I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 244

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

Episode 244
“Are you alright?”
Captain Alpen drew his sword from his heart and asked as he looked at Lieutenant Homul.
“It’s not great, but it’s not fatal.”
“Step back and rest.”
“Yes…!”
Knowing that forcing himself to stay would only be a hindrance, Lieutenant Homul withdrew his body completely.
“What will you do about losing a comrade? I’m willing to wait if you flee now.”
Clang!
Once again, the Unnamed Man answered not with words, but with his body.
“How rude.”
Clang! Clang!
I blocked the attacks and even attempted a counterattack.
But our blades separated cleanly without either of us taking damage.
‘Our strength is evenly matched.’
If this continued, the battle would drag on indefinitely.
Ultimately, the outcome on the other side of the road would decide everything.
‘How uncertain.’
The mission was too important to gamble on such uncertainty.
‘In the end, I have to bring this man down.’
Captain Alpen rolled his eyes, surveying the surrounding environment.
‘No matter how I look at it, this is the worst situation.’
But complaining wouldn’t change anything.
“I thought this would be easy, but clearly you show no consideration for your teacher whatsoever.”
Captain Alpen’s lips curled upward as he rushed at the Unnamed Man and swung his blade.
Clang!
Two swords collided with a heavy thud.
Though their lengths differed, the shorter blade didn’t appear to be at a disadvantage.
“You handle that short blade quite well.”
Screech!
Captain Alpen pressed his attacks, maximizing the advantage of his longer reach.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Rapid exchanges of steel in the dark forest.
With each clash, fatigue accumulated layer upon layer.
The one wielding the shorter blade showed signs of exhaustion first.
“Tsk.”
Sensing his limit, the Unnamed Man defended while retreating backward.
He wanted to catch his breath, but Captain Alpen was not a merciful man.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Whoosh!
I immediately pursued and attacked.
True to their nature as Assassin Squad members, they used the forest trees to restrict my sword’s range of motion.
“Tsk.”
Complex and unpredictable movements.
Because of this, my actions became delayed.
“Fool.”
Between the trees.
And from above my waist, still unable to regain my neutral stance.
The man’s short blade aimed precisely at my ribs….
Whoosh!
“Wh…?”
I was certain I had read the angle perfectly.
A sharp pain erupted from my waist, and my body suddenly lost all strength.
“You don’t know that arrogance is merely another form of foolishness.”
Thud.
As my spine became uncontrollable, I collapsed to the ground.
Having been struck near a vital point, I couldn’t move a single muscle, and my vision flooded with crimson.
“You…you bastard.”
When I barely managed to lift my head, what entered my vision was another short blade stained with my own red blood.
“Does your vision narrow just because the day has grown dark?”
“How did you even….”
“You don’t need to know. It was a decent fight, all things considered.”
“Wait….”
Thrust!
Just as the man tried to say something.
My blade pierced his heart with precision.
“That was close.”
Fortunate that the gamble paid off.
If he had noticed the moment I drew my short blade while my vision was obscured, I would have been the one struck down instead.
‘They sent only five for such a dangerous mission. Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue and turned to the other side….
“Found…found it!”
At the sound of Lieutenant Homul’s voice from behind, I turned my head.
A brilliant silvery-white mithril caught my eye.
“Quickly organize the situation and return.”
“Yes, sir!”
With my arrival, the fierce battle on the other side also concluded in victory for the Intelligence Agency.
By the time the sun began to rise, the truth behind Seto Count’s scheme was reported to Belzium Castle.
* * *
“We engaged five Assassin Squad members, and after eliminating them, we discovered mithril through our search!”
The moment the report arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Larsen rushed out to read it aloud.
My fist clenched without my realizing it.
‘Wait, am I supposed to be happy about this?’
The bottom line was that mithril wasn’t being produced from our domain’s mine anymore.
The operation was a success, certainly, but something felt oddly off.
“Chief Inspector, you’ve accomplished something truly remarkable!”
“We should report this to Headquarters right away! Thank you for your hard work!”
Lieutenant Gato and the other Intelligence Agency personnel rushed over to congratulate me.
Since everyone was celebrating, I forced myself to match the mood and lifted the corners of my mouth.
“Ha…haha, it was a team effort. Thank you all for your hard work.”
Apparently, Headquarters had run a simulation yesterday about retaking the mine.
Now that the possibility of that insane plan had vanished, that was fortunate at least.
‘Trying to defeat 100,000 with just 60,000 is madness.’
They thought they were Zhuge Liang or something.
“So it was a lie after all.”
Colonel Eden emerged from the room and approached us.
“Are you heading to Headquarters immediately?”
“We have to. We need to stop them from making a foolish decision.”
“Understood. Go at once.”
“You’re coming with me, Colonel.”
“Yes…?”
Why was he suddenly saying something so strange?
I couldn’t make sense of the context at all.
“You were the one who planned the critical aspects of this operation.”
“I only thought of part of it. I don’t think it was that significant.”
If I’m being honest, the real heroes were the Intelligence Agency personnel who defeated the five Assassin Squad members.
‘How did they even win?’
