I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 126

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 126

“Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live! Long live forever!!!”

“You’re truly magnificent!!!”

The triumph ceremony will be held in the capital, but news of the victory has already spread throughout the entire Empire.

That’s why people came out in every city we passed through.

An indescribably enthusiastic welcome followed us.

“Aren’t those the heroes who captured that enemy warship?”

“The Lieutenant Colonel at the front has such a build… he really is different indeed.”

“Magnificent!!!”

Cheers directed not only at the Crown Prince, but also at me, Lieutenant Garen, and Colonel Schultz.

I have no idea how the warship capture operation became so widely known.

Actually, I do know.

‘It must be a plan to make the Adits Empire look foolish.’

Think about it.

They let their guard down and had their warship stolen, and then we used it to destroy their own ships?

Just looking at the story, they’re complete idiots.

“Captain, at least wave your hand a bit. The young ladies are all looking at you.”

Lieutenant Garen spoke playfully beside me while poking my ribs.

“Ha…haha, understood.”

This can’t be helped since among the people at the front of the procession, the only young men are me and the Crown Prince.

‘Excluding the Crown Prince since he’s in a different league, when there’s one young guy mixed in, attention is bound to focus on him.’

This is kind of like…

It’s similar to some twenty-something boldly sitting at a Nobel Prize ceremony.

“I’m getting nervous as we approach the capital. Whew.”

Lieutenant Garen even took a deep breath to calm his mind.

“Is there really that much to be nervous about?”

“Don’t we have to meet His Majesty the Emperor directly? How could I not be nervous? What if I make some mistake?”

“You’ve achieved great merit, so wouldn’t he overlook small mistakes? Think of it comfortably.”

“Captain, maybe it’s because you’re a noble, but you seem relaxed.”

“Relaxed…”

I’m not really that nervous.

But this isn’t because I’m familiar with the Emperor, but because I don’t have the luxury to be nervous.

‘I’m too busy worrying about my future to be nervous about a mere triumph ceremony.’

I’m trembling with fear.

About what my military life will be like after failing to escape.

‘Don’t they have something like parental leave here?’

I’m not even married yet, but anyway, I just want to run away for now.

“Your expression suddenly doesn’t look good. Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just think war is really difficult.”

“I feel the same way. War brings too much pain. That’s why it needs to end quickly.”

That’s not what I meant, but I just nodded along.

“Yes, I hope it ends as soon as possible.”

“This isn’t something I should say when I’m nervous, but for now, enjoy the joy of victory. That’s how you gain strength to take the next step.”

“The next step… I’ll try my best.”

Since it wasn’t wrong, though embarrassing, I waved my hand a bit while riding toward the capital.

*    *    *

“Don’t you think this road is too narrow to accommodate the triumph procession?”

“We’ll look for alternatives.”

“Plan it considering space for citizens to come out and watch too.”

“Understood.”

Rene, who had been put in charge of the triumph ceremony excluding the banquet, reviewed the plans in a temporarily prepared office in the Imperial Palace.

“This is an important event that can’t have even the slightest shortcoming, so everyone please work hard.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Since the Princess herself worked tirelessly, no one had any complaints.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

Late in the evening after sunset, Minister Rosen visited the office.

“Since His Majesty personally entrusted this work to me, I have to work hard.”

“Haha, but please take care of your health. It wouldn’t do to collapse on the day of the event after preparing so hard, would it?”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Rene looked at Rosen and showed a faint smile.

“Is there anything lacking in the preparations?”

“The budget came down generously, so there doesn’t seem to be much. If I had to find something, it would be people, but we’ve already gathered the maximum, so we’ll have to make do.”

“I see. That’s fortunate.”

“There’s one thing I’m curious about – why isn’t Uncle in the procession? Is it His Majesty’s will?”

At Rene’s question, Rosen scratched his cheek with his slender finger.

“I heard it was his own decision. Of course, even if he had wanted to participate, His Majesty would have stopped him.”

“Why? He was in the battle. Then shouldn’t he be able to proudly appear in the triumph ceremony?”

A very natural question in some ways.

However, not everything in the world operates according to common sense and logic.

“You know that His Majesty doesn’t want even the smallest possibility, don’t you? That was the promise.”

“What kind of promise is that? It’s just abuse that only makes him suffer.”

“Ha…haha.”

Rosen showed signs of discomfort at the potentially dangerous topic and laughed awkwardly.

“Uncle risks more danger than anyone else while working for the Empire, but I don’t understand why he has to live like that.”

“His Majesty knows that fact well enough.”

“Then…! Sigh, no. There’s no point in talking about it.”

Since this wasn’t something that had been going on for just a day or two, Rene gave up speaking and shook her head.

“And I’m sorry to say this, but we’ll need to add one schedule to the event.”

“A schedule?”

“It won’t take long, but His Majesty has decided to award second-class military merit medals to these three men. So we’ll need to insert an award ceremony in the middle.”

“Second-class instead of third-class…?”

Military merit medals range from first-class to ninth-class, and usually third-class medals are awarded for achievements in a single battle.

