Rebellion Erupts Upon Discharge

I was possessed into the novel I was reading right after being discharged. It was a common occurrence. There were countless similar stories out there. My soul’s true home had developed its own civilization through the mysterious technology called science instead of mana, where steel horses spewed black breath in place of carriages. One could walk the streets at midnight without fearing for one’s life, and even the lowest classes never had to worry about going hungry—a veritable paradise on earth. I remembered that other nations weren’t quite as prosperous, but at least the country I lived in was like that. Moreover, in that world, there were no other races or magical beasts threatening humanity’s birthright, and food and resources literally overflowed.

“Aaah, broadcasting from the situation room. As of this hour, multiple hostile entities led by the command-level entity identified as Legatus are approaching from beyond the barrier! I repeat, as of this hour…”

People with full bellies and warm backs naturally began searching for entertainment, and thanks to that, my homeland overflowed with spectacles and amusements unimaginable in this world. This Solaris Empire was the setting of the romance novel You Who Are Like Sunlight, an entertainment novel of the “rofan” genre.

—Wheeeeeeng!

“Move, move, move! This isn’t training, this is the real thing!”

“Red alert issued! All personnel, proceed immediately to assembly points and assume combat readiness!”

In short, it was a stage prepared for a heroine who happily agonized over which of the many handsome men showering her with passionate courtship to choose. As a reader of the novel, I had felt displeasure at its content and development and politely requested feedback. Unfortunately, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some misunderstanding occurred during the communication process, and as a result, I ended up being dragged into this world after earning the author’s hatred. How could I have known that the novelist was actually a transcendent being hiding their true identity?

Of course, it was extremely bewildering at first in many ways. But humans are creatures of adaptation, and as time passed, I somehow managed to adjust. Come to think of it, it’s already been over ten years.

Anyway, it was about time they showed up.

—Bang!

Ah, as expected.

“Commander, enemy raid!”

Based on my experience over the past years, my adjutant burst through the office door at precisely the right moment and shouted. The uniform and cap, which seemed to prioritize aesthetics over functionality, the long hair that didn’t look like it belonged to a soldier, and the flawless white skin. Every time I saw that appearance, I was reminded anew that this world was completely different from my homeland. Where in my homeland would you find a female officer with long blue hair? Using my homeland’s terminology, she looked like a gacha game pickup character. The kind of visual that should appear with some flashy production effect.

But now that I think about it, constantly bringing up my homeland is a bit ridiculous too. Those memories are already fading, so isn’t this place my home now and that place the other world? Well, anyway.

“What’s the situation?”

I stood up and asked while receiving my adjutant’s assistance. Just like some engineering genius arms dealer, simply raising my arms caused the armor to equip itself and my clothes to be straightened out. At first, I told her not to do things like this since she wasn’t a maid, but she suddenly started tearing up and asking what she had done wrong, so from then on I just left her alone.

“Since it includes a command-level entity, the scale of the offensive is quite large. The conscripted soldiers alone won’t be enough to respond, so deployment of higher-tier units is required. Other special circumstances are…”

After listening to the briefing delivered in her pleasant voice, I could summarize it in one line: the enemy was very strong, and it was impossible to hold the front line with our current forces.

Just hearing that made it sound like we were screwed, but it wasn’t actually that big of a deal. If the enemy was strong, we just needed to send out forces strong enough to match them. I lightly waved my hand at Trisha, who was continuing the briefing diligently.

“Trisha, that’s enough.”

“Yes.”

Then my adjutant, Trisha, immediately closed her mouth. She began looking at me with an anxious gaze, but what she was thinking was obvious.

“Commander, surely you’re not…”

She left the rest unsaid, but both she and I knew what I was going to say next.

“Withdraw the troops. I’ll handle this personally.”

“Commander!”

“Trisha, you know this as well.”

