I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Knock knock—

Cedric, who had been working while eating a sandwich in his office, looked up.

Seeing the wall clock, he noticed the hour hand was already at 5 PM.

“…Then the one knocking now must be Captain Daniel Steiner.”

Earlier around lunch, Daniel requested a meeting to discuss operations support in the north.

Since Cedric had wanted to see his face, he asked Daniel to come by at 5 PM, and he arrived exactly on time.

“Come in.”

As Cedric granted permission, Daniel opened the office door.

Stepping inside for the first time, Daniel was enveloped by a strange sense of intimidation.

This intimidation was due to the unusually sparse items in the office.

No matter how much he looked around, there were only a coat stand, bookshelf, fountain pen, telephone, desk, and various papers.

Normally, one would expect at least one personal item like a golf ball or a stamp, but no such traces were found here.

Only an endless array of classified documents stuffed into folders on the bookshelves lining both walls.

“You’re here.”

The voice was subtle but sharp.

Cedric, sitting in front of an elegant mahogany desk, cast a glance at Daniel before finishing his sandwich.

Seeing this, Daniel felt nervous and walked to the center of the office to salute.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal. However, there’s something urgent I must discuss, and I’ve braved the rudeness to come to you.”

Cedric wiped his hands with a napkin after finishing the last bite of his sandwich and looked at Daniel.

His four-eyed gaze asked for the matter.

“…I do not wish to take up your valuable time, so I’ll be direct. I would like you to withdraw my aide, Lieutenant Lucy, and Cadet Prien from the northern support.”

Since both of them were uncomfortable presences for Daniel, he wanted to keep them as distant as possible.

However, Cedric, unable to fathom Daniel’s true intentions, could only feel puzzled.

Swallowing the remnants of his sandwich, Cedric asked,

“Why?”

If only he could say, ‘Lucy is a spy and Prien isn’t of sound mind,’ how wonderful it would be.

With a quiet sigh, Daniel concocted a plausible excuse.

“My aide and Cadet Prien have just reached adulthood. I cannot take girls who barely shed their youth into a dangerous battlefield.”

“While it may be true regarding Lieutenant Lucy, didn’t Cadet Prien accompany you during her soldier days?”

“That was under the mission of supporting the territorial defense of her home country. Compared to the current operations support deep in enemy territory, that mission had a relatively lower risk.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Cedric blinked.

‘How surprising.’

He had thought Daniel was the kind of cold-blooded individual who wouldn’t care about trivial matters if promoted.

But seeing him step up to protect his subordinates showed a surprisingly human side.

‘Even a hedgehog will protect its young.’

Caring for one’s subordinates is an important trait for a commander.

Cedric liked Daniel even more but could not comply with that request.

“I refuse. The Empire’s ideology focuses on merit and punishment. This is centered on equal opportunity. Therefore, not sending a young girl to the battlefield goes against the Empire’s ideals.”

Daniel expected this response.

“In that case, please exclude Cadet Prien from my unit’s composition. She is still undergoing the military academy’s training program. I see no reason to take a mere cadet into the field.”

There was no need to deploy an untrained cadet to the unit. That was the general agreement.

However, Cedric saw infinite potential in Prien’s ‘uniqueness.’

“Captain Daniel, she is not just a cadet. You should know from your combat experience that Prien’s magic possesses a ‘color’ unlike that of typical soldiers.”

Daniel could not deny this. When Prien had killed Colonel Jeremy, she had infused her magic into the bullet right next to Daniel.

“Prien’s magic is black, which doesn’t let light pass through. It’s quite different from the usual transparent or light blue-tinged magic, presenting a bizarre phenomenon. It can be seen as a sort of mutation.”

Cedric removed the monocle he was wearing and placed it on the desk.

“Let’s talk about something a bit different. Since ancient times, black has been a sign of misfortune and a symbol of the devil. The superstition that black cats or ravens bring bad luck stems from this.”

Cedric placed both hands on the desk and intertwined his fingers.

“Of course, that’s just a superstition. In today’s age, if someone like you is called out for having black hair or eyes, they’d certainly be thought of as crazy. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Indeed.”

“But magic is different. Especially if a child born into a priestly family displayed black magic? They would inevitably face religious condemnation.”

Daniel had a rough understanding of what Cedric was saying.

