Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 5
Why Is There Oil?

I let out a quiet groan and adjusted my posture, mindful of the eyes around me.

I wasn’t sure how things had ended up this way, but for now, I was the “rising star of the Operations Staff Office,” so it wouldn’t do for me to act suspiciously and raise doubts.

For the time being, I had no choice but to calmly carry out my duties and plan for the future.

‘First of all…’

Dealing with the documents that had come my way would be the priority.

Exhaling softly, I picked up the document next to the phone and checked its contents.

Rustle—

Flipping through the pages, I found mostly ordinary matters.

Most were requests for operation permits or approvals for military building constructions.

The format was such that I would review them first, and if there were no logical issues, I would approve and forward them upwards.

【Operations Staff Officer ▶ Chief of Operations Staff ▶ Deputy Chief of Operations Staff ▶ Chief of Staff】

That was roughly how the approval process worked.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, so I approved most of the documents, except for a few that required adjustments to resources and manpower.

But when I opened the last document, I was taken aback.

───────────

《Logistics Base Construction Approval Request》

Recipient: Chief of Operations Staff (Colonel Ernst Barck)
Sender: Logistics Staff Officer (Captain Arnop Haupt)
Date: March 16, 1944
Subject: Request for Approval and Site Selection for Logistics Base Construction on the Eastern Front
In Charge: Operations Staff Officer (Lieutenant Daniel Steiner)

───────────

It was a seemingly ordinary request for approval to construct a logistics base.

The problem was that I was designated as the person in charge.

‘…Why?’

I couldn’t understand it.

A logistics base was a small-scale supply depot that smoothly received supplies from the rear logistics headquarters and resupplied them to the front lines.

In short, it was a crucial stronghold for securing supply routes and was built to prevent supplies from being left unattended.

Logistics was so important that it was called the mother of war, but why would they entrust it to the Operations Staff Officer?

Moreover, to a Lieutenant who had just been promoted by one rank and clumsily occupied the position of Operations Staff Officer?

‘There must have been some confusion in the report…’

No matter how I looked at it, I felt I should inform the Chief of Operations Staff about this.

Having made up my mind, I gathered the documents and headed to the Chief of Operations Staff’s office within the Operations Staff room.

The Chief of Operations Staff, buried amidst all sorts of reports and documents, looked up at the sound of my footsteps.

“Hmm? Ah, isn’t it our hero Daniel!”

Colonel Ernst Barck straightened up with a hearty laugh, exuding the aura of a kind, approachable neighbor.

However, one shouldn’t judge a person solely by their appearance.

If someone had risen to the rank of Colonel in the Empire, they must have gone through all sorts of hardships and battles.

“I simply did what was natural; the title of hero is a bit burdensome.”

Humility is a virtue, regardless of the country. Ernst, seemingly pleased with my humble attitude, smiled and spoke.

“So, Lieutenant. What brings you to me?”

“I have completed the initial review of the documents that arrived at the staff office, so I came to report to you.”

“Ah, already? Your work efficiency is outstanding, as I’ve heard. Give them to me.”

Nodding, I placed the documents on Ernst’s desk.

However, I didn’t include the logistics base construction request document that listed me as the person in charge. Noticing this, Ernst tilted his head.

“What about that one?”

“It was assigned to me. Strangely, the approval section for the higher-ups was empty. It seems the Logistics Staff Officer made a mistake.”

Ernst blinked a few times, then burst into laughter. Why was he laughing?

“Ah. It’s natural to find it strange, but that’s not a mistake by the Logistics Staff Officer.”

“If it’s not a mistake, then…?”

“The higher-ups deliberately assigned that task to you. As you can see, I’ve been quite busy lately, so there’s the intention to distribute the workload, and as for the other reason, I’m sure you understand without me saying it.”

My brow furrowed involuntarily.

This was a test from the higher-ups.

It was no different from them telling me to prove that catching the spy and discovering the hidden enemy in the hills wasn’t just a fluke.

Any military officer knew the importance of logistics, but constructing a logistics base in an appropriate location wasn’t easy.

A logistics base needed to be safe from enemy attacks, easily accessible, and have enough space to accommodate a large number of supplies.

So, they must have decided that this was a suitable task to assess my ability to fulfill the role of Operations Staff Officer.

‘Who is it? Is the Chief of Staff testing me…?’

I wasn’t sure, but this was an opportunity.

A golden opportunity to showcase my incompetence!

If I built the logistics base in an absurdly bad location, my evaluation would plummet, and I could naturally withdraw from the military.