“But…”

I understood her concern for my safety as my adjutant, but this was the best method. Why leave a walking strategic weapon that didn’t require massive amounts of mana stones to operate or large numbers of personnel just sitting in the rear? That would be unacceptable. Regardless of what others might think, it was a waste I couldn’t accept according ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to my own common sense. And against something like Legatus, to be honest, it wasn’t even that difficult. I had already taken care of the really tough ones a long time ago.

“It won’t take long.”

“…Please be careful.”

“As always, I’m leaving command of the troops to you.”

Somehow, the atmosphere had become solemn, as if I were going to sacrifice myself against an unbeatable enemy. This was just Trisha making a fuss for no reason. She didn’t look like the type, but she had a surprisingly dramatic personality. But it wasn’t just Trisha. Whether it was because this was a rofan world or because this era hadn’t yet lost its romanticism, people’s emotions in general seemed quite rich. I gave Trisha, whose eyes were now slightly moist, a reassuring smile and picked up my sword.

“I’ll be back.”

And then I left the office.

“Loyalty!”

“Right. At ease.”

The soldiers’ knife-sharp salutes and formalities had become familiar. The faint smell of gunpowder seemed to waft from somewhere, and suddenly a thought occurred to me. Even though this was a world from a rofan novel, it wasn’t just a flower garden overflowing with dreams and hope. It was similar to how a swan floating gracefully on a pond was paddling furiously beneath the surface. If someone wanted to comfortably play at love in the capital, someone else had to cut down magical beasts at the frontier.

Well, that didn’t mean I had any particular complaints. The treatment I received was commensurate with the work I put in. The empire’s rule was rational. They didn’t leave a commander responsible for an entire front line stuck in one region long enough to start worrying about evolving into a warlord. They didn’t let supply lines get cut off due to pure incompetence, leaving the borders wide open. They didn’t treat nobles fulfilling the sacred duty of national defense so stingily that it made them want to turn their armies around. Even if this place was nothing more than a giant stage for a play or a miniature garden in another world, this world and this empire were undeniably reality, and naturally possessed a realistic system appropriate to their scale.

Of course, it was somewhat unrealistic for someone not even thirty years old to be serving as a commander, but if you considered it extreme meritocracy, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable. I wasn’t even the youngest commander in history, after all.

—Kieeeek!

Using the monsters’ cries as background music, I began running happy circuits like a senior commander nearing the end of his term.

“Yeah, this job is finally coming to an end too.”

Soon I would finish my term as commander and be freed from the duty of national defense, and appropriate compensation would be given to the Abraxas County, the family of this body, Damian von Abraxas. Just a little more hardship and it would all be over. So even if it was disgusting, I should endure it for now. Thinking that, I drew mana from my dantian.

—Wuuuung…!

Along with the sensation of my dantian, solar plexus, and head connecting as one, a tremendous energy surged throughout my body. I channeled it into my sword and swung it toward the enemy.

—Swish!

Legatus’s black carapace split in two, and its crimson eyes gradually dimmed. There was no need to continue the swing into a technique. Fortunately, it was an entity that hadn’t undergone mutation, so a single full-power strike was enough to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finish it.

“Kiek, kieeeek!”

The monsters that had lost their commander soon fled in panic.

“Waaaaah!”

Cheers erupted from behind me. Boosting morale at times like this was also a commander’s duty. I raised the hand holding my sword high and shouted.

“Glory to the Empire!”

After subjugating the command-level monster Legatus, the Northern Front saw no particular incidents aside from a few minor incursions by small and medium-sized monsters. Soon, the final day of my term approached. And finally—

“Salute to the Commander!”

“Loyalty!”

After the discharge ceremony marking the end of my duties, I exchanged farewell greetings with Trisha, who was rarely smiling. She hadn’t shown much of a smiling face except when I returned after supposedly perishing in a duel with a disaster-level monster.

“Commander, thank you for your hard work all this time.”

“You too, Trisha. Let’s meet again if fate allows. Keep in touch from time to time.”

Discharge really was the best. Even though it was just an adjutant position, how difficult must it have been for a woman to serve on this harsh Northern Front all this time? Seeing her slightly excited, which was unlike her usual self, made me realize anew how powerful the effect of discharge was.

