I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 515

Buzzing, buzzing.

The noise of people chattering filled the venue, making my ears ring.

I should have known better than to come here. Damn it.

I leaned back in my chair, pretending to be nonchalant.

Before me, U.S. President James Garfield was looking at me with an awkward smile on his face.

“Thank you for rushing here despite your busy schedule.”

“Not at all. Such important matters should naturally be discussed with both countries putting their heads together.”

Originally, my plan was to coordinate with the President in the United States, and then head down to Richmond together when the delegation from the British Empire arrived.

But wouldn’t you know it.

The very day I arrived in Washington, unbelievable news from the South caused a massive scandal that turned the embassy and the press upside down.

“How is former President Lincoln doing?”

“He says he’s doing very well, writing in his hometown.”

“It’s a shame. I was hoping to see him and say hello if he were in Washington.”

“Wouldn’t he be quite surprised to hear the news by now?”

Lincoln is practically the embodiment of anti-communism and an icon of destroying communism in the United States.

In fact, during his four terms, the United States had widened the gap with the South considerably and was now almost free from the fear of those reds rising up.

But suddenly, I, the British Empire’s Head of State and one of the great leaders of the Western world, am being exposed as the father of communism…

I wonder if the United States knows how to react.

President Garfield’s indescribable, ambiguous smile might be a sign that starkly reveals the current situation.

“I believe the current President has more questions than the former President.”

“Haha… Well… the Congress keeps demanding explanations from me. It’s not even something I can explain, but the opposition party always finds fault with everything.”

So, he’s telling me to explain it quickly.

I’m just as dumbfounded, you know?

Why did that crazy Engels scribble such nonsense as his last words, causing this mess?

“It was such an absurd and preposterous story that it took some time to figure out what was going on. Frankly, how many rumors have there been to slander me until now? We must be cautious.”

“Are you saying that Engels left that last testament to slander Your Majesty?”

“Let’s get the facts straight. Is that even a testament? From what I hear, he was heavily drunk before he died and just scribbled whatever came to mind. It wasn’t a drunken confession, just the ramblings of an alcoholic.”

I made it obvious that I was dumbfounded and glanced at yesterday’s newspaper headline next to Garfield.

[Kilian, the Father of Communism? Engels’ confession that he nurtured both Engels and Marx shocks the world…]

“So, Your Majesty is saying that Engels’ last letter is not true.”

“To be precise, I would say it’s a small truth blown out of proportion.”

“…I apologize, but it is our hope that Your Majesty will clarify your position if there is even a slight truth to it. This is such a significant matter…”

“Ah, I understand. I suppose so.”

In a society where words like anti-communism, destroying communism, and unification by advancing north are prevalent, how can it be quiet when the leader of the world’s strongest power is suddenly called the father of communism?

Not only in the United States but also in London, all sorts of brain farts must be circulating, so I need to say something at this point.

However, because there have been so many conspiracy theories surrounding me before, Europe still regards this as an interesting piece of gossip.

-It’s not like Kilian being slandered is a new thing. Why are you guys overreacting so much?

-Still, Engels is practically the founder of communism, so wouldn’t it be a big deal if such a person acknowledged it?

-Engels ultimately referenced Marx’s theories, so shouldn’t we hear what Marx has to say?

Engels, that bastard… Could it be that he held a grudge against me and wrote such a thing before he died to screw me over?

I took a moment to calmly reflect on the current situation.

I, who know the original history, know how powerfully communism spread when it was at its peak, but the situation is different here.

The Communist Devil, who once plunged the capitalist world into a crucible of fear, had his head cut off by the brave Marx of the great monarch Kilian.

Since then, the South has turned into a dictatorship and has become increasingly unpopular as it associates with South American countries.

Even Russia had a revolution based on anarchism, not a communist revolution, so what more is there to say?

In short, the ideology of communism no longer poses any threat to the great powers.

Therefore, even if such rumors circulate in Europe, there will be no practical damage.

However, the situation is different in the United States.

“Your Majesty, this is absolutely not our official position, but there are even conspiracy theories circulating that Engels was Your Majesty’s puppet.”

“Are you saying I dropped Engels on the American continent?”

“…That’s how conspiracy theories usually are, aren’t they? Full of nonsense. Still, the situation in our country is so unique…”

Not only did it solidify the pain of division between North and South, but it was also the root of all evil that plagued the United States with the Red Scare [a period of intense anti-communism in the US] for a while.

In Europe, it was closer to the image of a once-feared, shortest-lived fad, but in the United States, hostility towards communism was still immense.

If rumors spread that I sent Engels over here, the thought of how much anti-British sentiment would surge in the United States makes me dizzy.

To try to slander me with such malicious slander in the last moments of his life.

In fact, when you think about it, it’s true that I sent Engels to America.

However, Engels wouldn’t know that fact, so this is 100% slander, isn’t it?

