AYKRR Chapter 7
What Could Go Wrong?
27th June 1942,
Salzburg,
"Ludwig, we need to talk. It's something I've been thinking about for some time now." Von Schiel suddenly asked him when Ludwig was reading out his speech for his rally at Salzburg. He was still practicing channeling his inner bloodthirsty warmonger to emote more passion in his speech. The crowd tended to love that.
"What is it?" Ludwig stopped midway through his speech.
"I've noticed it for a while. Our rally turnout has increased by nearly ten times since you joined. You're practically the face of the Imperial Party now." Von Schiel replied, clearly building up to something.
"Don't tell me…" Ludwig was getting a bad feeling about this.
"I want you to replace me as Chairman of the Imperial Party. I will step down and become the Chief Propagandist. It's something I'm more suited to anyways." Von Schiel's voice was resolute, leaving no room for discussion.
"But I don't know how to run a party. I only know how to make speeches." Ludwig pleaded. Schiess. He was seriously underqualified yet somehow kept failing upward. First, he thought he was only going to be a bodyguard. Then he bluffed his way to becoming Political Speaker. And now, he was going to be promoted to Chairman simply because he got a bit popular. At this point, Chancellor Degurechaff might see his military record and appoint him as Minister of Defence.
"Don't worry about it. I'll walk you through the process. It's easier than you think. And we're still a pretty minor party, so I doubt the Chancellor-President will appoint you to a high-level government position."
"Fine, but you owe me a bottle of Riesling if this goes horribly. By the way, have you been hiring more secretaries lately?" Before, the Imperial Party only had three or so secretaries; now there were at least two dozen of them.
"Yeah, my first secretary told me that I needed to do some more hiring because there was too much work. It was a good recommendation too. The new girls make the work so much more efficient here."
28th June 1942,
Salzburg,
It seemed that Ludwig Ernst had gone full mask off by becoming the Chairman of the Imperial Party. Von Schiel must have been the placeholder Chairman, occupying the position until Ernst could earn himself enough popularity and political clout.
No matter, judging by the polls that Elya's pollsters had conducted, the Germanian Workers Party was predicted to win a majority handily. Not as much of a percentage as the last election, but I attributed it to us having less political penetration in Pullska, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
The preparations for reunification were also well ahead of schedule. The plebiscites had even been pushed ahead by 2 weeks because of this and would be held on the tenth of July instead of the twenty-fourth with the consent of the Reichstag. The federal election would then follow immediately, and the results would be announced once the votes were all counted.
Some of the international observers that the Francois insisted on sending had kicked up a fuss about this, but ultimately there was nothing they could do since it didn't violate any law.
Only time will tell how the election will turn out, but I was fully confident in my campaign.
16th July 1942,
Germanian Workers Party headquarters, Berun,
The results were in. As I expected, the Germanian Workers Party dominated by winning 508 seats, constituting 63.5% of the Reichstag. I breathed a grateful sigh of relief. This campaigning business has been so detrimental to my wellbeing both physically and mentally. A few games of aerial lacrosse would do me good.
The cheers of the members of the Germanian Workers Party shook the building. I swept Visha into a hug and lifted her off her feet. I was about to envelop her in a kiss too, until I realised that there were dozens around us. Perhaps after tonight's party, we could head to bed for some… personal celebrations. I've been pretty pent up since we haven't been able to do it since campaigning began.
When Heidler started pouring out the champagne for everyone, Elya read the next party's report with a smile on her face. What she said drowsed me in cold water and I had to put away my untouched wine, even as others kept celebrating.
The Imperial Party had won 240 seats; 30% of the Reichstag now belonged to them.
How could this happen? How did such an extreme, backward-thinking party receive such ardent support? I had expected them to capture maybe 50 seats at most. Sure, they were still less than half of our size, but they could be a serious threat in the next election.
I immediately grabbed a copy of the last electoral map and started comparing it to the current one. Then I got the most recent records on the Imperial Party's campaigning activities. Some careful scrutinising revealed how the Imperial Party had managed to capture so many seats.
