Volu 2 of Blood and Steel gives a fragnted portrayal of the Weimar Republic and the global society of the ti.
The devastated state of Munich, the capital ravaged by the First World War, vividly reflects the reality of a defeated nation.
No—perhaps it’s even worse than that.
The governnt was split in two, and fights broke out at every opportunity.
The problem was that these political fights were openly visible.
Normally, politics is handled behind closed doors, but that wasn’t the case with the Weimar Republic.
Orators demanding revolution raised their voices in the public squares, while those who opposed them were rcilessly beaten by political thugs.
And as people rose up in response to these thugs, everything beca a tangled ss—a true cauldron of chaos.
anwhile, reparations for the war still had to be paid, causing inflation to spiral out of control day by day.
[What exactly is communism? And why did the Soviet Union adopt it?]
[The abolition of class divisions and the liberation of the working class—can that truly be achieved?]
[No matter how you look at it, communism is a hard-to-grasp ideology. Can a state even function under it?]
There was a brief explanation of communism—sothing that could be called the identity of the Soviet Union—but naturally, it was not understood.
After all, the chanical revolution, or Industrial Revolution, had not yet occurred.
Thinking about the origin of communism helps explain that.
Above all, the idea of “abolishing class” is sothing people simply cannot comprehend.
Even the Kingdom of Teres, which was close to a republic, still retained its monarchy.
[If communism arises from the machine revolution, couldn’t the revolution be stopped altogether?]
[But even the steam locomotive that appeared in the Chronicles of Xenon offered massive benefits.]
[Science will inevitably advance, and when it does, it will erge naturally.]
Because of this, people were wary of communism.
But communism only leads to collapse when it becos a state; if it remains rely an ideology, it becos a revolution.
In fact, Marx himself said that in order to disappear into the background of history, he must help the workers.
Even Lenin acknowledged this, but the infamous butcher Stalin twisted this idea into an iron-fisted rule.
In other words, rather than framing communism as inherently evil, it serves as a device to highlight how vicious Stalin truly was.
[A pitiful hero watching a dood nation—how will he restore the ho of his heart?]
[The miserable reality of a defeated nation. The people grow more impoverished by the day.]
[An incompetent state and revolutionaries that gnaw away at it—Hitler witnessed it all with his own eyes.]
[We read about it in books, but the real situation must have been even more horrifying.]
What I poured my heart into depicting was the reality of the Weimar Republic—a society hurtling toward total collapse.
Hitler witnessed this in real ti and, following orders, took his first steps toward the German Workers’ Party.
Of course, since people may not understand what the “XX Party” is, I made sure to explain that as well.
Normally, it would be hard to understand such a complex political structure, but thankfully, we have the Kingdom of Teres, known as the nation of culture.
[It seems similar to the commoners’ assembly in the Kingdom of Teres—though it’s likely divided into multiple factions…]
[Different assemblies based on ideologies and directions, whose opinions the king listens to?]
Thanks to this, explaining the concept of parties rather than democracy wasn’t difficult.
They simply understood it as the commoners’ assembly being split into various branches.
However, I intentionally didn’t fully explain democracy.
That, too, will be used later to explain how Hitler seized power.
Explaining it upfront would only make it harder to grasp and create unnecessary confusion.
More importantly, Hitler was able to take power because of democracy.
They might initially view it favorably, but once they witness Hitler’s atrocities?
‘They’ll start to doubt whether democracy is really the right system.’
Ah, of course, I love democracy—as a forr citizen of South Korea in my past life.
The Nazi Party is simply an extre example of how democracy can be misused—the ideology itself is sound.
But that’s a story from my past life.
Will the people of this world see it the sa way?
Even the commoners’ assembly of the Teres Kingdom is probably a confusing concept to them.
Military power is one of the key factors that shapes a nation’s strength, and that military power is held by the warriors.
Can you imagine a magician capable of casting teor spells having the sa voting rights as an ordinary commoner?
That would be hard to accept.
‘Anyway, let’s move past ideologies for now.’
Back to Hitler—at the ti, the German Workers’ Party was just a place where the unemployed gathered to vent their frustrations.
It lacked any solid ideology and was drenched in defeatism, bemoaning the nation’s collapse.
Hitler, already deeply devoted to Germany, was naturally outraged by this and began to showcase his talent—public speaking.
[What a remarkable patriot!]
[His speeches breathed hope into those drowning in defeat.]
[Even in the bleakest reality, he never knew the word ‘give up’.]
Even within the novel, and among the critics, Hitler’s speeches were universally praised.
Everyone called him a patriot, lifting him up in admiration.
From there, Hitler officially joined the German Workers’ Party and began fully demonstrating his talents.
With the speech and propaganda skills typically associated with communists, he expanded the influence of what was once a re fringe party.
At first, people were like, “What’s with this guy?”, but as ti passed, they were completely drawn in.
[You can tell how much he loves Germany. I hope his efforts bear fruit.]
[But can he really stand against ‘reality’? The Weimar Republic is a country in na only.]
[Still, Hitler might just pull it off. Otherwise, why would God bestow such a gift for speech?]
The problem is, even the critics were swept up in it.
There were a few voices of skepticism, but most insisted on facing reality.
By this point, it’s obvious—people have long since beco fully imrsed.
They’re all rooting for Hitler, and that says it all.
And if people in the story can get this imrsed as observers, how deeply must those who lived it have been drawn in?
[Even soone without power can change a nation if they have the will.]
