I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Upon hearing that the number of applicants exceeded two thousand, I was gripped by a sense of despair as I questioned the personnel officer about why my recruitment notice was considered well-written.

The officer, while smiling, kindly explained with an extended finger:

As the war with the Allied Nations dragged on, the children of those killed in battle had grown into adults, burning with a desire for revenge and enlisting en masse.
First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s acting Operational Planning officer recruitment notice stoked the flames of these vengeful soldiers who had lost their parents, naturally leading to an increase in applicants.
Moreover, the battlefield in question was the northern front, where the Imperial forces held the upper hand. It was likely that many soldiers sought to make their mark on this advantageous battlefield.
The phrasing that depicted the rear echelons as slackers likely provoked a sense of indignation among the soldiers. Some may have taken the notice’s wording seriously and volunteered out of a sense of honor.
Setting aside logical reasoning, First Lieutenant Daniel’s recruitment notice contained something that stirred the hearts of men.

After extending all five fingers, the personnel officer added that I seemed to have a talent for propaganda and advised that I should let him know if I ever wished to transfer to the Public Relations Division.

Responding with an awkward smile to his suggestion of a job transfer, I dismissed the officer and instructed the soldiers to sort through the application documents.

Since it was unrealistic to reject over two thousand applicants, my deployment to the northern front was all but certain.

In that case, the best course of action was to select the most sane and elite soldiers from the applicants to ensure safety.

Therefore, anyone with even minor criminal records would be excluded.
Those whose sole motivation was revenge would also be excluded.
Individuals with impure ideologies or apparent mental instability would be excluded.
Anyone who had disobeyed a superior’s orders even once during training would be excluded.
Those who failed to achieve a perfect score in marksmanship would be excluded.
Those without magical aptitude would be excluded.

After the initial screening of documents, the remaining number of applicants was 327.

From among them, I further scrutinized and selected the top performers with exemplary military records, ultimately settling on 20 individuals to form a platoon, to whom acceptance notices were sent.

Ten days after sending out the acceptance notices, I now stood before them.

“……”

As the platoon members I had chosen lined up in neat rows before the General Staff Headquarters’ main entrance fountain, their gazes exuded an overwhelming pressure.

Their eyes, in particular, were intimidating.
If I were to exaggerate, they seemed to possess the iron-willed spirit to unhesitatingly carry out a suicidal charge if ordered.

‘Even though I handpicked them… don’t they lack any semblance of humanity?’

Unknowingly, I had broken into a cold sweat.

Of course, not all the platoon members were behaving like dehumanized war machines.

Amidst the burly men was a single woman who blinked her clear eyes innocently.

‘Prien Remilliat.’

The same woman I had encountered in the detention center previously, the named NPC destined to become the Empire’s Holy Maiden.

Having apparently completed her training without issue, she now sported the rank insignia of a private.

Since her name was on the applicant list, I had selected her without much thought, but observing Prien’s bright, sparkling gaze among the fiery-eyed soldiers reminded me of the concept of a ‘holy fool.’

Did I make a mistake in selecting her? Regarding Prien with caution, I cleared my throat.

“Greetings, soldiers.”

Before departing, it was a commander’s duty to briefly explain the mission overview, which I intended to fulfill.

In the process, I hoped my platoon members would become afraid and desert.

“As stated in the recruitment notice, I am First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner of the Operational Planning division, your platoon commander. But let me reiterate, in case you missed it – I have no combat experience.”

Despite informing them of my incompetence, there was not a single stir.

Persevering, are they? Very well, I shall be more forceful.

“So I advise you not to expect a capable commander. All I desire is the demise of the Allied forces and the screams of the barbarians who make up their ranks.”

I was emphasizing my lack of tactical and strategic acumen.

Any sane soldier should feel fear at this point.

Yet for some reason, the platoon members’ faces bore vicious smiles.

After a brief silence observing them, I fired a warning:

“I have no need for cowards. So if you wish to flee from the bloodstained battlefield, now is your only chance to abandon this mission. Those who wish to withdraw, raise your hands.”

As expected, not a single hand went up.
These men were clearly not in their right minds.

Inwardly sighing, I spoke one last time.

“Very well, you fools seeking death! I shall personally assist you. Your sweat and blood will bring glory to the Empire!”

No sooner had I finished than the soldiers snapped to attention.

“Glory to the Empire!”

Their unified voices resounded, enveloping the General Staff Headquarters.

Witnessing this scene, I secretly heaved a sigh and closed my eyes.

‘I’m going insane…’

Truly, there was no shortage of warmongers.

Four days later.
307th Special Missions Unit Temporary Forward Base, Northern Front.

