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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: I Don't Want to Get Promoted
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Imperial Staff Headquarters.
The office of the Commander of the Magical Mobile Army.
*Rustle—*
Sitting at a luxurious mahogany desk, Heinrich turned the page of a file.
The information written on the page was none other than Daniel Steiner's personal details.
[Name: Daniel Steiner]
[Place of Birth: Pianmari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire]
[Special Notes: Confirmed to have been abandoned by parents and raised in an orphanage. Subsequently recognized for magical talent by a dispatched conscription examiner, admitted to the Imperial Magical Military Academy, and graduated at the top of his class.]
After reading up to the special notes, Heinrich put a pipe to his lips.
*'Graduated at the top of the Magical Military Academy class, huh...'*
This wasn't particularly surprising.
After all, the Imperial Staff Headquarters was a place only those with prodigious talent could enter.
However, the fact that he was an orphan gave Heinrich a different impression.
*'He put forward an opinion based on intuition, even though he had no family to back him up?'*
It wasn't common, but occasionally, enthusiastic young men would pierce through the ice-cold atmosphere of the meeting hall like an awl and express their opinions.
But behind the courage these young men displayed, there was always the backing of their family name.
A quiet certainty usually lurked within them: that even if something went wrong because of their statements, their family wouldn't abandon them.
*'But...'*
Daniel Steiner. This newly appointed officer, an orphan, had no family to back him up.
If the military were to go awry because of an opinion he voiced, the level of discipline wouldn't end with simply being discharged.
Daniel must have known that, yet he pushed his opinion.
And that opinion, in conclusion, was reasonable and valid.
As a result of issuing a large-scale reconnaissance order, they had obtained information that the enemy was preparing an ambush near the hilly terrain.
*'Does he possess an eye that can see through the battlefield?'*
Of course, it might be an overstatement. There was also the possibility that it was merely a coincidence.
However, it was clear that thanks to Daniel, damage had been prevented in advance.
In an era of fierce competition where a single small shift could change the course of war, Daniel's sharp insight was like welcome rain in a desert.
From Heinrich's perspective, he was a talent who simply had to be rewarded.
*Knock, knock—*
His thoughts were broken by the sound of knocking.
Heinrich tidied the file and placed it on the edge of his desk.
"Commander, Your Excellency! Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner and I are here on duty!"
Heinrich took the pipe from his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and spoke.
"Come in."
The office door opened, and Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner entered, accompanied by the Captain who served as the aide.
Tall, with black hair and black eyes. Though he looked gaunt, his spirit was very much alive.
Reaching the center of the office, the two men saluted with sharp precision, as if by prior agreement.
As Heinrich casually returned the salute, the Captain stepped aside.
This allowed Daniel to shift to the 'at ease' position and await Heinrich's address.
"Hmm."
His posture was unmistakably that of a model soldier.
A posture so perfectly straight it was hard to find any fault compared to the 'at ease' stance depicted in textbooks.
Feeling a certain fondness, Heinrich began to speak.
"Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. As my aide may have already informed you, thanks to your actions, the military was able to prevent damage in advance. This is an undeniable merit."
Daniel maintained his attention posture.
He was adhering to the exemplary military demeanor of not speaking until his superior officer addressed him first.
Despite having accumulated merit, which might typically excite one to speak out, he remained remarkably calm.
Of course, this was merely Heinrich's perception.
Daniel's mind, at present, was a cauldron of chaos.
*'My bullshit actually worked? Why the hell?'*
As he bit down on his teeth, unable to comprehend, Heinrich continued.
"Merit, by rights, must be rewarded. Therefore, I intend to put you forward for promotion review next quarter. What are your thoughts?"
Daniel's shoulders twitched.
For Daniel, promotion was synonymous with drawing closer to death.
Daniel took a deep breath and, as calmly as possible, thought of an excuse.
"Your Excellency. I am deeply moved by your gracious words. However, I do not wish to receive special treatment simply because of a single merit."
"Hmm? Did you say 'a single merit'?"
"Yes. I merely believe I did what any officer upholding the Holy Bavarian Empire ought to do. Therefore, I respectfully request that you reconsider including my name in the promotion review."
Heinrich blinked blankly.
