Ch.390Meeting with Nasser (Under Revision)

* * *

Nasser seemed like he would try to evade somehow.

“It’s hard to say he hasn’t been skimming off the top. Still, he appears to be considering budget proposals for modernization and weapon purchases from the Rome Treaty.”

“Since before we arrived?”

“Yes.”

Is this Nasser fellow somewhat capable?

At least in this world, he seems to know how to read the room. I have no idea what kind of person he actually is.

The history of the original world seems to have no meaning anymore.

* * *

Republic of Egypt

President Nasser of Egypt moved immediately upon hearing the news that Libya’s Gaddafi had been beheaded.

He had to move.

He needed to prepare before the Tsar came to Egypt.

When you think about it, the Tsar could easily come through Turkey right now but hasn’t. Isn’t that obvious? He’s giving us a chance to get our affairs in order quickly.

“So. You’ve made preparations, right? We’re dealing with the Tsar. Absolutely, under no circumstances can we give him any justification. Understand?”

We absolutely cannot give him any justification.

“We’ve already made all the preparations, but will the Tsar accept them?”

What if the Tsar decides to use military force anyway?

I hope he doesn’t. After all, what power does Egypt have to fight against Europe?

The Rome Treaty represents a group of powerful nations.

Honestly, we’d struggle to fight even Turkey alone.

“When the inspection team arrives, cooperate with them as much as possible. In the end, what they want to investigate is how far our modernization has progressed, isn’t it?”

The progress of modernization.

What the inspection team ultimately wants to see is how far the money they’ve given has been spent. How far Egypt has been developed. That’s what they want to see.

They want to see it with their own eyes and show their determination through action.

At least I have a solid support base, unlike Gaddafi.

I’ve never carried out any purges.

Well, to be precise, I did remove some political opponents, but I didn’t use force like Gaddafi and get punished for it.

“Yes, that’s right. But our country’s situation isn’t that different from Libya’s.”

That can’t be helped.

But at least we’ve been allocating budgets from before.

We’ve even put some of what we gained from Suez into the national budget.

After all, we can’t lie to the Rome Treaty.

We’re producing sufficient results.

“That’s why we need to do this properly this time. Ah.”

“What is it, sir?”

“Did you properly prepare the budget plan?”

“Pardon? Yes. You mean for the pyramid restoration?”

The Tsar had been restoring the destroyed Eiffel Tower, covering its surface with marble, and also restoring ancient historical sites.

Of course, except for the parts that couldn’t be perfectly restored due to technological limitations.

Egypt drew inspiration from the Eiffel Tower and brought up plans to restore the pyramids.

To be precise, this was just a pretext.

It was very natural to use that budget elsewhere.

“Yes. That should be enough to turn a blind eye. If we’re pouring all our budget into restoring the pyramids, what could they say?”

A plan to restore the pyramids, no less.

Even the Tsar, who loves justifications, wouldn’t be able to do anything about that.

* * *

While heading to Cairo, I carefully read through what had been submitted by the inspection team.

Repair and expansion of infrastructure destroyed by the Italian People’s Army during the Second World War.

Support for private enterprises. Development for modernization. Introduction of Rome Treaty-style welfare plans.

And among them, something caught my eye.

“Pyramid Restoration Plan?”

A rather ambitious plan called the Pyramid Restoration Plan.

Oh, this is quite interesting.

What are the pyramids? Weren’t they still considered mysteries even in the 21st century?

I recall that even in the 21st century, they couldn’t fully explore them due to technological limitations, and they were said to be full of mysteries.

And originally, they were covered with white limestone, making them look incredibly impressive.

“Yes. They say they’ve even used some of their Suez shares for the urgent restoration of the pyramids.”

They’re even using Suez shares.

Pyramid restoration will certainly cost an enormous amount.

Even by this era’s standards, restoration would probably just involve coating the surface at most.

But let’s say they’re taking that money. Then what’s going into Nasser’s back pocket?

“What about the money that went into Nasser’s back pocket?”

Isn’t this a difficult part to cover up?

For money that went into his back pocket, nothing seems to have been used conscientiously.

“It seems it was difficult to create a separate budget, so according to him, he kept it in the back and tried to make it look like it went into Nasser’s personal assets—”

Make it look like it went into personal assets.

This smells fishy no matter how you look at it. Frankly, what idiot in the world would give back money that went into their own pocket?

I don’t know how he lives without the Middle East War, but I believe humans never give up what goes into their back pockets.

This is just making excuses.

“He’s good at making excuses.”

But I don’t dislike that.

Isn’t it nice to see someone struggling to survive?

Then I should give him a suitable reward in return. Maybe not ownership of the pyramids, but perhaps we could receive some tourism revenue.

Considering how much we’re pouring in, it shouldn’t be a problem.

How much have we invested in Egypt’s modernization so far?

Even if we take a cut of Egypt’s tourism revenue, it will eventually circulate back into Egypt’s pockets.

That’s not bad from Egypt’s perspective.

Dead Gaddafi might feel wronged, but if he had received the inspection team, we might have just imprisoned him and then granted him a special pardon. Well, fine.

This way, we have no justification to send in troops.

It might be good to go see for myself. If this Nasser fellow is willing to bend the knee, there’s absolutely no reason to turn it into a commissioner’s office.

But in exchange, didn’t he clearly use the pyramid restoration as justification?

Then the answer is obvious. If he claims it’s all for pyramid restoration, we can certainly preserve his lifeline.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to handle those pyramids anyway.

How we could take possession of them.

“It is an honor to meet the Emperor of Rome!”

“Pleased to meet you, President Nasser.”

I too am truly honored to meet like this.

How wonderful that he’s willing to restore the pyramids on his own.

