In the midst of the absurdity, Ernst looks at me.
The look of expectation in his eyes seemed to say, “My capable subordinate has pulled off another feat!” which only intensified my pressure.
“How on earth did you manage to cook that silent man? Why don’t you share it with the interrogator as well?”
At Ernst’s words, Sergeant Bendelin also looked at me with a smile.
I understand. Since the interrogation was conducted with the microphone off yesterday, they wouldn’t know the details.
As an interrogator, he must be curious about how I managed to sway such a tight-lipped prisoner.
But no matter how I think about it, I simply had an ordinary conversation with Reginald.
There was no suchthing as interrogation techniques, so being asked such questions only put me in a difficult position.
Just as I was at a loss for words, Bendelin, perhaps trying to lighten the mood, spoke up in a bright voice.
“I’ve seen various cases while working as an interrogator, but I have never seen someone wrap things up as swiftly as Captain Daniel Steiner does.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Indeed. After you left the interrogation room, that bastard Reginald was practically on the verge of tears, saying he’d cooperate with the Empire. It was quite a thrill!”
Was he really about to cry? That rigid-looking Reginald?
“Moreover, while most interrogations involve shouting or using violence, Captain Daniel spoke calmly and smiled the entire time. It was quite dignified!”
Bendelin. You’re great, but your flattery is a bit excessive.
I thought about interrupting him, thinking it was too much of an exaggeration, but Ernst seemed to believe him.
He was looking at me with even greater anticipation than before.
“Listening to the sergeant makes me even more curious. What exactly did you two talk about?”
He asked twice. Even though he asked twice, it is not appropriate for a subordinate to remain silent.
It can’t be helped. After hesitating for a moment, I answered.
“Nothing much. I just talked about Reginald’s family a few times.”
At the mention of family, both Bendelin and Ernst flinched.
A few officers who had been eavesdropping unobtrusively turned to look, albeit slightly.
Then an unexplainable silence settled around me.
Just when I was wondering why the atmosphere had changed, Ernst cleared his throat and nodded.
“That is indeed the most effective method. Did you hear that, Sergeant? You should learn from Captain Daniel.”
“Ah. Of course! I’ve been too soft on the prisoners until now, perhaps.”
…I feel like there’s a misunderstanding brewing here.
It felt strange, but I decided not to offer an explanation.
From experience, trying to explain myself in such situations tends to lead to even greater misunderstandings.
So I nodded once, and Bendelin gave me a vigorous salute.
For some reason, his saluting posture seemed a bit more rigid than when I first saw him.
“Then I shall return to the military police unit! Enjoy your meal!”
“Do that. You’ve worked hard to come to the Staff Headquarters.”
As Bendelin turned with precision after hearing Ernst’s reply, he marched away like a toy soldier.
Just as I was wondering about his behavior, Ernst spoke up as he picked up his utensils.
“Anyway, congratulations. You’ve gained acclaim for getting Reginald to open his mouth. Honestly, your capability is quite impressive these days. At your age, I found it challenging just to accomplish what was assigned to me.”
I wanted to say that the commendation was entirely unrelated to my will, but saying such a thing in front of the Head of Operations Staff would likely get me in trouble.
“You’re too kind.”
So I just acted modest and picked up my utensils.
As I was cutting the steak that had been served, Ernst spoke up as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, speaking of which, your deputy… She should be assigned to you today. She may have arrived by now.”
Deputy? I lifted my head and blinked in confusion.
“…Are you talking about a deputy?”
“Yes. Didn’t I say before? When you officially become an operations staff officer, you’ll have a deputy. From what I heard, the higher-ups put in a good word to assign you an elite who matches your rank.”
Seeing my flabbergasted expression, Ernst smiled and said.
“You’ve had quite a bit of work lately and have been working long hours, right? It’s only natural for an operations staff officer to be busy during wartime, but now that you have a deputy, you shouldn’t have to work as hard anymore.”
“Certainly… That would be the case.”
“You’ll be having your first direct subordinate, right? Be sure to guide them well.”
“Understood.”
I replied gloomily to Ernst’s words.
I tried my best not to show my happiness, but my heart was soaring high above the clouds.
“Finally, I’m getting a deputy!”
No. Let me correct that. Saying “finally” is a bit early considering I’ve been promoted twice.
Of course, such trivial details weren’t that important.
What mattered was that I was getting a deputy.
