chapter_0005

4 – Is it a misunderstanding or a misunderstanding?

4 – Is it a misunderstanding or a misunderstanding?

“Ugh… Huh…”

I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of sobbing beside me.

Feeling annoyed, I turned my head to see a girl without any insignia on her shoulder straps. She must be a trainee.

Her name was Frien, if I remembered correctly. She was the girl I had met when I was locked up in the military police detention center yesterday.

With her light brown hair and black eyes, she looked like someone from the southern region.

Since she seemed to be from the same area, I exchanged a few words with her, but now it felt like she was clinging to me, making me weary when I woke up to find her right next to me.

I considered ignoring her, but I thought if I left her alone, she might just keep crying, so I decided to speak up.

“…It seems you’ve forgotten that soldiers of the Empire shouldn’t show tears so easily.”

Upon hearing my voice, Frien was startled and stopped her sobbing.

“I’m sorry! I-I’m so ashamed! I suddenly thought of my father back home…”

“Why, is your father unwell?”

“Not exactly… He was proud of me for enlisting in the Imperial Army, but here I am, unable to even complete the training properly and stuck in this place. I feel foolish.”

“Did you just say ‘yo’?”

When I pointed it out, Frien flinched.

“Ah. I-I’m sorry! I’ll correct it!”

She was utterly hopeless. I turned my gaze away from her coldly.

“Didn’t you say you came here because you refused to shoot a gun due to your religious beliefs?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I volunteered as a medic…”

“Even as a medic, you should know how to shoot. If the enemy tries to kill the soldier you’re treating, are you just going to let him die?”

Frien didn’t respond. It was more accurate to say she couldn’t respond.

“War isn’t a child’s game. If you want to play doctor, why not go to a kindergarten and teach kids instead of being on the battlefield?”

Frien lowered her head, looking defeated. Seeing that, I sighed and added,

“Still, I think your will to volunteer for the military to save people is noble. It’s impossible to volunteer when women aren’t subject to conscription without a spirit of sacrifice.”

“…Thank you, Second Lieutenant.”

A faint smile appeared on Frien’s lips as she sat curled up.

“Your words give me strength. I understand now how childish I was acting. For the honor of my father, who is a pastor, I should return to training and do my best.”

She had mixed ‘yo’ into her speech again, but I decided not to point it out this time.

It seemed to be a habit she unconsciously fell into, and since I wasn’t her direct superior, there was no need to correct her.

So, her father was a clergyman, which made her hesitant about using firearms.

She must have been taught that killing is taboo, so I could understand… right?

“Wait a minute.”

Her father is a clergyman?

And she’s from the south, yet she received disciplinary action during training?

It felt eerily similar to the backstories of NPCs I often encountered while playing games.

I secretly broke into a cold sweat as I looked at Frien.

“Soldier. What exactly is your full name?”

“Pardon? Ah. I’m Frien. My full name is Frien Remiliart.”

Upon hearing Frien’s full name, my pores opened wide.

Frien Remiliart was a named NPC known as the Saint of the Empire.

She was the one who cast buff effects across the battlefield with her unique magic, turning soldiers into literal killing machines.

So, whenever I heard she was on the battlefield, I would usually order a retreat unless the power disparity was overwhelmingly in our favor.

I never expected to meet a named NPC in a detention center, which left me quite flustered, but it didn’t really concern me.

“After all, I’ll be discharged soon.”

Once I leave the Empire, I wouldn’t have to deal with her again, so why bother caring?

“Is that so? What a pretty name.”

When I casually responded, Frien blushed shyly.

I didn’t know for sure, but if she blushed at such a trivial compliment, it was clear she had no experience with men.

What was she doing enlisting in the military at such a young age?

Then again, if I hadn’t awakened my memories from my past life at the operations command post, I would have thought serving in the military was the greatest honor.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?”

At that moment, a sergeant approached the bars and spoke to me.

I raised my hand, and after confirming my name matched the roster, the sergeant took out a key from his waist and unlocked the detention center door.

