I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

The following morning, as I arrived at the General Staff Headquarters, I raised my hand to my forehead.

The lingering effects of the alcohol left me with a throbbing headache.

‘I must have drunk too much yesterday.’

The root cause was the bartender recognizing me upon entering the Officers’ Club.

With a smile, the bartender had proclaimed, “For the heroic Major Daniel, drinks are on the house today!” leading me to consume beyond my limits.

‘Then, at some point, I must have passed out…’

When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the bed in my quarters.

The issue was that I had no recollection of how I had returned to my quarters.

‘There’s no way I could have walked back on my own. Someone must have assisted me.’

The thought of inconveniencing others left me feeling miserable.

With a furrowed brow and a low sigh, I arrived at my private office and grasped the doorknob.

Upon opening the door, as usual, the impeccably dressed Lucie was already present, attending to her duties.

Noticing my entry, Lucie rose from her seat and saluted.

“Major Daniel Steiner, you’ve arrived.”

…She didn’t typically address me by my full name, did she?

Her demeanor seemed oddly stiff for some reason.

After an awkward moment, I returned her salute and walked towards my desk.

Setting down my briefcase, I took a seat, and Lucie approached me, holding a copy of the Imperial Daily.

“Ah, thank you…”

As I reached to accept the newspaper, Lucie inexplicably did not release her grip.

Puzzled, I raised my head to find her regarding me with a chilly gaze.

“Major Daniel Steiner. Alcohol is a matter of personal preference. I believe one can indulge as they please.”
“…I suppose so?”
“However, excessive consumption is never good for one’s health. Particularly drinking to the point of incoherence is unbecoming of an Imperial officer and sets a poor example.”

From beginning to end, her words were undeniably true, leaving me no room for rebuttal.

‘But to suddenly bring this up…’

Could Lucie be the one who had escorted me back to my quarters? Perplexed, I posed a question to gauge her reaction.

“Are you implying I became incoherent? What happened yesterday?”

Lucie’s shoulders twitched slightly.

She even avoided meeting my gaze.

“…Nothing happened.”

Delivering those words with a dismissive tone, Lucie released her grip on the newspaper and returned to her desk.

As Lucie resumed her duties as usual, her ears appeared flushed for some inexplicable reason.

Regarding her with a puzzled look, I shrugged and unfolded the newspaper.

Upon opening it, my photograph adorned the front page.

Specifically, it was a picture taken as I was leaving the Imperial Palace after meeting His Majesty the Emperor.

“The Empire’s Hero, Major Daniel Steiner! Awarded the Golden Cross Medal Following the National Order of Merit!”

The headline alone left me feeling dizzy.

Without reading the article’s content, I flipped through the other news pieces.

Having been on the battlefield, I was unaware of the Capital’s current affairs, so I intended to get a general overview.

As I carefully perused the various articles, one particular passage caused me to pause.

“Tyden Varcalroy, Editor-in-Chief, Dies of Heart Attack at Home”

Tyden Varcalroy was a journalist I knew well.

He was the editor-in-chief known for primarily publishing pro-Princess articles.

Both his newspaper’s editorial stance and political leanings focused on supporting the Princess.

He could be considered one of the Princess’s prominent supporters.

‘Tyden died of a heart attack at home?’

In the current political climate? That was simply unbelievable.

It was more objective to assume the Crown Prince’s faction was responsible.

‘Which means…’

The succession struggle was beginning to escalate.

The Princess, being no fool, would undoubtedly retaliate.

Thus, a vicious undercurrent was bound to emerge.

As long as I remained in the Capital, I could not avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Letting out a deep sigh as I tapped the desk, I folded the newspaper.

How could I preserve my wellbeing amidst the impending turmoil?

After brief contemplation, I reached a decision.

‘I should flee.’

If staying in the Capital meant being engulfed in the conflict, then leaving was the only solution.

Conveniently, my recent string of promotions had accumulated leave for a commendation vacation, posing no issues.

‘The Empire’s maximum allowed vacation period is 30 days…’

If I took leave now and returned later, the power dynamic would have settled by then.

Additionally, by taking a vacation, I could convey my stance of having no interest in their succession struggles – a dual benefit.

Of course, my unilateral departure would likely leave Lucie overworked, shouldering my duties alone, but that was unavoidable.

‘It’s already absurd for me to consider the plight of a spy aiming to assassinate me.’

Having made up my mind, I rose from my seat and headed towards the door.

Just before exiting the office, a mischievous urge prompted me to glance back at Lucie.

“Aide. Allow me to apologize in advance.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Casting a benevolent look at the perplexed Lucie, I left the office.

Immediately afterward, I entered the staff room and approached Ernst, the Chief of Staff, offering a salute.

Returning the salute with a smile, Ernst spoke.

“Well, if it isn’t Major Daniel. What brings you to the Chief of Staff’s office? Didn’t I assign you a private office for your duties?”
“Chief. I’m not here regarding work matters.”
“Oh? Ah, I see. Then you wish to discuss a promotion. That matter is already under consideration by the higher-ups. You can expect a favorable outcome, so don’t worry.”
“That’s not it, either.”