They campaigned hard in GWP electorates held by democrats with tenuous support, which bit off at least 40 seats from my party. The democratic seats of other parties were not spared from their electoral hunt. The democrats they usurped also happened to be proponents of more governmental checks and balances.
The Imperial Party also had much deeper political penetration than the GWP, managing to reach even the farthest cities in Hungary by driving through the countryside and shouting propaganda slogans.
Their deep pockets, aristocratic connections and lack of stately duties had made it possible to hold over fifty rallies during their campaign. In comparison, I could only hold ten rallies due to my stately duties taking up much of my time.
And the chief ingredient in their success had been Ludwig Ernst. The man had swept through the Hungarian, Czechoslovakian and Pullskan cities like a storm, whipping crowds into frenzies at his rallies.
I started to fear what he would manage to do when he started attending the sessions at the Reichstag. Would he be able to turn even the staunchest of democrats into frothing monarchists? Could he turn my own supporters against me? My rational mind wanted to dismiss it as ridiculous, but this was Being X's Blessed I was talking about. I realised that I didn't have much information on his full personality, and that had made me miscalculate his performance in the election.
It was then that I was inspired by what Sun Tzu wrote in his Art of War. "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
I've decided that I need to get a better understanding of Ludwig Ernst. And what better way to do that than by talking to the man himself personally?
I told Visha that I had some other business to be dealt with and started making my way to the exit. I made a call to my security team, then flew into the night.
Same night, 2 hours later
Imperial Party Headquarters, Berun
Ludwig downed the fourth glass of wine that night as the entire Imperial Party cheered his name again. He had good tolerance, but even he could feel some tipsiness creeping up already. It was moments like these that he wished he was better at using mental enhancement spells; he could just burn away the drunkenness when he wished to.
The people cheered again and congratulated him for his effort in winning the Imperial Party so many seats. Many were praising his political acumen and genius in understanding the Germanian psyche. Little did they know he barely knew anything aside from how the Germanian government ran.
The party was still in full swing in the opera house's main hall. The Imperial Party had really shown its vast wealth with tonight's celebrations. A veritable feast that likely could feed a whole village had been prepared. Bottles of wine older than his own grandfather had been brought out from the personal cellars of the Imperial Party's senior members and supporters.
Where was Walther at? With this victory, Degurechaff de facto controlled over ninety percent of the Reichstag! It was a time for great celebration, yet the founder of the Imperial Party was nowhere to be found. Last time he saw him, Walther was rushing to the front door to greet some unannounced guest.
As Ludwig stood up and tried to find his Chief Propagandist and friend Walther von Schiel, his path was stopped by an overweight middle-aged man and a young woman, both clothed in apparel more expensive than cars. The man's voice came loud and jovial.
"Ah, your Highness, I'm so honoured to meet you here this fine evening. I'm Godrick von Guttenberg. Former baron of Guttenberg. I've met you a few times as a child, Your Highness. Perchance, do you still remember me?" The man greeted him while chuckling, his double chin bouncing like dough.
"Of course, you always attended my grandfather's Christmas galas. How could I forget?" Ludwig said and took the man's ginormous paw in a firm handshake. And he really couldn't forget him at all, not since the 1930 gala when the man fell into the chocolate fountain. He forced his face into a smile, knowing what was about to come when he saw the young woman by the former baron's side.
"Oh, this is my sweet daughter, Gisela. She's the same age as you, your Highness. Say, you haven't had much in terms of female company since you joined the military four years ago, right?" And here the penny did drop. Another sycophant that wanted to marry off their daughter to him. It used to be for his royal blood. Now it was for his political significance. At least this time it was something he worked for.
It's been like this since he was old enough to walk. His family would arrange playdates for him with children of other noble houses, never mind that they didn't even know how to talk to each other. As he hit puberty and grew more handsome, it had become even worse. He was basically harassed by girls enamoured by his former royal status at every party he went to.
