Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 2
I Don’t Want to Get Promoted, You Know

Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

Commander of the Magic Mobile Army’s Office.

Rustle—

Heinrich, seated at a luxurious mahogany desk, flips through the pages of a file.

The information written on the paper was none other than Daniel Steiner’s personal details.

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Name: Daniel Steiner

Place of Birth: Fianmari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire

Remarks: Confirmed to have been abandoned by his parents and raised in an orphanage. Later, his magical talent was recognized by a visiting conscription inspector, leading to his admission to the Imperial Magic Officer Academy, where he graduated at the top of his class.

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After reading through the remarks, Heinrich put his pipe in his mouth.

‘Graduated top of his class from the Magic Officer Academy…’

This wasn’t particularly surprising.

Only those with exceptional abilities could enter the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

However, the fact that he was an orphan gave Heinrich a different perspective.

‘He put forward an opinion based on intuition, even though he had no family to back him up.’

It wasn’t common, but occasionally, passionate young officers would pierce through the icy atmosphere of the conference room and express their opinions.

However, there was always a family name intertwined with the courage these young people displayed.

A belief that even if something went wrong due to their statements, their family wouldn’t abandon them always lurked beneath the surface.

‘But…’

Daniel Steiner. This newly commissioned officer from an orphanage had no family to support him.

If the army suffered due to his opinion, the consequences wouldn’t simply end with him taking off his uniform.

Even though Daniel must have known this, he pushed through with his opinion.

And that opinion, in the end, was valid and reasonable.

As a result of the large-scale reconnaissance order, they obtained information that the enemy was preparing an ambush near the hills.

‘Does he have an eye for the battlefield?’

Of course, it might be a leap. It could also be just a coincidence.

However, it was clear that thanks to Daniel, they were able to prevent casualties in advance.

In an era of intense competition where a small change could alter the course of the war, Daniel’s sharp insight was like rain in the desert.

From Heinrich’s perspective, it meant that Daniel was a talent he couldn’t help but reward.

Knock, knock—

The sound of knocking broke his train of thought.

Heinrich gathered the documents and placed them on the edge of his desk.

“Commander! I have come to carry out my duties with Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner!”

Heinrich, removing his pipe from his mouth, blew out smoke and said,

“Enter.”

The office door opened, and Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner entered with the captain, his adjutant.

Tall, with black hair and black eyes. He looked gaunt, but his spirit was alive.

Reaching the center of the office, the two saluted with a sharpness as if they had rehearsed it.

After Heinrich casually returned the salute, the captain stepped aside.

Daniel then changed to the at-ease position and waited for Heinrich to address him.

“Hmm.”

He was the very picture of a model soldier.

His posture was so upright that it was difficult to find any difference from the at-ease position illustrated in the textbook.

Feeling a certain fondness, Heinrich began to speak.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. You may have already heard from my adjutant, but thanks to you, the army was able to prevent casualties in advance. This is an undeniable contribution.”

Daniel remained motionless.

He was maintaining the attitude of an exemplary soldier who doesn’t speak before his superior asks a question.

Despite the potential excitement of achieving merit, he remained remarkably calm.

Of course, this was just Heinrich’s perception.

Daniel’s mind was currently in turmoil.

‘My nonsense was right? But why?’

Clenching his teeth in confusion, he listened as Heinrich continued.

“Merit deserves a reward. Therefore, I intend to put you up for promotion in the next quarter’s review. What do you think?”

Daniel’s shoulders flinched.

For Daniel, promotion meant getting closer to death.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel tried to come up with an excuse as calmly as possible.

“Sir. I am deeply moved by your gracious words. However, I do not wish to receive special treatment just because I have earned a single merit.”

“Hmm? Did you say just a single merit?”

“Yes. As an officer protecting the Holy Bavarian Empire, I believe I simply did what I had to do. Therefore, I ask you to reconsider putting my name on the promotion list.”

Heinrich blinked his eyes in a daze.

He had seen countless war maniacs thirsty for promotion, but this was the first time he had seen someone stubbornly refuse a promotion offered to them.

