I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Upon hearing the news that there were over two thousand applicants, I was engulfed in despair and questioned the personnel officer.

“Why is the advertisement I wrote considered well-written?”

The personnel officer explained with a smile, even extending his fingers to count.

“1. As the war with the United Coalition drags on, the children of parents who died on the battlefield have grown up fueled by a desire for revenge and joined in droves.

2. The announcement written by Operations Officer Lieutenant Daniel Steiner fanned the flames of vengeance in soldiers who lost their parents, so it would be no surprise that the number of applicants increased.

3. Additionally, the battlefront is the northern front where the Imperial Army has the upper hand. It’s reasonable to assume many soldiers wanted to make a name for themselves in favorable conditions.

4. The phrase describing the rear as a ‘leech’ might have provoked soldiers’ resistance. It’s likely that some of them took the announcement seriously and joined for honor.

5. Even putting aside the logical deductions mentioned earlier, Lieutenant Steiner’s announcement had something that moved the hearts of men.”

With all fingers extended on one hand, the personnel officer added a compliment, suggesting I had a talent for propaganda and that I could request a transfer to the personnel department anytime.

I awkwardly smiled at the job offer, sent the personnel officer away, and ordered the soldiers to sort the documents.

Logically, I couldn’t possibly reject all two thousand applicants, so my deployment to the northern front was practically assured.

In that case, it would be best to select the most normal yet elite soldiers among the applicants to ensure safety.

This meant excluding anyone with even a minor criminal record.

Those whose motivation was simply revenge were also to be excluded.

Those with subversive thoughts or who appeared mentally unstable were off the list too.

Anyone who disobeyed orders during training, even once, was out.

Anyone who failed to hit a target in the shooting test was excluded.

And those lacking magical aptitudes were out as well.

After this initial filtering, the remaining number of applicants was 327.

From those, I painstakingly chose the most outstanding and exemplary soldiers, selecting 20 squad members to send acceptance notices.

Ten days after sending out the acceptance notices, I found myself standing before them.

“……”

At the fountain in front of the General Staff Headquarters, the squad members I selected were lined up in a perfect formation, inadvertently instilling a sense of intimidation.

Especially their gazes were frightening.

To exaggerate a bit, if I commanded a suicidal charge, they looked like they would follow without a word, reflecting the spirit of iron.

‘Even though these are the ones I picked… Are they devoid of humanity?’

I felt a cold sweat trickle down without even realizing it.

Of course, not all of the squad members were behaving like war machines devoid of humanity.

Amidst the robust men, there was one girl blinking her clear eyes.

‘Frien Remiliat.’

She was the girl I had met in the detention center and a named NPC who would someday become a saint of the Empire.

It seemed she had completed her training without incident and now bore the insignia of a private.

She happened to be on the list of applicants, so I had picked her without thinking, but watching her send sparkling glances amidst the revenge-fueled soldiers reminded me of a beautiful madwoman.

Maybe I shouldn’t have picked her. I coughed lightly while eyeing Frien with suspicion.

“Nice to meet you, soldiers.”

Before we set off, it was the commander’s duty to explain the mission overview.

I intended to fulfill that obligation now.

In the process, I secretly hoped my squad members would get frightened and run away.

“As you’ve read in the announcement, I am Operations Officer Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, your squad leader. In case you missed it in the announcement, I have no combat experience.”

I stated that I could be incompetent, but there was no stir at all.

Good. So you’re holding firm? Fine, I’ll go even harder.

“So I ask that you do not expect a capable commander. All I desire is the destruction of the allied forces and the screams of the barbarians that belong to them.”

I was conveying that I had no insights into tactics and strategy.

For a normal soldier, it would be natural to feel fear at this point.

But inexplicably, smiles were forming on the faces of my squad members.

After a brief silence, I shot back at them as a warning.

“I don’t need cowards. Therefore, the only chance you get to flee this bloody battlefield is now. Anyone who wishes to abandon the mission, raise your hand.”

As expected, not a single hand went up.

These guys are truly out of their minds.

With a sigh in my heart, I finally spoke.

“Alright! You fools who wish to challenge death! I shall personally assist you. Your sweat and blood will bring glory to the Empire!”

The moment my words ended, the soldiers saluted.

“Glory to the Empire!”

The combined voices echoed strongly enough to cover the General Staff Headquarters.

Watching that sight, I secretly breathed a quiet sigh and closed my eyes.

‘This is insane…’

They were truly a bunch of war maniacs.