“Cadet Prien did not enlist voluntarily. There must have been external pressure.”

“Glad you grasp it quickly. Yes. Cadet Prien was abandoned by her family. They sent her to the military as a means to prove she is not the child of Satan by displaying a patriotic spirit. In essence, it’s almost like sending her to fight and die against the enemy.”

“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden…?”

Cedric opened a drawer and pulled out a letter.

It was the support documentation for Prien’s northern operations.

“Cadet Prien, who had desperately denied the fact she was abandoned by her family and clan, has now found someone new to rely on. And that person appears to be you.”

“Sir? I am certainly not someone Prien can rely on.”

“Is that so? According to the letter, you provided Cadet Prien considerable comfort while in the jail and did not discriminate against her for using black magic during the operations in the north?”

Daniel felt slightly bewildered.

In jail, they merely shared some idle chatter, and he hadn’t been surprised by her black magic since he had prior knowledge from games.

However, from Cedric’s perspective, Daniel’s feelings weren’t particularly important.

“Captain Daniel Steiner. Let’s simplify this. While black magic may be condemned religiously, it is praised in the military. It holds strategic value in itself. Do you understand?”

The black magic that doesn’t let light through can easily create camouflage when spread around.

Thus, Cedric was suggesting to utilize Cadet Prien as a suitable asset for the battlefield due to this strategic value.

‘Why should I be the one to do that?’

Daniel wanted to refuse, saying this should be a job for another capable individual, but Cedric’s gaze was resolute.

He realized that if he got caught up in wordplay here, he might invoke Cedric’s wrath.

Ultimately, Daniel, swallowing his pride, saluted.

“I will comply with your words, sir.”

Satisfied, Cedric accepted the salute.

“Good. If that’s settled, you may go.”

Lowering his hand, Daniel turned around, opened the office door, and left.

Watching him, Cedric leaned back in his chair and chuckled softly.

‘Feels like I’m seeing the old chief of staff. He’s nervous in front of his superior but still manages to say everything he needs to.’

Cedric knew such people would never be swayed by power.

It had been a long time since such a promising talent had appeared.

*

At the same time, Prien and Lucy were gathered in Daniel’s personal office.

Since it was close to quitting time, Lucy had come to organize documents.

And what about Prien? Daniel had told her to wait in his office while he met with the deputy, so she was passing the time there.

Rustle—

Leaning against the wall, Prien took a quick glance.

She felt a bit envious of Lucy, who was efficiently organizing the documents while seated.

‘Lieutenant Daniels should have been my position…’

Somehow, she felt a bit sour about being displaced.

Maybe feeling that gaze, Lucy stopped her work and looked up.

Their eyes met.

“……”

“……”

Amidst the strange silence, it was Lucy who broke the ice first.

“What are you thinking so intently about?”

With a businesslike tone, Prien responded curtly.

“I’m just curious why you, Lieutenant, applied for Captain Daniel’s aide position.”

“There’s no particular reason. If I must find one, it’s for the glory of the Empire.”

A straightforward answer.

In truth, she had applied for the position as the optimal cover for her role as a spy, but she couldn’t just come out and say that.

Having successfully concealed her true intentions, Lucy could not help but feel Prien’s skeptical gaze.

She felt instinctually that Lucy was lying.

This was a discernment unique to Prien, often accurate even if not exact.

“Lieutenant Lucy? I grew up under my father, a priest. So, I would attend worship services daily. After the service, usually, those who want to confess their faults stay behind. They follow my father into confession.”

Lucy, taken aback by this sudden remark, ceased her sorting of documents.

“So, as a child, I played a game guessing who among the many people at the service would go in for confession. I was quite accurate, you know. No matter how pious and virtuous they seemed in prayer, the faces of those hiding sin were always shadowed.”

Plop. Lucy closed the documents and gazed quietly at Prien.

Prien held her ground, not avoiding Lucy’s gaze.

Tick-tock—

Amidst the silence, the ticking of the wall clock grew pronounced as Prien walked over to where Lucy sat and placed her hand on the desk.

“Strangely enough, it appears.”

Slowly lowering her head, Prien intensely focused on Lucy’s face.

Their indifferent eyes locked, freezing the space around them.

In that icy atmosphere, Prien quietly parted her lips.

“The shadow cast on your face, Lieutenant.”