How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

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Volumes 7 and 8 of Blood and Steel were released in quick succession.

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Unlike The Chronicles of Zenon, this series only needed to present historical facts in a coherent and structured manner.

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Above all, the latter half of Volume 7 only needed to explain the history and potential of the United States, while the latter half of Volume 8 focused solely on the founding history of the Soviet Union.

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I had a deep interest in history in my previous life as well, so this much is a piece of cake. If this were a web novel, I’d probably be heavily criticized.

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But this world is far from being web-novel-friendly—books themselves are barely being disseminated to the public.

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When I wrote The Chronicles of Zenon, the books sold out in droves, causing a frenzy.

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Crucially, Blood and Steel is regarded as a fantasy, so even long-winded explanations are being enjoyed by readers.

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It’s embarrassing to say this myself, but it feels similar to when The Lord of the Rings was first released.

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Anyway, with Volumes 7 and 8 of Blood and Steel coming out so close together, readers are ecstatic.

wVVOUTIlBtyEueOzQTWFQIAtADafTBEUhAMZwUsbNpBZjAdilRAbhFQeQtEXxit [Another wave of sell-outs. The gap between new releases is incredibly short.] wVVOUTIlBtyEueOzQTWFQIAtADafTBEUhAMZwUsbNpBZjAdilRAbhFQeQtEXxit

[Blood and Steel publisher, Grid Merchants: Paper supply is critically low. Please wait just a bit longer.]

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On the other hand, publishers like Musk are both laughing and crying. The same situation that occurred during the early days of The Chronicles of Zenon is repeating itself.

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Back then, Zenon’s volumes sold out faster than the publishers could handle, causing a lot of trouble.

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Eventually, the problem was solved by the passage of time, technological development, and acquiring printing facilities.

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But now the situation is slightly different. Even if we can mass-produce books like a factory, we can’t secure the raw materials.

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Everyone knows that paper is made from trees. But in this world, unlike my previous one, acquiring trees is burdensome in many ways.

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The reason? Monsters.

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Most monsters live in the wild like beasts, and the more trees you cut, the closer you get to their habitats.

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So before logging can occur, the monsters need to be cleared out, and that takes a long time.

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Also, simply chopping down trees isn’t enough. They must be processed into paper. And since processing technology isn’t well-developed, this alone takes a lot of time.

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It might sound far-fetched, but it’s really happening. Even now, the number of requests for adventurers is skyrocketing.

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‘Thank goodness paper has already been invented.’

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If we were still using parchment, even The Chronicles of Zenon might never have been published. I sincerely thank the person who invented paper.

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In any case, despite suffering through this raw materials crisis, the new books have already been widely distributed.

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In other words, reviews are slowly starting to come out. I’ve decided to write more slowly from here on.

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[Hitler, cutting out the gangrenous flesh. No more pus remains in the Weimar Republic—no, in Germany.]

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[It will hurt, but it’s a necessary operation. Enough with the wretched politics.]

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[Hitler’s power becomes more solidified. Through this power, Germany will develop even further.]

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It starts with the Night of the Long Knives, the purge that followed the Enabling Act. This was when Hitler forcibly disbanded all political parties except the Nazi Party.

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It was the moment he openly declared his dictatorship, but Europe, including Britain and France, remained silent.

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They dismissed it, thinking “Surely not Germany again,” because of the lingering trauma from World War I.

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In truth, it was the starting point of World War II.

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Another point: Ernst Röhm, one of the people purged by Hitler, was homosexual. After his execution, countless homosexuals were dragged to concentration camps.

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Interestingly, Hitler once claimed he didn’t care about private lives and argued that soldiers were not supposed to be moral paragons.

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Anyway, with total control over the regime, Hitler began to show increasingly outrageous behavior. The most prominent example: the persecution of Jews.

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“I fought in the Great War! I was even decorated by His Majesty the Kaiser! Why are you doing this to me?! I am not a Jew—I am a German!”

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A Jewish war veteran begging the state for mercy after being persecuted.

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But before long, he too was taken away.

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This was before the Holocaust was fully in motion, so he was only imprisoned—but even this scene created a huge impact on readers.

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[What did the Jews do wrong? Why are even war heroes being persecuted?]

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[If someone is born in another country but integrates into that nation, aren’t they a citizen just the same?]

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[Hitler is uniting the German people through his persecution of Jews. But is this the right way?]

