chapter_0047

46 – Do I Really Have to Do That?

46 – Do I Really Have to Do That?

Erwin let out a sigh without realizing it after hearing Daniel’s response.

“Don’t know? After establishing such a perfect stronghold?”

Isn’t that a bit too humble?

To be honest, it was hard to believe that this place was not the territory of the kingdom but that of the empire, given how favorable it was to the stationed troops.

Yet, watching Daniel, who did not flaunt his achievements, left Erwin with nothing but admiration.

However, Daniel, unaware of Erwin’s true feelings, could only manage an awkward smile.

“Colonel, it’s cold. Shall we go inside to talk?”

“Ah, let’s do that.”

Nodding, Erwin followed Daniel into the command building.

After guiding Erwin to the reception room prepared inside the building, Daniel laid out the urban planning he had been working on to hand over the position of the garrison commander.

To aid understanding, Lucy handed relevant documents to Erwin, while Frien served him coffee made from high-quality beans.

As Erwin reviewed the documents and sipped his coffee for a while, he let out a chuckle.

Daniel had performed his role as garrison commander so perfectly that there was nothing to criticize.

“Excellent. If I could give you a score, I would want to give you full marks. If there’s one complaint, it’s that there’s nothing I can do. It’s perfect enough that maintaining the status quo would suffice.”

“You’re being too kind.”

“Not at all. Daniel Steiner! You have truly done an astonishing job. I will make sure to convey this to the staff headquarters.”

Although Daniel did not want his evaluation to rise any further, he couldn’t exactly tell his superior not to say such things.

With a resigned expression, Daniel nodded once and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Colonel. It seems the handover is complete, so I should start preparing to return to the Imperial City.”

“To the Imperial City, you say?”

“That’s right. I’ve been out here for operational support for quite a while. As you know, the north is cold, and the food doesn’t suit my taste, making it quite difficult.”

Erwin chuckled as if he understood Daniel’s jest.

“It’s not easy for someone raised in the empire to adapt to food from other regions. I often found eating to be a chore when I was stationed on the eastern front.”

“…I apologize for bringing that up. Compared to the food you had on the front lines, I feel like I’ve had quite a luxurious meal.”

“That’s alright. I didn’t mean to make you feel small. It’s just a personal experience. However, I feel I must apologize for something to you, who wants to return to the Imperial City.”

Apologize? As Daniel looked at him in confusion, Erwin pulled out a scroll from his coat and handed it to him.

“This is the operational order that the staff headquarters asked me to convey to you.”

As a result, Daniel couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

He thought he would be returning after his mission was over, but a new operational order?

‘What on earth are they trying to do?’

He wanted to be angry, but since it was an order, he had to comply.

With trembling hands, Daniel received the scroll, untied the red string, and unfolded the paper.

──────────

《Imperial Staff Headquarters》

Order No. D-513

Date: August 14, 1944

Task: Frontline movement of the unit directly under the staff headquarters

• Orders

–
Major Daniel Steiner, who is operating the unit directly under the staff headquarters, is to draft enough personnel from the Nordia garrison to facilitate vehicle movement.

–
After boarding the vehicles with the drafted personnel, you are to reach the command of the 3rd Corps, currently located at the northernmost front, by 16:00 on August 21, 1944.

–
Upon reaching the corps command, remain on standby and await further orders. It is recommended to act according to the corps commander’s instructions.

You are ordered to carry out the mission swiftly and accurately in accordance with this order.

Imperial Staff Headquarters.

Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier Cedric Vendel.

──────────

After reading the order, Daniel raised his hand and wiped his face.

‘Deputy Chief, why are you doing this to me…?’

The moment Daniel’s small hope of returning to the Imperial City for a comfortable and prosperous life shattered.

He wished it was just a bad joke from Erwin, but the order bore the deputy chief’s seal.

Thus, there was no way to view this order as a forgery.

‘Since the order has been issued, I suppose I have to go.’

This time, the deadline was clearly stated, so he couldn’t afford to delay.

‘At least the good news is…’

From the looks of the order, it seemed like simple troop support.

That meant he could just kill time after joining the corps.