He had joined the mage academy for two reasons. The first was to experience glorious, honourable aerial mage combat like the stories his grandfather and uncles had told him of the Argent. He had not found any glory or honour during the war.
The second reason had been to hide from all the marriage proposals haunting him. That solace he did find.
The young woman stepped out from beside her father and curtsied him. She must have been instructed beforehand by her father, because she fluttered her eyelashes and inclined her body just enough during her curtsy to show him her decolletage.
"You misunderstood, baron von Guttenberg. I had female companionship aplenty both at the mage academy and at war." That was… technically the truth. Many of his instructors and classmates had been women. And four of his subordinates in his squadron were also women. He simply needed to structure his words in a way to imply that he was drowning in female affection.
"Oh, I see, sorry for my assumption. Still, I take it that you're not taken?" Wow, this von Guttenberg was as hard to get rid of as a tick.
"No, I am taken. My girlfriend currently lives on the other side of the city, but I visit her often." He simply said a white lie this time. Better for them to think that he was unavailable than to have Ludwig eventually lose his temper when they keep pestering him. Hopefully that lie wasn't going to come bite him in the back.
With their momentum halted, the pair made their way back to the rest of the partying body. Ludwig picked up his pace and eventually found Walther. Although more accurately Walther found him.
As Ludwig was walking to the Walther's office to find the man, a hand dragged him by the shoulder and turned him around. Walther stood there, hand on his shoulders, a dead serious expression on his face.
"Ludwig, I've been looking for you. I need you to come with me right now. Degurechaff is here. She's waiting for you." Walther whispered.
"What? Where? When? How? What for?" A thousand questions surfaced.
"In your office, in disguise." Upon hearing that, he immediately checked his clothes, making sure his suit was prim and proper. His slight tipsiness was gone now, replaced by alertness. Walther told him that he would wait outside.
He immediately made his way to his office, where a short brunette woman, wearing glasses and a scarf was waiting patiently for him on a couch. She fitted the description of Chancellor-President Degurechaff's disguise, known as Anna Ködermann.
"Sorry for showing up in your office at such an inconvenient time, Herr Ernst. Your Chief Propagandist rushed to let me in when I arrived at the entrance. My hunger for a new headline just couldn't wait, you see." Her tone was friendly, but her eyes were cold and sharp like a lioness. Her inadequate explanation would have been considered impertinent for a normal journalist, but they both knew she wasn't one.
"No need to apologise, Fraud Ködermann. It should be my duty to apologise, since I kept you waiting. Is it for an impromptu interview? Most journalists don't show up at night when the person they're going to be interviewing would be sloshed celebrating."
Degurechaff faked embarrassment, before asking him. "Can we have privacy?" Understanding what she meant, Ludwig shut off the windows and door, before casting a privacy spell.
The Chancellor-Degurechaff then took out a pen and paper, as if she was actually conducting an interview. Wasn't it time to drop the façade already? That disguise was horrible. She didn't even put make-up on to change her facial features.
Then Degurechaff asked her first question.
"Herr Ernst, you repeatedly mentioned this supposed ideal monarch of yours at your rally yet often refuse to expound upon their personality traits aside from being fair and just. Could you try to enlighten me and elaborate?"
Was this a test? If it was, then she must be asking him how he thought she should rule in the future. Or perhaps which part of her leadership trait was the best. In these situations, honesty was the best.
"She should be a fighter." He answered.
"She? And a fighter? You want Germania's Kaiserin to be some sort of boorish woman?" Schiess, he could have worded that better. Perhaps he wasn't entirely sobered up yet.
"No, by fighter I meant a leader who will fight for her country, for her people, and for her dreams. If the powerful leaders of the world could be compared to aces among aerial mages, then our Kaiserin would be the ace of aces even amongst them."
"And should your vote for a monarchy fail? What will you do then? Start a revolutionary war to restore the monarchy?" Was she cautioning him to not overdo things?
