Youjo Senki Vol 1 Chapter 4

Youjo Senki Volume 1 Chapter 4

War College

 

Translators: Skythewood, SifaV6

Editing: CWilliams

Raw provided by: swiss Momo\n 

Imperial War College Selection Review Conference\n 

“It is time, we will now begin the third round of review of the Imperial War College Selection Conference.”\n 

The session chair was a professor from the War College. The attending officials were all exceptional talents that could literally be considered as the pillars which supported the Imperial military. In regards to the selection of talents who will later be shouldering the weight and responsibilities for the previous generation, the Empire was never hesitant in committing as much manpower and time necessary.\n 

The result was the birth of numerous excellent and capable commanders across all levels within the military command structure.\n 

“The topic for today would be the review of the candidates that have been nominated by the selection committee.”\n 

It was precisely because of this that the selection of War College candidates had often been regarded as one of the key topics for discussion along with that of national policy and defence strategies. Hence, they would take into consideration the all sorts of possible factors during the selection process, not sparing any effort to unearth the most suitable talent.\n 

The military acknowledges the wide array of skills and attributes of their personnel, and as such, they were willing to hold a second or third round of review with different panels of judges even for the candidates that had previously failed. They believe that eliminating an exceptionally talented officer during a single round of selection would be a huge loss to the Empire.\n 

And the history of the Empire proved that this method of philosophy was correct.\n 

It was thanks to this that many of the highly decorated officers within the Imperial army and navy were able to climb to their current position today. Even General Moltke, who was highly favored by one of the committee judges which had proclaimed that his greatest accomplishment in his military career was the ‘selection of the great Moltke’, had previously received harsh criticisms from other members of the panel stating that ‘this candidate is not fit to be a soldier’, and was unable to pass the selection process until the third round of reviews.\n 

“As usual, I hope that everyone can provide inputs based on their respective backgrounds regardless of whether they are from the frontlines, the General Staff Office or the War College, and have a lively discussion.”\n 

According to the tradition of the Imperial War College, it was not important which round the personnel was selected.\n 

Recent examples would be the outstanding officers such as Zettois and Rudelsdorf, who were both selected in the second round. The former was deemed as ‘having a personality that was too academically inclined, thus not suitable to become a general’, while the latter was criticized to be ‘quick witted and full of drive, but has the tendency of being delusional’. They were only selected on the subsequent round of review.\n 

However, the two of them were now widely regarded as pillars that will soon be shouldering the weight which will determine the future of the Empire. Thus, they were qualified to take part in the selection panel. It was because of cases like this, there was a saying that those who were able to pass the selection process on the first round won’t ever amount to anything.\n 

Therefore, in order to keep dogmatism to a minimal, they were willing to even do the reverse and disqualify those who had actually qualified, and chose to confirm them in the second and third round of reviews instead. This made it clear just how thorough the Empire was in conducting the selection process.\n 

“First of all, we will begin with the suggestion provided by Major Lehrgen from the Bureau of Human Resources for the re-examination of a candidate on the first round of the selection process.”\n 

Even for the Empire who took things this far, it was unusual for them to suddenly re-examine a candidate that had already passed, and to deliberate whether or not the outcome should have been different.\n 

That was why—\n 

All those in attendance showed an expression of surprise, and directed their baffled gaze towards the War College Professor who was chairing the conference.\n 

Requesting for the re-examination of a candidate that had passed the first two rounds of selection without any problem, just what was the purpose behind this?\n 

Even the War College professor who was chairing the session probably didn’t understand.\n 

“The subject of this review received the highest of evaluation in the first selection round, which was done anonymously to ensure fairness.”\n 

An anonymous evaluation was conducted for the first selection round where documents containing the personal information of the candidates were redacted, and the examination process was done by multiple judges. The judges were only able to see the actual accomplishments of each candidate, as well as the evaluations given by the Training and Intel Department. Through this process, favouritism and bias were eliminated, making the judgement fairer.\n 

Only after the judging was completed, would the personal information be disclosed, and the candidate would then proceed along the path towards becoming an elite officer in the military. The entire scrutinization process was strictly performed and in fairness. And thus receiving the highest evaluation at this stage meant that the military did not discover any flaw in the candidate’s career so far.\n 

