I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 239

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 239
“What exactly did you say to them yesterday?”
“Sir? I didn’t say anything particularly noteworthy.”
The day after I spent time with the Tactical Officer Corps.
While I was working after arriving at the office, Colonel Eden approached with a furrowed brow.
“You claim you said nothing, yet six people came forward wanting to transfer to the Intelligence Agency after meeting with the Instructor? How is that possible?”
“That’s… what?”
If they met with the Instructor, they must have spoken with Major General Gadus.
Just hearing about it brought a headache crashing down on me.
“Apparently you’ve bewitched them. What kind of spell did you cast?”
“I really didn’t say anything special. I just answered their questions.”
Of course, when I answered, I did cast a spell in the way Colonel Eden described.
But if someone loses their rational judgment from that alone, then that’s their problem.
“Surely they’re not actually coming to the Intelligence Agency because of that?”
“How could they? What would students accomplish here? The contract period is too short.”
“That’s true.”
Their service contracts were for one year.
Not even a full position—just a probationary period.
“Still, I was told to at least give the interested ones a chance to apply for the next recruitment cycle.”
“I think that’s exactly the right approach.”
By our standards, Academy students don’t have the appeal to warrant special recruitment.
“And I’m thinking of visiting Lieutenant Colonel Gehil at the hospital during lunch today. Is that alright?”
“Yes, of course. I was planning to visit him myself anyway.”
“Really?”
Eden’s eyes held a skeptical gleam.
No, would I lie about something like this?
He’s a strange fellow.
“Yes, truly. It’s just that someone keeps me so busy I can’t visit often.”
“I don’t know who, but that person must be having a hard time too.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Anyway, meet me at lunch.”
Having said everything he needed to, Eden entered the Command Office.
“Wanting to join the Intelligence Agency… are they truly mad?”
Weren’t these the same ones who protested against enlisting in the military?
I truly cannot understand them.
“Regardless, I need to finish up quickly if I’m going to visit.”
I had to focus intently on work without a moment’s rest.
And when I finally visited Lieutenant Colonel Gehil’s hospital room during the lunch break I’d secured, it was nothing short of shocking.
“Oh? You’ve come. Thank you so much for visiting despite your busy schedule.”
Lieutenant Colonel Gehil, seeing Colonel Eden and me, raised his upper body from the bed.
I should have responded to the greeting, but my gaze was fixed on the flowers filling the hospital room.
Our eyes remained locked on the blossoms that completely occupied the space.
“What on earth are all these…?”
Colonel Eden asked with a rarely seen expression of bewilderment.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure myself, but flowers and letters have been pouring into the hospital since four days ago.”
“Did you really know that many people on the Western Front?”
“No…? They’re all ordinary citizens I don’t know.”
“What do you mean.”
Colonel Eden’s expression showed difficulty understanding.
Standing behind him, I immediately grasped what was happening.
‘Since they couldn’t contact me, they sent them here instead.’
The picture was quite favorable, wasn’t it?
Citizens sending flowers and letters to soldiers wounded during operations.
The intimidation seemed to have worked perfectly.
“With seven of them sharing the load, it’s no joke when combined. So the hospital has started refusing them now, I believe.”
The hospital room filled with flowers to the point of refusal.
Even celebrities would struggle with this much.
“That must feel good.”
“Yes, receiving flowers doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Haha.”
Lieutenant Colonel Gehil offered a smile.
At this point, there was no need for me to reveal the truth here.
“But how are the injuries? Have they improved?”
“Yes, we’ve passed the critical stage. It’s just a matter of the bones healing now.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“I’m truly sorry for keeping you so busy because of me.”
“You’re alive—that’s what matters. Stop with the unnecessary apologies and focus on recovery.”
Colonel Eden’s tone of voice remained the same as always, but his words were quite warm.
“Colonel, don’t you have anything to say?”
Eden suddenly turned his head to look at me.
After a brief moment of thought, I spoke with a hint of playfulness.
“Well… recover quickly and come back. Lieutenant Colonel Larsen and everyone else are waiting for you.”
“Haha, yes! Understood.”
After exchanging words with the other seriously wounded, I left the hospital.
“Was that flower arrangement your handiwork?” Eden asked as we left the hospital, and I nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, the citizens likely sent them to make a good impression on me.”
“The Tactical Officer Corps, the citizens—you’re training them all to your liking.”
“That’s a great misunderstanding. I’m not training anyone.”
Training others is something suited to a man like the Emperor, not me.
“You probably never even considered withdrawal in the first place, so how much longer do you plan to keep up this act of anger?”
“I’m sure Chulsu wasn’t even on your mind to begin with, so how much longer are you planning to keep up this act of being angry?”
“I’m thinking of it as something that will gradually ease up at a measured pace.”
“I see. Well, that was a good idea. According to the Security Guards, public order has normalized because of it.”
Normalized—that was putting it mildly.
Thanks to citizens voluntarily apprehending problematic individuals, the Security Guards had become extraordinarily idle, or so I’d heard.
“It’s fortunate that combat will begin soon, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, very fortunate. Phew.”
Colonel Eden, now completely outside the Hospital Room, pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Since you’ve read the report, you understand—the enemy will make their move soon.”
“Yes, I’ve confirmed it.”
The report that had arrived yesterday evening from an agent at Salt Castle.
Its contents indicated that the enemy had begun preparing for a full-scale campaign.
“Seto Count must be scheming something, but I can’t fathom what.”
“Indeed.”
The reason the Intelligence Agency had been frantically busy of late.
Beyond internal reorganization, we had failed to detect anything unusual in the enemy’s movements.
‘It shouldn’t be ordinary, yet it is—that’s what’s maddening.’
It was like tracking the top student in the entire academy and finding no evidence of them studying.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Unlike inside the Hospital Room, Colonel Eden’s expression was deeply grave.
‘I can’t help but be uneasy—he is Seto Count, after all.’
I shared his sentiment to some degree, so I could empathize fully.
“Still, they must eventually scale the City Wall, mustn’t they? I don’t think we need to worry excessively.”
I spoke while gazing at the towering City Wall.
Colonel Eden nodded in agreement.
“For now, that’s all we can think. Let’s head back.”
Colonel Eden extinguished his cigarette and flagged down a passing Carriage, climbing aboard.
* * *

