I Became an Officer in Another World in Just 5 Minutes - Chapter 253

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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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Chapter 253
Fire
“Preposterous. I never expected to hear such words.”
Ion Velburn leaned back against his chair, his expression betraying bewilderment.
“Then I’m curious to see what sort of reasonable peace proposal the Adits Empire has brought.”
“A peaceful end to war begins by washing away the scars it leaves behind.”
Seto Count placed the peace proposal he had prepared onto the table.
“Our Empire and His Majesty the Emperor’s will is to correct the wrongs of this war.”
“The wrongs of war, you say.”
Ion Velburn picked up the Adits Empire’s peace proposal and examined its core provisions.
-Immediate withdrawal of Lyckan forces responsible for the mass slaughter at Adman Castle
-Peaceful return of Belzium Castle, the historical center of the Adits Empire
-Mutual prohibition of hostile military action for 100 years
.
.
Dozens of clauses in total.
There was no need to review them all—the moment he read the second line.
Ion Velburn’s expression twisted without any attempt to conceal his emotions.
“Are you jesting? Surrender Belzium Castle?”
“The return of Belzium Castle must be the foundation of a peaceful settlement. Moreover, Adman Castle was our territory even before the ceasefire was declared, as the occupation occurred after the truce.”
Seto Count spoke with absolute sincerity, not in jest.
Even Ion Velburn could never have imagined such demands.
“Hah.”
Pure astonishment.
And shock.
Ion Velburn fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“The Adits Empire has no will for peace. I shouldn’t have come if I’d known this.”
“His Majesty the Emperor possesses the will for peace more than anyone. If we respect one another, the peace proposal will be signed immediately.”
“Ha.”
Ion Velburn shook his head and rose from his seat.
“Now that we’ve seen each other’s proposals, let us end this here.”
“I await a positive response at our next meeting.”
Seto Count’s face remained as impassive as stone.
Seeing this, Ion Velburn’s expression hardened further.
“There will be no positive response to such an absurd peace proposal. I suggest you reconsider this with common sense before returning.”
With those words, tinged with barely concealed anger.
The first negotiation between the Two Empires concluded.
* * *
-The Adits Empire’s demands: recognition of Adman Castle’s territory, return of Belzium Castle, and joint establishment of the Circuit Patent Management Bureau….
“They’ve lost their minds.”
Upon hearing the Adits Empire’s peace proposal through the communication channel, His Majesty the Emperor spat out harsh words and shook his head.
-It seems they’re deliberately aiming high, hoping to gain something in the process.
“Even that requires some merit to consider. Don’t you think?”
-Indeed, Your Majesty.
“For them to make such demands when we’re trying to end this gracefully—it’s truly foolish.”
His Majesty the Emperor paused to gather his thoughts, then spoke.
“If this Seto Count refuses to bend his will, then we must reconsider our original position.”
We had expected the enemy to approach gently and offered only minimal terms.
But if they demand Belzium Castle, the conversation changes entirely.
“Add twenty million gold in war reparations to the peace agreement as well.”
-Yes, Your Majesty.
“Furthermore, make it abundantly clear that the more they probe, the more our demands will increase.”
Seto Count’s attitude of making excessive demands while seeking agreement.
His Majesty the Emperor was not kind enough to tolerate such behavior knowingly.
“This path will be more difficult than we initially planned, but I trust your efforts.”
-Yes! I will certainly secure favorable results.
With Ion Velburn’s words carrying such resolute determination, the communication channel disconnected.
“They actually asked for Belzium Castle.”
His Majesty the Emperor muttered to himself while gazing at the darkened communication channel, then lifted his head.
“Don’t they seem mad?”
Naturally, he was asking Rosen’s opinion.
Rosen nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I cannot fathom what audacity drives them.”
“I thought at most they would demand Adman Castle.”
The Adits Empire’s actions completely defied expectations.
If anything, it demonstrated a certain kind of capability.
“Is there some stratagem we’re missing? Have the Intelligence Agency examine this matter carefully.”
Their attitude suggested they were prepared to continue the war.
It was natural to assume they possessed some hidden advantage.
-Yes, I will relay your orders.
“And if this is how they behave, we have no choice but to reconsider war.”
We had been pursuing a peaceful resolution.
The Raikane Empire’s circumstances were not dire enough to accept losses in order to end the war.
“Issue articles condemning the Adits Empire’s conduct. Let the citizens grow angry as well.”
For ordinary citizens, the driving force of war is emotion.
If we suddenly announce we’re resuming war after remaining quiet, the public response will be unfavorable.
-But we’re still in negotiations. Is it acceptable to make this public?
“What’s the harm? We haven’t sworn any confidentiality agreements.”
-I will prepare it at once.
The very next morning.
The Adits Empire’s peace proposal was distributed throughout the entire Empire.
* * *
-Dialogue is conducted with people, and their demands cannot be considered the demands of people.
Belzium Castle and Adman Castle are places our soldiers shed blood to obtain, yet…
Those approaching peace negotiations with such a misguided attitude must reflect upon themselves…(omitted)…
If they continue to approach peace negotiations with such a misguided attitude, our Empire will regress the civilization of the Adits Empire by an entire century.
“Huh…?”
I got up, drank some water, and examined the newspaper.
There, printed in the paper, was an article filled with the Emperor’s fury.
‘They demanded Belzium Castle? Seriously?’
No, how could such a thing be possible?
Wondering if I’d misread it, I read through it once more.
The content was identical.
‘And they didn’t just demand Belzium Castle—they also demanded Adman Castle. This is absolutely absurd.’
These people are clearly insane.
“Wait. If this happens… what will he do?”
