I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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* * *

“Say whatever you want.”

“I’ll keep an eye on things as best as I can, so hurry to Russia. No, create a nuclear bomb for this Anastasia.”

“If we seize the nuclear first, ultimately, we will win. That’s why I treat Einstein so well.”

“Of course it’s important. Do you have anything to say regarding physics?”

“There are many students interested in physics, and that’s all good, but I wish Russian physicists would invite scholars from other countries.”

“Oh, you want to invite physicists from other countries.”

“You wish to collaborate on research, huh?”

Well, in the end, it revolves around this person.

This person was indeed the core of modern civilization.

“Don’t Russian scholars satisfy you? Don’t you have students as well?”

If Russian scholars aren’t good enough, hmm. What can you do?

“Not at all. There are capable friends like Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa. And there’s Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner from Germany; they’re also capable. But I want to do something bigger. I believe by doing this, physics in Russia can greatly advance.”

Ah, I see now. The man following him is one of those two.

Wait, Otto Hahn or Lise Meitner? Aren’t they all figures related to nuclear science?

Both Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner are from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute.

There won’t be any Uranium Project in Germany.

Nazi Germany ultimately failed because during their project, with the invasion of Poland, they drafted physicists into the Wehrmacht, thus halting the research.

But leaving that aside.

Right. You want to explore something big.

You aim to gather Russian physicists.

Einstein set up a Royal Society in the United States similar to the Royal Society of London, so it seems Einstein’s words are correct if we want to draw something out.

If our Dr. Einstein wants to do something, he should do it.

But there must be conditions.

If Otto Hahn or Lise Meitner are involved, they should be researching something related to nuclear science.

Ah, I see. If not now, then when will I have a chance to throw this out?

I raised my finger in front of Einstein.

“But there are conditions.”

“Please go ahead.”

It’s nice that you’re so straightforward.

I have a little knowledge about nuclear science.

Ah, of course, I don’t possess the knowledge equivalent to a physicist, just the outcomes.

After all, I won’t be creating any nuclear bombs in this apocalyptic world.

When nuclear war starts, I had investigated ways to cope.

How to survive when a nuclear bomb falls.

As I researched this, it turned out that I would die anyway, so it’s better to head towards the center where the nuclear explosion occurs and flamboyantly perish.

Additionally, I had learned about how nuclear weapons are naturally made and concepts regarding nuclear fission as a bonus.

I rummaged through my memory and began to jot down concepts and theories about nuclear fission onto a piece of paper.

The type of nuclear reaction, along with units and formulas.

Just at the level to make one’s mouth water.

Of course, I’m not a professional in this field.

Having scrawled a whole lot, I handed it over to Einstein and the other scientists.

“What do you think?”

“This is.”

It would be a bit awkward to simply critique by just looking at it.

Since physicists have to conduct research anyway.

I can’t just shove it at them saying, “What the hell is this, you nerd.” They’ll at least conduct the experiment to see if this works.

So, I’m throwing out a bait like this.

At first, I’ll throw out something to be used rather than weaponization.

In other words, nuclear fission, that phenomenon.

How about it? Curious? How about researching this?

As a physicist, they’d surely want to verify if this is real or not.

“Please conduct research on this nuclear fission.”

“Your Majesty, may I ask one question?”

The expressions of Einstein and the others turned serious.

Right. This should originally be released in ’38, huh. So, simply taking a math test and only writing the answer would be the same.

After all, there are things you only know by directly experimenting.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Where in the world did you learn this?”

Here, pretending that I know is a bit tricky.

During the civil war, I wouldn’t have had the time to learn this, and if it were before, there wouldn’t have been any opportunity to learn it.

I felt like if I acted like I know something, they’d ask me questions, making it uncomfortable.

Here, indeed—a dream. That’s better.

“Simply? An old man told me in my dream.”

Since Mr. Tesla also heard it from an old man, I should say I heard it from an old man too.

“In a dream?”

“How about trying to prove this in nuclear physics? If so, I will do anything you wish.”

In conclusion, if I conduct an experiment to prove what I saw in my dream, I can do anything, right?

“Very well. Yes, let’s give it a shot.”

“Ah, regarding this nuclear physics research, it would be best not to disclose it to the foreign physicists invited. Or we could allow them to gain Russian citizenship conditioned on that research.”

At least until the end of World War II, only Russia must possess nuclear technology.

