This Is a Real Discharge, Right?
This Is a Real Discharge, Right?
After straightening my uniform and finishing breakfast in the officers' mess, I walked to my personal office as the operations staff officer.
It was a routine day, like any other.
The one difference was that a few senior officers I passed in the hallway had started to recognize me.
"Are you that famous second lieutenant? The one who made fools of the staff officers at the operations command post? Ah, don't misunderstand. I mean it as a compliment."
"Second Lieutenant. I understand you're confident in your abilities, but don't show off too much in front of your superiors. If you want a long military career, that is. That's advice from my own experience."
"Hey! I thought the General Staff Headquarters was only full of stuck-up types, but I had no idea there was talent like you here? I'll be rooting for you, so keep up the good work!"
......Every time I ran into someone, they grabbed me and launched into a lengthy speech, to the point I felt dizzy.
Since I wasn't in a position to ignore them, I managed to escape by rattling off the three magic words: 'Understood!' 'Is that so?' and 'Thank you, sir!'
The problem was that getting caught by officers and wasting time meant I couldn't make it to work on time.
The start time was 8:30, and the current time was 8:28.
The staff offices were all clustered on the 5th floor, so even at the fastest possible walk, it would take four minutes.
Imperial officers had to uphold that goddamn obligation to maintain dignity, so unless we were in the field, we couldn't run, which meant being late was a certainty.
'Karl, that son of a bitch is going to throw another tantrum.'
I'll say it again: my direct superior, Karl Heimlich, was a personality wreck who was neurotic about every little thing and overreacted to the smallest mistake.
If his performance record was good, I might have at least felt some respect, but this personality wreck's entire record consisted of hiding in the rear and trembling during the defensive war against the Allied Nations seven years ago.
How could a person like this be at the Imperial General Staff Headquarters, which supposedly championed meritocracy?
There's a saying: if you question a superior's rank and title, look at their background.
That was it. Karl Heimlich was from a prestigious noble family, and his father was serving as a diplomatic ambassador.
There's probably no place where this isn't true, but even the Empire, which claimed to champion meritocracy, was, if you looked inside, a complex web of blood ties, regional connections, and school ties.
And the one enjoying that privilege to the fullest was none other than my superior, Karl Heimlich.
My assessment of him was that he was the absolute pinnacle of incompetence and personality collapse, a piece of living human trash.
I even had proof. If you were to assign shares in the dark circles under my eyes, Karl Heimlich would undoubtedly be the majority shareholder.
Thanks to him, I wondered what kind of bullshit he'd pull today, but my heart was at peace.
'I'll be discharged soon anyway.'
Since my goal was a dishonorable discharge, I no longer needed to humor Karl's whims.
Is this how an office worker feels when they walk into work with a resignation letter in their pocket? A smile even crept onto my lips.
With such light footsteps, I headed to the operations staff office on the 5th floor and knocked on the door.
"Operations staff adjutant, Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner. I'm coming in."
After stating my rank and name, I opened the door to see the inside of the office.
The first thing I saw was Karl, sitting at his desk in the sunlit room, clutching his head.
He was sweating nervously, as if he had committed some serious mistake, which was strange to see.
Since he didn't seem to have noticed me come in, I approached him and spoke up.
"Major Karl Heimlich, sir? You need to be at the operations staff room by 9 o'clock. You should start preparing now......."
I stopped mid-sentence and shut my mouth.
Because the eyes Karl raised to look at me, reacting to my voice, were flickering with rage.
Was he really acting like that over being two minutes late? Just as I was bewildered, Karl shot up from his seat.
"You! Do you have any idea what the hell you've done?"
What did I do? Be two minutes late? I blinked in confusion as Karl strode over to me.
"Who said you could give your opinion to the commander? How dare an orphan who's nothing but a lowly second lieutenant butt into the meeting......!"
Once he got within arm's reach, Karl grabbed me by the collar and shoved me roughly.
I nearly fell for a moment but managed to keep my balance by stepping backward.
"Because of you, my entire plan has gone to shit! Fuck! It's not just that it's gone to shit, my life is in danger now, you son of a bitch!"
What was he talking about? He was always a piece of work, but he was acting especially strange today—
Kung!
My head slammed against the wall, and I groaned lowly.
"If something happens to me, I won't let it go. I'll drag you down to hell with me no matter what! Do you understand, you bastard!?"
......Had this guy really gone crazy?
Normally, I would have swallowed my anger and let it go, but not today.
"You started this, Karl."
"What? Did you just use informal speech to your superior......."
Tak! I smacked Karl's hand away and immediately threw a fist at his face.
A flustered Karl turned his head to dodge, but it was already too late.
The flying fist smashed into his cheekbone.
