I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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After parting with the princess, my squad and I briefly washed up and awaited further orders.

If it were up to me, I would have wanted to escape this dreadful Northern front as quickly as possible. However, because I had nicely wrecked a jeep, a bunch of administrative procedures were required to get support.

Afterward, receiving a vehicle from the special operations unit, I headed straight to the General Staff Headquarters.

Just like before, after four days of relentless travel, I finally arrived at the entrance of the headquarters adorned with a grand fountain.

Feeling the journey, I opened the passenger door and got out, noticing squad members disembarking from nearby transport vehicles.

The squad members hopped out quickly and, without anyone instructing them, formed neat lines in front of me.

Here and there, I spotted soldiers sporting bandages, likely from injuries during our skirmish, yet, as if forgetting their pain, smiles blossomed on their faces.

“It seems they’re happy not to be tense about the skirmish here. I understand.”

If I were a soldier, I would be wearing the same expression.

I leisurely took in each one of them before opening my mouth.

“You all did a great job. You fulfilled your duties excellently on the Northern front. It’s commendable that, despite the unplanned skirmish, everyone responded calmly.”

“Squad leader, you also worked hard!”

“It’s a pity we couldn’t fight more! We could have burst those bastards’ balls even more!”

As a couple of spirited soldiers shouted this, laughter erupted among the squad.

Under normal circumstances, I would have given a warning, but this was right after returning from a victory.

I didn’t want to spoil the warm atmosphere unnecessarily.

“There will be plenty of opportunities to pop the coalition bastards’ balls in the future, so don’t worry about it. As for you all… never mind. What’s the point of getting all preachy? Just disband and enjoy your victory.”

As I finished speaking, the soldiers saluted sharply.

Accepting the salute, I was about to head to the staff headquarters for reporting when I hesitated.

This was because Flien approached, looking like she had something to say.

“…What is it?”

Maybe it was fatigue, but my voice came out low.

Flien wore a somewhat frightened expression but gathered courage to speak.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner! Ah, I would like to discuss future matters!”

“Hmm? Oh. You’ll be joining the brigade directly under headquarters from now on. Unless there’s a special summons, you’ll be training there.”

“W-wait, that’s not what I wanted to say…”

What could it be? As I stared at her in confusion, Flien took a deep breath and looked up at me.

“If I may be so bold, I also want to become an officer like you, Lieutenant Daniel!”

“An officer?”

“Exactly! Through the battles on the Northern front, I was strongly motivated to contribute to the Empire like you, Lieutenant Daniel!”

While it was a bit out of nowhere, Flien becoming an officer was to be expected.

It was just that the timing was a bit early. Typically, one would serve as a private for a decent amount of time before considering becoming an officer.

I didn’t quite know what prompted this change of heart, but there was no real need to decline.

“I’ll inform higher-ups of your desire to serve as an officer. Given your achievements during the skirmish where you saved Her Highness, the transition to officer status should be relatively smooth.”

Flien looked genuinely surprised, perhaps not expecting to receive approval, and then she saluted me enthusiastically.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Lieutenant Daniel!”

I wondered if it was really this much of a big deal, but I didn’t feel too bad about it.

Nodding vaguely, I moved on to enter the headquarters.

Upon entering the Office of the Operations Staff, I strongly felt the desire to flee.

“Lieutenant Daniel! Or should I say Captain now? Hahaha! Anyway, we’ve been waiting for you! All of us!”

Head of the Operations Staff, Ernst, greeted me warmly, while the staff members cheered.

Looking around, everyone was standing and clapping from their seats.

What was more comical was the flowers and balloons decorating my spot in the office.

Amidst the shabby decorations, a new nameplate was set up.

【Operations Staff / Captain Daniel Steiner】

It seemed a bit more upscale somehow.

Before I could even ask what it was, Ernst gestured to a nearby soldier.

The soldier approached with a small box held in both hands and presented it to me.

It was a familiar box, looking similar to the one Captain Philip had previously given me.

“Congratulations on your promotion! Captain Daniel Steiner!”