“…Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Even… even personal contact would be acceptable?”

“If you ever need help, anytime.”

I’d heard her family situation was quite complicated.

“Yes, Commander. I’ll definitely remember that.”

“Just don’t call me every time you’re bored, though.”

For Trisha, who had worked so hard, I could certainly act as a reliable friend to lean on when needed. Even though I hadn’t yet inherited my title, I had considerable influence for a young heir. And though it was a somewhat materialistic story, the territory of Trisha’s family, the Roden Viscounty, was very close to Schtuka Free City, the hometown of the original novel’s heroine. As the main story was about to begin, maintaining contact with Trisha would allow me to prepare for any unforeseen situations one step ahead. Who knew? Perhaps through her military service, Trisha might gain more say within her family and secure the position of heir. That would mean gaining another useful connection, which wouldn’t be bad for me in many ways.

“Soldiers, thank you all for your hard work!”

“The North will remember your dedication!”

Leaving behind the Northerners waving enthusiastically toward the train—

—Pwooo!

The train carrying the soldiers returning home let out a loud whistle and cut through the snowy plains. Leaning back in the plush first-class seat, I finally felt that my discharge was real.

“It’s really over now.”

It was a strange feeling. I never thought I’d experience discharge twice in my life—once in another world’s memories, and now again. Well, at least I wouldn’t have to go through a third discharge, so that was something to be grateful for. As I had such idle thoughts while enjoying the warm heating, my eyes naturally began to close.

* * *

Perhaps because of accumulated fatigue, even after sleeping for nearly twenty-four hours straight, the train continued running for three more full days. The empire’s territory was simply that vast.

“It’s annoying, but it’s better to take care of it in advance when I have time.”

While passing the time by handling overdue paperwork through a wristwatch-style communication magic tool and a tablet-style writing magic tool, the train had already left the snowy region and entered a land where green fields rippled. Finally, we approached the capital. Large buildings began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to come into view, and everywhere I looked was filled with lively crowds.

“Yeah, people should live among people. Not in the middle of magical beasts.”

Enjoying the pleasant scent of civilization made me feel genuinely content. Yet the moment I arrived at the capital I had so longed for, an unbelievable scene unfolded before my eyes—one I wished was just a dream.

—Murmur murmur…

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“T-that’s the Imperial Guard? Why is the Imperial Guard here?!”

Imperial Guards lined up in front of the platform. The sight of golden armor arranged in company-sized formation was dazzling enough to hurt the eyes.

“Aaaagh, my eyes!”

It wasn’t an exaggeration—some people were even covering their faces after being blinded. But that wasn’t the real problem.

“Why aren’t they letting us get off?”

“Exactly! We don’t know what’s going on, but let’s get off first and figure it out!”

“Well, it’s by imperial order…”

Since the guards were preventing passengers from disembarking for some reason, the voices naturally grew louder and confusion began to spread.

“…Is there a traitor on board or something?”

While staring out the window in disbelief at the scene and muttering to myself, I heard it.

“Northern Front Commander, Damian von Abraxas, heed the imperial decree!”

When my name was called among the guards, I had no choice but to stand up, fighting the urge to bite my tongue. What the hell is this?

Facing sharp gazes filled with suspicion, shock, interest, and curiosity—all unpleasant emotions—I stepped off the train. The sea of golden armor parted left and right in an instant, and an unexpected figure greeted me.

“Damian.”

“Your Highness, the Third Princess…?”

The Third Princess of the Empire, Beatrice von Asteria Solaris. She was something like my childhood friend. It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy to see her after so long, but why had she come to meet me with the Imperial Guard in tow? She had always liked showing off, but this went far beyond simple ostentation. It was too grand to be a discharge celebration gift.

“I greet Your Highness the Princess.”

While bowing my head in greeting amid a situation I couldn’t begin to guess, she suddenly leaned her face close to mine without warning—close enough that an improper rumor could have spread.

“It seems my brother is plotting treason.”

She dropped a bombshell in my ear.