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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Unwanted Encounter
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Upon hearing that the number of applicants had exceeded two thousand, I, gripped by despair, questioned the officer in charge of personnel.
I asked why the recruitment notice I had written was considered well-written.
The officer chuckled and explained.
He even kindly extended his fingers to count off the points.
1. As the war with the Allied Nations dragged on, children whose parents had died on the battlefield grew into adults, burning with a desire for revenge, and flocked to enlist.
2. Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, Acting Chief of Staff, had written a notice that poured oil on the flames of vengeance for soldiers who had lost their parents, so naturally, the number of applicants had to increase.
3. Furthermore, the battlefield was the Northern Front, where the Imperial Army held the upper hand. It was clear that not a few soldiers would want to make a name for themselves and gain something in such an advantageous theater of war.
4. The phrasing that depicted those in the rear as "parasites" likely provoked resentment among the soldiers. A high probability existed that some of them took the notice seriously and volunteered for honor.
5. Even setting aside the logical inferences mentioned earlier, Lieutenant Daniel's notice possessed something that stirred a man's heart.
The personnel officer, having extended all fingers on one hand, added a compliment, saying, "You have a talent for propaganda," and told me to let him know anytime if I wished to transfer to the human resources department.
Responding to the transfer offer with an awkward smile, I dismissed the officer and ordered the soldiers to sort the documents.
Common sense dictated that I couldn't reject over two thousand applicants, so my deployment to the Northern Front was as good as confirmed.
In that case, the best course of action was to select the most normal and elite soldiers from the applicants to ensure my safety.
Therefore, anyone with even a minor criminal record was excluded.
Those whose sole purpose for volunteering was revenge were also excluded.
Anyone harboring impure ideologies or appearing mentally or physically infirm was also excluded.
Anyone who had disobeyed a superior's order even once during training was also excluded.
Those who failed to achieve a perfect score in the shooting test were excluded.
Those without aptitude for magic were excluded.
After the initial screening of documents, the remaining applicants numbered 327.
From those, I meticulously selected and re-selected individuals with excellent records and exemplary military careers, choosing twenty platoon members and sending them acceptance notifications.
Ten days after sending the acceptance notifications.
I stood before them.
"…"
At the fountain in front of the Chief of Staff's headquarters, the designated assembly point, I felt an inexplicable sense of intimidation from the sight of my chosen platoon members lined up in a single rank.
Their eyes, in particular, were terrifying.
To exaggerate slightly, their gazes exuded the spirit of iron men, as if they would follow an order for a suicide charge without a single word of complaint.
'Even though these are the ones I picked… are they perhaps lacking in humanity?'
Cold sweat trickled down my back without me realizing it.
Of course, not all the platoon members were behaving like war machines devoid of humanity.
There was one woman among the burly men, blinking with clear eyes.
'Frien Remiliat.'
She was the woman I had met in the detention center once before, a named NPC who would one day become the Empire's Saintess.
She must have completed training without issue, as she was now wearing the insignia of a Private Second Class.
I had selected her without much thought since she was on the applicant list, but seeing Frien, with her sparkling eyes amidst the soldiers burning with combat fervor, reminded me of a 'clear-eyed madman.'
Had I picked her unnecessarily? I, who had been watching Frien with a wary gaze, cleared my throat.
"Glad to meet you, soldiers."
Before departure, it was a commander's duty to briefly outline the mission.
I intended to fulfill that duty now.
All while hoping my platoon members would get scared and run away.
"As you may have seen in the notice, I, standing before you, am Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, Acting Chief of Staff, and your platoon leader. Just in case you didn't see it in the notice, I repeat: I have no combat experience."
Despite telling them I might be incompetent, there was not a single murmur.
Good. So you'll endure, will you? Then I'll push harder.
"Therefore, I ask that you do not expect a competent commander. All I desire is the annihilation of the Allied forces and the screams of the barbarians who belong to them."
I was currently trying to convey that I had no aptitude for tactics or strategy.
A normal soldier would feel fear at this point.
But for some reason, fierce smiles bloomed on the faces of the platoon members.
I stared at them, briefly falling silent, then snapped a warning.
"I have no need for cowards. So, this is your only chance to escape the blood-soaked battlefield. Those who wish to abandon the mission, raise your hand."
As expected, not a single one of them raised a hand.
Indeed, these bastards are not in their right minds.
I sighed inwardly and spoke one last time.
"Good! You fools who wish to challenge death! I shall personally assist you. Your sweat and blood will bring glory to the Empire!"
No sooner had I finished speaking than the soldiers saluted.
"Glory to the Empire!"
Their unified voices resounded, enough to engulf the Chief of Staff's headquarters.
Seeing that, I secretly groaned and closed my eyes.
'This is driving me crazy…'
They were truly nothing short of warmongers.
