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“Hmm, the Indians are quite boring. If they’re going to squeak like this over such trivial matters, what was the point of causing all this trouble?”

Patton clicked his tongue lightly as he firmly established himself in the Russian army’s camp.

Yeah, clicking your tongue is your prerogative, but why do it here? You really are a strange guy.

“Well, they didn’t exactly rebel against us,” he added.

It was just unfortunate timing.

While it’s infuriating that Gandhi didn’t heed my words, we can’t exactly claim it was a military rebellion against the Rome Treaty.

Sure, we took the lead to prevent that from happening, but still, how could a newly independent nation possibly confront the world? It was just bad luck for India.

“Has there been no response from the home country?”

“Not yet. As long as His Majesty maintains his vow with the United States, our government likely won’t feel the need to intervene in India.”

If the U.S. starts taking from India, things could get complicated. But they genuinely have no intention of doing so right now.

Considering India was not a unified nation even before the partition, would it be better to let them be rather than trying to ally them against the Rome Treaty?

It’s almost comical that I, the one who divided India, am now viewed with such love by the Indians.

I can’t help but wonder what MacArthur would say. He likely wouldn’t push too hard against the Rome Treaty.

The Indians are simply adoring me while we do absolutely nothing, and what could the U.S. do? They can’t even intervene as long as there’s a Pacific defense line.

Even though the U.S. has produced an entire fleet, the Rome fleet is still a match for it.

It’s best to wrap up our dealings in India here. I’ve finished my business in New Delhi, and it’s time to head back.

Next, I need to unite our bachelor Vladimir with the German Empire’s Friederike.

Life is busy, really. Just how many Emperors out there are as busy as I am? Perhaps none throughout Russian history.

If there’s one disappointment, it’s that I couldn’t eradicate the Caste System.

Alright, I was about to leave Delhi, but then—

“Anastasia, the Empress of Imperialism that divided India! I will judge you, the enemy of the Indian people!”

Some crazy guy jumped in front of me, babbling in a language I didn’t understand.

I usually had no problem thanks to the interpreter, but this lunatic appeared out of nowhere, muttering to himself before pulling out a gun.

“Your Majesty!”

“Wow. I never expected such an idiot still existed.”

But honestly, I don’t want to be threatened with assassination every time.

I don’t know if dying feels like it really hurts, but it definitely does hurt.

Getting shot hurts, and being hit by a bomb feels like your entire body is being ripped apart, only to bounce back like a rubber band—it’s just unpleasant. So I’m going to prepare for assassination attempts from now on.

Walther PPK automatic pistol.

I’ve fought in a civil war, and by now, one should be prepared for an assassination attempt.

The would-be assassin spotted me and, shaking in fear, tried to pull out his gun and aimed it precisely at my forehead.

Bang!

“See? Didn’t I tell you?”

The bullet that hit my forehead simply dropped feebly to the ground.

Demonstrating the difference in caliber, I aimed at his chest and fired.

“Ugh!”

The assassin trying to kill me just dropped down with a nice hole in his chest.

Being shot still hurt a bit, but seeing his pathetic state was satisfying.

“Your Majesty?”

“It’s simple. The bullets in this assassin’s gun were so cheap they couldn’t even pierce flesh due to corruption.”

To be clear, I am not a god.

It’s just that this assassin’s bullets were tragically inadequate.

“By the way, what did this guy shout earlier?”

“The interpreter said they proclaimed you the Empress of Imperialism for dividing India and that they would judge you, the enemy of the Indian people.”

Hmm, sounds like a Communist to me.

No matter how I look at it, if they’re labeling me the enemy of the people, they can only be Communists.

I absolutely don’t desire to crush India; this is just an unavoidable reality.

“So, a Communist, huh?”

“Yes. That’s a reasonable assumption.”

Right. There are Communists in India.

Considering how German Reds have been sowing discord in the colonies, it was about time something happened.

Especially in India, where German Reds had invested so much effort. The possibility is definitely there.

“So, India is currently facing a Communist threat, meaning we should catch the Reds, right?”

What do I always say? First, kill the Reds, second, kill the Reds, and third, kill the Reds.