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Even readers originally thought, “They must have done something to deserve it.”

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Even the protagonist—Hitler—despises them, so surely there’s a reason, they assumed.

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But seeing a patriot persecuted just for being Jewish started to stir confusion.

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[Isn’t this like the demon race before The Chronicles of Zenon? Anti-Semitic ideology is widespread, so the comparison fits.]

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[Even after Zenon, the demon race was only saved—they still suffer subtle discrimination.]

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[After Zenon’s death, could the demon race face the same persecution all over again…?]

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Others began to compare Jews and the demon race, noting many similarities.

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The demon race faced every form of discrimination during the Demon War, and eventually founded Helium.

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The Jews didn’t go through the exact same path, but they too founded Israel.

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But Israel arose from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and still struggles for recognition. So today’s Jews are effectively a people without a country.

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[Hitler is not a hero—he’s just a politician. A hero would embrace, not oppress.]

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[But without persecuting Jews, Germany would fragment again. Few things are more effective at uniting people than a clear enemy.]

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[Surely there was another way.]

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[The Jews held much of Germany’s economy and finance, and unlike the impoverished Germans, many were wealthy. The sense of deprivation must’ve been enormous, so the resentment is understandable.]

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[But isn’t it unjust? Are they not even allowed to work and thrive through their own skills?]

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Naturally, more and more people began to criticize Hitler. But at the same time, arguments erupted with those who defended him.

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One side said that persecution is never justified, no matter what.

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The other side argued that under those circumstances, it was unavoidable and even effective.

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The latter group was the more dominant one.

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Here, I gave a detailed explanation of anti-Semitism—not from a historian’s viewpoint, but from the perspective of someone living in that era.

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In other words, from Hitler’s point of view.

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[A people without a nation, who disturb the nation—are nothing but pests! Hitler is right!]

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Ah—by the way, that quote is from a critic in the book, not from a character.

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But a surprising number of people agree with that line of thought.

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Even in the modern era, people still think like that.

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So in this world, which is just now transitioning out of the Middle Ages, how much worse must it be?

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Let’s take a look at the elves, for example. A race that prides itself on being chosen by the gods—making them both proud and arrogant.

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Even now it’s like this—how much worse must it have been 300 years ago? They were busy looking down on and despising all races except elves. Of course, they got a harsh reality check later.

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Anyway, this strong racial identity, which goes beyond ethnicity, still lingers. It’s an ideology that naturally arises when differences between races are so stark.

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[The demons founded Helium, but the Jews did not. A people without a nation are no better than slippery eels.]

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[Jewish life may resemble that of the demons. But the critical difference was the lack of a nation.]

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[This could be what the life of demons would be like without Helium…]

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[A nation gives meaning to a people. A people without a nation is meaningless.]

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It’s unfortunate, but inevitable. Most readers judged the Jews that way.

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From that point on, people began to treat Jews as demons who had not been saved. Honestly, based on the situation, I agreed.

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Not entirely.

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Not absolutely.

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Besides, it was only about the Jews—it didn’t cast any blame on the real demons.

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If it had, the author would’ve been seen as insane. I wouldn’t want that either.

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[Hitler, who loved animals. He personally established animal protection laws.]

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There were interludes showing Hitler’s love for animals. That too was thoroughly researched.

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[But did he treat Jews worse than animals?]

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Oh. Nailed it. When the Holocaust appears later, people are going to faint.

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Scholars also debated Hitler’s eugenic beliefs—not negatively, but positively. Whether we like it or not, eugenics is now thoroughly embedded in this world.

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It’s not because science is underdeveloped. It’s literally classified as a formal academic discipline here, not even an ideology.

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Why?

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[Even in a world without magic or mana, does eugenics still apply? Then why was Hitler’s father so incompetent?]

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[In a world of blood and steel, it is not talent, but reputation and sin that are inherited.]

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[No, talent comes from one’s parents…]

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Maybe because it’s a fantasy world, but eugenics fits like a glove. If Mendel had studied genetics in this world, he’d have given up.

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For example, a half-blood between a human and an elf might have shorter ears, but they always inherit elven traits. This was a field elves studied extensively.

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Also, people here take it for granted that talents are inherited from one’s parents. You can see it in my own father and family.

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‘Didn’t devil worshipers try genetic enhancement?’

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That was one of their more recent revealed atrocities. From what I know, it was a similar experiment—humans turning into demons.