*

Four days later.

Northern Front, 307 Special Mission Unit’s temporary forward operating base.

‘Was today the day reinforcements from the direct unit of the General Staff Headquarters were supposed to arrive?’

Captain Heinz Schmidt, the commander of the 307 Special Mission Unit, pulled out the announcement he had seen previously from his pocket while resting in the barracks.

“Recruitment Announcement for Northern Front Reinforcements”

Listen up!

A fierce battle to protect our noble homeland is currently underway in the north!

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

You! Do not desire the Empire’s grain while alive, but become the fertilizer for the glory of the Empire upon your death!

Join me in destroying, violating, and eliminating enemies until death!

We shall only desire the death of the enemies!

‘……This feels like madness.’

Even Heinz, who prided himself on witnessing all sorts of madness through assassination, high-ranking personnel eliminations, and anti-terror operations since joining the Special Ops Unit, found this announcement strange.

‘It seems like they want disposable parts for the Empire rather than comrades to fight alongside.’

‘Was it Lieutenant Daniel Steiner who wrote this?’

I had heard from my aide that he was a talented individual who had recently been promoted to lieutenant due to his notable achievements.

Even so, the fact that he felt unsatisfied and volunteered for the northern front meant one thing.

‘A war maniac obsessed with promotion…!’

He seemed to be the type who would use his allies ruthlessly, without blood or tears, for his own advancement.

This unsettling truth made Heinz unknowingly clench his fists, then shake his head.

‘One shouldn’t judge a person based on rumors.’

You can’t know someone’s true nature without experiencing it firsthand.

As he steadied his mind, a soldier entered the barracks and saluted.

“Commander! The reinforcements sent by the General Staff Headquarters have arrived!”

Nodding at the report, Heinz stood up.

“Understood. I’ll go take a look.”

Heinz tucked the announcement into his pocket and made his way out.

He glanced back at a girl leisurely reading a book nearby, but since she seemed engrossed in her reading, he didn’t engage her.

With a slight bow to show his respect, Heinz opened the barracks door and stepped outside.

His vision brightened, and he saw a single squad making their way across the snowy ground.

The twenty soldiers in the squad exuded an intensity that created an unintended sense of intimidation.

Even nearby officers and soldiers from the Special Ops Unit hesitated and stepped back.

Leading these war machines was none other than Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.

His hollow eyes, devoid of emotion, were fixed straight ahead.

“……”

“……”

When their eyes met, Heinz felt an inexplicable stiffness in his body.

Furrowing his brows, Daniel realized the other was the commander of this unit and promptly saluted.

When Heinz, feeling nervous, returned the salute, Daniel approached with a thin smile.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Heinz Schmidt.”

“…You know my name?”

“Yes. I did some research on the unit I’ll be joining. It seems you’ve accomplished quite a number of significant missions. I think I understand why I’m here.”

“Thank you for saying that. It must have been difficult to come here; are you not tired? Your soldiers must also be feeling the fatigue of the journey.”

Daniel chuckled softly and shook his head.

“You mean those suicidal hopefuls? I’ve been watching them for days, and they show no signs of tiring, so don’t worry.”

Hearing the term ‘suicidal hopefuls,’ Heinz felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.

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

In truth, Daniel had merely been trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke, but Heinz, already gripped by prejudice, began to perceive him as some kind of devil.

“…Captain Heinz?”

Before Daniel could know this, he cocked his head, noticing Heinz’s stiff expression.

“What’s all the commotion?”

The entrance to the barracks opened, and a blonde girl emerged.

Dressed in a pure white blouse with a red brooch around her neck, she was unmistakably the daughter of a noble family.

As Daniel instinctively turned his gaze, he stopped in his tracks and fell silent when he met the girl’s eyes.

Seeing this, Heinz opened his mouth to introduce her.

“Oh, this is her. She’s a war correspondent who has joined our unit. She arrived a few days ago, wanting to capture the exploits of the Imperial Army with her camera.”

Despite Heinz’s explanation, Daniel could not take his eyes off the girl.

The girl, aware of the gaze, smiled brightly at Daniel.

In that instant, Daniel felt all of his cells freeze.

‘This girl is the war correspondent?’

No, that cannot be true.

Daniel knew this girl’s true identity: she was royalty.

‘What are you doing here?’

The heir to the throne, destined to become the Emperor of the Empire.

Selvia von Amberg.

That was the identity of the girl before him.