Special Order! Send Those Bastards Home!
The head of the Personnel Affairs Department at the War Ministry, Baden Yul. His most notable feature was the ongoing hair loss from frequent overtime.
Currently, the situation was already a headache after the war, yet suddenly four crazy guys had popped up.
“Why are you doing this to me…?”
Schlipen Rossberg, the eldest son of the Marquis of Adria.
Wilhelm Fritz, the eldest son of the Marquis of Gramstad.
Alexander Edert, the eldest son of Imperial Count Brune.
Joachim Plessen, the eldest son of Imperial Count Tierdal.
Why list the sons of noble families who were doing well?
Because these four were the ones who had suddenly appeared a while ago, declaring they would enlist as privates.
Despite being told to endure, these humans had somehow made it all the way to the soldier training center.
Years ago, the son of Count Friedrich had done the same thing.
That young man had also committed the mad act of enlisting as a soldier despite being a noble.
However, there was a clear difference between him and these four now.
“Why are our sons there?”
“Hurry and send them back. I’ll break one of their arms.”
“I’ll tell my mother who’s been searching desperately for him. That brat of mine…”
“If you don’t crawl back to the family mansion right now, I’ll kick you out.”
That was how it was. The rumors had spread across the neighborhood the moment they announced they were enlisting.
Unlike the son of Count Friedrich, who had enlisted quietly and only revealed it after completing training, these four had become the talk of the town from the very moment they submitted their enlistment applications.
Moreover, the situation at the War Ministry was completely different now than it had been back then.
Back then, propaganda had been desperately needed to boost the morale of the imperial army.
And there it was—suddenly a noble with blue blood had enlisted as a soldier! They had gone all out with the propaganda, and the result had been a massive success when the recipient of the Medal of Honor was announced.
But now the war was over. The army had won, and there was no need to keep raising morale.
So why on earth should they take in two sons from troublesome marquis families and two from imperial counts?
“All four of you are unsuitable for continued service. Return to your units immediately.”
He had tried to send them away. He didn’t particularly care whether the noble families killed them or saved them.
But those four refused to leave, digging in their heels.
“We came here following Sergeant Karl’s words, and we’ll leave the same way!”
Along with some strange reasoning that Karl himself would have found utterly baffling.
Thanks to that, Baden Yul’s few remaining strands of hair had ultimately met a glorious end.
With two marquis sons and two imperial count sons already pestering him in his already difficult duties, how could he possibly let them persist?
Yet those brats showed no sign of wanting to leave willingly.
In the end, Baden Yul had resorted to his final card.
He had decided to summon Sergeant Karl Adelheit.
Why the hell did those guys mention that name? Karl Sergeant! Medal of Honor recipient! You saved our soldiers, so I’ll save you too? Please, please! Save me!!
And the next day.
A Medal of Honor recipient appeared at the War Ministry headquarters.
*
“…”
Wow. This is a disaster. Really a disaster. It’s impossible to come up with anything pretty to say.
Where had the noble’s demeanor gone? If it were me, I’d have been discharged, and when the Ministry of Defense sent someone over saying, “Sir, we have a problem and we need you to solve it, so please come right away,” I’d have laughed and gone, “Haha!”
Even Jesus, Buddha, or any other deity would have said, “Ah, this is a bit much.”
“We have arrived. Please disembark.”
Hah… In the end, I had come. To the War Ministry. The place that could be called the headquarters of the imperial army.
The sudden craving for a cigarette I hadn’t smoked in my previous life and hadn’t even lit here was suddenly intense.
What was it they said after a meal back in the day? Cigarettes were the truth, according to the old seniors…
“Attention!”
The thunderous salute made me think for a moment that it was soldiers.
But my expectations had been dashed once again.
“Sergeant Karl Adelheit. We welcome you to the War Ministry.”
“Ah… Th-thank you.”
One lieutenant colonel. And behind him, several mid-level officers.
All of them were saluting me vigorously.
I was a noble, but they were nobles too. We were in the same boat.
So this wasn’t simply because I was a noble.
The Medal of Honor. Yes, they showed infinite respect for that one thing alone.
Believing in the heroic deeds I had performed. Look at those sparkling eyes.
Truthfully, I had only been lucky enough to save a few people.
“Hrm. Please come in. It’s uncomfortable for me to do this here.”
“Of course. I’ll escort you straight to the Personnel Affairs Department.”
Following the lieutenant colonel’s guidance, we entered the War Ministry headquarters.
People in dress uniforms were bustling about, and occasionally I saw someone being scolded.
Hmm. The military really didn’t change no matter where you went or which department you looked at.
“This way.”
When I opened the door and entered, the man sitting at the top seat stood up abruptly.
And he saluted me vigorously, just like the people from before…
Oh my god.
Clearly, the head of the Personnel Affairs Department had lost the battle against stress.
A forehead as vast as the Pacific. A gleaming scalp. Ah, that was the pitiful sight of a defeated general…!
Suddenly I thought of my father. And my grandfather as well.
Both of them were old, yet they still had their hair pulled tight.
Thinking that way, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about losing.
“It is an honor to meet you. Sergeant Karl Adelheit. I am Baden Yul, head of the Personnel Affairs Department.”
