Chapter 1:  I didn’t want to do this either (1)

It all started like a cliché, with a car accident.

A truck, speeding through a red light, crushed a pedestrian on the crosswalk, and it just so happened that the pedestrian was me—an all-too-common story.

And when I opened my eyes, I found that I had reincarnated as a low-ranking noble in the kingdom.

Carolus von Royten.

The second son of a poor baron family that owned a fief in the barren and impoverished southeastern region.

That was me.

I had never read a novel with such a setting, nor had I ever played a game like it, yet here I was, thrust into this otherworldly life.

Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t that uncomfortable.

It was a bit disappointing to not have a cellphone, but my relationship with my family was good.

My parents took care of me and my older brother, and my brother always cherished me as his younger sibling. The retainers were loyal, and the people of the fief respected us, their lords.

Although we didn’t have financial luxury, we never went hungry, and I was able to have a happy childhood. However, there was one fatal issue that I faced.

That was the uncertainty of my future.

The title and fief would be inherited by my older brother, and our family, unlike other noble families, was not in a position to divide the wealth among siblings.

Though I received what little we could manage, it amounted to nothing more than a horse and a suit of armor.

If things continued like this, I would either become a wandering knight or starve to death on the streets, so I needed to find a way to survive.

The conclusion I arrived at was to attend the military academy.

If I could just graduate, I would secure a job as an officer, and the academy would provide for my tuition and living expenses for four years.

Being a commander was an honorable position in any era, so even if I was poor, I could still gain some honor.

Luckily, the military of this world suited me quite well.

In my previous life, I had served in the ROTC, and it wasn’t all that different from my time there. The weapons and tactics were a bit more outdated, but that was about it.

I used my social skills to give the top spots to high-ranking nobles, and I graduated with a decent but not extraordinary grade.

The region where I, a newly minted lieutenant, was assigned was the North. It was a border area adjacent to the Northern Allied Empire.

For most of the year, it was covered in snow, and since the kingdom’s relationship with the Northern Empire was generally good, it was a peaceful area.

I had planned to quietly build my experience as a platoon leader here and then move to another region, becoming an elite officer and gradually rising in rank. Well, that was the plan, at least.

If only war with the Northern Empire hadn’t broken out suddenly.

The Empire, which invaded our kingdom on the grounds that we had committed a diplomatic blunder—whether that was true or not—launched fierce offensives from all directions.

From the flat and hilly West to the narrow mountainous Eastern region. Even into the northern part where I was stationed.

Due to the snowfields on the border between the two countries, it was a region so difficult for warfare that even marching was nearly impossible. Despite that, the Empire sent a massive army.

At the very least, tens of thousands of troops, along with supplies and various weapons.

They sent their army with the full intent to crush us mercilessly.

In contrast, we had a meager force of only five thousand. Our entire northern army was so outnumbered that it was even smaller than their vanguard.

So, what should my decision have been here? Surrender?

Even if I had been reincarnated, this kingdom was still my homeland. I couldn’t abandon it.

So, I fought.

With a severely underpowered force, I grit my teeth and fought like a desperate animal. I set up ambushes at key locations and dug traps, fighting viciously.

As a platoon leader, I personally grabbed a sword and musket, charging at the enemy and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

With so many riflemen dead, I had to camouflage myself and infiltrate the enemy lines to snipe their commanders on several occasions.

The number of scars on my body surpassed double digits, and I had participated in so many battles that I could barely remember them, enduring them all with a fierce will to survive.

Even as comrades who had come in with me were dying, and my subordinates were all replaced, I stubbornly stayed alive and kept fighting.

After struggling and fighting for over a decade, I ended up being promoted to the deputy commander of the northern army. Before I knew it, I had earned a reputation as a general, known to both the enemy and my own troops.

Well, it wasn’t that bad. Having fame meant having honor and authority.

It was also nice to be able to oversee the entire front and engage in strategic command on a national scale.

The war that had continued endlessly while I spent 10 years stuck in a single unit, unable to be reassigned, persisted even after I became the deputy commander.

