Chapter 9

Why is the Empire’s princess out here deep in the battlefield pretending to be a war correspondent?

Daniel felt a strong sense of unease but quickly put on a calm expression and extended his right hand.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, acting as an operations staff officer for General Staff Headquarters.”

If Her Highness the Princess is hiding her identity to be here on the northern front, there must be a good reason.

No amount of shouting “Your Majesty the Princess!” would do any good here.

Princess Selvia looked Daniel over carefully before extending her hand to shake his.

“I’m war correspondent Ravi Emiliana. Please call me Ravi.”

Daniel nodded, finished the handshake, and let go.

He figured he should just maintain the level of courtesy appropriate for a war correspondent to avoid raising any unnecessary suspicion.

“So now…”

Daniel looked at Captain Heinz and spoke.

“Could you give us an overview of the operation?”

It was a line thrown out to change the subject since the princess’ gaze was making him uncomfortable.

But from Heinz’s perspective, Daniel asking about the operation’s outline before even resting after a long journey made him seem like a real tough nut.

‘Sure enough, he’s not someone to be underestimated.’

Thinking that, Heinz nodded and turned around.

“Follow me. I’ll give a brief explanation of the mission.”

Following Heinz into the military tent, the first thing they saw was a desk with an operations map set up.

On the wall, soldiers were seated in front of radios waiting for communications.

Next to that, a blackboard had photos of high-ranking Allied Nations officials posted, with detailed personal information and recent movements written below each one.

As Daniel looked at the board, Heinz began speaking.

“The assistant army commander of the Allied Nations northern front. Rank of colonel, name Jeremy Stringer. He’s our target we need to eliminate on this mission.”

Daniel turned his gaze questioningly toward Heinz, wondering how they planned to take out such a well-guarded VIP.

Heinz probably would have made the same skeptical face if he thought about it from Daniel’s perspective.

Letting out a low chuckle, Heinz said:

“As you know, the northern front was formed when the Eldreshia Kingdom joined the Allied Nations. Some ignorant barbarians invaded Imperial territory with three divisions without knowing what they were doing.”

“But the Imperial Army didn’t retreat.”

“Indeed. Quite gloriously, we overwhelmed the Allied forces and recaptured most of our lost territory. In the process, their leadership retreated en masse, though some stayed behind to fight stubbornly.”

Here, Heinz was trying to make one point clear.

“It’s a delay tactic, isn’t it?”

At Daniel’s words, Heinz nodded.

“Though I don’t want to compliment the enemy, it was a wise choice. Thanks to Colonel Jeremy’s delaying actions, the Allied Nations northern front command could retreat with minimal losses. Meanwhile, he became isolated.”

Heinz let out another low laugh – more like a sneer.

“Jeremy may be smart, but doesn’t seem very brave. Once he confirmed the command had left, rather than putting up a desperate resistance, he decided to retreat himself.”

“You don’t get much lower than that rat.”

“Exactly. As you say, recently that rat sent out two battalions worth of troops while retreating to the rear with a company-sized escort.”

That’s when Central Intelligence spotted it and issued orders to Heinz who was active on the front lines.

“To summarize the higher-ups’ orders: Set traps along the rat’s escape route and wait to kill him. Understand?”

Simple and straightforward – even an idiot could understand.

Moving on to the main topic, Daniel spoke up.

“So what’s the expected escape route?”

Heinz pulled out a pointer as if he’d been waiting for this question and pointed to the operations map on the desk.

The likely escape routes were marked in red.

“The first route is the Drockenberg Plateau. The high altitude and sparse population make it easy to evade pursuit. Without using roads, going through the plateau is the fastest way back to Allied territory.”

Thud. Heinz pointed to another location.

“The second possible route involves crossing the northwest mountain range into the snowy mountains. Circumnavigate Lake Aldera and hide in the jungle region – it’s impossible for aerial reconnaissance and perfect for moving stealthily.”

Having finished explaining, Heinz put away the pointer.

“Unfortunately, we have to choose one of these two likely routes to lay in ambush. Splitting our forces increases the risk of losing Jeremy.”

What do you think – which route will Jeremy take?

Probing Heinz’s words, Daniel stroked his chin while staring intently at the operations map.

‘Hmm… Could this be…’

An opportunity for dishonorable discharge, perhaps?

‘If I deliberately suggest a different plan and spectacularly screw up the operation, my evaluation is sure to plummet. And if I prove my incompetence right in front of the princess…’

Dishonorable discharge guaranteed! It felt like fanfare was exploding in his head.

Smiling quietly to himself, Daniel feigned seriousness and shook his head.

“In my opinion, Colonel Jeremy won’t take either of those two routes.”

Silence fell in the room as Daniel directly contradicted his superior officer Heinz’s judgment.

Selvia, who had been watching their conversation nearby, looked at Daniel with interest.

Meanwhile, Heinz only furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Could you explain exactly what you mean?”

“Yes. In my view, Jeremy will attempt to escape through the Edelkrall Gorge.”

“…Edelkrall Gorge? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s where mines were laid early in the war to block the Allied advance. There’s no way Jeremy doesn’t know that.”

Lifting his head, Daniel looked at Heinz.

