858 – Elite Army, Elite Officers – 5
A request from a group of military veterans who were aiming for a teaching position at the military academy. I expected that the request would set the communication channels on fire for a while, but my prediction was half right and half wrong.
First of all, it is true that the communication port continuously emitted light at the level of a light bulb. It was so bright that I wondered if the light-emitting function was damaged. That means that many of the old people in the military, or retired rotten people, are serious about the military academy. If you think about it positively, it means that the military is also favorable to Jeon Seung-gong’s ambition.
However, it wasn’t just the communication area that was on fire.
“Hehehe, it’s been a while.”
A great man who came to the mansion in person when others contacted him. The commander of the Central Army confidently walked forward, saying that if he was going to ask for a favor, it was better to see him in person.
Baroness Helen, Florence Rotid of Helen, visited the mansion.
“Please speak comfortably. Even though I became a minister, didn’t I compromise and say that I would speak comfortably like before?”
First, he opened his mouth and handed a teacup to Baron Helon, the commander of the Central Army.
The Minister of the Executive Branch and the Commander of the Imperial Army’s Front. If we compare the protocols of the two, the Minister is slightly superior. Nominally, the Imperial Army is under the Minister of War, so a commander in the Imperial Army cannot be superior to the Minister of the Executive Branch.
However, that is only the case in official settings where the order of precedence must be strictly observed, and in private settings like this, the hierarchical relationship can change at any time.
To begin with, the commander of the Central Army was a man who had established himself in the military before I became a civil servant. He was even a close friend and comrade of the Minister of Finance. It would be an act of humanity to be treated with respect by such a person just because he was promoted.
“Oh, I came here to ask a favor, so of course I should speak up.”
“Wouldn’t it be more effective to ask for the favor as a relationship between Florence and Karl rather than a relationship between a commander and a minister?”
“Really? Then there’s nothing I can do.”
I chuckled at the commander’s attitude that changed in an instant. That gentleman wasn’t really being respectful, he was just joking, but for someone like the commander of the frontline forces, he was strangely easygoing.
Of course, this kind of person is easier to deal with than someone who is strict and serious. Besides, we had somehow managed to build up a relationship over the two years of the Great Suppression War.
“Oh, right. I felt embarrassed to come here empty-handed, so I brought a gift. It’s a doll for the kids to play with. Is that okay?”
The commander who said that handed me a huge sack whose identity I had been curious about for a while.
I opened the bag slightly and was greeted by a huge number of dolls. If I were to exaggerate a bit, they would have filled up the entire floor of a room.
“No, why did you bring so many? It’s so hot outside. I feel like I’ve made you suffer for nothing.”
“With so many kids, we need so many dolls. And now that we have two arms instead of one, this is easy!”
The commander raised both arms as if showing off and chuckled.
It’s a bit of a spicy joke, but isn’t it a joke like ‘I feel light because I have one arm!’? It’s a joke that can be used by those who have had a disability and then recovered, so both the person telling it and the person listening can laugh.
‘I’m glad you’re fully recovered.’
It’s really fortunate. In this world where magic and sacred laws are developed, the fact that trauma leaves permanent disabilities is a miserable situation that cannot even be described as unfortunate. That’s why the commander’s one-armed life has made many people feel sorry.
But the commander of the past was a man who used his permanent disability to make crazy jokes. Now that his permanent disability has been cured, the one-armed jokes have disappeared, so it is a blessing not only for the Imperial Army but also for the Empire.
It is ironic that this blessing came thanks to the eternal blue sky.
‘In a way, it’s a trauma caused by the eternal blue sky.’
Just as I had an irreparable wound carved into my upper body after being stabbed by the Kagan, several veterans, including the commander, also had irreparable injuries. That damned Kagan didn’t attack with a normal attack, but with the power of a god, so what could I do? Thanks to that, there were more than a few people who were discharged.
But the story changed when I borrowed the power of the fairies and gained the power of the gods, and because of that, I came into contact with the eternal blue sky.
To be exact, the situation changed as the power of the eternal blue sky was gradually restored.
‘I can collect the power attached to the wound, so the wound can heal.’
It was a permanent injury caused by a god, so it was to be recovered by the power of a god. It was like giving a disease and then giving medicine, but it was the most certain solution.
“You can recover? That’s okay! After living without an arm for a few years, I’m used to it! It’s also a medal for striking that damned traitor, so I’ll just live like this!”
However, when I first suggested recovery to the commander, he refused for an unexpected reason.
“The words ‘recovery is possible’… are they still valid?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
After a few days, the story changed. When it was said that recovery was impossible, I adapted and lived with it, but when I heard that treatment was possible, my resolve and sense of liberation seemed to have collapsed.
It was a slightly embarrassing situation, but I didn’t necessarily blame him. It was thanks to that determination and release that the commander had been able to endure until now, and if he could overcome his injury, then the determination and release would be meaningless.
“Instead, I got promoted to commander after receiving sympathy votes for having only one arm, but then suddenly I got another arm, so shouldn’t I step down?”
