Chapter 39

This is a custom setting.

Please ignore any nitpicks (I beg you).

Far Eastern Russia. To be precise, the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia.

In the 1950s, it became an independent constitutional monarchy with Vladivostok as its capital, separating from the Russian Republic, one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union.

To briefly explain the process of independence, it is necessary to start with the aftermath of the fall of Imperial Russia, the Red Army's Great Purge, and the civil war that broke out between the Red Army and the White Army, the anti-Red forces.

During this time, most of the Russian nobility were affiliated with the White Army, or even if they were not, they were treated as White Army members by the Red Army due to their former noble status, but the civil war ended with the Red Army's victory.

This seemed to eliminate the nobility, but they did not disappear.

Of course, almost all those in large urban areas like Moscow were purged, and titles such as baron or marquis were abolished, but their blood and power continued to exist in the form of "local notables." This trend was particularly strong in the regions considered rural, such as Siberia and the Far East.

Living in fear of the Red Army in these rural areas, they eventually saw a turning point. This turning point was World War II and the existence of demons summoned towards the end of the war.

The Western European countries, which had formed an alliance against the Nazis, became preoccupied with the demons, and the United States, which had been providing large amounts of military supplies such as tanks and ammunition through Lend-Lease, also withdrew from Europe.

In addition, the Soviet Union, which had lost most of its military forces due to the demons, lacked the means to address the poverty and famine that were erupting both domestically and internationally.

It was then that the old nobility living in the countryside and the nobility who had been expelled from Moscow and fled abroad at the time of the Soviet Union's establishment, along with Japan, which was wary of Soviet movements, took action.

Japan and the Soviet Union had signed the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, but it was only a neutrality pact and not an alliance that strengthened military or economic ties.

Moreover, Japan at the time had a more authoritarian constitutional monarchy than it does now, and thus had an adversarial relationship with the Soviet Union, which had overthrown the imperial system and, while advocating socialism, was essentially a one-party dictatorship under the Federal Communist Party.

In fact, the Soviet Union had cooperated with the Republic of China in establishing the Republic of Korea, which had strong anti-Japanese sentiments.

In response to these developments, the Japanese government determined that a buffer state between Japan and the Soviet Union was necessary.

The local notables who had been simmering in the Far Eastern region of the Russian Republic were chosen for this role.

The former nobles of Imperial Russia could regain their former social status, which they considered their pride.

Japan would gain a buffer zone against the Soviet Union and a means to check the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China.

Based on these considerations, Japan, which had been able to catch its breath after the overextension of its front lines during World War II, decided to implement a strategy to divide the Russian Republic, the Soviet Union's largest military force.

Negotiations proceeded smoothly because both sides stood to gain, and within just a few years, the Far Eastern region of Russia declared itself the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia and achieved independence from the Russian Republic, not the Soviet Union.

Naturally, the Soviet Union opposed this, but they lacked the strength to fight the Japanese army, which had withdrawn while maintaining its remaining forces after being decimated by demons and other supernatural beings a few years earlier. The Republic of China, which was preparing to invade Southeast Asia, also refused to provoke Japan openly at this point.

The Republic of Korea, which was in a state of civil war due to internal power struggles, could not oppose the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia, which had inherited the Russian Republic's military strength, and had to tacitly accept its establishment.

The Western European countries and the United States, which might have opposed Japan's expansion, were preoccupied with fighting demons and other supernatural beings, and ultimately, the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia achieved independence without opposition from anyone other than the Soviet Union.

However, the location was challenging.

Due to the harsh environment for growing crops, the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia initially could not sustain itself without support from Japan.

This situation improved as technology advanced and the development of Siberia and the Far East accelerated.

Fortunately for them, during the period of development, for some reason, demons and other supernatural beings did not advance into Siberia or the Far East.

Indeed, there was a reason for this.

The demons, who had been instructed by the devil to keep humans in a state of moderate distress, found the Far Eastern region, which lay beyond Siberia, unattractive.

As a result, many demons refused to be posted there, saying, "Why would I want to go to a place that's even colder and more remote? I don't want to," or "It's fine to leave them alone. We don't have to wipe them out completely, so let's just ignore them." These opinions were accepted by other demons, leading to the region being left alone, a rather grim story.

Of course, such stories never came to light, and the situation was simply concluded as "fortunate for the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia."

Thus, the Grand Duchy of Far Eastern Russia, which had become a miraculously safe region due to the misalignment between demons and humans, eventually faced the threat of supernatural beings a few years after the fall of the Republic of Korea.

---

"The fall of the Republic of Korea and the recent development and population growth have made the region valuable. In recent years, the number of supernatural beings invading Far Eastern Russia has been increasing."