I guessed it was that, and upon accepting the box to take a look inside, I found neatly arranged captain badges and epaulettes.

As I looked at them with a sour expression, Ernst smiled contentedly and said,

“I did say to gather merit, but I never expected you to complete things so wonderfully. And you even laid your life down for Her Highness! Now the higher-ups won’t look at you with squinted eyes anymore!”

…It was the first time I had seen Ernst smile so brightly.

Well, since the achievements of a subordinate are essentially his achievements, it made sense he would be happy.

But for me, hearing about dreams of retirement being pushed a step further away made me let out a sigh, even if I couldn’t show my true feelings in front of so many.

“You flatter me. I simply did what I had to do as a soldier of the Empire.”

So, with a smiling face, accepting Ernst’s handshake was the best I could do.

*

I spent a busy week following the promotion.

The reason for the bustle was primarily due to interpersonal relations.

Thanks to two consecutive promotions, I had inadvertently become a famous figure within the headquarters, and the love calls from those wanting to be associated with a famous person were never-ending.

Most approached me with the suggestion of having at least one meal together, but their intentions were quite shallow.

It was all too clear they were trying to recruit me to strengthen their faction’s prestige.

Considering the politicians tangled up behind them, I shouldn’t dip a toe into the faction pond.

Thus, I made excuses of being busy to slip away from each love call, but our Operations Staff chief, Ernst, apparently quite liked my attitude.

He seemed to enjoy holding me up for a chat whenever I left the officer’s dining room.

“So, do you know what my daughter said then? She wanted me to skip work tomorrow and play with her instead of beating up those coalition bastards. She was so cute…”

Despite having a reputation for not chit-chatting, Ernst had no qualms about bringing up family matters whenever it was just us.

In other words, he was showing me goodwill… which, to be honest, felt a bit burdensome.

The goodwill of a direct superior can sometimes feel more uncomfortable than expected.

Especially when the involvement is personal rather than professional.

As the urge to cut the conversation short began to bubble up inside me, a loud shout erupted behind me.

“Daniel Steiner! You devil-spawned scum!”

I jumped slightly at the voice that echoed from behind.

Turning to see who it was, I found a coalition officer glaring at me, bound with ropes.

“Bastard! You filthy trash—!”

As the coalition officer roared and tried to lunge at me, a soldier kicked his legs out from under him.

“Cough!”

Thanks to that, the coalition officer fell forward in a pathetic heap.

The soldier who had tripped him bowed his head apologetically toward me.

I waved my hand to signal that I was fine, and the soldier yelled at the coalition officer while lifting him up.

As I watched this scene unfold, curiosity got the better of me.

“That person is…?”

“Oh. They said they were sending a high-ranking prisoner from the Northern Force to the headquarters, and it seems he’s just arrived today. Isn’t it someone you know? After all, you captured him yourself.”

I nodded.

This was the same officer who had shouted for his soldiers to surrender after getting hit during the operation to kill Colonel Jeremy.

“I remember his rank was lieutenant colonel…”

Lost in thought, I mused on this as Ernst clicked his tongue.

“I hear he’s a major officer, so we’re likely going to provide quite a bit of comfort to him. He’s someone who has experience working in the coalition’s intelligence department, so it seems it would be good to recruit him.”

Oh, I see. As I quietly watched the coalition officer being dragged away by the two soldiers, a stroke of inspiration flashed through my mind.

“…Chief.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“If it’s alright, could I handle the interrogation of that person?”

Ernst’s head tilted for a moment as he looked at me blankly.

“That’s not necessarily a no, but it’s going to make things busier than they already are, you know?”

“That’s fine. It seems worth it.”

Thanks to that, Ernst gasped in admiration.

“What sparkling patriotism this is. Honestly, I feel a bit embarrassed.”

Ernst, seemingly moved, nodded in agreement.

However, while I looked like I was planning an act of patriotism, I was actually grinning with a sinister smile.

‘Perhaps…’

I might be able to escape the Empire without going through a dishonorable discharge.