WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
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◈ Veteran of the Northern Front ◈
Chapter 22: Rewards and Recognition (1)
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When I opened my eyes again, I was in an unfamiliar barracks.
“Mm...”
“Oh! You’re awake?!”
“Where am I...?”
“The medical unit.”
“The medical unit?”
I turned my head slightly and looked at the medic beside me.
The voice sounded familiar.
I had met them before while doing odd jobs here and there.
Their name was Carbin, I think.
“You were unconscious for three days after the battle ended.”
“Three days? I was out for that... Urgh!”
A pain like my entire body was being torn apart made me groan.
“Please do not overexert yourself. There is not a single part of you that is unharmed, from external wounds to internal injuries. We were worried you might never wake up.”
According to Carbin, my body had been at death’s door.
It was covered in sword wounds, and my insides had been completely battered.
Apparently, it was a miracle I had fought in that condition.
‘It was that serious? I didn’t feel anything strange while I was fighting.’
Had awakening mana caused a burst of adrenaline in my brain?
It seemed possible.
“But the battle...?”
“Do not worry. I heard we crushed them properly.”
“Crushed them?”
“I heard the reinforcements surrounded the enemy from all directions, so the barbarians in the canyon were completely wiped out and our side won a great victory.”
“...That’s a relief.”
I let out a sigh of relief at the news that the operation had concluded safely.
‘Does that mean we successfully prevented the Frostfire Incident?’
[Imperial Army Casualties]
Approximately 1,600 dead, 300 wounded
[Barbarians Subjugated]
4,500 in total, including prior achievements and the results in the canyon
At the beginning of Imperial Calendar Year 387, the Frostfire Operation, which should have left the Empire wounded with thousands of casualties, was recorded not as a failure, but as a successful campaign.
‘Well, there were quite a few twists and turns along the way.’
Still, it had all worked out in the end.
‘More importantly, this battle has greatly weakened the barbarians around here, so the story’s course will change again.’
For a moment, I considered how the future of this world might unfold.
First, the Great Invasion. Unlike the original course of events, we had minimized the damage, reduced the barbarians’ numbers, and taken out Hakal, one of their vanguard commanders.
So much had already changed that it was tempting to think the Great Invasion itself might no longer happen.
‘...Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.’
A few thousand might seem like a large number, but compared to all the barbarians, it was barely a handful.
‘Didn’t around a hundred thousand barbarians invade during the Great Invasion?’
The timing might be pushed forward, but the history known as the Great Invasion would not disappear.
Its scale and strength, however, could change.
The tribes near the border that should have formed the vanguard had suffered a severe blow, so the front line would not collapse in an instant as it had in the original course of events.
It was clearly beneficial to the Empire.
‘That aside...’
As the events and people from the story appeared one after another, it was beginning to feel real.
The Great Invasion was drawing closer.
‘If that’s the case, I need to seriously consider the Plan B I came up with before.’
Plan B was what I had devised in case escaping the front line proved difficult.
Its core was simple.
‘Stop the North from collapsing because of the Great Invasion.’
It would not be easy.
But it was not impossible, either.
Hadn’t I already turned the Frostfire Operation, which had been destined to fail, into a success?
The scale was different, of course.
Still, I had confirmed that it was possible to change the story’s course.
‘Well, I would need to become a Commander of a Thousand, or at least a regular soldier centurion. But I’ll find a way to handle that part.’
No one could deny that I had distinguished myself in this subjugation operation.
‘Even considering that I’m a penal soldier...’
I figured I was probably third, after Berun and Pellon.
After getting a grasp of the situation, I asked Carbin about my squad.
I had worried that they might not receive proper treatment because they were penal soldiers, but thanks to Berun, the Angel of the North, my fears had not come true.
“Lord Berun ordered that everyone be treated, penal soldiers and regular soldiers alike, even if it meant exhausting the supplies in the logistics unit.”
“I see. So my people were all treated too?”
“If you mean the soldiers in Lord Ubel’s ten-person squad, everyone except Marcus and Max has already returned to the barracks.”
“Those two...?”
“Marcus did not suffer injuries as serious as yours, Lord Ubel, but his internal injuries were severe enough that he will need to recuperate for a while. As for Max...”
Despite receiving treatment, Max had ultimately lost his left eye.
Seeing my darkened expression, Carbin offered quiet comfort.
“I heard the rough details from the fellows who were laid up here.”
“...”