"Hmm."

That sounds quite troublesome.

"Until now, we've mainly been exchanging resources and food as a form of... aid, but recently, they've also been asking for weapons."

"Ah, I see."

If they are being attacked by supernatural beings, they would need weapons to fight.

"There are surprisingly few companies that can handle weapons among those with connections to the country."

"Of course, that makes sense."

Companies can't just manufacture and distribute weapons without permission. Unauthorized companies can't produce them.

"That's why we've been the main provider of weapons to Far Eastern Russia."

"I see."

That's where the idea of "staying away from the battlefield" comes in.

"It seems you understand. I've been busy, so I've been delegating this task to my subordinates, but from now on, I will go there directly to provide aid."

"I'll be your bodyguard, and while I'm there, I'll conduct field tests. That's the special mission, right?"

"Exactly. Performance testing is a serious task. Since we are the sponsors and developers, there's no problem with treating our bodyguards as a special mission. Moreover, this involves diplomacy. Even though the Ministry of Defense is involved, it's not just a matter for the Defense Policy Bureau or the Operations Policy Division; it's a much larger issue."

"It seems there are a lot of issues piling up, huh?"

"Of course! I expected the businesspeople to envy me and try to kill me, but for military personnel, especially those whose lives are on the line, to play such a cunning game is beyond the pale! They've been extorting money from us, saying, 'We won't let you enter the competition unless we approve it,' but this is on a whole different level!"

"Ah, I see. They were saying things like that, huh?"

"Yeah!"

It sounds like something a minor official who thinks they have power would say. Dealing with such people must be stressful.

"Anyway, I want to get my revenge. I feel bad about soldiers dying in the field, but..."

"That's what I said earlier."

If we don't deal with the issues now, it could get worse. Besides,

"Mr. Saigo, thinking that more people will die because we're not there is arrogant."

"..."

"Also, I don't know the division commander of the Second Division, but at least Colonel Shizuno, who leads the interception force, is not someone who lacks strategy. He can come up with plans even without us."

I don't know much about Colonel Shizuno, but according to Mr. Igetani and Mr. Taguchi, it's certain that the Sixth and Eighth Divisions will send reinforcements to the Second Division.

If the scale is similar to the last time, it should be manageable.

The only issue is the large ones, but after the last experiment, we know that even large ones will die if you shoot them in the head. They won't waste ammunition. In fact, they'll be good targets.

We need to be prepared for attacks, but experienced soldiers shouldn't find it too difficult to eliminate them. We still have the corpse of the large one we killed last time.

I don't know what they've done to it, but just channeling a bit of magic into the outer shell makes it a solid shield. Proper use should significantly reduce casualties from counterattacks.

Even a student like me can think of this, so professional soldiers like Colonel Shizuno and Lieutenant Colonel Sato must have noticed it too. They should be fine. They might not even suffer the damage we anticipated.

In that case... it's not bad for me.

After all, it means I don't have to go to the battlefield every time.

I'd rather not go to a place where I might be shot from behind, even if it means losing out on a bonus.

"…I see."

Hmm. It's a mix of relief that the guilt is fading and dissatisfaction that the machine I created isn't invincible?

But, I don't think it's good to be too greedy.

"In the worst case, or rather, if the damage is minimal, we should settle for getting the power suits officially adopted as a form of revenge. At least for this time, though."

I won't be greedy.

I'll keep it reasonable.

But I won't forget that I was targeted. That's important.

"This time, huh?"

"Yes, this time."

I'll make them understand eventually.

Oh, right.

"By the way, Mr. Saigo—"

"What is it?"

"Are you in the Operations Policy Division? Do you know who the mastermind behind this plan is, or who led it?"

"Ah, that."

"That's it."

If I don't know the person, there's no point in making me understand.

"The leader would be Lieutenant Colonel Kasahara, the head of the Second Division."

Hmm? Kasahara? Sounds familiar.

"However, as the head of a faction, he's not acting alone. In that sense, the businesspeople and the Third Division faction can be considered the masterminds and leaders of this plan."

"Ah."

The Third Division again! They really don't like me!

Third Division, you guys.

Well, if they think they can only observe while the Second, Sixth, and Eighth Divisions take credit, I can understand why they'd want to interfere... but I don't. Yeah.

Phew. I almost missed the update deadline because I was too focused on the sales of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

So, here's some promotion. The novel "Pseudo-Canon: Romance of the Three Kingdoms Volume 4" by the author is on sale today.

It's a product filled with the author's personal opinions, biases, and imagination.

If you're interested, I hope you'll pick it up.

Thank you for reading.