would have been awkward if there was a misunderstanding while they were working with each other. A political party where misunderstandings run rampant wouldn't be a very efficient one.
"Now that we're acquainted, let's go straight to business. Herr Ernst, what are your particular skills?"
"Reconnaissance, sniping, ambushes, magic detection, illusions, aerial melee combat," Ludwig started listing off his military skills first. It would show Walther von Schiel that he was an elite former soldier who could take on any threat as a bodyguard.
"No! Not that! Your skills as an ace of aces are well-known. Everyone knows of the famous Lancer of the Mediterranean. I was asking about your political skills."
Ludwig froze. Schiess. Grandfather actually wanted him to be politically active. He scoured his brain for what skill Walther von Schiel could possibly want for his political party.
"Um, I'm good with public speaking and rousing people." And it was technically true. He had to often give inspirational speeches to the aerial mage squadron that he commanded during the Second World War. He also had a stint as a drill instructor when he was a senior student at the mage academy.
Von Schiel's face lit up. "Fantastic! We don't have anyone good at speaking in front of crowds. I can appoint you as our party's Political Speaker. I'm going to need you to speak at our political rallies. We can even leverage your fame as an ace of aces to attract people. Oh, and don't worry about the pay, the Imperial Party compensates its employees well."
Ludwig thanked Providence that he had a good poker face, because he was panicking inside. He basically just got a better job than what he applied for by lying about his resume. But there was no backing out of this. He didn't care about his own reputation, but his family's reputation was important.
"What political points will I be talking about?" Ludwig said, still stone-faced.
"Just keep emphasising the weaknesses of a democracy. Remember to highlight how slow the democratic process can be and how easily it can be manipulated. Bring up examples of failing democracies in foreign countries too. Make the people see that a country with a strong and decisive leader with a vision for the future is what made Germania triumphed over its enemies."
"Do we explicitly bring up Chancellor Degurechaff as the prospective Kaiserin?" Ludwig asked.
"No, don't mention her explicitly. When Chancellor Degurechaff came to my office, she did so in disguise. Why would she not want her visit to be known if the GWP democrats weren't scrutinising her actions? She must be keeping her ambition for the throne secret. Besides, the public will understand the implication when you start advocating for a monarch."
Ludwig raised an eyebrow. Degurechaff's detractors in the GWP must have some considerable influence if she had to hide from their suspicions. It would be convenient if they could be rid of so that Degurechaff could show the Imperial Party public support.
What could possibly help achieve this? Ludwig mused. Suddenly, he had an idea. A spark of genius. The little political training he had was finally paying off. It was quite the ambitious plan, but since Ludwig knew he might be exposed for his subpar public speaking skill soon, he'd elected to bring von Schiel a valuable campaign plan so he could become a valuable asset that couldn't be fired.
After telling von Schiel what he needed, the man ran to a storage room and brought in an electoral map of Germania, Pullska, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Afterwards, von Schiel had his secretary bring in a list of all holders of electoral seats in the four countries.
The two men then hunched over the map, occasionally making highlights or markings.
After an hour of pouring themselves over the documents, they finally had an annotated map of Germania's electorates once it was unified with the other three countries.
Highlighted were the names of the most staunchly democratic electorate seat holders and their respective electorate. Those that were part of the GWP also had a cross next to their names to indicate priority.
Ludwig then started. "With this, we can focus our political campaigns in these electorates held by democrats and reduce resistance to a return to the monarchy. As for the GWP democrats, if we manage to remove them, then it should lessen the pressure on the Chancellor."
"But wouldn't we be eroding the Chancellor's party? What if she gets less than half of the seats?" Von Schiel asked.
"The GWP is more than popular enough to get a majority government even if we snap off a few seats. And even if she has to form a minority government, she can easily form a coalition with our party. In fact, that might even be a positive thing since the Imperial Party supports her anyways. By forming a minority government with the Imperial Party, she can start passing off policies that fit our agenda while the GWP would not be able to raise a fuss. Regardless, we should try to get as many seats as possible in the next election. What do you think?"
Von Schiel chuckled and gestured to the maps and documents. "I think that we just established our election campaign trail. Herr Ernst, are you sure that you don't want to be our Election Campaign Planner as well?"
9th June 1942,
The Albish had quickly agreed to my terms, after which I had the loan ratified. I wished I had waited a bit more though, because I'd immediately gotten news from Hong Kong. If I had known, If I had known, I would have demanded more from the Albish. But oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.
On another note, I will likely have to start campaigning for the election once the plebiscites are finished. Even though I'd love to just retire from politics now, the threat of Being X's Blessed swinging in to undo Germania's democracy was a scary prospect.
