Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 3
This Time I’m Really Getting Discharged, Right?

After adjusting my uniform and finishing breakfast at the officers’ mess hall, I headed towards the Operations Staff Officer’s private office.

It was the same routine as usual.

One difference, however, was that some of the high-ranking officers I encountered in the hallway started to recognize me.

“Are you that famous Second Lieutenant? The one who supposedly outsmarted the staff at the operation command? Ah, don’t get me wrong. I mean it as a compliment.”

“Lieutenant. I understand you’re confident in your abilities, but don’t show off too much in front of your superiors. If you want a long military career, that is. This is advice from my experience.”

“Wow! I thought the General Staff Headquarters was full of stuffy guys, but I didn’t know there was a talent like you. I’ll be rooting for you, so keep up the good work!”

…It was dizzying, being stopped and subjected to long speeches every time I encountered someone.

I couldn’t just ignore them, so I managed to escape by repeatedly using the three magical words: “Yes, sir!”, “Is that so?”, and “Thank you!”.

The problem was that I missed my arrival time because I wasted time being held up by the officers.

Work starts at 8:30, and it was already 8:28.

The staff offices were all on the 5th floor, so even if I walked as fast as I could, it would take 4 minutes.

As an officer in the Empire, I had to uphold the damn duty of maintaining decorum, so I couldn’t run unless I was in the field. Being late was a certainty.

‘That bastard Karl is going to give me hell again.’

Let me reiterate, my direct superior, Karl Heinrich, was a man with a broken personality, always irritable and overreacting to every little mistake.

If he had at least been competent, I might have felt some respect for him, but this man’s only achievement was trembling in fear while hiding in the rear during the defensive battle against the Allied Nations seven years ago.

How could such a person exist in the Imperial General Staff Headquarters, which supposedly valued meritocracy?

There’s a saying that if you question a superior’s rank and title, look at their background.

Indeed, Karl Heinrich came from a prestigious noble family, and his father was an active diplomat.

It’s the same everywhere, but even the Empire, which advocated for meritocracy, was intertwined with complex networks of blood ties, regional connections, and school affiliations when you looked closer.

And the one who fully enjoyed those privileges was my superior, Karl Heinrich.

In my assessment, he was the epitome of incompetence and personality disorder, a living piece of human garbage.

I had proof too. If I were to assign shares to the dark circles under my eyes, Karl Heinrich would undoubtedly be the majority shareholder.

Thanks to him, I wondered what kind of hell he would put me through today, but my mind was at peace.

‘I’m leaving the military anyway.’

With a dishonorable discharge as my goal, there was no need to cater to Karl’s whims anymore.

Perhaps this was how office workers felt when they went to work with a resignation letter in their pocket. I even had a smile on my face.

With such light steps, I headed to the Operations Staff Office on the 5th floor and knocked on the door.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, Deputy Operations Staff Officer. Reporting for duty.”

After announcing my rank and name, I opened the door, and the interior of the office came into view.

The first thing I saw was Karl, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, bathed in sunlight. He was sweating profusely as if he had made some critical mistake, which was an odd sight.

He didn’t seem to notice my entrance, so I approached him and spoke.

“Major Karl Heinrich? You need to be at the Operations Staff Office by 9:00. You should start getting ready…”

I stopped mid-sentence.

Karl, who had lifted his head in response to my voice, had eyes blazing with fury.

Was he really like this because I was 2 minutes late? While I was bewildered, Karl abruptly stood up from his seat.

“You! Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

What did I do? Being 2 minutes late? As I blinked in confusion, Karl strode towards me.

“Who said you could share your opinion with the Commander? How dare a mere Second Lieutenant, an orphan no less, interfere in the meeting…!?”

Reaching close, Karl grabbed me by the collar and shoved me roughly.

I almost stumbled, but I managed to maintain my balance by stepping back.

“Because of you, my plan has been completely ruined! Damn it! Not only is it ruined, but my life is in danger, you son of a bitch!”

What was he talking about? He was always a jerk, but today he was especially strange—

Thud!

I groaned softly as my head hit the wall.

“If something happens to me, I won’t let you get away with it. I’ll drag you to hell with me, no matter what it takes! Do you understand, you bastard!?”

…Was he really crazy?

Normally, I would have suppressed my anger and let it go, but not today.

“You started it first, Karl.”

“What? You’re speaking informally to your superior…?”

Slap!

I swatted Karl’s hand away and immediately threw a punch at his face.

Startled, Karl tried to dodge by turning his head, but it was too late.

My fist landed squarely on his cheekbone.

“Agh!”

