I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 163

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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 163

“Yawn, I’m tired.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you brewed some herbs to drink?”

Before going to the Operations Division, I stretched and yawned, and Captain Dennis sent me a worried look.

“This is mental fatigue, so eating something won’t help. I need to rest blankly for a bit to get better.”

“You’re working hard.”

“Well, I’m not the only one working hard. I’ll go have a meeting, so please prepare the conference materials neatly.”

“Yes! Understood!”

I gathered my materials and immediately opened the door to the Budget Operations Division right across from us.

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty!”

The Operations Division officers saluted me as soon as they saw me.

Since the office atmosphere was quite quiet, I nodded slightly in acknowledgment and headed toward the Operations Division Chief’s seat.

“Loyalty, is now a good time?”

“You’re here.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eden, who was wearing glasses and intently looking at something, raised his head to look at me.

“You look busy from early morning.”

“Since the first budget decision for next year came out recently, there’s no end to the work I need to handle. It’s absolutely killing me.”

“Oh my, hang in there.”

When people think of war, they only picture fighting scenes, but reality involves various roles.

Among them, the place that manages money is the core of cores, and if this breaks down, there’s simply no solution.

“Until this month, I have no choice but to live thinking I’m dead. Sit down. We have things to discuss.”

“Yes.”

After sitting in the chair across from him, I made eye contact with Lieutenant Colonel Eden.

“The bidding method is all good, but it’s quite troublesome in the budget execution process. We don’t know how much will be needed until we open them.”

“Yes, that is a disadvantage.”

Previously, since prices were set in advance, the Operations Division executing the budget could handle everything at once.

However, with bidding, we don’t know until we open them, and since we’re currently in the process of removing the bubble, it’s hard to predict.

“There’s considerable complaining because of that. If we removed rank insignia, you probably wouldn’t be able to leave here peacefully.”

“Ha…haha, is that so?”

Since he didn’t seem to be lying, I felt a chill run down my spine.

‘Sorry, and I love you.’

Since we can’t go back to the rotten old ways.

The Operations Division staff members have no choice but to be ground down.

“I just hope you don’t push too hard all at once. We can’t handle it.”

“Yes, I’ll coordinate the schedule well and proceed.”

After that, we had about 30 minutes of conversation about bidding, budgets, and future schedules.

“There was a reason why the Planning Division’s lights go out the latest. Are you doing all this work simultaneously right now?”

“It somehow ended up that way. Ha…haha.”

What a sad reality.

“And yet rumors say you’re playing around. You must be having a hard time.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eden brought up the recent rumor that made me blow my top.

“Operations Division Chief, you know about that story too?”

“Even though the Support Unit looks big, it’s only palm-sized, so how could I not know even small rumors.”

“I see.”

“You don’t need to worry too much about it. It’s just rough stones that have been stuck in the Support Unit for a long time bouncing up.”

I was somewhat moved by his statement, which was much stronger than I had expected.

“Thank you for saying that. I should work harder.”

“Especially Colonel Gavel seems to hate you quite a lot, Lieutenant. He’s plotting some strange schemes.”

“Schemes, you say? What kind of…”

“Hm? You don’t know? There’s no way you wouldn’t know.”

He’s speaking as if I should naturally know about it.

I don’t know.

‘How would I know how the Support Unit operates.’

Of course, if I paid attention, I could hear various stories.

But each day is too busy to spend time on such things.

“It looks strange for me to be the one saying this, but since I dislike those people anyway, I’ll just tell you.”

“Yes.”

What on earth is he trying to tell me.

Since he’s building suspense, I unconsciously became tense.

‘Don’t tell me he’s preparing poison or something?’

For reference, I don’t want to take out that annoying spoon again.

“The departments that follow Colonel Gavel have agreed to process Planning Division-related work as slowly as possible. That’s why I thought you would definitely know.”

“What kind of insane…”

It was a much more shocking story than expected, and if the person in front of me wasn’t a superior officer, I would have cursed.

‘Are they really insane?’

In a wartime situation, and moreover, interfering with something the Emperor has strictly ordered?

It’s truly unimaginable behavior.

“You really didn’t know. Did your department members not tell you? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know since you, as a section chief, wouldn’t be going around asking for work cooperation.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eden spoke as if it was understandable, but this made my blood pressure rise once more.

‘So you’re saying my subordinates were being harassed?’

Of course I’d need to confirm it, but if it’s true, I can’t just let this slide.

“Are there many commanders who follow Colonel Gavel?”

“Well, not few. He’s been here for quite a long time. I think this is his fourth year.”

Four years in one place for an officer is really a long time.

“Most of the existing field-grade officers would have cooperated with him.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be the case? I don’t know the details myself. We’re not close.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eden, like me, was assigned after the purge, so he wouldn’t know either.

‘If Lieutenant Colonel Eden knows this much, the reality must be even more vicious.’

I was thinking of handling this slowly, but I need to change my approach a bit.

“Your expression looks quite troubled. But don’t think too much about it. There’s no one who can touch you now, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, I was thinking the same thing.”

I answered while making an expression as if I wasn’t particularly concerned.