‘Unless it’s a special operation, they wouldn’t deploy a unit directly under the staff headquarters to the front lines.’

If it were a special operation, the path ahead would be fraught with hardship, but that was unlikely.

The imperial army, which was advancing northward, had entered a lull.

In that state, would they really conduct a special operation against a kingdom that insisted on a desperate fight? That would be tantamount to asking for death.

Logically, it seemed clear that he would remain in a “unit standby” state in the corps and return to the Imperial City once the war with the kingdom was over.

It was just a matter of a few weeks’ delay in returning to the Imperial City.

‘But for some reason…’

Daniel felt uneasy.

–

3rd Corps Command.

Corps Commander’s Office.

“Hmm…”

Lieutenant General Karl Peter Krau narrowed his eyes as he looked at the strategic map and operation board hanging on the wall.

‘They pulled back the front and committed all their forces to the defense of the capital.’

At first glance, it seemed that the kingdom’s army had fled in fear, but to Karl Peter, it appeared to be quite a strategic maneuver.

Just because the kingdom’s army had pulled back did not mean the imperial army could advance recklessly.

‘Supply and logistics are not keeping up.’

The supplies consumed by the corps each day were beyond imagination.

If those supplies were not delivered on time, not only would the corps’ morale decline, but operational command would also be disrupted.

Thus, the imperial army could not advance until the supply lines were properly activated.

Even now, having captured more than half of the kingdom’s territory, the supply lines were tangled, and if they followed the enemy as they pulled back, the likelihood of supply disruption was very high.

That was why the imperial army had reluctantly entered a lull.

‘The kingdom’s army will use this time to reorganize their troops.’

They might even be requesting help from the Allied Nations they had allied with.

If the Allied Nations came to support them, it would be a headache.

Even if, by some stroke of luck, the Allied Nations did not come to support them, it would still be a headache.

Once the imperial army secured the supply lines and began to advance, the kingdom’s army would have already completed their troop reorganization.

‘They will surely resist fiercely.’

That said, the imperial army would not be defeated, but they would have to endure significant losses.

At least thousands, if not tens of thousands, of soldiers would perish needlessly.

The result would be tantamount to weakening the empire’s national power, which is why the staff headquarters and Karl Peter sought to negotiate a ceasefire.

The kingdom had responded by sending their foreign minister, but negotiations had already collapsed twice.

The reason was that the empire’s demands were deemed too unreasonable.

Thus, Corps Commander Karl Peter had requested His Majesty the Emperor to ease the conditions of the negotiations, but it was not accepted.

The reason was that mercy was unnecessary for the vile kingdom that sought to gnaw at the empire like a hyena.

In that case, the only remaining option was an all-out war to capture the capital.

However, with national power already being wasted on blocking the eastern front, was it really right to declare an all-out war against the kingdom?

As Karl Peter’s worries deepened, the staff headquarters had recommended someone.

‘…Major Daniel Steiner.’

They had contacted him to send a talented individual who had achieved tremendous military merit in Nordia to the corps.

‘That means…’

It was akin to urging that Daniel Steiner be used as the person responsible for the ceasefire negotiations.

Understanding the staff headquarters’ intentions, Karl Peter frowned in disbelief.

Negotiations that had collapsed even with the help of numerous military advisors.

What difference would it make to appoint an officer who was still just a major, no matter how much military merit he had accumulated?

‘But…’

If it was a talent recommended by the staff headquarters, and especially by Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier Cedric Vendel, there must be a reason.

Given that the situation was not ordinary, perhaps a new attempt was necessary to find a breakthrough.

‘This might be the last negotiation.’

Could he really entrust the fate of the negotiations to Daniel Steiner?

With his eyes closed, Karl Peter took a deep breath and slowly opened them.

He had resolved to make a decision that bordered on reckless.

Not because he trusted Daniel Steiner, but because he trusted the intelligence of Cedric Vendel, who had devised numerous operations leading the imperial army to victory.

‘Cedric. I will trust the joker card you have given me.’

The die had been cast.

Now, the lives of many rested in Daniel Steiner’s hands.