What was his reason for visiting, then? Ernst’s expression betrayed his bewilderment.

After a brief pause, I spoke.

“Chief. I would like to request a vacation.”

Ernst nodded in understanding.

“A vacation, hm? Yes, even someone like you must need rest. How long were you planning to take?”
“One month.”

Ernst’s eyes widened in surprise.

He had likely anticipated a week or so, caught off guard by my sudden request for an entire month.

“…One month? Are you serious?”
“Yes. As I understand it, using commendation leave allows for extended vacations.”
“You’re not wrong about that. You’re not wrong, but… Hmm. Very well. If you insist on taking it, I cannot object. I’ll inform the higher-ups.”

I had wondered what I would do if he refused, but fortunately, that was not the case.

As I let out a relieved sigh, Ernst regarded me with a hint of surprise.

“But to request such a lengthy vacation. Have you decided on a destination for your rest?”

A destination for rest.

While I had not decided on a specific location, there was a place I wished to visit.

“I plan to return to my hometown.”

The Fianmari Village in the Bethargen Margraviate, located in the southern Empire.

My birthplace, and the home of my mentor, the Monastery Headmaster.

Southern Empire, Bethargen Margraviate.
Headquarters of the Crown Prince’s secret organization, ‘Dawn’s Radiance’.

Tada-dak—

In the dimly lit underground, the mechanical, repetitive clicking of a telex machine transmitting and receiving messages echoed.

This was one of the methods employed by Dawn’s Radiance’s leadership to issue commands to the armed groups they had dispersed like sleeper cells throughout the Capital.

Morten Blackmore, known as the organization’s Chief of Staff and their overall leader, surveyed the intelligence operatives with a brooding gaze.

He had to ensure none of them were colluding with the Princess’s faction, lest the organization crumble from within.

While unlikely, in such critical times, maintaining vigilance was prudent.

After observing the operatives for a while, Morten clenched his fist tightly.

‘By any means necessary, the Crown Prince must ascend to the Emperor’s throne.’

Having sided with the Crown Prince, Morten had no other choice.

The moment the Princess, and not the Prince, became Emperor, Morten and the entire organization would face purging.

The recent assassination of the editor Tyden Varcalroy, who had been vocally supporting the Princess’s faction, stemmed from a similar rationale.

‘We cannot allow public opinion to favor the Princess.’

Public opinion reflected the citizens’ desires, and the citizens’ desires inevitably reached the Emperor’s ears, ultimately influencing his choice of successor.

The current Emperor, renowned as a progressive monarch, had implemented a series of radical policies.

Being so concerned with the people’s welfare, he would undoubtedly consider public opinion when selecting his heir.

Thus, Morten was doing his utmost to sway the citizens’ sentiments while silencing opposing voices.

It was the best course of action to secure the throne for the incompetent Crown Prince.

‘So far, there have been no issues…’

However, the Princess, being no fool, would likely retaliate soon.

As Morten pondered what cards the Princess might hold, one of the intelligence operatives abruptly stood up in alarm.

Perplexed by this, Morten furrowed his brow.

“What is it?”

The operative re-read the information he had received before turning to Morten.

“Chief of Staff, Your Grace. It seems… Daniel Steiner has requested a vacation. An uncommonly long one, spanning an entire month.”
“He can request a vacation. What of it?”
“The location Daniel Steiner plans to visit during his vacation…”

Swallowing hard, the operative’s voice trembled as he spoke.

“…Is right here, in the southern Bethargen Margraviate where we are based.”

In an instant, the hands typing on the telex machines fell still.

Morten, too, held his breath as his eyes widened.

‘Could it be… He has sided with the Princess and is coming to annihilate us?’

As Morten remained speechless, a heavy silence descended upon the headquarters.

The name Daniel Steiner instilled palpable dread.

After a prolonged silence, Morten finally managed to speak.

“The Bethargen Margraviate is Daniel Steiner’s hometown. He may simply be coming to enjoy his vacation. Even if not, he likely hasn’t uncovered our location yet. If he had, he wouldn’t have requested a month-long vacation.”

Surveying the intelligence operatives, Morten feigned composure as he spoke.

“From now on, we will closely monitor Daniel Steiner’s every move. If he has indeed come to target us, we must be prepared to respond at any moment. Is that understood!”

“Yes!” The operatives responded resolutely, resuming their typing.

While Morten had succeeded in rallying the operatives, he could not steady his own trembling hands.

Who was Daniel Steiner? A calculating, unflinching individual whom even the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister had described as the ‘spawn of Satan’.

To suggest he was merely visiting his hometown for a vacation? It defied common sense.

It was more plausible that Daniel had uncovered the presence of Dawn’s Radiance’s headquarters here.

‘If Daniel Steiner has truly come to target us…’

They might be annihilated before even having a chance to retaliate.

Struggling to suppress his inexplicable dread, Morten clenched his fist tightly.

‘Dear God.’

Please grant us the strength to resist and overcome this demon.