Chapter 3

Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

Office of the Commander of the Arcane Mechanized Forces.

Knock—

Sitting behind an opulent mahogany desk, Heinrich turned the pages of a file folder. The information on the papers was none other than the personal details of Daniel Steiner.

[Name: Daniel Steiner][Birthplace: Fianmari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire][Details: Abandoned by parents and confirmed to have grown up in an orphanage. Later recognized for magical talent by a conscription examiner and subsequently enrolled in the Imperial Arcane Officer Academy, graduating at the top of his class.]

Heinrich placed a pipe in his mouth as he read the details.

"Graduated at the top of the Arcane Officer Academy..."

It wasn't particularly surprising. Only those with exceptional skills could make it to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

Yet, the fact that Daniel was an orphan gave Heinrich a different sense of appreciation.

"To have voiced such intuitive opinions without a family to back him up."

Though rare, there were instances where enthusiastic young officers pierced through the icy atmosphere of a conference room to make their points. However, such courage often had the name of a powerful family backing it.

Even if their statements caused trouble, they were assured their families wouldn't abandon them.

"But..."

Daniel Steiner, a new officer from an orphaned background, had no family to protect him. If his opinions had led to any missteps for the military, the resulting punishment would have been far more severe than just losing his uniform.

Daniel must have been aware of this risk, yet he pushed forward with his opinion. And ultimately, that opinion proved correct. A large-scale reconnaissance operation confirmed that enemies were preparing an ambush near the hills.

"Does he have an eye that can pierce through the battlefield?"

Of course, it could have been mere coincidence, a stroke of luck. However, what was undeniable was that Daniel's insight had helped prevent significant damage in advance.

In an era where even a small change could shift the tide of war, Daniel's sharp observations were like rain in the desert.

From Heinrich's perspective, Daniel was clearly a talent deserving of reward.

Knock-knock—

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Heinrich closed the folder and placed it on the edge of the desk.

"Commander, sir! I have arrived with Lieutenant Daniel Steiner for duty!"

Heinrich removed the pipe from his mouth and exhaled smoke as he spoke.

"Enter."

The office door opened, and Lieutenant Daniel Steiner entered alongside his adjutant, a captain.

Tall, with black hair and eyes, Daniel's thin frame gave him a gaunt appearance, yet his spirit remained intact. The two men stopped at the center of the office and saluted sharply in unison.

Heinrich returned the salute casually, prompting the captain to step aside. This left Daniel standing at ease, waiting for Heinrich to speak.

"Hmm."

The young officer was the epitome of a model soldier. His stance was so impeccable that it would be hard to find a single flaw compared to the manuals.

Feeling a hint of admiration, Heinrich began to speak.

"Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. As you may have heard from my adjutant, thanks to your efforts, the military was able to prevent damage in advance. This is an undeniable achievement."

Daniel stood motionless, maintaining his exemplary composure. A model soldier doesn't speak before their superior asks a question.

Despite the potential excitement of achieving a merit, he remained remarkably calm—at least in Heinrich's eyes.

In reality, Daniel's mind was in turmoil.

"My nonsense turned out to be right? How on earth?"

Confused, he bit his lip as Heinrich continued.

"Merits deserve rewards. I plan to nominate you for the next quarter's promotion review. What are your thoughts?"

Daniel's shoulders trembled slightly.

To Daniel, a promotion was akin to stepping closer to death. Taking a deep breath, he scrambled to come up with an excuse.

"Your Excellency. I am deeply moved by your gracious words, but I do not wish to receive special treatment for achieving a single merit."

"Hmm? Did you say 'a single merit'?"

"Yes. I believe I simply did what is expected of an officer sworn to defend the Holy Bavarian Empire. Therefore, I ask you to reconsider nominating me for the promotion review."

Heinrich blinked in disbelief. He had seen countless war-crazed officers desperate for promotion, but this was his first time encountering someone adamantly refusing it.

The captain watching from the side was equally astonished.

"What an extraordinary fellow."

Heinrich chuckled, setting his pipe aside.

"Lieutenant, you seem to be under some misconception. Your achievement is not merely 'a single merit.' It is tantamount to saving the lives of at least several hundred compatriots. As such, I cannot honor your request."

"Your Excellency, I only—"

"That's enough. Are you unaware that one of the Imperial Army's core principles is to reward merit appropriately? If you insist on refusing, I will take it as a rejection of the Empire's ideals."

The subtext was clear: Even if you don't want it, I'm promoting you. Get used to the idea.

With the supreme commander of the military stating his intent so firmly, there was little a mere lieutenant could do to argue further.

In the end, Daniel reluctantly agreed.

"...I will humbly accept this undeserved honor."

Heinrich studied Daniel closely before nodding.

"Good. Then consider it settled. You may go now."

Hearing this, Daniel saluted sharply. Once Heinrich returned the salute, Daniel turned and exited the office.

The sound of his footsteps grew faint as he walked away. After confirming Daniel had left, Heinrich chuckled quietly.

"A rare young man in these times, wouldn't you agree, Captain?"

The captain, who had been staring blankly at the door through which Daniel left, turned to Heinrich.

"I agree. Most would do anything to bolster their records, but I've never seen someone trying to lower theirs."

"He's not just a soldier in name, but a true one. He genuinely wishes to protect the Empire and crush the Allied Nations. A remarkable man has joined the army."

It reminded Heinrich of his own younger days.

Smiling with satisfaction, Heinrich added in passing.

"The army needs talents like him, especially now as the Allied forces continue to grow stronger."

Lifting his pipe again, Heinrich chuckled with amusement.

"I look forward to seeing how far he can rise."

"Don't screw with me! Seriously!"

Back in my private dormitory, I shouted in frustration.

And for good reason—things were spiraling out of control.

"An early promotion..."

This wasn't just about adding an extra diamond to my rank insignia by moving from lieutenant to captain.

An early promotion at the elite Imperial General Staff Headquarters meant being acknowledged as an elite among elites. Even if I were reassigned, the label "early-promoted elite from the General Staff Headquarters" would follow me.

This was effectively the greatest honor and most secure career path available to a junior officer.

In other words, I had just taken one step closer to the Empire's core leadership.

Which also meant that if the Empire lost the war, my chances of losing my head had significantly increased.

Sitting on the bed, I ran a hand over my face before lifting my head.

The man in the full-length mirror before me had faint dark circles under his eyes.

When I first learned that my initial posting was at the General Staff Headquarters, I had been ecstatic, even shouting for joy. But after regaining memories of my past life, I realized this place was hell itself.

Staring at my reflection for a while, I sighed and stood up.

Opening the window, I looked outside to see senior officers gradually arriving at work.

Right. This was a place where high-ranking officers were as common as stones on the roadside.

It was an ideal environment for earning high marks for one's career. Conversely, it was just as easy to lose everything here.

"Things may have gotten complicated... but nothing changes."

If I could prove myself incompetent enough to outweigh my achievements, that would suffice.

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

"Your Excellency, I am grateful for your trust. However, I do not desire an early promotion—at least not within the Empire."

Thus, to cancel my promotion and expedite my dishonorable discharge, I needed to thoroughly disgrace myself.

Fortunately, the perfect material for my disgrace was already within the General Staff Headquarters.

That material was none other than my superior, Major Karl Heinrich—the Operations Planning Staff Officer I reported to.

A man who started his day by berating me and ended it by belittling me—a paragon of sociopathy.

By leveraging my relationship with Karl Heinrich, the chance for a dishonorable discharge still remained.

"So just you wait, Your Excellency."

I will escape this Empire no matter what.