Imperial General Staff Headquarters
Office of the Commander, Magic Mobile Corps
Rustle—
Seated behind a luxurious mahogany desk, Heinrich silently flipped through a personnel file.
It detailed the background of none other than Daniel Steiner.
[Name: Daniel Steiner]
[Place of Birth: Fiamari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire]
[Notes: Abandoned by parents, raised in an orphanage. Discovered by conscription officer for magical potential. Graduated top of class at the Imperial Magic Academy.]
Heinrich bit down on the pipe between his teeth as he skimmed the last lines.
"Graduated at the top of the Magic Academy, huh…"
Not surprising. Only the best made it into the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
But what caught Heinrich off guard was the fact that Daniel was an orphan.
"A man with no background… and yet he dared to stake everything on a gut feeling."
Young officers occasionally broke the silence in strategy meetings, voicing bold opinions. But most were backed by noble families. Their recklessness was buffered by the knowledge that, even if they failed, their families would protect them.
Daniel had no such safety net.
"He knew the risks. Yet, he spoke up anyway."
And in the end, he was right.
The reconnaissance teams confirmed it—an ambush was being set near the Tebaita ridges. His "baseless hunch" had prevented a massacre.
"Could he actually… see through the battlefield?"
Maybe it was luck. Or maybe not.
Regardless, in a war where even minor decisions tipped the scale, Daniel's sharp intuition was worth its weight in gold.
Too valuable to let go.
Knock, knock—
Heinrich closed the file and exhaled smoke from his pipe.
"Commander, sir! Reporting with Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as ordered!"
"Enter."
The door opened. Captain—his aide—stepped in with Daniel.
Tall. Black hair. Dark eyes. The young officer looked worn, but determination simmered in his gaze.
They saluted in sync. Heinrich gave a casual return.
Daniel shifted to parade rest, expression calm and composed.
"Hm."
Perfect posture. Textbook precision. Not a single flaw.
Heinrich nodded, impressed.
"Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. As you've likely heard, your sharp instincts helped avert a major disaster. That's a commendable achievement."
Daniel remained silent. His expression unreadable.
A model soldier.
At least, that's what Heinrich saw.
Inside, however, Daniel was on the verge of screaming.
'My nonsense was right?! What the hell is going on?!'
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to keep calm.
"Achievements deserve reward. I intend to nominate you for early promotion. What are your thoughts?"
Daniel flinched.
Promotion?
No.
That meant going deeper into the heart of the Empire's doomed military.
Panic surged. He scrambled for an excuse.
"Commander, sir. I'm honored—but I don't believe one result warrants special treatment."
"One result, you say?"
"Yes, sir. As an officer of the Holy Bavarian Empire, I simply did my duty. I respectfully ask that you reconsider."
Heinrich blinked.
He'd seen officers lie, cheat, and crawl for promotions.
But this one… was turning it down?
The captain beside him also looked stunned.
'What a bizarre man.'
Heinrich chuckled, setting his pipe aside.
"Lieutenant, you're mistaken. This isn't 'just one achievement.' You saved hundreds. I can't overlook that."
"I was only—"
"That's enough. Are you suggesting we ignore merit and discipline? If you keep pushing, I'll consider it a rejection of the military's core values."
That was it. Heinrich had decided.
There was no arguing with authority that absolute.
Daniel sighed in defeat.
"…I will accept this honor, sir."
Heinrich gave a satisfied nod.
"Good. It's settled. You're dismissed."
Daniel snapped a salute and turned to leave.
As his footsteps echoed down the hall, Heinrich leaned back in his chair.
"Quite the rare breed, wouldn't you say, Captain?"
"Yes, sir. I've never seen anyone so determined to downplay their own record."
"A real soldier—more than just in rank. He truly wants to protect the Empire and crush the Allied Nations."
It reminded Heinrich of his younger self.
"The military needs men like him—especially now."
He raised the pipe again, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"I'm curious to see how far he'll go."
"Cut the crap! Seriously!"
Back in my dormitory, I screamed in frustration.
Because this? This was completely off script.
"Early promotion…? Are you kidding me?!"
It wasn't just about a diamond on my epaulet.
Early promotion from the General Staff was the highest endorsement a junior officer could receive.
It meant elite status.
It meant attention. Visibility. Glory.
And when the Empire fell, those "elite" names were first on the chopping block.
I sat on my bed, dragging a hand down my face, then glanced toward the mirror.
Pale skin. Dark circles. Bloodshot eyes.
I vaguely remembered the joy I felt when I got posted to the General Staff.
Now? This place felt like a guillotine.
I walked over to the window and looked out.
Officers filled the courtyard—majors, colonels, generals.
This was both the Empire's brain… and its graveyard.
'Okay. This is a setback… but I can still fix it.'
I just needed to act so disgracefully that no one could justify keeping me around.
I loosened my uniform collar and took a deep breath.
'Commander Heinrich, thank you for trusting me. But I have no intention of dying a hero in this Empire.'
If I wanted to cancel this early promotion, I needed to stain my record—permanently.
And luckily, I knew exactly where to start.
With the worst officer in the entire General Staff.
Major Karl Heinrich.
My direct superior.
A man who chewed me out from dawn to dusk and treated me like trash 24/7.
An absolute menace.
But now?
He would become my ticket out of here.
'Just wait, Commander. You'll regret ever thinking I was a loyal patriot.'
No matter what it takes…
I'm getting out of this cursed Empire.