I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 3

After fixing my uniform and having breakfast at the officers’ mess hall, I headed to the Operational Planning staff’s private office.

It was an ordinary routine.

The only difference was that some senior officers I encountered in the hallway started recognizing me.

“Are you that famous lieutenant? The one who put the staff at the command center in their place? Ah, don’t misunderstand. I mean it as a compliment.”

“Lieutenant, I know you’re confident in your abilities, but don’t show off too much in front of your superiors. If you want a long military career, that is. Just a word of advice from my experience.”

“Hey! I thought the General Staff was full of blockheads, but I didn’t know we had talents like you! I’ll be cheering you on, so keep at it!”

…I was getting dizzy from being stopped and lectured at every turn.

Since I couldn’t ignore them, I managed to extricate myself by spouting the magic three phrases: “Understood!” “Is that so?” “Thank you!”

The problem was that I couldn’t make it to work on time due to these detentions by the officers.

The reporting time was 8:30 am, and it was already 8:28 am.

The staff offices were on the 5th floor, so even at a brisk pace, it would take 4 minutes.

As Imperial officers, we had to maintain a dignified demeanor and couldn’t run unless on the battlefield, so being late was unavoidable.

‘That bastard Karl is going to act up again.’

Let me reiterate – my direct superior, Major Karl Heinrich, was a despicable character who was irritable and overreacted to the slightest mistake.

If he had any redeeming accomplishments that could earn respect, I might have felt differently. But this depraved man’s only “achievement” was cowering in the rear during the defensive battle against the Allied Nations 7 years ago.

How could such a person be part of the Imperial General Staff, which advocated meritocracy?

When questioning a superior’s rank and position, they say to look at their background.

Exactly. Karl Heinrich was a noble from an illustrious family, and his father was a serving ambassador.

No matter where, even in the meritocratic Empire, connections of blood, relationships, and alma maters were intricately intertwined beneath the surface.

And the one fully benefiting from such privileges was none other than my superior, Karl Heinrich.

In my assessment, he was the epitome of incompetence and depravity – a living human waste.

I have proof. If I had to assign shares for the dark circles under my eyes, Karl Heinrich would undoubtedly be the majority shareholder.

So I wondered what nonsense he would spew today, but my mind was at peace.

‘In the end, all I have to do is resign.’

Since my goal was a dishonorable discharge, I no longer needed to cater to Karl’s whims.

Is this how an employee feels when they go to work with a resignation letter? A smile even played on my lips.

With such a light step, I approached the 5th-floor Operational Planning office and knocked on the door.

“Operational Planning Assistant Officer, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. I’m coming in.”

After stating my name and rank, I opened the door to reveal the interior.

The first thing I saw was Karl, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, bathed in sunlight.

He seemed to be sweating profusely, as if he had made a grave mistake – an unusual sight.

Unaware of my entrance, I approached and spoke.

“Major Karl Heinrich? You’ll need to be at the Operational Planning room by 9 o’clock. You should start preparing now…”

I trailed off and closed my mouth.

In response to my voice, Karl lifted his head, his eyes swirling with rage.

Surely he wasn’t this upset over being 2 minutes late? As I stood dumbfounded, Karl abruptly stood up from his seat.

“You! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

What did I do? Was he talking about being 2 minutes late? Blinking in confusion, Karl stormed towards me.

“Who said you could voice your opinion to the Commander? How dare a mere second lieutenant orphan brat intrude on the meeting…!”

Reaching me, Karl grabbed my collar and shoved me roughly.

I nearly fell but managed to maintain my balance by staggering back.

“Because of you, my plans have turned to bubbles! Damn it! Not just bubbles, but my life is in danger now, you bastard!”

What is he talking about? He’s always been unhinged, but today is particularly strange –

Thud!

My head slammed against the wall, and I let out a low groan.

“If anything happens to me, I won’t stay still. I’ll drag you down to hell with me by any means necessary! You understand, you piece of shit!?”

…He’s really lost it.

Normally, I would have held my tongue and let it go, but not today.

“You started this, Karl.”
“What? You’re talking back to your superior now…”

Smack! I swatted Karl’s hand away and immediately threw a punch at his face.

Caught off guard, Karl tried to dodge by turning his head, but it was too late.

My fist struck his cheekbone with force.

“Argh!”

Karl let out a scream and staggered back. I pursued him, grabbed his neck, tripped him, and slammed him to the ground.

