Chapter 137: And You, My Friends, You Are the True Heroes!
At the edge of the square, Marleyan personnel in uniform were handing out leaflets, trumpeting the glorious benefits of becoming a "Magical Girl." Eldians, even small children, crowded around with fervent eyes, scrambling to get a leaflet.
Floch waved his hand. "Get some of that propaganda," he ordered. He had a feeling the Marleyan Empire was brewing a new, even more insane storm, one far beyond their imagination.
…
That rainy night, Floch and two of his elite operatives followed the address on the leaflet to the "Imperial Glory Grand Theater" and slipped inside. Even with the late hour, the blackout restrictions here were lax. They could faintly hear voices and the sound of things being moved. It looked like the final, frantic preparations for a large-scale propaganda event.
A small side door was ajar. Floch gave a hand signal, and the three of them slipped in silently. The backstage area was brightly lit and bustling with people, the atmosphere tense. They dodged the guards and pressed themselves against a door with a plaque that read "Core Production Creative Seminar." Muffled arguments could be heard from within.
"The impact of the first act isn't strong enough!"
"No! Absolutely not! We need the audience to be hooked from the very beginning!"
"A normal Marleyan girl, in the nation's darkest hour, feeling lost and helpless about her future and the Empire's fate—that's a good setup! But her transformation must be more dramatic! More shocking!"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Director, you're right. What kind of effect are you looking for?"
"A climax! An unprecedented climax! She accepts the summons from high command! She signs the contract with the mysterious Emissary of Hope! She transforms into a Magical Girl! On the battlefield, she turns the tide, crushes an enemy ten times her size, saves the front line, and wins glory for the Empire! That's what the people want to see! An epic that makes them willing to die for the Empire!"
A brief silence, then a younger voice spoke up. "Mr. Director… what about the final 'price' for a Magical Girl…"
"What price? That is their ultimate form of devotion to Marley! In the heart of the enemy, they bloom into a flower of destruction! The greatest possible contribution to the Empire's victory! Their families will become the pride of the Empire, enjoying the highest honors and privileges! That is what we need to emphasize! It is GLORY! It is SACRIFICE! It is DEVOTION! Not some damn 'price'! Understand? It's GLORY!"
"Yes! Yes! I understand, Mr. Director! Should we have Gabi Braun come on stage at the end to say a few words? She's a living example! Having a newly minted Magical Girl deliver the final lines would be the most persuasive!"
"Hmm… yes, Gabi Braun. Good. Do it."
…
The recon continued. They tore an official announcement, the ink still wet, from a government bulletin board. The words were pompous and self-aggrandizing.
"…In response to the Marshal's call, to promote the Marleyan spirit of devotion, and to strengthen national cohesion and will, it is hereby decided that, effective immediately, a 'Star of Marley' Magical Girl selection and promotion campaign will be launched throughout the Empire…"
"…All departments must treat this as the highest priority, organizing with utmost care and cooperation to foster the most enthusiastic possible social atmosphere."
"Through all forms of propaganda, every citizen, especially the Eldian descendants in the internment zones, must profoundly understand that becoming a Magical Girl and throwing oneself into the holy war to defend the Empire and expand its territories is the ultimate way to wash away the sins of their bloodline and repay Marley!"
"…The Ministry of Propaganda will mobilize artists to create 'Magical Girl' themed works, to ensure that the glorious image of the 'Magical Girl' becomes the most dazzling symbol of Marley's new era!"
At the bottom was the signature of the Minister of Propaganda.
This propaganda was everywhere. On military installations, they saw fanatical slogans painted in red: "MAGICAL GIRLS ARE THE EMPIRE'S INDESTRUCTIBLE SHIELD!" and "STAND WITH OUR MAGICAL GIRLS, FORGE MARLEY'S GLORY!"
A team member in disguise scouted a pharmacy and found that, next to the controlled medicines, the window display also featured an advertisement for children's nutritional supplements, complete with a cartoon Magical Girl. The tagline read: "Build up your magic today, become Marley's little hero tomorrow!"
