Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
Commander of the Magic Mobile Corps’ Office.

Rustle—

Seated behind a luxurious mahogany desk, Heinrich flipped through the pages of a personnel file.

The document detailed the personal information of none other than Daniel Steiner.

[Name: Daniel Steiner]
[Place of Birth: Fiamari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire]
[Special Notes: Confirmed to have been abandoned by parents and raised in an orphanage. Later recognized for magical talent by a conscription officer and enrolled in the Imperial Magic Academy, graduating at the top of his class.]

Heinrich clamped a pipe between his lips as he finished reading the notes.

“Graduated at the top of the Magic Academy, huh…”

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

After all, only those with exceptional talent could secure a position in the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

However, the fact that he was an orphan stirred an unexpected sense of admiration within Heinrich.

“A man with no family backing dared to stake his reputation on pure instinct.”

It wasn’t unheard of for enthusiastic young officers to pierce through the icy atmosphere of a military conference and voice their opinions.

But in most cases, their courage was bolstered by the unspoken security of their family’s name.

No matter the consequences, they knew their families would protect them from complete ruin.

“And yet…”

Daniel Steiner—this newly commissioned officer with no family ties—had no such safety net.

If his suggestion had led to failure, the repercussions wouldn’t have ended with mere dismissal.

Daniel must have known that.

Even so, he had stood by his judgment.

And, in the end, his judgment had been proven sound.

The reconnaissance operation revealed that enemy forces were indeed preparing an ambush near the ridges.

“Does he possess the eyes to see through the battlefield?”

Of course, it could have been a coincidence—nothing more than sheer luck.

Still, there was no denying that Daniel’s insight had prevented a disaster.

In an era of fierce competition, where even the smallest shifts could alter the course of war, Daniel’s sharp observation was like rain in a desert.

From Heinrich’s perspective, he was a talent too valuable to ignore.

Knock, knock—

A knock on the door interrupted Heinrich’s thoughts.

He closed the file and set it aside on the desk.

“Commander, sir! Reporting with Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as ordered!”

Heinrich exhaled a plume of smoke and removed the pipe from his mouth.

“Enter.”

The office door opened, and Captain—Heinrich’s aide—entered with Daniel Steiner in tow.

Tall, with black hair and dark eyes, Daniel’s gaunt appearance didn’t hide the determination in his expression.

The two approached the center of the room and saluted in perfect unison.

Heinrich returned a casual salute, prompting the captain to step aside.

Daniel shifted into parade rest, awaiting Heinrich’s address.

“Hm.”

His posture was impeccable—like a textbook model of a soldier.

Not a single flaw could be found in his stance.

Heinrich felt a hint of approval as he spoke.

“Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. As you’ve likely heard from my aide, thanks to your keen instincts, we were able to avert disaster. That is an undeniable achievement.”

Daniel remained silent, maintaining proper decorum.

Even after earning recognition, he didn’t let his emotions get the better of him—a model soldier’s restraint.

At least, that was what Heinrich thought.

In reality, Daniel’s mind was in chaos.

‘My bullshit was actually right? How the hell did this happen?!’

Grinding his teeth to suppress the panic, Daniel listened as Heinrich continued.

“Achievements must be rewarded. I plan to nominate you for the next round of promotion evaluations. What do you think?”

Daniel’s shoulders flinched.

To him, promotion meant moving closer to death.

Taking a deep breath, he frantically searched for an excuse.

“Commander, sir. I deeply appreciate your generous offer. However, I don’t believe I deserve special treatment based on a single achievement.”

“Oh? A single achievement, you say?”

“Yes, sir. As an officer of the Holy Bavarian Empire, I only did what was expected of me. I humbly request that you reconsider including my name in the promotion review.”

Heinrich blinked in surprise.

He’d seen countless soldiers who would do anything to climb the ranks, but this was the first time someone had outright rejected a promotion.

The captain standing beside him seemed equally stunned.

‘What a strange man.’

Heinrich let out a chuckle and set his pipe aside.

“Lieutenant, you seem mistaken. Your achievement is not ‘just one accomplishment.’ You’ve saved hundreds of lives. I cannot ignore that.”

“Sir, I was merely—”

“That’s enough. Are you implying you don’t know that fairness and discipline are the foundation of the Imperial Army? If you continue to refuse, I’ll consider it a rejection of those values.”

In other words, Heinrich had made up his mind.

The commander’s words carried the weight of absolute authority—there was no room for argument.

Faced with no other choice, Daniel reluctantly surrendered.

“…I will accept this honor, sir.”

Heinrich observed Daniel closely before nodding in satisfaction.

“Good. Consider it settled. You’re dismissed.”

Daniel saluted sharply, and Heinrich returned it.

As Daniel turned and left the office, his footsteps faded into the distance.

Heinrich leaned back in his chair and smirked.

“Quite the rare breed, wouldn’t you agree, Captain?”

The captain, still staring at the closed door, finally turned and replied.

“Yes, sir. Most people would do anything to boost their records. I’ve never seen someone try so hard to downplay their own achievements.”

“A real soldier—not just in title, but in spirit. A man who truly seeks to protect the Empire and crush the Allied Nations.”

It reminded Heinrich of his own younger days.

Smiling contentedly, he added,

“The military needs people like him—especially now, with the Allied forces growing stronger.”

Heinrich picked up his pipe and chuckled softly.

“I’m curious to see just how far he can rise.”

*****

“Cut the crap! Seriously!”

Back in my private dormitory, I shouted in frustration.

And who could blame me? Things were spiraling completely out of control.

“Early promotion…?”

This wasn’t just about adding one more diamond to my rank insignia, upgrading me from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.

An early promotion in the elite Imperial General Staff meant being acknowledged as an elite even among elites.

Even if I were reassigned later, the label of “early-promoted elite from the General Staff” would stick to me like a damn shadow.

It was the highest honor—and the most secure career path—a junior officer could possibly obtain.

In other words, I had just taken one more step toward becoming a key member of the Empire’s leadership.

And that also meant I had just drastically increased my chances of getting my head chopped off when the Empire inevitably lost the war.

Sitting down on my bed, I ran a hand down my face before looking up.

The full-length mirror reflected a man with faint dark circles under his eyes.

I could vaguely remember shouting for joy when I first confirmed my initial assignment to the General Staff.

But after awakening my past life memories, this place had turned into a living hell.

I stared at my reflection for a while before sighing and pushing myself to my feet.

I opened the window and looked outside. Senior officers were arriving one by one.

Right. This place was practically littered with high-ranking officers, like pebbles on the roadside.

It was the perfect environment for earning points to climb the ranks—or, conversely, the perfect environment for losing points just as quickly.

‘Things may have taken a slight detour… but nothing’s really changed.’

All I had to do was act so incompetent and disgraceful that it completely overshadowed my previous achievements.

Loosening the suffocating tie of my uniform, I exhaled slowly.

‘Commander, I sincerely thank you for placing your trust in me. But I don’t want an early promotion—especially not in this Empire.’

To cancel my early promotion and speed up my dishonorable discharge, I needed to fully commit to becoming an irredeemable scoundrel.

Fortunately, the General Staff had the perfect ingredient for that transformation.

That ingredient was none other than my immediate superior—Major Karl Heinrich.

A man who started his day by berating me and ended it by treating me like dirt.

An absolute disaster of a human being.

If I used my direct superior, Karl Heinrich, as leverage, there was still a chance to secure my dishonorable discharge.

‘Just wait and see, Commander.’

No matter what it takes, I’m getting out of this Empire.