‘No, shit.’
I felt breathless at the sudden, outburst of comment.
I was just reminiscing about my warm recovery process, so what would it make me to say something like that? It would seem like I had used some trick to get the commander out.
Rather, can the process of a person with a disability who has one limb disabled become normal again be called ‘poof, I suddenly have an arm’? I don’t know because I’m not a person involved.
“…Your Excellency, your ability and achievements were recognized by all. You were not promoted because you had no arm, but because you devoted yourself to losing your arm. Now that you have your arm back, wouldn’t you rather use it for something more important?”
“A heavy place? He’s already the commander of the Central Army, so how much more heavy are you going to use him for?”
“Well, he’s the deputy commander or something─”
“That’s why you’re trying to escape from the military, you punk.”
The commander shook his head firmly as if telling her not to say such terrible things and let out a small sigh.
“Damn. I never thought you, an outsider, would talk about the deputy commander. It looks like I’m a candidate to other people.”
I couldn’t open my mouth because of the voice that was full of complexity and bitterness.
That gesture, that expression, that voice. It’s the look of someone who is vehemently reluctant to get promoted. I can recognize it because it’s the look that’s more familiar to me than anyone else.
“Vice Commander, do you not like it?”
I broke the silence and opened my mouth cautiously. I should make sure to clarify what I said, in case it was just my guess.
“That’s not it. I also entered the military, and I have a desire to become a deputy commander. Isn’t promotion a basic desire of a bureaucrat?”
At those words, I closed my mouth again.
Actually, that’s true. It’s just me and a few people around me who are weird, but promotion is what everyone wants.
“But I don’t want to be the next after His Excellency Jeon Seung-gong. No matter how positively I think about it, being next to him feels like a very hot hell.”
“ah.”
I was immediately convinced by what he said next.
This is also true. The position of Deputy Commander is not a light one, and my immediate predecessor is Jeon Seung-gong? How terrible is that.
“…I will speak to His Excellency the Jeon Seung-gong. Given His Excellency the Commander’s position and reputation, the principal would also want to look to him.”
“Honestly, I don’t care if you’re a security guard or not. Just give me your name.”
Those words were so sincere that I just nodded silently.
It seems like there’s one more reason to discourage Jeon Seung-gong from retiring.
***
As expected, multiple heads produce better results than one.
“Military Academy… no, the military academy’s grounds are near the Imperial Academy. Do you agree with this?”
“Yes, I agree. There is no better place for an educational institution.”
The Minister of Education nodded in agreement with the Minister of War. I felt happy just seeing that sight.
“However, I am concerned that the Imperial Academy and the Military Academy will be so close together that the Academy students will feel a sense of discomfort and the Military Academy students will feel a sense of deprivation. If it is education to become soldiers, it will inevitably be controlled, but seeing the Imperial Academy makes me yearn for freedom.”
“Hmm.”
The Minister of War stroked his chin in thought as he listened to the Minister of Education’s subsequent remarks.
I had that worry for a while too. Even if the Imperial Academy students suddenly have new neighbors, the military academy students have to see their peers living free school lives right next to them. It would be stranger if they didn’t feel uneasy.
However, if we cannot block nursery rhymes, we must also make them part of education.
“The path of a soldier is never easy. If you have the qualities to be shaken and turn away by something like that, it would be better to be filtered out during your time at the military academy. That would be a better path for the Empire and its students.”
“Certainly, that’s true.”
“Your Majesty’s insight is truly admirable.”
The Minister of Education and the Minister of War slightly bowed their heads at my words.
“Your Majesty, what would be the admission requirements for the Military Academy?”
“What are the admission requirements?”
“First of all, just like the Imperial Academy, I don’t plan on discriminating based on social status. Even if you are a commoner, if you have a patriotic heart toward the royal family and the empire, and a strong body, you are fully qualified to be a soldier.”
The Minister of Education, who had started off with the obvious remark, looked around for a moment and then continued speaking cautiously.
“It would be an open educational institution for imperialists, but wouldn’t it be better to set more detailed conditions for foreigners?”
“Of course, we must block the admission of foreigners! The military academy is the future of the Imperial Army, and the culmination of the know-how accumulated by the Imperial Army! How could a foreigner set foot in such a place?”
“I know that too. However, since the Imperial Academy is open to all continental citizens, I wonder if the Military Academy is following the same path.”
In the face of the vehement opposition of the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Education hastily threw up his hands.
“This is just my personal opinion, but if a foreigner graduates from an imperial military academy… doesn’t that create a pro-imperial faction in the foreign country’s military? Living in the empire for a few years, learning imperial values, and having imperial classmates. It might be difficult to see the effects right away, but after 10 or 20 years from graduation, I think it’ll be somewhat fun, right?”
“That’s─”
“That’s not a matter for us to decide right now. Let’s discuss it later.”
The two ministers bowed their heads again to my mediation.
Since there are so many heads, there will probably be a lot to discuss.