He scoffed. "Of course not. Imperials should never kill Imperials. The transition from a republic to a monarchy was always meant to be peaceful. If the people don't want the monarchy back, then so be it." This was what he truly thought. He might be a deadly mage, but he only reserved it for criminals or enemies of the Empire, never its honest citizens.
"Truly?" Degurechaff looked surprised. "You would give up your ambition for a restored throne if the people don't desire it?"
"Of course. While I do prefer a monarchy with a strong ruler, I'm not a tyrant that would force people to my whims."
"Do you love or enjoy war?"
"I enjoyed war as much as the average mage in my squadron." All of them had been utter maniacs on the battlefield. First ones to enter, last to exit. He still had difficulties sleeping without the distant booms of artillery.
"What is your vision for Germania?"
"A world where Germania can live in peace. A world where threats to Germania no longer exist." Because any threat to Germania's security would be swiftly defeated or destroyed. Either that, or they were never given the opportunity to become a threat in the first place.
"Alright then." Degurechaff suddenly looked serious, her hand fidgeting with something under her jacket – was that a computation orb? She locked eyes with him and opened her mouth to speak.
"One last question, Herr Ernst. Hypothetically, if a being that calls himself God ordered you to either kill or harm someone, would you… do it?"
What kind of disturbing question was that? Even the most casual of Christians knew that killing or harming a fellow man was a great sin. God would never allow for it.
"If an entity that calls himself God ordered me to kill someone, then that can't be God. It could only be the Devil." His answer must have satisfied Degurechaff in some way, because she let out a breath that she was holding. He heard that she was a very pious girl, so maybe she was testing his theological knowledge as well.
"That's a good answer, Herr Ernst. A fantastic answer. A being like that could only be the Devil. I'm glad that you still see the light."
And with that, she took off her disguise. Her blonde locks fell onto her back and her icy gaze fell upon him.
"I have a job offer for you, Herr Ernst."
Ludwig Ernst must have trained himself to have an impeccable poker face. He must be panicking inside at realising he was talking to me this entire time.
I had been quite nervous before this conversation had taken place. Even with the Type 95 with me, I couldn't be sure how exactly powerful Ludwig Ernst was. I also didn't know how he would respond or react during the interview. What I did know was that he was an elite trained mage whose skills were well above Mary Sue's.
I was anything but a reckless idiot. I had brought a whole battalion of mages with me, all equipped with the Type 99 orbs. They were ordered to position themselves around me in a 200m radius. They had also been given instructions to reinforce and protect me if the privacy spell was broken with another spell instead of being taken down naturally.
Fortunately, I finally got lucky. Being X, the incompetent buffoon that he was, had chosen the worst possible person to be his Blessed.
Ludwig Ernst's personality was actually surprisingly compatible with mine. Not only did he respect the will of the people despite his demagoguery, but he also wanted nothing but peace for Germania. I hadn't expected that he would willingly give up his ambition for the throne if it was for the good of Germania either.
As a war hero, he even admitted that he disliked war, since the average Germanian mage was surely not a war maniac like my 203rd.
Now that I think about it, it was quite coincidental that Ernst got injured nearly immediately after getting his fiftieth aerial kill. A stray bullet like that had a very low chance of actually seriously hurting a skilled mage like him. Could it be that he intentionally got himself injured, then used his newfound status as an ace of aces to stay comfortable in the rear? If that was true, then he was truly my compatriot.
The final blow to Being X's schemes, of course, was the fact that Ernst recognised Being X as the Devil, and not God. I was finally catching a break from zealots trying to kill me. Suck on that, Being X! Even your Blessed knew you're the Devil and refused to obey your stupid orders!
Being X must be fuming in whatever deep pit of hell he resided in. Including me, Being X blessed three people in this world with an extraordinary ability or tool. Out of those three, only Mary Sue actually answered to his beck and call. If I was that incompetent Devil's boss, he would already be fired. No boss would ever tolerate an employee with a thirty three percent success rate.
