Chapter 2

There's a game called Empire of the Emperor.

The main goal of the game is to stop the Empire, a militaristic nation attempting to unify the world with overwhelming national power.

It wasn't a hugely popular game, but it was my favorite because of the extremely rich interactions between NPCs.

For instance, even peasants had differing values depending on their region and nation.

Soldiers didn't act mechanically either; each harbored their own grievances, and if the command didn't address these issues, desertions and mutinies would occur.

Moreover, depending on the player's actions, NPC allies could turn into enemies, or NPC enemies could become allies.

It was truly a masterpiece!

Even a slight variation in how the game was played would spark a new story, making it the best game ever for me.

If there was one flaw, it was that no matter how you played, the Empire always ended up on the path to destruction.

Since the protagonist character controlled by the player belonged to the Allied Nations opposing the Empire, this was inevitable.

The problem was that this "inevitable" situation was now happening to me.

"As you all know, the Allied Nations have surrounded our infantry divisions within enemy territory, forming encirclements 3 km from the first defensive line and 5 km from the second. We must break through this to turn the tide."

I look at the man speaking in a solemn voice.

The middle-aged man with a scarred, wrinkled face was a character I knew very well.

[Commander of the 1st Magic Mobile Army Operations Command, Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt]

He was a named NPC you'd inevitably encounter when playing the game.

'So that means...'

It all aligned with the notion that I was inside the game world.

I wanted to deny it, but the operations map spread out on the operations room table and the eagle-shaped emblem proudly displayed behind Heinrich kept reaffirming that this was indeed the game world.

And to my knowledge, there was only one place where such an eagle-shaped emblem was used as the symbol of the military.

[The Holy Bavarian Empire]

That's right. I was in the heart of the Empire, whose downfall was guaranteed by the game's ending.

And what was I doing in the heart of this Empire? After racking my brain, I recalled my title.

[Imperial General Staff Operations Planning Officer, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner]

It was rather ironic that I was the operations planning officer for the Imperial General Staff.

Had I not known the Empire was doomed to fail, recalling this title might have made me pop open some champagne to celebrate an elite career path.

But knowing the Empire was doomed, this title was less than worthless.

'In the ending…'

The leadership of the Empire, branded as a war criminal nation, is inevitably executed.

As long as I was part of this system, I too would end up as nothing more than dust on the execution grounds.

That was unacceptable. I hadn't lived my life so far just to die a pointless death.

Though I wanted to apply for discharge, officers in the Empire were obligated to serve for eight years.

It wasn't a job you could quit just because you wanted to.

So, what could I do to escape from here?

As cold sweat ran down my back, a shallow realization came to me.

'Dishonorable discharge...!'

If I could be judged unfit during a court martial, I could be dishonorably discharged.

That would mean no longer being under the military's control.

I would be free to leave the Empire─

"Lieutenant?"

I flinched at the sound of Heinrich calling my name.

Looking up, I saw Heinrich and the other officers staring at me.

"You seemed deeply absorbed in our military situation while examining the operations map earlier. Did you come up with some sort of plan?"

I did think of something. The one way for me to escape the Empire.

The burden of the high-ranking officers' gazes made me hesitate for a moment, but then I cleared my throat.

At the same time, I quickly calculated in my head.

'...This might be my chance to get dishonorably discharged.'

Why was Heinrich asking me for a plan? As an operations officer's assistant, he probably thought I'd picked up a few things by observing over their shoulders and decided to let me voice my opinion.

Heinrich was the kind of man who valued opinions regardless of rank, willing to listen to even a young officer bursting with enthusiasm.

But I had no intention of living up to Heinrich's expectations.

I had no desire to stay aboard a sinking ship.

"Commander, sir."

So, I decided to speak incorrectly on purpose, saying the wrong thing to achieve a dishonorable discharge.

"With all due respect, sir, through which route do you intend to send reinforcements to rescue our troops trapped in enemy territory?"

"Hmm. According to the General Staff's opinion, we plan to advance through the hills of the Tebaita Mountains. Intelligence reports suggest that area has the weakest enemy vigilance."

"The Tebaita Mountains, is it…"

I paused briefly before speaking.

"In that case, I must urge you to reconsider this decision."

For a moment, silence filled the conference room.

A mere second lieutenant, newly commissioned, was challenging the combined opinions of the General Staff and intelligence reports. Naturally, this was shocking.

