Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Weight of Command
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“Private Carlyle.”
“Yes, Commander Helen.”
“Do you know why I called you here alone?”
“I have no idea.”
“I saw your expression. You didn’t seem to welcome the promotion.”
“Yes, well. That’s about right.”
Carlyle nodded, not bothering to deny it.
“You don’t want to be promoted?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle thought for a moment before speaking.
“If I’m promoted… I’ll become an officer.”
“That’s right. You’re a noble and you’ve proven your skills in real combat, so you’ll be promoted to second lieutenant. Of course, the top brass will conduct a review, but your contributions are clear and you have the unanimous support of the reconnaissance team, so the promotion should be approved without any issues.”
“I see.”
“So why don’t you want the promotion, Private Carlyle? Most would be delighted.”
“I don’t want the responsibility.”
“You don’t want the responsibility…?”
“Becoming an officer comes with responsibility, whether you like it or not.”
“Ah.”
Helen nodded as if she understood.
“So, you’re saying you don’t want to be responsible for the lives of your subordinates.”
“That’s right.”
“Why not?”
“It’s hard enough just trying to stay alive myself, who am I to be responsible for anyone else? I can’t even take care of my own business properly.”
“Heh.”
Helen laughed.
“Is something funny?”
“N-no, it’s not that.”
Helen quickly straightened her face.
“You just laughed.”
“It was just a sneeze.”
“Your face is getting red.”
“It was a rather violent sneeze. Ahem.”
Helen took a moment to compose herself, feigning distraction, before speaking again.
“You seem to have a surprisingly objective view of yourself.”
“So that’s why you laughed.”
Carlyle said, realizing why Helen had laughed.
‘I guess it is pretty funny. Hearing the Mad Dog of the North admit with his own mouth that he can’t even take care of himself.’
Helen neither confirmed nor denied Carlyle’s words.
Which probably meant it was a confirmation…
“Responsibility.”
Helen spoke again.
“Perhaps your reluctance to take responsibility is because of what I said.”
“You probably have a share in it.”
Carlyle didn’t deny it.
—If this were a problem that could end with just me, I would order a retreat this very instant. I would rather die myself than lead my own men to their deaths.
—Me? I… I’m not afraid of dying either. People drop dead here every other day. If I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t have been able to serve here for years. However, it’s true that I can’t easily bear the thought of my subordinates dying because of my incompetence, because of my orders. Though that, too, is a responsibility and duty a commander must bear…
Carlyle recalled Helen’s words as he opened his mouth.
“Of course, it’s not just that. It’s my personality. I hate taking responsibility. Especially when it comes to people’s lives.”
“You must have understood its meaning.”
“Meaning of what?”
“The responsibility and duty a commander must bear, and the inescapable guilt.”
“…”
“You’ve experienced real combat, you’ve lost comrades, and you’ve come to understand the weight of command through my words. Am I wrong?”
“That’s about right. Though not entirely.”
“In that case, I’d say you have the qualities of a fine commander.”
“Excuse me…?”
Carlyle wore a dubious expression.
How did the conversation get here…?
“The role of a commander should be filled by someone who understands that weight.”
“Shouldn’t that apply to someone who knows how to bear that weight?”
“You’re right about that, of course. But no one can bear that weight from the very beginning. If they could, they’d either be a thoughtless moron or someone born without emotions.”
“…”
“I understand you don’t want to be responsible for your subordinates’ lives. But once you’re actually in that position, a sense of responsibility will develop on its own.”
“Are you trying to say the position makes the man?”
“You catch on quick.”
“What if I still don’t want to?”
“It can’t be helped. As a Sigmund, you’re obligated to serve as an officer, aren’t you? The right to refuse was never on the table to begin with.”
“That’s… true.”
“If you really don’t want the promotion, your only option is to cause some trouble.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If you cause some kind of incident, you’d be passed over for promotion…”
“There was a way?”
Oops.
In that moment, Helen realized she had misspoken.
Look at that strange, yet ominous expression.
It looked as if the Mad Dog of the North was about to be resurrected and cause some kind of incident.
“Private Carlyle.”
“Yes?”
“Hear me out for just a moment longer.”
Helen said urgently.
If she ended the conversation here, that Mad Dog of the North might cause a major disaster…
“Do you know why I became an officer?”
“I have no idea.”
“Then listen to my story.”
“…?”
“You see, I…”
Helen’s past began to pour from her lips.
***
Young Helen had no parents.
Her father, who served in the Decaron army, was killed in action against the barbarians the year she turned ten.
When her mother was also killed during a barbarian raid a few years later, Helen and her two younger siblings became orphans.
Suddenly the head of her family, Helen did every job she could find to feed her siblings.
The condolence money from her father’s death and the monthly support from the Decaron domain were nowhere near enough for the three of them to live on.
To make matters worse, her youngest sibling fell ill, and their finances grew even tighter.
In the end, Helen chose to enlist.
“Saying it out loud, it sounds like such a common story.”
Helen gave a bitter smile.
“Yes, it is common.”
Carlyle nodded in agreement.
Losing parents to barbarians was common, and it was also common for orphaned children with no means to survive to enlist.
For the people of the North, who had been fighting a fierce war against the barbarians for hundreds of years, such a story barely even counted as a sob story.
It was so common that personal attacks like “you parentless bastard” weren’t even considered insults in the North.
