Chapter 93

The lieutenants who came from the free two-roll gacha of the Fifth Division were, as expected, problematic cases.

And as expected, I ended up being the one to take care of them.

It's getting more and more troublesome, and I'm feeling quite depressed, but I'm a major now, so there's nothing I can do about it.

I called out to the two new lieutenants.

" Lieutenant Digo Fulton"

"What is it?"

To the middle-aged lieutenant with a friendly smile, I asked matter-of-factly.

"I've seen your military record. It says you diverted supplies to the Agan army, right?"

"Well, that's right."

Lieutenant Fulton was smiling without a hint of remorse.

Brigadier General Altsar was frowning.

But I continued to ask in the same tone.

"From the notes in the rewards and punishments section, it seems you only distributed food to civilians in the occupied territories at their request. It seems unnatural to have been demoted for that."

Lieutenant Fulton glanced at me but quickly averted his gaze.

"It was decided by the higher-ups. It's none of my business."

From the look of things, it seems there's some kind of backstory.

On paper, he's a corrupt officer, but when I saw his record, something didn't sit right with me.

Apart from the diversion of supplies, there was nothing in his record that could be called a blemish. Of course, he has no commendations, so overall his record is negative, but it seems premature to write him off.

I said to Lieutenant Fulton,

"I agree. I don't care about your past."

I tore the stack of documents sent from the Fifth Division in half.

Actually, I had secretly made a cut beforehand. I couldn't tear something this thick just like that.

"What... What are you doing, Major?"

To the surprised Lieutenant Fulton, I slowly approached.

"I don't care what you've done in the past. What I'm interested in is what you can do from now on."

I leaned in close to Lieutenant Fulton and put on a menacing expression I had cultivated in the back alleys of the city.

"I think you're an interesting guy. But if your discretion is just a shallow deception to hide your incompetence, I'll send you back to your original unit right away."

For a moment, Lieutenant Fulton showed a sharp and severe expression in response to my provocative words. As expected, his true expression is intimidating.

But his true face quickly retreated and was soon covered by a sarcastic smile.

"Sure, sure, you're a scary superior officer. I'll do my best."

For now, this is good enough.

When I turned around, I saw that Lieutenant Char Lane was trembling. Clearly, she was scared of me.

"Ah...!"

Her courage is too small. I wonder if she'll be okay.

I tried to speak as kindly as possible.

"I have no intention of sending you back to your original unit. As I said before, I have normal expectations for you. I don't intend to treat you the same as this useless old man."

Lieutenant Fulton grumbled with a sour face.

"Staff Officer. Just because this one has a cute face, that's no reason to—"

Hold on, this is the main point.

"Lieutenant Fulton has proven himself as a frontline commander. He's at least at the minimum level. But you don't have that. You have no experience commanding on the front lines."

"Eh...?"

Lieutenant Lane flinched and looked up at me.

I continued with a smile.

"You should be at the stage of gaining experience as a platoon leader. To skip that and make you a company commander is not the same as Lieutenant Fulton."

"S-Sorry!?"

To the frightened Lieutenant Lane, I spoke as kindly as possible.

"Calm down. If you think it's too much, the brigade commander wouldn't have made you a company commander. It means he has high expectations for you. I believe you can perform as well as the experienced Lieutenant Fulton soon."

"H-Hai!"

She may look timid, but she's a professional soldier. She tightened her expression and saluted sharply.

"I will do my utmost to meet your expectations!"

"Good. But don't overdo it."

Then I turned to Lieutenant Fulton and threw in a sarcastic remark.

"If you're competent, it shouldn't be a problem to support your younger colleague."

"I only want to work for my salary."

To the grumbling Lieutenant Fulton, I smiled slyly.

"Your salary will increase when you become a company commander, but so will your workload. I hope you can quickly show your true abilities and become a battalion commander."

At that moment, I didn't miss the brief look of surprise on Lieutenant Fulton's face.

