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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Is This Unfair Bad Luck or Unfair Good Luck?
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"S-sniff... s-sniff..."
The quiet sobs from beside me slowly pulled my eyes open.
Annoyed, I turned my head and saw a girl whose shoulder boards lacked any rank insignia. A trainee, then.
Her name was Frien, I think. I'd met her yesterday when we were both locked up in the military police detention center.
With her light brown hair and black eyes, she looked like someone from the South.
I'd exchanged a few words with her, thinking she might be from the same region, and now, after waking up, she was clinging to my side as if she'd grown dependent on me, which was utterly exhausting.
I considered ignoring her, but figured she'd just keep crying if I did, so I spoke up.
"...It seems you've forgotten that soldiers of the Empire shouldn't show tears so readily."
Frien startled at the sound of my voice, stopping her sniffling.
"I'm sorry! I-I'm ashamed! I just suddenly thought of my father back home..."
"Why your father? Is he unwell?"
"No, it's not that... He was so proud of me for enlisting in the Imperial Army, but here I am, unable to even complete the training process, stuck in this place. I feel like such an idiot."
"Did you just use informal speech?"
At my admonition, Frien's shoulders trembled slightly.
"Ah. My, my apologies! I'll correct it!"
She was a complete mess. I gazed coldly at Frien for a moment before turning my attention forward.
"You said you were here because you refused to fire a gun due to religious beliefs, didn't you?"
"Yes, sir. I volunteered as a medic, so..."
"Even as a medic, you should know how to shoot. If an enemy tries to kill a soldier you're treating, are you just going to let them die?"
Frien didn't answer. Or rather, she couldn't.
"War isn't child's play. If you want to play doctor, you should go teach kids in a kindergarten, not come to a battlefield."
A disheartened Frien lowered her head. Seeing her, I sighed and added,
"Still, I believe your will to volunteer for the army to save people is noble. For a woman to volunteer when they aren't subject to conscription, that's impossible without a spirit of sacrifice."
"...Thank you, Second Lieutenant."
A faint smile touched Frien's lips as she crouched.
"Hearing your words, Second Lieutenant, gives me strength. I understand now how childish I've been. For the honor of my father, who is a pastor, I'll have to try my best again if I return to the training camp."
This time, she still used informal speech, but I decided not to point it out.
It seemed to be an unconscious habit, and since I wasn't her direct superior, there was no need to correct her.
So, her father being a clergyman was why she hesitated to use a firearm.
It made sense, given she would have been taught that killing was forbidden...?
'Wait a minute.'
Her father is a clergyman?
And she's from the South, a woman, and received disciplinary action during training?
A sense of unease washed over me, as this was remarkably similar to the past of an NPC I frequently encountered when playing the game.
Secretly sweating, I looked at Frien.
"Soldier. What is your full name, exactly?"
"Huh? Oh. It's Frien. My full name is Frien Remilliat."
Hearing Frien's full name made the pores on my skin prickle.
Frien Remilliat was a named NPC, known as the Saintess of the Empire.
Because Frien, with her unique chant magic, would cast buff effects across the entire battlefield, literally turning the soldiers deployed there into monstrous killers.
That's why, upon hearing she was on the battlefield, retreat was often ordered, unless the power disparity was overwhelmingly in our favor.
I was deeply flustered to meet a named NPC in a detention center, but it didn't really concern me.
'I'm going to be discharged anyway.'
Once I'm discharged and leave the Empire, I'll never see her again, so what use would it be to pay attention?
"I see. That's a pretty name."
I replied offhandedly, and Frien blushed shyly.
I didn't know much about her, but for her to blush at such a small compliment, I could tell she had no experience with men.
Enlisting in the military during the prime of her youth, what exactly was she doing?
Then again, if I hadn't awakened my past life's memories in the operations command center, I would have probably thought serving in the military was the greatest honor, so there wasn't much difference.
"Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner?"
Just then, a sergeant approached the bars and spoke to me.
I raised my hand, and after confirming my face matched the roster, the sergeant took out a key from his waist and opened the detention cell door.
"You're being released. Please follow me."