“Quite the spectacle.”
Seto Count stood atop the watchtower at the East Gate of Salt Castle, gazing down at the assembled soldiers.
“The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Corps have completed their deployment preparations.”
Using the organizational structure designated solely for this Belzium Castle operation.
I had divided the 120,000-strong army into four corps of 30,000 each.
“The 4th Corps remains in the fortress, but do not grow complacent—your vigilance must be even more rigorous.”
“Yes, sir. We shall defend the fortress flawlessly, ensuring not even the smallest variable emerges.”
Major General Patek, commander of the 4th Corps, responded with unwavering resolve in his voice.
Since I had already issued all necessary directives for his duties, Seto Count simply turned his head without further elaboration.
“Hah.”
An overwhelming host of soldiers and the crushing weight of responsibility that accompanied them.
After exhaling once, Seto Count opened his mouth.
“Even from this height, I can feel the burning fervor radiating from all of you.”
His opening words were neither forceful nor warm—merely measured.
The soldiers’ gazes naturally turned toward Seto Count.
“Months ago, I delivered a deployment address at Belzium Castle. I believed the next would naturally be Rimiru Castle, or perhaps beyond it—yet I never once anticipated a situation like this.”
Such blunt honesty could have dampened morale, depending on how it was received.
Yet Seto Count’s command of tone and delivery was nearly flawless.
“It may be disheartening. However, since the war began, we have seized Adman Castle, the enemy’s fortress, and shattered their resolve.”
Seto Count stepped forward and clenched his fist.
“Belzium Castle, which we temporarily yielded, shall now be reclaimed as ours!”
Power surged into his voice, and his eyes blazed with intensity.
“The enemy’s forces number merely half of ours. What is there to fear? Valiant soldiers of Adits! Answer me! Do you fear the enemy?!”
“No, sir!!!!!”
The moment 90,000 voices converged.
The roar was so thunderous it seemed the very earth trembled.
“I swear to you—in this battle, I shall think only of your welfare! Beyond victory, we shall achieve absolute supremacy! If you trust in me as your leader, then draw your blades and show me your steel!”
Seto Count drew his sword from its sheath and raised it high toward the heavens.
In perfect synchronization, the commanders behind him drew their blades as well.
“We shall follow the Supreme Commander!”
Unwavering voices.
This wave of steadfast conviction rippled through the entire force.
“We shall follow the Supreme Commander!”
“Long live the Supreme Commander!”
The soldiers cast off their fear and roared their battle cry.
Seto Count lowered his sword from the heavens and pointed it toward the direction where Belzium Castle lay.
“I swear I shall not betray your trust! All forces! Advance!”
With Seto Count’s cry.
90,000 soldiers, led by the 1st Corps, surged forward toward Belzium Castle.
* * *
“Initial estimates put the enemy force at fewer than 100,000 soldiers.”
“So they’re not bringing their entire army?”
“That’s correct. Approximately 10,000 troops remain stationed at Salt Castle.”
Major General Gadus’s brow furrowed at the Adjutant’s report.
‘What in the world are they thinking?’
Of course, the reasoning behind leaving troops behind wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
History recorded instances where armies were decimated by surprise attacks from behind, left with nowhere to retreat.
But even so, wasn’t this pushing things too far?
“This means they don’t even have double our numbers.”
Major General Gadus’s expression twisted as his thoughts grew complicated.
Watching this, Deputy Commander Alick spoke carefully.
“Could it be that Seto Count is confident in capturing the fortress with merely 90,000 troops?”
“Seto Count? No, absolutely not.”
Major General Gadus shook his head firmly.
The reason for such certainty was that I understood Seto Count’s character.
“Seto Count values victory, yes, but he prioritizes troop preservation above all. Would such a man reduce his forces to assault the fortress? Do you think that’s possible?”
Alick couldn’t answer Major General Gadus’s question immediately.
Even from his perspective, attacking Belzium Castle with 90,000 troops would leave deep wounds, even in victory.
“Has the Tactical Officer Corps reported anything?”
“They’re currently analyzing based on the information we’ve received. They’ll likely present their findings at the afternoon briefing.”
Major General Gadus nodded at the Adjutant’s words.
“Since the Tactical Officer Corps has arrived, I hope they produce something worthwhile this time.”
I spoke with genuine hope, though what could newly promoted junior officers accomplish?
Even collaborating with the existing tactical officers, we hadn’t discovered anything definitive.
* * *
“Hmm, what the hell are these bastards thinking?”
At 7 PM, I rode slowly along the fortress’s perimeter.
‘At least the city walls are definitely sound.’
Unable to decipher Seto Count’s intentions, I’d abandoned sleep and come out to verify things myself.
“No matter how I look at it, there are no variables. Did my son really lose his mind and drag everyone down with him?”
It was a rumor circulating recently, though I assessed the likelihood as low.
The Adits Empire wasn’t foolish enough to entrust a 100,000-strong army to someone who’d lost their mind.
“That’s enough. Let’s head back.”
I suppressed my concerns as much as possible, but could worry alone prevent disaster?
The report that arrived the following morning prompted an emergency meeting to be convened.

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