If possible, I'd hope that all three plebiscites failed to get the seventy-five percent vote in favour that they needed. Then I wouldn't need to campaign again. But knowing my luck when it comes to hoping for things, all three of them will likely succeed. If that was the case, then the Reichstag would have to expand from its current 480 seats to 800 seats to properly represent its new population of around 100 million people.
The Germanian Workers Party currently held 340 seats, which meant that I would not be able to form a majority government should we fail to gain any seat in the upcoming election. Therefore, I would actually have to go to political rallies and put in serious effort, instead of just lazing around and letting Visha do all the work like last time.
What a hassle this was. All because of that damn Being X's fault. If it wasn't for him, I would only have to be Chancellor for another two months since there was no more immediate danger.
Before I could begin cursing Being X again. Elya came in bearing the newest reports, followed by Lehrgen. Ah, it must be news from Operation Ink Spill, then.
When the Second Great War had ended, I was inspired by some of the post-war operations that the Americans had conducted after World War II. One of which was Operation Paperclip, which had involved the recruitment of the best scientists, engineers and technicians from Nazi Germany after the war ended. In doing this, the Americans had not only caused a brain drain in Europe, but also greatly sped up scientific advancement in America.
As such, I had tasked Elya and Lehrgen with creating extraction task forces of mages to infiltrate the fragmented Russy Federation and recruit as many Rus scientists, engineers, technicians and NKVD agents as possible. They were expected to get their targets to come along willingly through persuasion or coercion. Except for the NKVD agents, for whom they could kidnap, and kill their target if extraction was impossible.
In my world, the Soviet Union had many brilliant minds whose achievements had won numerous awards and even kept the Americans on their toes. The ones in the Russy Union should be no different. Having hundreds of these intellectuals working for us will keep Germania's technology and science well ahead of the rest of the world for years to come. A perfect, efficient use of human resources. Why should we allow them to rot under the Russy leadership and waste their potential when they could work and be well rewarded under us?
As for the NKVD agents, Elya had wanted to compare the methods of the BND and the NKVD to improve her agency's performance. Furthermore, NKVD had a wealth of top-secret information about the Russy Federation; it would be incredibly advantageous to obtain them.
Elya spoke first. "Operation Ink Spill is a success. According to Koenig's reports, we've relocated over three hundred fifty scientists, two hundred engineers, three hundred technicians and thirty NKVD agents, along with their families. The vast majority of them have agreed to work with us."
"Good. Give Koenig and his men a full three months of rest. They earned it. Any casualties from our extraction teams?" I asked.
"There were three injuries when one of our NKVD targets turned out to be a mage. The target was subdued. The injured are expected to make full recovery." Lehrgen answered.
"What about the ones that tried to seek refuge under the Moskva faction or try to flee to communist-controlled Qin?"
Lehrgen stilled for a moment, before answering. "All of them were killed before they could be useful to our enemies."
I nodded in acknowledgement. It was a terrible waste of human resources to kill such qualified professionals, but I couldn't allow their expertise to fall into enemy hands. It was great that Lehrgen understood the need to be ruthless when the situation calls for it even more than me.
"For the ones that we have recruited, I want them to be given comfortable lodgings and assigned jobs that fit their expertise. Do keep eyes on them though, Elya. We don't know if some of them might be spies."
I thanked the two of them for their hard work, expecting them to head out. Unexpectedly, both had not moved from their spot. I looked at them questioningly. "Is there something wrong?"
"It concerns a recent development in the Imperial Party." Hearing that, I instantly became alerted.
Elya continued. "Just yesterday, my spy, who is acting as Walther von Schiel's new secretary, made a troubling report. She said that Herr von Schiel had prepared for an esteemed guest. She didn't expect that esteemed guest to be royalty." My back became ramrod straight at that information.
"Who?" I asked. "The Kaiser?"
"The Kaiser's third grandson, Ludwig Alfred Henry Albrecht Ernst. If the Imperial family still had their royal status, he would be tenth in line for the throne. He recently registered himself as a member of the Imperial Party and was instantly appointed Political Speaker of the party." That was extremely alarming.
A member of the former Imperial family, supporting the Imperial Party itself. It confirmed my theory that the Imperial Party was the instrument of Being X's Blessed to undermine Germanian democracy and throw my retirement plans into ruins.
"Tell me more about the Kaiser's grandson." I spoke.
But instead of Elya, it was Lehrgen who answered. "We have his records in the military. Instead of using his full name, he went by simply Ludwig Ernst instead. He enrolled in the mage academy, has a very high aptitude for magic and graduated top of his class. He saw extensive action in the first half of the Second Great War. As a lieutenant, he led a squadron of aerial mages and fought in the Francois Republic and Ildoa, racking up 52 aerial mage victories for himself. His Named epithet was the 'Lancer of the Mediterranean'."
I whistled. "An ace of aces. Impressive." And it was impressive. After all, the Second Great War didn't last very long, and apparently, he only fought during the first half of it. "Why didn't he fight for the rest of the war?"