Had the time come? It seemed the higher-ups, having grasped the situation, had convened a court-martial.
Frien, beside me, seemed unaware, blinking her clear eyes with a naive expression.
"You're finally leaving. It was an honor to speak with you, Second Lieutenant."
With a reluctant expression (though I was cheering inwardly), I nodded, then stood up and followed the sergeant.
After passing through the military police office and exiting the building, Captain Philip stood there.
He held a box in his hands, which somehow had a luxurious feel to it.
"Ah. You're here?"
Captain Philip gave me a benevolent smile.
Something felt off, but I saluted to be polite.
Philip, having casually returned my salute, approached me.
"I originally intended to get you out a bit earlier, but it took time to go through various procedures. You've served in the General Staff, so you understand, don't you?"
I understood. The military prioritized reports and procedures more than life itself.
But he intended to get me out earlier? The nuance of his words felt unsettling, so I just stared at him until Philip held out the box to me.
"This is a commendation for your outstanding service, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. No, wait. I should call you First Lieutenant now."
What the hell was he talking about? I blinked blankly, then took the box and opened it.
Inside were two diamond-shaped badges, symbolizing a First Lieutenant, and shoulder boards.
Wondering what this was all about, I looked up at Philip, who offered a gentle smile, as if telling me to be proud.
"Your judgment was correct. Major Karl Heimrich has been identified as an Allied spy. Therefore, to commend your military achievement, the higher-ups have awarded you a special promotion by skipping the promotion review process."
"...A special promotion? Me?"
"Indeed. The fundamental principle of the Imperial Army is to reward good deeds and punish bad ones. Furthermore, since the position of Operations Chief of Staff will be vacant for a while, the higher-ups have ordered you to serve as the acting Operations Chief of Staff."
You're joking, right? I assaulted my superior, and that superior turned out to be an Allied spy, and because of that, I got a special promotion? This is utterly ridiculous.
"At this rate, you might even surpass me. Anyway, congratulations!"
...But Philip's congratulations told me that this absurd situation was, in fact, real.
As a result, I had no choice but to shake Philip's hand and praise the Empire, biting back my tears.
***
After using the one-week commendation leave granted by the higher-ups, I returned to the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
Upon entering the building and stepping into the Operations Chief of Staff office, the gazes of the staff members who had been conversing all turned towards me.
They soon began to flock around me, smiles on their faces.
"First Lieutenant Daniel? Our hero, aren't you!"
"Even if he was a spy, it must have been hard to assault a superior you served under—what incredible courage!"
"To accumulate two consecutive merits recently is truly astonishing. Do you know your name is frequently mentioned by the higher-ups?"
I didn't accumulate these merits because I *wanted* to, people.
My heart was rotting inside, but they were offering congratulations without knowing anything, which was utterly frustrating.
"Please, hold your praises. I merely acted out of a desire to serve the Empire."
Still, I couldn't ignore their goodwill, so I replied with a smile.
After exchanging welcome greetings for a while, I walked over to my desk in the Operations Chief of Staff office... the very spot where Major Karl used to work.
Major Karl's personal belongings seemed to have been entirely removed, as the area around the desk was spotless.
On the desk lay a battle map, a few documents, and a telephone, but what stood out most was the nameplate.
[Acting Operations Chief of Staff / First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner]
Even as a temporary assignment, entrusting the position of Operations Chief of Staff to a First Lieutenant was truly unprecedented.
An Operations Chief of Staff typically held a key position within the General Staff, important enough to be granted a private office. Usually, it wouldn't be entrusted to a mere First Lieutenant.
In other words, it meant the higher-ups considered me a valuable asset.
It was absurd that I, only three months into my commission, had been specially promoted to First Lieutenant and then snagged the acting Operations Chief of Staff position.
I was truly an elite among elites, and it was no longer just a smooth path but practically a flower-strewn road ahead.
This, however, was synonymous with the path to a dishonorable discharge becoming even more arduous.
'...'
Sitting down, listening to the chirping of birds outside the window, I furrowed my brow and pressed my hand to my forehead.
'Why is this happening to me...'
I felt like I was going to lose my mind.