“It’s precisely because it’s so unreasonable that Jeremy will choose Edelkrall Gorge. Doesn’t this guy realize he has to exploit the Empire’s weaknesses to survive?”

The overly confident attitude momentarily deflated Heinz’s spirit.

However, Heinz had no intention of going along with Daniel’s reckless suggestion.

“Lieutenant, the Imperial Army values rationality above all else. The Special Operations Unit isn’t idle enough to humor your gambling instincts.”

“If Commander Heinz insists on this order, I will follow it. But you should be prepared.”

“For what?” Heinz asked.

Without blinking, Daniel replied:

“While I’ve temporarily been assigned to the special operations unit, I ultimately operate under direct command from headquarters. If Colonel Jeremy escapes due to Commander Heinz’s judgment, I will have no choice but to report this fact to General Staff Headquarters.”

General Staff Headquarters has its eyes on you. With those words, Heinz couldn’t help but feel intimidated by Daniel.

Indeed, Daniel knew how to wield his background appropriately.

After letting out a low grunt, Heinz finally spoke:

“Lieutenant, you shouldn’t be so careless with your words. If Jeremy doesn’t come to Edelkrall Gorge, how do you plan to take responsibility?”

“I’m prepared to accept any punishment. Furthermore…”

Pausing for effect, Daniel continued:

“Please allow my squad alone to lie in ambush at Edelkrall Gorge.”

“…Are you saying you can defeat Jeremy’s company with just your squad?”

“Yes. Due to prolonged combat on the northern front, Jeremy’s company is likely suffering from low morale and exhausted physical condition. Combined with the terrain advantages, my squad should be sufficient to defeat them.”

If true, Daniel’s proposal would allow splitting the force to simultaneously ambush both locations.

Looking into Daniel’s confident eyes, Heinz turned to Selvia.

Selvia, who had been smiling with interest, nodded, and seeing that, Heinz reluctantly approved Daniel’s bold plan despite furrowing his brow.

“Fine. Since you insist, I’ll approve the operation. When the time is right, take your squad and lie in ambush at Edelkrall Gorge.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

With a formal salute, Daniel turned and exited the military tent.

Only then did the oppressive atmosphere ease somewhat.

“That conniving bastard…”

As he stared at the tent entrance Daniel had left, nearby Selvia spoke up.

“Captain Heinz, what do you think of Daniel?”

Turning his gaze, Heinz bowed his head slightly.

“Your Majesty, in my view, he’s an excellent soldier. His independent judgment, decisiveness, and courage are outstanding. However, I wouldn’t call him an admirable person.”

In Heinz’s view, Daniel completely lacked respect for others.

Suggesting his squad alone could carry out the mission? It only seemed like he wanted to claim all the glory for himself.

A devil who would drive himself and his subordinates to ruin solely for promotion.

That was the extent of Heinz’s impression.

“Therefore, Your Majesty, I advise you reconsider regarding Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as an ally. This man shows no respect for others. From experience, his words are unreliable.”

Though Heinz gave sincere advice, it only piqued Selvia’s interest further.

“Captain Heinz, there are no dogs or men in this world that cannot be tamed.”

Narrowing her eyes as she looked at where Daniel had been.

“And furthermore, I will personally observe and judge whether he truly lacks respect for others.”

*

The next day, at Edelkrall Gorge.

“Cold…”

I shivered atop the cliff overlooking the gorge.

Even in my officer’s winter coat, I feel the cold piercing through.

“I just want to botch this mission and return to headquarters…”

Sniffling quietly, I glanced to the side to see Freya monitoring the gorge through binoculars and Selvia sitting on a fallen log.

The rest of the squad was camouflaged using snow and dry branches.

“…But why is Selvia here?”

Is she continuing to pretend to be a war correspondent? Honestly, it’s ridiculous.

Which war correspondent in the world wanders around looking this clean? Her blouse, coat, and pants are all expensive designer brands.

She probably doesn’t even realize how pricey they are since she always wears stuff like this.

Watching her act so amateurishly made me sigh inwardly.

When our eyes met, I quickly turned away and cleared my throat.

“See any enemy movement?”

Shaking her head at my question, Freya replied:

“No, Lieutenant Steiner.”

Of course not. It’s natural that there’s nothing to see.

After all, this operational area was obtained through my insistence.

And this place is where I came aiming for a dishonorable discharge.

Even considering the possibility of covert movement using the shaded areas characteristic of the gorge, getting ambushed from both cliffs would put one in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation.

Besides, Colonel Jeremy surely knows the Empire has mined the gorge.

So the probability of him coming here is extremely low.

Thus, my operation is destined to fail perfectly.

Not just fail, but since I practically half-blackmailed Commander Heinz to get this assignment, harsh criticism is inevitable.

“With the princess observing my incompetence right beside me, this will truly be a perfect failure.”

They say crisis is opportunity – who would have thought I’d secure a chance for dishonorable discharge on the northern front when I didn’t even want a special promotion.

Feeling satisfied, I was smiling unconsciously when…

“Lieutenant Steiner!”

Startled by the commotion, I turned to see Freya looking up at me after taking her eyes off the binoculars.

“Really! Lieutenant, your prediction was correct! Colonel Jeremy’s company is entering the gorge!”

…Wait, what?