“And an elite carefully selected by the higher-ups…! I won’t have to be drowning in work anymore.”
What I felt after being promoted from ‘acting’ operations staff officer to operations staff officer was that there was an overwhelming amount of work.
Primarily, as a low-level staff officer who reviewed documents and sent them to superiors for approval, reports and requests for approvals came flooding in from every corner.
Really important documents would go directly to my superiors, but during wartime, there were more bizarre requests and reports than I could have imagined.
One such request was from a certain brigade commander asking for supplies of beer to be airlifted since the troops wanted to enjoy cold beers.
I had my doubts, but I approved the documents and sent them up without holding them back. Somehow, I received final approval and got to see a fighter jet carrying kegs of beer.
With numerous requests pouring in, there never seemed to be time to relax.
Getting out just in time like yesterday felt like a stroke of luck.
At this rate, I would either die from overwork before escaping the Empire or I would be overwhelmed with joy at Ernst’s announcement of my deputy’s assignment.
As I was lost in thoughts about my deputy, Ernst, who had finished his meal first, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth.
“Oh, right. You’ll be spending the afternoon in your personal office, not the operations staff room.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Of course. You should have some time to get to know your new deputy. It might be awkward to have personal conversations in the staff room.”
Ernst’s words were a hundred percent right.
I smiled faintly in agreement.
“Thank you for your consideration, Head of Operations Staff.”
Although the staff room wasn’t a battlefield, in emergencies I would end up handing over tasks— no, rather than that, I would need to rely on my deputy.
So building a rapport with my deputy was one of my important tasks.
*
After finishing my meal with Ernst, instead of heading straight to my office, I decided to take a stroll outside the headquarters.
The purpose was to buy a gift for my new subordinate.
I contemplated for a while and eventually bought some pastries that could be eaten as snacks, instead of a bouquet of flowers.
I thought that filling their stomachs with some bread would be preferable to an impractical bouquet that would serve no purpose apart from its looks.
When I returned to the front of the staff headquarters with the bag of bread, I took a deep breath.
“I’m a little nervous.”
The deputy waiting inside the office was probably just as nervous.
Only five months ago, I had been sitting in that seat, sweating as I waited for my superior.
I remember it vividly.
When I first got assigned, instead of receiving a gift, I was berated by that bastard Karl Heinrich as soon as I reported for duty.
Considering the humiliation and trauma I felt back then, I would surely treat my junior well.
As for the tasks, I planned to assign them easy and simple ones initially, so they could get accustomed to the work.
“Alright.”
Carrying the mindset of a good senior and superior, I smiled and opened the office door.
“Did you wait long? I got held up because I bought some pastries from a bakery nearby for a snack, of course to share with you…”
As I casually started to speak, I checked on my deputy’s appearance and found myself freezing without realizing it.
The hairstyle of my deputy, who turned their head slightly towards me, was a messy bob.
The bob, which fell just below her neck, was a delicate silver-white, reminiscent of sunlight resting on a pristine field of snow.
In stark contrast to the clean and beautiful hair color, her eyes were a bloody red.
She had sharp eyes, but she didn’t seem hostile. It was just that her expression was neutral.
She was truly an elegant and refined woman.
If I hadn’t known her identity, I would surely have thought so.
Lucy Emilia.
She was a main character in the game “Empire of the Emperor” and was known as the ‘Nightmare of the Empire’, a mass murderer.
But why on earth is such Lucy neatly dressed in the uniform of the Empire in my office?
“….”
“…. ”
After momentarily locking eyes, I quickly closed the door.
“Wait a minute.”
Why is Lucy here? Isn’t she supposed to be actively engaged at the frontlines at this point in time?
Why is someone affiliated with the Allied forces here as my deputy?
“…A spy?”
Both the Empire and the Allied forces were actively engaged in espionage, so it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable for her to infiltrate the headquarters as a spy.
“But why?”
Of all positions, why has she come to be my deputy?
Dumbfounded, I furrowed my brows and shook my head.
“I must be seeing things due to my frequent late-night work lately.”
No matter how I think about it, Lucy can’t be here. No way.
Confident, I opened the office door again.
“…Captain?”
And immediately closed it once more.
Upon a second glance, it indeed was Lucy.
She looked no different from the character’s appearance in the game’s illustrations.
“What on earth are you doing…”
It was truly unsettling.
