Chapter 8

Hearing the news that the number of applicants had exceeded two thousand, I, overwhelmed by despair, asked the personnel officer.

I questioned why my announcement was considered well-written.

The personnel officer explained with a smile, even kindly extending his fingers as he spoke.

1. As the war with the Allied forces turned into a prolonged conflict, the children of parents who had died on the battlefield grew up fueled by a desire for revenge and enlisted in large numbers.

2. Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s announcement, as an operations officer, essentially added fuel to the vengeance of soldiers who had lost their parents, so it was natural for the number of applicants to increase.

3. Furthermore, the battlefield is at the Northern Front, where the Empire Army is gaining the upper hand. It is reasonable to assume that there are soldiers eager to make a name for themselves at such a favorable location.

4. The phrase describing the rear as a food parasite likely provoked resentment among the soldiers. Some of them probably took the announcement seriously and sought to enlist for honor.

5. Even aside from the aforementioned logical reasoning, there was something in Lieutenant Steiner’s announcement that stirred the hearts of men.

Extending all the fingers of one hand, the personnel officer added a compliment, saying, “You have a talent for propaganda. If you ever wish to transfer to the personnel department, just let me know.”

Responding to the job offer with an awkward smile, I sent the personnel officer back and ordered the soldiers to sort the documents.

Logically, it was impossible to reject all the applicants exceeding two thousand, so my deployment to the Northern Front was practically assured.

Thus, the best approach was to select the most normal yet elite soldiers from among the applicants to ensure safety.

Candidates with even minor criminal records were to be excluded.

Those with a motive for revenge alone were to be excluded.

Individuals with impure thoughts or who appeared mentally unstable were to be excluded.

Anyone who disobeyed a superior’s order even once during training was also to be excluded.

Those who failed to achieve a perfect score in the shooting test were excluded.

Anyone without magical aptitude was excluded.

After the first round of filtering the documents, the remaining number of candidates was 327.

Among them, I carefully selected those with excellent performance and exemplary military service, narrowing it down to 20 platoon members, and sent notices of acceptance.

Now, ten days after sending the acceptance notices, I stood before them.

“……”

Standing in front of the fountain at the main gate of the staff headquarters, the platoon members I had chosen lined up in this neat formation caused an odd sense of intimidation.

In particular, their gazes were frightening.

To exaggerate a bit, their eyes appeared to have a steely resolve as if they would follow orders for a suicidal charge without question.

‘Even though they are the ones I picked… are they lacking in humanity?’

I was sweating coldly without even realizing it.

Of course, not every one of the platoon members was acting like a war machine devoid of humanity.

Among the burly men, there was one woman blinking her bright eyes.

‘Prien Remilliart.’

She was the woman I had met in the juvenile facility, someone who would soon become the saint of the Empire; a named NPC.

Having completed the training camp without much trouble, she was now wearing the insignia of a private.

I had chosen her thoughtlessly since she was on the applicant list, but seeing Prien with her sparkling gaze amid the fervent soldiers reminded me of a lucid-eyed fanatic.

I wondered if it was a mistake to select her. I coughed lightly while watching Prien with some caution.

“Nice to meet you, soldiers.”

It was the duty of a commander to briefly outline the mission before departure.

I intended to fulfill that duty now.

In the process, I hoped my platoon members would panic and flee.

“As you might have seen in the announcement, I am Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, your platoon leader, and I must reiterate that I have no combat experience.”

Despite my admission of potential incompetence, there was no stir among them.

Good. They are holding their ground, huh? Then I’ll push harder.

“Therefore, I hope you don’t expect a capable commander. What I desire is only the annihilation of the Allied forces and the screams of the barbarians among them.”

I was explicitly indicating that I lacked tactical expertise.

A normal soldier should feel fear at this point.

But strangely enough, a fierce smile was spreading across the faces of the platoon members.

After a brief silence, I shot a warning at them.

“I do not need cowards. Therefore, your only chance to escape the bloody battlefield is now. Anyone wishing to abandon the mission, raise your hand.”

As I expected, not a single hand was raised.

Indeed, these guys are not sane.

With a sigh inwardly, I finally spoke.

“Alright! You fools who wish to challenge death! I will personally assist you. Your sweat and blood will bring glory to the Empire!”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the soldiers saluted.

“Glory to the Empire!”

Their voices echoed loud enough to cover the entire staff headquarters.

