I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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I secretly wiped away a tear and adjusted my posture while glancing around to see if anyone noticed.

I wasn’t quite sure how things had come to this point, but for now, I was the “rising star of the Office of the Operations Staff,” so it would be troubling to attract any suspicions with odd behavior.

First things first, I had to keep calm and focus on my work to ensure a better future.

‘For now…’

Dealing with the documents that had come across my desk should take priority.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the papers next to the phone and scanned through them.

Rustle—

Flipping through the pages, I found entirely normal content.

Most were requests for operational approval or construction permits for military buildings.

The general flow was that I would review them, and if there were no logical issues, I would sign off and forward them upward.

【Operations Staff → Head of the Operations Staff → Deputy Head of the Operations Staff → Chief of Staff】

That’s basically how the approvals worked.

Since it wasn’t particularly difficult work, I approved most documents except for a few that required resource and manpower reallocations.

However, when I opened the last document, I was taken aback.

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《Logistics Department Construction Approval Request》

To: Head of the Operations Staff (Colonel Ernst Bark)

From: Logistics Staff Officer (Captain Arnop Haubut)

Date: March 16, 1944

Subject: Request for Approval of Logistics Department Construction on the Eastern Front and Site Selection

Person-in-Charge: Operations Staff (Lieutenant Daniel Steiner)

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It was a perfectly normal request for the construction of a Logistics Department.

The problem was that the person in charge was listed as me.

‘…Why?’

I couldn’t understand that.

The Logistics Department serves as a small supply depot that smoothly receives supplies from the rear logistics headquarters and resupplies the front lines.

In short, it’s a crucial hub for securing supply lines and preventing supplies from being left unattended.

Logistics is said to be the mother of war, yet they put that in the hands of an Operations Staff officer?

And that too, to a newly appointed lieutenant who barely secured the position?

‘It seems there was some confusion in the reports…’

This seemed something that needed to be brought to the attention of the Head of Staff.

Having made my decision, I gathered the papers and stood up to head to the office of the Operations Staff Head.

The Head of Staff, buried under piles of reports and documents, lifted his head when he heard my footsteps.

“Hmm? Oh, isn’t that our hero Daniel!”

Colonel Ernst Bark, chuckling and straightening up, exuded the warmth of the friendly neighbor next door.

But it’s a mistake to judge a person solely by their appearance.

Anyone who has reached the rank of Colonel in the Empire has undoubtedly been through hell and back.

“I’m just doing what’s expected of me; the title of hero is somewhat burdensome.”

Humility is a virtue regardless of the country. Ernst seemed pleased with my modest demeanor and opened up with a smile.

“So, Lieutenant. What brings you to see me?”

“I’ve completed the initial approval of the documents that came into the office, so I came to report.”

“Oh. Already? As expected, your efficiency is commendable. Hand them over.”

Nodding, I placed the documents on Ernst’s desk.

However, I didn’t put down the request form for the Logistics Department, which had me listed as the person in charge. Upon seeing it, Ernst tilted his head.

“What’s this?”

“It was assigned to me. Strangely, the approval section from above was left blank, so it seems the Logistics Staff Officer made an error.”

Ernst blinked a few times and then burst into laughter. Why is he laughing?

“Ah, well, it’s understandable, but that’s not a mistake of the Logistics Staff Officer.”

“Not a mistake, you say?”

“That’s the higher-ups intentionally giving you some work. As you can see, I’ve been quite busy lately, and it also serves the purpose of testing you, doesn’t it?”

My brow naturally furrowed.

This is to say the higher-ups are testing me to prove that capturing a spy and recognizing hidden enemy troops wasn’t just luck.

Everyone knows the importance of logistics in war, but establishing a Logistics Department at the right spot is no easy feat.

Building a Logistics Department fundamentally requires it to be safe from enemy attacks, easily accessible, and spacious enough to accommodate numerous supplies.

So it seems they judged me as suitable to assess whether I could perform the duties of an Operations Staff officer.

‘Who? Is the Chief of Staff trying to gauge me…?’

I wasn’t entirely sure, but this was an opportunity.

A golden chance to showcase my incompetence fantastically!

If I built the Logistics Department in a ridiculous location, my evaluation would plummet, and then it would be possible to naturally step away from the military.

Excited at the thought of discharging, I saluted Ernst with vigor.