The captain, who was watching this scene from the side, was equally surprised.

‘What an extraordinary fellow.’

Chuckling, Heinrich put down his pipe.

“Lieutenant. I must say you seem to be mistaken, but your achievement is not ‘just a single merit.’ It is as if you saved the lives of at least hundreds of our countrymen. Therefore, I cannot grant your request.”

“Sir. I merely…”

“Enough. Are you unaware that rewards and punishments are one of the fundamental principles of the Imperial Army? If you continue to refuse, I will interpret it as a denial of the Empire’s principles.”

He was saying that he would promote me whether I liked it or not.

With the Commander, who holds the supreme command of the military, saying so, a mere Second Lieutenant couldn’t argue any further.

In the end, Daniel answered with a forced smile.

“…I am honored to accept this undeserved glory.”

Heinrich, who had been closely observing Daniel, nodded.

“Good. Then keep that in mind. You are dismissed.”

Upon hearing the dismissal, Daniel gave a sharp salute.

After Heinrich returned the salute, Daniel turned and left the office.

Footsteps faded away. Confirming that Daniel had left the office, Heinrich let out a low chuckle.

“He’s a rare young man in this day and age, isn’t he, Captain?”

The captain, who had been staring blankly at the office door where Daniel had exited, turned his head.

“Indeed, sir. Usually, people do whatever they can to improve their evaluation, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone trying to lower theirs.”

“He’s not just a soldier in name only. He has a genuine desire to protect the Empire and crush the Allied Nations. It seems like an extraordinary individual has joined the army.”

It was as if he was seeing his younger self.

With a satisfied smile, Heinrich added casually,

“The army needs such talent. Especially now, as the Allied forces are growing stronger.”

Picking up his pipe again, Heinrich chuckled with delight.

“I’m curious to see how far he can climb.”

***

“Don’t be ridiculous! Seriously!”

Returning to my private quarters, I shouted out of frustration.

It was because the situation was going from bad to worse.

“Early promotion, you say…”

This wasn’t simply a matter of adding one more diamond to my rank, going from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant.

Early promotion in the elite Imperial General Staff Headquarters meant being recognized as an elite among elites.

Even if my assignment changed later, the label of “an elite who received early promotion at the General Staff Headquarters” would inevitably follow me.

It was the highest honor and the most promising path a junior officer could achieve.

In other words, it meant I had taken one step closer to the core members of the Empire’s leadership.

In short, it coincided with the fact that the probability of my head being chopped off when the Empire’s defeat approached had increased.

Sitting on the bed, I ran a hand over my face and lifted my head.

In the full-length mirror before me, I saw a man with faint dark circles under his eyes.

I was sure I had shouted with joy when I confirmed that my first assignment was at the General Staff Headquarters, but after awakening the memories of my past life, this place was nothing short of hell.

After staring at my reflection in the mirror for a while, I sighed and got up.

Looking out the window, I saw high-ranking military officers arriving for work one by one.

Yes, come to think of it, this was a place where high-ranking officers were as common as pebbles on the road.

It was an ideal place to earn points for a comfortable military life, but conversely, it was also an ideal place to lose points.

‘Things have gotten a bit complicated, but… nothing will change.’

All I had to do was commit incompetent and shameless acts that would outweigh my merits.

Loosening the suffocating tie of my uniform, I exhaled slowly.

‘Sir, I appreciate your trust in me. However, I do not desire early promotion. At least not in this Empire.’

Therefore, to cancel the early promotion and hasten my dishonorable discharge, I needed to become a complete scoundrel.

Coincidentally, there was the perfect ingredient within the General Staff Headquarters for me to play the role of a scoundrel.

That ingredient was none other than Major Karl Heinrich, the Operations Planning Staff Officer I served under.

A man with a broken personality who started his day by tormenting me and ended it by belittling me.

Using my direct superior, Karl Heinrich, there was still a chance for a dishonorable discharge.

‘So just you wait and see, sir.’

No matter what, I will escape this Empire.

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