I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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I clenched my teeth and pressed the acceleration pedal to the floor.

If I stopped, I would die. That thought filled my mind.

I struggled to calm my heavy breathing and grabbed the radio as I drove.

“This is Water Gun Bird! Enemy ambush reported! I say again! This is Water Gun Bird! Enemy ambush reported! Approximately 42 kilometers from Mabratchika Town! Immediate support requested!”

After finishing my message, I quickly switched frequencies and spoke to my squad members.

“This is the squad leader! Respond! Damn it, say anything!”

As soon as I released the transmit button, a trembling voice came through.

— Lieutenant? I don’t know what’s happening. We’ve taken a detour, but we had to go down a different path to avoid the gunfire!

By the sound of the voice, it was Freyen.

I wished a calmer member had been the one on the radio, but this wasn’t the time to be picky.

“Alright. Keep driving as far as you can, and when you think we’re far enough from the enemy, disembark and scatter! I want you to assess the enemy’s numbers while waiting for reinforcements from the forward operating base. If you determine it’s possible to engage…”

Boom─!

The shock caused the vehicle to sway violently, and I dropped the radio I was holding.

Amidst Selvia’s moaning, my vision blurred.

In a situation that felt like it could drive me insane, I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

‘A tire’s gone. Whether it was targeted or just a stray bullet…’

The important thing was that I could hear gunfire from a decent distance now.

I had created a significant gap; it seemed I’d bought us some time.

But it was still too early to breathe easy. I needed to escape their line of sight.

Just then, a curve appeared ahead.

To shake off the pursuers as much as possible, I lifted my foot off the acceleration pedal and hit the brake.

Screech─!

With the tires screaming against the asphalt, I turned the steering wheel sharply.

The jeep spun halfway and started to tip over.

Just before it was about to fall, I slammed the gas pedal down hard.
The tires spun furiously, pushing us forward.

Suddenly, the jeep regained its balance, and all four wheels returned to the ground.

With a loud thud, Selvia’s high-pitched scream echoed through the air.

It was a pitiable cry that made me want to apologize, but now was not the time for such things.

I shifted gears and pressed the gas pedal again.

How was this jeep able to move so fast? Just as that thought flickered in my mind, my vision swam.

‘Damn…!’

The bullet had hit a tire, causing it to deflate and lose its effectiveness.

In my panic, I hastily hit the brakes, but the situation only worsened.

The sound of the tire scraping against the ground echoed loudly as the vehicle spun out of control.

Then, with a bang! a massive impact struck the body of the vehicle.

“Ugh!”

As I steadied my body from the shock and slowly lifted my head, I saw the hood wedged into a tree trunk.

Smoke was seeping out, indicating it was a direct hit.

“Ugh, ugh…”

A faint groan was heard near my thigh.

Only then did I look down at Selvia and speak with concern.

“Are you okay?”

Of course, she couldn’t be okay, but I asked out of courtesy.

Selvia seemed to understand and shot me a glare before sitting up.

“I’m not fine, but… I can still move. But how did they know our route?”

I was surprised. I expected her to cry out in fear or panic.

After all, she was a woman destined to ascend to the throne and lead the strongest army in the world.

If she panicked in this situation, she wouldn’t have earned that title of Iron-Blooded.

“Looks like there was a spy in the forward operating base feeding information to the enemy. It’s a common occurrence during wartime.”

As I spoke, I yanked on the door handle on the driver’s side. It wouldn’t open, likely twisted from the impact.

After several attempts, I turned my body and kicked it with my foot.

When I stomped down a few times, the door finally fell off.

I was the first to jump out through the open door and reached out for Selvia.

“Get out for now. We need to put some distance between us and the pursuing forces.”

“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”

Selvia, who answered promptly, took my hand and got out of the jeep.

Taking a deep breath after exiting the vehicle, I noticed Selvia’s shoulders trembling lightly.

Though she tried to act composed, she was still just a girl.

I let out a low chuckle and led Selvia into the woods.

As I walked, I noticed Selvia blush faintly, possibly noticing my smile.

“You drive like a madman, Lieutenant Daniel.”

Oh, look at her trying to change the subject out of embarrassment. At this point, she was just a typical teenage girl.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Do you hear my words as compliments?”

