I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Two weeks later.

“No! I was collecting stamps as a hobby, but my wife heard some strange rumors and is now scolding me for wasting money on this! It’s unbelievable!”

As usual, after lunch, I was strolling in front of the headquarters building, listening to Ernst’s complaints.

For the record, my aide Lucie had also inadvertently joined us as we listened to Ernst’s domestic affairs.

“My only hobbies are fishing and stamp collecting! Does it make sense to prevent me from doing one of those two?”

After listening for a while, I nodded, feeling he had a point.

“Your wife seems too harsh. It’s not like you’re neglecting your family, as you return home right after work.”
“Exactly! You’re the one who understands me, Captain Daniel! The personnel officer scolded me for spending too much on stamp collecting, but can you find a hobby that doesn’t cost money?”

…Something felt off, though.

“Sir? May I ask what recent stamp you purchased?”
“Hm? Ah, yes. When the limited-edition Bergkhausen Museum stamps came on the market, I spent a bit.”

The limited-edition Bergkhausen Museum stamps? Even I, with little interest in stamps, knew they were famously expensive.

‘If I recall correctly, they sold for around 100,000 marks at the time.’

Considering the monthly salary of a worker in this era was between 30,000 and 60,000 marks, it was a significant expenditure.

I could understand why Ernst’s wife was upset, but I decided to remain silent.

Silence is golden, as the saying goes.

“It’s not like I dipped into my emergency fund or anything. I saved up my allowance to buy them. For her to complain about that is just unfair. How am I supposed to live like this? This wife of mine…”

As I listened to Ernst’s rant with one ear and let it out the other, I suddenly sensed something odd.

‘What is it?’

I saw junior officers and non-commissioned officers I didn’t recognize coming and going in front of the General Staff Headquarters.

The General Staff Headquarters was a place where you were more likely to see senior officers than junior ones.

It was an unusual sight to see unfamiliar second lieutenants and first lieutenants walking around here.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Ernst, who had been badmouthing his wife, turned to look at me.

“Yes? Do you have something to say?”
“Well… Isn’t there an unusually high number of officers coming and going at the General Staff Headquarters today? I don’t recognize any of their faces.”
“Unfamiliar faces? Ah, the personnel department summoned officers being sent to the Northern Front for operational support today. They must have just arrived.”

Operational support for the Northern Front? My curiosity piqued, and I spoke up.

“The Northern Expansion War is going smoothly, isn’t it? I’ve heard that aside from a few areas, the Kingdom of Eldresia is crumbling helplessly.”
“Those few areas are the problem. As you know, if we can’t push back the Kingdom before winter, there’s a high chance it will become a prolonged war. That’s why they’re sending reinforcements.”

Taking a sip of coffee from the paper cup in my hand, I tilted my head in puzzlement.

“Judging by the ranks of the officers, the unit being sent for operational support seems to be company-sized. But I don’t think a company joining a battlefield where corps are in motion will change the situation.”

At my words, Ernst let out a low chuckle.

“That’s not it. The company is merely a guard unit to protect the capable staff officers. We can’t have them exposed to guerrilla attacks by the enemy on their way to join the Northern Front.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”

It seemed the General Staff Headquarters’ plan was to deploy capable staff officers to the front lines to tilt the war’s momentum in the Empire’s favor, even if only slightly.

‘They’re willing to borrow even a cat’s paw…’

From the Empire’s perspective, the best strategy was to quickly occupy the relatively weaker Kingdom of Eldresia and then focus on the Eastern Front.

Once the harsh winter cold set in, supply lines and advances would be hampered, leading to a drawn-out war. So, they were probably trying to end the war before summer was over, even if it meant pushing themselves.

Either way, it had nothing to do with me.

“I don’t know which staff officer is being sent for operational support, but they’re going to have a tough time.”

How pitiful. I even felt a pang of sympathy.

If one was suddenly transferred from the warm and safe rear to the frontlines, any sane person would shed tears of blood unless they were a warmonger.

But what could be done? That was their karma.

“…Captain Daniel?”

As I inwardly snickered, Ernst awkwardly scratched his cheek.

Wondering why, I stared at him, prompting him to clear his throat softly.

“My apologies. It seems I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot to inform you. You’re the staff officer being sent for operational support to the Northern Front.”
“Pardon?” For a moment, my mind went blank.