“Oh, and the Commander ordered us to add 50 gold to the Planning Division’s operational budget this time, so have a company dinner or something.”

“I’ll use it gratefully.”

I suppose I can use this to cover the cost of lunch later.

“Well then, come find me if anything else comes up. I have a report to the Commander in 20 minutes.”

“Ah! Yes! Thank you for your hard work! Loyalty.”

He seemed quite busy, so I gave a clean salute and left the Operations Division.

Then I immediately returned to the office and called Captain Dennis aside to ask about the situation, and the answer was shocking.

“I heard such orders came down after the problematic weekly meeting. But since Sergeant Major Kairon has such high regard in the Support Unit, it didn’t actually go through.”

“That’s… hah…”

It seems Sergeant Major Kairon protected us with his seniority.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sergeant Major Kairon told us not to mention it since he would handle it himself… and you seemed very busy, sir.”

It seems he was being considerate of me in his own way.

But if I don’t know about this, I’ll just end up being played like a fool.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but tell me next time. That way I can step in and resolve it.”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. You must have had a hard time.”

“It was only for a few days after the weekly meeting, and really nothing happened. They were trying to interfere with higher-ups and you, sir, but how could junior officers do such bold things? There’s nothing to gain from it.”

“That’s true.”

As with most human relationships.

Unless there’s a grudge, there’s nothing good about making enemies.

“It’s old news that everyone’s forgotten by now, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Got it. The Commander gave us 50 gold for a company dinner, so decide on a lunch menu. Something expensive.”

“Ooh! Understood!”

Captain Dennis was delighted about the budget he could spend without responsibility.

The lunch menu was thus decided to be the most expensive steakhouse in the neighborhood.

* * *

“I’m so sorry I don’t know what to do, thank you so much for helping me.”

More politely than ever before in this world.

I bowed my head to the man in front of me, Colonel Raint.

“Our relationship isn’t just any relationship, and I should be able to help you this much. Don’t you think?”

‘What kind of relationship do we even have?’

No matter how much I search, I can’t find any connection between us.

“Ha…haha, if you think of it that way, I’m very grateful.”

“From the moment I resolved to walk the path of a soldier, I decided not to think of myself as nobility, but still, I secretly hoped that talented noble-born individuals like you, Lieutenant, would join.”

“You flatter me.”

For reference, Colonel Raint is the second son of the Seviste Baronial House and though he won’t inherit the title, he’s still undeniably nobility.

“Isn’t it too much to be modest when you’ve achieved so many accomplishments? It’s dazzling.”

“It was all possible thanks to the help I received from those around me. Oh, speaking of which, isn’t Lieutenant Eden coming to work today?”

“Eden? He received a mission the day before yesterday and left. Didn’t you know?”

“Yes…? Ah, no. I didn’t know.”

How would I know in the first place?

I’m holed up in the Support Unit just working.

“What an unfeeling fellow. He went quite far, so it’ll be several months before we see him again.”

“A few months… Thank you for letting me know.”

For a moment, I almost let a joyful expression show without realizing it.

‘He’s gone far. Gone far away.’

This is like a kind of liberation day for me.

“Between us, I can at least tell you this much.”

“Ah… yes.”

There it was again, that damn “between us.”

How on earth did he become so fixated on such an absurd phrase?

“So what are you planning to do with that data? There didn’t seem to be any major problems.”

The data Colonel Raint brought me.

Personal information on the field-grade officers in the Support Unit.

“During this inspection, I found some parts that seemed a bit suspicious.”

Actually, there weren’t any.

Colonel Gavel isn’t an idiot, so he wouldn’t have done it openly, and if he had, he would have been caught long ago.

‘But there’s no way he didn’t do anything.’

If he were clean to begin with, would there be any reason to oppose the innovation I want to pursue?

And a high-ranking officer who has nothing come out when you beat them down?

Such a thing doesn’t exist in this world.

‘The Intelligence Agency definitely missed something.’

Actually, it would be more accurate to say they didn’t investigate deeply rather than missed it.

There’s so much corruption overflowing that just catching what’s obviously visible would create huge gaps in personnel.

“If it caught the Lieutenant’s eye, these guys here must be quite corrupt indeed.”

“That’s what I think, at least.”

“I’d like to help if I could, but you should understand that corruption investigations have dropped somewhat in our current priorities, making it difficult.”

“Yes, of course.”

I never intended to ask for help beyond receiving information from the start anyway.

“Take your time looking. I happen to have plenty of time today.”

“Yes…”

I’d prefer to look at this alone, but Colonel Raint had no intention of getting up from his seat.

‘Can’t be helped.’

I briefly turned off my attention to other things and focused my gaze on the data in front of me.

Name: Gabil

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

Position: Director of Personnel Administration Department, Western Support Unit Headquarters

Address: Officer’s Quarters Building 1, Room 103

Assets: 11,000G (owns 1 building)

Last year’s tax payment: 2,150G

Information that seemed like nothing special.

I was thinking how ordinary it all seemed, when my hand stopped the moment I read the last line.

‘This guy, what is he that he pays so much in taxes?’

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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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