Even though they were a colony, there’s no room for leniency.

We can’t ignite the red flame in the hearts of the colonized.

“In that case,”

“Patton, contact the homeland. Since the Tsar was nearly assassinated, we need to discuss whether the United States, our ally in the Rome Treaty, will send troops to join us in our pursuit or if we will handle it ourselves.”

At my words, Patton’s eyes sparkled.

Seeing that glint in his eyes, it seems he’s still bloodthirsty.

It seems he’s eager to charge through the Indian peninsula with tanks.

“Oh, so the peacekeeping forces are becoming an invading army?”

Come on. Calling us an invading army is too harsh. Are we really invading? No.

It was the Indian Communists who attempted to kill Russia’s monarch.

Our involvement is merely to temporarily ‘deeply intervene’ to catch only these Communists and protect the peace of the Indian people.

“We are not an invading army. There are still Communists in the Bharat Republic, and the anti-Communist coalition of the Rome Treaty and the United States need to act justly. Most importantly, since the head of state was almost assassinated, we have no choice but to intervene. That should be sufficient grounds.”

This justification ought to be enough.

We are in a situation that is already deeply divided, and considering the leaders of each faction have been beaten up by the Indian temporary government.

“Well, it looks like I can finally get to run around. I’ll contact the homeland now.”

Patton said excitedly as he dashed off somewhere.

Seriously, could that guy be Kali herself?

I have no choice but to intervene, given my future knowledge, but that guy seems fit for a real fight.

I hope he doesn’t end up meeting the same fate as in actual history.

* * *

Washington D.C. of the United States

Douglas MacArthur frowned thoroughly behind his sunglasses at the news from India.

For a moment, he doubted if he had actually heard correctly.

Right. The Indian Communist tried to kill the Tsar.

Does this even make sense? Did an Indian Communist really try to assassinate the Tsar?

“What the hell. Are the Indians out of their minds? Attempting to murder the head of state of a nation?”

You could think that since they’re Communists, it might be plausible—but even so, this feels like too much.

Moreover, considering that this news was sent to the U.S., it seems they are intent on doing something about India.

With India already in turmoil, it means they aim to capture the Indian Communists behind this incident.

“Since we can’t just handle the Rome Treaty alone, let’s seize control of the Bharat Republic with our U.S. military too.”

Right. If you’re not going to hog everything for yourself, that doesn’t sound bad.

But isn’t there a catch?

“Ha, not only the Tsar but why is he roaming around directly risking assassination attempts? Are you implying this might be a real setup? Still, this seems definitive based on Patton’s report.”

The Tsar that MacArthur had seen was not your average woman.

I hate to say it, but she almost looked like a madwoman, her eyes were utterly unsettling.

Although she had personally captured Reds during the Red-White Civil War, she exuded an aura even more twisted.

It felt like something not quite human was wearing Tsarina’s skin.

Thus, she sought endless struggle and warfare over a world united for peace. Just as humanity’s history suggests, she longed for a history of competition.

So I harbor slight suspicions regarding India. No way would the Tsar go through such elaborate schemes while Europe is busy with reconstruction and post-colonial efforts.

Especially since Gandhi’s actions are partly to blame.

“Well, it seems we have no choice but to join the fray regardless.”

If everyone else is participating, what kind of position would it be to sit out? The U.S. military would have no choice but to step up.

Since peacekeeping forces were already stationed, mobilizing shouldn’t be very difficult.

* * *

Bharat Republic New Delhi

Something that should not have happened occurred in the Bharat Republic.

The peacekeeping forces have officially turned into an invading army.

Of course, they aren’t killing civilians or rampaging, but they began marching troops into every region of the Bharat Republic under the pretext of capturing Communists.

New nations, including the Kashmir Republic, Diniya, Magadha, Hyderabad, and others, also sent troops that had previously fought against the Indian temporary government to cooperate busily.

The Indians in the Bharat Republic were nearly petrified.

It felt like the nightmare of the colonial era was resurfacing.

To say it frankly, it was so dire that the time they spent working for the British was almost preferable to the current situation in the Bharat Republic, where the peacekeeping forces remained behind to annihilate Communists.