I knew our field operatives were strong, but they were still facing the Assassin Squad.
By all logic, we should have lost, yet they broke through their limits and overcame them.
“If I tell you to come, you come. Stop talking so much. Let’s go.”
Colonel Eden dismissed my words as if they were merely an annoyance, grabbed the report, and headed out.
Truly the worst superior officer.
“Ugh, I really hate this.”
“Why do you dislike him? There’s no one quite like Colonel Eden.”
“What…?”
The strange remark from Lieutenant Colonel Larsen caused my facial muscles to stiffen.
‘Is he insane?’
No one quite like Eden.
I wanted to ask what kind of life he’d lived, but Lieutenant Colonel Larsen had his own reasons.
“Yesterday too, whenever he hears something unpleasant, he always goes alone. But now that his achievements are about to be recognized, he’s asking you to come along, isn’t he?”
“That’s… well, that’s true.”
I couldn’t bring myself to refute that point.
“Your work ethic is impressive, and there’s much to learn from your reports.”
“Living like that is exhausting. You won’t live long either. Anyway, I’ll be going.”
I checked my appearance and left the building.
“That took quite a while. Did you put on makeup?”
“Unfortunately, I have no interest in such things.”
“I see. Let’s go.”
I mounted my horse and headed toward the Command Headquarters.
Given the gravity of the matter, I was able to meet Major General Gadus immediately.
“So the mithril was a lie.”
“Yes. We believe they used deception while moving between Salt Castle and the mine.”
“You’ve worked hard. Are the agents who engaged the Assassin Squad safe?”
Colonel Eden nodded at Major General Gadus’s question.
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“That’s a relief. The Intelligence Commander will handle the commendations, but I’ll document this part accurately as well.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m thinking of contacting His Majesty the Emperor right now. Can you stay?”
Major General Gadus asked while looking at Colonel Eden.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, though I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be, I’ll stay.”
“No need for modesty. You’re already proving invaluable.”
“Well… in that case, I should probably leave.”
It seemed the higher-ranking officers were about to have their discussion, so I looked for a quiet way to escape.
But when has the world ever gone according to my wishes?
“Why leave? There’s plenty of room. Stay.”
“Yes, sir…”
Out of sight, I clenched my fists behind my back.
‘Damn it.’
While I cursed inwardly, the communication channel was set up and the connection to the Imperial Palace was established.
“Loyalty! Major General Gadus Bergard, saluting His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Loyalty! Colonel Eden, saluting His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Loyalty! Colonel Paran Oclo, saluting His Majesty the Emperor.”
We saluted in turn and paid our respects.
-I hear many familiar voices.
Hmm, it seems I’ve definitely made an impression.
-Has it been confirmed that the enemy’s mithril is false?
Since we had briefly explained the matter when requesting an audience, the Emperor was already informed.
“Colonel Eden will explain this matter.”
“Yes, I will explain. Assuming the enemy’s mithril is false…”
Colonel Eden stepped forward and explained it almost identically to what he had told Major General Gadus.
-You used your head well. And you fought splendidly too.
“The credit belongs to Colonel Paran, who devised the operation, and the field agents who achieved victory against the Assassin Squad.”
He suddenly mentioned my name.
I felt grateful, yet my chest tightened.
‘Why didn’t you just say you did it.’
At times like this, being too honest and upright was a curse.
-Colonel Paran must be disappointed. I imagine you thought mithril would be found in the domain.
“Ha…haha, even if it had been, the Adits would have already mined it all anyway, so it’s actually fortunate.”
-That’s a good way to think about it. That’s the mindset that keeps one’s peace of mind.
-Tap! Tap!
The sound of fingers tapping on the desk came through the communication device.
A few seconds passed like that.
When the sound completely ceased, the Emperor spoke again.
-Given how things have developed, we’ll proceed with attacking Adman Castle as originally planned.
“I believe that is the correct course of action as well.”
Major General Gadus nodded in agreement.
-We’ll concentrate our forces toward Geshud Castle, so maintain Belzium Castle’s defenses as they are now—an impenetrable fortress.
“Yes, I will ensure the enemy never breaches the castle!”
-I trust you and the soldiers of Belzium Castle.
The conversation continued for several more minutes after that.
Most of it concerned the attack on Adman Castle.
And from what I heard, the Crown Prince is currently stationed at Geshud Castle.
‘I thought he was playing around with the Crown Princess candidates, but apparently not.’
My mood lifted slightly without my realizing it.
In any case, after enduring that suffocating time, Colonel Eden and I left the Command Headquarters.
“Phew.”
Colonel Eden, whom I’d wondered about when he didn’t smoke on the way there, lit a cigarette as expected.
He turned his head and looked at me.
“If we take Adman Castle like this, it’ll be an undeniable great victory.”
“Indeed.”
Gathering a hundred thousand troops and then losing the castle without doing anything?
Seto Count’s position would genuinely become precarious, and public sentiment within the Empire would plummet.
‘If Seto Count steps down like that, the military will naturally normalize.’
The beloved Adits Imperial Army we once knew would return.

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