Ernst looked at me with an incredulous expression.
His eyes, brimming with expectation, seemed to say, “My capable subordinate has done it again!”—a thought that doubled the pressure weighing on me.
“How exactly did you get that tight-lipped man to talk? Share your secret—our interrogators could use some pointers.”
At Ernst’s words, Sergeant Bendelin also turned to me with a smile.
I could understand their curiosity. Since I had muted the microphone during yesterday’s interrogation, no one knew what had transpired.
Naturally, the interrogators would want to know how I had managed to persuade a stubborn prisoner to cooperate.
But no matter how much I thought about it, all I had done was hold a casual conversation with Reginald.
I didn’t have any special interrogation techniques, so their questions only left me more flustered.
While I struggled to come up with an answer, Bendelin spoke up in an upbeat voice, likely trying to lighten the mood.
“I’ve worked as an interrogator for years, but I’ve never seen anyone wrap up an interrogation as quickly as Captain Daniel Steiner!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“It’s true! After the captain left the room, that bastard Reginald was practically begging to cooperate with the Empire in a shaky voice—it was so satisfying!”
He was about to cry? That stiff-necked Reginald?
“Usually, interrogations involve shouting or physical intimidation, but Captain Daniel just kept smiling and speaking calmly the entire time. It was downright dignified!”
Bendelin. He’s a good man, but his flattery is a bit much.
It seemed exaggerated to the point where I wanted to put a stop to it, but Ernst looked as though he believed every word.
In fact, he was now staring at me with even greater expectations than before.
“Hearing the sergeant’s account only makes me more curious. What exactly did you talk about with Reginald?”
He asked twice. Ignoring a superior officer’s question twice would be insubordination.
I guess I had no choice. After hesitating briefly, I answered.
“It wasn’t much. I just talked about his family a few times.”
At the mention of family, both Bendelin and Ernst flinched.
Even some of the officers who had been eavesdropping turned to glance in my direction.
An inexplicable silence fell over the room.
Just as I was starting to wonder what was going on, Ernst cleared his throat and nodded.
“That is indeed one of the most effective methods. Did you hear that, Sergeant? You should take notes from Captain Daniel.”
“Oh! Absolutely! I can’t believe I’ve been too lenient with prisoners until now.”
…It seemed like they were misunderstanding something.
It felt strange, but I decided against clarifying.
From experience, trying to explain myself in these situations usually only made the misunderstanding worse.
So instead, I simply gave a slight nod, and Bendelin saluted me energetically.
For some reason, his salute seemed more rigid than when I first met him.
“Well then, I’ll be returning to the military police unit! Enjoy your meal, sir!”
“Take care. And good work making the trip to General Staff Headquarters.”
Bendelin snapped to attention, turned sharply, and marched off like a wind-up soldier.
Just as I was wondering why he was acting that way, Ernst picked up his utensils and spoke.
“Anyway, congratulations. Convincing Reginald to talk has earned you yet another commendation. Honestly, I’m amazed by your talent lately. At your age, I struggled just to handle my own tasks.”
I wanted to point out that the commendation had nothing to do with my intentions, but saying something like that to the Chief of Operations would’ve been asking for trouble.
“You flatter me, sir.”
So instead, I responded with modesty and picked up my fork and knife.
While cutting into the steak I’d been served, Ernst suddenly seemed to remember something.
“Oh, that’s right. About your adjutant. They should be assigned to General Staff Headquarters today—maybe they’ve already arrived.”
Adjutant? I blinked in confusion.
“…My adjutant, sir?”
“Yes. Didn’t I mention it before? Now that you’ve been officially promoted to Operations Staff Officer, you’re entitled to an adjutant. I heard the higher-ups pulled some strings to assign you someone elite to match your rank.”
Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Ernst smiled.
“I heard you’ve been working late due to the increased workload. It’s natural for a staff officer to be busy during wartime, but with an adjutant, you’ll have less to worry about.”
“I suppose… you’re right.”
“This will be your first direct subordinate, correct? Make sure to guide them well.”
“Understood.”
I replied calmly to Ernst’s words.
I tried my best not to show it, but inside, I felt like I was floating on cloud nine.
‘Finally! I’m getting my own adjutant!’
No—let me correct myself. It’s not exactly “finally,” considering my rapid double promotion had sped up the process significantly.
But those minor details didn’t matter.
The important thing was that I now had an adjutant.