Chandra Bose couldn’t argue much here either.

After all, it was a fact that these crazy Communists had attempted to assassinate the Tsar.

“Find the Communists! Leave not a single one alive!”

Russian and U.S. soldiers flooded various provinces, hunting down the Communists.

Now that the nation was divided, it became difficult even for the Bharat Republic to manage itself, and in reality, they weren’t even sure if there were any Communists present.

It would indeed be odd to say there weren’t any.

After all, India had been long targeted by the Communist Germany.

The oppressor Britain didn’t just say, “I’m withdrawing; therefore I’ll cease to Communism!” or anything like that.

Worse yet, compared to other Indian nations, the Bharat Republic didn’t have the same level of oppressive influence the Indian temporary government had once held.

“What on earth is happening right now?!”

“I hear that the Russian Tsar was almost assassinated!”

“Who would do something so insane?!”

“I’ve heard it’s the Communists. They say there are ministers from the temporary government involved too!”

At this point, those remaining in the Bharat Republic were mostly supportive of the Caste System, positively carrying on the harmful customs of the past.

But with the rise of the Communists, people had to avoid the rampaging Russian and U.S. soldiers seeking revenge.

In an effort to pacify both the Russian forces and U.S. troops now invading the homeland, the Bharat Republic had no choice but to comply with them.

In fact, I decided to tie everything back to the Caste System at this point.

Given the neighboring countries have systems of caste, if the other Indian nations, who have long upheld Caste System, start thinking about this, it will have an impact.

The Bharat Republic must abolish the caste system.

There might be some concern about the ruling class of the caste, but Chandra Bose seems to want that too. He may not agree with the foreign intervention, but what can he do?

“If there are those who embrace the Reds from now on, I will bring them all to trial!”

The Russian and U.S. forces seized their ground in the Bharat Republic, providing various excuses.

By this point, the legitimacy of the Bharat Republic was gradually eroding.

Thus, it’s time to unwrap this.

It’s time to dismantle the system of the Bharat Republic, which seeks to perpetuate old evils.

“It’s all because of the Caste System.”

Now, bringing up the Caste System again.

Thanks to those Communists, the stage for demolishing the Caste System has been laid out—it couldn’t be any better.

I can only imagine Lenin, now deceased, would be shocked to see this scene.

Employing the Communists to eradicate the Caste System, indeed it’s a bold plan.

“Why suddenly bring up the Caste System?”

“Well, the Caste System is an extremely suitable breeding ground for Communists, isn’t it? As long as such vile customs exist, it’s only natural that the Communists who want to overthrow power thrive in this Bharat Republic. We will deal with the Communists, but if you don’t fundamentally change, it will be difficult!”

I suppressed the protesting ministers under the rationale of fighting against Communism.

Utterly nonsensical reasoning.

To be fair, linking the Caste System with Communists is indeed a valid justification.

But if you trace it back, it’s really the fault of Communist Germany, and it hardly has any strong rationale to be tied with the Caste System, yet there is no way to deny its connection. We had the power to forcefully claim it.

After all, doesn’t coercion only work when you are strong enough?

Was the Opium War a justified war? Wasn’t it waged to sell opium?

“I side with the peacekeeping forces commander as well. Isn’t this all a result of the Caste System?”

Inadvertently, talk of abolishing the Caste System arose.

“If we abolish the Caste System hastily, it could cause social unrest!”

Chandra Bose seems concerned about the future and wishes to take things slowly.

He sure loves to advocate taking it slowly. But that’s not something I can let slide.

“Didn’t the head of state nearly die? It would be an insult to my mother, the Tsar, not to erase the Bharat Republic. How can you even say such a thing?”

Zhukov slammed his fist down on the table in anger.

I quietly watched Zhukov berate Chandra Bose.

Honestly, I want to return to Russia right now, but I feel like I have to fix things fundamentally with this freshly independent India.

If we’re going to handle this matter, it has to be done properly.

Now that India is already split, it’s a simple matter to question if we need to interfere with the Caste System.

The answer is straightforward.

I simply feel bad. That alone is a good enough reason.

 

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