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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: That Greenhorn Staff Officer
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Daniel Steiner? Isn't he that greenhorn staff officer?
After Henry, the enemy commander, declared surrender, the battlefield was quickly cleared.
Kingdom soldiers, caught off guard by the unexpected surprise attack, lost their will to fight and knelt. The officers, too, seemed to realize they couldn't turn the tide, resigned themselves, and offered to be taken prisoner.
"Move it, quickly! You damn rats!"
"Normally, all of you would be dead! Be grateful to our generous Captain!"
As is common for soldiers on a victorious battlefield, they were shouting at and handling the prisoners.
'Why are they creating such a harsh atmosphere...?'
Daniel, frowning, was about to step forward to say something when Lieutenant McCall approached him.
"Captain! Personnel count is complete!"
"Alright. Any casualties on our side?"
"Out of a total of 207 personnel, we have 16 casualties. Four of them are KIA, and the remaining 12 have minor injuries."
To have subdued battalion-level personnel and only have four KIA.
Even considering the operation's success, it was an astonishing exchange ratio.
So much so that a hollow laugh escaped him unconsciously.
"This is troublesome..."
He had earned merit during an operation support mission, which was certainly problematic.
If things continued like this, the General Staff would keep making Daniel the commander every time they organized an operation support detachment.
That was one of the situations Daniel least desired.
That's why he was smiling wryly, but Lieutenant McCall interpreted it differently.
'He's achieved such incredible merit, and yet he's still not satisfied...!'
To Lieutenant McCall, this was a mindset on a level so high he simply couldn't comprehend it.
It truly made him realize that the titles "General Staff Ace" and "Hero of the Capital" weren't given for nothing.
As Lieutenant McCall gazed at him with awe, Daniel let out a soft sigh.
"Now, let's prepare to head to the outpost. Inform all troops that we will depart after a short rest."
He wanted to circle around for a few more days before rejoining, but having captured prisoners, they couldn't afford to delay any longer.
It would be a disaster if one of the prisoners were to break their bonds and escape while they were dawdling.
In the worst-case scenario, the Kingdom Army might send a mobile unit to rescue their supply battalion, so it was better to rejoin the outpost as quickly as possible and ensure their safety.
"Yes, Captain! I will relay your orders!"
Lieutenant McCall, shouting vigorously, departed towards where the soldiers were gathered.
Left alone, Daniel idly turned his gaze and spotted Frien leading the Kingdom soldiers.
Frien was speaking softly with a smiling face, while the Kingdom soldiers were breathing heavily, overcome with fear.
'What kind of verbal abuse is she giving the prisoners...?'
He was worried she might violate international laws of war.
Just yesterday, when planning the raid, he had dismissed Frien's suggestion that it would be easier to deceive the enemy if she approached disguised as a civilian.
For reference, attacking an enemy while disguised as a civilian was a clear war crime.
When he explained this, she had asked, with a genuinely curious expression, 'Since they've allied with the Union, aren't they no longer human? So why would it be a crime?' It had sent shivers down his spine.
'At least she's on our side for now.'
If there were such a nationalistic psychopath in the enemy army, they would be incredibly difficult to deal with.
Daniel turned his gaze from Frien and looked at Lucy this time.
Lucy was leading the prisoners in a businesslike manner, just as she did at the General Staff headquarters.
He had wondered if she might resent attacking the Kingdom Army, an ally of the Union, but Lucy wore a more composed expression than he expected.
Just moments ago, when one of the prisoners rebelled and lunged, she even knocked him unconscious by striking his head with the butt of her rifle.
He wasn't sure if she was merely acting composed or if she genuinely didn't care about the Kingdom Army's destruction, but for now, he felt relieved.
'For the time being, I don't have to worry about getting shot by Lucy.'
From the Union's perspective, the Kingdom was likely a disposable pawn, so they probably wouldn't go out of their way to help.
Daniel, inwardly relieved, raised his head, feeling the world gradually brighten.
Beyond the mountain ridge, the sun was slowly raising its head.
It was the first light announcing the morning.
*
Outpost near the coastal city of Nordia.
Division Headquarters Provisional Operations Command.
"It's strange. Aerial reconnaissance shows no signs of their supplies diminishing."
"Indeed. By now, their supplies should be running dry..."
Seated around the round table in the headquarters' operations command center were three regimental commanders, one brigade commander, and several battalion commanders and staff officers.
This was thanks to the Division Commander, the highest authority at the Division Headquarters, who had convened them for a tactical meeting.
