NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
In the Toscan Empire, whether in the military or not, a division commander is as high as a star. Ding!
It means they have the power to move mountains with just one command. Boom!
Therefore, even though I was grumbling inside, I squared my shoulders and held my sword with the attitude of a soldier when I looked at Duke Ducat.
“I am Fabio de Medici, the second son of the Medici Baron Clan.”
“The young lads these days have a spark in their eyes! Hahaha, I quite like it!”
“Thank you.”
“You remind me of my own early days in service. You’re a friend with real military spirit!”
Historically speaking, it’s said that the nobility is noble because they perform military service, and among the professions they can hold, being a soldier is the most respected.
As someone who served in the 21st-century Korean military, being told I seem like a soldier feels… well, strange.
He must have meant it as a compliment, but it didn’t sound great to me.
“Even as a soldier, you’ll be a great success, my friend. Yes, we have much to discuss, so please take a seat.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As soon as I sat down, Chloe brought coffee and snacks for me and the duke.
The duke downed his coffee in one go and smirked.
“This coffee is delightful. It’s great for keeping awake during watch duty or on long nights, and it boosts one’s vigor for… you know.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“So I make sure to give a cup to the officers on watch before their shifts, even if it’s a bit pricey. You might have never done watch duty, but staying wide awake at night with nothing to do is a real pain.”
While I wasn’t on the front lines, I had endured two-hour watch duties at outposts, and I had experienced the joy of “staying awake all night” when in reality, the duty officers and cadets just passed out at 1 or 2 a.m.
I don’t know how the entire Toscan army operates, but in the First Division, if the commander is directly serving as the FM, the soldiers and officers must be dying.
I really made the right choice not to enlist.
If I served as an officer, I would have had to do FM duties and training under that guy, right?
Duke Ducat suddenly shifted the atmosphere from casual to serious.
“Let’s end the small talk here, and I’ll convey His Majesty’s command. This isn’t an official order, so there’s no need to kneel. Relax.”
Honestly, anyone who relaxes at that statement is a fool.
Even though I’m a civilian, I have enough sense to stay focused in front of a two-star division commander.
Moreover, this division commander was from the First Division of the Toscan army, which had taken a severe blow from the procurement corruption of the Pereira Guild.
‘Nine times out of ten, it sounds like he’s going to say something about making up for losses with money.’
“His Majesty has temporarily appointed you as our division’s Quartermaster. Your rank is Major, but you’re an unpaid officer.”
The Toscan army doesn’t engage in the monstrous practice of selling ranks for money like some ruthless nations.
However, there’s no institution training soldiers like a military academy, and if the emperor wants, he can unilaterally place someone into command positions at the lower or higher level, making the army a complete mess.
‘In other countries, they say rank selling isn’t limited to commissioning officers, huh?’
Overall, it seems the Toscan army is relatively sane compared to others.
“Welcome to the Quartermaster’s office of our division.”
If there’s a Quartermaster office in a single division, there must be about 30 staff officers, right?
It’s a hundred million times better than having political officers, the cancer of modern military history, but with so many staff members, it’s hard not to think,
‘These are just position-padding staff officers.’
“A kid under 21 is made a major! Are you going to be a division commander by 40?”
While seniority and titles matter, in our continent’s military, the emperor’s intentions are the strongest factor in promotions.
If one accomplishes military feats, being a division commander at 40—or even in their early 30s—is entirely possible.
As a good citizen who’s never killed anyone, I have no intention of following that path, though.
“If another noble family’s moron were to become a major temporarily at your age, I would have opposed it, but I’ll trust in you, who have been recognized by Duke Visconti and His Majesty.”
The underlying context here can be interpreted as follows:
Even though it’s His Majesty’s command, serving in the division’s staff at 21 is honestly hard to wrap my head around.
But you, at 21, are already a genius known throughout the empire, so I’ll give you the chance to prove your worth, which makes it seem ‘real.’
If you don’t live up to that, I might be really disappointed.