New recruits were constantly being brought in, and every month, the skirmishes consumed hundreds and thousands of lives in a relentless cycle.

No one was able to land a decisive blow on the enemy, but still, we managed to gradually inflict damage on the Empire while holding our territory.

If we could hold out for another three years—no, just two—we might be able to prevent any openings for the Allied Empire and successfully defend our land.

It could have even led to peace talks. We were tired, but the enemy was even more exhausted, so there was real hope.

I truly believed it. I shouted words of hope to my soldiers, urging them to hold on just a little longer.

Unfortunately, my country did not have the patience left to endure that long.

“You said ‘retreat’?”

“Yeah. The whole army is retreating.”

The order came suddenly after I was called to the command post.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I was told to abandon the land we had defended with so much blood and sweat for the past 10 years.

“Why? Our army is still fighting evenly.”

“I don’t know. It’s an order from above, so we’re just following it.”

The Northern Commander replied lazily, as if he didn’t want to discuss it further.

His words—like a pig stuffed with fat telling me what was obvious—made my blood boil, but I held it in. After all, he had connections in the central government.

If I opposed someone like him, who had gained his position purely through flattery and without any real achievements, it could lead to not only my downfall but also harm my entire unit and even the Northern Army.

“Surely there’s a reason, right? Commander. Didn’t the central command at least send a detailed explanation along with the retreat order?”

“Hey, Carolus. Why are you so rebellious today? Don’t you hear what I’m saying? Get the retreat preparations done!”

I couldn’t understand. Why was this order so incomprehensible to me? For all these years, I had been told to hold the line and resist at all costs. And now, suddenly, we were being told to retreat?

I was the Deputy Commander of the Northern Army. Apart from the central command, I was among the top five in rank within the kingdom’s military.

Was this situation so urgent that even someone like me couldn’t be given an explanation?

I hadn’t received any reports about other fronts collapsing. Why, then, was the defense strategy being changed so suddenly?

I was furious. I couldn’t understand why the royal family and the central command were making decisions that would render all the sacrifices of the past meaningless.

But above all, what I couldn’t understand was the arrogant attitude of the pig-like figure standing before me.

—Slap!

“You bastard! Just follow the orders! How dare a soldier like you defy me?!”

“…I apologize.”

He slapped me across the face and, gritting his teeth, ordered me to handle the retreat preparations. “Don’t make me say it again. Go and get the units ready to move back to the rear!”

With his furious temper and the situation escalating, I had no choice but to bow my head.

At this point, there was no use trying to reason with him. So, I bit my lip and quietly left the barracks.

“General Roitel, are you alright?”

“Do I look alright to you?”

As I walked through the camp, one of my young lieutenants, my aide, approached me.

He had joined the military last summer and, having fought in numerous battles, had been promoted faster than I had.

“What did you hear to get so upset?”

“They’re ordering a retreat. They want to pull the entire front back.”

“…What?”

His expression showed disbelief, and I shared that feeling. But the commander was being unreasonable.

“What’s the reason? Are we out of supplies?”

“He won’t tell me, so I don’t know. That’s why I’m going to find out.”

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it with a click of my lighter, and gave the order.

“You know Colonel Kys from the intelligence department, right?”

“The one with the long mustache? Yeah, I know him.”

“He should be stationed near here, so go tell him to help us. Explain the situation first, then let him know what’s going on.”

Since I had saved his life once before, I was sure he’d help me out.

For now, I needed to delay things by telling the commander that I was in the middle of preparations. A full retreat couldn’t just happen overnight.

By dragging my feet, I hoped to buy enough time to gather information.

I was confident that the Commander, who was all show and no substance, would fall for it easily. He had no clue how to handle logistical documents—he was completely clueless about the real work, which I had always taken care of.

As expected, I managed to stall long enough to gain some breathing room.

“General Roitel, Colonel Kys is here.”

“Let him in.”

The truth I finally uncovered was shocking beyond belief.

“They’re cutting the military budget to save money for the Queen’s diamond tiara… So they’ve decided to abandon the front?”

All this time, I, the officers of the kingdom, and the brave soldiers—had been fighting for these filthy swine?