“Wait! I was just collecting stamps as a hobby, but then my wife came home spouting nonsense and scolded me for wasting money on this stuff! Can you believe that?!”

As usual, I found myself strolling in front of the headquarters building after lunch, listening to Ernst’s endless complaints.

Incidentally, my adjutant, Lucy, had also gotten roped into this conversation and was now forced to endure Ernst’s rant about his home life.

“All I do for fun is fish and collect stamps! Just those two things! And now she’s trying to take one of them away! Does that even make sense to you?”

Honestly, the more I listened, the more I had to agree it seemed a bit unfair.

“It does sound like she’s being too harsh. It’s not like you neglect your family—you always head straight home after work.”

“Exactly! That’s why I get along so well with you, Daniel! Meanwhile, Personnel Affairs had the nerve to say I spend too much money on stamps! Are there any hobbies out there that don’t cost money?!”

…Something felt off.

“Sir? May I ask which stamps you’ve bought recently?”

“Hm? Oh, right. I spent a little on the limited-edition stamps from the Berkhausen Museum.”

Wait. The Berkhausen Museum’s limited-edition stamps? Even someone like me, who didn’t care about stamps, knew those were ridiculously expensive.

‘Didn’t they sell for 100,000 credits each?’

Considering the average monthly wage for a laborer was between 30,000 and 60,000 credits, that was no small purchase.

Suddenly, I completely understood why Ernst’s wife had been so furious.

I decided to keep my mouth shut.

After all, there’s an old saying—silence is golden.

“I didn’t even touch the emergency funds! I bought them with my own allowance! How am I supposed to live if she complains about that? Honestly, this woman—”

Letting Ernst’s grievances wash over me, I suddenly noticed something strange.

‘What’s going on?’

I spotted unfamiliar junior officers and non-commissioned officers bustling around the front of the headquarters building.

In this place, it was more common to see high-ranking officers than low-ranking ones.

So seeing so many unfamiliar second lieutenants and first lieutenants milling about felt out of place.

“Sir?”

Ernst paused his complaints and turned to look at me.

“Hm? Something you want to say?”

“Well… doesn’t it seem odd that there are so many new faces around the headquarters today? I don’t recognize any of them.”

“Oh, that. Personnel Affairs called in officers heading to the Northern Front for operations support. Looks like they’ve just arrived.”

Operations support for the Northern Front?

Feeling a bit curious, I asked,

“I thought the Northern Expansion Campaign was going smoothly? Aside from a few areas, I heard the Kingdom of Eldresia was already on the verge of collapse.”

“Those ‘few areas’ are the problem. As you know, if we don’t crush them before winter sets in, this could turn into a prolonged war. That’s why we’re sending reinforcements.”

I sipped my coffee and tilted my head in confusion.

“Judging by their ranks, it seems like the units being sent are at the company level. But will adding a company really make much of a difference in a battlefield dominated by corps-level operations?”

Ernst chuckled softly at my question.

“That’s not the point. The company is just there to escort competent staff officers. They can’t risk getting ambushed by guerillas on the way to the front.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

It seemed the General Staff’s plan was to deploy skilled staff officers to the front lines to tip the balance of the war in the Empire’s favor.

‘Desperate enough to borrow even a cat’s paw, huh?’

Well, from the Empire’s perspective, it made sense to wrap up the war quickly and shift focus to the Eastern Front.

Once winter set in, the harsh cold would cripple supply lines and slow advances, dragging the conflict into a war of attrition.

So they were likely pushing to finish the job before summer ended, even if it meant stretching themselves thin.

Still, it had nothing to do with me.

“I don’t know which poor staff officer got picked for this, but they’re in for a rough time.”

Poor bastard. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for them.

Anyone suddenly reassigned from a warm, safe desk job to the front lines would probably cry bloody tears—unless they were some kind of war fanatic.

But hey, what could they do? That was their lot in life.

“...Captain Daniel?”

Lost in my own amusement, I turned to see Ernst awkwardly scratching his cheek.

When I stared at him, wondering what was up, he cleared his throat and said,

“Sorry about this, but I completely forgot to mention it earlier. The staff officer heading to the Northern Front for operations support… is you.”

What?

For a moment, my brain short-circuited.

I almost dropped my coffee cup, barely managing to keep my grip.

