Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: New Tactics (4)
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The day before the 7th Guard Division's founding ceremony.
"I never imagined that instead of His Highness the Crown Prince, Her Highness the Fourth Imperial Princess would come. And on the eve of the founding ceremony, no less."
We could laugh about it now, but it had been quite serious at the time.
I'd submitted a request to meet him, wondering if there was some misunderstanding in our relationship that I alone was unaware of, or if I'd done something wrong that made him not want to see me.
The next day, His Imperial Majesty sent me a personal letter written in his own hand, delivered in secret.
[The Crown Prince and I hold absolute trust in you, but other generals are starting to show signs of jealousy. If the Crown Prince, as the imperial representative symbolizing your 7th Division, were to attend, it might demoralize them. Therefore, I will send my daughter, the Empire's Fourth Imperial Princess Louise von Reich, to celebrate the division's founding. P.S.: The girl admires you greatly, so treat her well.]
Reading His Majesty's letter, laced with his personal humor, finally eased my political tensions.
"Even if my five-star father-in-law were coming, it'd be uncomfortable enough, but instead of His Highness the Crown Prince—who actually understands the military—it's a princess. I wonder if we'll be run ragged serving her."
Excluding me, the soldiers and officers had already suffered through a massive unit-wide deep clean.
Still, fortunately, Her Highness the Princess had requested in her letter, 'I will attend the founding ceremony and lightly tour the unit beforehand, so please refrain from excessive formalities.'
This allowed us to skip unnecessary inspections and parades.
Aside from the ceremony day itself, we'd adjusted to just being extra thorough during roll call inspections—thank goodness.
Otherwise, I'd have lost a fistful of hair from the stress.
Honestly, it was the first time in my life that 'just keep training' felt like such a welcome phrase.
"Major General, sir! Her Highness the Princess has arrived!"
At those words, I immediately rose from my office chair and headed out. As soon as the door opened, I offered my salute.
"Raise your head, Major General Jaeger."
Sky-blue hair, porcelain-white skin, deep blue eyes, striking features, and a slender yet perfectly proportioned figure—curves where they should be, tapering elegantly where they shouldn't.
Even without her imperial status, she was a beauty—no, a stunning young beauty—who would turn every head on the street.
The princess smiled at me and extended the back of her right hand.
"Kiss the back of my hand to pay your respects. From now on, you—as a major general, no, as my knight—are commanding a division that fights in my name."
A major general like me kissing a princess's hand wasn't particularly awkward.
It was the standard greeting in this era for a nobleman meeting a higher-ranking lady.
However, even as the commander of the Guard Division bearing the Fourth Imperial Princess's honor, she wouldn't normally call me a 'knight.'
It might lead to misunderstandings that I was a knight sworn personally to her service.
"Yes, Your Highness."
But what could I do? When someone of her station requested it, I had to oblige.
As I kissed the back of her hand, Princess Louise—despite having asked for it herself—blushed apple-red and looked embarrassed.
I'd rarely encountered high noble ladies outside of female imperial relatives like Laura, so I'd never done this before either, yet I felt no embarrassment at all.
I wondered how she managed it—dealing with similar greetings daily from crusty old noblemen in their fifties and sixties down to young, handsome aristocrats—and still blushed like that.
"Thank you so much for making the long journey from the capital Reichburg to our division in Hamburg, Your Highness. From now on, my wife, Major Laura von Venner, will attend to you. Please tour the unit with her, as you wished."
Since the princess was a woman, it would surely be far more comfortable for her to go around with another female officer from a marquess family.
This had absolutely nothing to do with me feeling burdened by escorting Her Highness myself.
"Thank you for your consideration. But I want to hear about this unit directly from Major General Jaeger, who commands the 7th Guard Division fighting in my name. May I be a little selfish?"
In Princess Louise's eyes as she spoke, I glimpsed the admiration His Majesty had mentioned.
If I tried to pass her off to Laura or other female officers, she'd likely be displeased.
"Understood, Your Highness. However, per your orders, we haven't prepared any lavish reception. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
The princess withdrew her playful smile at my words and replied gently, her face filled with pure goodwill.
"What could be more meaningless than the empire's finest unit suffering training disruptions and needless hardship over such formalities? Besides, having the major general personally guide me is the grandest reception imaginable."
Senior officers had told me that even a two-star division commander showing up turned the whole unit upside down with preparations.
Yet here were the imperial family members leading by example, avoiding any unnecessary burden on the troops—it was truly admirable.
"In return, please don't call me 'Your Highness' so formally from now on. Though you're not directly in my service, you are my knight. Even in official settings, call me Louise."
According to His Majesty's personal letter, the princess was a girl who idolized fairy-tale knights on white horses.
Aside from political considerations, she seemed thrilled to have a unit fighting in her name and wanted to grow closer to me.
Well, from the moment His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince sent the Fourth Princess here, it was practically an order to get along with her.
"Yes, Louise. Then, allow me to escort you first to the nearest training field. I can't offer a flashy reception with the troops, but I'll show you just how strong the 7th Guard Division is—the division that fights in your name."
Princess Louise beamed at my words.
"I'll be looking forward to it, Major General."
No matter Her Highness's order to stick to the regular schedule, a unit inspection was still an inspection.
So I scheduled only intuitive training sessions that even someone unfamiliar with the military, like Princess Louise, could grasp at a glance.
And that was mock battles conducted by battalion units.
For some reason, Her Highness wanted to witness our unit's daily routine of 'live training' firsthand...
"When I fought at Richten Hill, anyone thrusting like that got killed! And you lot eat well and sleep soundly, yet this is all you've got?"
"When I fought under the Major General, I couldn't imagine panting from training this light. But these days, the world's gotten soft..."
"When the 7th Division was first formed, we did guerrilla gymnastics for half a day as a warmup before mock battles like this. Getting tired already? The Major General would be disappointed—no, he'd weep."
The founding members of the 7th Division—now serving as senior enlisted, NCOs, and officers—drew on their experiences from the empire's crisis at Richten Hill.
They hounded the new recruits mercilessly, pushing them to the brink without crossing the line, unleashing every 'back in my day' story in the book.
As a result, the fresh recruits, NCOs, and officers gritted their teeth through the hellish training, surpassing their limits without a single complaint.
Yet in Princess Louise's eyes, the veterans of that imperial crisis treating their juniors this way seemed to please her greatly.
"I've inspected many units, but this is the first one training with such fervor. And those soldiers and officers educating their juniors with stories—not one slacks on form or stamina. It's impressive. A unit worthy of Major General Jaeger."
"Thank you, Louise."
"Knowing a unit like this fights bearing my name fills me with joy just thinking about it. I thought I'd just take a quick look, but the mock battles are more intense than expected, and the troops' attitudes and skills are astounding. I'll stay until training ends."
And so Princess Louise watched the mock battles, which lasted several hours into the late afternoon, before sincerely praising the soldiers and officers at length and returning to her quarters.
Naturally, the story spread throughout the entire 7th Division once training wrapped up.
Afterward, the princess began sending me personal letters from time to time, and I reciprocated by writing about the division's recent activities and my daily life.
Laura, Anya, and Charlotte saw this and said Her Highness might have romantic feelings for me.
"I've already got Laura. No way Princess Louise would feel that way. His Imperial Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't even dream of it."