I should have recognised Ernst as a reasonable, peace-loving person at first glance and had this conversation with him much sooner. Perhaps even snatch him up and put him into my GWP. Alas, what's done is done. At least by coming here, I had recognised my misplaced prejudice against him sooner before.
"Chancellor-Degurechaff, what kind of job is it?" Ernst asked. Wow, Ernst recovered from his shock really well. His face only displayed his curiosity.
Even if I like his personality, his monarchist rhetoric was still detrimental to my retirement. His massive success in his campaign has proven that he was either a political genius or has received excessive political training by the imperial family. Therefore, I need to somehow take him somewhere out of the Reichstag, where he can't influence anyone important there.
And where else should I put him if not right under my watchful eye, where I can monitor him or even coach him on proper democratic politics. Ernst was only twenty years old, taking my title as Germania's youngest politician. But with youth, came impressionability. I could easily work my way with him and turn his politics around. With luck, I might even be able to train him as my successor for when I retire.
Of course, if I wanted to place him where I can work closely with and mentor him, then that would have to be a position that was high up in the government, yet also mostly ceremonial or lacking in actual legislative power. If I gave him a government that was too low in the hierarchy, it might seem like an insult to the Imperial Party. Yet if I wanted to properly mentor Ernst, then his new position would have to be one that was closely involved with the legislature and policy making of Germania, just without the power to influence it greatly. Ideally, it should also be a position that could take over for me in emergencies, or when I take vacations.
Luckily for me, a position that fitted all those criteria was opening up soon. By filling up this position, Ernst was also taking off some stress from me.
"Herr Ernst, how would you like to be the President of Germania?"
It was a stroke of genius from me. When the Chancellor had a majority government like with the GWP, the power of the President was quite limited, with the position only having the power to approve laws and policies that got passed through the Reichstag. Moreover, as President, he was not supposed to directly participate in Reichstag discussions.
Since the Chancellor works closely with the President, I get to influence Ernst' politics and teach him the ropes of running a democratic country with checks and balances, instead of the monarchy that he was advocating for. Eventually, he would open his eyes to the stability that democracy can bring compared to a monarchy where everything hinges on one ruler.
Normally, a party the size of the Imperial Party would not be able to vie for the position of President when a much larger party like the Germanian Workers Party was around. Fortunately, I was Chancellor and the leader of the Germanian Workers Party. With my endorsement, Ludwig Ernst will easily be voted into the position.
It was a perfect resolution to my problem of Ernst's growing Imperial Party and my stress level with having to juggle both the duties of Chancellor and President. Two birds with one stone. People might get the wrong impression at first, what with me putting the Chairman of the Imperial Party into the position of President. But eventually they will see that I only put Ernst there to neutralise him as a threat to democracy, while slowly converting him into my own supporter.
In a few years, I'll be able to peacefully retire, and a politically reformed democrat Ernst would take the reins from me to keep Germania at peace.
What could possibly go wrong?
Neumann had been spooked when the Maj-Chancellor suddenly contacted their base and called for his entire battalion to come with her to the HQ of the Imperial Party. Everyone, including him, had assumed that they were going to arrest key members of the Imperial Party for treason. Then, they had been given orders by the Chancellor to lay in wait, and to reinforce and protect the Chancellor if the privacy spell set up in the Chairman's office was broken instead of taken down.
His own flight of mages was stationed at the back door of the opera house. The privacy spell was set up over fifteen minutes ago. They still haven't heard anything yet.
After an agonising wait, the privacy spell was taken down. His mages breathed out sighs of relief. They had all been afraid of a fight breaking out. Everyone knew that the new Chairman of the Imperial Party was an ace of aces, so casualties were likely unavoidable. Thankfully, the worst-case scenario did not come to pass.
The Chancellor exited through the back door of the headquarters, a smile on her face.
"M-Chancellor, what happened in that office? You were in there for over twenty minutes." Neumann asked.
"I simply gave the Chairman a simple proposition. By agreeing, I managed to secure the future of Germania." She answered cryptically.