NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
“Ugh… Huhhh…”
I woke up to the sound of sniffling next to me.
Feeling irritated, I turned my head to see a girl without any rank insignia on her epaulettes. She must be a trainee.
I think her name was Priene. I learned that when I got locked up in the Military Police Detention Center yesterday.
She looked like she was from the south, with light brown hair and black eyes.
Since she seemed like a fellow southerner, we exchanged a few words, but now she was sticking to me like glue after waking up, making me feel exhausted.
I thought about ignoring her, but it seemed like if I left her alone, she would just keep crying, so I decided to speak up.
“…Looks like you’ve forgotten that soldiers of the Empire shouldn’t show tears carelessly.”
Upon hearing my voice, Priene was startled and stopped sobbing.
“I’m sorry! I-I am embarrassed! I suddenly thought of my father back home…”
“Why? Is he sick?”
“That’s not it… He was proud to see me enlist in the Imperial Army, but here I am, unable to even complete my training and locked up. I feel like such a fool.”
“Did you just say ‘yo’?”
As I pointed it out, Priene’s shoulders flinched.
“A-Ah, I’m so sorry! I’ll correct myself!”
She was utterly pathetic. I turned my gaze away from her coldly.
“Didn’t you say you were here because you refused to shoot a gun due to religious beliefs?”
“Yes. I volunteered as a medic, so…”
“Even as a medic, you need to know how to shoot! If the enemy comes to kill the soldier you’re treating, are you just going to let him die?”
Priene didn’t answer. More accurately, she couldn’t respond.
“War isn’t child’s play. If you want to play doctor, go to a kindergarten and teach kids instead of being on a battlefield.”
Feeling down, Priene dropped her head. Seeing this, I sighed and added more.
“Still, I think your will to join the army to save lives is admirable. Volunteering even though women aren’t subject to conscription shows a spirit of sacrifice.”
“…Thank you, Lieutenant.”
A faint smile graced Priene’s lips as she curled up.
“Your words give me strength, Lieutenant. I can understand how childish I’ve been. For the honor of my father, who is a priest, I must return to training and do my best.”
There was ‘yo’ in her words again, but I decided not to point it out this time.
It seemed like it slipped out unconsciously, and since I wasn’t her direct superior, there was no need to correct it.
By the way, her father is a priest, so that’s why she hesitated to use firearms.
I guess she learned that killing is taboo…?
“Wait a minute.”
Her father is a priest?
And, being a girl from the south, she was disciplined during training?
All of this felt strangely similar to the NPC backstories I often saw when playing games, giving me a sense of déjà vu.
I couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat trickle down as I looked at Priene.
“Soldier. What exactly is your full name?”
“Pardon? Ah. I’m Priene. My full name is Priene Remiliart.”
Hearing her full name made my pores stand on end.
If she’s Priene Remiliart, she’s the named NPC known as the Saint of the Empire.
She was the one who used unique chant magic to cast buff effects across the entire battlefield, turning soldiers deployed into literal killing monsters.
That’s why, whenever word got out that she was on the battlefield, they’d usually order a retreat unless there was an overwhelming difference in battle power.
I never expected to meet a named NPC in a detention center, so I was deeply unsettled, but that didn’t matter much to me.
“Anyway, I’m going to be discharged, so…”
Once I’m discharged and leave the Empire, there’s no chance I’ll see her again, so what do I care?
“Indeed. What a pretty name.”
I gave a vague reply, and Priene blushed shyly.
I can’t exactly say what it was, but if she could blush from such a trivial compliment, it was obvious she had no experience with boys.
What is she doing joining the army at the age to enjoy her youth?
Well, I would’ve thought serving in the military was the greatest honor too if I hadn’t awakened my memories in the Operations Command.
“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?”
At that moment, a sergeant approached the bars and spoke to me.
I raised my hand, and after confirming my name with the list, the sergeant pulled out a key from his waist and unlocked the cell door.
“You’re being discharged. Follow me.”
Is it time already? It seems the higher-ups held a court martial after assessing the situation.
