Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 34
Daniel Steiner? Isn’t He Just a Desk Adjutant?

After the enemy commander, Henry, declared surrender, the battlefield was quickly brought under control.

The Kingdom Army soldiers, caught off guard by the surprise attack, lost their will to fight and knelt down. The officers, also realizing that they couldn’t turn the tide, resigned themselves to becoming prisoners.

“Move quickly, you damn rats!”

“You should all be dead! Be grateful to our generous Company Commander!”

As was typical of soldiers on a victorious battlefield, they were shouting at and mistreating the prisoners.

‘Why are they creating such a hostile atmosphere?’

Just as Daniel frowned and was about to step in, Lieutenant McCael approached.

“Company Commander! I’ve finished counting the troops!”

“Good. What about casualties on our side?”

“Out of a total of 207 men, we have 16 casualties. Among them, 4 were killed in action, and the remaining 12 have only minor injuries.”

Only 4 deaths after taking down a battalion-sized force?

Even considering the success of the operation, it was an astonishing exchange ratio.

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“This is troubling…”

It was indeed troubling that he had achieved a significant victory during an operational support mission.

If this continued, the General Staff Headquarters would assign Daniel as the commander every time they formed an operational support unit.

It was one of the situations Daniel wanted to avoid the most.

So he gave a self-deprecating smile, but Lieutenant McCael interpreted it differently.

‘He’s not satisfied even after achieving such a great victory…!’

It was a mindset far beyond what Lieutenant McCael could comprehend.

He realized why Daniel was called the ace of the General Staff Headquarters and the hero of the capital.

As Lieutenant McCael looked at him with awe, Daniel sighed softly.

“Let’s prepare to head to the outpost. Inform all troops that we will depart after a short rest.”

He wanted to wander around for a few more days before joining the outpost, but now that they had captured prisoners, they couldn’t delay any longer.

It would be a disaster if one of the prisoners broke free and escaped while they were procrastinating.

In the worst case, the Kingdom Army might even send a task force to rescue the supply battalion, so it was better to reach the outpost as soon as possible and secure their safety.

“Yes, sir! I’ll relay your orders!”

Lieutenant McCael shouted energetically and left for where the soldiers were gathered.

Left alone, Daniel looked around and spotted Frienne leading the Kingdom Army prisoners.

Frienne was speaking softly with a smile, but the Kingdom Army soldiers were breathing heavily, seemingly terrified.

‘What kind of verbal abuse is she inflicting on the prisoners?’

I was worried that she might violate international wartime laws.

Yesterday, when we were planning the surprise attack, I had dismissed Frienne’s suggestion that it would be easier to deceive the enemy if she approached them disguised as a civilian.

Attacking the enemy while disguised as a civilian was a clear war crime.

When I explained this to her, she had asked with a serious expression, “Why would it be a crime when they’re no longer human after joining forces with the Allied Nations?” which sent chills down my spine.

‘It’s a relief that she’s on our side.’

If the enemy had such a nationalist fanatic, it would be incredibly difficult to deal with them.

Daniel looked away from Frienne and turned his gaze to Lucy.

Lucy was managing the prisoners professionally, just as she did at the General Staff Headquarters.

He had been worried that she might be resentful of attacking the Kingdom Army, an ally of the Allied Nations, but Lucy was surprisingly calm.

A moment ago, when one of the prisoners charged at her in defiance, she even knocked him unconscious by hitting him with the butt of her rifle.

He wasn’t sure if she was putting on an act or if she genuinely didn’t care about the Kingdom’s fate, but he was relieved for now.

‘At least I don’t have to worry about getting shot by Lucy for the time being.’

The Allied Nations would likely consider the Kingdom expendable and wouldn’t go out of their way to help them.

Feeling relieved, Daniel looked up and noticed the world getting brighter.

He could see the sun slowly rising over the mountain ridge in the distance.

It was the dawn of a new day.

***

Coastal city of Nordia, forward outpost.

Division Headquarters, temporary operations base.

“This is strange. According to the aerial reconnaissance, there’s no sign of their supplies dwindling.”

“Indeed. Their supplies should be running low by now…”

Three regimental commanders, a brigade commander, several battalion commanders, and staff officers were gathered around the map table in the headquarters’ operations room.

The division commander, the highest-ranking officer in the division headquarters, had summoned them for a tactical meeting.