It’s a problem because a drunken bum stumbled upon catching a rat [an idiom meaning to accidentally discover something significant].

“Don’t worry too much. I have a plan.”

“I knew it. I believed that Your Majesty would not be swayed by such rumors.”

If it is concluded that I really created communism and played with the United States, it is not only me who will be affected.

The Republican Party in the United States, which was being used by the British Empire without knowing it, will not be able to avoid criticism.

Even Lincoln broke the traditions of the United States under the pretext of protecting the country from the communists.

At the same time, he set out to strengthen the alliance with the British Empire to pressure the South, but the British Empire was behind the communists?

It would be strange if the citizens’ criticism did not focus on the Republican Party’s miserable political power and insight.

The reason why President Garfield is sending me desperate eyes asking me to do something is all because of this.

“If the President cooperates with me, I will calm this situation down before leaving the United States.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I should naturally cooperate. What can I do to help?”

“It’s simple. Gather the media outlets in the United States and the politicians who are reacting sensitively to this issue.”

I moved to a place filled with reporters, thanks to President Garfield’s kindness in creating a place for me without knowing why.

“Your Majesty Kilian!”

“Your Majesty! Is Engels’ will true?”

“Please say a word!”

“Now, everyone, calm down. The reason I arranged this meeting is to provide a clear explanation for all these allegations.”

In less than a week, news outlets from all over the United States, as well as Canadian media, flocked to the scene.

Yes. How curious and anxious they must be.

What if the Head of State of the world’s strongest power, the British Empire, and the person with the world’s greatest wealth, turns out to be the mastermind who created communism and instigated revolutions?

The moment this is revealed to be true, it could develop into the biggest scandal in the history of the world.

It was an unexpected crisis that came at the end of my life, but I was not greatly embarrassed.

A crisis can sometimes act as an opportunity when you turn it over.

I leisurely asked questions to the reporters who were hungry for a scoop like hyenas.

“To avoid any misunderstandings, I will give you a direct answer through my mouth, not a spokesperson. If you have any questions, you can ask anything in order.”

“Your Majesty! This is the Washington Post! First of all, I would like to ask about the credibility of the contents written in Secretary-General Engels’ will! Is everything written in the currently released will true?”

“First of all, to correct you, it’s not a will; it’s just a letter that I was going to send to me but couldn’t even finish. And most of the content was just worthless whining scribbled in a drunken state. Some of the content is true, but almost all of it is exaggerated.”

“So, Your Majesty is saying that Engels’ claim that you are the father of communism is exaggerated.”

Sigh.

I wanted to keep the uncool nickname ‘Communist Demon Kilian’ a secret until the end, but now that it’s been revealed, it’s not a good idea to keep denying it.

Engels may have left records elsewhere, and later, as time passes, various testimonies may pour out from other places.

“Exaggeration refers to the delusion of Engels wanting to overturn the old world and achieve a communist paradise, which he was trying to say at the end. The rest is true to some extent.”

“…Yes?”

“T, true?”

The reporters’ hand movements became frantically fast.

The highlight is next, so don’t miss a single word and write it down well.

“Your Majesty! This is the New York Times! Then are you saying that Engels’ expression, the father of communism, is true?”

“It may vary depending on the point of view, but it is true that Engels and Marx were greatly influenced by me.”

“…O, oooo…”

“W, what. Really? Is it real?”

“Just in case, I would like to say that just because I had a great influence on theoretically establishing communism does not mean that I am affirming it. Rather, as Engels’ letter stated, I clearly emphasized that communism cannot replace capitalism and that it is a theory that is only possible when capitalism is completed.”

I pointed to the sentences written in the copy of the letter left by Engels one by one and emphasized.

“In other words, Engels left the British Empire alone, disappointed that I was not the revolutionary he wanted, and founded an organization called the International and crossed over to the American continent. And I thought that Engels was partly responsible for making it so big, so I destroyed his ideological foundation through Marx.”

“So, was that debate actually a script written by Your Majesty?”

“I just created the place, and I entrusted the rest to Professor Marx. Now that things have turned out this way, I will make a clear announcement at this meeting.”

If he had gone quietly, I would have just ended with expressing my condolences, but how dare he strike first?

Whether he has to exercise his right to remain silent in the afterlife or not, I am not the kind of person who lets things like that slide.

“As soon as I return to my home country, I will organize and publish the situation when I first met Engels and Marx, how scientific socialism was born, and how that Engels began to run wild.”

They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

The father of communism? The better.

It’s not a big deal if a line with the title of father of communism is added to my business card, which is the end plate [the ultimate achievement] of capitalism.

If I extremely contrast myself, who saw through the limits of Engels and communism, who fell into the path of dictatorship, how would the public accept it?

Only Engels’ evaluation, who became a heretic without understanding my purity, will fall further into the abyss.

In my world, drinking is not a reason for leniency.

If you feel wronged, you should drink less.