That way, if we do happen to fall behind Germany, I can just say “Hey, it’s nuclear.”

To prevent future Russian rampages, perhaps they’ll disclose nuclear-related technology to countries like the United States.

But at least, let’s hold on to it until World War II.

“Alright. Then do whatever you wish with anything else.”

“Thank you.”

Thus, Einstein and his group took the notes handed over by the Tsarina and left.

Did they even need to come all the way to tell me this?

Well, since I did grant asylum, it’s only natural.

Or do they see this as a form of autocracy?

How should I throw the nuclear bait to this person? I’ve got that settled, and I should slowly consider how to develop this into a weapon.

This person did mention having opposed it due to the dangers of nuclear power.

Later on, figures like Lev Landau, a Soviet edition of von Neumann, would emerge.

No, for now, I need to work hard on my likability.

Perhaps I should later mention the need to weaponize it because of Communist Germany.

After all, this person coming to Russia is a miracle.

He could have gone to Austria or other countries, but he came to this war-torn country right after the civil war. Is this not destiny?

Moreover, if Einstein invites foreign scholars to Russia…

I must find ways to absorb talents in fields like physics, chemistry, and biology, attaching some conditions.

“Your Majesty, earlier, you handed something over, I wonder.”

The Black Baron seems curious about what I passed over.

“Are you curious?”

“Your Majesty, haven’t you predicted many things until now?”

No, I’m not perfect either.

With just a mere prediction, I might barely manage to foretell the events of World War II.

That’s predicated on the variable of the undead country called the German Free Socialist Republic.

The writings I’ve done may turn out to be based on my misunderstandings, later leading Einstein to simply say, “It seems that old man shared his notes. Haha.”

In that case, I would become the naïve Tsarina who merely acted on dreams when asking the physicist.

Hence, I should appropriately divert things for now.

“Ah, this time, it was just a doodle.”

“A doodle?”

To be precise, it’s not a doodle.

In the end, the writing I passed on regarding nuclear fission becomes a doodle based on whether they validate it or not. That’s how it goes.

“If they don’t figure it out, it’ll just be a doodle. After all, it’s just me, Tsarina, dreaming this up.”

But I firmly believe they’ll succeed.

Of course, even if the process diverges from history, developing nuclear weapons requires a lot of funds, which is problematic.

Is there any way for money to suddenly tumble down?

For instance, something blows up in the United States, and while Russia solves it, the U.S. gives a huge amount of money in return. Oh, that sounds enticing.

Really, is there any chance money will rain down suddenly?

Selling oil to gain money is good, but wouldn’t it be better to have a lot of money from the start?

Originally, money given by others is best.

Even if I make money from oil, it won’t be immediately invested in developing atomic bomb funds.

Russia has too much to change.

* * *

United States

Around this time, Beria and the Okhrana dispatched to America were struggling to find Trotsky.

A recent frequent visit to a chicken place.

Here, Beria and the Okhrana agents always ate chicken after failing to find Trotsky.

Today, as usual, Beria threw off his hat in frustration.

“Damn it. Where the hell has that bastard Trotsky gone?”

“Hmm, wouldn’t now be a good time to…”

“There are still many Okhrana agents who see me as a Cheka puppet. I need to find that guy to prove my loyalty, don’t you think?”

Within Okhrana, no one regarded Beria as a Cheka puppet anymore.

Besides, communists were almost extinct in Russia.

Amidst this, slaughtering former comrades and being a Cheka agent? That made no sense.

Beria didn’t stop because he wanted to make a name for himself.

“Well, it seems sufficient as it is now, but why the trouble? Besides, the Tsarina plans to assign you a new mission. If finding Trotsky takes this long, you might not get to do that either.”

“What is it?”

“Grand Duke Kirill recently returned to add his two cents, but the Tsarina chased him away.”

Grand Duke Kirill. Right, he’s said to be the cousin of Nicholas II, who was entranced by that charlatan Rasputin.

So, he should be an inconsequential figure.

Given the current atmosphere, does that mean the Tsarina wants him dead?

Beria slightly lowered his head and quietly spoke.

“Are we… actually going to deal with him?”

Killing him would be just fine.

“Well, not exactly. It’s likely she plans to send an Okhrana agent to monitor him. Given that something might happen in Finland, the Tsarina seems inclined to keep capable individuals close to Grand Duke Kirill for a while.”

