Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 4
Cursed or Blessed?

“Sniff… Sniffle…”

The sound of whimpering from beside me gently woke me up.

Feeling annoyed, I turned my head to see a girl with no rank insignia on her epaulets. That meant she was a trainee.

Was her name Frienne? I learned her name yesterday while being held in the military police detention center.

With light brown hair and black eyes, she appeared to be from the south.

Thinking she might be from my hometown, I exchanged a few words with her. But now, whether she was depending on me or what, waking up to find her clinging to my side was tiring.

I considered ignoring her, but it seemed like she would continue crying if I left her alone, so I spoke up.

“…It seems you’ve forgotten that a soldier of the Empire shouldn’t show tears so easily.”

Frienne was startled when she heard my voice and stopped sniffling.

“I apologize! I-I’m so sorry! I suddenly thought of my father back home…”

“Why your father? Is he ill?”

“No, but… He was so proud of me for joining the Imperial Army, but here I am, locked up in this place without even completing the training properly. I’m such a fool.”

“Did you just use informal speech?”

Frienne flinched at my correction.

“Ah, I-I apologize! I’ll correct myself!”

She was utterly hopeless. I gave Frienne a cold stare before turning my gaze forward.

“You said you were brought here for refusing to shoot a gun due to your religious beliefs?”

“Yes. Because I applied to be a medic…”

“Even medics need to know how to shoot. If the enemy tries to kill the soldier you’re treating, are you just going to let them die?”

Frienne didn’t answer. It was more accurate to say she couldn’t answer.

“War is not child’s play. If you want to play hospital, go to a kindergarten and teach children instead of the battlefield.”

Dejected, Frienne lowered her head. Seeing that, I sighed and added,

“Still, I think your will to volunteer for the army to save lives is noble. It’s impossible for a woman, who isn’t subject to conscription, to volunteer without a spirit of sacrifice.”

“…Thank you, Lieutenant.”

A faint smile appeared on Frienne’s face as she sat huddled.

“Your words give me strength, Lieutenant. I understand how childish I’ve been acting. For the sake of my father, who is a priest, I’ll do my best again if I return to the training center.”

She used informal speech again, but I decided not to point it out this time.

It seemed to slip out unconsciously, and since I wasn’t her direct superior, there was no need for me to correct her.

Anyway, so her father was a clergyman, which was why she hesitated to use firearms.

It made sense… she was probably taught that killing was taboo.

‘Wait a minute.’

Her father was a clergyman?

On top of that, she was from the south, a woman, and received disciplinary action during training?

A sense of discomfort washed over me as her past was incredibly similar to an NPC I frequently encountered while playing the game.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, I looked at Frienne.

“Soldier, what’s your full name?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s Frienne. My full name is Frienne Remilliarde.”

My pores tightened upon hearing Frienne’s full name.

Frienne Remilliarde was a named NPC known as the Saintess of the Empire.

With her unique aria incantation magic, she cast buff effects across the entire battlefield, literally turning the deployed soldiers into killing machines.

That’s why, upon hearing that she was on the battlefield, I would order a retreat unless there was an overwhelming difference in combat power.

I was quite flustered to meet a named NPC in the detention center, but it didn’t really concern me.

‘I’m leaving the military anyway.’

Once I left the military and the Empire, I would never see her again, so why should I care?

“I see. It’s a beautiful name.”

I gave her a casual reply, and Frienne blushed shyly.

I wasn’t sure, but judging from how she blushed at such a trivial compliment, I could tell she was inexperienced with men.

What was she doing joining the army at an age when she should be enjoying her youth?

Well, I suppose it was no different from me. If I hadn’t awakened the memories of my past life at the operation command, I would have considered serving in the military the highest honor.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?”

Just then, a sergeant approached the bars and called out to me.

I raised my hand, and after confirming that my face matched the register, the sergeant took out a key from his waistband and opened the cell door.

“You’re being released. Follow me.”