“It is unfortunate, but you should consider Max lucky.”
“...Lucky?”
“Yes. Do you see that tent over there?”
Carbin pointed to a tent in the distant corner.
“That is where we keep the bodies of soldiers who died without recovering during treatment.”
“...”
“As far as I know, around five were taken there today alone. And that is not all. I heard quite a few died in the field without receiving any treatment at all.”
Perhaps because Carbin had seen so many comrades die without being saved, their eyes looked somewhat empty.
“Be grateful just to survive, huh?”
“What does it matter if you cannot see or have lost your limbs? Being alive is what matters.”
“But Max...”
“One of the other medics told me earlier. The moment Max regained consciousness, the first thing he asked was whether you were safe.”
“...”
“I understand that you feel sorry, but do not blame yourself too much. Was that not Max’s choice? If you act like that, it will make Max uncomfortable too.”
Carbin’s advice cleared my mind a little.
“Thanks for the advice.”
“Haha. If you are grateful, buy me a drink sometime. It has always been my dream to get a drink from someone important.”
Huh? Someone important?
What did that mean?
When I tilted my head in confusion, Carbin’s eyes widened.
“Ah! Come to think of it, you have not heard.”
“Is there some rumor going around?”
“Yes. Of course, I only overheard it from other soldiers and fellow medics, but...”
After looking around, Carbin leaned close and whispered.
“Lord Berun submitted a report to headquarters earlier, recording the merits from this operation. Rumor has it that Lord Ubel’s name is written at the very top.”
“What?”
Having my name listed first in the report meant I was the leading contributor to this operation.
‘Me, first? Then Berun rated my contribution higher than Berun’s own, or Pellon’s?’
Perhaps things would go even better than I had expected.
＊＊＊＊＊
Though there had been no small number of sacrifices, the Northern Army was elated by its achievement in subjugating several thousand barbarians.
Headquarters, however, could not bring itself to smile.
“...That concludes the report on this subjugation operation.”
Schultz, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front, rubbed at his face as Berun’s report concluded.
“Ho ho ho...”
Berun had written the facts exactly as they were. The report contained not only the course of the battle, but also the failures of the commanders and headquarters.
As Schultz listened, bitterness filled Schultz’s mouth so strongly that it felt as though Schultz had been pricked by thorns.
The Northern Army had undeniably achieved a great victory.
But headquarters deserved none of the credit.
“The commanders who should have comforted and taken responsibility for the soldiers were blinded by merit and repeatedly made mistakes that even recruits would not make. Headquarters, which should have assessed and analyzed the situation more coolly than anyone, failed to see what was ahead and made the foolish mistake of underestimating the enemy...”
There was nothing to say. As Berun had said, Schultz had considered this operation little more than training to build the commanders’ experience and capability.
“Because of this senile old fool, innocent young people shed blood.”
“No!”
“It was all our failure! Please punish us!”
The staff officers and commanders, having realized their failures, bowed their heads.
“Everyone became complacent after the purge.”
Once no one within the army remained to oppose their opinions, they had grown arrogant, and this ridiculous situation had occurred.
Grit!
‘Even though I had sworn that I never would.’
Decades ago, when Schultz had just joined the Imperial Army as a junior commander, Schultz saw superiors who could not face reality and only discussed war while seated at their desks.
Schultz had sworn that if Schultz ever rose to such a position, Schultz would never become like them.
Then the years passed. Fortune smiled, and Schultz rose to become Commander-in-Chief. Schultz had believed that duty was being faithfully fulfilled without regret, yet without realizing it, Schultz had committed the same mistakes as those superiors.
“...This matter will be reported to the capital exactly as Centurion Berun has written it. Does everyone agree?”
“Yes.”
“We do.”
If this report was submitted as written, headquarters would receive no rewards for its achievements.
‘No, we may be disciplined rather than rewarded.’
Still, it could not be helped.
They could not disgrace themselves by falsifying a report simply to conceal their mistakes.
“Whew. Now that we have decided how to report this to the capital, it is time to decide what rewards should be given to those who distinguished themselves.”
The recipients of merit submitted by Centurion Berun had been divided into third-class, second-class, and first-class categories.
“The third-class recipients... Are they ordinary soldiers?”
“Yes.”
“Give the regular soldiers thirty silver coins as a reward. For the penal soldiers, give ten silver coins and reduce their terms of service by six months.”
Considering that ordinary soldiers earned around two or three silver coins in pay, it was a generous measure.