“Please don’t be so formal. It’s uncomfortable. Thank you, Director Baden.”
“A Medal of Honor recipient isn’t an ordinary person. Even if the Minister himself came, I would salute first. You know that well.”
Baden Yul laughed and personally offered me a seat.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Megi brought tea, and the lieutenant colonel prepared snacks.
…Thinking about it, it was truly amusing.
I was just a lowly sergeant. In fact, I had been a staff sergeant right before discharge.
Yet a lieutenant colonel and a mid-level officer, and even the War Ministry director above them, were treating me with utmost respect.
It was a clear demonstration of how thoroughly the Empire honored Medal of Honor recipients.
Didn’t I want to get excited and boast about it?
Well… At first I had thought I would, but it was just uncomfortable.
What could I say? It felt like I was being treated as if I had asked for it.
At that moment, I had wanted nothing. I had simply wanted to save my comrades.
I had acted solely out of that sense of duty, and now being treated this way made me even more embarrassed.
“Is academy life enjoyable?”
“Yes, Director. It’s fun. It must be because it’s completely different from the military.”
“Hahaha. That’s right. I attended the academy about eighteen or nineteen years ago? I graduated back then, and even now the memories of that life still linger.”
“Ah, yes. So… that’s how it is.”
Wait a second. That meant this guy was in his forties, no matter how you calculated his age.
Yet he was sparkling like that? Director Baden! What kind of life have you lived…!
“Director Baden.”
It was unfortunate, but that was his business. So, let’s get to the main point quickly.
“What is the reason you wanted to see me? Is it because of those four who declared they would enlist as soldiers? Schlipen, Wilhelm, Alexander, and Joachim. That’s what I mean.”
“You already know. I heard you gave them some advice.”
“That’s…”
“As an experienced person, you must have only pointed out the good parts. There was no need to mention the bad parts. That’s why those kids misunderstood and ended up in this situation, isn’t it?”
I hadn’t said anything yet, but he was doing all the talking by himself.
Yet it made sense, so I nodded immediately.
“That’s right. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either. It’s really troublesome.”
“As of now, the only one who can persuade those four and send them back is Sergeant Karl Adelheit. As the person who gave them advice, and as a Medal of Honor recipient, your qualifications are sufficient.”
“Then the reason you wanted to see me is…”
“Please go to the soldier training center and bring those four back to the academy.”
One mountain after another. I came to the War Ministry and now they were telling me to go to the soldier training center.
I was worried I might catch PTSD. I had already dreamed of returning to training as a soldier yesterday… Could this be a premonition dream?
*
Hmm~ Hngh~
A sweet humming sound. The slender, snow-white thighs stretched out on the desk.
The woman’s ears, which twitched occasionally, were much longer and sharper than those of ordinary humans.
“Lady Eloise.”
“Hm? Ah, you’re here?”
She smiled brightly and waved gently.
Then a male elf with pointed ears approached the woman’s side.
“Report.”
“Yes. According to the news from the Empire side―”
Obvious things. Nothing particularly interesting.
In times like these, the anti-Empire Luzens guys would have been more fun.
“…And. A new Medal of Honor recipient has appeared from the Empire side.”
“I see.”
“Additionally. He is a survivor, not a casualty.”
“Ooh?”
The woman let out an exclamation and changed her posture.
The curves of her upper body were clearly visible between what looked like scraps of cloth.
It would have been enough to captivate the hearts of many men, but this man was tense.
Of course he was. This woman was a monster who had slaughtered her own kind without hesitation.
“Who is it? It’s obviously a man, right?”
“Yes. Karl Adelheit. Imperial Army sergeant. The peculiar thing is that despite being a noble, he enlisted as a soldier.”
“What a crazy guy.”
“And the Medal of Honor is for rescuing comrades.”
“Rescuing comrades. Is that all? Nothing else?”
“Yes. That’s it.”
“That’s strange.”
Even if the Luzens guys were crazy, they weren’t sloppy in handling things.
While twisting her hair with her fingers, Eloise opened her lips again.
“Look into it more. Honestly, does that make sense? Rescuing only comrades. She must have killed at least dozens of Luzens alone. Hurry.”
“Understood. Lady Eloise.”
“And. What I asked you to investigate separately?”
The male elf shook his head with a tense expression.
“Still?”
“To me, it seems like it was just a simple coincidence.”
“A coincidence? Ah, yes. A coincidence. Hmm? It was a coincidence. The leader of the anti-Empire faction who was about to launch a full-scale assault on the Empire got shot by accident, and then they accidentally started fighting among themselves. The Empire won by pure coincidence? Wow! It really was a coincidence!”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Find him. He’s definitely a sharpshooter from the imperial army. The war is over, so it’s time to talk about his achievements.”
Suddenly, the man asked without realizing it.
“If you find him, what will you do?”
“Do what?”
The dove faction on the elf side, Heigens. The extermination unit secretly raised there.
Eloise, the commander of that unit, licked her lips and smiled.
“Since you stole my meal, I should torment you a little. Then… um. What should I do? Should I make a half-elf with that guy?”
“…”
“Ahahaha! Just kidding. Just kidding.”