Bonus – Visit to the Unknown – 04 The Empire’s Reasons and Okonomiyaki

Colonel Gratham looked nervous as he bowed to the person on the other side of the screen.

It was Lieutenant General Michelle, the highest in command of the southern security force.

So it was no surprise that Colonel Gratham was nervous.

Not only was Lieutenant General Michelle the highest in command of the southern security force, but she was the Governor-General of South City.

◆◆◆

Before the great war, this world was separated into seven ‘cities.’

The cities were complete sustainable cities that were the product of the best technology of the time.

The population was fifty million.

The whole world worked together to create this dream-like robotic utopia.

In these complete cities, humans did not need to work.

To be precise, under the total control of artificial intelligences, they had a comfortable life guaranteed for them.

There was only a small number of people that helped manage the cities and decided the direction they would take. All of the other labour was done by machines.

People had the bare minimum when it comes to clothes, food and shelter and were also able to enjoy public entertainment.

This was promised to all fifty million citizens.

However–

The entire population of the world was actually ten billion.

Due to a rise in population, the world was becoming oversaturated.

There were those who were promised comfort and those who were not.

Only a small fraction of those ten billion would be chosen as residents of paradise.

So perhaps it was no surprise that hatred would be born from this difference.

The plan to build these cities continued to be carried out by the one world government.

But before they were finished, there were those who raised their voices in discontent.

They were blind to their own laziness, no, perhaps it was because of their laziness, that they despised and hated those who would be allowed to live in the cities.

Wars often occurred over small things, when thoughtless people are quick to anger.

Faster than the computers had predicted, the environment began to change, and water shortages began to become desperate.

The predictions that there would be mass starvation before the rest of the cities were complete started to look like a reality. It was then that it happened.

Riots.

Those who could not get into the cities began to attack.

These riots spread throughout the world, and the flames of violence began to grow.

And turn to war.

–And now.

Of the seven original ‘cities,’ only five remained.

This was the territory of the Mechanized Empire of Almsbine.

Almsbine, the supreme leader of the cities’ administration was made Emperor, and the surviving citizens were made subjects of the empire who would guard its territories as soldiers.

It was the best way to live in this harsh environment. Everyone had agreed to this.

The city where the first riot had occurred–it was the last place to be rebuilt as plans had been delayed, and so after the riots, it became the first place to be hit with nuclear bombs.

As the rioting citizens had gone deep within the city, the defense system was not able to activate.

The other cities were so alarmed by this that they immediately cut off contact with surrounding cities and became independent.

Even amongst nuclear war, they were able to survive through their defense systems.

Once the war was finished, there was one city that tried to reconcile all the survivors.

This ‘city’ that accepted survivors of the nuclear war for humanitarian reasons, were then attacked by those they tried to save. And the city fell.

It was at this point that the Mechanized Empire of Almsbine decided that they would trust no one outside of their city.

This definitive event happened not one year after the end of the war.

Those who could not live in the cities ended up living in the vast underground shelters.

These shelters spread out through the undergrounds of the whole world, but they were not environments where people could live for long.

Furthermore, animals who escaped to them mutated into beasts. It was a place that seemed to reject human life.

Eventually, the beasts started to evolve to have super abilities, and became too big a threat for humans who were not armed.

The humans of this world were on a fast course for destruction.

The population that was once ten billion was now just a few hundred million.

And yet the places where humanity could survive were very limited, and it was not enough to house everyone.

And so the survivors of this world were forced to fight for the chance of continued survival.

–It wasn’t about what was right or wrong. It was just a base survival instinct–

◆◆◆

The Governor-General of the five remaining ‘cities’–that was immense power.

In other words, she was the queen of South City.

Her cold blue eyes shone with an unshakable will.

Her light blonde hair was cut slightly above the shoulders as if to accentuate her fastidiousness.

Beautiful and cool, it was the perfect image to make her subordinates firm believers in her.

Judging by her appearance, you might wonder if she was even twenty years old.

Had she gained her position through her blood ties…

However, such assumptions would be considered laughable to those who knew her.

After all, Michelle was undoubtedly one of the monsters.

Her official name was Machinery Four–Michelle.

She was one of the strongest of the Empire.

Michelle heard the report and sighed.

Regardless of how polluted the word already was, using nuclear weapons, the most infamous of the old weapons, was overstepping one’s authority.

However, her expression did not change, and she hid her anger from showing.

“–We shall consider the possibility that the resistance have developed new weapons later. So, what have you done since then?”

Asked Michelle’s adjutant, Jegyll, as she gave Colonel Gratham a hard stare from the other side of the screen.