Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

    Commander of the Magic Mobile Corps’ Office.

    Rustle—

    Seated behind a luxurious mahogany desk, Heinrich flipped through the pages of a personnel file.

    The document detailed the personal information of none other than Daniel Steiner.

    [Name: Daniel Steiner]

    [Place of Birth: Fiamari Village, Betargen Barony, Southern Empire]

    [Special Notes: Confirmed to have been abandoned by parents and raised in an orphanage. Later recognized for magical talent by a conscription officer and enrolled in the Imperial Magic Academy, graduating at the top of his class.]

    Heinrich clamped a pipe between his lips as he finished reading the notes.

    “Graduated at the top of the Magic Academy, huh...”

    It wasn’t particularly surprising.

    After all, only those with exceptional talent could secure a position in the Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

    However, the fact that he was an orphan stirred an unexpected sense of admiration within Heinrich.

    “A man with no family backing dared to stake his reputation on pure instinct.”

    It wasn’t unheard of for enthusiastic young officers to pierce through the icy atmosphere of a military conference and voice their opinions.

    But in most cases, their courage was bolstered by the unspoken security of their family’s name.

    No matter the consequences, they knew their families would protect them from complete ruin.

    “And yet...”

    Daniel Steiner—this newly commissioned officer with no family ties—had no such safety net.

    If his suggestion had led to failure, the repercussions wouldn’t have ended with mere dismissal.

    Daniel must have known that.@@@@

    Even so, he had stood by his judgment.

    And, in the end, his judgment had been proven sound.

    The reconnaissance operation revealed that enemy forces were indeed preparing an ambush near the ridges.

    “Does he possess the eyes to see through the battlefield?”

    Of course, it could have been a coincidence—nothing more than sheer luck.

    Still, there was no denying that Daniel’s insight had prevented a disaster.

    In an era of fierce competition, where even the smallest shifts could alter the course of war, Daniel’s sharp observation was like rain in a desert.

    From Heinrich’s perspective, he was a talent too valuable to ignore.

    Knock, knock—

    A knock on the door interrupted Heinrich’s thoughts.

    He closed the file and set it aside on the desk.

    “Commander, sir! Reporting with Second Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as ordered!”

    Heinrich exhaled a plume of smoke and removed the pipe from his mouth.

    “Enter.”

    The office door opened, and Captain—Heinrich’s aide—entered with Daniel Steiner in tow.

    Tall, with black hair and dark eyes, Daniel’s gaunt appearance didn’t hide the determination in his expression.

    The two approached the center of the room and saluted in perfect unison.

    Heinrich returned a casual salute, prompting the captain to step aside.

    Daniel shifted into parade rest, awaiting Heinrich’s address.

    “A real soldier—not just in title, but in spirit. A man who truly seeks to protect the Empire and crush the Allied Nations.”

    It reminded Heinrich of his own younger days.

    Smiling contentedly, he added,

    “The military needs people like him—especially now, with the Allied forces growing stronger.”

    Heinrich picked up his pipe and chuckled softly.

    “I’m curious to see just how far he can rise.”

    *****

    “Cut the crap! Seriously!”

    Back in my private dormitory, I shouted in frustration.

    And who could blame me? Things were spiraling completely out of control.

    “Early promotion...?”

    This wasn’t just about adding one more diamond to my rank insignia, upgrading me from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.

    An early promotion in the elite Imperial General Staff meant being acknowledged as an elite even among elites.

    Even if I were reassigned later, the label of “early-promoted elite from the General Staff” would stick to me like a damn shadow.

    It was the highest honor—and the most secure career path—a junior officer could possibly obtain.

    In other words, I had just taken one more step toward becoming a key member of the Empire’s leadership.

    And that also meant I had just drastically increased my chances of getting my head chopped off when the Empire inevitably lost the war.

    Sitting down on my bed, I ran a hand down my face before looking up.

    The full-length mirror reflected a man with faint dark circles under his eyes.

    I could vaguely remember shouting for joy when I first confirmed my initial assignment to the General Staff.

    But after awakening my past life memories, this place had turned into a living hell.

    I stared at my reflection for a while before sighing and pushing myself to my feet.

    I opened the window and looked outside. Senior officers were arriving one by one.

    Right. This place was practically littered with high-ranking officers, like pebbles on the roadside.

    It was the perfect environment for earning points to climb the ranks—or, conversely, the perfect environment for losing points just as quickly.

    ‘Things may have taken a slight detour... but nothing’s really changed.’

    All I had to do was act so incompetent and disgraceful that it completely overshadowed my previous achievements.

    Loosening the suffocating tie of my uniform, I exhaled slowly.

    ‘Commander, I sincerely thank you for placing your trust in me. But I don’t want an early promotion—especially not in this Empire.’

    To cancel my early promotion and speed up my dishonorable discharge, I needed to fully commit to becoming an irredeemable scoundrel.

    Fortunately, the General Staff had the perfect ingredient for that transformation.

    That ingredient was none other than my immediate superior—Major Karl Heinrich.

    A man who started his day by berating me and ended it by treating me like dirt.

    An absolute disaster of a human being.

    If I used my direct superior, Karl Heinrich, as leverage, there was still a chance to secure my dishonorable discharge.

    ‘Just wait and see, Commander.’

    No matter what it takes, I’m getting out of this Empire.