Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Dragged Away After Getting My Stars (1)
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Northern Expeditionary Force Commander's office door.
Before stepping in to meet Count Venner, who had taken to calling me his son-in-law, I let out a sigh and grumbled.
"I get that you're busy, but isn't it a bit much to summon someone who just got back from the freezing northern front lines in the dead of night...?"
I was grumbling, sure, but it wasn't like I couldn't understand.
Considering the major contributions I'd made, including taking down Supreme Commander Khan, they probably wanted to ask my preferences for rewards in advance.
Or maybe to give me some advice on how to conduct myself going forward.
And since this was the only time they had free to talk with me, they'd called me in right after my return.
"This is Colonel Peter Jaeger, commander of the 24th Regiment. May I come in, sir?"
With that, Count Venner replied in a voice thick with exhaustion.
"Come in."
I pushed open the door and entered. Piles of documents towered on the desk—so high they looked a full meter tall.
They were stacked so high I couldn't even see the count's face at first.
Damn, seeing him buried under all that work like this made it impossible to complain, even in my head.
Judging that it was impossible to chat with me while seated at his desk, he stood and headed to the sofa.
He gestured toward the sofa opposite his own, inviting me to sit.
"Ha... After getting promoted to commander, I thought I'd escaped the weekend shifts and nightly overtime from my days as operations chief. But now that the Northern Army expedition is wrapping up, I'm back to fighting paperwork wars and feeling like I'm dying."
The count's face was smudged with dark circles so deep they looked painted on, his features haggard from the ordeal.
Maybe that's why. His usual half-joking, half-serious line about working himself to death didn't draw even a chuckle from me this time.
"You've been through hell, sir."
"At least you and I only have to tough it out until today, then we can rest for a while."
"What do you mean?"
At that, the Northern Army commander flashed a grin, showing off the four stars on his insignia.
"All the work from here on out falls to the lieutenant general coming in as my successor. What I'm handling now is just the handover paperwork."
"Congratulations, sir."
"Haha, thanks. Anyway, do you know why I called you here?"
Back when I was a captain or major, it was smart to play dumb. But now that I was about to get my own stars...
Better to answer straight and sharp—it would look good.
Because once you get those stars, regardless of title or house, acting overly deferential outside of true necessity wasn't humility; it was a weakness.
"To discuss my rewards?"
"Normally, we'd never ask the person involved during merit awards, but you're the 'Khan Slayer' who took him down. I can grant just about anything. Plus, you and I are about to become father- and son-in-law anyway, so feel free to speak as if you're asking your father-in-law."
I was in the Crown Prince's faction, rising faster than anyone and racking up achievements.
But I'd never imagined hearing something like 'Call me Dad!' from a four-star count.
Of course, in casual settings like a drunken party, a boss might joke around like 'Call me bro!' after one too many.
But judging by the mood here, even in this semi-official space, he'd probably chuckle heartily if I called him father.
No, once Laura and I marry, he'd be my actual father-in-law—he'd probably love it.
As long as it wasn't some outrageous request, he'd likely grant anything.
But behind Count Venner was His Highness the Crown Prince, who'd promoted me this far. Push too hard, and I might make him wary for no reason.
So, I'd aim for moderation. Ask for the Thurner Tribe's territory, still seen as half-wasteland littered with ruins.
And it only seemed like wasteland because the climate was like the Manchurian plains, plus they lacked iron processing tech and ore, forcing them to farm with stone tools.
Bring in iron hoes and such, flood it with surplus second and third sons of serfs, day laborers, and women, and in a few years it'd develop into a decent imperial territory.
"If possible, I'd like the Thurner Tribe's lands when I receive my fief."
"My son-in-law, you're too humble."
I leaned in like a boy sharing a secret and spoke carefully to the count.
"Sir, when I dealt with the Thurner Tribe, I learned something. The north is harsh in winter, but it's decent enough for farming from spring through early autumn. That's how the Ludwig folk managed to survive with barely any iron tools."
"You don't mean..."
"Anyone who's served long in the Northern Army knows it. No one's invested the capital to clear the land properly because of the barbarian scum. But if His Highness plans to strike Swedia later, we should pool faction funds to develop it—make it livable. And build field castles on the front lines against Swedia."
Back when I wasn't slated for stars, I'd stuck to tactics. Now, I had to care about politics and governance too.
Because in this era, Reich Empire generals—and military commanders in general—often had to garrison unclaimed borderlands and manage them.
And that was because, in those days, combining military and administrative duties on the front lines was often efficient.
Count Venner seemed to have hoped for exactly this kind of response. He chuckled heartily.
"Impressive as always. A regimental commander can lack vision in politics and rule, but a general needs that broad perspective as a baseline. Very well, I'll ensure you get the Thurner Tribe's territory as you wish."
"Thank you, sir."
"It's the least for the hero who slew Khan. Now, putting that aside. Let's talk not as Northern Expeditionary Force commander, but as Heinz von Venner, Laura von Venner's father."
As he said that, a fierce intensity gleamed in the count's eyes, like laser beams about to fire, laced with considerable anger and irritation.
"Ha, look. You're courting Laura, right? Otherwise, I'd think there was something seriously wrong with you as a man... Even setting aside fatherly feelings, my daughter's the perfect bride material. Isn't she?"
"Count? I'm perfectly fine, of course. It's just that, to advance as fast as possible, I've put off other matters..."
Until now, to climb ranks, I'd kept women at arm's length and avoided romance as much as possible...
But she'd shown clear romantic interest, so I'd made efforts to spend time alone with her.
That said, romance was new to me in both lives, so I was clumsy at it.
And Laura was the cool type outside of military or strategy talks.
Various factors piled up, and we'd only progressed to kisses.
I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud, so I stayed silent. Count Venner sighed as if the ground might cave in.
"I'll let everything up to now slide. You've earned great merits, raising our House Venner's status too."
"...Thank you."
"That's that. But until now, His Highness and I blocked them somehow. Now, desperate baronet or knight families are lining up their daughters—even concubines would do. If you get those stars, some collateral imperial house might try to snag you as a son-in-law."
A collateral imperial house meant a ducal family. And son-in-law...
Damn, just thinking about it pissed me off.
"I won't say more. For your family situation and operations, your pre-awards posting is basically set. This is from discussions between Duke Otto Moritz and myself in place of military affairs—no changes there. You're dismissed. You'll learn the rest with the awards."
From that, I could guess.
A posting balancing operations and family? Central duty.
Not like the old days at the Staff College...
"Loyalty!"
As I turned to leave and close the door, Count Venner muttered.
"Congratulations on the promotion, Brigadier General Jaeger. Excluding direct imperials, you're the youngest general in the Empire."