Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 187 The Down-on-His-Luck Painter of Vienna
After that, as if the knot in his heart had finally been untied, Adolf became less irritable and continued with his life.

Reading, painting, opera—these were his only pursuits. He neither drank nor gambled, and he disliked women, even loathing them. Although his aloof appearance often attracted women, who would glance at him or even extend invitations whenever he left the opera house, he completely ignored them.

On one occasion, a young and beautiful female student of Kubizik came to their cramped room to ask him about a musical problem. Adolf's face immediately turned ugly, and after the student left, he flew into a rage at Kubizik.

"This grand piano, this monster, is already making our lives miserable. Do you really want to turn our rooms into a dating spot for these female musicians?"

He was strict with himself, conservative to the point of being rigid, and even felt it was inappropriate to wear short sleeves and expose his arms. He only liked reading, all kinds of books, making people almost wonder if he could survive without books.

According to the regulations at the time, the widows of civil servants were entitled to a monthly allowance of 100 crowns, while orphans were entitled to a allowance of 50 crowns until they turned 24. This 50 crowns allowance for orphans was shared by Adolf and his sister, meaning that Adolf personally received 25 crowns per month.

But 25 crowns was hardly enough for a young man in Vienna. After deducting monthly rent and book expenses, Adolf's daily food intake often consisted of just a bottle of milk, a piece of bread, and some butter, barely enough to get by. He was always hungry.

Kubišik dared not give Adolf money directly, because he knew that his proud and arrogant friend would absolutely refuse to accept it and would only angrily berate him. He could only occasionally take Adolf to a restaurant under the guise of "treating" him during a leisurely outing, and Adolf would not refuse such invitations.

Even so, Adolf did not relinquish his stubbornness. During his time in Vienna, he frequently visited various magnificent buildings with Kubizik, his love for architecture second only to his love for opera and reading. Each time he saw those magnificent buildings, he would stare at them intently, and then give an impromptu speech to Kubizik, passionately expounding his architectural visions.

Only at that moment could he seemingly abandon the predicament of his predicament and place himself in the magnificent city he had envisioned.

However, Kubizik can occasionally act as an inconsiderate intruder.

"Then, where's the money?"

When faced with his friend's confusion, Adolf would widen his eyes and wave his hand angrily.

"None of this matters! None of this matters!"

Aside from that, the happiest time for him each month was when he went to see the opera with Kubizik. He had an extreme love for opera, and his public speaking skills were learned from opera. His initial encounter with Kubizik was due to a chance meeting at the opera house, where the two young men talked about music and opera, which marked the beginning of their relationship.

At other times, Adolf would drag his friends to Vienna's parliament to listen to the speeches of the city councilors. He had a similarly strong interest in politics and would sometimes express his own opinions, while Kubizik disliked it and didn't understand it, often getting annoyed by Adolf who called him a "political idiot."

One night, he talked about the Wright brothers' airplane. He quoted a newspaper article saying that these famous aviators had mounted a relatively light heavy machine gun on their plane and had tested its effects several times, with the prospect of aerial firing expected in the near future.

Adolf, who considered himself a pacifist, was quite angry. He criticized that whenever people invented something, it was immediately used in war.

"Who wants war?"

he questioned.

It's definitely not those "nobody" people—absolutely not.

The war was controlled by those uncrowned kings who ran arms factories and took turns waging wars driven by profit. These prominent gentlemen stayed away from the smoke of battle, making a fortune in the rear, while those unsuspecting "little people" risked their lives for them on the front lines.

Just six months after arriving in Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian Empire issued a conscription order, and Kubizik was asked to join the army, which enraged Adolf.

“Gustav, you are absolutely not allowed to register. If you do, you’ll be a fool. The best thing to do is to tear this bastard to shreds.”

Holding the conscription order, he roared angrily.

Ultimately, Kubizik was rejected because he failed the physical examination.

Kubizik had assumed their relationship would remain as it was, just as Adolf's mother, Mrs. Clara, had hoped: two equally solitary individuals who would eventually become lifelong friends. However…

Everything changed because of that opera.

One June evening, Kubišik was invited to see Wagner's opera *Rienzi* with Adolf. Wagner was a playwright they both admired, but they had never had the chance to see *Rienzi* before, so they were very happy. It was a story about Reenzi, the tribune of Rome in the mid-14th century. A tribune devoted to Rome and its people, he refused to become king, but was ultimately betrayed by the Romans and burned at the stake in the palace.

The grand scenes, the magnificent performances, and the profound story usually lead Adolf, an opera enthusiast, to give a passionate speech afterward, commenting on the merits and demerits of the performance. However, to Kubizik’s surprise, he remained silent for a long time after watching “Rienzi”.

So Kubizik asked him what he thought of the opera. However, Kubizik gave him an almost hostile look.

"Shut up!"

He said rudely.

A damp, chilly mist hung heavy over the narrow street. Only the sound of two footsteps echoed on the sidewalk. Adolf strode towards the path leading to the mountaintop. He walked briskly without uttering a word. He looked almost menacing, his face paler than ever. His turned-up collar only accentuated this impression.

Kubišik wanted to ask him.

Where are you planning to go?

But his pale face was so intimidating that Kubizik swallowed his question back.

As if propelled by an unseen force, Adolf reached the summit. Kubizik suddenly realized they were no longer in the wilderness and darkness, for above them, the stars shone brightly.

Adolf stood before him and grasped Kubišik's hands tightly, something he had never done before.

When he grasped Kubizik's hands tightly, Kubizik felt deeply moved, his burning gaze revealing extreme excitement. His words were not as coherent and organized as usual; his voice was quite hoarse, rough, and even somewhat out of control. From his voice, Kubizik could sense the immense impact this experience had had on him.

His speech gradually became more relaxed, and his wording became more unrestrained.

He had never heard Adolf Hitler say anything at that moment before, and they stood under the starry sky as if they were the only living beings left in the world.

Previously, Kubizik had always been convinced his friend wanted to be an artist, a painter, or an architect, but now it seemed that was no longer the case. He now had higher aspirations, though he hadn't fully grasped them yet. This surprised Kubizik considerably, as he had once believed an artistic career was his ultimate goal. Now, however, he spoke candidly about it.

"One day, the people will grant me power, and I will lead them out of slavery and fight for the greatest freedom."

As he said this, Adolf's eyes sparkled.

……

Two months later, the semester ended, and Kubizik would return to his hometown of Linz, while Adolf would remain in Vienna. This was a rare separation between the two good friends; however, Kubizik thought it was just a normal farewell, until three months later when he returned to Vienna…

"What? Gone?"

Kubišik looked on in astonishment at the confused look on Mrs. House’s face.

Shortly after he returned to Linz, Adolf stopped renting the cramped house and moved out without a word. The housekeeper assumed Kubišek knew, but in fact, Kubišek knew nothing about it.

Clearly, Adolf was intentionally avoiding his close friend, perhaps because his friend had been admitted to the music academy while he himself had achieved nothing, or perhaps for some other reason. In any case, Adolf avoided his friend and disappeared silently.

Kubišik was bewildered and at a loss. He had long been accustomed to Adolf's presence, and only after Adolf disappeared did he realize just how important Adolf was to him...

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Vienna, at a place with only stalls, a young man was sketching what he saw on a canvas.

(End of this chapter)