Looking at him, he seems to really like free things. Well, compared to Gaddafi, he knows his place and behaves himself.

It’s just a matter of degree. He seems similar to Gaddafi.

Gaddafi might be shaking with rage in the afterlife, wondering why he had to die, but isn’t it right to punish military dictatorships rather than presidents?

“I never imagined you would personally grace us with your presence.”

He’s reluctantly lowering his head.

“Well, isn’t it better than bringing an army?”

Or should I bring the army again?

Honestly, we’ve withdrawn most of them and not many remain, but we could always mobilize from Turkey too. Anyway, Nasser needs to bow his head properly.

“I-I heard about Libya, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm. Yes. You’ve behaved yourself well after seeing what happened to Libya.”

It’s pitiful to see him bowing on his own.

A man of his age doing this. Tsk, tsk.

“Your Majesty, Egypt—no, this Nasser has never tried to embezzle money.”

Woong. Is he saying “Nasser knows nothing~”?

It’s a bit disgusting for a grown man to refer to himself in the third person. He seems to be speaking this way to show his sincerity.

Well, I’d probably do the same if I didn’t want to lose my head.

I heard that afterward, Gaddafi’s body was cut into pieces.

“With the revenue from Suez being what it is, how can you say such things?”

“Even if I offer my life, it wouldn’t be enough for that matter.”

“Then, would you die if I told you to?”

I took out a gun from my pocket.

Perfect for suicide. With a good grip in the hand.

As I waved it around as if I might hand it to Nasser, he broke out in a cold sweat and repeatedly pressed his face to the ground.

Something you’d only see in the East.

“Please spare my life, Your Majesty!”

Yes, yes, that’s right. Why are you making a face like you’re willing to sacrifice your life?

“I’m joking. I hear you were trying to restore the pyramids? Well, they are the representative historical sites symbolizing Egypt, so that makes sense.”

I’m very interested in those pyramids.

I can’t help but be interested, and as someone who renovated the Eiffel Tower, I want to completely renovate the pyramids too.

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. If you’re going to restore the pyramids, I’ll overlook that point.”

I’ll take that into consideration.

Now, if I’ve brought this up, you should understand, right?

“Repair the pyramids and restore them to their magnificent appearance with that limestone coating.”

“You mean not just maintaining their current state?”

In this world where I exist, it won’t just be at the level of repairs.

Restore them to their original appearance.

They’ll all deteriorate over time anyway, so isn’t it right to repair them properly?

“Wasn’t it your idea to repair the pyramids after seeing the Eiffel Tower?”

I know exactly what you’re thinking.

You say you’re referencing the Eiffel Tower, but it’s just a trick to get lenient treatment for your embezzlement. This way, the investigation will be pushed back for the sake of appearances. Well, I’ll use this to my advantage.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Not understanding my meaning, he just nodded repeatedly.

President Nasser is going to have a tough time ahead, isn’t he?

Throughout his term, he’ll have to restore the pyramids while also managing state affairs.

How fortunate that he’s not being killed.

“So I’m giving you a chance. Use all the money to repair the pyramids.”

“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Well, even so, once trust is broken, appropriate safeguards must be put in place.”

Trust has already been broken.

Then we need to appoint a political advisor and ensure that the money we provide is being used properly.

We should also bring in accountants or financial experts, and make things better than if they were run by Egyptians alone.

Of course, I don’t intend to directly interfere with Egypt’s tax revenue.

After all, Egypt is nominally an independent country.

“W-what would that be?”

“First, political advisors will be dispatched from the Rome Treaty, and some military forces will be stationed to protect Egypt and ensure the pyramids are properly managed.”

That much should be acceptable, right?

“Y-Your Majesty, that would make us a colony—”

“Why would we create a colony that brings no benefit to our country? Modernization costs will continue to be supported. Just focus on developing the pyramids, that’s all.”

What’s so attractive about Egypt that we’d make it a colony?

Unfortunately, I believe colonies should be made of worthwhile things.

If you became Anachang’s colony, you should consider even that an honor, but a kind woman like me could never do something as sordid as creating colonies.

“But, Your Majesty, that…”

Oh my, this guy still hasn’t come to his senses.

If this continues, we might really have to take it by force.

“If you refuse, then we have no choice. We’ll have to handle it—”

“No, I accept! Your Majesty!”

Yes, that’s how you should accept it. Now Egypt’s future has been decided.

It will be designated as a one-trick country with pyramids and Suez. It’s a bitter pill for Nasser to swallow, but if it bothers him, he should either become strong enough to defeat the Rome Treaty or give up. That’s the right choice.

Now he’ll have to devote all his energy to restoring the pyramids!

Using the pyramids as an excuse to me will be the biggest mistake of your life.

“Good. You should have done that from the beginning. Isn’t it better when things move quickly?”

Let’s not waste time on such matters. Let’s do well.

The position of Egyptian queen is somewhat appealing. A civilization with such a rich history. Of course, I’m not interested in things like mummies, but would it be better to bring back a king?

“Yes, that’s right, Your Majesty.”

“We’ll find someone knowledgeable in architecture to send over, so let’s cooperate. And you know what happens if you have suspicious thoughts, right?”

I can take your head anytime!

So shut up and follow along.

Become our underling and focus on restoring the pyramids.

From his perspective, this is quite fortunate.

There’s also a lack of justification to behead him like Gaddafi.

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

“So, are you going to install a king now?”

I heard Egypt was planning to install a king after seeing a king ascend in Libya.

Seeing how they’re trying to align with our position, it’s clear they’re quite scared.

“Yes, we’re considering that.”

“Your Majesty, why don’t you just serve as the King of Egypt as well?”

Maria suddenly blurts out nonsense from the side.