"Aaack!"
As Karl screamed and staggered backward, I chased after him, grabbed his neck, and tripped his leg to throw him down.
Kung!
Karl, who had crashed to the floor, grimaced in pain and spat.
I climbed on top of him and drew my fist back.
Before I hit him, I gave him a brief reprieve. Karl, trembling but still able, opened his mouth.
"......You, you... this is assaulting a superior officer. There will be a court-martial. That means your military career is over. Ah, do you realize that?"
Did he think I didn't know? I shrugged my shoulders once.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm doing this to end my military career."
"What? What does that—"
With a Peok! sound, Karl's words were cut off.
I looked down at Karl, who had passed out with his jaw turned, and then stood up.
As I was dusting off my hands, the sound of footsteps was rapidly approaching from outside the door.
They must have heard Karl's scream.
I waited a moment, and then the door burst open as two soldiers rushed in.
"What is the meaning of this commotion!?"
The soldier who shouted with such vigor froze stiff at the scene before his eyes.
I understood. The operations staff officer collapsed on the floor unconscious, and his adjutant? It was clearly hard to grasp the situation.
So I decided to help them out.
"Assaulting a superior officer. I'm the culprit caught in the act, so go ahead and arrest me."
Even after I kindly explained it, the soldiers only hesitated.
Secretly finding that pathetic, I let out a sigh.
"What are you standing around blankly for? Do you need to compare my fist against Major Karl's bruises before you arrest me?"
"Ah, no, sir!"
Only then did the soldiers move, approaching with the arrest ropes from their waists and starting to bind my wrists.
While I was being bound with an expressionless face, I smiled with relief on the inside.
'It was an impulsive assault on a superior, so the punishment won't be severe. Considering my previous meritorious deeds, it'll probably just end with me taking off the uniform.'
It was literally a discharge with no penalty at all!
I cheered inwardly, turning my head to look out the window.
The brilliance of spring was on full display. It was the perfect season for mustering out.
*
That evening.
Major Karl Heimlich's residence.
"Search it thoroughly."
"Yes, Captain, sir!"
At the command of Philip Bender, adjutant to Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, the soldiers scattered in all directions.
Philip strolled through the living room with a leisurely gait, briefly lost in thought.
'So Second Lieutenant Daniel assaulted his superior today.'
When he first heard the news, he thought he had misheard.
A man who had just earned merits causing trouble?
Moreover, in Philip's eyes, Daniel was the epitome of a model soldier.
If someone like Daniel committed assault, there had to be a reason.
Heinrich, who shared the same thought, had requested a detailed statement investigation from the military police who had arrived late.
In the process, Karl displayed signs of anxiety and spouted nonsense that 'the Allied Nations might kill him.'
Sensing something was off, Heinrich ordered Philip to search Karl's residence, which was why Philip was now storming into Karl's house at the head of these soldiers.
"Captain, sir! Could you come over here, please!"
At the soldier's shout, Philip put aside his thoughts and nodded.
"I'll be right there."
He walked over, and the soldier lightly tapped the wooden floor.
Tung-tung─
The sound from the floor was extremely light. As if the inside was hollow.
"Only this spot sounds different."
"A classic method. Tear it up."
"Yes, Captain, sir!"
The soldier used a crowbar to pry up the floorboard, revealing a small box inside.
Philip bent his knees, picked up the box, and opened the lid.
Documents and several letters came into view.
"This is......."
They were confidential Imperial Army documents that must not be revealed to the enemy.
The contents of the letters promised large sums of money in exchange for selling information to the Allied Nations...... and recently, there was even an order to guide the Empire's reinforcements to advance into the hill country.
"This trash-like bastard......."
Major Karl was a traitor to his people. A loach-like existence blinded by money, who had sold secrets and sabotaged operations was precisely Major Karl.
'Then.......'
The reason Daniel had assaulted Karl must have also been from being unable to suppress his rage at this national traitor.
Therefore, Daniel was no shameless thug who had struck his superior.
Daniel Steiner was a national hero who had discovered and captured a spy.
'Ah, of course, we had a pointless misunderstanding.'
He had to return to headquarters immediately to report this fact and correct the misunderstanding.
Having finished his thought, Philip closed the box and stood up.
"Soldier. I will return to headquarters, so report any further information that comes up."
"Ah. Understood. But may I ask why you are in such a hurry to return?"
Philip smiled as he looked down at the soldier and spoke.
"These documents have just proven that Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner is innocent. So shouldn't we relieve the unjust treatment of a hero who has dedicated himself to the Empire as soon as possible?"
The soldier paused for a moment.
Because it was the first time he had learned that Captain Philip, known as a cold-blooded man, could smile so radiantly.