Marley's propaganda machine had gone completely insane. Lies, fanaticism, and false hope were being woven into a giant net, cast over the entire empire.
Floch's team sifted through the rumors being deliberately spread in the streets and locked onto their target: a mass rally at the central square in Nordhafen's worker district. It was being promoted as a massive "New Star Magical Girl Report" that was, in reality, a live recruitment drive.
…
The crowd was ecstatic. Floch and his team observed it all. A temporary stage was set up, draped with a giant Marleyan flag, surrounded by flowers and banners. A host in a gaudy suit, his hair slicked back, stood on stage holding a microphone, his voice high-pitched, impassioned, and nearly hysterical. He was hyping up the crowd with "heroic tales," like the story of "Lilian the Glorious Whip" and the Tybur family's past struggles to save Marley and the world. Anyone who opposed Marley was a symbol of evil.
The host was currently in the middle of Lilian's story: how she made a contract with the "Incarnation of Hope, Kyubey," how she single-handedly held off an enemy force ten times her size, and how she "bravely sacrificed herself by becoming a Witch in the heart of the enemy lines to cover the main force's retreat," "becoming a radiant star guarding Marley's borders." The story was told as a tear-jerking, glorious epic.
Below the stage, the crowd was a dark mass. Some, clearly planted, were abnormally fanatical, especially the young people in worn-out clothes, their eyes burning with an unnatural fire. The majority were Eldians from the internment zones, sallow-faced and numb, but with a desperate, subservient longing in their eyes, cheering and weeping on command. The entire rally's atmosphere was masterfully manipulated—fanatical, tragic, and seeping with a manipulative, false holiness.
"Now! Now! Now!" the host shrieked. "Let's give a thunderous round of applause! With the most fervent adoration in our hearts! Please welcome the pride of Marley's new generation! A true hero of the battlefield! The undying light of hope! Our most, most, most beloved… MISS GABI BRAUN!!!"
The host thrust the microphone into the air. The slogans and cheers were deafening.
Gabi Braun made her entrance, wearing a brand-new Magical Girl battle uniform, adorned with Marleyan military honors. She was flanked by a group of Eldians and Marleyan officers, all looking proud. She walked gracefully onto the stage, like a savior, her face flushed with a sickly, ecstatic red. Her once-clear eyes were now abnormally bright with the pride of becoming an Honorary Marleyan. She had finally proven to everyone that not all Eldians were bad! There were good ones, like her! Their efforts had not been in vain! Because of her, Eldians could finally live in the sun, as glorious Honorary Marleyans!
"My dear compatriots! My fellow Eldians! Great Warriors of the Marleyan Empire!" Gabi's voice, amplified, carried to every corner of the square, and to the ears of Floch's team.
"I, Gabi Braun, was once nothing! An Eldian cur in the dust of the internment zone, struggling in filth! My very birth was a sin! We had deeply wronged Marley! But it was the benevolent Marleyan Empire that gave my life meaning! It was the glory of the Empire that illuminated my dark and confused path!"
"And now, I am so fortunate to possess this power to change my destiny! This miraculous power, bestowed upon me by the mysterious and great Emissary of Hope! I, Gabi Braun, hereby swear: I will be crushed to dust for the Empire! I will fight for Marley until the very end! I will gladly shed my last drop of blood! This is my life's honor! My supreme glory!"
"Every person loyal to the great Marleyan Empire! Every soul that longs to wash away its sins! Every soul that wants to prove its worth! You can be just like me! You can bask in the boundless grace of the Empire! You can become the undying light that illuminates the Empire's eternal future!"
She paused deliberately, her blazing eyes sweeping over the crowd, which was now even more frenzied. "Perhaps the next lucky one… the next eternal light of Marley… is right here among you!"
The cheers, slogans, and sobs from below merged into a violent roar.
"GABI!"
"GABI!!!"
"GABI!!!!!"
The sound nearly tore the sky apart. Gabi took a deep breath, then spoke again.
"And you, my friends! My compatriots! Please remember, no matter what the future holds… You are the true heroes of the Marleyan Empire!!!"