Would the Emperor ever surrender Belzium Castle and Adman Castle?
Unless the enemy suddenly backs down, peace is off the table.
“Should I be happy about this or sad?”
If we resume the war, we’ll be able to reclaim Belzium Castle, so it’s certainly positive.
At the same time, I’ll have to go back to that hellish Western Front.
‘They say youth means hardship, but this is too much.’
I really want to stop now.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled deeply, set down the newspaper, and left the Manor in light clothing.
“Physical fitness test, I’ll take it.”
[Will you take the Grade 6 test?]
“Yes.”
I said I’d take it since I’m going to do it anyway—I don’t understand why it keeps asking.
‘Am I being too sensitive?’
But what can I do about it?
Just thinking about returning to that damned Military ruined my entire mood this morning.
[Scanning surroundings.]
[Environment is suitable for physical fitness testing.]
[Penalties will be applied if cheating is detected.]
“Brings back memories.”
It feels like just yesterday I was doing this at the Training Camp, wondering ‘what is this?’
The world has truly changed so much.
[Physical fitness test begins.]
[Run 30km within 2 hours.]
[1:59:59]
A straightforward mission—all I needed to do was run at fifteen kilometers per hour.
“Well then, let’s get moving.”
After stretching, I began running along the route I’d planned beforehand.
“The carriage to District 5 departs shortly! Please board immediately!”
“Newspapers here! We have exclusive stories! You’ll regret missing them!”
“Ugh, even after coffee, this cursed morning exhausts me.”
The early morning hours when people headed to work.
A sight rarely seen among the nobility caught my eye.
‘Everyone lives such busy lives.’
The hectic mornings of working people weren’t so different here than they were in South Korea.
[10km Cleared]
[20km Cleared]
Lost in my run, I suddenly realized only ten kilometers remained.
My breathing was slightly labored, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly difficult.
‘If I could do this in South Korea, I’d just become a sports star.’
I shook my head and prepared to tackle the final ten kilometers.
Then an unexpected variable erupted.
“One!”
“One!!”
“Two!”
“Two!!”
Suddenly, dozens of rhythmic, booming voices echoed from behind me.
I turned to see muscular men running in perfectly aligned formation.
“Morning drills, I see. You’re all working hard.”
Too well-built to be Security Guards, and most soldiers were on leave anyway.
They were probably a knight order from some noble family.
“I could draft off them from behind.”
Aerodynamically, running behind them would conserve my stamina, but I wasn’t weak enough to need that advantage.
‘Let them pass first.’
I had plenty of time anyway.
I slowed my pace, thinking I’d let them go ahead.
The distance between us closed rapidly as they passed me, but then—
“Huh?! Brother!”
Just as I was thinking how intimidating their physiques looked,
a familiar voice called out to me.
“Derick…?”
I instinctively turned my head toward the voice.
My younger brother Derick came into view—someone I hadn’t seen in quite some time.
“Were you out for morning drills?”
“Gubo? Well, I suppose so.”
When Derick stopped, the others naturally came to a halt as well.
“Would you prefer to talk while we run? We have morning training scheduled.”
“Let’s do that.”
Before I knew it, I had naturally fallen into step with the Rahila Knights and begun running alongside them.
‘The pace is reasonable.’
It felt slightly faster than what I had been running moments before.
“When did you arrive in the Capital?”
“Yesterday. And you?”
“I returned from Adman Castle just recently.”
“So you were there.”
Naturally, he always managed to find his way to the Front Line.
“Were you at Belzium Castle?”
“That’s right. It was truly not easy. I thought I was going to die.”
“Come on, you always say that.”
Derick looked at me as if I were exaggerating.
This was genuinely unfair.
“I’m serious.”
“Sure you are.”
“By the way, you’re a Captain now?”
“I’m a Captain at the moment, but I heard this morning that I’m likely to be promoted to Lieutenant.”
“Either you get promoted or you don’t—what’s this ‘likely to be’ nonsense?”
His phrasing was rather ambiguous.
“Ah, well. You saw the newspapers, right? The Adits Empire is claiming that Adman Castle hasn’t actually been captured.”
“I saw it.”
What defines the virtue of nobility?
Reading the Imperial Court newspaper thoroughly before leaving the house.
“Because of that, there’s talk of increasing rewards. So originally I wasn’t scheduled for promotion, but now I am.”
“Ah, I see.”
By bestowing lavish rewards upon those who participated in the battle, they intended to firmly establish that Adman Castle had indeed been captured.
“That’s good then. Congratulations.”
“From a personal standpoint it’s wonderful, but seeing them deny it even though the entire place has been occupied… I found myself getting angry without meaning to.”
“That’s just human nature.”
When politics enters the equation, degradation becomes second nature to them.
[Successfully completed 30km run]
[You have passed the Physical Fitness Test (Grade 6)]
[+100p]
As we ran while exchanging various conversations, time passed swiftly, and the completion message appeared.
‘Running together really does make the time fly.’
There’s a reason running crews exist.
‘I’ll stop by a bookstore on the way back, and a bakery too.’
After mentally reviewing my plan once more, I turned my head to look at Derick.
“Anyway, it’s nice to see you after so long. I’ll head out from here, so let’s catch up next time.”
With such a long vacation period, we could see each other again anytime.
Derick had other ideas.
“Pardon? Do you have an appointment somewhere?”
“No appointment, but I have morning training to do.”
“Why don’t you train with me, then we’ll grab lunch before you go? Father is home today too, so it’ll be really fun.”
“Huh…?”
“That’s fine, right?”
An expression as if seeking praise.
Pure evil incarnate.

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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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