“If you hadn’t driven like a madman, neither I nor the reporter would’ve just been a target practice for the enemy by now. So what else could it be if not a compliment?”

“You wouldn’t have been a target practice. Not for me…”

Selvia stammered before falling silent.

Good. How dare she try to outsmart someone who has been through life and death scenarios? She’s still ten years too young for that.

“Lieutenant Daniel. From now on, we…”

I raised my hand to silence Selvia.

I heard the enemy’s voices not too far away.

“Ugh?!”

As Selvia started to panic, I placed a finger over my lips to gesture for her to be quiet.

Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Selvia nodded.

I took her to hide behind some nearby bushes and listened in on the voices.

“…They should be nearby. The vehicle’s wrecked, so they probably didn’t get far.”

“Ugh, dammit! I told you to hide the spike strips properly!”

“Shut up, Veldom! Complaining won’t fix anything!”

Leaning out slightly to check their numbers, I counted six.

They seemed to be operating as a squad. For now, I didn’t see any other members.

The issue was that they were getting closer.

At this rate, we’d definitely be discovered… Wait a minute.

‘Aren’t they the Allied Forces?’

If so, there was a chance they would accept a defection request if I surrendered.

I was an officer from the Empire who had worked at General Staff Headquarters. If I wasn’t a lowly idiot blinded by revenge, they’d see my strategic value.

‘If they could communicate with spies, they probably already had a way to escape to the Allied nations.’

I hadn’t expected to get a chance at defection like this. Still, it felt like a stroke of luck.

“… Reporter.”

Of course, I couldn’t request defection in front of the princess.

If I did, my life would be in danger before I even joined the Allied Nations.

“We’ll get discovered soon. So one of us has to be a decoy. One person needs to draw their attention so that the other can escape. I will be the bait and lure them away.”

Selvia’s eyes widened in shock, her face clearly expressing disbelief.

“Stop that right now! You’ll die!”

“If my death can save you, then that’s enough. A soldier exists to protect the citizens of their own nation.”

“Lieutenant Daniel…!”

I gently grasped Selvia’s shoulders and spoke as wistfully as I could.

“Please survive, Reporter. If a time comes when the Empire sees peace, remember that I once existed.”

Selvia’s expression flushed, and she seemed a bit touched.

Having practiced my farewell act, I released her shoulders and stood up.

“Wait, there’s no need to run away…!”

Selvia tried to stop me until the very end, but the die had already been cast.

I bolted toward the opposite direction from where Selvia was hiding.

“Hey, hey!?”

“Get that bastard!”

I could hear the Allied soldiers chasing after me behind.

Perfect. Everything was going according to my plan.

At this rate, escaping the Empire was only a matter of time!

*

Left alone, Selvia stared blankly at the place Daniel had run off to.

As she did, she replayed Daniel’s words in her mind.

— If my death can save you, then that’s enough. A soldier exists to protect the citizens of their own nation.

With tear-filled eyes, the image of Daniel willingly facing death stood out clearly.

To Selvia, it felt like an utterly surreal sight.

Which officer would sacrifice their life for a mere war correspondent?

‘…Captain Heinz was wrong.’

Daniel had no regard for others? Nonsense.

Daniel was someone who would be willing to give his life for the citizens of the Empire!

He was leagues apart from the bureaucrats of the royal family who only spoke of sacrifice for the nation and its people.

He had shown his spirit of sacrifice through action instead of words.

Thus, she had to save him. She had to ensure he lived. She could not let such a treasure of the Empire be lost to some trivial place.

“Imperial Guard.”

As Selvia murmured softly, soldiers wearing gas masks began to appear one by one as the space around her distorted.

They had been hiding around Selvia but activated their cloaking devices upon hearing the words “Imperial Guard.”

Without even glancing at them, Selvia opened her mouth.

“Rescue Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. If he suffers even the slightest injury…”

Selvia rolled her eyes slowly, narrowing them sharply.

“I will not forgive you.”

The Imperial Guard members bowed their heads in acknowledgment and vanished into the ground.

Watching the swiftly moving guards, Selvia slowly rose from her position.

She placed her hand over her heart and exhaled deeply.

Was it from the residual effects of the reckless driving, or was her heartbeat still racing more than usual?