Chapter 653: The Aura of a Hegemon

Akado’s words seemed to transport the two of them back to that peaceful era, free from the turmoil of war and all its troubles. The two men sat in that bright and spacious small living room, holding coffee cups, discussing the purest of scientific questions.

Being in a wheelchair can be crushing, but it can also give a busy person a sudden opportunity to enjoy a great deal of free time. As Einstein recalled those quiet scenes from the past, he suddenly realized that perhaps his happiest days were those afternoons spent in long talks with Akado in that small living room.

“My Führer, in fact, if you had not started a war, but instead used your grand vision to guide the people of the world towards a better future, I would have been willing to give up anything to follow you,” Einstein said with a sigh. “But now, I can only sit here, hoping that you will have a change of heart and bring peace to the whole world.”

“I have never tried to persuade you, Einstein… In fact, after talking with you a few times, I have only ever thought of you as my friend, not as a subordinate I needed to win over,” Akado said with a smile, taking a sip of the coffee he had brewed for himself. It didn’t taste as good as the coffee Anna prepared, but it had the long-lost flavor of those days in the small living room.

“That is my failure, I suppose. I always hoped I could influence you to make the decisions I wanted, but you only ever saw me as a friend,” Einstein said, looking at Akado sitting opposite him. “Did you know that I would betray Germany? That I would flee to another country?”

Akado did not hide his actions. “I have people monitoring the entire empire. This is something I must do as the Führer. After all, it is not easy to be a good dictator. It’s not that I don’t want to be a little more democratic…”

“I would rather see you rule this country as a dictator!” Einstein suddenly interrupted Akado. “You see farther than any of us, as if you are looking at the world from God’s shoulder. I support your dictatorship, because there is no one in this world who can stand with you and expand the future of humanity with the same ideas and vision.”

Akado didn’t know whether to call the anti-war scientific nerd in front of him conservative or radical. For a moment, he looked at Einstein, at a loss for words. Einstein smiled and then continued, “I want to ask you one last question, as a friend. Not as a scientist, not as an anti-war activist.”

“Ask,” Akado nodded.

“I want to ask you, after the war, what is there?” Einstein suddenly asked, staring at Akado solemnly, posing a seemingly inexplicable question.

“Peace! A balanced and stable peace, albeit one with undercurrents!” Akado said firmly. “The goal that I, and the entire Third Reich, are fighting for is a new order and a more lasting peace!”

“…” Einstein fell silent. He thought of the terrifying gunshot in his dreams every night recently, the shot that had pierced his body. He was also an ordinary person, and being human, he had his own emotions, his own anger. To say he didn’t hate the British who had shot him would be self-deception. To say he felt no gratitude for Akado’s tolerance and patience would be heartless.

“I hope… that my decision this time is not wrong,” Einstein finally said, making up his mind. He took out a stack of clean manuscripts from under his wheelchair and handed it to Akado. “This is the last small contribution this useless man can make. I hope it can be of some use to you, my friend. I hope you can end the war soon and restore peace to humanity.”

“Who says you’re a useless man? If we’re talking about charging into battle, then you might not be of much use. But I have an army of 6 million, and it’s not your turn to go to the front lines, old man,” Akado said, taken aback for a moment, then smiling. “But I only have one old friend named Einstein, who can chat with me about physics for a whole afternoon without ever repeating himself.”

At this moment, Akado was laughing heartily on the inside. He was unlike the protagonists in those novels, whose “aura of a hegemon” would make underlings bow down in submission. First, Stresemann had left him, then Tukhachevsky had rejected his offer, and Einstein had also chosen to defect. Now, after a series of events, Einstein had finally chosen to stand on his side. This could definitely be called a small recruitment victory.

“My friend, I will not contribute to your war effort. After all, I still have principles I must adhere to. But I am now choosing to help my friend do some things within my power. For example, if you still have use for these old bones, I am willing to teach at Berlin University. I will no longer participate in any scientific research. I will only be a teacher, an ordinary teacher,” Einstein finally said, cautiously stating his choice. He had betrayed before and really had no bargaining chips to make demands.

Akado, however, was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement. “No problem. I will arrange for special personnel to protect you and take care of your daily life. This is not surveillance, but please understand, your appearance will once again become a banner, and this banner cannot be allowed to fall. This is in the interest of the Empire, and on this, I cannot compromise.”

