Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 9
I Refuse the Easy Path

Why was the Empire’s princess acting as a war correspondent deep within enemy territory?

Despite a strong sense of unease, Daniel maintained a calm facade and extended his right hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, Acting Operations Staff Officer from the General Staff Headquarters.”

If the princess was hiding her identity and present on the Northern Front, there had to be a reason.

It wouldn’t end well for him if he acted clueless and exclaimed, “Aren’t you Her Highness the Princess!?”

Sylvia observed Daniel closely for a moment, then reached out and shook his hand.

“I’m war correspondent Ravi Emilia. Please, call me Ravi.”

Daniel nodded and released her hand after the handshake.

He believed that to avoid unnecessary suspicion, he should show her the courtesy befitting a war correspondent.

“Well then…”

Daniel looked at Heinz and said,

“Could you explain the outline of the operation?”

He changed the subject because he felt uncomfortable under the princess’s gaze.

However, from Heinz’s perspective, Daniel asking about the operation before even settling in made him seem like a relentless workaholic.

‘As expected, he’s not an easygoing person.’

Thinking this, Heinz nodded and turned around.

“Follow me. I’ll briefly explain the mission.”

Following Heinz into the barracks, the first thing Daniel saw was a table with an operational map.

On the wall, soldiers were sitting in front of radios, waiting for communication.

Next to it was a blackboard with a photo of a high-ranking Allied officer. Below the photo, the officer’s personal details and recent activities were written in detail.

As Daniel looked at the blackboard, Heinz began to explain.

“He’s the adjutant to the Allied Northern Front Corps Commander. His rank is Colonel, and his name is Jeremy Stringer. He’s the enemy we need to assassinate in this mission.”

Daniel turned his gaze to Heinz with a dubious expression.

His face questioned how they could possibly assassinate such an important figure, who would be heavily guarded.

If their positions were reversed, Heinz would have probably worn the same expression.

Chuckling softly, Heinz said,

“As you know, the Northern Front was formed when the Kingdom of Eldresia joined the Allied Nations. Those ignorant barbarians invaded the Empire’s territory with three divisions.”

“But the Imperial Army wasn’t pushed back.”

“Indeed. Gloriously, we overwhelmed the Allied Nations and recovered most of the lost territory. In the process, the enemy commanders retreated, but some remained to fight back.”

Heinz was getting at one point.

“A delaying tactic.”

Heinz nodded at Daniel’s words.

“Although I don’t want to praise the enemy, it was a clever choice. Thanks to Colonel Jeremy buying them time, the Allied leadership on the Northern Front was able to retreat without significant losses. On the other hand, he became isolated.”

Heinz let out a low chuckle.

It was a laugh close to a sneer.

“Colonel Jeremy may be clever, but he doesn’t seem to be courageous. Once he confirmed that the leadership had withdrawn, he decided to retreat himself instead of fighting to the death.”

“He’s no different from a rat.”

“Indeed. As you said, that rat recently sent two battalions of soldiers into battle and then slipped into the rear with a company-sized escort.”

Central Intelligence had caught wind of this and relayed the orders to Heinz, who was active on the front lines.

“To summarize the orders from headquarters: Set a rat trap on the rat’s escape route, lie in wait, and kill him. Do you understand?”

It was so straightforward that even a fool could understand.

To get to the main point, Daniel spoke up.

“Then, what are the expected escape routes?”

As if waiting for this question, Heinz picked up a pointer and indicated the operational map on the table.

The most likely escape routes were marked with red pen.

“The first route is the Drokenberg Plateau. The high altitude and sparse population make it easy to evade pursuit, and unless he can use the roads, moving through the plateau is the fastest way back to Allied territory.”

Tap.

Heinz pointed to another location.

“The second expected route is to cross the northwestern highlands and enter the snowy mountains. If he bypasses Lake Aldera and hides in the jungle area, aerial reconnaissance will be impossible, making it ideal for covert movement.”

Finishing his explanation, Heinz put down the pointer.

“Unfortunately, we have to choose one of the two likely routes and lie in ambush. If we divide our forces, there’s a high chance we’ll miss Jeremy.”

Which route do you think Jeremy will take? Daniel, sensing Heinz was testing him, stroked his chin and stared intently at the operational map.

‘Wait a minute. This is…’

Wasn’t this a chance to get a dishonorable discharge?

‘If I present a completely different opinion and then spectacularly fail the operation, my evaluation will surely plummet. Moreover, if I prove my incompetence in front of the princess…’

Dishonorable discharge guaranteed! It felt like fanfare was going off in his head.

Smiling inwardly, Daniel feigned seriousness and shook his head.

“In my opinion, Colonel Jeremy will not choose either of those routes.”

Silence fell over the room as Daniel directly contradicted his superior, Heinz.

Sylvia, who had been observing their conversation nearby, looked at Daniel with interest.

However, Heinz only frowned in confusion.

“Can you explain exactly what you mean?”

“Yes. I believe Jeremy will escape through the Edelkrall Canyon.”

“…Edelkrall Canyon? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s where we planted mines to stop the Allied advance early in the war. Jeremy is not unaware of that.”

Daniel raised his head and looked at Heinz.

“Precisely because it’s an absurd route, Jeremy will choose the Edelkrall Canyon. Do you think he doesn’t know that he can only survive by exploiting the Empire’s weaknesses?”