In that case, what? Will they take turns monitoring the guy?

If given the order, he could kill him himself, but…

Still, what he was most curious about was Trotsky’s whereabouts.

“Ah, by the way, that mannequin looks like Trotsky.”

While eating chicken, my eyes wandered outside to a human-shaped mannequin.

That truly resembled Trotsky.

If he weren’t a bit chubby and holding a chicken, he might have looked a bit like him.

“Haha, do you really think that notorious Trotsky would be standing there plump with a benevolent smile, frying chicken?”

“That seems right.”

That wicked Trotsky wouldn’t be standing there getting puffy and frying chicken.

Considering it was even made into a mannequin, it looked slightly idealized.

That guy is probably still somewhere shouting for revolution amidst all this.

In this country of rich individuals, the United States, I really doubt he’s around.

He’s a guy who lives and dies for revolution.

If he exists anywhere, I’d imagine it would be in China or France.

Beria knew that well.

Though not with a conspicuous appearance, as the Red Army’s defeat became more apparent, Trotsky’s madness and fervor were likely well-known even to the rural folks under Soviet rule.

I thought the Tsarina might have guessed somewhat, but considering she managed to spot someone like Goddard, Trotsky must also have some kind of presence.

“I’ll tell my Tsarina well. How about returning home?”

“Umm, I’ll think about it for a few days.”

I must achieve something somehow.

I needed to catch that Trotsky fellow one way or another.

During this period, the Trotsky Beria so desperately sought was contacting American communists and holding communist meetings targeting disenfranchised black people in American society.

“There are still slaves in this United States. Where are they? Right here! You black people are slaves! Even though you’ve been freed, you are still treated like slaves. You are as human as whites! You are proud citizens and workers of this continent! So why are you being treated like slaves?”

Back during the Civil War, some 60 years ago, Abraham Lincoln declared the emancipation of slaves.

Even now, there was a culture of lynching black people in the South, and the Great Migration of Black Americans, moving from Southern states to other ones, became a topic itself.

Why are today’s black people still facing discrimination?

In the year 1935 of this world, Jesse Owens, an American black athlete, broke world records during the Berlin Summer Olympics and won four gold medals, yet he faced racial discrimination.

Even during his time at Ohio State University, he couldn’t use white-only dorms and had to eat at black-only restaurants and take buses dedicated for black people.

Things certainly haven’t gotten any better.

Here, Trotsky struck at the sore point of the discrimination facing black people.

And,

The colored black individuals were drawn to Trotsky’s eloquent speeches and skills, following him like rain in a drought.

“Oh, that’s exactly right!”

“What did we do wrong to deserve such treatment?”

“We are human too! We have the right to be treated as laborers, just like whites!”

“Truly, you are magnificent! Teacher!”

The black individuals were inspired by Trotsky’s speech.

“You are in no way inferior to whites, nor are you less than yellow-skinned people following white imperialism like the Japanese! Who undermines the value of precious life simply because your skin is dark? If you trace back your roots, at one point, you developed civilization and were part of history! Now! Rise together! Demand your rights proudly!”

Trotsky’s ideology that all humans possess dignity; that both whites and blacks are the same workers, was rather far from his past revolutionary claims.

However, at least within these communities of colored individuals in America, it struck a chord, and Trotsky wasn’t just inciting the black people solely due to his revolutionary desires.

In reality, these black folks would face only exploitation for a lifetime if they stuck with nothing.

Isn’t troubling each other a win-win?

Of course, Trotsky did not reveal his identity to them.

It was the opinion of the comrades that he had to hide his presence due to the Okhrana agents trying to find him in the shadows of America.

Wearing a heavy coat and thick glasses, he also obscured his face.

To anyone, he looked highly suspicious, but the black individuals didn’t suspiciously regard Trotsky one bit.

Anyone who scratches where it itches and empathizes with the pain will engender goodwill.

Above all, though he obscured his face, those American communists beside Trotsky and the Russian communists who had been with him from day one also stood by, so the black individuals didn’t find that strange at all and thus trusted Trotsky, waiting for his meetings and speeches.

And so, Trotsky gathered the colored and the American communists, marginalized by the American society.

Most of them were former military personnel who had fought in the Great War, which wouldn’t be a secret.

Thus,

After Trotsky spoke, a fragrant chicken smell lingered where he passed.