…

When Akado returned to the Führer’s residence, it was already past ten o’clock at night. A visit that Akado had held little hope for had become a major turning point in Einstein’s thinking. Akado had obtained many important research manuscripts and had also regained the friendship of a world-class scientist.

He gently hung his greatcoat on the coat rack, and then the lights came on. Mercedes was standing by the light switch, her arms crossed, looking at her apologetic husband. Akado gave an awkward smile, trying to cover up his grave mistake of breaking his promise. At this moment, he was just a husband who had done something wrong, not the decisive Führer of the Empire.

“You’re back?” Mercedes looked at Akado’s embarrassed expression, then at Anna, who was standing to the side looking as if she had also done something wrong, and suddenly laughed. “Alright, alright! Stop putting on that pitiful look. I knew that if you two went to the hospital today, you would definitely be back at this time. Go and eat something, I just heated it up.”

This time it was Akado’s turn to be puzzled. Why wasn’t Mercedes angry at all? Why wasn’t she blaming him in the slightest? Anna, at the side, was also a little confused. After all, they had broken their promise. Hadn’t Mercedes been waiting for so long? Didn’t she have anything to say?

“Did you two really think that one trip to the hospital could change that old stubborn Einstein’s mind?” Mercedes laughed, a sly, triumphant look on her beautiful face, like a little fox that had gotten its way.

Akado was taken aback. That beautiful face seemed not to have changed in twenty years. Time and hardship seemed unable to leave any trace on this beauty. This beautiful, triumphant smile now reminded Akado of a legendary beauty who could topple cities, a foxy woman named Daji.

“From the moment Einstein arrived in Berlin, I have been sending him flowers every day in the name of a former Wehrmacht colonel. I also had Heydrich meet with some of Einstein’s friends to isolate the genius scientist. When you two went today, I knew he would most likely be grateful to you. In that case, it was inevitable that you would be back late,” Mercedes said, revealing her secret, her smile even sweeter.

Akado was suddenly enlightened. Only now did he realize that his “aura of a hegemon” probably didn’t exist at all. This victory was mostly thanks to Mercedes’s groundwork. But at this moment, Akado felt even happier. He had gained Einstein’s friendship and a happy family. Everyone in this family was full of love, making him feel that to have all of this here was simply wonderful.

Just as Akado was thanking God for giving him such a happy and perfect family, on the other side of the ocean, on a battlefield called Kauai in the Pacific, a cold wind was blowing against a tattered Rising Sun flag. Japanese soldiers were hiding in their trenches, enduring round after round of fierce naval bombardment from the United States.

“Bakayaro! Weren’t these American monkeys defeated by Marshal Yamamoto’s navy? Why are there still so many?” a Japanese soldier clutching a Type 38 rifle cursed, huddled in a trench that had been built by the Americans and then reinforced by the Japanese.

“Shut up. You actually believe the bullshit from those bastards in the navy? When we in the army are defeated, at least we know how to admit it. When those bastards in the navy are defeated, they’ll never admit it!” a sallow-faced veteran said, brushing the dust from his uniform and sneering. “After the shelling is over, we have to go down to the beach to clean up and bring back some food. Otherwise, we’ll be hungry all day.”

The Japanese had placed helmets with bullet holes on the beach, and then after the tide receded, they would find small crabs and other creatures in them to eat. Later, someone discovered a better container and began to use the skulls of dead soldiers, which could capture more food. And so, an even more terrifying and bloody hunting game began. The beach on Kauai was now lined with rows upon rows of skulls.

“I don’t want to eat that stuff.” At the mention of that food, the young soldier’s already pale face turned even whiter. Firstly, the source of the food was too disgusting, making the slightly civilized Japanese soldier feel nauseous. Secondly, eating this food would likely cause diarrhea, which would be even worse. It was better to wait for the submarine’s resupply with an empty stomach.

Speaking of submarine resupply… almost all the Japanese soldiers thought to themselves: Those damn submarines should be here by now, shouldn’t they? Underwater transport ships, fully loaded with food and fresh water!

Published: 2025-09-15T05:54:58.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-02-08T18:52:56.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c653-aura-of-138920528

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