Rasputin of the East

＜ Episode 85 >

Near Scandanavia, the Izmail-class battlecruiser nameship Izmail.

It was a passenger ship on the way, but on the way back, the Russian Navy was there to meet you.

And there I found two unexpected faces.

“Irina, and Archduke Cyril?”

“It’s been a while, Duke. Congratulations on winning the award.”

“No… I didn’t expect you to come in person.”

“If I don’t come, who will come? It’s okay.”

The Archduke slapped me in the back with a slight ache, and began to boast of his battleship in a pleasant way. For some reason, it felt like the tension had risen sharply, but I guess it’s because of my mood.

***

England, War.

“Russian development of new weapons?”

“That’s right.”

“Russia is not enough even in America, God.”

Britain was empowering Japan’s naval cabinet to advance the 88th Fleet plan. They do not spare advice on the design of the new 16-inch Nagato class, which is under construction, and transfer technology for the new battleships and battlecruisers, while trying to use it as a lever to pressure the US and Russia.

No matter how chaotic the state is, the Italian navy, which will soon have new ships that will not be insufficient for the Queen Elizabeth class, will not know about the French navy, including the Lyon class, the Brittany class, the Normandy class, and the Tegekov class, which was renamed the Joan of Arc class, but the French navy. Serbia, which has only the notebook class, and Germany, which has nothing left, will be able to contain enough.

The British government said that 20-inch battlecruisers would be too expensive, and the Incomparables, like the Queen Elizabeth-class, had only a handful of 16-inch cruisers that would compete with the Lexington-class, keeping pace with the Admiral-class and even 18-inch-class battleships. The plan was to build a number of battleships to counter the American Atlantic Fleet.

However, if Russia develops a new weapon, it becomes even more troublesome. I don’t know what it is, but if it is an object that threatens Britain across the sea, there is a high probability that it will be something related to the Navy, then the Royal Navy is already overloaded……

“It is information that Russia is developing weapons of disease.”

“… Did the intelligence officers smoke any opium?”

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MI6, which opened a new horizon of incompetence and shamed the king in an official position, was disbanded, probably because they were affiliated with Gallipoli, who had fallen into incompetence.

However, the newly organized ones are also speaking nonsense in a similar way, so it was the moment when the minister was seriously thinking about what his pride was and whether he should get the know-how to set up an intelligence agency in Russia. If you could transfer a new engine or shipbuilding technology, how could they not give it to you?

But the opponent was serious.

“I think you know that this year’s Nobel Prize was awarded to the Duke of Vostok.”

“right.”

“After the Nobel Prize was awarded, there was an academic conference, and there is a feeling that the British Empire and other countries have seriously underestimated the level of biological development in Russia until now. First of all, the duke’s remarks contained excessively detailed information about a ‘virus’, a creature known to exist only in theory until now. From their ecology to their structure. It is not something that can be explained with just a theory, but it can suggest that the organism actually exists and that research on it is quite advanced.”

“Let’s go on.”

“The peacock also mentioned genetic manipulation as a treatment for hemophilia, which means that the Russian Empire has an extremely high understanding of genes and viruses, and furthermore, there is a possibility that a virus can be intentionally synthesized for the purpose. In other words, it is possible to develop disease weapons that target only specific ethnic groups by targeting genes.”

If the person concerned had heard it, it would have been a sound that would have collapsed from shortness of breath while laughing.

If he had the technology to do what he couldn’t even in the 21st century, he would have conquered the world earlier. It is a delusion that one can do because they do not know the difficulty of genetic manipulation.

No, in the first place, the concept of a nation is a huge mess of genetics, and the mixed blood, similarity, and homogeneity between ethnic groups is higher than expected, so developing a virus that targets only a specific ethnic group or people was a nonsense that could only be done in a delusion.

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Modern humans are only one species, and no race can even be identified as a subspecies of that species. In a reality where mutated viruses that break down barriers between species and attack other species like zoonotic epidemics are common, even if a virus that targets a specific gene is developed, it cannot mutate and disappear after completing its goal. If that were possible, the concept of disease would have disappeared from mankind long ago.

But now, in the early 20th century, eugenics is still being discussed as a serious discipline.

In a situation where there are a lot of humans who believe that superior and inferior genes actually exist, the delusion that a biological attack that will destroy a specific country by targeting a specific gene is first assumed to be very advanced in research on viruses and genes. So, at least in their minds, it became a reality.

“But… first of all, there is no basis. The only information from this is that the Russian Empire is likely to have advanced research on genes and new pathogens called viruses, and that the Russian Empire thinks it can be used to treat genetic diseases. There is no basis for the Russian Empire to develop that kind of biological weapon.”