Why?
Because everyone was parentless.
Hadn’t Gwen herself enlisted to support her sick mother and younger siblings after her father was killed in action, taking on the role of the family breadwinner?
“I, too, started my military career as a combat engineer. Every day, I did my best to survive, mining mana stones under the constant threat of death.”
“And then you became an officer?”
“Yes. For a commoner and a mere private, a field commission was the only path to becoming an officer.”
“That’s amazing.”
He wasn’t just saying it.
The main duties of a combat engineer were mining mana stones and constructing fortifications.
For Helen to enlist in a non-combat branch, distinguish herself, and become an officer meant her talent was truly exceptional.
“It wasn’t about being amazing. I just hated it.”
“Hated what?”
“I hated watching my comrades die.”
“…”
“I wanted to save even one more comrade with my own inadequate abilities. That’s why I chose to become an officer. Because I didn’t want to lose them.”
“Because a good commander can make judgments and choices that save at least one more ally?”
“That’s right.”
Helen nodded.
“Of course, I’m still a very lacking commander. I’m still learning, and I will continue to do so. Because the stronger and wiser I become, the more of my subordinates will live.”
“I see.”
“Private Carlyle.”
“Yes, Commander Helen.”
“As you’ve experienced this time, losing a comrade is a very painful thing. If it’s a comrade you were close to, the pain is even greater.”
“I suppose so.”
“If you don’t want to lose your comrades, become a commander. Become a commander, and protect the comrades by your side yourself.”
“But…”
“Just try it.”
Helen said in a firm tone.
“Try it, and if you truly find the weight of command unbearable, you can set it down then. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I… understand.”
Carlyle readily nodded.
“Good. Then you can accept the promotion and become a commander.”
“Haa.”
Carlyle let out a deep sigh.
He felt like he’d been talked into it by Helen’s eloquence.
But there was no flaw in her logic.
If he wanted to save even one more person, if he didn’t want to watch his comrades die helplessly…
Then he just had to become a capable commander himself and lead them.
It would come with its own responsibilities and duties, but it seemed better than grieving the loss of his comrades.
Of course, that would have to be backed by outstanding martial prowess and the ability to execute strategies and tactics…
“Well, I guess I have no choice then. I have to do my mandatory service anyway, so I might as well become an officer.”
“Good, that’s a wise decision.”
Helen was relieved by Carlyle’s answer.
‘If I’ve said this much, he at least won’t deliberately cause trouble to get passed over for promotion, right…?’
Of course, Helen wasn’t entirely certain of her own thoughts.
***
Two days later.
The soldiers led by Helen left Bowden Fortress and headed for Decaron.
Having finished the post-battle processing and handover, they were off on a ten-day reward leave.
“Still, I should be able to rest well for about a month.”
Carlyle muttered to himself, looking at the piece of parchment in his hand.
[Certificate of Reward Leave]
Affiliation: Unit under the 2nd Army Command, Decaron Army
Rank: Private
Name: Carlyle van Sigmund
Period: 20 days
The above individual is hereby granted reward leave.
Commander Helen (Seal)
Carlyle’s performance over the past period had been recognized, and Helen had granted him a reward leave of a whopping 20 days.
With an additional 20 days on top of the standard 10, he was set for a long 30-day vacation.
It was an extraordinary reward for a mere private, but no one voiced any complaints.
Carlyle’s contributions had been that brilliant, and everyone acknowledged them.
“Young Master, are you that pleased? You’re cherishing that leave pass.”
“It’s not like I’m overjoyed or anything.”
Despite his words, Carlyle carefully placed the pass inside his coat, as if worried it might tear.
“Woong…”
The hatchling sleeping in his arms stirred slightly.
“Still, I can rest for a month. I’m not going to do anything. I’m really going to do nothing but rest.”
“Haha.”
Maranello laughed.
“I’m afraid that might be difficult.”
“What are you talking about? I’m saying I’m going to do nothing but rest.”
Carlyle frowned.
“Once you’re promoted to second lieutenant, you’ll have to undergo a promotion review and also attend an officer commissioning ceremony.”
“That’ll take two days at most.”
“That may be so, but will you truly be able to rest without doing anything?”
“…?”
“You’ll need time to reflect on and organize what you’ve seen, heard, and felt on the battlefield. You won’t really just laze about, will you? Hahaha.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Carlyle looked as though he’d been struck by an idea he hadn’t considered.
Although it was a short period, what Carlyle had gained on the battlefield was by no means small.
Not only did he have combat experience to process, but he also had to organize his improved swordsmanship and the new skills he had acquired.
He would be rolling around on the battlefield for several more years until his mandatory service was over, so to survive, he needed to strive for self-improvement, day and night, even during his leave…
“And you’ll have to participate in an event as well.”
“An event? What kind?”
“It’s Victory Day soon, isn’t it?”
“Victory Day… Ah.”
Carlyle’s expression hardened.
Victory Day.
It was the most important holiday in Decaron, in all of the North.
Which meant…
‘A whole swarm of the world’s most annoying people will gather. Sigh.’
Carlyle let out an internal sigh as he thought of those who would be visiting Decaron for the upcoming Victory Day.
The lords of each domain and their children.
And even the crown prince.
From the main characters to the supporting cast of the game [Overlord], just about every significant figure was scheduled to visit Decaron.