He had seen countless warmongers desperate for promotion, but this was the first time he'd encountered someone adamantly refusing a promotion offer.
The Captain, observing the scene from beside him, was equally surprised.
*'What an extraordinary fellow.'*
Heinrich chuckled softly and set his pipe down.
"Second Lieutenant. I must say, you seem to be mistaken. Your achievement is not 'just one merit.' It's tantamount to saving at least hundreds of our compatriots. Therefore, I cannot grant your request."
"Your Excellency. I merely..."
"That's enough. Are you unaware that rewarding good and punishing evil is one of the fundamental tenets of the Imperial Army? If you repeatedly refuse, I will take it as a rejection of the Empire's ideals."
This essentially meant, "I'm promoting you whether you like it or not, so understand that."
With the Commander-in-Chief of the military speaking like that, a mere Second Lieutenant could no longer object.
In the end, Daniel reluctantly replied.
"...I shall accept this overwhelming honor."
Heinrich, observing Daniel intently, nodded.
"Good. Then let it be known. You may be dismissed."
Hearing the dismissal, Daniel rendered a crisp salute.
As Heinrich returned the salute, Daniel turned and exited the office.
Footsteps receded. Confirming Daniel's departure from the office, Heinrich let out a low chuckle.
"He's a rare young man in this day and age. Don't you agree, Captain?"
The Captain, who had been staring blankly at the office door Daniel had exited, turned his head.
"Indeed, Your Excellency. Usually, people would do anything to boost their evaluation, but someone trying to lower it—I've never seen that before."
"He's no mere soldier in name only. He truly possesses the will to defend the Empire and crush the Alliance. It seems an extraordinary individual has joined the military."
It was as if he was seeing his own younger self.
Heinrich, wearing a satisfied smile, added as an afterthought.
"The military needs talent like that. Especially now, with the Alliance's power steadily growing."
Heinrich picked up the pipe he had set down and chuckled with evident pleasure.
"I'm curious to see how far he'll rise."
*
"Bullshit! Seriously!"
Returning to my private dormitory, I yelled in exasperation.
And no wonder, since the situation was going from bad to worse.
"Early promotion, of all things..."
This wasn't just about adding another diamond to my rank, going from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.
An early promotion within the Imperial Staff Headquarters, an elite organization, meant being recognized as an elite even among elites.
Even if my assignment were to change later, the label of 'elite with an early promotion from Staff Headquarters' would inevitably stick with me.
That, in turn, was the highest honor a junior officer could attain, and the most optimal path to success.
In other words, it meant I had moved one step closer to becoming a core member of the Empire's leadership.
In short, it was synonymous with the increasing likelihood of my head being chopped off if the future where the Empire loses came to pass.
Sitting on my bed, I ran a hand over my face, then lifted my head.
In the full-length mirror before me, I saw a man with faint dark circles under his eyes.
I distinctly remembered yelling with joy when I confirmed my first assignment was the Staff Headquarters, but after awakening memories of my past life, this place had become hell itself.
After staring at my reflection for a while, I sighed and got up.
Opening the window, I looked out and saw high-ranking military officers arriving for work one by one.
Right. Come to think of it, this place was teeming with high-ranking officers, like pebbles on a roadside.
This made it ideal for earning points for a comfortable military life, but conversely, it was also ideal for losing them.
*'Things got a bit tangled, but... nothing changes.'*
All I had to do was commit acts so incompetent and shameless that they would outweigh any merit.
Loosening the suffocating tie of my uniform, I exhaled slowly.
*'Your Excellency. I express my gratitude for your trust in me. However, I do not desire an early promotion. At least, not in this Empire.'*
Therefore, to cancel this early promotion and hasten my dishonorable discharge, I needed to become a complete scoundrel.
Coincidentally, the perfect ingredient for me to play the role of a scoundrel was right within the Staff Headquarters.
That ingredient was none other than Major Karl Heinrich, the operations planning staff officer I served under.
A personality-disordered individual who began his day by berating me and ended it by despising me.
If I used my direct superior, Karl Heinrich, the chance for a dishonorable discharge still remained.
*'So, just you wait, Your Excellency.'*
Because no matter what, I'm escaping this Empire.