Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 32
Could the Company Commander Have Planned This?

Lucy’s intuition sounded an alarm.

This woman in front of her was dangerous.

Her eyes, which seemed to pierce through one’s heart, held a hint of madness.

However, Lucy didn’t lose her composure.

What would change even if she was suspected? Nothing.

“Be clear about what you’re trying to say, Cadet Frienne. Are you saying I committed a sin? Or are you saying I’m lying?”

Frienne’s pupils trembled for a moment.

She had only been testing the waters with half-hearted suspicion, but she didn’t expect Lucy to react so calmly.

Frienne stood up and gave an awkward smile.

“Lieutenant? I was just sharing my experience. According to my experience…”

“I see. It’s important to gain experience in all things. It provides a basis for judgment. But where did you learn to suspect others without any grounds or evidence?”

It was a polite yet thorny remark.

Lucy was essentially asking if Frienne’s disrespectful attitude towards her superior was also based on her “experience.”

It was an insult not only to Frienne but also to the family that raised her.

Frienne was well aware of Lucy’s intentions.

One of her eyebrows twitched as she maintained her smile.

Tick-tock—

In the ensuing silence, the ticking of the clock echoed emptily.

In that frigid atmosphere, where anything could happen, familiar footsteps approached.

Just as Frienne reflexively turned around, the door to the office opened, and Daniel entered.

“Captain!”

“You’ve arrived.”

Frienne saluted with a bright smile, and Lucy also stood up and saluted.

Daniel returned their salutes and was about to relay the Deputy Chief’s message when he paused.

‘What’s this?’

The atmosphere in the office felt strangely heavy.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Although he felt slightly uneasy, it wasn’t important right now, so he decided to move on.

“Cadet Frienne, I discussed your situation with the Deputy Chief. Normally, a cadet wouldn’t be allowed on the battlefield, but he’s making an exception for you this time as part of your training.”

Frienne didn’t seem surprised.

She had already received confirmation from the personnel department, so she naturally assumed that the Deputy Chief of Operations, who was higher up the chain of command, would also approve.

Still, it wasn’t bad to receive confirmation from Daniel himself.

“I’ll do my best, Captain Daniel!”

Daniel looked at Frienne with a dubious expression as she spoke confidently, then turned his gaze to Lucy.

“And Lieutenant Lucy, it’s been confirmed that you’ll be joining me as my adjutant on the Northern Front. So, both of you, pack your belongings and prepare to head north. We’ll depart as soon as everyone is assembled.”

The two saluted Daniel in acknowledgement.

As Daniel returned their salutes, Frienne slowly turned her gaze to Lucy.

“It seems we’ll be spending some time together, Lieutenant Lucy.”

Lucy also met Frienne’s gaze, her eyes narrowing sharply.

“Indeed. It seems so.”

Daniel couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat at the tense atmosphere.

‘What’s going on with you two?’

He couldn’t understand why they were glaring at each other with such hostility.

***

As soon as the company assembled at the General Staff Headquarters, I gave a brief speech, introduced myself to the junior officers who would be my subordinates, and then we departed immediately.

…I was worried that Lucy and Frienne might fight during our journey to the Northern Front Army, but fortunately, there were no direct confrontations between them.

Of course, there were occasional minor conflicts, but I intervened each time and mediated, preventing their war of nerves from escalating into a shootout.

The problem was that despite my numerous interventions during the month-long journey to the northern outpost, there was no sign of their feud dying down.

“Why don’t you get some sleep if you’re tired? I can handle Lieutenant Lucy’s duties.”

“I commend you for trying to imitate a stork when you were born a sparrow.”

Sitting in the passenger seat of the officer’s vehicle, I observed Lucy and Frienne through the rearview mirror.

Despite their barbed words, both of them had calm expressions.

Frienne was even wearing a benevolent smile.

However, listening to their conversation was suffocating.

Even the driver next to me was subtly glancing at the rearview mirror, his face clearly asking, ‘Why are they fighting?’

‘This is hopeless.’

I was getting tired of mediating their fights.

Sighing, I looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting.

“Stop here.”

At my words, the driver stepped on the brake and said,

“Are we camping here tonight?”

“Yes.”

The staff car gradually slowed down and came to a complete stop.

Opening the door and stepping outside, I looked around.

Among the dense, bare trees, I found a clearing large enough to accommodate about 200 soldiers.

There was also a stream nearby, so it wouldn’t be bad for supplying drinking water.

But the chilly wind seemed to pierce through my officer’s winter coat.

I frowned as I exhaled a cold breath.

