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Chapter 12

I gripped the wheel tightly and pressed the accelerator all the way down.

If I stop, I’ll die. That thought occupied my mind.

I struggled to calm my rough breathing and grabbed the walkie-talkie as I drove.

“This is Water Gun Bird! Enemy ambush! I repeat! This is Water Gun Bird! Enemy ambush! Approximately 42 km towards Marvrachika village! Requesting immediate support!”

After finishing my message, I quickly switched frequencies and spoke to my platoon members this time.

“This is the platoon leader! Respond! Damn it, just say anything!”

As I released the transmission button, a trembling voice came through from the other side.

— L-Lieutenant? I don’t know what’s happening. We also took a side path for now. However, due to the sound of gunfire, we’re on the opposite side from you to avoid the enemy!

From the voice, it was Prien.

I wished a calmer member would have been on the radio, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.

“Good. After driving as far as possible, when you feel you’ve created enough distance from the enemy, dismount and spread out! Then, while waiting for reinforcements at the forward operating base, try to assess the enemy’s strength. If you determine they are manageable…!”

Boom─!

With a shock, the vehicle shook violently, causing me to drop the walkie-talkie in my hand.

Amidst Selvia’s groans, my vision flickered chaotically.

In a situation where I felt I might lose my mind, I roughly held onto the steering wheel.

‘The tire’s gone. I don’t know if it was a targeted shot or just a blind bullet…’

What mattered was that I could now hear the gunshots from a considerable distance.

Having created quite a gap, I could view it as buying myself time.

But it was still too early to feel secure. I had to get out of their sight.

Just then, a curve appeared ahead of me.

To shake them off as best as I could, I took my foot off the accelerator and pressed the brake.

Screeeech─

With the tires squealing against the ground, I sharply turned the steering wheel.

The jeep spun halfway around, leaning dangerously.

Just before it was about to tip over, I slammed the accelerator down hard.

The tires spun rapidly and propelled us forward.

The jeep that was about to fall regained its balance and returned to all four tires on the ground.

With a thud, Selvia’s sharp scream echoed.

It was a pitiful scream that made me want to apologize, but this wasn’t the time to care about such things.

I shifted gears and pressed the accelerator again.

Had the jeep really been able to move this fast? Just as this thought crossed my mind, my vision became blurred.

‘Damn…!’

The bullet-riddled tire had lost its function, expelling air.

In my panic, I hurriedly stepped on the brake, but the situation only worsened.

The sound of the tire scraping the ground rang out as the vehicle spun wildly.

Then, with a bang! A massive shock was transmitted to the vehicle’s body.

“Ugh!”

As I slowly lifted my head to calm my body hit by the shock, I saw the hood lodged against a tree pole.

Smoke was billowing out, showing it had crashed hard.

“Ugh, ugh…”

A faint groan came from near my thigh.

Only then, looking down at Selvia with concern, I asked,

“Are you alright?”

She couldn’t be alright, but I asked out of courtesy.

Knowing this, Selvia glared at me once and then raised her upper body.

“I’m not fine, but… I can still move. More importantly, how did the enemy know our route?”

It was unexpected. I thought she’d be crying in fear or panicking.

After all, she was a woman set to ascend to the throne as the Empress, commanding the Empire Army, the strongest military in the world.

If she panicked in this situation, she wouldn’t have earned the title of Iron Blood.

“It seems there was a spy working with the enemy at the forward operating base. It’s common during wartime.”

I said, pulling at the handle of the driver’s seat. It seemed bent, as it wouldn’t open.

After several attempts, I turned my body and kicked it hard with my foot.

After several heavy kicks, the door came off with a thud.

Having exited first, I reached out my hand to Selvia.

“Now, get out. The pursuers will be on us soon, so we need to put some distance.”

“Yeah. That would be best.”

Selvia answered obediently, taking my hand and getting out of the jeep.

As Selvia stepped away from the vehicle and took a deep breath, her shoulders trembled slightly.

She was holding herself together, but she was still a girl after all.

I chuckled softly and led Selvia towards the forest.

As Selvia walked behind me, she probably noticed my smile and faintly flushed her face.

“You drive quite dreadfully, Lieutenant Daniel.”

How embarrassing; she was trying to change the subject. From this alone, she was no different from a teenage girl.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Do you hear my words as compliments?”

“If you hadn’t driven dreadfully, both I and you would have been turned into a sieve by enemy fire by now. So, what else could it be but a compliment?”

“It wouldn’t have been a sieve for me….”

Selvia murmured something and then shut her mouth.