“Regardless, the HR Section Chief from the General Staff Office had expressed his objection, and had put forward a request for a ex-examination. This review conference is held partly on his request.”\n 

The professor was hinting that he couldn’t fathom why Lehrgen had requested for a re-examination. In actual fact, if this wasn’t proposed by the Section Chief from the Bureau of Human Resources within the General Staff Office, who was able to scrutinize more of the information regarding the candidate in detail, the request for an re-examination most likely would not have been approved.\n 

Even if there were any issues with the candidates that have made it through the selection process in the past, the problem normally lies with them being too mediocre. That was why even the professor who was chairing the conference was baffled. During the anonymous evaluation phase, very few officers receive great scores. Not to mention that the candidate in discussion this time had an overwhelming score, so essentially, Major Lehrgen was questioning the eligibility of the top candidate.\n 

If the candidate was a child of an influential officer in the military or related to nobles, questioning the fairness of the selection would make more sense. This belonged to the minority, but there were definitely cases where favoritism played a part.\n 

But for this case, the candidate was an orphan of a soldier, and of course, there wasn’t any influential relatives involved. The one who made the recommendation was unrelated to the candidate, and there were no ties to any noble factions either. Not just that, the recommendation was made by a veteran officer who was known for honesty. An officer with actual combat merits, and didn’t have any disciplinary records.\n 

Rejecting an officer with such outstanding records, who rose all the way by her own capability was unimaginable for the tradition of the military. Hence, everyone in attendance had casted a look of doubt towards the HR Section Chief Major Lehrgen.\n 

“Section chief Lehrgen, I would like to know the basis behind your judgement. From the records, I think she is an excellent candidate.”\n 

Although his tone was a lighthearted, Brigadier General Rudelsdorf’s had asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. What was the reason?\n 

“Judging from the recommendation provided by the local unit, the results from OCS (Officer Cadet School), background investigation done by the Intelligence Bureau, investigative report done by the Military Police, and along with her war merits, this officer had showed an outstanding performance. Just where does the problem lie?”

Meritorious recommendations are typically used as a means to select officers with exceptional abilities. Officers in their prime and those who were still young would often be selected, sending the best possible talents to the best places, in hope of the benefit it would bring in the future.\n 

The recommendation provided by the local unit was unreserved in giving the candidate their praises. Considering the results from OCS, although the candidate’s combat technique was a little lacking, her combat experience was still top notch. Based solely on adaptability, she was a talent that fully deserved to be the top candidate during the selection. In fact, the assessment score was nearly perfect.\n 

Aside from this, even the usually naggy Intelligence Bureau and the Military Police had nothing but praises for her, which couldn’t help but makes a person wonder just how many similar cases had occurred in the past.\n 

“Hmm, how should I put this… This is a highly anticipated candidate in recent years. I believe this is the common consensus of the majority of us present.”\n 

In other words, questioning the selection of such an impressive candidate was hard to fathom, even for Brigadier General Rudelsdorf, who had a difficult personality. If the re-examination proposal wasn’t made by the elite of the elites from the Bureau of Human Resources within the General Staff Office, the Section Chief who was known to not tolerate any mistakes, everyone would think that this was a joke and curse him out.\n 

“That is true, the subject’s performance is among the best or as good as the best that I have seen, but despite that, I find it hard to accept.”\n 

However, Major Lehrgen expressed clearly that he was proposing this review even though he acknowledged the evaluations given by the panel. In other words, he didn’t want to accept the selection of this candidate despite these evaluations.\n 

“Ranked second during cadet school, have no run-ins with the Military Police, and the Intelligence Bureau had determined that she is a patriot, vouching for the candidate’s ability in keeping information confidential. An officer who even received a recommendation from a combat unit.”\n 

It goes without saying that this excuse was nonsensical to the attendees. In order to keep the candidate anonymous, medals awarded to the candidate and all OCS experience were withheld. But it wouldn’t be surprising if this outstanding candidate had been awarded a Field Aerial Combat medal or above.\n 