[Historically, those who overturned nations were powerful generals, while those who revived them were wise sages.]
So people called Hitler a sage full of willpower and action.
[May he be blessed by the gods.]
[A hero shining alone in the darkness filled with despair.]
So people called him light—or even a hero.
The illusions deepen with each passing day.
I chuckled watching these reactions. The deeper the illusion, the greater the internal damage they’ll suffer.
Even if I occasionally drop hints of his dangerous ideology, they’ll likely just brush it off.
Of course, the beastkin who were massacred during the racial wars would react sensitively.
[What kind of people are the Jews that made even Hitler and the Germans hate them so much?]
[Surely they must’ve done sothing wrong to be hated like that.]
[Could it be because Germans live in poverty while Jews live in abundance?]
This “dangerous ideology,” of course, refers to anti-Semitism.
Hitler’s deep-rooted hatred of Jews was a long-standing belief.
And because most Germans hated Jews and society was steeped in anti-Semitism, even readers’ perspectives beca clouded.
People thought, “There must be a reason to hate them. If you’re living in poverty and another race is thriving, you’d be angry too,” and so on.
Not knowing that Hitler was one of the greatest “demons” born into this world, even the readers ended up blaming the Jews.
‘Do we really need to make enemies of the Jews? Wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with them to revive the Weimar Republic?’
Of course, not everyone was without doubt. So thought it better to utilize the Jews’ abilities than persecute them.
But all of those voices were buried.
They were all swept up in the propaganda, believing there must be a reason why Hitler singled out the Jews and no one else.
Let say it again: Hitler was a demon born into this world, and the societal atmosphere at the ti was seriously warped.
[What can a re orator do? It’s ti to show action.]
[The only way to overturn a ruined country is rebellion. But what can you do with rebellion in a powerless world?]
[Hitler is no longer a soldier but a politician in the parliant. It’ll be hard for him to overturn the country.]
Don’t worry. Mussolini will soon stage a coup, and Hitler will be inspired by it to start a revolt of his own.
But instead of suddenly skipping ahead in ti, the story takes its ti to describe Earth’s culture and lifestyle.
[Hitler, seeing himself in a photograph for the first ti. A cara doesn’t draw you—it shows you as you are…]
[World Cup? Olympics? What do these things an?]
[Such vastly different cultures. But overflowing with fascinating things.]
[How did Zenon build such a world?]
The world was starkly divided before and after the Industrial Revolution.
With a massive surge in productivity ca population growth, giving rise to imperialism and communism.
Moreover, they don’t even have the concept of a ‘factory.’ Everything is done by hand.
To the people of this world, modern—or even early modern—culture would seem like sheer fantasy.
And finally…
[Benito Mussolini marches on Ro! The Italian regi…]
[Throughout history, it’s always a powerful general who overturns a nation.]
[Mussolini. What kind of man is he?]
Benito Mussolini, widely known as Hitler’s role model, has appeared.
Not in person, but portrayed through an in-story newspaper article.
Though Italy was a mber of the Axis powers, its presence was overshadowed by Germany and Japan.
Even though it was the origin of fascism, Mussolini was relatively moderate compared to Hitler.
Italy perford poorly in World War II, eventually needing help from Germany.
‘It might be a bit disgraceful…’
But the fact that he was Hitler’s role model is more than enough to make his presence felt.
And let’s not forget—he overturned Italy with a coup.
A coup, or rebellion, can serve as a major catalyst even in this world.
After all, it involves the overthrow of a monarchy.
This also lays the foundation for the “Beer Hall Putsch,” or “Munich Putsch,” which changed the course of world history.
[Hitler quietly watches Mussolini’s revolution. Will he also start a rebellion to overthrow the Weimar Republic?]
[He may have enough influence, but he lacks an ‘army.’]
[It might be wise to revisit the Treaty of Versailles. The Weimar Republic has no real ‘military.’]
[The story will likely continue with him seizing power through rebellion.]
Unfortunately, Hitler ends up in prison after the revolt.
But that’s when he runs his mouth enthusiastically and gains public support.
That’s also when his monorchidism (having only one testicle) is revealed—and when he writes the legendary in Kampf.
While rebellion is generally seen as a negative act in any era, Hitler’s revolt received massive support from the German people.
How well this is portrayed in the story will likely divide readers’ opinions.
Still, I have to make it look favorable sohow.
‘Having pushed through to volu 2, maybe I should take it slow with volu 3…’
But just as I was enjoying flipping the page of the newspaper—
[How could Zenon write about such a world? It’s simple. He experienced it himself.]
Soone quite sharp made a statent that pierced to the core of my being.
I flinched a little, but I had expected this much.
Similar suspicions had co up when The Chronicles of Zenon was first published, so I could brush it off.
But what followed was the real problem.
[And the reason he could depict Hitler’s thoughts so vividly… is because Hitler is Zenon!]
What…the fuck?
[Hitler reincarnated into this world as Zenon!]
Hold on a second.
[The reason he knew of the threats of the demon-worshippers? The gods revealed the truth to him when they reincarnated him—but with restrictions.]
What kind of bullshit is this?
[But having saved this world, he now writes about his world.]
I’m screwed.
[It’s the story of Hitler’s life—but also Zenon’s past life. Blood and steel. The upcoming story is sothing to look forward to.]
I’m really, really screwed.
[A passionate revolutionary usually becos a gentle sage with age. Zenon, too, has followed that path…]
I’m absolutely, completely, royally screwed.
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