I discreetly swallowed my frustration and straightened my posture while glancing around.

I wasn’t entirely sure how things had come to this, but as the so-called “promising talent of the Operations Staff Office,” it wouldn’t do to draw suspicion with any strange behavior.

For now, I had no choice but to remain calm and focus on carrying out my duties while planning for the future.

‘For now...’

The first order of business was to deal with the pile of documents in front of me.

Letting out a low sigh, I picked up the papers neatly stacked beside the telephone and began reviewing their contents.

Rustle—

Flipping through the pages, I found them to be fairly mundane.

Most were requests for operational approvals or permissions to construct military facilities.

The general process was for me to conduct an initial review and, as long as there were no logical issues, approve them before passing them up the chain of command.

[Operations Officer ▶ Operations Staff Chief ▶ Deputy Chief of Operations ▶ Headquarters Chief of Staff]

Roughly speaking, that was the approval process.

It wasn’t particularly difficult work, so aside from a few documents requiring the reallocation of resources and personnel, I stamped approvals one after another.

However, I froze when I opened the last document.

 

《Logistics Department Construction Approval Request》

Recipient: Operations Staff Chief (Colonel Ernst Barch)
Sender: Logistics Staff Officer (Captain Arnob Haupt)
Date: March 16, 1944
Subject: Request for Approval and Site Selection for Logistics Department Construction on the Eastern Front
Responsible Officer: Operations Officer (First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner)

 

On the surface, it was just a standard approval request for the construction of a logistics facility.

The problem was that I was listed as the responsible officer.

‘...Why?’

I couldn’t understand it.

The logistics department’s role was to act as a central depot for receiving and redistributing supplies from rear logistics bases to the front lines.

In other words, it was a critical hub for securing supply lines and preventing stockpiles from being left vulnerable.

Logistics was so vital to warfare that it was often called the “mother of war.” And yet, they assigned this responsibility to an Operations Officer?

To a First Lieutenant who had only recently been promoted through a battlefield commission and was barely holding onto his position?

‘This must be some kind of clerical error…’

No matter how I looked at it, this was something that needed to be reported to the Staff Chief.

Having made up my mind, I grabbed the documents and headed toward the Chief’s office within the Operations Staff Office.

Buried under piles of reports and paperwork, the Staff Chief looked up when he heard my footsteps.

“Oh? If it isn’t our hero, Daniel!”

Colonel Ernst Barch straightened his back with a hearty laugh, exuding the warmth of a friendly neighbor.

But appearances could be deceiving.

Anyone who had climbed to the rank of Colonel in the Empire had undoubtedly been through countless battles and hardships.

“I only did what was necessary. Being called a hero feels a bit excessive.”

Humility was a virtue, regardless of the nation. Ernst seemed to appreciate my modesty as he smiled and spoke.

“So, Lieutenant. What brings you here?”
“I completed the initial review of the documents sent to the office and came to report, sir.”
“Ah, already? I’ve heard you’re quick on your feet. Let’s have them.”

I nodded and placed the stack of documents on Ernst’s desk.

However, I didn’t include the logistics request, and Ernst tilted his head when he noticed it.

“And that one?”
“It was assigned to me, but the upper-level approval fields were left blank. It seems the Logistics Staff Officer made a mistake.”

Ernst blinked a few times before bursting into laughter. Why was he laughing?

“Ah, it’s natural to find it odd, but that wasn’t a mistake on his part.”
“If it wasn’t a mistake…?”
“The upper brass intentionally gave you this assignment. Partly because I’ve been swamped lately and needed to offload some work, and the other reason—well, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

My brows furrowed instinctively.

This was a test.

They wanted me to prove that capturing a spy and detecting enemy forces hidden in the hills weren’t just flukes.

Every officer understood the importance of logistics, but selecting the right site for a facility was no simple task.

It had to be secure from enemy attacks while remaining easily accessible and capable of storing vast amounts of supplies.

Clearly, they thought this was the perfect way to evaluate my competence as an Operations Officer.

‘Who’s behind this? Did the Chief of Staff set me up?’

I wasn’t certain, but this was an opportunity.

A golden opportunity to demonstrate my incompetence in the most spectacular way possible!

If I constructed the logistics facility in an absurdly unsuitable location, my performance review would plummet. And with that, I could smoothly secure my discharge from the military.