‘Today was supposed to be the arrival of the support troops from the headquarters direct command unit.’

Resting in the barracks, Captain Heinz Schmidt, the commanding officer of the 307th Special Missions Platoon, took out the recruitment notice he had seen earlier from his pocket.

[Northern Front Support Corps Recruitment Notice]

Hear me, honored ones!

A fierce battle to defend our homeland’s sacred soil is currently raging in the north!

Therefore, I seek those willing to sacrifice their lives for the Empire!

You there! Do not covet the Empire’s grain in life, but become the fertilizer that adorns its glory in death!

Join me in destroying, desecrating, and eliminating the enemy until our dying breath!

We shall desire nothing but the enemy’s demise!

‘…It seems like madness.’

Even for Heinz, who prided himself on witnessing all kinds of madness through his experiences in the Special Missions Unit, including assassinations, high-profile eliminations, and counter-terrorism operations, this recruitment notice was unfamiliar.

‘It’s as if this isn’t recruiting comrades-in-arms…’

But rather seeking disposable components for the Empire’s sake.

‘Daniel Steiner, was it? First Lieutenant.’

According to his aide, Daniel was a talent who had recently accumulated three major merits, earning an accelerated promotion to first lieutenant.

Yet, not content with that, he had volunteered for deployment to the northern front, which could only mean one thing.

‘A war-monger obsessed with promotion…’

First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner seemed to be the kind of existence who would ruthlessly exploit his own men for the sake of his advancement.

The mere thought made Heinz’s skin crawl, and he unknowingly clenched his fist before shaking his head.

‘I shouldn’t judge someone based solely on rumors.’

One couldn’t truly know a person’s true nature without experiencing it firsthand.

As he recomposed himself, a soldier entered the barracks entrance and saluted.

“Captain! The support troops sent from headquarters have arrived!”

Acknowledging the report with a nod, Heinz replied:

“Understood. Let’s go greet them.”

Pocketing the recruitment notice, Heinz stood up.

In the process, he glanced at a girl leisurely reading a book nearby, but seeing that she was engrossed in her reading, he didn’t disturb her.

After politely nodding in her direction, Heinz exited the barracks.

As his vision adjusted to the brightness, he spotted a single platoon trudging through the snow-covered grounds.

The twenty soldiers exuded an intense aura, emanating an overwhelming presence that made even the Special Missions Unit officers and soldiers falter and retreat.

Leading these war machine-like soldiers was none other than First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.

He flashed emotionless, haggard eyes as he gazed straight ahead.

“……”
“……”

As their eyes met, Heinz felt an inexplicable stiffness overcome his body.

Furrowing his brow, Daniel seemed to recognize Heinz as the commanding officer of this unit and promptly saluted.

Returning the salute with tension, Heinz watched as Daniel approached with a thin smile.

“It is an honor to meet you, Captain Heinz Schmidt.”
“…So you know my name?”
“Yes. I conducted a rough investigation into the unit I would be joining. It seems you’ve accomplished numerous remarkable missions. I believe I understand why I was sent here.”
“I appreciate you saying so. It must have been a difficult journey here. Are you not fatigued? Your soldiers must also be weary from the travel.”

Letting out a low chuckle, Daniel shook his head.

“Those would-be suicides? I’ve observed them for the past few days, and they seem incapable of exhaustion, so don’t worry.”

The phrase ‘would-be suicides’ made Heinz break into a cold sweat.

‘As expected… he treats his own soldiers as mere human resources.’

While Daniel had simply intended to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke, Heinz had already formed a preconception, causing Daniel to appear like some sort of demon.

“…Captain Heinz?”

Unaware of this, Daniel tilted his head at Heinz’s stiff expression.

“What’s all the commotion?”

The entrance of the barracks behind Heinz opened, revealing a golden-haired girl.

Dressed in a pristine blouse with a red brooch around her neck, she exuded the elegance of nobility.

Naturally shifting his gaze, Daniel froze momentarily upon making eye contact with the girl.

Noticing this, Heinz spoke to introduce her.

“Ah, this young lady volunteered as a war correspondent with our unit. She arrived a few days ago, saying she wished to capture the Imperial forces’ exploits on camera.”

Despite Heinz’s explanation, Daniel couldn’t tear his eyes away from the girl.

Sensing his gaze, the girl flashed a faint smile towards Daniel.

Simultaneously, Daniel felt as though every cell in his body had frozen.

‘She’s a war correspondent?’

No. Absolutely not.
As far as Daniel knew, the true identity of this woman was royalty.

‘Why are you here?’

The heir apparent, destined to ascend to the Imperial throne.

Celvia von Amberg.

That was the girl’s true identity.