“Thank you for your trust! I will do my utmost to construct the Logistics Department!”

Seemingly pleased with my words, Ernst smiled and nodded.

“Good. Don’t worry, I’ll ensure ample budget support, so proceed with your work.”

“Understood!”

While responding energetically, I secretly smirked with malice.

‘Sorry, but you’ll regret this in no time.’

Legally, I would build the Logistics Department at the worst possible location.

*

A fortnight later, on the rear line of the Eastern Front.

Bardenplatz Plain.

Woooom—

Heavy machinery rolled into the plain, causing the ground to tremble as they transported construction materials.

Captain Arnop Haubut, watching the scene from afar, was not amused.

‘What on earth is the higher-ups thinking? Handing over the construction of the Logistics Department to a rookie lieutenant…’

That damned fool had issued the construction order on Bardenplatz Plain, leading to the depletion of resources and manpower.

‘Why on earth build the Logistics Department here?’

Bardenplatz Plain is an open field. It’s highly vulnerable to enemy artillery fire.

To prevent that, separate barricades must be erected, significantly wasting resources.

Is the barricade the only issue? If they were going to build the Logistics Department in the plain, it should’ve been built where existing roads could be utilized.

But there were no usable roads near Bardenplatz Plain.

This meant that new roads would need to be laid to connect to Bardenplatz Plain.

Laying down an incoming road means laying down an outgoing road, thus doubling the budget.

It was an utter waste of money.

‘Daniel Steiner, was it? That damned rookie…’

The empire’s blood money was being squandered in real-time because of an inexperienced officer who didn’t even grasp the basics of logistics.

Arnop, who didn’t usually think of himself as a particularly patriotic person, found his patriotism naturally rising as he watched the blood money being wasted before his eyes.

However, how could a mere Logistics Staff Officer like himself go against the orders of headquarters?

Even if Daniel Steiner was of a lower rank, he held significant authority.

Although his dissatisfaction grew inside, he couldn’t utter a word in front of Daniel, which was proof of that.

A week ago, when Daniel had come to inspect and ordered the construction of the Logistics Department, Arnop hadn’t been able to oppose it.

Despite his inner thoughts, Arnop was an unavoidable bureaucrat of the empire.

‘If headquarters says to do it, then I must. What can I do…’

Frustrated, Arnop took out a pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips.

As he flicked the lighter to put fire to the tip, the radio he had strapped to his shoulder crackled to life.

— Logistics Officer! Can you hear me!?

This guy only seems to contact me when I’m smoking. Pulling out the radio, Arnop pressed the transmit button and replied.

“Did you forget to introduce yourself again? How am I supposed to know who you are with such an approach?”

— Ah! You really are insufferable. It’s Sergeant Vinter Enfelt! Is that enough?

“Got it. What’s the reason for your call?”

— Well, we conducted a ground survey, you see? Brought in some experts, after all.

Arnop nodded.

It was natural to carry out a ground survey before building.

After a prior incident where a building collapsed due to not conducting a survey and caused casualties, it had become a mandatory procedure.

— The results from the experts came in today, and I must say, I can’t find the right words. It seems headquarters didn’t assign the work to Lieutenant Daniel Steiner for no reason.

Hmm? The sergeant who had been cursing Daniel just yesterday suddenly changed his tune, leaving Arnop puzzled.

“Get to the point. Get to the point. What’s the outcome?”

— Hahaha! Well…!

The sergeant exclaimed in a cheerful voice.

— It’s oil! Oil! We found oil beneath the ground! And there’s enough of it to be worth extracting!

As a result, Arnop dropped the cigarette he was holding in shock.

‘What?’

Oil, you say? Bardenplatz Plain is a site of oil?

If that were the case, then it wasn’t Daniel who didn’t understand the basics of logistics, but rather Arnop himself.

Letting out a sigh of disdain, Arnop lifted his hand to wipe his face.

‘Could it be that Lieutenant Daniel Steiner knew all along…?’

Thinking this way, his understanding of Daniel’s audacious attitude began to click.

A low laugh escaped Arnop as he self-deprecatingly crossed his arms.

‘It seems…’

A tremendous talent has been stationed at headquarters.

*

Meanwhile, Daniel Steiner, who was about to oversee the construction of the Logistics Department at Bardenplatz Plain, was─

‘Why?’

In real-time, flabbergasted.