Feeling a surge of excitement, I snapped to attention and saluted Ernst.

“Thank you for trusting me, sir! I’ll do my best to complete the logistics facility!”

Ernst seemed satisfied with my enthusiasm and nodded with a smile.

“Good. We’ll make sure the budget is fully supported, so don’t worry and get to work.”
“Understood, sir!”

While I replied confidently, I smirked inwardly.

‘You’ll regret this soon enough.’

I would make sure to build the logistics department in the most strategically disastrous location imaginable.

*****

Two Weeks Later – Rear Lines of the Eastern Front.
Bardenplatz Plains.

Rumble—

The ground seemed to tremble as heavy machinery rolled onto the plains, unloading construction materials.

Captain Arnob Haupt, the logistics staff officer observing the scene from afar, was deeply unsettled.

‘What the hell is Headquarters thinking? Entrusting the construction of a logistics depot to a newly minted lieutenant…’

That damned officer had ordered the construction site to be on the Bardenplatz Plains, resulting in a massive drain on manpower and resources.

‘Why here of all places?’

The Bardenplatz Plains were nothing but open, flat land—extremely vulnerable to enemy artillery fire.

To counter that, they’d need to build additional defensive walls, which meant an enormous waste of materials.

And the walls weren’t the only problem. If they were going to build a logistics depot on open plains, it should at least be near existing roads.

But there were no usable roads anywhere near the Bardenplatz Plains.

That meant they’d have to lay new roads leading in and out of the site, effectively doubling the construction costs.

It was a complete and utter waste of money.

‘Daniel Steiner, was it? That damned rookie…’

Because of a clueless junior officer who knew nothing about logistics, the Empire’s treasury was being bled dry in real time.

Arnob never considered himself particularly patriotic, but watching the nation’s resources being squandered like this stirred a sense of nationalism he hadn’t known he possessed.

Still, as a mere logistics officer, there was no way he could defy Headquarters’ orders.

Even though Daniel Steiner was of lower rank, his authority was undeniable.

Arnob’s growing frustration was proof of how powerless he felt.

When Daniel had inspected the site a week ago and ordered the construction to proceed, Arnob hadn’t voiced any objections.

Despite his inner complaints, Arnob was, in the end, just another cog in the Imperial bureaucracy.

‘Orders are orders. What can I do?’

With a heavy heart, Arnob pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips.

As he lit it, the radio clipped to his shoulder crackled to life.

—Logistics Officer! Can you hear me!?

Of course. They always had to contact him when he was about to enjoy a smoke. Arnob picked up the receiver, pressed the button, and responded.

“You forgot to state your rank and name again. How am I supposed to know who this is?”

—Ah! You're so strict. It’s Sergeant Vinter Enfeld. Satisfied now?

“Fine. What is it?”

—Well, you know how we brought in specialists to conduct a geological survey before construction?

Arnob nodded.

Conducting a ground survey before building anything was standard procedure.

Ever since a past incident where a structure collapsed due to unstable ground, causing casualties, surveys had become mandatory.

—The specialists finished their analysis, and… Let me just say this. It’s starting to make sense why Headquarters put Lieutenant Daniel Steiner in charge.

Huh?

Arnob frowned, confused by the sudden change in tone from a sergeant who’d been badmouthing Daniel alongside him just the day before.

“Get to the point. What’s the result of the survey?”

—Hahaha! Here’s the thing—

The sergeant shouted excitedly.

—Oil! It’s oil! They found oil deposits under the site! And not just a little—there’s enough to make drilling worthwhile!

Arnob’s cigarette slipped from his fingers.

‘What?’

Oil? There was oil under the Bardenplatz Plains?

If that was true, then the one who knew nothing about logistics wasn’t Daniel—it was Arnob himself.

Letting out a hollow breath, Arnob wiped his face with his hand.

‘Could it be…’

Did Lieutenant Daniel Steiner know about this from the very beginning?

The thought made Daniel’s brazen confidence suddenly make sense.

Arnob let out a bitter chuckle and clasped his hands behind his back.

‘Looks like…’

The Empire had just gained a remarkable talent.

 

Meanwhile, upon hearing the news that the Bardenplatz Plains were an oil field—

‘Why?!’

Daniel Steiner was panicking in real time.