“You’re being discharged. Please follow me.”

Is it time? It seemed the higher-ups had convened a military tribunal after assessing the situation.

Frien, who was beside me, looked clueless, blinking her clear eyes with a naive expression.

“You’re finally getting out. It was an honor to talk with you, Second Lieutenant.”

I nodded with a sour expression (though I was cheering internally) and stood up to follow the sergeant.

As we passed the military police office and stepped outside the building, Captain Philip was standing there.

He was holding a box that had a somewhat luxurious feel to it.

“Oh, you’ve arrived?”

Captain Philip greeted me with a kind smile.

It felt somewhat strange, but I decided to be polite and saluted him.

Philip accepted my salute and approached me.

“I intended to release you a bit earlier, but it took some time due to various procedures. You understand, having spent time in the headquarters, right?”

I understood. In the military, reports and procedures were valued above life itself.

But he intended to release me early? The nuance of his words felt unsettling, so I quietly observed as Philip handed me the box.

“This is a reward for your achievements, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. No, I should call you First Lieutenant now.”

What the hell is this? I blinked in confusion as I received the box and opened it.

Inside were two diamond badges symbolizing the rank of First Lieutenant and the shoulder straps.

I looked up at Philip, puzzled, and he smiled at me as if I should be proud.

“Your judgment was correct. Major Karl Heimlich has been identified as a spy for the Allied Nations. Thus, the higher-ups decided to commend your military service by skipping the promotion review and granting you a first-class promotion.”

“…First-class promotion? Me?”

“Yes. The basic principle of the Imperial Army is to reward and punish based on merit. Also, the higher-ups have ordered you to serve as the acting operations officer for the time being, as that position will be vacant.”

Is this a joke? I assaulted my superior, and that superior turned out to be a spy for the Allied Nations, and thanks to that, I received a first-class promotion? This is absurd.

“At this rate, you might surpass me. Anyway, congratulations!”

…But Philip’s congratulations indicated that this situation made sense.

As a result, I had no choice but to shake hands with Philip and praise the Empire, even though I felt like I was eating mustard while crying.

–

After using the week of reward leave I received from the higher-ups, I returned to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

As I entered the building and walked into the operations office, the eyes of the staff members who were chatting turned toward me.

They soon began to gather around me with smiles on their faces.

“First Lieutenant Daniel? Our hero!”

“Even if he was a spy, it must have taken great courage to attack his superior!”

“It’s astonishing that you’ve accumulated two achievements in quick succession. Do you know your name has been mentioned in the higher-ups?”

I didn’t accumulate achievements because I wanted to, you people.

While their hearts were rotting away, they were congratulating me without knowing, which was frustrating.

“Please refrain from the compliments. I merely acted out of a desire to serve the Empire.”

Still, I couldn’t ignore their goodwill, so I responded with a smile.

After exchanging greetings for a while, I walked to the desk prepared for me in the operations office… which used to be where Major Karl sat and worked.

It seemed they had cleared out all of Major Karl’s personal belongings, as the area around the desk was neat.

On the desk were a situation map, a few documents, and a telephone, but the most eye-catching item was none other than the nameplate.

【Acting Operations Officer / First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner】

Even if it was a temporary position, assigning the role of operations officer to a First Lieutenant was truly unprecedented.

The position of operations officer was significant enough to warrant a personal office within the headquarters. Typically, it wouldn’t be entrusted to someone like a First Lieutenant.

In other words, it meant the higher-ups regarded me as a valuable asset.

It was absurd that I, who had only been commissioned for three months, had received a first-class promotion and secured the position of acting operations officer.

I was truly an elite among elites, and it was safe to say that my path ahead was not just smooth but paved with flowers.

However, that also meant the road to an honorable discharge had become even more treacherous.

‘……’

Sitting in my chair while listening to the chirping of birds outside, I furrowed my brow and pressed my forehead.

‘Why are they doing this to me…?’

I felt like I was about to lose my mind.