Heinz felt momentarily intimidated by Daniel’s confident demeanor.

However, he had no intention of playing along with Daniel’s recklessness.

“Lieutenant, the Imperial Army values rationality. The Special Operations Unit isn’t so idle as to entertain your gamble.”

“If that is the order of Captain Heinz, the commanding officer, then I will comply. However, you should be prepared for the consequences.”

“…Consequences?”

At Heinz’s question, Daniel answered without blinking an eye.

“Even though I’m temporarily attached to the Special Operations Unit, I still command a unit directly under the General Staff Headquarters. If we miss Colonel Jeremy due to Captain Heinz’s judgment, I will have no choice but to report this to the General Staff Headquarters.”

The General Staff Headquarters is watching you. Heinz couldn’t help but feel pressured by Daniel’s words.

Indeed, Daniel knew how to wield his background to his advantage.

Heinz let out a low groan and finally spoke.

“Lieutenant, you shouldn’t speak so lightly. If Jeremy doesn’t appear at Edelkrall Canyon, how will you take responsibility?”

“I will gladly accept any disciplinary action. Moreover…”

After a brief pause, Daniel continued.

“Please allow me to take only my platoon and lie in ambush at Edelkrall Canyon.”

“…Are you saying you can defeat Jeremy’s company with just one platoon?”

“Yes. Due to the prolonged battles on the Northern Front, Jeremy’s company is currently demoralized and exhausted. Adding the geographical advantage to that, my platoon can certainly defeat them.”

If what Daniel said was true, they could divide the unit in two and ambush at both locations simultaneously.

Heinz looked at Sylvia, who was smiling with interest, then back at Daniel’s confident eyes.

Sylvia nodded, and seeing this, Heinz, despite his reservations, granted Daniel’s audacious request.

“Fine. If you insist, I’ll grant permission for the operation. When the time is right, take your platoon and lie in ambush at Edelkrall Canyon.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

Daniel saluted curtly and turned to leave the barracks.

Only then did the suffocating atmosphere ease.

‘What a sly fellow…’

As Heinz stared at the barracks entrance where Daniel had exited, Sylvia, who was standing nearby, spoke up.

“Captain Heinz, what do you think of Daniel?”

Heinz turned his gaze and bowed his head slightly.

“Your Highness, in my opinion, he is an excellent soldier. Not only does he possess independent situational awareness, but he also displays exceptional decisiveness and courage. However, I wouldn’t consider him a good person.”

From Heinz’s perspective, Daniel seemed to lack any respect for others.

Wanting to carry out the operation with only his platoon? It seemed like he just wanted to take all the credit for himself.

A demon who would drive himself and his subordinates to ruin for the sake of promotion.

That was Heinz’s impression of him.

“Therefore, I ask Your Highness to reconsider taking Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as an ally. He is a man who doesn’t know how to respect others. In my experience, such people don’t meet a good end.”

Heinz offered his sincere advice, but it only piqued Sylvia’s interest.

“Captain Heinz, there is no dog or human in this world that cannot be tamed.”

Sylvia’s eyes narrowed softly as she looked at the spot where Daniel had been standing.

“Also, I will personally observe and judge whether he truly lacks respect for others.”

***

The next day, Edelkrall Canyon.

‘It’s cold…’

I shivered on the cliff overlooking the canyon.

Despite wearing an officer’s winter coat, the chill seemed to pierce through my clothes.

‘I just want to fail the mission quickly and return to headquarters…’

Sniffling quietly, I glanced to the side and saw Frienne monitoring the canyon through a telescope and Sylvia sitting on a fallen log.

The rest of the platoon members were camouflaged using snow and dry branches.

‘…But why did Sylvia follow us?’

She was still playing the role of a war correspondent, holding a Leica camera in her hand, which honestly, was absurd.

What kind of war correspondent went around so impeccably dressed? Her blouse, coat, and pants were all expensive designer brands.

She probably wore such clothes all the time and didn’t even realize they were expensive.

Just as I was thinking how naive she was, our eyes met.

Seeing that Sylvia was about to speak to me, I quickly turned my head away and cleared my throat.

“Do you see any enemy movement?”

Frienne shook her head at my question.

“No, sir. Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.”

Well, of course, she didn’t see anything.

This was an operational zone I had secured through stubborn insistence.

And I came here aiming for a dishonorable discharge.

‘Why would Colonel Jeremy come here? He’d have to be crazy…’

Although the canyon’s terrain allowed for covert movement using the shadows, if ambushed from both cliffs, they would be forced to fight at a significant disadvantage.

Furthermore, since Colonel Jeremy knew that the Imperial Army had planted mines in the canyon, the probability of him coming here was even lower.

Therefore, my operation was a complete failure.

And not just any failure. Since I had secured this operation by semi-threatening the commanding officer, it was only natural that I would face intense criticism.

‘With the princess witnessing my incompetence firsthand, it will be a perfect failure.’

They say crisis is an opportunity. Who would have thought that I would seize the chance for a dishonorable discharge on the Northern Front, where I came for an unwanted promotion?

Just as a satisfied smile crept onto my face,

“L-Lieutenant Daniel Steiner!”

Wondering what the fuss was about, I turned to see Frienne looking up at me, her eyes off the telescope.

“As expected! You were right, Lieutenant! The company led by Colonel Jeremy is entering the canyon!”

…Wait, what?

—————

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