"During one of the pushes down south in Ildoa, his squadron of twelve mages was ordered to serve as a distraction against an entire battalion of mages so that the infantry regiment below could rout Muzzioli's main army. They succeeded, but he was wounded and was relegated to rear line duties for the rest of the war. Here is the recording of that particular battle."
Lehrgen gestured to Elya, and she played a recording with her computation orb. The recording started during the middle of the battle, and I could see a tall man who I assume was Lieutenant Ernst zipping across the sky, bayonetting enemies through the chest while laughing maniacally. Likely how he got his nickname. His aerial movements weren't bad, being able to take sharp turns and even constantly use illusions to fool his enemies. He would have fit in well with the 203rd.
The recording ended when Ernst took a stray bullet to the thigh and fell from the sky. Lehrgen then explained that he was reduced to using his bayonet in that battle because he had run out of ammo killing other mages.
From the recording, I was assuming that he was using a cocktail of mental boosting spells like I did in Norden, which had the side-effect of causing a high during battle. That was why I had been laughing like a psycho while I slaughtered men up in the sky, so I assumed it was the same for him too.
I sat back for a moment and started compartmentalising all the information I had about Ludwig Ernst. High magic aptitude. Ace of aces. Very skilled mage. Injured and relegated to rear duty because of injury after fighting a battle with low odds of survival. Joined a minor political party after the war. Became a public speaker. There was something familiar about all of this. And then it struck me.
He was just like me!
Aside from our origins, which were polar opposites of each other, our experiences during the war and after it had stark similarities.
At that moment, Being X's hints about his Blessed struck me. According to him, his Blessed was a powerful mage. Ludwig Ernst was a powerful mage.
Furthermore, he said they would be well-versed in finance, politics, governance and military matters. As a former Prince, Ernst was surely well-educated in all these things. He had also attended the mage academy, where he would be further educated in the military.
After the war, Ludwig Ernst went to join a minor political party then became its public speaker just like I did with the Germanian Workers Party. Additionally, Being X had mentioned his Blessed of being capable of acting as a monarch; Ludwig Ernst was a member of the Imperial family.
There was no doubt about it. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Ludwig Ernst was Being X's Blessed. He fitted all the criteria.
Being X, that unoriginal, uninspired, plagiarising hack!
He knew that some unhinged barbarian like Mary Sue couldn't defeat me, so he intentionally found someone as similar to me as possible and made that person his Blessed!
If Ernst had as much magical power as Mary Sue, then even staying in the same city as him was dangerous. But if he hadn't attacked me yet, just like how he didn't attack me at Alexanderplatz, then Ernst must want to defeat me legally, without requiring violence.
And what other way to do that other than through politics?
If Ludwig Ernst truly was Being X's Blessed, then I have to proceed with utmost caution. My letter to the Kaiser must have spooked him. But instead of giving up on his attempt with the Imperial Party like I expected, Ernst was doubling down on it.
I can see his plans as clear as day now. Ernst realised he could no longer maintain his role in the shadows once the Kaiser received that letter. So, he decided to come into the spotlight by registering as a member of the Imperial Party and had von Schiel conspicuously assign him the post of Political Speaker.
I even bet that von Schiel was likely just a lackey of Ludwig Ernst. That man was probably giddy that his royal superior personally came to help him.
Of course, if Ludwig Ernst was aiming to restore his family's throne and eventually put himself on there, then he would still have to deal with the matters of succession since he was only tenth in line for the throne. His claim came from his mother, who was ninth in line because she was the Kaiser's youngest child and only daughter. So, Ernst would have to ensure that his mother inherited the throne.
But he likely had his own solution for that. He could probably convince or coerce the other members of the family into forfeiting or abdicating from the throne until it landed on his mother's lap. By then, he would practically have Germania, and its nuclear arsenal too, to my horrified realisation, in his grasp.
I absolutely could not let him succeed. Not if I want my happy retirement.
Standing up suddenly and startling Elya and Lehrgen, I ordered. "Here are your new orders. These are of utmost priority. Elya, I want you to have at least ten agents in the Imperial Party by the end of this week. Keep an eye or ear on von Schiel and Ernst at all times. But don't use magic, he might detect it."
"Lehrgen, I need you to interview anyone in the military who has personally known Ludwig Ernst in the past. I want to know everything about Ernst's traits and personality."
I then called for Visha.
"What is it, dear?" She asked.
"We need to draw up our campaign trail. It's time for me to brush up on my speeches again." I hoped that my skill in demagoguery hadn't degraded.
Visha looked ecstatic at my seemingly revived passion for political campaigning and started making plans.
This Blessed, Ludwig Ernst, may copy me as much as he wants. But I'll show him that a copy would always be inferior to the original.