Lieutenant Fulton covered his face and sighed dramatically but eventually waved his hand in surrender.

"Alright, alright. I don't want to be held back by a noble brat like you, so I'll take care of him. Damn, what a terrible major."

"I agree."

I nodded with a straight face.

"Now, even though I'm such a ruthless and cold-hearted major, there's something I need to tell you."

"No, you don't have to go that far."

Ignoring the middle-aged lieutenant's exasperated look, I, who still looked like I was in my early twenties, spread a map on the desk.

"While waiting for your arrival, the situation has changed a bit. I'll give you the latest information."

I glanced at their faces. Lieutenant Fulton looked like he wasn't listening, but he was carefully examining the map. The young Lieutenant Lane was nodding nervously.

I continued.

"Currently, the imperial capital, Lotsmer, is under the control of the Bruges army. The area about twenty kilometers east of Lotsmer is generally dominated by the Bruges army. However, many of the lords still believe in the emperor's return and are refusing to comply with the Bruges army."

Lieutenant Fulton smiled sarcastically. I understand what he's thinking, so I'll say it for him.

"They don't want to wag their tails to the invaders and lose their position if the emperor returns. Formally, the lords of the Schweidel aristocracy are only the emperor's representatives."

I pointed to the map.

"This is one of the reasons why the Bruges invasion has been slow. The lords around the capital are anti-Bruges, so the Bruges army is having supply line issues and can't expand eastward."

The Medilen family has rallied the eastern lords regardless of their aristocratic status and built a strong defensive line. The slogan of "defending the homeland" has been a driving force for the nobles, and so far, the coordination has been effective. ...For now.

There will be internal conflicts soon, so we need to resolve this quickly.

I continued, omitting that part.

"The Bruges side has internal conflicts. The Zichtberg and Mildor families are potential enemies for Bruges. They are currently fighting over control of the capital."

The Duke of Zichtberg and the Duke of Mildor, being fellow imperial nobles, cannot be too harsh on the lords of the Schweidel aristocracy. The situation could change.

On the other hand, the Duke of Bruges sees this as an opportunity to carve out territory from the empire. He wants to seize as much land as possible.

But if the Duke of Bruges advances east, the Duke of Mildor and the Duke of Zichtberg will secure his rear. They are allies now, but they could become enemies at any time.

Still, doing nothing is meaningless, so the Duke of Bruges has started to move. He is leading a large army east to capture several key fortresses.

"Advance units have already been dispatched to reinforce the fortresses. We are the follow-up reinforcements. Each of you will be in charge of a company of female infantry."

I really wanted to say, "Don't let anyone die," but that's too much to ask, so I held back. No matter how advantageous the situation and how cautious the battle, people will die when it's their time.

"Our brigade consists of two infantry companies and one artillery company. In reality, it's the equivalent of one battalion. Moreover, the artillery company is still in training with new guns and cannot deploy."

The lieutenants looked at each other. Lieutenant Lane's face was pale.

"Does that mean we have to fight on our own?"

"Well, that's the case. It's a common situation."

Lieutenant Fulton shrugged. He's got some nerve.

I continued.

"Don't worry. The Duke of Medilen has gathered troops. Several battalions will temporarily come under the command of the Sixth Special Brigade. Since there are no officers to command the regiments, the brigade commander will take direct command."

Of course, this is Brigadier General Altsar's first experience, so I have to support him as a staff officer. I don't have the luxury to take care of the companies.

That's why I need these guys to work. I looked at these new acting company commanders with a prayerful heart.

"Your companies will act as the brigade commander's personal guard. Don't forget that you will always be watched by the other battalions."

"Understood, Major."

"U-Understood!"

Lieutenant Fulton saluted with a wry smile, and Lieutenant Lane saluted with a flushed face.

I pulled my cap down over my eyes to hide my anxiety.

"Let's go punch the Duke of Bruges in the nose. Each of you will give a speech and instructions to your troops."

I hope we can return safely...