I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 4

“Hic… Huu…”

The sobbing sound next to me slowly rouses me from sleep.

Feeling annoyed, I turn my head to see a girl without rank insignia on her epaulet – a trainee.

I think her name was Prien. A girl I met after being locked up in the military police detention center yesterday.

With her tanned hair and black eyes, she seemed to be from the southern region.

Since we were from the same region, I exchanged a few words with her. But for some reason, she started clinging to me, and when I woke up, she was right next to me again, which was tiring.

I considered ignoring her, but it seemed she would keep crying if left alone, so I spoke up.

“…It seems you’ve forgotten that Imperial soldiers must not freely show tears.”

Startled by my voice, Prien stopped sniffling.

“I’m sorry! So, so sorry! I suddenly thought of my father back home and…”
“Your father? Is he unwell?”
“No, but… He was proud of me joining the Imperial military, yet here I am, locked up without even properly completing the training process. I’m such a fool.”
“You just said ‘I’m’?”

Pointing it out, Prien’s shoulders flinched.

“Ah, sorry! I’ll correct myself!”

There was no need to be so formal. Giving Prien a cold look, I turned my gaze forward.

“You said you ended up here for refusing to fire a gun due to religious beliefs, right?”
“Yes. I applied to become a medic, so…”
“Even as a medic, you need to know how to use a gun. If an enemy tries to kill the soldier you’re treating, will you just let them die?”

Prien didn’t answer. It seemed she couldn’t.

“War is no child’s play. If you want to play hospital, enroll in a kindergarten and teach kids instead of going to the battlefield.”

Deflated, Prien hung her head. Seeing this, I sighed and added:

“Still, I think your willingness to enlist to save lives is noble. As a woman not subject to conscription, you had to have a spirit of self-sacrifice to volunteer.”
“…Thank you, Lieutenant.”

A faint smile played on the lips of the hunched Prien.

“Your words give me strength, Lieutenant. I understand how childishly I’ve been acting. For the honor of my father, the priest, I should return to the training grounds and try harder.”

She used the polite ‘you’ form again, but I decided not to point it out.

It seemed to slip out unconsciously, and since I wasn’t her direct superior, there was no need to correct her.

So her hesitation with firearms stemmed from her priest father’s teachings against taking life. I could understand, considering he likely taught her that killing is taboo…

‘Wait a minute.’

Her father is a priest?
Moreover, she’s a southern woman who faced disciplinary action during training?

It was strikingly similar to the backstory of an NPC I frequently encountered while playing the game, which made me uneasy.

Secretly breaking into a cold sweat, I looked at Prien.

“Soldier. What is your full name, exactly?”
“Huh? Ah, it’s Prien. My full name is Prien Remilliat.”

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

If her name was Prien Remilliat, she was the named NPC known as the Empire’s Holy Maiden.

Prien was the one who could cast a unique buff spell over the entire battlefield, literally turning the deployed soldiers into killing monsters.

So whenever word spread that she was on the battlefield, unless the power disparity was overwhelmingly one-sided, the order was to retreat.

I never expected to meet a named NPC in a detention center, which left me deeply perplexed. But it didn’t really concern me.

‘In any case, I’m going to be discharged.’

Once discharged and out of the Empire, I would never see her again, so what was the point of concerning myself?

“I see. It’s a pretty name.”

With that casual response, Prien’s face flushed in embarrassment.

While I couldn’t be sure, her blushing at such a minor compliment seemed to indicate she had no experience with men.

What was she doing in the military at the prime of her youth?

Then again, if I hadn’t regained my past life’s memories at the command center, I would have thought serving in the military was the greatest honor.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?”

At that moment, a sergeant approached the cell bars and addressed me.

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

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

So the time had come. It seemed the higher-ups had convened a court-martial after assessing the situation.

Prien, sitting next to me, didn’t seem to know what was happening as she blinked her clear eyes innocently.

“So you’re finally being released. It was an honor to have a conversation with you, Lieutenant.”

With a solemn expression (though inwardly cheering), I nodded and stood up, following the sergeant out.

After passing through the military police office and exiting the building, Captain Philip was standing there.

He was holding some kind of ornate box in his hand.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Captain Philip flashed me a kind smile.

It felt a bit strange, but I decided to be courteous and saluted him.

After casually returning my salute, Philip approached me.

“I had intended to get you out sooner, but it took time due to various procedures. Having served at the General Staff, you understand, don’t you?”

I did understand. The military prioritized reports and procedures over life itself.

But what did he mean by ‘getting me out sooner’? The nuance made me uneasy, so I silently observed as Philip extended the box towards me.

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

What nonsense was this? Blinking dumbly, I accepted the box and opened it.

Inside were a two-diamond first lieutenant badge and epaulet insignia.

Utterly perplexed, I looked up at Philip, who smiled warmly, as if proud of me.

“Your judgment was correct. Major Karl Heinrich has been confirmed as a spy for the Allied Nations. As such, the high command wished to honor your military merit and awarded you a one-rank meritorious promotion.”
“…A one-rank meritorious promotion? For me?”
“Yes. Rewarding merit and punishing demerit is a fundamental principle of the Imperial military. Additionally, the high command has ordered you to serve as the acting Operational Planning officer for the time being, as that position will be vacant.”

Was this a joke? I assaulted a superior officer, but it turned out he was actually an Allied spy, so I got a one-rank meritorious promotion? It was utterly ridiculous.

“At this rate, you might even surpass me. In any case, congratulations!”

…But Philip’s congratulations affirmed that this unbelievable situation was indeed real.

As a result, I had no choice but to shake Philip’s hand begrudgingly and praise the Empire.

After taking a one-week commendation leave from the high command, I returned to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

As I entered the building and the Operational Planning room, the gazes of the staff officers conversing there turned towards me.

They soon gathered around me with smiles on their faces.

“First Lieutenant Daniel? Isn’t he our hero!”
“Even though he was your superior, attacking a spy must have taken immense courage!”
“To earn two consecutive merits in such a short time is astounding. The high command has been mentioning your name quite often, you know?”

I didn’t earn these merits because I wanted to, you fools.

Your minds are rotting while you remain oblivious, showering me with congratulations – it’s infuriating.

“Please, no need for praise. I merely acted with a heart to serve the Empire.”

Still, I couldn’t ignore their goodwill, so I smiled and responded.

After a while of exchanging welcoming greetings, I finally made my way to my desk in the Operational Planning room… the very spot where Major Karl had previously worked.

It seemed all of Major Karl’s personal belongings had been removed, as the area around the desk was tidy.

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

[Acting Operational Planning Officer / First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner]

Even as a temporary assignment, entrusting the Operational Planning position to a first lieutenant was truly unprecedented.

The Operational Planning officer was such an important role within the General Staff that they were typically given a private office. Normally, it would never be assigned to a mere first lieutenant.

In other words, it meant the high command viewed me as a valuable asset.

That I, a newly commissioned officer of just three months, had received a one-rank meritorious promotion to first lieutenant and was now the acting Operational Planning officer – it was unbelievable.

Truly an elite among elites, and not just a smooth path, but a road paved with flowers now lay ahead of me.

Which also meant the path to a dishonorable discharge had become even more arduous.

‘……’

Sitting at my desk, listening to the chirping of birds outside, I furrowed my brow and rubbed my forehead.

‘Why is this happening to me…?’

I felt like I was going insane.