“I don’t intend to get too deeply involved in logistics or supplies. I won’t be giving training orders to soldiers just because I got a major title thanks to the emperor’s favor.”
“You have a clear understanding of your place.”
They often say that for a person to succeed, they need creativity, a strong will, and drive.
But that’s all wrong.
No matter how talented you are, if you don’t understand your position, you’ll never succeed.
Someone might study for 13 hours a day to achieve a 900 TOEIC score, but if they don’t know exactly what their English skill level is, they won’t know how to study properly and might just end up digging a hole.
No matter how expensive surgeries a doctor does, if they mess up treatment, patients just end up dying.
Without understanding one’s position, human progress is difficult through mere effort.
“Wouldn’t you say the Quartermaster and others don’t really know the wicked tactics of common merchants? I excel at understanding how they inflate prices and the tricks of the subcontractors they deal with.”
“Very wise.”
“I will get the maximum efficiency from the minimum budget.”
In my head, I have a bunch of training ideas to maximize the capabilities of soldiers wielding flintlock rifles.
Special forces training, drill training, physical training, strict military discipline….
Of course, even with all that, it’s knowledge at the level of an ordinary soldier, so it can’t be applied directly to the military, but if I can fill in the gaps through agreements with the division commander…
The Toscan army will become the strongest on the continent.
‘But reforming the military is not my job.’
Even if it’s for the good of the country, I shouldn’t step in on something that isn’t my responsibility.
If I interfere with someone else’s plate, my hands could get chopped off.
Right now, making the prices and conditions of military supplies normal is the top priority.
“That’s commendable. So I can trust you with this?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“You’ll need to move to the Toscan First Division headquarters with me in three days. When we arrive at headquarters, you’ll receive your uniform, rank insignia, and the military sword symbolizing your commissioned officer status.”
In the 21st-century Korean army, you need to be at least a general to receive a sword.
But here, perhaps because officer ranks equate to nobility, even becoming a major, no, even a second lieutenant, grants one a military sword.
“I’ll be watching closely.”
With that, Duke Ducat immediately stood up from his seat.
After being assigned to the First Division with the duke, along with Chloe and Christina, I focused on reviewing documents.
After all, my role isn’t to plan operations or handle administrative work like other staff officers;
It’s to catch anyone attempting to fill their pockets through corruption or misdeeds in military supply contracts and minimize budget expenditures.
So I’m exempt from participating in any training that other staff members take part in.
“This feels no different from being a bureaucrat wearing a military rank.”
Still, it’s not a bad thing.
As a noble, serving as a quartermaster will provide me with experience I can use throughout my life to rise up as a merchant.
If I can rack up military merit, I could be promoted to baron and even awarded territory.
‘The Pereira scoundrels or other wealthy merchants would be dying of envy, right?’
Those guys can only buy positions such as the noble robe baron from the emperor, but by investing my money here, I can earn a legitimate baron title.
As I finished reviewing the last document, I heard a knock on the door.
“I’m Raphael Donavi, a director from the Venardi Guild. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
The man called Donavi bowed respectfully to me.
And he did not attempt to present any gifts as soon as he saw me.
Being another merchant, he seems to know that bribery won’t work with me like it does with the other staff officers.
“I am Raphael Donavi, representing the Venardi Guild.”
The Venardi Guild is among the wealthiest in the empire, just like the Pereira Guild.
Due to the sheer size of the imperial army, the market is vast, and military supply businesses are often monopolized by the wealthy.
And given the scale of the division’s transactions, it’s too large to be overlooked by directors.
“It’s an honor to meet Major Fabio de Medici, a big name among imperial merchants.”
“Major? Just call me Young Lord. It’s all a temporary title anyway.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
After a brief, pleasant exchange, I slapped the stack of documents regarding military supplies onto the desk with a loud thud.
“Let’s get to the point. I know I need to mark up prices to survive in military supply. But don’t you think these prices are excessive? It seems we need to have a serious discussion.”
If they refuse to talk, it’s military court for playing games with military supplies. Dun-dun-dun!