Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 39
I’ll Become the Nightmare of Nordia

『 Translator – Divinity 』

It felt surreal to be promoted to Major in an occupied territory.

To be more specific, it felt like a nightmare.

What was even more horrifying was that the series of events I was experiencing wasn’t even a nightmare.

It was reality.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Major Daniel Steiner.”

Lucy’s voice echoed hollowly in the office.

“As you know, the General Staff Headquarters has entrusted you with the position of acting garrison commander. The Division Commander is leaving the city with his troops, so you’ll be in charge of managing the city from now on.”

I knew. Looking out the office window, I could see the armored division’s tanks and artillery leaving the city with the soldiers.

Heinrich, who had attached the Major’s badge to my uniform, was also moving with his brigade.

To think that today was the day they were joining the northern front lines.

‘Isn’t this too much? Handing over the position of garrison commander on the day you leave?’

I wanted to protest, but even if I shouted, Heinrich wouldn’t hear me.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“…How many troops did the division leave for me?”

“A battalion-sized force. The total number of troops is 950.”

The one good thing was that the division had left behind a battalion, close to their maximum capacity.

Nordia wasn’t a very large city, so this number of troops should be enough to maintain order.

But that wasn’t the problem.

‘I’ve unintentionally achieved too many merits.’

Due to the merits accumulated in a short period, I ended up being promoted to Major.

It meant I had become a field officer with far greater authority compared to a company-grade officer.

This news would soon reach the Allied Nations, and I would be branded as a “key member of the Imperial military leadership.”

The moment the Empire lost the war, I would be destined to vanish as a dewdrop on the execution grounds in a war crimes tribunal.

‘Should I bet on the Empire winning, then?’

No, the odds of that were too low.

In this day and age, no nation could defeat the Empire in a one-on-one all-out war.

However, war wasn’t a fair competition in a boxing ring with a referee.

The fact that the Allied Nations had drawn the Kingdom into an alliance was proof of that.

The Empire, enraged by the Kingdom’s abandonment of neutrality, was currently wielding its iron hammer, but what would happen when the Kingdom, struck by that hammer, collapsed, bleeding profusely?

The great powers would think, Is the Empire going to become the hegemon?

Fearing this, they would rush to support the Allied Nations.

The prime examples were the Socialist Republic in the south and the Beleka Federal Republic in the northeast.

The moment they entered the war, a world war would become a reality.

The Empire would suddenly have to fight the Republic, the Federal Republic, and the Allied Nations on three fronts, excluding the sea.

Predicting the Empire’s victory in such a war would be like a gambler betting their life on an underdog.

‘The stakes are my life. So I need to be cautious…’

Things were getting complicated, but nothing would change.

Unless the Empire experienced all sorts of luck to turn the upcoming unfavorable war situation around.

Realistically, he had no choice but to find a way to escape the Empire.

‘Of course…’

With his reputation growing, he wouldn’t be able to seek asylum through ordinary means.

It was doubtful whether they would even accept him, and even if they did, it was unlikely they would guarantee his safety.

However, if the Allied Nations offered him a deal they couldn’t refuse, it would be a different story.

“Major?”

Lost in thought about various possibilities, I flinched and turned around.

Lucy was staring at me, blinking her red eyes.

I had momentarily forgotten that she was an Allied spy.

Now that I was a Major, the chances of being assassinated must have increased.

As I was breaking out in a cold sweat from an unknown anxiety, Lucy tilted her head.

“I apologize for interrupting your thoughts, but I believe it’s time to start planning for the city.”

“Ah, right.”

I cleared my throat and casually put my hands behind my back.

“What’s there to plan for the city besides maintaining public order? We can just increase patrols in the main streets where crimes occur. As for administration, we can follow existing practices…”

I stopped mid-sentence.

I realized why Lucy had emphasized city planning.

“…Don’t tell me the administration is paralyzed?”

Lucy nodded.

“Indeed. Most of the civil servants escaped by boat, and even high-ranking officials like the mayor have all fled and sought asylum to avoid the war.”

“So we need to rebuild the administrative system.”

After a moment of contemplation, I said,

“It’s important to restore basic public services first. Distribute food using military supplies and have the remaining doctors return to work to revitalize medical services. The garrison and local police will cooperate to maintain public order. Also…”

I paused.

Shouldn’t I avoid diligently carrying out the “acting garrison commander” duties assigned by the General Staff Headquarters?

If they deemed me to have excellent operational capabilities, I might be stuck with this kind of work on the front lines.

It would be more dangerous to carry out operations in a distant land while also facing assassination threats in the capital.

‘In that case…’

It might be too late, but it was still right to struggle and lower my evaluation as much as possible.

Let’s think about this.

If I revive the city administration in the wrong way, the citizens’ dissatisfaction would explode, and if their dissatisfaction led to protests or riots, it would expose my incompetence.

Then, the headquarters would deem me unfit for the position of garrison commander.

They would quickly appoint a replacement and send them here, shortening my return to the capital.

