And over the course of a month, I took sick leave for the reason of being ‘wounded in battle’.
Though I never went to the front lines, taking leave might look bad, as if I were faking illness while everyone else was busy to death.
Almost no one among the generals, including His Highness the Crown Prince, thought badly of taking this leave.
This was largely because I was the de facto commander who led the battle to victory, but there were reasons it had to be this way…
“Master, wake up. It’s ti for breakfast.”
Upon hearing that, I opened my eyes to see Laura, dressed in an apron, bringing porridge for , who had to pretend to be ill due to ‘malingering’.
“Please eat. You must eat regularly, even light als, when you’re ill.”
“You know that I’m not really injured or sick.”
“As your wife, sotis it’s really nice to see you being taken care of by . It’s cute to see you act needy after always seeing you so capable…”
Saying that, Laura sat on the chair that Charlotte brought next to my field bed and fed the porridge.
As expected, though it looked like porridge, it was filled with various ats and grains, making it a heavy al that should never be given to an actual patient.
Still, pretending thoroughly and eating only the light porridge I had for nearly a month after fighting at Richten Hill was much better.
“By the way, Laura, how is the peace negotiation that His Highness the Crown Prince is concluding going? I can only get up from this bed if it’s going well.”
As I said, the reason I was taking sick leave now was because, besides leading the battle to victory as a ‘deputy commander,’ I didn’t want to unnecessarily overstep.
This might be sowhat hard to understand.
Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince is working with colonels, majors, and staff officers of lower rank than to find a negotiation plan that would benefit the empire.
If I, the hero of this victory, were to get involved, it would sowhat suppress His Highness the Crown Prince’s authority.
Naturally, part of the achievents His Highness gains from the peace negotiation could end up being attributed to .
But officially, as a deputy commander, I must participate in the peace negotiations, so taking a ‘sick leave’ like this was perhaps the most trouble-free option.
“It seems like you’ll be able to get up in a few days. From what I’ve heard, it seems we might gain a significant portion of Ostarica’s western territory.”
“While the north would be preferable, the west also has vast plains, so it wouldn’t be bad.”
“I played a significant role this ti, so I should be able to get promoted, right?”
As a deputy commander who had risen to the rank of general and whose age was a hindering factor for promotion, it might be difficult for , but the General Staff would likely be lenient regarding Laura’s promotion.
As we were having this conversation, Charlotte cautiously approached and said,
“Master, madam, Lieutenant Colonel Max has co to visit.”
Upon hearing that, Laura stood up with a look of regret.
“Then, I’ll leave now. And since Lieutenant Colonel Anya also had a hard ti in this battle, please visit her once you’re better. She’s really looking forward to it.”
“Got it. I’ll definitely visit once I’m healed.”
“I’ll co back after finishing work tonight.”
Not long after, Max sat in the seat Laura had been in.
“I was very worried when I heard you were badly injured in the battle. But I’m glad to see you’re healthy, General.”
“Why so formal between us, brother-in-law? It’s just Charlotte and here, so just call your brother-in-law.”
“If my brother-in-law says so, then I must. Thanks to you, I returned alive from hell this ti.”
After saying that, Max handed a rather large box, saying,
“This is a get-well gift. Since the war is over and I thought you might need so strength at night, I’m giving it in advance. It contains aniseed, walnuts, figs, and almonds. Both you and your wife are officers, so who knows when you’ll have your second child. It’s good to be vigorous at night.”
In Korea, even if he was my brother-in-law, handing over foods good for virility with such words might feel a bit off.
But on the entire continent of Europa, including the Reich Empire, it was a place dominated by manliness.
So naturally, a world that truly valued a man’s virility and marital relations would consider this just a friendly piece of advice without any discomfort.
However, for soone giving such good advice, he looked sincerely worried about , though that must be just my imagination.
“Thank you, brother-in-law.”
“If it weren’t for you, brother-in-law, I wouldn’t have been able to reclaim my fallen honor. This is the least I can do.”
“I rely gave you the opportunity. But, brother-in-law, you perford beyond my expectations this ti, didn’t you?”
Honestly, I had only one expectation for Max.
It was simply to successfully fulfill the role of a double agent, spreading rumors to Grand Duke Ostarica about a separate force of about 50,000 moving.
But he anticipated my plans and strategies, causing Grand Duke Ostarica to deploy all reserves from the start in an overreach during our engagent.
When withdrawing from Ostarica’s forces, he sohow managed to disguise himself as an courier offier and issued a retreat order, completely breaking the enemy’s will to resist.
Thanks to him, our casualties were reduced by about a thousand (with a bit of exaggeration), and the enemy’s casualties increased by thousands without exaggeration.
Hearing this, he made an embarrassed expression and said,
“After a major failure during the expedition to Switzerland and being demoted to an insignificant position, I didn’t receive a proper assignnt. So, for a month or two, I just showed up on ti, idly passed the ti or read novels, and drank quietly at night, feeling sorry for my fate.”
“Is that so…?”
“But my 8-year-old son ca to and said, ‘Dad, you always looked cool when you ca ho, but lately, you don’t look as cool. Are you having a hard ti?’ Then, he bought a lot of the snacks I often bought him with his allowance.”
He said this with a sowhat sad tone.
“Otto said that when he’s having a tough ti, eating snacks makes him feel better, so he hoped it would do the sa for . So, I quietly cried and chewed on them. Since I didn’t have a proper position or duties anyway, I studied the war records and textbooks you’ve left so far. That’s when I saw that moving like that was the best course of action.”
Surprisingly, the most important yet difficult thing after becoming an officer was studying.
Because work was incredibly busy, and as you age, your mind becos as hard as stone, trying to cram in new military doctrines and strategies would feel maddening.
However, as the saying goes, ‘What doesn’t kill makes stronger,’ officers who continue to study soon beco competent officers.
Because when work and new knowledge co together, they produce effects beyond what one could imagine.
Perhaps that was why, among the officers I knew above the rank of major, only General Patton didn’t study military doctrines for more than 2 hours a day.
Well, instead of studying, General Patton would wear armor, march 5 km, and train in mock battles with active-duty knights even after turning 60.
“So, after this war is over and I return, I intend to get my son the child-sized armor he asked for. He wants to beco an officer like , so he’ll definitely like it.”
“He will surely like it. By the way, did you know that I was still writing performance evaluations even while I was on sick leave?”
“…I’m well aware of that. Thanks to you, the Chief of Personnel was happy that his workload was reduced.”
After saying that, I called Charlotte to bring a docunt from my drawer.
“This is your recomndation for promotion, brother-in-law. Promotion to Colonel, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Reichsburg Royal Palace Guard. As promised, you’ll receive the Bronze Knight’s Sword decoration. Furthermore, if the General Staff evaluates you well, you might even receive a baronetcy. So, please give your son a proper sword along with the armor.”
After hearing this, he held onto , expressing his gratitude for about 30 minutes.
Then, as he was leaving, he said sothing cautionary, for so reason.
“You’re really a good person, brother-in-law. That’s why people of both genders are chard by you. That’s also why I gave you the virility boosters. I’ll send more once you recover from your illness.”
.. Being loved by people regardless of gender was good, but why did I get chills hearing those words?
Reviews
All reviews (0)