“Yes, he was truly impressed after reading the battle report. At tonight’s dinner, he even called Captain Paran Oclo a blessing to the Empire, so it seems he intends to give him support.”

“Captain Paran Oclo receiving a second-class military merit medal… Isn’t he the youngest?”

“170 years ago, a 13-year-old commoner who disguised himself as the Crown Prince and was captured by the enemy as a sacrifice received a first-class medal, so he’s not the youngest.”

“How on earth do you know such things, Teacher?”

“When you live long enough, you get bored and end up digging through history books.”

Rosen showed a benevolent smile.

“I get confused at times like this. Just looking at your face, you seem only slightly older than me.”

Not just Rene, but most people who have been in the Imperial Palace for a long time feel similar emotions when seeing the ageless Rosen.

“It’s both an advantage and a disadvantage.”

“I think it’s all advantages. Anyway, receiving a second-class military merit medal at that age is impressive.”

“Personally, he’s beyond impressive – he’s amazing. Capturing a warship beyond a completely blocked pier. Isn’t that bold?”

Not a single person who read the battle report wasn’t surprised.

And naturally, that included Rene as well.

“Yes. I believe he’s the same age as me, but how could he think of something so daring?”

Actually, if you’re smart, you could think of it.

But putting it into practice is what makes it unbelievable.

And this wasn’t the only thing that surprised Rene.

‘He was definitely the Mess Hall Captain.’

She had never experienced military life, but she understood the concept of positions well enough.

And naturally, the mess hall captain was a non-combat position.

Yet that same Paran had suddenly distinguished himself in the vanguard Special Forces battalion?

‘Is that even possible?’

It was such an absurd range of activity that even a novel written this way would get criticized.

“The Empire has truly gained a great talent.”

“You seem quite pleased.”

“Yes, I’d like to meet him in person as soon as possible. I’ve talked too long. Anyway, please don’t go in too late.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just check this one thing and then stop.”

“Then I’ll trust you and be on my way.”

Rosen bowed his head in greeting and left the room.

“Paran Oclo.”

Rene traced Paran’s name written at the top of the triumph ceremony plan with her finger.

‘It would have been nice if uncle’s name was written next to this too.’

As she quietly stared at that name, a forgotten memory surfaced in Rene’s mind.

“Come to think of it, you stood me up before.”

Rene’s brow furrowed slightly as memories from Rimircastle came back to her.

*    *    *

“Why are my ears so itchy?”

“You must have done something to deserve being cursed at.”

I shook my head at Lieutenant Garen’s words.

“Who would curse at someone as good as me?”

If someone’s cursing at me, then they’re the one in the wrong.

‘Go to the military, cook meals, go to war, achieve merit. I just do everything for them.’

I want to stop doing all this now.

“People who say that are rarely actually good.”

“I’m the real deal.”

“Haha, if the Captain says so, then it must be true. Anyway, we’ll arrive soon.”

The south gate of the capital Derpeia was now visible to the naked eye.

They said the full-scale triumph ceremony would begin once we passed through that gate.

‘I wonder what it’ll feel like.’

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t looking forward to it.

‘I worked hard to get to the front, so I should properly enjoy it.’

Isn’t there a saying that if you can’t avoid it, you should enjoy it?

Today I’ll experience the ultimate version of that…

“Captain Paran Oclo.”

Just as I was pondering how to wave my hand stylishly, the Crown Prince who had been in the front row suddenly turned his horse and approached me.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Since we were similar in age and had chatted a bit on the way, I answered naturally without showing any signs of panic.

“I’ve thought about it several times, and I think you should be at the very front rather than me.”

A bombshell statement thrown out just before entering the capital.

My hands, which had been fine just moments ago, suddenly tensed up.

‘What kind of crazy talk is that?’

The Crown Prince saying he wouldn’t stand at the front.

Was he telling me to commit treason or something?

“Your Highness, how could I possibly stand at the front?”

“Without your strategy in this war, we would have been defeated or suffered great casualties.”

That was true.

And because I had achieved such merit, wasn’t I the only junior officer occupying a spot in the front row?

“Your Highness, that too was only possible because you supported us from behind…”

“I know well enough that’s not the case. We shouldn’t have created such a situation in the first place, so I was incompetent in this battle.”

‘This is driving me crazy.’

After winning.

A Crown Prince suddenly declaring himself ‘incompetent’ before entering the triumph ceremony.

This was completely problematic.

‘Come on, someone say something.’

I sent a pleading look to General Godric standing beside us.

“Your Highness, incompetent? From what I observed beside you, Your Highness was so excellent that you reminded me of His Majesty.”

General Godric’s flattery.

But the Crown Prince’s will wasn’t something that would bend to such words.

“Such words would rather dishonor His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ahem.”

General Godric turned his head with a cough, tucking his tail between his legs.

Even I could see that was a bit of a stretch.

‘Come on man, you need to flatter in moderation. Why bring the Emperor into this?’

I don’t know how he made it to general with such poor flattery skills.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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