【Commander of the 7th Magic Armored Division / Major General Feldelahm】

Feldelahm, sitting at the head of the table with a stern expression, listened to their reports.

He was pondering why they hadn’t been able to capture the coastal city of Nordia.

‘The Northern Front Army’s advance was smooth. We occupied 30% of the Kingdom’s territory even before a fortnight had passed since the start of the offensive.’

It was a rapid advance.

The military leadership, believing that they could push through the Kingdom at this rate, spared no support, and thanks to that, the Imperial Army had achieved consecutive victories.

However, the Imperial Army was now facing a predicament.

Due to the fierce resistance of the Kingdom Army, they could no longer advance the front lines.

The troubled Imperial General Staff Headquarters then issued an order to capture the coastal city of Nordia.

The gist of the operation was that capturing Nordia, a strategic stronghold, would facilitate movement by sea, allowing them to attack the Kingdom from both sides.

It was an excellent plan. With no objections, Feldelahm successfully led his division to surround Nordia.

After a successful siege, Feldelahm focused his efforts on cutting off the Kingdom Army’s supply routes to Nordia.

The reason was simple.

A besieged city, once cut off from its supply lines, would be plagued by intense fear and fatigue.

Not only would the morale of both the military and civilians plummet, but social order would collapse, leading to outbreaks of epidemics and diseases.

If things went well, they could even force the enemy commander to surrender.

It was a way to achieve maximum victory while minimizing casualties on their side.

‘But…’

Things didn’t go as planned.

The Kingdom Army’s Ironclad Division stationed in Nordia had no disruptions in their supplies.

This puzzled Feldelahm.

With the help of the Imperial Air Force, which had successfully seized air superiority, they had already sunk several enemy supply ships attempting to resupply by sea.

His armored division was thoroughly guarding the land, leaving no room for even an ant to pass through.

Yet, the Kingdom Army’s Ironclad Division was receiving supplies on time.

Feldelahm, troubled by this series of inexplicable events, looked at Brigade Commander Heinrich.

“Say, Heinrich. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

Unfortunately, Heinrich shook his head.

“I don’t know how they’re being resupplied either. But I heard that headquarters sent a staff officer to help, so it might be best to wait and see.”

“…A staff officer to help? Ha, don’t tell me you’re talking about that Daniel Steiner.”

Feldelahm, who had spent years on the Northern Front, also knew about Daniel Steiner.

It would be strange not to know him after all the commotion he caused in the capital.

However, Feldelahm didn’t trust Daniel one bit.

He was suspicious of how Daniel had achieved so many merits in just half a year.

‘They must have created a propaganda hero in the capital.’

It was highly likely that Daniel was a hero artificially created by the capital to increase enlistment rates.

Of course, he must have accomplished some things himself, but it was difficult to believe that all of Daniel’s actions were genuine.

Although he understood the headquarters’ desire to secure more soldiers, wasn’t it too much to concentrate so many merits on one person?

‘Moreover…’

What the headquarters needed now wasn’t a smooth-talking staff officer, but a capable warrior who could deliver results.

‘And all they sent as operational support was a young adjutant.’

Just as Feldelahm was about to sigh in disappointment,

“C-Commander?”

The soldier on radio standby called out to him.

Feldelahm turned his head and saw the soldier with a bewildered expression.

“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company has arrived. But there have been casualties. Out of 16 casualties, 4 were killed, and 12 were lightly wounded…”

What? 16 casualties, including 4 deaths, just during the march?

It was unbelievable even if they had been on a forced march, but to have 16 casualties after delaying their arrival for six days past the original schedule?

‘What an incompetent commander…!’

He was the type who should never be deployed to the battlefield.

Just as Feldelahm was thinking about reprimanding Daniel and sending him back to the rear,

“And…”

The radio operator gulped and spoke with disbelief.

“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company encountered and subdued an enemy supply battalion on their way to the division headquarters. Out of a total of 327 enemy personnel, 135 were killed, and 192, including the battalion commander, were taken prisoner…”

Silence fell over the operations base, where various discussions had been taking place.

‘…What?’

Feldelahm, as well as all the officers gathered in the operations base, were dumbfounded by the unbelievably impressive victory.

—————

Please rate and review this novel on Novelupdates!

If you enjoy the translation, please consider buying me a Ko-fi. It helps keep me motivated!