I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Three weeks earlier, in the forward guard area of the Ostarican camp.

Sergeant Hans and Sergeant Lloyd had been blankly watching the front, engaging in a conversation about topics that might have shocked their officers if overheard.

“Ah, shit. I should have slept with her at least once. I was crazy to save money back then.”

“Idiot, I told you. If there’s a really pretty one, she’ll soon be taken to a brothel exclusive for noblemen.”

“Damn, if I could go back just one year, I’d have sold my house if I had to, just to be with her.”

“Right, right.”

While they continued with such sexual topics, unlike the privates who lost focus in chit-chat, these two had been properly keeping watch.

Soon, they had spotted a man urgently riding a horse from afar.

“Hans, take up your spear and stay alert! I’ll ring the bell.”

As the loud sound of the bell rang, soldiers from the Ostarican camp rushed out.

Lieutenant Colonel Max von Benner quickly halted his horse, raised his hands to indicate surrender, and spoke.

“My name is Lieutenant Colonel Max von Benner. I have come here not with the intention to fight, but to deliver important information to His Highness the Grand Duke of Ostarica.”

Hearing this, the two sergeants on guard duty, following protocol, had each grabbed one of the arms of the surrendering lieutenant colonel.

“We will escort you, Lieutenant Colonel.”

In the command tent of the Ostarican Grand Duchy’s army.

Generals of the Grand Duchy’s army, including the Grand Duke of Ostarica himself, watched Lieutenant Colonel Max with wary eyes.

Max von Benner had been trembling with nervousness under their intense scrutiny.

After a few minutes, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias, who had betrayed the Empire, entered, warmly embraced Max, and said,

“My friend, why have you come so soon? According to the Grand Duke’s plan, weren’t you supposed to remain within the Imperial army to gather more information? Did you escape because you felt endangered?”

“I had urgent news to deliver to His Highness the Grand Duke, so I had to come quickly. And during that, I was pursued by the Northern Archer Cavalry for a fortnight.”

“…You must have had a hard time.”

After this brief conversation, Matthias had bowed to the Grand Duke and then straightened up to say,

“Your Highness, this is indeed Lieutenant Colonel Max von Benner. Perhaps you should listen to his story?”

“If Captain Griffin vouches for you, then I can trust you. So, Max, what change of circumstances led you to disobey my orders and come here so hastily?”

Hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Max had felt fear.

At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Benner remembered what his brother-in-law had said,

“Brother, you are not incompetent. You simply haven’t fully realized your potential yet. So, if there is someone better than you now, accept everything they are and act accordingly. Then, consider the results and grow from there.”

Although these words came from his brother-in-law, who was five years his junior and in his mid-thirties, his brother-in-law was a person who could be called one of Europa’s greatest generals without exaggeration.

Ignoring his advice would have been the act of an absolute fool, so he decided to follow the instructions of General Yaeger.

“We’ve been played by that General Yaeger bastard. The imbecile Crown Prince of the Reich Empire has deceived Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Ostarica. The Reich Empire’s army of 110,000 is invading through the west!”

The Grand Duke and the generals around him had been shocked at these words.

“What about the supply bases we set up near the Chekovian border, then?”

“Damn! That damned Yaeger bastard! Not even making sausages out of that devil’s intestines would suffice! Setting up smokescreens as if to hit southern Chekovia and then entering western Ostarica!!!”

“What kind of trickery is this? Why is this happening?!”

While the other generals were in shock, the Duke felt his head turning white from the sheer shock.

His mind had become blank, but the education and knowledge he had acquired since childhood as the successor to the Duchy had held his sanity together.

Then, through logical reasoning, he realized that what Lieutenant Max had almost casually thrown out was right in context.

“Damn, damn, damn… Thinking about it, if the Reich Empire had hit the northern Ostarica or the southern Chekovia, reports would have come in by now. Especially if Chekovia was attacked as we originally knew, by now, Chekovia’s envoy would have come demanding reinforcements.”

While the high command of the Ostarican Duchy’s army was out of their minds, Lieutenant Max had shown an order stamped with the Crown Prince’s and General Yaeger’s seals from his bosom.

“If we mobilize personnel who can verify the authenticity of the Grand Duchy’s herald and letters, you will see that this is real. The content written here is ‘110,000 Imperial troops have occupied the western part of Ostarica and are heading towards Linz.’ This information was not disclosed to officers below the rank of colonel until the day before the war started.”

The Grand Duke might have found several suspicious points about Lieutenant Colonel Max, yet it was certain that the information he brought now was all true.

This was because, considering all the circumstances the Grand Duke was currently in, it made clear that his testimony was true.

To the Grand Duke, speaking bluntly, it was as if he had committed an enormous folly, handing over the western part of Ostarica to the Imperial Army.

This meant that even if the Grand Duke won the war, his capabilities would be doubted, potentially leading to his ‘retirement due to health reasons’.

The shock had been so great that he posed an absurd question to Lieutenant Colonel Max.

“How are we supposed to believe you? According to you, they’ve been trampling on our territory for a month now! Why such a late notice?”

“General Yaeger’s surveillance had been very intense. I had to wait until their vigilance weakened when they were occupying Innsbruck and celebrating, fearing a failed escape. Furthermore, I was pursued by those damn cavalrymen, and it took me a long time to find the Ostarican military camp…”

“And you expect me to believe that on what basis?”

Hearing that, Max sighed, stood up, took off his cloak, threw it to the ground, and thumped his chest.

Then, armor full of arrow marks had been revealed, and the generals said upon seeing this…

“Your Grace, at the very least, this man isn’t lying. Consider this, even if he were an internal spy, we did not disclose the camp’s location to him due to concerns over leaking confidential information.”

“Given the circumstances, the Imperial Army has already significantly ravaged the West. You must head to the west as soon as possible.”

“Your Grace!!!”

The Grand Duke regained his senses upon hearing the generals’ words.

“Damn it all! I swear to Deus, if I capture General Peter Yaeger, I’ll rip out his intestines, cut off his limbs, and hang him! Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Max. You’ve shown us enough trust over the years, so I will gladly believe you.”

Max nodded, thinking to himself.

‘That’s it. My mission is complete. Now, just to find the right time to slip away, and voila! I hit the jackpot!’

“Thank you, Your Grace. I will serve you with my life. However, according to another piece of confidential information I obtained, I heard that General Yaeger had requested the central Imperial Army, led by Marshal Benner, to attack the northern part of Ostarica soon. You should prepare for this.”

Upon hearing this, the Grand Duke threw the wooden cup he was holding onto the ground and said,

“If we can’t crush the Crown Prince and that Peter Yaeger, preparing is pointless! The only way out of our current predicament is to take the heads of General Yaeger and the bastard Crown Prince. My men, you must fight with your lives! Let’s take their heads!”

Then, the Grand Duke handed Max a plain sword that was usually kept in the command tent, saying,

“As promised, I will knight you in the Grand Duchy of Ostarica. The formal title ceremony will be held later.”

“Thank you.”

“Gather as many soldiers as possible from the southern part of Ostarica! We will judge the Reich Empire’s army in Linz.”

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Benner had kept his head down, not looking up.

Instead, he thought with an irrepressible smile on his lips.

‘As long as I have my brother-in-law, I will win this war. Ah, if only my brother-in-law could quickly be promoted, then perhaps I could at least become a colonel.’

Of course, for him, thinking this way, betrayal was not an option.