*
Four days later.
Northern Front, 307th Special Operations Unit, Temporary Outpost.
'Today is the day the reinforcements from the Chief of Staff's direct command unit are supposed to arrive,' he thought.
Captain Heinz Schmidt, Company Commander of the 307th Special Operations Unit, resting in his military barracks, reached into his pocket and pulled out the recruitment notice he had seen previously.
『Recruitment Notice for Northern Front Reinforcements』
Hear ye, soldiers!
The battle to protect our noble homeland is currently raging fiercely in the North!
Therefore, I desire those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the Empire!
You! While alive, do not covet the Empire's bounty; in death, become the fertilizer that adorns the Empire's glory!
Join me and destroy, ravage, and eliminate the enemies until death!
We shall desire nothing but the death of our enemies!
'…It's like looking at madness.'
Even for Heinz, who prided himself on having witnessed all kinds of madness—through assassinations, high-profile target eliminations, and counter-terrorism operations since joining the special operations unit—this notice was unfamiliar.
'It's as if this isn't recruiting comrades to fight alongside, but rather…'
It seemed to be seeking expendable components to be used and discarded for the Empire.
'Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, was it?'
His adjutant had told him that Steiner was a talented individual who had recently earned three distinguished merits, resulting in a special promotion to lieutenant.
Yet, the fact that he was still not satisfied and had volunteered for the Northern Front meant only one thing.
'A warmonger obsessed with promotion…!'
Lieutenant Daniel Steiner appeared to be someone who would use his own allies without an ounce of blood or tears for the sake of his promotion.
That fact made Heinz feel quite uneasy; he unconsciously clenched his hand, then quickly shook his head.
'It's wrong to judge a person based solely on rumors.'
One couldn't truly know a person's true nature without experiencing them firsthand.
As he composed himself, a soldier entered the barracks entrance and saluted.
"Captain! The reinforcements sent by the Chief of Staff's headquarters have arrived!"
Heinz nodded, having heard the report.
"Understood. I'll go out to meet them."
Heinz put the notice back into his pocket and stood up.
He then glanced at a girl leisurely reading a book nearby, but as she seemed focused on her reading, he didn't bother to speak to her.
Heinz, showing courtesy to the girl with a slight nod, opened the barracks door and stepped outside.
His vision brightened, revealing a single platoon marching across the snow-covered ground.
The twenty soldiers exuded an inexplicably intense aura, creating an unwarranted sense of intimidation.
Even the special operations unit officers and soldiers passing nearby hesitated and backed away.
Leading these war-machine-like soldiers was none other than Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.
He gazed straight ahead, his haggard eyes glinting with an almost emotionless intensity.
"…"
"…"
As their eyes met, Heinz felt his body stiffen inexplicably.
Frowning, Daniel realized the other man was the unit's commander and promptly saluted.
As Heinz returned the salute, feeling tense, Daniel approached with a faint smile.
"It is an honor to meet you, Captain Heinz Schmidt."
"...You know my name?"
"Yes. I conducted a rough investigation into the unit I would be joining. It's a unit that has completed many impressive missions. I believe I understand why I've been assigned here."
"I appreciate you saying that. It must have been a difficult journey to get here; are you not fatigued? Your soldiers must also be tired from the long march."
Daniel let out a low chuckle and shook his head.
"You mean those aspiring suicides? I've observed them for days; they never seem to tire, so don't worry."
At the phrase 'aspiring suicides,' Heinz broke out in a cold sweat.
'As expected… he treats his soldiers as mere expendables.'
In reality, it was merely a joke intended to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but Heinz, already gripped by his preconceptions, began to see Daniel as some kind of demon.
"...Captain Heinz?"
Daniel, who couldn't have known this, tilted his head, observing Heinz's stiff expression.
"What's all the commotion?"
The entrance to the military tent behind Heinz opened, and a blonde girl emerged.
Dressed in a pristine white blouse with a red brooch pinned at her neck, she was unmistakably a young lady from a noble family.
Daniel naturally shifted his gaze, and as his eyes met the girl's, he paused and fell silent.
Seeing this, Heinz began to introduce the girl.
"Ah. This young lady here has volunteered for our unit as a war correspondent. She arrived a few days ago, saying she wishes to capture the Imperial Army's exploits on camera."
Despite Heinz's explanation, Daniel couldn't take his eyes off the girl.
Aware of his gaze, the girl offered Daniel a bright smile.
And at that same moment, Daniel felt as if every cell in his body had frozen.
'This woman is a war correspondent?'
No. Absolutely not.
Daniel knew that the true identity of the woman before him was royalty.
'Why are *you* here?'
The heir to the throne, who would one day ascend to become the Emperor of the Empire.
Sylvia von Amberg.
That was the girl's true identity.