Chasing after Karl, who was stumbling back with a cry, I grabbed him by the neck and tripped him.

Thud!

Karl crashed to the floor, his face contorted in pain as he spat curses.

Straddling him, I pulled my fist back.

Giving him a brief moment of respite before striking, Karl, though trembling, spoke.

“…Y-you, this is assaulting a superior officer. There will be a court-martial. That means your military career is over. D-do you even know that?”

Would I do this if I didn’t know? I shrugged.

“There’s no need to worry about me. I’m doing this to end my military career.”

“What? What do you-”

With a thud, Karl’s words were cut short.

I looked down at Karl, who had fainted with his jaw askew, then got up from the floor.

As I dusted off my hands, footsteps rapidly approached from outside the door.

They must have heard Karl’s scream.

After a brief wait, the door burst open, and two soldiers entered.

“What’s all this commotion!?”

The soldier who had shouted with such vigor froze upon seeing the scene before him.

I understood. The Operations Staff Officer lying unconscious on the floor, and his deputy standing over him? It must have been difficult to grasp the situation.

So, I decided to help them out.

“It’s assault on a superior officer. I’m the perpetrator, so arrest me.”

Even after kindly explaining the situation, the soldiers only hesitated.

Feeling a bit exasperated, I sighed.

“Why are you just standing there dumbfounded? Do I need to compare my fist to Major Karl’s bruises before you arrest me?”

“N-no, sir!”

Finally taking action, the soldiers pulled out the ropes from their waistbands and approached me, proceeding to tie my wrists.

I was expressionless as they bound me, but inwardly, I smiled with relief.

‘It was an impulsive assault on a superior, so the punishment won’t be too severe. Considering my previous merits, they’ll probably just discharge me.’

It was practically a discharge without any penalties!

Cheering inwardly, I turned my head and looked out the window.

The vibrancy of spring unfolded before me. It was the perfect season to leave the military.

***

That evening.

Major Karl Heinrich’s residence.

“Search every nook and cranny.”

“Yes, Captain!”

At Captain Philip Bender’s command, who was Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt’s adjutant, the soldiers scattered in all directions.

Philip strolled through the living room with leisurely steps, lost in thought for a moment.

‘Today, Second Lieutenant Daniel assaulted his superior officer.’

When he first heard the news, he thought he had misheard.

Someone who had just made a significant contribution causing trouble?

Moreover, in Philip’s eyes, Daniel was the epitome of a model soldier.

It was hard to believe that Daniel, of all people, would resort to violence. There had to be a reason.

Heinrich, sharing Philip’s sentiment, requested a detailed statement investigation from the military police who arrived late at the scene.

During the process, Karl exhibited signs of anxiety and spouted nonsense about “the Allied Nations might kill him.”

Sensing something amiss, Heinrich ordered Philip to search Karl’s residence, which was why Philip was currently raiding Karl’s house with his soldiers.

“Captain! Could you come over here!”

Snapping out of his thoughts at the soldier’s call, Philip nodded.

“I’ll be right there.”

Walking over, he saw the soldier lightly tapping the floorboard.

Thump, thump—

The sound was unusually light for a floorboard. As if it were hollow inside.

“This spot sounds different.”

“A classic trick. Tear it open.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The soldier used a crowbar to pry open the floorboard, revealing a small box inside.

Kneeling down, Philip lifted the box and opened it.

Inside, documents and a few letters were revealed.

“This is…”

They were classified Imperial military documents that shouldn’t fall into enemy hands.

The letters contained promises of large sums of money in exchange for selling information to the Allied Nations… There was even a recent order to lure the Empire’s reinforcements into advancing through the hills.

“This despicable scoundrel…”

Major Karl was a traitor to his nation. A snake who, blinded by money, sold secrets and disrupted operations.

‘Then…’

The reason Daniel assaulted Karl must have been because he couldn’t contain his anger towards this traitor.

Therefore, Daniel wasn’t a scoundrel who assaulted his superior.

He was Daniel Steiner, the hero of the nation who uncovered and apprehended a spy.

‘We really misunderstood him.’

He had to return to headquarters immediately, report this truth, and clear up the misunderstanding.

Having made up his mind, Philip closed the box and stood up.

“Soldier, I’ll return to headquarters. Report to me if you find any further information.”

“Yes, sir. But may I ask why you’re in such a hurry to return?”

Philip smiled as he looked down at the soldier.

“This evidence just proved Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s innocence. So, shouldn’t we quickly clear the name of this hero who dedicated himself to the Empire?”

The soldier faltered for a moment.

He had never known that Captain Philip, known as a cold-blooded man, could wear such a bright smile.

—————

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