Priene, who was next to me, seemed oblivious, blinking her clear eyes with a clueless expression.
“You’re finally getting out. It was an honor to have a conversation with you, Lieutenant.”
I nodded with a bit of reluctance (though internally I was shouting for joy) and stood up to follow the sergeant.
We passed through the Military Police office and stepped outside, where Captain Philip was standing.
He was holding a box that looked somewhat luxurious.
“Oh. You’ve arrived?”
Captain Philip greeted me with a warm smile.
Something felt off about him, but I decided to show courtesy and saluted.
After acknowledging my salute, Philip approached me.
“I was planning to let you go a bit earlier, but it took some time due to various procedures. You understand, having been part of the General Staff Headquarters for a while, right?”
Sure I understand. The military places more importance on reports and procedures than life itself.
But he was trying to let me go early? I felt uneasy about the nuance of his words, and Philip handed me the box.
“This is a reward for your achievements, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. No, wait. I should call you ‘First Lieutenant’ now.”
What the heck is this? With blank eyes, I received the box and opened it.
Inside were two badges and insignia symbolizing a first lieutenant.
Feeling bewildered, I looked up at Philip, who was smiling proudly as if to say I could be proud too.
“Your judgment was correct. Major Karl Heimlich was revealed to be a spy for the coalition. Therefore, the higher-ups decided to skip your promotion review and awarded you a direct promotion to First Lieutenant.”
“…Direct promotion to First Lieutenant? Me?”
“Exactly. The foundation of the Imperial Army’s ideology is just punishment and reward. Also, since the Operations Staff position will be vacant for a while, the higher-ups commanded you to perform the role of Operations Staff deputy.”
Is this some kind of joke? I assaulted my superior, and that superior turned out to be a spy for the coalition, and thanks to that, I got a direct promotion to First Lieutenant? This is absurd.
“Before you know it, you might just surpass me. Anyway, congratulations!”
…But Philip’s congratulations told me that this situation made sense.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to shake Philip’s hand while reluctantly praising the Empire.
*
After spending a week on the reward leave I received from the higher-ups, I returned to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
As soon as I entered the building and walked into the Office of the Operations Staff, the gaze of the staff members, who were deep in conversation, turned toward me.
They soon began to gather around me with smiles.
“First Lieutenant Daniel? Our hero, aren’t you!”
“It must’ve taken incredible courage to attack your superior, even if he was a spy!”
“You’ve managed to amass two achievements in quick succession; it’s impressive. Did you know your name has been brought up in the higher-ups’ discussions?”
I didn’t pile up achievements because I wanted to, you fools.
While my heart was rotting, they didn’t even realize it and continued to offer their congratulations, making it frustrating.
“Please, keep the compliments to yourselves. I merely acted with a heart to serve the Empire.”
Still, I couldn’t ignore their goodwill, so I smiled and replied.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, I walked over to my desk in the Office of the Operations Staff… previously where Major Karl had worked.
It seemed they had cleared out all Major Karl’s personal belongings since the area around the desk was neat.
On the desk lay a tactical map, a few documents, and a phone, with the most prominent item being none other than a nameplate.
【Operations Staff Deputy / First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner】
Even if it’s a temporary position, assigning the Operations Staff role to a First Lieutenant is truly unprecedented.
The Operations Staff role was significant enough to warrant a personal office within the General Staff Headquarters. Usually, they wouldn’t hand it over to a mere First Lieutenant.
In other words, it meant the higher-ups considered me a valuable asset.
It was ridiculous that I, having only completed three months since commissioning, ended up skipping to First Lieutenant and taking the role of Operations Staff Deputy.
It was a case of being the elite of the elite, and it wasn’t just a smooth road ahead; it felt like a flower path was sprawled out before me.
That also meant the path to an honorable discharge was now much more challenging.
‘…’
Sitting at my desk while listening to the birds chirping outside, I frowned and held my forehead.
‘What on earth is going on…?’
I genuinely felt like I might lose my mind.