“The second-class recipients are junior commanders and soldiers who played significant roles in the battle.”
“That is correct.”
“Give the soldiers one hundred silver coins and eligibility for promotion. Reduce the penal soldiers’ terms of service in full. As for the commanders, in addition to their rewards, we will give them additional points in future promotion evaluations. That should suffice. Hmm?”
Then one soldier’s name on the list of second-class recipients caught Schultz’s eye.
“Who is this person?”
“Which...”
“This soldier named Marcus. The profile says Marcus is a penal soldier, yet the name is recorded at the top among the second-class recipients.”
Interested, Schultz looked over the accomplishments in greater detail.
“Huh! This is remarkable.”
Not only had Marcus always stood at the front and slaughtered barbarians whenever battle broke out, Marcus had even cut off the heads of barbarian warriors?
“There was an uncut gem among the penal soldiers.”
Defeating barbarian warriors meant Marcus must have awakened mana.
“To think a knight-class combatant is serving on the front line as a penal soldier. With this ability, Marcus could have entered a noble house and properly earned a knighthood...”
Marcus’s background and criminal record had held Marcus back.
“Hmm, that is truly unfortunate. Make Marcus a separate offer for a centurion’s position.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
“Then only the first-class recipients remain.”
Unlike the second and third-class recipients, there were only three names listed under first-class merits.
Pellon, Berun, and Ubel.
All three had greatly influenced this operation, but the name that drew the most attention was Ubel’s, at the very top of the list.
‘I’d had my doubts...’
The young man Schultz had been watching even before the subjugation operation began had proudly appeared on the list of recipients. Schultz felt not merely moved, but pleased.
Perhaps it was because Ubel had made up for Schultz’s mistakes.
To hide the fondness rising within, Schultz forced a calm expression and cleared his throat.
“Ahem. First, give Pellon three hundred silver coins, promote him to centurion, and bestow a Medal of Military Merit.”
The Medal of Military Merit was an award given to those who had made great contributions in war. It was also a promise that, when the time came, its recipient would rise through the ranks and prosper.
“Also, Berun led the soldiers in the final stage, minimized the casualties, and surrounded and annihilated the barbarians in the canyon. Award Berun the position of Commander of a Thousand, five hundred silver coins, a commander’s standard, and a Medal of Military Merit.”
The staff officers and commanders nodded as if they had expected it.
They seemed to have assumed Berun would be promoted to fill the vacant position.
“Lastly, let us examine the achievements of Ubel, penal soldier squad commander and leading contributor.”
The report Berun had personally submitted contained Ubel’s achievements in full.
Ubel had found a path forward for the subjugation force through an ingenious plan.
Ubel had expertly commanded the soldiers in the canyon and contributed to victory.
And Ubel had made the greatest contribution to ending the life of the deputy chief of the Kalnamu Tribe, which had maintained the greatest strength in the region.
The commanders could not hide their amazement at the chief of staff’s explanation.
The achievements were dazzling.
Who would think that a mere penal soldier had accomplished them?
“Ho ho, there was a reason Berun put Ubel down as the leading contributor.”
The commanders nodded in agreement.
‘Normally, I would have had to consider the reward carefully, but there is no need.’
The Imperial Army was currently suffering from a shortage of capable people.
Deciding what reward to give Ubel was not difficult.
“I, the Commander-in-Chief...”
Schultz slowly listed the rewards that had been considered.
“Reduce Ubel’s term of service in full, award one thousand silver coins, bestow a Medal of Military Merit, and offer the post of Commander of Five Hundred.”
The people in the meeting room could not hide their shock.
“Gasp!”
“A Commander of Five Hundred?”
“That is correct.”
Schultz grinned.
“Take note that I will accept no objections.”
This matter had made Schultz realize something deeply.
‘The Empire truly needs young and fresh talent now.’
It was hard to clear muddy water, but easy to muddy clear water.
The officers of the Upright Faction, who had seized control of the military, had gradually lost their former ideals and grown stagnant after driving out the Corrupt Faction.
‘Before the entrenched powers, including myself, rot away...!’
New shoots who would bear responsibility for the Empire’s future had to be cultivated.
‘I cannot promise how long I will remain in this position.’
But at least while Schultz remained here, Schultz would properly support the promising young people who had caught Schultz’s eye.
That was Schultz’s resolve for the future.
And so, without even knowing it, Ubel gained an immensely powerful patron.
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