“It is because it is very difficult to infiltrate an informant in Russia. But the region will be somewhat specific.”

“How?”

“It was the Duke of Vostok who made these remarks. He was the ruler of the Russian Empire. Naturally, these important weapons are under my strong influence so that they can be concealed or quickly settled in case of an accident, and the population density is low and the floating population is very small, but it must be a place with good access to major research institutes and factories.”

“… Far East Siberia?”

“That’s right. The Ministry of Intelligence considers this region to be the most likely among them.”

The minister read in a low voice the designation marked at the point pointed to by the intelligence officer.

“Kamchatka Peninsula.”

“If you use the sea route at the main facilities of the Ministry of Home Affairs, you can easily access it, and even if there is an emergency, you can control the floating population as well as the population itself because it is very small, and there is no one who will be interested in this area except myself. ”

“exactly……”

There is a possibility. It may not be, but anyway, there is definitely a possibility.

“You mustn’t disclose it recklessly, as it will only lead to headwinds if you talk with your heart without any clear evidence.”

“of course. And… we want to send agents to Kamchatka, but we need more money.”

“What is your budget for this year? Have you already written it all down?”

“There’s a little bit left, but maybe that’s not enough.”

“…I will save you.”

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Money, money, money, whatever it was, money was the problem.

***

There is a saying that the sun in the mountains sets faster than usual. I don’t know if that’s true, but the northern sun sets much faster than usual.

And when the sun went down from the luxurious quarters of Izmail, Archduke Kirill sat.

“Is Tatiana sleeping?”

“You must have been tired.”

“Well, I guess.”

Archduke Cyril, who smiled strangely, put down his glass.

“Irina?”

“I’ll come see you in a few hours.”

As Irina closed the door and left, Archduke Kirill gurgled a clear liquid into my glass.

“I mean, you’re very loyal. On your behalf, I manage the organization almost to perfection, even with a woman’s body.”

“Originally, there were quite a few people who ignored Irina as a woman. Irina is my agent while I’m away, so I’ve clearly said that ignoring Irina’s orders is ignoring my orders, but there are a lot of people who don’t listen. Only then did Irina become active.”

“How is it?”

“I was dismissed and assigned to Central Asia.”

“Yeah, you have to deal with those who don’t listen, because if she behaves like that even though she is your acting authority, you are disobeying your authority, not hers.”

I took a sip of the glass that Archduke Cyril had offered me. As soon as I drank, something jumped out of me.

‘Is this… this gentleman intending to poison me?’

Just looking at it, it’s a drink with at least 70 degrees. Doesn’t this lead to alcoholism rather than poison?

It felt like his esophagus was on fire, but that gentleman drank it well.

The average vodka is 40 degrees, but how many degrees is this?

“I was supposed to go to Poland, and this is the best product I got there. How is it?”

How are you? I’m going to fall behind, man.

“Sir Grand Duke. But… I heard that you withdrew the throne of Czechoslovakia. Is it true?”

“I didn’t explicitly say no… but it’s true that I don’t really pull it.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to become a king… but Czechoslovakia isn’t a landlocked country. I wouldn’t be able to stand to leave these pretty girls and go to a town where there is no sea, and that damn intruder would be overthrown.”

Oh, that man ate it up. I feel sorry for the princess, to lose her husband to a battleship. If you can take it to the 21st century, I think it will be interesting to see the real reaction.

Just as I was thinking about it, the word “failure” was stepped on.

“Did you say that you lost?”

“Ah, it’s no big deal, because it was against His Majesty’s heart.”

“Yes? What else…”

“Well, anyway, King of Czechoslovakia, how about you try? If you do, I will support you.”

“I am not a member of the royal family.”

“I will soon become an imperial family, so what does it matter?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Um… ah, I was going to tell you this when I got to the mainland, but your Majesty the Emperor is pushing you to get married, but it’s an engagement right now.”

“Yes?”

“I know it’s no wonder I sent you and Tatiana to a dinner where you were supposed to go as a couple. I thought that you two would be together. , if you want to rest at home, you will have to resign. ttt.”

“no way…….”

“Stolipin still holds the premiership, but this year will probably be his last, for His Majesty was furious.”

Oh, my God.

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My last conversation with him passes by.

‘You must marry Princess Olga, because she is the one most fit to bear the weight of a double-headed eagle, and if not her, you must marry someone who will become Tsarina. There is no other way.’

Damn it, but what if you hit me with a noob, you bastard!