Seeing this, I closed my eyes and inwardly sighed.

‘This is absurd…’

Truly, there are no dedicated war maniacs like them.

*

Four days later.

Temporary forward operating base of the 307th Special Mission Unit on the Northern Front.

‘Was today the day when the reinforcements from the staff headquarters were supposed to arrive?’

Captain Heinz Schmidt of the 307th Special Mission Unit, who was resting in the barracks, pulled out the announcement he had previously seen from his pocket.

‘……This feels like madness.’

Even Heinz, who prided himself on having witnessed all kinds of madness through assassinations, removals of high-ranking officials, and anti-terror operations since joining the special mission unit, found this announcement unfamiliar.

‘It seems more like a recruitment for disposable parts to be used and discarded for the Empire…’

‘Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, was it?’

I had heard from a deputy that he was a talented individual who had recently been promoted to lieutenant due to his outstanding achievements.

Despite that, he sought to volunteer for the Northern Front, which indicated one thing.

‘A war maniac driven mad by his promotion…!’

Lieutenant Daniel Steiner seemed to be someone who could ruthlessly use his allies for his own advancement without a drop of blood or tears.

The thought unsettled Heinz, who involuntarily clenched his fists but then shook his head.

‘You shouldn’t judge a person based on rumors alone.’

One cannot know someone’s true nature unless experienced firsthand.

Just as he steadied himself, a soldier entered the barracks and saluted.

“Captain! The reinforcements sent by the staff headquarters have arrived!”

Nodding at the report, Heinz replied.

“Understood. Let’s go out and meet them.”

Putting the announcement back into his pocket, Heinz rose from his seat.

He glanced back at a girl nearby who was leisurely reading a book but deemed it unnecessary to engage her since she appeared focused on her reading.

Having briefly nodded his head to show courtesy to the girl, Heinz opened the barracks door and stepped outside.

As his eyesight adjusted, he saw a single platoon moving across the snow-covered terrain.

A group of twenty soldiers, somehow exuding a strong atmosphere, created an odd sense of intimidation.

Even the nearby officers and soldiers of the special mission unit hesitated and took a step back upon passing.

In front of those war machines stood none other than Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.

His eyes glimmered so ghastly that they seemed devoid of emotion, as he stared straight ahead.

“……”

“……”

As our eyes met, Heinz felt an unexplainable stiffness in his body.

Noticing that he was the commander of this unit, Daniel, who had been frowning, straightened up and saluted.

Heinz returned the salute, albeit tense, as Daniel approached with a thin smile.

“It is an honor to meet you, Captain Heinz Schmidt.”

“……You know my name?”

“Yes. I’ve done a bit of research about the unit I will be joining. It seems to be a unit that has undertaken many significant missions. I understand why I am here now.”

“Thank you for saying that. It must have been difficult to come here, are you not tired? Your soldiers must also be weary from the journey.”

Daniel chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“Those suicidal candidates you mean? I’ve been watching them for days, and they show no signs of tiring, so don’t worry.”

Heinz broke out in a cold sweat at the phrase ‘suicidal candidates.’

‘So it’s true… he treats his soldiers as mere expendables.’

In reality, it was merely a joke made to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but Heinz, already gripped by a preconception, began to see Daniel as some sort of devil.

“……Captain Heinz?”

Unaware of Daniel’s thoughts, he tilted his head quizzically at Heinz’s rigid expression.

“What’s going on?”

The entrance to the barracks behind Heinz opened, revealing a blonde girl.

Wearing a pristine white blouse and a red brooch around her neck, she unequivocally looked like a noblewoman.

Daniel, instinctively turning his gaze away, halted and closed his mouth as he locked eyes with the girl.

Seeing this, Heinz opened his mouth to introduce her.

“Oh. This is a war correspondent who applied to our unit. She arrived a few days ago and expressed her desire to capture the Empire Army’s exploits on camera.”

Despite Heinz’s explanation, Daniel could not take his eyes off the girl.

Realizing she was being watched, the girl smiled sweetly at Daniel.

Simultaneously, Daniel felt as if every cell in his body had frozen.

‘This girl is a war correspondent?’

No. Absolutely not.

To Daniel’s knowledge, the identity of the girl before him was none other than royalty.

‘What are you doing here?’

The heir to the throne who would eventually ascend to the position of the Empire’s emperor.

Selvia von Amberg.

That was the girl’s true identity.