"Wait! I was just collecting stamps as a hobby, but then my wife came home spouting nonsense and scolded me for wasting money on them! Can you believe that?!"
As usual, I found myself walking in front of the headquarters building after lunch, listening to Ernst's endless complaints.
Incidentally, my adjutant, Lucy, had also gotten pulled into the conversation and was now stuck enduring Ernst's rant about his home life.
"All I do for fun is fish and collect stamps! Just those two things! And now she wants to take one of them away! Does that make any sense to you?"
Honestly, the more I listened, the more I had to agree—it did seem a bit unfair.
"It does sound like she's being a little harsh. It's not like you neglect your family—you always go straight home after work."
"Exactly! That's why I get along so well with you, Daniel! Meanwhile, Personnel Affairs had the nerve to say I spend too much on stamps! Are there even hobbies that don't cost money?!"
…Something felt off.
"Sir? May I ask which stamps you've bought recently?"
"Hm? Oh, right. I spent a bit on the limited-edition stamps from the Berkhausen Museum."
Wait. The Berkhausen Museum's limited-edition stamps? Even someone like me, who didn't care about stamps, knew those were absurdly expensive.
'Aren't those going for 100,000 credits each?'
Considering the average monthly wage for a laborer was between 30,000 and 60,000 credits, that was no small purchase.
Suddenly, I completely understood why Ernst's wife had been so furious.
I decided to keep my mouth shut.
After all, there's a saying—"silence is golden."
"I didn't even touch the emergency funds! I bought them with my allowance! If she complains about even that, how am I supposed to live? Honestly, that woman—"
Letting Ernst's tirade wash over me, I suddenly noticed something odd.
'What's going on?'
Unfamiliar junior officers and NCOs were bustling around the front of headquarters.
Normally, this place was swarming with high-ranking officers, not low-level ones.
So seeing so many second lieutenants and first lieutenants wandering around felt off.
"Sir?"
Ernst paused and looked at me.
"Hm? Something on your mind?"
"Well… doesn't it seem odd that there are so many new faces around headquarters today? I don't recognize any of them."
"Ah, that. Personnel Affairs brought in officers heading to the Northern Front for operations support. Looks like they just arrived."
Operations support for the Northern Front?
Curious, I asked,
"I thought the Northern Expansion Campaign was going smoothly? Aside from a few areas, I heard the Kingdom of Eldresia is already collapsing."
"It's those 'few areas' that are the issue. If we don't crush them before winter, it could drag into a prolonged war. That's why they're sending reinforcements."
I sipped my coffee, tilting my head.
"Judging by their ranks, they're sending company-level units. But will a single company really change the tide in a war being fought at the corps level?"
Ernst chuckled.
"That's not the point. The company is just there to escort skilled staff officers. Can't risk them getting ambushed by guerrillas en route."
"Ah. That makes sense."
So, the General Staff planned to send high-level staff officers to the front to try tipping the balance.
'Desperate enough to borrow even a cat's paw, huh?'
From the Empire's point of view, it made sense to end the war quickly and shift focus to the Eastern Front.
Once winter hit, the cold would cripple supply lines and slow the advance, dragging everything into a war of attrition.
So they were trying to finish things before summer ended—even if it meant overextending.
Still, it had nothing to do with me.
"I don't know which poor staff officer got picked for this, but they're in for a rough time."
Poor bastard. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry.
Getting reassigned from a cozy desk job to the front would make anyone cry—unless they were a war junkie.
But hey, that was their problem.
"...Captain Daniel?"
Lost in thought, I turned to see Ernst awkwardly scratching his cheek.
When I looked at him, puzzled, he cleared his throat.
"Sorry, forgot to mention—you're the staff officer they picked."
What?
My brain short-circuited for a moment.
I almost dropped my coffee.
After a few seconds of blank staring, I finally spoke.
"…Me?"
"Yup. The Deputy Chief of Operations thinks highly of you. He's giving you a chance to prove yourself in the field. You'll be commanding a 200-man company—you'll even be leading some small-scale ops."
I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.
Taking a deep breath, I asked again.
"You're absolutely sure?"
"Positive. No need to ask twice. Are you so touched you're speechless? That look on your face—makes me feel proud too! Hahaha! Go give it your all!"
I wasn't touched—I felt sick.
While I was still reeling, Lucy suddenly spoke up.
"Congratulations. While Captain Daniel Steiner is at the front, I'll handle things at headquarters."
Ernst tilted his head.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Of course you're going with him."
Lucy actually flinched.
Her pupils trembled.
"…But, Colonel? If I leave too, the Operations Office will be overwhelmed."
"That's what overtime is for. We're at war. Compared to what you'll face at the front, this is nothing."
Lucy fell silent, cold sweat forming.
Even the Allied Nations' intelligence division couldn't have predicted this twist.
But honestly, her problem wasn't mine.
'Shit…'
Things had spiraled way faster than I expected.
I sighed—then froze.
A woman walking toward the General Staff building looked strangely familiar.
Wavy light-brown hair swayed as she walked, and her dark brown eyes shimmered in the sun.
It was Frien—the girl who would one day be called the Saint of the Empire.
'What the hell is she doing here?'
At this point, she should still be at the military academy.
Confused, I excused myself and approached her.
"Cadet. Stop right there."
Hearing my voice, Frien turned and smiled brightly.
"Lieutenant Daniel Steiner—oh! I mean Captain! My apologies!"
She looked genuinely happy to see me.
I didn't feel the same.
"I'm not here for small talk. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the academy?"
"Oh…! I saw the Northern Front deployment notice and sent a request to Personnel Affairs. Looks like they approved it."
I frowned.
"A request?"
"Yes! I wrote in that I'd worked under you before. I asked to be assigned to your company."
"And Personnel added you... just like that?"
"Exactly! It's the greatest honor my family could ever hope for!"
If the decision had already been made, I couldn't stop it—but something didn't sit right.
The fact that she could smile despite being deployed to a warzone left two options.
Either her loyalty to the Empire burned unnaturally bright… or she was completely unhinged.
Honestly? Loyalty and madness often looked identical.
"…Frien? I understand how you feel, but don't you think you're too young for the Northern Front? No one would blame you if you withdrew your application. Think it through."
I tried to nudge her away from the idea, but she shook her head and gently pressed her hand to her chest.
"I've already made up my mind. I swore to repay my debt to you with my life. I won't back out now."
Debt? What debt?
All I'd done was exchange a few words with her once.
"So I'll follow you, Captain. And soon, we'll see it together—a perfect, ideal nation free of worry and fear."
"…An ideal nation?"
"Yes. One Empire. One Emperor. One people. We'll build God's kingdom on this land, free from the rats in the Allied Nations."
Frien smiled serenely.
The kind of smile you'd expect in a religious painting—calm, radiant, full of devotion.
And in that moment, I knew.
'She's fucking insane.'
I didn't know how or why, but Frien had clearly gone off the deep end.
Swallowing hard, I wiped my sweaty palms.
'I need to speak to the Deputy Chief. I've got to get her reassigned.'
It probably wouldn't work.
But I had to try—because the wide-eyed lunatic standing in front of me scared the hell out of me.