Good. How dare she try to out-talk an adult who has seen everything; ten years is too little for that.

“Lieutenant Daniel. From now on, we…”

I raised my hand to silence Selvia.

Because I heard enemy voices not far away.

“Wha?!”

As Selvia struggled, I gestured for her to be quiet by placing my finger on my lips.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Selvia nodded.

I then led Selvia behind nearby bushes and listened intently.

“…They should be around here. The car is wrecked, so they can’t have gone far.”

“Damn it! I told you to hide the spike strips well!”

“Shut up, Veldo! Complaining won’t solve anything!”

Peeking out to check their numbers, I saw there were six of them.

It looked like they were moving in teams. For now, I didn’t see any other personnel.

The problem was that they were getting closer to us.

At this rate, we’d definitely be discovered… Wait a minute.

‘Come to think of it, aren’t they the Allied Forces?’

If that’s the case, there might be a chance they’ll accept my request for asylum after surrendering.

I’m an officer of the Empire who worked at Staff Headquarters. Unless they were brainless brutes blinded by revenge, they’d see me as having strategic value.

‘If they can communicate using a spy, then they probably have a way ready to escape to the Allied Forces as well.’

I never expected to gain an opportunity for asylum like this. Regardless, it was like a stroke of luck for me.

“…Reporter.”

Of course, I couldn’t request asylum in front of the princess.

If I did, my life would be in danger even before belonging to the Allied Forces.

“We will be discovered by them in no time. One of us must make a sacrifice. One person needs to draw attention and lure them away so that the other can survive. So, I will act as bait and lure them.”

As I finished speaking, Selvia’s eyes widened in surprise.

Her face was clearly filled with disbelief.

In a hushed voice, Selvia urged, “Stop it right now! If you do that, you’ll die!”

“If my death allows you to live, then that’s enough. A soldier exists to protect their people.”

“Lieutenant Daniel…!”

I gently held Selvia’s shoulders and spoke as earnestly as I could.

“Please survive, Reporter. If someday peace and prosperity return to the Empire, remember that there was a man named me.”

Selvia’s face flushed. She seemed to feel somewhat touched.

Having lingered long enough in this goodbye act, I released her shoulders and stood up.

“W-wait. We don’t need to run away…!”

Selvia tried to stop me until the very end, but the die had already been cast.

I dashed away from the ground with all my might, heading in the opposite direction from where Selvia was hiding.

“Hey, hey!?”

“Catch that bastard!”

Behind me, I could hear the soldiers from the Allied Forces chasing after me.

Perfect. Everything was going according to my plan.

At this rate, escaping the Empire was just a matter of time!

*

Left alone, Selvia stared blankly in the direction Daniel had run.

As she did, she replayed Daniel’s words in her mind.

— If my death allows you to live, then that’s enough. A soldier exists to protect their people.

With a melancholic gaze, she vividly remembered the image of Daniel, who was ready to sacrifice himself.

To her, it was an utterly surreal scene.

What kind of officer would sacrifice his life just for a war correspondent?

‘…Captain Heinz was wrong.’

He said Daniel lacked respect for others? That made no sense.

Daniel was someone who could sacrifice his life for the Empire’s citizens!

He was on a different level from the officials in the Imperial Family who merely spoke of sacrifice for the country and its people.

He showed his spirit of sacrifice through action, not words.

So she had to save him. She had to get him back. She couldn’t lose the Empire’s treasure in such a trivial place.

“Imperial Guard.”

As Selvia muttered softly, the surrounding space warped, and soldiers wearing gas masks appeared one by one.

They had been hiding around Selvia, but upon hearing the words “Imperial Guard,” they deactivated their camouflage.

Without giving them a glance, Selvia opened her mouth.

“Rescue Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. If he gets even the slightest injury…”

Selvia’s eyes narrowed sharply, her pupils rolling as she spoke.

“I won’t forgive you.”

The Imperial Guards nodded in response to the command and then took off at a sprint.

As Selvia watched the rapidly moving guards, she slowly rose to her feet.

Placing her hand on her chest, she exhaled deeply.

Perhaps due to the aftereffects of rough driving, her heart was still beating heavily.

I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

MFWH, Mistaken for a War Hero, 전쟁 명장으로 착각당했다
Score 8
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
I became a staff officer of an empire whose defeat was certain. The only way to escape from the empire with an 8-year mandatory service was through dishonorable discharge. But then… “You can be glad, Lieutenant. Thanks to your accurate instinct, our military could prevent damage in advance.” The more I struggled to be discharged, the higher my performance evaluation became.

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