ch7

June 28, 1915

BOOM!!

An explosion echoed through Sarajevo, a city in the Kingdom of Croatia.

“Your Majesty?!”

Franz Joseph von Habsburg, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, had been killed by a bomb thrown by an assassin from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

“Damn Yugoslavians! Die!”

Fearing retaliation, Croatians, half-forced, half-willing, rioted, looting Yugoslavian shops to show they had nothing to do with the terror.

The Imperial Army turned a blind eye.

Those Yugoslavians had been acting up without knowing their place. Why bother moving to save them?

Until Princess Yulia von Habsburg appealed to her subjects to “resolve this like civilized people through dialogue,” hell unfolded for Yugoslavians in Croatia.

Exactly one week after the Sarajevo incident, on July 5, 1915, Yulia von Habsburg, who had ascended as the de facto emperor of the empire, began her address.

“My 100 million subjects, we are not barbarians, but civilized people. Please, let us engage in dialogue like civilized people. I have no doubt that the Yugoslavians, if they are civilized, will hand over information about the masterminds behind these heinous terrorists.”

These were the words of Yulia von Habsburg, the only daughter of the deceased.

The subjects praised her as a true Roman, while carefully watching whether the Yugoslavians would act “like civilized people,” as Yulia von Habsburg had requested.

And the answer to the Holy Roman Empire’s demand for an apology was absurd.

“The Holy Roman Empire should apologize for the looting and crimes against Yugoslavians in Croatia.”

It was like throwing a spark into the empire’s rage, which was on the verge of erupting.

“Let’s make those insolent Yugoslavians pay the price!”

Enraged by Yugoslavia’s response, the empire’s subjects flocked to the Yugoslavian embassy.

“Please, calm down. There is no problem that cannot be solved through dialogue. Let’s resolve this calmly, like civilized people.”

Fortunately, the emperor’s intervention prevented the demonstration from turning into a riot, and it ended relatively peacefully.

And that peace was betrayed.

“Non.”

This time, they rejected the proposal for a joint investigation.

The entire Holy Roman Empire was seething with anger as acts of terror and assassination against Yugoslavians occurred openly in broad daylight.

Of course, there were those who resisted…

“Stomp on that bastard!”

The empire’s subjects had no intention of simply letting criminals and thugs who dared to set foot in their homeland go.

Numerous Yugoslavian settlers left the Holy Roman Empire, Croatia, and Hungary, returning to Yugoslavia.

“Damn… those damned Germanic Empire bastards… what crime did we commit…”

Many Yugoslavian settlements were destroyed, and in proportion to the destroyed settlements, more refugees left their homes and returned to their spiritual homeland.

The number was so large that traffic in Belgrade, the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, was briefly paralyzed.

In this situation, as if walking on thin ice, the empire’s final ultimatum, half-pushed by public opinion, was delivered to Yugoslavia.

“By August 15th, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia must apologize for the assassination of His Majesty and provide information on the mastermind behind the assassination.”

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s answer was the same this time as well.

“Non.”

Thud. The empire’s patience ran out.

At the same time, the empire’s declaration of war was delivered to Belgrade, the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

I visited Regensburg, the location of the Imperial Diet, to deliver a national address.

After Bavaria became the territory of the Habsburg family, Regensburg effectively became the administrative capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

And upon seeing the Imperial Diet, I couldn’t help but have the same impression as in my first life.

“It’s huge…”

It was huge. Unrealistically so.

It was as if the Imperial Diet building had popped out of a world of giants.

The only unfortunate thing was that this was reality.

I smiled bitterly and entered the Diet.

Inside the Diet, soldiers in full plate armor were lined up.

I heard it was a tradition.

“The Holy Roman Empire’s Imperatrix, Yulia von Habsburg, enters!”

A guard wearing full plate armor introduced me in a loud voice.

“God preserve, God protect. Our emperor, our country!”

As I stepped through the door, the members of the Diet, who were seated, rose and sang the Emperor’s Hymn.

It felt as if the dome of the Diet was reverberating.

They are all traitors.

The citizens wanted it. They ousted me for one reason.

‘If being dragged around by the military like a scarecrow is a sin, then I guess it’s a sin.’

Of course, I had no intention of repeating such a thing in this life.

I stood behind the Speaker’s chair and waited for the Emperor’s Hymn, which was starting to bore me, to end.

The reason I was standing behind the Speaker’s chair instead of sitting was… if I sat in the Speaker’s chair, my body would be completely hidden, leaving only my face peeking out, making me look ridiculous.

“ㅡGod protect our crown prince, bless him and make him happy.”

When the Emperor’s Hymn ended, I cleared my throat once and read the speech.

“June 28, 1915. The most humiliating incident since the German princes united under the name of the Holy Roman Empire has occurred. Franz Joseph von Habsburg, our empire’s Imperator, was assassinated by a Yugoslavian assassin…”

I pretended to swallow tears for a moment.

“I was furious. This was not only because I, Yulia von Habsburg’s father, had died at the hands of an assassin dispatched from Yugoslavia. I was furious that we, the Holy Roman Empire’s Imperator, our pride, our country! Had been desecrated by those Slavs!”

The fact that I was furious was true. If my biological father hadn’t been assassinated, I wouldn’t be going through all this trouble.

“Nevertheless, because I am not a barbarian addicted to violence, because I am a civilized person who can think with reason and logic! I suppressed my rising anger and demanded information on the masterminds behind the assassination. But what did they return to us?! Only disregard, insult, ridicule, and contempt! At that moment, I realized. They are not civilized people who understand reason and logic, but merely barbarians addicted to violence.”

Ha. If the Holy Roman Empire, which collected hands in Central Africa, was civilized, then the Native Americans, who collected people’s scalps, were also qualified to be called civilized.

“And now, even as I give this speech, barbarians outside our borders are approaching us with guns and swords pointed at us. They will plunder us. They will insult us, they will trample us, they will tear open our bellies, and they will hold our hearts in their hands as if they were their own, giggling. Like barbarians!”

Of course, if we won, we would also trample on the enemies, tear open their bellies, and hold their hearts in our hands as if they were our own, giggling. Like barbarians.

“But I am not afraid of barbarism. As always, barbarism has collapsed helplessly in the face of logic and reason. And I have no doubt that the same result will be repeated this time as well. If 100 million subjects unite under the banner of the 1000-year empire built with reason and logic and advance towards victory, then this time too, barbarism will be blocked by the walls of civilization and scattered in vain!”

Like the Führer of the German Third Reich, I acted out anger, passion, and will, clenching my fist tightly and shouting.

“I ask all civilized people of Germany, Burgundy, Lombardy, Bohemia, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia, Jutland, and Poland! Are you ready to fight against barbarism?”

“Ja(Yes)!!!!”

“Just as Caesar, Pompeianus, and Barbarossa did in the past! Are you ready to sacrifice yourselves to protect your country, your neighbors, your families, your lovers from barbarism?”

“Ja(Yes)!!!!”

“Even if any hardship and adversity comes to test your will, are you ready to stand up and fight?!”

“Ja(Yes)!!!”

Applause spread among the members of the Diet. It was not so much that they were excited by my speech, but rather that the atmosphere was so tense that they felt they would be branded as traitors if they did not do something.

“Then, subjects of the Holy Roman Empire! Rise up and create a storm!”

“Waaaaaaah!!”

I looked straight ahead.

I felt as if the double-headed eagle hanging on the wall was looking down at me.

Was that gaze a tribute to the noble spirit of sacrificing oneself for the country?

Or was it a lament for the collective madness in the name of patriotism?

I don’t know.