After staring blankly for several seconds, I finally found my voice.

“…Me?”

“That’s right. The Deputy Chief of Operations seems to think highly of you. He’s giving you the chance to prove yourself in the field. With a 200-man company under your command, you’ll even be able to lead small-scale operations yourself.”

I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.

Taking a deep breath, I asked again, just to be sure.

“Are you absolutely certain it’s me?”

“There’s no mistake, so no need to ask twice. What’s this—are you so happy you’re speechless? Seeing that look on your face makes me feel good too! Hahaha! Go give it your all!”

I wasn’t happy—I wanted to throw up.

While I was still reeling from the shock, Lucy suddenly spoke up.

“Congratulations. While Captain Daniel Steiner is active on the front lines, I’ll take care of matters here at headquarters.”

Ernst tilted his head in confusion.

“Huh? What are you talking about? Of course, you’ll be going with him.”

For once, Lucy visibly faltered.

I even saw her pupils tremble.

“…But, Colonel? If I leave headquarters as well, the Operations Office will be overwhelmed with work.”

“That’s what overtime is for. Let’s not forget we’re at war. Compared to what you two will be doing on the front lines, our struggles here hardly count as struggles.”

Lucy fell silent, cold sweat trickling down her back.

She must’ve realized—not even the Allied Nations’ intelligence division could’ve predicted this scenario.

But honestly, Lucy’s predicament wasn’t my problem right now.

‘Shit…’

Things had spiraled out of control faster than I’d expected.

I sighed quietly and then froze.

A woman walking toward the General Staff Headquarters looked oddly familiar.

Wavy, light brown hair swayed softly with each step, and her dark brown eyes glimmered faintly in the sunlight.

It was Frien, the girl who would one day be called the Saint of the Empire.

‘What the hell is she doing here?’

At this point in time, she should still be attending officer training at the military academy.

Perplexed, I excused myself from Ernst and approached her.

“Cadet. Stop right there.”

Hearing my voice, Frien turned around.

Her face immediately lit up with a bright smile.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner—wait, my apologies! You’re a captain now!”

She sounded genuinely thrilled to see me.

Of course, I didn’t share the sentiment. I kept my face expressionless.

“I’m not here for small talk. Answer the question—why is a cadet hanging around the General Staff Headquarters? Shouldn’t you be at the academy right now?”

“Oh…! I saw the Northern Front operations notice and sent a letter to Personnel Affairs. It looks like they decided to grant my request.”

I frowned.

“A letter?”

“Yes. I submitted a support application, explaining that I’d worked under Captain Steiner during a previous operation.”

“And the Personnel Office reviewed that letter and added you to my company?”

“Exactly! Serving under you again is the greatest honor my family could ever ask for!”

If the General Staff had already made their decision, there wasn’t much I could do about it—but something felt off.

The fact that she could smile so brightly despite being deployed to a warzone left only two possibilities.

Either her loyalty to the Empire was burning out of control, or she’d completely lost her mind.

And honestly? Loyalty and madness often looked disturbingly similar.

“…Frien? I understand your feelings, but aren’t you a bit young to be heading to the Northern Front? No one would blame you if you withdrew your application. Think carefully before making this decision.”

I was trying to nudge her toward reconsidering, but she shook her head and gently placed a hand over her chest.

“I’ve already made up my mind. I vowed to repay the debt I owe you, Captain Steiner, with my very life. I won’t back out now.”

Debt? What debt?

As far as I remembered, all I’d ever done was exchange a few words with her.

“So I’ll follow you, Captain. And before long, you and I will see it together—a perfect, ideal nation free of worries and fears.”

“…An ideal nation?”

“Yes. One Empire, one Emperor, one people. We’ll build God’s kingdom on this land, free from those wretched rats in the Allied Nations.”

Frien smiled serenely.

It was the kind of gentle smile you’d expect to see in a religious painting—calm, warm, and full of devotion.

And that’s when I knew.

‘She’s fucking insane.’

I didn’t know why or how, but Frien had clearly crossed the line between devotion and outright lunacy.

Swallowing nervously, I wiped the sweat off my palms.

‘I need to talk to the Deputy Chief. I have to get her reassigned.’

It probably wouldn’t work.

But I had to at least try—because standing in front of me was a wide-eyed lunatic, and she scared the hell out of me.