Chapter 196: General Yaeger, Beloved Of The Emperor (1)

Chapter 196: General Yaeger, Beloved Of The Emperor (1)

And over the course of a month, I took sick leave for the reason of being ‘wounded in battle’.

Though I never went to the front lines, taking leave might look bad, as if I were faking illness while everyone else was busy to death.

Almost no one among the generals, including His Highness the Crown Prince, thought badly of me taking this leave.

This was largely because I was the de facto commander who led the battle to victory, but there were reasons it had to be this way...

“Master, wake up. It’s time for breakfast.”

Upon hearing that, I opened my eyes to see Laura, dressed in an apron, bringing porridge for me, who had to pretend to be ill due to ‘malingering’.

“Please eat. You must eat regularly, even light meals, when you’re ill.”

“You know that I’m not really injured or sick.”

“As your wife, sometimes it’s really nice to see you being taken care of by me. It’s cute to see you act needy after always seeing you so capable...”

Saying that, Laura sat on the chair that Charlotte brought next to my field bed and fed me the porridge.

As expected, though it looked like porridge, it was filled with various meats and grains, making it a heavy meal that should never be given to an actual patient.

Still, pretending thoroughly and eating only the light porridge I had for nearly a month after fighting at Richten Hill was much better.

“By the way, Laura, how is the peace negotiation that His Highness the Crown Prince is concluding going? I can only get up from this bed if it’s going well.”

As I said, the reason I was taking sick leave now was because, besides leading the battle to victory as a ‘deputy commander,’ I didn’t want to unnecessarily overstep.

This might be somewhat hard to understand.

Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince is working with colonels, majors, and staff officers of lower rank than me to find a negotiation plan that would benefit the empire.

If I, the hero of this victory, were to get involved, it would somewhat suppress His Highness the Crown Prince’s authority.

Naturally, part of the achievements His Highness gains from the peace negotiation could end up being attributed to me.

But officially, as a deputy commander, I must participate in the peace negotiations, so taking a ‘sick leave’ like this was perhaps the most trouble-free option.

“It seems like you’ll be able to get up in a few days. From what I’ve heard, it seems we might gain a significant portion of Ostarica’s western territory.”

“While the north would be preferable, the west also has vast plains, so it wouldn’t be bad.”

“I played a significant role this time, so I should be able to get promoted, right?”

As a deputy commander who had risen to the rank of general and whose age was a hindering factor for promotion, it might be difficult for me, but the General Staff would likely be lenient regarding Laura’s promotion.

Thanks to him, our casualties were reduced by about a thousand (with a bit of exaggeration), and the enemy’s casualties increased by thousands without exaggeration.

Hearing this, he made an embarrassed expression and said,

“After a major failure during the expedition to Switzerland and being demoted to an insignificant position, I didn’t receive a proper assignment. So, for a month or two, I just showed up on time, idly passed the time or read novels, and drank quietly at night, feeling sorry for my fate.”

“Is that so...?”

“But my 8-year-old son came to me and said, ‘Dad, you always looked cool when you came home, but lately, you don’t look as cool. Are you having a hard time?’ Then, he bought a lot of the snacks I often bought him with his allowance.”

He said this with a somewhat sad tone.

“Otto said that when he’s having a tough time, eating snacks makes him feel better, so he hoped it would do the same for me. So, I quietly cried and chewed on them. Since I didn’t have a proper position or duties anyway, I studied the war records and textbooks you’ve left so far. That’s when I saw that moving like that was the best course of action.”

Surprisingly, the most important yet difficult thing after becoming an officer was studying.

Because work was incredibly busy, and as you age, your mind becomes as hard as stone, trying to cram in new military doctrines and strategies would feel maddening.

However, as the saying goes, ‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,’ officers who continue to study soon become competent officers.

Because when work and new knowledge come together, they produce effects beyond what one could imagine.

Perhaps that was why, among the officers I knew above the rank of major, only General Patton didn’t study military doctrines for more than 2 hours a day.

Well, instead of studying, General Patton would wear armor, march 5 km, and train in mock battles with active-duty knights even after turning 60.

“So, after this war is over and I return, I intend to get my son the child-sized armor he asked for. He wants to become an officer like me, so he’ll definitely like it.”

“He will surely like it. By the way, did you know that I was still writing performance evaluations even while I was on sick leave?”

“...I’m well aware of that. Thanks to you, the Chief of Personnel was happy that his workload was reduced.”

After saying that, I called Charlotte to bring a document from my drawer.

“This is your recommendation for promotion, brother-in-law. Promotion to Colonel, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Reichsburg Royal Palace Guard. As promised, you’ll receive the Bronze Knight’s Sword decoration. Furthermore, if the General Staff evaluates you well, you might even receive a baronetcy. So, please give your son a proper sword along with the armor.”

After hearing this, he held onto me, expressing his gratitude for about 30 minutes.

Then, as he was leaving, he said something cautionary, for some reason.

“You’re really a good person, brother-in-law. That’s why people of both genders are charmed by you. That’s also why I gave you the virility boosters. I’ll send more once you recover from your illness.”

.. Being loved by people regardless of gender was good, but why did I get chills hearing those words?