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Of course, it’s all been destroyed now, but the research data remains valuable as material.

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The most memorable part was the child of a human and a different race.

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Unlike inter-species pregnancies (which were impossible), humans could impregnate other races. If that isn’t peak devil worship, what is?

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‘Did they use humans as the base model?’

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Either way, if Mendel saw this world, he’d faint. It’ll take centuries for genetics to properly develop here.

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Whether eugenics works in a world of blood and steel—they debate it among themselves, but let’s move on.

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After that, the story explained the history and potential of America, ending Volume 7 with FDR launching the New Deal.

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Then Volume 8 picks up with…

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[As expected of Hitler! He truly is a hero!]

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[With the remilitarization of the Rhineland, Germans began to see Hitler as a godlike figure.]

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[Who dares call him a tyrant? Pain is natural when cutting away rotten flesh. Hitler is the true emperor of Germany.]

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Apparently, they forgot all about the Jewish persecution from Volume 7 and were busy praising Hitler.

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To put it comically: “I trusted you… damn it!” That’s exactly how it feels—no better way to put it.

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[This is a risky gamble. What if it had failed…?]

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Of course, sharp readers quickly noticed that Hitler’s actions were reckless. The remilitarization of the Rhineland was practically a gamble.

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[Don’t doubt Hitler! He has a plan for everything!]

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[There are no “what ifs” in history. It’s a foolish notion.]

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All criticism was swept under the rug. The critics’ voices no longer reached the readers.

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Readers praised Hitler as if they themselves were German. They never questioned that he was the protagonist.

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But a raging fire must be extinguished before it becomes a disaster. I knew this would happen, so I followed up the Rhineland episode with the history of the Soviet Union.

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From the Communist Manifesto to Lenin’s revolutionary activities, the fall of the Russian Empire, and the rise of the Soviet Union.

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Finally, Stalin’s succession and signs of the Great Purge. Most important of all: the first appearance of Stalin, widely known as Hitler’s rival.

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[Here comes Stalin, the one who must be brought down. What path will he take?]

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[No matter how much Germany grows, it will struggle to match the overwhelming power of the Soviet Union.]

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Don’t worry. Soon, the Great Purge will decapitate all of Stalin’s talent.

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And so, with Stalin’s short but intense debut, Blood and Steel Volume 8 ended.

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‘Surprisingly little said about communism.’

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That’s inevitable, since it’s an ideology meant to awaken workers. But there was almost no worker unrest since the Industrial Revolution hadn’t happened here yet.

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Blood and Steel Volume 9 will be released slowly. The causes of the Second Sino-Japanese War also need some adaptation.

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The army keeps having absurd incidents, and even my father harshly criticized them as idiots. Who the hell reports a soldier as missing just because he went to take a dump?

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‘It’s all historically accurate, what can you do.’

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Anyway, while the world is busy cheering (?) for Hitler, I can just rest peacefully. Nothing else will happen here… except maybe something about the devil worshipers.

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Yes. I mean the world’s problems. Personal matters always explode without warning.

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Maybe it’s because the Jewish persecution in Volume 7 resembled the demons’ past experiences…

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“Isaac, did this Jewish people get saved like us demons?”

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Cecily, who hadn’t visited in a while, suddenly asked with a look of urgency. She said her work had mostly wrapped up, so she finally had free time.

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Looking into Cecily’s worried red eyes, I slowly turned my gaze away. Scratching my cheek, I quietly answered:

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“…Rather than salvation, they escaped oppression. Eventually, they founded their own nation, like Helium.”

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“That’s a relief.” Phew…

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Cecily sighed deeply with sincere relief. Her ample chest, impossible to hide even with a dress, was particularly prominent.

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“As you know, we demons were once massacred just for being called ‘demons.’ I was worried the Jews might go through the same thing.”

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“……”

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“So… did Hitler come to his senses and help the Jews? Is that how they ended up founding a nation?”

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“…Wouldn’t it spoil the story if I told you now?”

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“Oh, you’re right. Fair enough. I’ll just wait then. Looking forward to it.”

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Sorry, Cecily. I looked at her smiling happily, unaware of my gaze, with a touch of sorrow.

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It seemed Cecily was lost in the fantasy that Hitler would somehow “save” the Jews.

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“I hope the Jews are saved like we demons were.”

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The entire Jewish people are going to experience their own tragedy story arc.