Chapter 46

Upon hearing Daniel’s response, Erwin involuntarily let out a sigh.

‘He says he doesn’t know? With this perfect occupation setup already in place?’

Isn’t that a bit too humble?

To be honest, the place was so under the garrison’s favor that it might as well have been declared Imperial territory instead of Kingdom land.

Yet Daniel didn’t boast about his achievements, and watching him made Erwin feel nothing but admiration.

However, Daniel, unaware of Erwin’s inner thoughts, merely gave an awkward smile.

“Colonel. It’s cold outside. Shall we continue our conversation inside?”

“Ah, let’s do that.”

Nodding his head, Erwin followed Daniel into the headquarters building.

Daniel led Erwin to the reception room inside the building and began laying out all the city plans he had prepared thus far for the handover of the garrison commander position.

Lucy helped with understanding by handing over relevant documents to Erwin, while Prien served high-quality coffee beans brewed specially for Erwin.

For a while, Erwin reviewed the documents while sipping on the coffee, letting out a small chuckle.

There was simply no fault to point out; Daniel had executed his duties as garrison commander flawlessly.

“Well done. If I could give a score, I’d give you a perfect ten. The only downside is that there’s nothing left for me to improve upon. Things are running perfectly; just keep maintaining the status quo.”

“You flatter me, sir.”

“It’s not flattery. Captain Daniel Steiner! You’ve truly done an amazing job here. I’ll make sure to pass this report along to the General Staff Headquarters.”

Though Daniel wasn’t one to seek higher evaluations, he couldn’t exactly tell his superior officer not to.

With a resigned nod, Daniel spoke.

“I thank you for your kindness, Colonel. But it seems like the handover process is complete, so I should probably start preparing to return to the capital.”

“To the capital?”

“Yes. I’ve been away from home for too long providing operations support. As you know, the north is cold, and their food doesn’t really suit my taste, making life quite tough.”

At Daniel’s joke, Erwin chuckled in agreement.

“It’s hard adapting to foreign cuisine when you’ve grown up in the Empire. I remember eating meals during my time on the eastern front—it felt more like a chore than anything else.”

“…Sorry if I brought it up unnecessarily. Compared to what you endured amidst gunfire, my situation feels rather luxurious.”

“Don’t worry about it. That wasn’t meant to intimidate you. Just sharing experiences. However, there’s something slightly embarrassing I need to say before you go back to the capital.”

Embarrassing words? Daniel looked at Erwin curiously, and Erwin pulled out a scroll from his coat and handed it over.

“This is an operations order sent to you from the General Staff Headquarters.”

As a result, Daniel couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

I thought my mission was over, but now there’s another operations order?

‘What’s going on here?’

While Daniel wanted to complain, since it was an order, he had no choice but to comply.

Trembling slightly, Daniel took the scroll, untied the red ribbon, and unfolded the paper.

───────────

《Imperial General Staff Headquarters》

Order No. D-513

Date: August 14, 1944

Mission: Transfer of General Staff Headquarters’ direct command unit

• Order Details

1. Captain Daniel Steiner, currently commanding the General Staff Headquarters’ direct command unit, shall mobilize a company-sized force capable of vehicle movement from Nordia Garrison.

2. After boarding vehicles with the selected company, arrive at the Third Army Division Command located on the northernmost frontline by August 21, 1944, at 16:00 hours.

3. Upon reaching the army division command, wait for further orders. Follow instructions from the army commander thereafter.

This order mandates prompt and accurate execution of the assigned task.

Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Cedric Wendell.

───────────

After finishing the order, Daniel wiped his face with his hand.

‘Director Wendell, why are you doing this to me…’

The moment his small dream of returning to the capital for a peaceful, prosperous life shattered.

It would be nice if this were just Erwin’s prank, but the official seal of the deputy chief of staff was stamped on the document.

Thus, there was no doubt this order was legitimate.

‘Since the order has come down, I guess I have to go.’

Moreover, the arrival date was clearly specified, leaving no room for delay.