I could lower my evaluation and return quickly, killing two birds with one stone!

‘Alright.’

Having made up my mind, I said with a faint smile,

“Recruit those who don’t have specific jobs and assign them to military service. A battalion-sized force isn’t enough manpower. They’ll understand if you tell them to assist the garrison and take charge of miscellaneous tasks.”

Assisting the occupying forces with military service? Their dissatisfaction would surely explode.

Not only those directly involved in forced labor but also their families and acquaintances would share their discontent.

“Also, we need to reassess the city’s tax rates. What were the previous rates?”

“I don’t know. It seems the officials, anticipating defeat, burned all related documents before fleeing. However, we can get a rough idea through surveys.”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

It was better this way.

I could just collect taxes as I pleased.

“From now on, we’ll impose a 30% income tax on the citizens of Nordia to raise funds for the war. For high-income earners, impose up to 50%.”

Currently, the basic income tax for workers in the Empire was 22%.

It was low considering they were at war, but it was still a significant increase from the original 12%.

Naturally, there was growing discontent within the capital regarding the increased tax rate.

But to set the basic income tax at 30% while clearly discriminating against the occupied territory? Dissatisfaction would surely erupt.

“Also, put up recruitment notices to find competent people to fill the shortage of administrative personnel. However, select them based on the Empire’s standards, not the Kingdom’s.”

Removing the Kingdom’s existing practices from the civil servant selection process.

It was a form of cultural oppression.

This would also be enough to trigger discontent among the Kingdom’s citizens.

Lucy, after listening to everything I said, gave a light salute.

“I’ll deliver your message right away, sir.”

I returned the salute and turned to look out the window again.

The Empire’s Magic Armored Division was almost entirely out of the city.

I could see citizens on the streets, watching the scene with unprecedented emotions.

Looking at them, I felt a pang of sympathy.

‘I’m sorry, citizens of the Kingdom. Life is about to get a little harder for you.’

But I had no ill intentions.

I was only doing this to survive.

***

Late at night.

Secret Society Black Swan Council, in the basement of a bar.

“As you all know, Nordia has fallen into the hands of the Imperial bastards.”

At the words of the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table, everyone nodded somberly.

Hamtal, the leader of the Black Swan with his dark skin, continued in the gloomy atmosphere,

“It’s been almost ten years since we started fighting for freedom and equality. We’ve been through a lot, but I believe this is the first time we’ve all experienced the pain of losing a city to war.”

Hamtal slammed his fist on the table.

“But we haven’t given up on the city yet! If we eliminate that vicious Daniel Steiner, we might be able to reclaim it! Don’t you agree!?”

“That’s right!” Voices of agreement arose from all directions in response to Hamtal’s words.

As Hamtal looked at them with satisfaction, he turned his gaze towards the door as it burst open.

It was Tarki, a young man who was working as an informant for the Black Swan.

He was holding a bundle of documents in his hand.

“Members of the Black Swan! The garrison headquarters announced their plans for the city today!”

“That bastard finally…! Tell us what he’s planning.”

It was expected that the garrison commander would control the city as he pleased.

As groans filled the room, Tarki looked at the documents in his hand and spoke.

“F-First, they’re imposing mandatory military service on the unemployed.”

“They’re telling us to work for the Empire! That’s absurd! What’s the public reaction?”

“Uh… the reaction isn’t that bad. They’re saying they’ll pay proper wages, and since it’s based on the Empire’s standards, considering the exchange rate, it’s twice the average worker’s wage. So there are tons of applicants.”

Paying proper wages? As silence fell over the room at the unexpected answer, Tarki continued,

“Next is the tax rate.”

“Ha! The tax rate! Of course, that was inevitable. How much are those bastards raising it?”

“Well… they’re imposing a 30% base income tax and up to 50% for high-income earners.”

“He actually lowered the tax rate.”

The Black Swan members were dumbfounded.

The Kingdom’s existing tax rate was 45% for the base income tax, and high-income earners were taxed up to 70%.

There were even signs that it would increase further due to the war, so the citizens were struggling.

But Daniel Steiner, the garrison commander, had reduced the tax rate.

As the Black Swan members remained speechless, Tarki scratched his cheek and said,

“Lastly, regarding the selection of civil servants, he said he would choose them based on the Empire’s standards, not the Kingdom’s.”

“He’s finally revealing his true colors! Is he going to select only those loyal to the Empire!?”

“Um, no, he removed all the unnecessary bonus points from the Kingdom’s civil servant selection criteria. Like the bonus points given to those from noble families.”

So he was going to appoint officials based solely on their abilities.

After hearing all this, the Black Swan members exchanged glances and swallowed nervously.

This was supposed to be the time for the flames of revolution to ignite, but everyone was speechless.

After a long silence, a man with his robe pulled low spoke up hesitantly.

“I’m not sure if I should say this, but…”

The man fidgeted with his hands and looked at Hamtal.

“…Isn’t life better now than before?”

Ironically, no one could refute his statement.