Chapter 10

【Chapter 10 - In the Regimental Commander's Office】

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Sergeant Hanna stood and watched the new second lieutenant's training intently.

"Too slow! There's no meaning in being slower than the enemy! Pick up the pace!"

Lieutenant Cromburtz, the staff officer, held a sandglass in his hand and shouted at the platoon during the march drill.

"Get to the battlefield before the enemy! If you can secure a favorable position, you can win even without trying! That's why you need to increase your marching speed!"

Cromburtz's training emphasized speed above all else, almost to the point of obsession.

"Speed is also crucial when retreating! If you're slower than the enemy, you'll be pursued!"

Then Cromburtz walked over to her.

"You're all good soldiers. You're really putting effort into the training."

He said this with a smile.

(He smiles a lot for a soldier...)

To someone like Hanna, who came from the lower ranks, the army's officers were like figures from another world. This didn't change even after she became a sergeant.

The previous staff officers all had scary faces and were arrogant. Even a minor mistake could result in a beating.

However, Lieutenant Cromburtz never hit anyone. His words were harsh, and when he shouted, it was terrifying, but no one had been hit yet.

Moreover, his usual manner of speaking was very gentle.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

He asked Hanna, who was spacing out, with genuine concern.

"No, no, I'm fine, Lieutenant! I was just thinking about something."

She thought, "Oh no," realizing that thinking about something else during a conversation with a superior could get her beaten.

But Cromburtz didn't seem to mind and even nodded vigorously.

"Of course, Sergeant Hayden is serious. It's only natural that General Altsar entrusts a third of the army to you."

(If I space out, I get praised...)

This was a bit of a dilemma.

Unaware of Hanna's thoughts, Cromburtz continued seriously.

"But don't overdo it. Ideally, you should work at 60% to 70% of your capacity during peacetime. If you don't leave room for rest, you'll accumulate fatigue, and your work will become sloppy. You won't be able to push yourself in emergencies."

Hanna was surprised. The lieutenant was saying that it wasn't necessary to work at full capacity.

(What a surprise!?)

Hanna stared at Lieutenant Cromburtz. It was clear that he was quite different from the others.

Suddenly, Cromburtz's expression softened.

"Don't look so serious. I know how hard you work. I'll keep an eye on things here, so go to the mess hall and take a break."

"Wh-What!?"

His voice lowered, and he laughed playfully.

"This is from my experience. On the battlefield, the serious ones die first. But I don't want you to die. Be a bit more relaxed for me, Sergeant Hayden."

(My heart just skipped a beat! It skipped a beat!)

Hanna had never been treated kindly by a man before. Due to her physique, she had often been treated like a rare animal or a monster.

This made her quickly develop a good impression of Lieutenant Cromburtz.

However, it seemed that Cromburtz didn't notice, and he waved his hand casually.

"Go on, go on. This is one of the perks of being a sergeant. Take a good break and continue to do good work."

"Yes, sir!"

Hanna involuntarily saluted sharply.

After leaving the scene, Hanna stopped by the regimental commander's office before heading to the mess hall.

"You seemed to be having quite a conversation."

Colonel Altsar, buried in a pile of documents, chuckled, and Hanna felt her face heat up as she saluted.

"Lieutenant Cromburtz is very approachable."

"I agree. How is his popularity?"

"Very good. Some people are scared just because he's a man, but he is kind and a good teacher, so he is popular. He also has a clean image."

And he is very gentlemanly and cool, Hanna added silently.

Colonel Altsar nodded lightly while scanning through a thick document.

"I see. By the way, have you noticed anything about his way of speaking?"

"His way of speaking...?"

Hanna hummed and then clapped her hands. It was more of a forceful "Bashin!" than a gentle "Pon."

"Oh, right! It has a bit of a lower-class feel to it!"

"That's right. It's unusual for someone from the officer school."

The colonel said this and signed a document.

"Ordinary civilian officers pay the most attention to their way of speaking. Any accent is thoroughly corrected. If they want to serve alongside noble officers, a civilian accent can only hinder their advancement."

"Ah, that's true. The way nobles speak is completely different, so you can tell right away."

"Exactly. I, too, use the traditional way of speaking that you call 'noble accent.' Even in the dark, you can tell if someone is a noble just by their speech. Cromburtz's way of speaking is noble, but his pronunciation has a civilian accent."

He chuckled and then put down his pen, his expression turning serious.

"From his military attitude, he seems quite capable. He is much more intellectual and logical than his predecessors. Correcting his pronunciation should be no problem. But he continues to use a 'rough lower-class accent.' It's no wonder he is disliked by noble officers."

"Come to think of it, that is strange."

Hanna didn't understand the reason.

On the other hand, the colonel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Lieutenant Cromburtz was born in the lower town of a provincial city and has never left the country. His parents are pure-blooded Schwaidel. However, his native language is not Schwaidel. His use of particles has a distinct foreigner's habit, not just an accent."

A Schwaidel person whose native language is not Schwaidel.

Hanna couldn't understand. Could such a thing be possible?

The colonel tapped the documents related to Lieutenant Cromburtz.

"Something is off. The pieces don't fit. He has some secret."

"A secret?"

"If he were a foreigner, his way of speaking would make sense. But then his background wouldn't match. I had his background thoroughly investigated using my family's resources. Everything in his story is true."

When the colonel mentioned his family, it was, of course, the Medilen family, one of the 'Five Royal Families' of the highest-ranking Schwaidel nobility. They would have private spies, so investigating a civilian officer's background should be easy, Hanna thought.

The colonel chuckled.

"I had a lot of trouble investigating, but in the end, I only found out that he is a capable and honest man. He seems to have no connection to the Duke of Retraill. It's almost eerie."

"Is that so?"

"I'm a coward."

The colonel stood up and looked out the window.

"However, so far, Lieutenant Cromburtz's performance has been impeccable. Let's see how he continues to do."

On the training ground, Lieutenant Cromburtz was waving his cap and shouting something.

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