[Commander of the 6th Magical Armored Division / Major General Felderham]
Felderham, seated at the head of the table with a stern face, listened intently to their discussion.
He pondered why they hadn't been able to capture the coastal city of Nordia.
'The Northern Front's advance was smooth. They had occupied nearly 30% of the Kingdom's territory within two weeks of commencing their march.'
It was nothing short of a rapid advance.
The military high command, judging that they could push through the Kingdom this way, spared no expense in providing support, allowing the Imperial Army to achieve victory after victory.
However, the Imperial Army now faced a difficult obstacle.
The Kingdom Army's resistance had intensified, making it impossible to push the front lines further north.
Consequently, the deliberating Imperial General Staff issued an order to capture the coastal city of Nordia.
The gist of the operation was that if Nordia, a strategic stronghold, were captured, naval movement would become easier, allowing them to attack the Kingdom from two directions.
It was an excellent plan. With no dissenting opinions, Felderham successfully led his division to besiege Nordia.
Having succeeded in the encirclement, Felderham focused all his efforts on cutting off the Kingdom Army's supply routes to Nordia.
The reason was simple.
A besieged city, the moment its supply of goods is cut off, suffers from sudden fear and exhaustion.
This not only lowers the morale of both soldiers and civilians but also leads to the collapse of social order, with epidemics and diseases running rampant.
If things went well, they could even secure the enemy commander's surrender.
It was truly a method to achieve maximum victory while minimizing their own losses.
'However...'
Things didn't go as planned.
This was because the Kingdom Army's Ironclad Division, stationed in the coastal city of Nordia, had no issues with its supplies.
Felderham found this puzzling.
With the help of the Imperial Air Force, which had successfully secured air superiority, they had already sunk the enemy's maritime supply lines several times.
The ground was thoroughly guarded by his armored division. Not even an ant could pass through.
Yet, the Kingdom Army's Ironclad Division was receiving supplies on time.
Felderham, racking his brain over this series of inexplicable situations, turned to Brigade Commander Heinrich.
"Tell me, Heinrich. Do you have any idea what's going on with this situation?"
Unfortunately, Heinrich shook his head.
"I, too, cannot ascertain how their supplies are getting through. However, the headquarters has sent a staff officer to assist us, so I believe it would be best to wait for them."
"...A staff officer to assist? Ha. Surely you don't mean that Daniel Steiner."
Felderham, who had spent several years in the Northern Front Army, also knew of Daniel Steiner's existence.
It would be strange not to know him after the commotion he caused in the capital.
However, Felderham didn't trust Daniel in the slightest.
This was because he found it hard to believe that someone could accumulate so many achievements in just half a year.
'No doubt, they created a propaganda hero in the capital.'
It was highly probable that he was an artificially created hero by the capital to boost enlistment rates.
Of course, he might have been directly involved in some incidents, but it was difficult to logically believe that all of Daniel's actions were not fabricated.
While he could understand the headquarters' desire to secure more soldiers, wasn't it excessive how much merit they were showering upon him, regardless?
'Besides...'
What the command needed now wasn't some smooth-talking staff officer but a competent warrior who could deliver results.
'The headquarters is sending just a greenhorn staff officer for operational support.'
Felderham, disappointed in many ways, was about to sigh when—
"D-Division Commander?"
It was the soldier on radio duty beside him.
He turned his head, wondering what was happening, and the soldier spoke with a bewildered expression.
"Captain Daniel Steiner's company has arrived here, sir. And... there are casualties reported. Sixteen casualties, with four dead and twelve lightly wounded..."
Huh? Sixteen casualties, four dead, from what was merely a march?
Even if they had conducted a forced march, it would be incomprehensible. But they had dawdled for six days past their original arrival date and still incurred sixteen casualties?
'What a terrible commander...!'
He was the type who should never be deployed on the battlefield.
He was thinking that once Daniel arrived, he'd hold him accountable and send him to the rear.
"And..."
The radio operator swallowed hard and spoke, as if unable to believe it.
"Captain Daniel Steiner's company reportedly located and subdued an enemy supply battalion en route to joining Division Headquarters. The report states they killed 135 out of 327 supply battalion personnel and captured 192, including the enemy battalion commander..."
Silence fell over the operations command center, where various opinions had just been exchanged.
'...What?'
At that ridiculously outstanding combat achievement, not only Felderham but all the officers gathered in the operations command center gaped in stunned silence.