The time had come. It seemed the higher-ups had finished assessing the situation and convened a court-martial.

Frienne beside me, seemingly unaware of this, blinked her innocent eyes with a naive expression.

“You’re finally leaving. It was an honor talking to you, Lieutenant.”

With a reluctant face (though inwardly cheering), I nodded and got up from my seat, following the sergeant.

We passed through the military police office and exited the building, where Captain Philip was standing.

He was holding a box in his hand, which somehow looked quite luxurious.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

Captain Philip gave me a kind smile.

Although it felt strange, I saluted to show respect.

Philip casually returned the salute and approached me.

“I intended to get you out a bit earlier, but it took some time due to the necessary procedures. You’ve spent some time at the General Staff Headquarters, so you understand, right?”

I understood. The military valued reports and procedures more than life itself.

But he said he tried to get me out earlier? The nuance of his words made me uneasy, so I just stared at him silently. Then, Philip handed me the box.

“This is a reward for your contribution, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. No, I should call you Lieutenant now.”

What nonsense was this? Blinking in a daze, I received the box and opened it.

Inside, there were two diamond badges and epaulets symbolizing the rank of Lieutenant.

Wondering what this was all about, I looked up at Philip, who gave me a gentle smile as if to say I could be proud.

“Your judgment was correct. Major Karl Heinrich has been confirmed as an Allied spy. Therefore, to commend your military contribution, the higher-ups have decided to promote you by one rank, skipping the promotion review.”

“…A one-rank promotion? For me?”

“Yes. Because the fundamental principle of the Imperial Army is to reward and punish accordingly. Also, since the Operations Staff Officer position will be vacant for the time being, you have been ordered to act as the Acting Operations Staff Officer.”

Was this a joke? I assaulted my superior, and it turned out he was an Allied spy, and thanks to that, I got promoted by one rank? This was truly absurd.

“At this rate, you might even surpass me. Anyway, congratulations!”

…But Philip’s congratulations confirmed that this situation was indeed real.

As a result, I had no choice but to shake hands with Philip with a forced smile and praise the Empire.

***

After using the week of reward leave granted by the higher-ups, I returned to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

As I entered the building and walked into the Operations Staff Office, the eyes of the staff members who were chatting turned to me.

They soon started to gather around me with smiles on their faces.

“Lieutenant Daniel? Our hero, aren’t you!”

“It must have been difficult to attack your superior, even if he was a spy. You have remarkable courage!”

“To achieve two consecutive merits recently is astonishing. Do you know that your name is being mentioned frequently by the higher-ups?”

I didn’t achieve those merits because I wanted to, you know.

My heart was rotting inside, but they were congratulating me without knowing anything, which was frustrating.

“Please, no need for praise. I was simply acting with a heart to serve the Empire.”

Still, I couldn’t ignore their goodwill, so I replied with a smile.

After exchanging greetings for a while, I finally walked to my desk in the Operations Staff Office… the place where Major Karl used to sit and work.

Apparently, they had removed all of Major Karl’s personal belongings, as the area around the desk was tidy.

On the desk were a map of the war situation, a few documents, a telephone, and most notably, a nameplate.

【Acting Operations Staff Officer / Lieutenant Daniel Steiner】

Even as a temporary position, entrusting the role of Operations Staff Officer to a Lieutenant was truly exceptional.

The Operations Staff Officer position was a key post within the General Staff Headquarters, usually granted a private office. It wasn’t typically assigned to a mere Lieutenant.

In other words, it meant that the higher-ups considered me a valuable asset.

It was absurd that I, only three months into my commission, had been promoted to Lieutenant and then appointed as Acting Operations Staff Officer.

I was truly an elite among elites, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a path of flowers, not just a smooth road, was spread out before me.

This also meant that the path to a dishonorable discharge had become even more treacherous.

“…”

Sitting down at my desk while listening to the chirping of birds outside the window, I frowned and rubbed my forehead.

‘Why are they doing this to me…?’

I felt like I was going crazy.

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