Thud!

Karl hit the floor, contorting his face in pain and spitting saliva.

Straddling the downed Karl, I drew my fist back.

Before striking, I gave him a brief reprieve, and despite trembling, he opened his mouth.

“…You, this is assaulting a superior officer. A court-martial will be held. That means the end of your military career. Do you understand?”

As if I didn’t know. I shrugged my shoulders.

“No need to worry. That’s exactly why I’m doing this – to end my military career.”
“What? What do you mean by tha-”

With a thud, Karl’s words were cut off.

Looking down at the unconscious Karl with a dislocated jaw, I stood up.

As I dusted myself off, rapid footsteps approached from outside the door.

They must have heard Karl’s screams.

After a moment, the door burst open, and two soldiers entered.

“What’s all this ruckus?!”

The soldier who shouted confidently froze at the sight before him.

I understand. It must be hard to comprehend the Operational Planning officer lying unconscious on the floor, with his assistant standing nearby.

So I decided to explain.

“I assaulted a superior officer. I’m the one caught red-handed, so you can arrest me.”

Even after my kind explanation, the soldiers remained hesitant.

Inwardly finding their reaction pathetic, I sighed.

“What are you standing around for? Do you need to compare my fist to Major Karl’s bruises before arresting me?”
“Ah, no sir!”

Finally moving, the soldiers took out their handcuffs and approached, beginning to bind my wrists.

As I was impassively restrained, I inwardly smiled in relief.

‘An impulsive assault on a superior won’t result in severe punishment. Considering my previous merit, it will likely end with just my discharge.’

In other words, a discharge without any penalty!

Suppressing an urge to cheer, I turned my head to gaze out the window.

The vibrance of spring was in full bloom. The perfect season for discharge.

That evening.
Residence of Major Karl Heinrich.

“Search thoroughly.”
“Yes, Captain!”

At the command of Philip Bender, adjutant to Lieutenant General Heinrich Schmidt, the soldiers scattered.

Philip paced the living room leisurely, lost in thought for a moment.

‘Today, Second Lieutenant Daniel assaulted a superior officer.’

When he first heard the news, he thought he had misheard.

For someone who had just earned a merit to cause such an incident?

Moreover, in Philip’s eyes, Daniel was the epitome of an exemplary soldier.

There must have been a reason for Daniel’s actions.

Sharing Philip’s suspicion, Heinrich had belatedly requested a detailed testimony from the military police.

During the process, Karl displayed signs of anxiety, muttering nonsense about the Allied Nations possibly killing him.

Sensing something amiss, Heinrich ordered Philip to search Karl’s residence, leading to their current situation.

“Captain! Over here, please!”

At the soldier’s call, Philip snapped out of his reverie and nodded.

“I’ll be right there.”

As he approached, the soldier lightly tapped the wooden floor.

Thunk, thunk –

The sound from the floorboards was unusually hollow, as if something was underneath.

“Only this area sounds different.”
“A classic tactic. Pry it open.”
“Yes, Captain!”

Using a crowbar, the soldier pried open the floorboards to reveal a small box inside.

Kneeling down, Philip picked up the box and opened the lid.

Inside were documents and several letters.

“This is…”

Confidential Imperial military documents that shouldn’t fall into enemy hands.

The letters promised a large sum of money if information was sold to the Allied Nations… There were even recent orders to lure the Imperial reinforcements through the foothills.

“This treacherous scum…”

Major Karl Heinrich was a traitor to his nation. Blinded by greed, he had sold secrets and sabotaged operations – a despicable worm.

‘Then…’

Daniel must have assaulted Karl out of rage against this traitorous scum.

So Daniel was not a depraved man who assaulted a superior.

He was a patriotic hero who uncovered and apprehended a spy.

‘It seems we were under a grave misunderstanding.’

He needed to return to headquarters immediately, report this, and clear up the misunderstanding.

Having made up his mind, Philip closed the box and stood up.

“Soldier, I will be returning to headquarters. Report any additional information you find.”
“Ah, understood. But may I ask why you’re in such a hurry to return?”

With a smile, Philip looked down at the soldier and spoke.

“These documents have just proven Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s innocence. So shouldn’t we promptly clear the name of a hero who has dedicated himself to the Empire?”

The soldier momentarily froze.

It was the first time he had seen the icy Philip Bender, known as the Coldblooded Captain, flash such a radiant smile.