‘On the bright side…’

From the looks of the order, it seemed like a simple troop support mission.

Which meant after joining the division, all he had to do was bide his time until things settled down.

‘Unless it’s a special operation, they wouldn’t deploy the General Staff Headquarters’ direct command unit to the frontline anyway.’

If it were a special operation, it’d mean loads of trouble ahead, but that wasn’t likely.

Currently, the Empire’s advance had slowed to a lull.

Why would they launch a special operation against a kingdom now entrenched in stubborn resistance?

Logically, it seemed clear that he’d stay in standby mode within the division until the war ended, then return to the capital.

It was just a matter of delaying his return to the capital by a few weeks.

‘Still…’

Daniel couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling.

*

Third Army Division Command.

Division Commander’s Office.

“Hmm…”

Lieutenant General Karl-Peter Kraus narrowed his eyes as he stared at the strategy map and operational board hanging on the wall.

‘The enemy has withdrawn their front lines and concentrated all forces around their capital.’

At first glance, it might seem like the Kingdom forces were retreating out of fear, but Karl-Peter saw it as a highly strategic maneuver.

Even though the Kingdom forces withdrew, the Imperial Army couldn’t just blindly march forward.

‘Supply and logistics can’t keep up.’

The amount of supplies consumed daily by the division is unimaginable.

If those supplies aren’t delivered on time, not only does morale drop, but command operations also become disrupted.

Until the supply lines stabilize, the Imperial Army cannot advance.

Even now, with more than half of the Kingdom’s territory under Imperial control, the supply lines were tangled enough. Following the enemy’s retreat would risk severing those lines altogether.

So, the Imperial Army had effectively entered a forced lull.

‘During this pause, the Kingdom forces will surely reorganize their troops.’

Perhaps they’re even seeking assistance from allied nations.

If the United Nations send reinforcements, that’d be a headache.

Even if luck holds and no reinforcements arrive, it’s still problematic.

Once the Imperial Army stabilizes its supply lines and advances, the Kingdom forces will already have reorganized.

‘They’ll undoubtedly put up fierce resistance.’

That said, the Imperial Army won’t lose, but massive casualties are inevitable.

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of soldiers would die needlessly.

Such losses would weaken the Empire’s national strength.

Therefore, the General Staff Headquarters and Karl-Peter himself had proposed armistice negotiations.

The Kingdom responded by sending their foreign minister, but talks collapsed twice already.

Their demands were deemed utterly unreasonable.

So, Karl-Peter petitioned His Majesty the Emperor to soften the negotiation terms, but it was denied.

The Emperor believed showing mercy to the treacherous Kingdom, which had bitten the Empire like hyenas, was unnecessary.

In that case, the only remaining option was a full-scale assault on the capital.

But was it right to declare such an offensive when resources were already being wasted blocking the eastern front?

Caught in these deepening dilemmas, the General Staff Headquarters recommended someone.

‘…Captain Daniel Steiner.’

Word came that the brilliant talent who achieved great military success in Nordia would be sent to the division.

Essentially…

They were suggesting Daniel Steiner take charge of the armistice negotiations.

Karl-Peter furrowed his brows in exasperation upon understanding the General Staff Headquarters’ intentions.

Negotiations failed even with the aid of numerous military advisors.

Regardless of how much military merit Daniel had accumulated, how could promoting a mere captain to lead negotiations change anything?

‘But…’

If Deputy Chief of Staff Cedric Wendell of the General Staff Headquarters recommended him, there must be a reason.

Given the abnormal circumstances, unconventional methods might reveal a way forward.

‘This will likely be the last chance for negotiations.’

Should the fate of countless lives be entrusted to Daniel Steiner?

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Karl-Peter slowly opened them again.

He decided to take this almost absurd gamble—not because he trusted Daniel Steiner, but because he trusted the brilliance of Cedric Wendell, who had devised countless successful strategies for the Imperial Army.

‘Cedric, let me believe in the joker card you’ve handed me.’

The dice had been cast.

Now, countless lives rested in Daniel Steiner’s hands.