‘And an elite one at that, handpicked by the higher-ups… I won’t have to drown in paperwork anymore.’
Since my promotion from Acting Staff Officer to full-fledged Operations Staff Officer, one thing had become painfully clear—there was way too much work.
As the lowest-level staff officer, my job primarily involved reviewing documents and forwarding them to superiors, but during wartime, the sheer volume of reports and requests was overwhelming.
Important matters went directly to my superiors, but the rest—including bizarre and absurd requests—flooded my desk.
One such request was from a regimental commander who wanted beer supplied via aircraft so his troops could enjoy it cold.
I wasn’t sure whether to approve it, but I ended up forwarding it instead of rejecting it outright. Strangely enough, it got final approval, and I later saw planes delivering barrels of beer.
With countless requests piling up every day, I barely had any free time.
Yesterday’s early departure was a rare stroke of luck.
If this continued, I’d end up escaping life itself due to overwork before I even had the chance to escape the Empire. Naturally, hearing Ernst say that my adjutant had arrived filled me with relief.
While lost in thought about my new adjutant, Ernst finished his meal and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Oh, by the way. Spend this afternoon in your personal office instead of the operations room.”
“…Are you sure that’s alright, sir?”
“Yes. You need some time to get acquainted with your new adjutant. It wouldn’t be appropriate to have personal conversations in the operations room, would it?”
Ernst was absolutely right.
I responded with a faint smile to show my agreement.
“Thank you for your consideration, Chief of Operations.”
While the operations room wasn’t exactly a battlefield, I’d still have to rely on my adjutant in times of crisis—or at least dump tasks on them.
So building rapport with my adjutant was one of the most important missions at hand.
*****
After finishing my meal with Ernst, I didn’t head straight to my office. Instead, I wandered around outside headquarters for a bit.
I wanted to buy a gift for my new subordinate.
After some deliberation, I decided against flowers and bought a few pieces of bread from a nearby bakery instead.
Compared to flowers, which were pretty but impractical, bread seemed like a better choice since it could fill their stomach.
With the bag of bread in hand, I returned to my office at headquarters and took a deep breath.
‘I’m a little nervous.’
The adjutant waiting inside my office was probably just as nervous.
After all, only five months ago, I had been in their shoes—waiting nervously for my superior while drenched in cold sweat.
I still remembered it vividly.
When I first joined, I didn’t receive a gift. Instead, Karl Heinrich, that bastard, greeted me with a string of curses the moment I reported for duty.
Thinking back on the humiliation and trauma of that moment, I resolved to treat my adjutant as well as possible.
I also planned to start them off with simple tasks to help them adjust to the job.
‘Alright.’
With the mindset of a caring senior officer, I smiled and opened the office door.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I stopped by the bakery near headquarters to pick up some bread for us to share as a snack—”
I was speaking in a friendly tone, but when I laid eyes on my adjutant, I froze.
The adjutant turned toward me slightly, revealing a loose, shoulder-length bob.
Her silver-white hair, flowing like sunlight over a snowy field, looked elegant and refined.
In stark contrast to her hair, her eyes were a deep crimson—like pools of blood.
Her sharp gaze didn’t feel hostile, but her expressionless face made her look naturally intense.
She was an incredibly sophisticated and graceful woman.
If I hadn’t known who she was, that’s what I would have thought.
Lucy Emilia.
She was one of the main characters in the game Empire of Emperor —a mass murderer known as the Empire’s Nightmare.
So why in the world was Lucy sitting in my office, dressed impeccably in an Imperial Army uniform?
“……”
“……”
Locking eyes with her, I slowly shut the door.
‘Wait a minute.’
Why is Lucy here?
At this point in the timeline, she should still be making a name for herself on the frontlines.
And why is someone affiliated with the Allied Nations serving as my adjutant?
‘…A spy?’
Both the Allied Nations and the Empire were heavily involved in espionage, so it wasn’t entirely impossible that she had infiltrated headquarters as a spy.
‘But why me?’
Of all the possible posts, why was she assigned as my adjutant?
Feeling dumbfounded, I furrowed my brows and shook my head.
‘I must be hallucinating from all the overtime lately.’
There was no way Lucy could be here. No way.
With renewed confidence, I opened the office door again.
“…Captain?”
And immediately closed it.
It was definitely Lucy.
She looked exactly like her illustration in the game.
‘Why is this happening to me…?’
This was going to be anything but easy.