Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Opportunity for Promotion (5)
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With that, our unit took a brief rest before beginning our move toward the main force that had come as reinforcements.
Meanwhile, the enemy, fleeing from our unit's surprise attack, had the misfortune of running straight into our reinforcements, putting them on the brink of a massacre.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why the hell are there knights here?!"
"You damn chief of staff! You said to retreat this way!"
"I don't know! The important thing is we need to form a defensive line right now, don't we? We couldn't even grab our armor or horses properly because of the ambush."
The Franco Republic soldiers, who knew nothing beyond how to eat snails, were pushed to the edge of annihilation. They were desperate, each one scrambling just to save their own skin.
'We won!' I savored the thrill of victory to the fullest as I issued orders to my subordinates around me.
"The empire's knights will handle stomping the heads of the remaining slimy snail brats stuck in their weak-as-a-snail-shell camp! While our allies are spinning circles and slaughtering the enemy, the entire unit follows me in retreat!"
And so, to avoid ending up trampled by our own allied knights after we'd practically won the war, I ran for my life with every ounce of strength I had left, my soldiers right behind me.
Even amid all that, there were a few in our company who were itching to pursue us and kept glaring our way.
But in the face of charging knights who would trample them to death, no one was crazy enough to actually chase the Jaeger Company.
About two minutes later, the knight at the forefront of the Imperial Army's charge bellowed in a booming voice.
"Reich Empire 7th Division, Lindorff Knight Order—charge! Kill them all!!"
The other knights followed with a massive roar.
"Smash the enemies threatening the empire's territory! Let's show them what we've got!"
"Trample them into paste!"
In that moment, the Franco Republic soldiers tried desperately to form some kind of line, struggling to band together just to survive...
But the terrified troops couldn't even gather properly—the more they tried to cluster, the more their formation fell apart.
A few seconds later, the knights' lances pierced through the torsos of two or three enemy soldiers at a time.
At the same time, other enemy soldiers were shredded beyond human recognition under the combined weight of horse, rider, and plate armor—0.6 tons in total.
The surviving Republic soldiers either froze in place, trembling and pissing themselves, or lashed out wildly with their spears in blind panic, pointless gestures born of terror.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck..."
"You bastards, please don't kill me! I don't want to die! I'm not gonna die!"
"... Mom!! I wanna go home!"
As we kept moving to link up with our main force, watching the scene unfold, our unit soon merged with the rear of the Imperial Army and entered safe territory.
And with that, we received permission from the division commander for our unit alone to withdraw immediately. We dragged our exhausted bodies back to camp for some rest.
Though our bodies were battered and worn out, the experience of flipping the war's outcome in an instant—striking at the unguarded flanks of thousands of troops and breaking through freely...
Was it the lingering thrill of that rush, or anticipation over how far the rewards coming my way might go? Either way...
The other soldiers and officers collapsed the moment we reached camp, passing out on the ground.
But sleep wouldn't come for me. Instead, I stayed up, meticulously recalling every merit earned by my company members and drafting the report to submit to the division commander.
In the end, I went to report to the division commander without a wink of sleep the night before.
The silver lining was that, even after pulling an all-nighter, the afterglow of the rewards and the ambush operation kept the drowsiness at bay for now.
This sensation of utter physical and mental exhaustion without sleep overtaking me—I still hadn't gotten used to it.
I wanted a reward vacation after racking up all that merit and scoring a huge victory, but...
Before I knew it, my body had carried me right in front of the division commander's tent.
No backing out now that I'd come this far.
"Second Lieutenant Peter Jaeger, reporting as summoned by the division commander. May I enter?"
The division commander stepped out of the tent the moment he heard my voice. He slung an arm around my shoulder with a grin and said,
"Of course. Come on in."
He led me inside, sat me in the chair opposite his desk, and poured me a glass from a bottle of wine.
"This is top-shelf wine from the Italino Empire. I usually save it even for myself, but for a hero like you, I figured it was the least I could offer."
"I'll drink it gratefully."
"You'll love it. It's the best wine I've ever had."
Back in my past life in Korea, I'd had some soju from my dad after high school graduation, right after getting into the military academy. But wine? Never in this life or the last.
And my first sip had to be top-shelf.
Still, I didn't want to look like some poor orphan academy student and wine newbie, so I followed what I'd learned in culture class...
I sipped the wine, savoring it for about five minutes as taught. A faint bitterness, tartness, sweetness, and grape aroma danced on my tongue.
Even for a first-timer like me, it was so good I wondered how anything could taste this divine.
"It's truly delicious. The best alcohol I've ever had in my life."
The division commander burst into hearty laughter, clearly pleased that I appreciated his favorite drink.
"Is that so? You've got quite the palate. Alright, then—when the battlefield's cleaned up and the banquet's held in a few days, I'll send two bottles your way specially."
"That's an honor beyond my station."
Normally, offers like that are half-empty promises that lead to disappointment if you hold out hope. But right now, my gratitude was 100% sincere.
Because that wine was so good, I'd empty my pay pouch just to taste it again later.
With my thoughts settled, I handed the division commander the report politely with both hands.
He read it page by page with meticulous care, then gave me an incredulous look as he spoke.
"Normally, in a report like this—where your own promotion as commander is on the line—you could sneak in the merits of your soldiers and subordinates as your own. But here you are, crediting every single one of their achievements. As expected from a sly one like you, huh?"
The latter part sounded a bit mocking, but his eyes brimmed with goodwill and curiosity toward me.
At the same time, I strongly sensed he was testing me.
Because with my achievements standing head and shoulders above the rest, there was no need to claim my subordinates' merits. And in that context, detailing them so thoroughly actually built a favorable image and career path. So for him to poke at that...
"Not at all. The academy taught us that a commander's merits include those of his subordinates, so there's no need to covet theirs improperly."
At my words, the division commander looked at me with a stunned expression and said,
"I wish other commanders would take a page from your book."
"I'm just sticking to the basics thoroughly."
Precisely because my merits were so massive, I was clinging to the 'basics' to avoid immediate backlash.
No way was I letting some nitpick cut into my rewards—that would hurt too much.
"The report says you're requesting promotions by one rank for enlisted men up to sergeant, and discharge papers for the sergeants. No greed at all? You and your men will head to Lightenburg for the triumphal parade once this battle ends, and a special promotion is guaranteed. Why not ask for something else? If you want a knighthood or a small fief, I'll personally request it from His Highness the Crown Prince and make sure you get it. Don't you want a noble title and a lordship?"
...Honestly, a knighthood alone puts you in the top 1% of the empire by status.
And a fief? Even if military authority is vested in the emperor due to various circumstances...
It meant full rights to do whatever I wanted on that land.
But accepting it outright here would be idiotic.
Because what the crown prince and other throne contenders would value in me wasn't just talent, but also smart career management—becoming a renowned general backed by his troops.
So if I fell for this temptation, sure, I'd get a small fief and knighthood...
But climbing higher afterward would be that much harder.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it. But when I led my soldiers into danger, I promised them they'd return home to their families that much sooner. I can't break that oath for personal gain."
Bolton, the division commander, wore a deeply satisfied expression, just as I'd expected, and said,
"I see. Very well. Then, by my authority, I'll issue blanket promotion orders for all 110 men under you. The paperwork will be ready by the banquet after the battlefield's cleared. Consider it a gift."
We had tested each other.
Or rather, we hadn't said it, but our thoughts aligned.
I'd passed the test, and the division commander would surely recommend me to the crown prince.