Excited at the thought of leaving the military, I gave Ernst a sharp salute.

“Thank you for your trust! I will do my best to construct the logistics base!”

Ernst, seemingly pleased with my words, nodded with a smile.

“Yes. I will provide sufficient budget support, so don’t worry and proceed with the work.”

“Yes, sir!”

While answering energetically, I inwardly wore a sly smile.

‘I apologize, but you’ll regret this soon.’

Because I was going to build the logistics base in the theoretically worst location possible.

***

Half a month later, behind the Eastern Front lines.

Bardenplatz Plains.

Rumble—

The ground seemed to tremble as heavy equipment entered the plains, transporting construction materials.

Captain Arnop Haupt, the Logistics Staff Officer, watched this scene from afar with displeasure.

‘What are the higher-ups thinking? Entrusting the construction of the logistics base to a Lieutenant who’s practically a fledgling…’

Because that damned guy had ordered construction on the Bardenplatz Plains, all sorts of manpower and resources were being consumed.

‘Why on earth would they build a logistics base here?’

The Bardenplatz Plains were a wide-open field, extremely vulnerable to enemy bombardment.

To prevent this, they would have to build separate protective walls, leading to a significant waste of materials.

And it wasn’t just the protective walls. If they were going to build a logistics base on the plains, they should have chosen a location where existing roads could be utilized.

However, there were no usable roads near the Bardenplatz Plains.

This meant they had to build a new road leading to the Bardenplatz Plains.

And if they built an incoming road, they would also have to build an outgoing one, doubling the budget consumption.

It was a complete waste of money.

‘Was his name Daniel Steiner? That damned brat…’

Because of a young officer who didn’t even know the basics of logistics, the Empire’s tax money was being wasted in real-time.

Arnop hadn’t considered himself particularly patriotic, but seeing the national treasury being squandered before his eyes ignited a sense of patriotism within him.

However, how could a mere Logistics Staff Officer, a Captain, defy the orders from headquarters?

Even though Daniel Steiner was of lower rank, his authority was absolute.

The growing frustration within him was evident in the fact that he couldn’t say a word to Daniel, despite his inner turmoil.

A week ago, when Daniel came here for inspection and ordered them to proceed with the construction of the logistics base, Arnop couldn’t object.

Despite his true feelings, Arnop was also a helpless bureaucrat of the Empire.

‘When the headquarters says to do it, you do it. What choice do I have…?’

With a frustrated sigh, Arnop took out his cigarette case and put a cigarette in his mouth.

As he lit the end of the cigarette with his lighter, the radio attached to his shoulder epaulet crackled.

─ Logistics Officer! Can you hear me!?

This guy always contacts me when I’m smoking. Arnop took out his radio and pressed the transmit button.

“You’re forgetting your rank and name again? How am I supposed to know who you are and respond if you keep doing that?”

─ Ah! You’re so picky. It’s Sergeant Winter Enfeldt! Happy now?

“Yes, I am. What is it?”

─ Well, we conducted the ground survey, didn’t we? Brought in the experts and all.

Arnop nodded.

It was only natural to conduct a ground survey before erecting a building.

Ever since the incident where a carelessly erected building collapsed due to unstable ground, resulting in casualties, it had become mandatory.

─ The results from the experts came out today, and I’m not sure what to say. It seems headquarters didn’t assign this task to Lieutenant Daniel Steiner for no reason.

Hmm? It was strange to hear the sergeant, who was badmouthing Daniel with him just yesterday, change his attitude so suddenly.

“Just get to the point. What were the results?”

─ Hahaha! Well…!

The sergeant exclaimed in a delighted voice.

─ It’s oil! Oil! They found oil underground! And a massive amount, enough to be worth extracting!

Arnop’s cigarette fell from his hand.

‘What?’

Oil? The Bardenplatz Plains were an oil field?

Then, it wasn’t Daniel who didn’t know the basics of logistics, but Arnop himself.

Letting out a sigh of disbelief, Arnop ran a hand over his face.

‘Could it be that Lieutenant Daniel Steiner…’

Did he know all this from the beginning? Thinking that way, Daniel’s shameless attitude started to make sense.

Arnop chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back with self-deprecation.

‘It seems like…’

An extraordinary talent had joined the headquarters.

***

Meanwhile, upon hearing that the Bardenplatz Plains, where the logistics base was about to be built, were an oil field, Daniel Steiner—

‘Why?’

—was in real-time bewilderment.

—————

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