I nearly dropped the paper cup as my grip loosened.

After a dazed silence, I finally regained my senses and spoke.

“…Me, you say?”
“Yes. It seems the Chief of Operational Planning has taken a liking to you this time. He’s giving you a chance to prove yourself on the battlefield. With a company of over 200 men, you can even command small-scale operations yourself.”

I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.

Taking a deep breath, I asked again.

“Are you sure it’s me?”
“It’s certain, so no need to ask twice. Are you that happy? Your disbelieving expression makes me feel even better. Hahaha! Go on and give it your all!”

I felt like vomiting, not celebrating.

Unable to respond to Ernst’s encouragement, Lucie chimed in.

“Congratulations. While Captain Daniel Steiner is active on the battlefield, I will handle the affairs at headquarters.”

Hearing this, Ernst tilted his head as if questioning her words.

“Hm? Of course, as his aide, you’ll be going too?”

Lucie, unusually flustered, hesitated.

Her pupils seemed to waver.

“…But Chief of Operational Planning? If I leave headquarters too, the staff room will be overwhelmed with work.”
“Then they’ll just have to work overtime. This is wartime, after all. Compared to the efforts you two will make on the front lines, our struggles are nothing.”

Lucie closed her mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Of course, neither Lucie nor the Allied Intelligence Agency had anticipated this situation.

But Lucie’s predicament was none of my concern at the moment.

‘Damn it…’

Things had taken an unexpected turn.

As I secretly sighed, I froze.

The sight of a woman walking towards the General Staff Headquarters seemed eerily familiar.

The light brown hair that gently swayed with each step, the dark brown eyes tinted with amber.

It was Prien, who would later be known as the Empire’s Saint.

‘Why is she here?’

At this time, shouldn’t she be attending officer training at the military academy?

Perplexed, I excused myself from Ernst and approached Prien.

“You there, cadet. Stop where you are.”

Hearing my words, Prien turned around, her face immediately brightening as she flashed a radiant smile.

“First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner! Oh, my apologies! You’re a Captain now!”

Her voice was high, as if greeting a welcome acquaintance.

Of course, I wasn’t particularly delighted, so I maintained my usual expressionless demeanor.

“I have no intention of exchanging pleasantries. Answer my question. Why is a cadet loitering around the General Staff Headquarters? Shouldn’t you be at the military academy?”
“Ah…! When the notice for support to the Northern Front came from the General Staff Headquarters, I personally wrote a letter to the personnel department. It seems they processed it as a special case after reading it.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“A letter?”
“Yes. After seeing the notice that you would be in command, Captain, I included details about having previously conducted an operation with you in my application letter.”
“And the personnel officer at the General Staff Headquarters included you in my company after reading that letter?”
“That’s right! It is an honor for my family to serve under Captain Daniel again!”

While the decision came from the General Staff Headquarters, making it difficult for me to object, I still felt uneasy.

To be able to smile so brightly despite the impending battlefield suggested one of two things.

Either she was brimming with loyalty to the Empire, or she was gripped by some form of madness.

And usually, loyalty and madness had more in common than differences.

“…Prien? I understand your intentions, but aren’t you too young to be supporting the Northern Front? As a cadet, no one will fault you for withdrawing. Choose carefully.”

I was essentially telling her to withdraw her support, but Prien shook her head and gently placed her hand over her chest.

“I have already decided. I intend to repay the debt I owe Captain Daniel for his kindness at the Military Police Corps’ detention center with my life. So I will not withdraw my support.”

…Debt? Kindness? All I did was exchange a few words with her.

“Therefore, I will accompany Captain Daniel. And in the not-too-distant future, you and I will witness it together. An ideal nation where all worries and concerns have vanished.”
“…An ideal nation?”
“Yes. One Empire, one Emperor, one race. A paradise on Earth established by the Lord, with all those lowly rats known as the Allied humans eliminated.”

Saying this, Prien smiled a benevolent smile.

It was such a warm smile, as if she had just undergone the process of sanctification, that I could be certain.

‘Is she insane?’

For reasons I didn’t understand, Prien had already surpassed mere loyalty and descended into madness.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, I gulped nervously in fear.

‘I should inform the Chief of Operational Planning. Ask him to remove Prien from my company’s roster.’

It was unlikely to work, but I had to try.

The clear-eyed lunatic before me was genuinely terrifying.