The stern silence and the piercing stares of the senior officers were intimidating, but I continued speaking with a composed demeanor.

"Sir, don't you find it odd? Why is it that while the enemy's patrols are tight everywhere else, their vigilance is weak only in the hills of the Tebaita Mountains?"

"You think it's suspicious?"

"Yes, sir. It feels as though the enemy is baiting us, urging us to advance through the Tebaita Mountain hills."

My words were nothing more than plausible nonsense.

After all, the Central Intelligence Bureau's reports were undoubtedly more accurate than my wild imagination.

But I pressed on. My goal was a dishonorable discharge.

So, it was crucial to spout ridiculous nonsense to showcase my incompetence.

"The enemy must have set traps and is lying in wait near the hills of the Tebaita Mountains."

"On what basis?"

"My intuition tells me so."

The corner of Heinrich's eyebrow twitched as I spoke firmly.

After letting out a faint chuckle, Heinrich tapped the table lightly.

"What's your rank and name?"

"Operations Planning Officer's Assistant, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner."

"Very well, Daniel Steiner. Do you understand that what you're doing is directly contradicting the General Staff's opinions?"

"Yes, sir."

"If we follow your advice, we'll have to conduct extensive reconnaissance missions, delaying our advance. Can you take responsibility for the consequences?"

In other words, if they heeded my words but found it to be baseless worry, I should prepare for punishment.

It was exactly the scenario I wanted.

"If my predictions prove false, I will willingly resign and leave the military."

As soon as I finished speaking, the conference room buzzed.

I could hear voices criticizing me and tongues clicking in disapproval.

Among them, the operations officer I reported to furrowed his brows and spoke up.

"Second Lieutenant Daniel! You're overstepping! Do you realize where you are…!"

The operations officer trailed off mid-scolding and fell silent.

Heinrich had raised a hand to signal for quiet.

"Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, there's no harm in being cautious, so I'll trust you this once."

He smiled as he continued.

"But remember, words cannot be taken back once spoken. If your words bring harm to the Empire, I won't hesitate to convene a court martial."

For a brief moment, Heinrich's dark eyes narrowed sharply.

"Do you understand?"

A tremendous sense of authority made my entire body tense.

This was indeed the demeanor of a man who had seen and done it all to rise to the rank of general.

He was a man who knew how to imbue weight into his words.

At another time, I might have been cowed by the atmosphere, lowering my head or averting my gaze. However, since I was aiming for a dishonorable discharge, there was no need to avoid the commander's gaze.

Instead, I met Heinrich's eyes with a faint smile.

"That is exactly what I desire, Commander, sir."

The next morning.

Imperial General Staff Officers' Quarters.

Knock, knock—

The sound of knocking woke me up.

When I turned my head to look at the alarm clock, it wasn't even time to wake up yet.

Who could be knocking so early in the morning?

Still half-asleep, I blinked my eyes, and another knock followed.

"Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner! The commander requests your presence! Wake up immediately!"

Hearing the word "commander" made my eyes snap open.

"Ah, understood!"

I quickly responded, jumped out of bed, and hurriedly changed into my uniform before opening the door.

Standing beyond the door was another officer in an Imperial military uniform.

Judging by the three diamonds on his shoulder insignia, he was a captain—my superior.

"...Are you Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?"

"Yes, I am. But why has the commander summoned me?"

I had a pretty good guess. They probably sent a large reconnaissance team to the hills and found nothing.

In wartime, wasting manpower was a crime, so the commander had likely summoned me to scold me for my incompetence.

Heinrich would brand me as trash and convene a court martial.

At that point, I would admit my guilt, resign, and be done with the military. It was a free pass to dishonorable discharge.

Depending on the circumstances, I might end up serving time in prison, but serving a few years in prison was far better than being part of the war criminal Empire.

Thinking positively, I saluted the captain.

"Understood. I'll report immediately."

Shortly thereafter, I entered the conference room where the officers were gathered.

Seeing the grim faces of the officers sitting at the long table made me even more confident in my guess.

Sure enough, this was it!

This was the moment I would be freed from the Empire.

But.

Contrary to my expectations.

Heinrich stood from his seat and greeted me with open arms and a hearty smile.

"You're here, Lieutenant Steiner! Excellent work, truly excellent work!"

"...Pardon me?"

"I said, your intuition saved us! All thanks to you, we've avoided a catastrophic failure!"

What the hell was this man saying right now?