‘Even though it’s summer, it’s not much different from winter here.’

The only difference from the last time I was in the north was that the snow had melted somewhat.

This must be why the military leaders wanted to end the war before summer passed.

If the weather was this harsh in summer, once winter arrived, there would surely be many soldiers succumbing to frostbite during the march.

‘Even among my soldiers…’

There were two soldiers who almost fell behind because they couldn’t endure the cold.

They were fine now, though.

I turned my head slightly and saw about two hundred soldiers in Imperial uniforms standing by behind the military vehicles.

The driver approached them and relayed my orders to the platoon leader.

The platoon leader turned around and shouted.

The soldiers moved in unison and entered the clearing.

They put down their backpacks and started setting up military tents from within.

Some were taking out combat rations from the transport trucks that had been converted into food storage.

As I watched them with my hands behind my back, two platoon leaders strode towards me.

This was good timing. I had something for them to do.

“Lieutenant McCael, take two swift soldiers and scout the surrounding terrain. There’s a high hill nearby; climb it and observe the surroundings.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

McCael saluted immediately, called two soldiers who were setting up tents, and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

I was about to relax and kill some time, but Sergeant Glendy wouldn’t let me.

“Company Commander, isn’t it too early to camp?”

He had a rather young face, as if he had recently been promoted to Sergeant.

With a bit of exaggeration, he still had a boyish look, as if he hadn’t completely shed his adolescence.

Although his face was full of discontent, I answered as calmly as possible,

“Sergeant, don’t you know that preserving the soldiers’ stamina is paramount on the battlefield?”

“I understand that, sir… but our estimated arrival time at the outpost was five days ago. It’s been five days past the estimated time, so I’m not sure if we can afford to relax.”

I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

The Sergeant, perhaps feeling intimidated, hesitated, but then clenched his fists and spoke.

“Why the five-day delay? I was curious, so I checked our current location using orienteering, and it turns out we’re not on a direct path to the outpost. I believe you’re intentionally taking a detour, Company Commander.”

Of course, I was. Even when there were roads, I deliberately took detours, and even when there were easier paths, I chose to travel through rough terrain.

The reason was simple.

‘The later we arrive, the later we’ll be deployed to the battlefield.’

Arriving early only meant dying early in battle.

Didn’t he understand this simple logic?

Well, Sergeant Glendy was a stubborn man who was willing to sacrifice his life for the Empire.

Although not to the same extent as Frienne, he was also a case of nationalism polluting his brain.

Feeling sorry for him, I chuckled, and Sergeant Glendy flared up.

“Company Commander! Are you laughing right now? I didn’t want to say this, but even the soldiers are suspicious of you! They’re saying that you’re a coward from the General Staff Headquarters, avoiding the battlefield!”

That was music to my ears.

The lower my evaluation, the less likely the General Staff Headquarters would assign me to operational support.

Of course, I couldn’t reveal my true intentions, so I decided to make an appropriate excuse.

“If you focus on the trees, you miss the forest. If someone’s eyes are fixed only on the trees, they won’t understand even if you explain the forest to them. That’s your limitation, Sergeant Glendy.”

“What are you talking about…?”

As Sergeant Glendy was dumbfounded, Lieutenant McCael returned from the depths of the forest.

He had finished his reconnaissance.

But his face was flushed with excitement.

Wondering what was going on, I watched as Lieutenant McCael approached me and said with a trembling voice,

“Company Commander! I-I found them! The enemy supply unit is preparing to camp! As far as I know, even the Intelligence Agency couldn’t pinpoint their supply route…! You were intentionally searching for them while taking detours!”

…What was he talking about? Why was an enemy supply unit here?

As I stood there dumbfounded, Sergeant Glendy’s eyes lit up.

“Is that true? Don’t tell me, Company Commander, you were aiming for this from the beginning…”

Sergeant Glendy’s disgruntled expression transformed into one of awe.

“I apologize! I was disrespectful!”

I was bewildered as Sergeant Glendy bowed his head apologetically.

Just as I thought things were getting strange, I made eye contact with Frienne.

Her eyes, filled with respect, were incredibly burdensome.

Even the two platoon leaders were treating me like some genius strategist.

It felt like I had crossed a point of no return.

If I ordered them not to attack the enemy here, I might get beaten up by these nationalist lunatics…

Unable to do anything about it, I grabbed the brim of my uniform cap.

“Relay this to all troops.”

Pulling my cap down low, I sighed inwardly and said,

“…Tell them to prepare to exterminate the rats.”

—————

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