After all, the candidate had received a recommendation from the local unit, which required both an excellent character and exemplary performance.\n 

“If we were to disqualify this candidate, then by standards this year’s selection result would become zero.”\n 

These words appeared to reflect the thoughts of the majority present. For aside from the general consensus that the candidate possessed excellent capability, accomplishments and school grades, there weren’t any other comments. If they were to disqualify such an outstanding candidate, then they would need to disqualify the rest of the candidates as well.\n 

“As an exception this time around, the anonymity of the candidate will be revoked. Please take a look at this document.”\n 

The HR General Affairs Section Chief who couldn’t stand it anymore started passing around the relevant documents. Due to the personal information of the candidates being anonymized during selection, it should normally remain the same during the review. However, depending on the circumstances, he had the authority to withdraw the anonymity.\n 

As an acquaintance of Major Lehrgen, he wanted to provide as much assistance as possible. Frankly speaking, this was an act of kindness done to safeguard Lehrgen’s career.\n 

For someone who already possessed the Silver Wings Assault Medal which was rare as it was given, not to mention that she had further received a recommendation for the Field Aerial Combat Medal for her achievements on the frontlines. Such officers would normally be regarded as a potential core member of the military in the future, and would be warmly welcomed during the selection process.\n 

However the problem they had encountered was the fact that the one who had achieve these merits was a child of only eleven years of age. Any officer with a sound mind would normally hesitate in sending such a child onto the battlefield. Major Lehrgen had probably objected to her enrolment due to her age. Although that was the assumption made by the HR General Affairs Section Chief, in the end he still agreed to declassify the information.\n 

“... Which means, those bountiful war merits were accomplished by this child?”\n 

Even Brigadier General Rudelsdorf who was known for his difficult personality was stunned by the details of her age. They finally realized how abnormal the situation was and the room instantly became silent, with confusion lingering in the air.\n 

Rising to the rank of First Lieutenant Mage at the age of eleven. Graduated second in OCS, awarded the Silver Wing Assault medal and was recommended for the Field Aerial Combat medal. An Ace of Aces who had downed 62 mages (32 kill assist) and was bestowed with the nickname ‘Mithril’. On top of that, her resume included an assignment with the Training Department.\n 

It made them hesitate, wondering if they should laugh or not. A resume that could only be described as exemplary.\n 

“Nurturing Mage officers is an urgent matter, but we should still have an age restriction.”\n 

Many of the attendees felt she was simply too young, and they were doubtful about giving her command of a unit— one on the scale of a wing. Plainly speaking, even though the need of nurturing mage officers has always been treated as a priority, there were still plenty of criticisms regarding the current schemes of operation being simply too focused on the short term gains.\n 

“That’s right, no matter how capable she might be as a mage officer, but it is still questionable regarding her ability to take on the role of a senior officer.”\n 

After all, it takes a lot of effort to achieve excellence in a single professional field. There were plenty of Aerial Mages that they were confident of in terms of their exceptional combat abilities, but unexpectedly very little of them possessed the qualities necessary to be considered as a capable commander.\n 

That’s why, no matter how outstanding the skills of a Mage officer might be, it doesn’t necessarily mean they would be suited to become a commander or senior officer. A successful athlete might not necessarily make a great coach. Even if someone was capable in combat, it does not translate to the other criterias needed of a commander.\n 

Hence, some of the officers thought that Lehrgen was in doubt because of her age and abilities. Judging from this, there was definitely room for debate there.\n 

“There are no problems with her potential. More importantly, her war merits, local recommendations and all other details satisfies the criteria completely. There isn’t any reason to doubt her abilities.”

But the conference members who evaluated her refuted these worries. Her records indicated her experience in leading a flight, and there wasn’t any mistakes in her command. If she couldn’t even command a flight, there wouldn’t be any point in training her to be an officer, but there was a surprising number of people who failed at this stage.\n 

However, considering her local unit recommendation, it wasn’t appropriate to suspect her command ability, at least for now.\n 

“She is an officer who went through a training crash course. Her tactical knowledge is probably very lopsided. Staff officer education should suit her more.”\n 

Some of the officers still raise their doubts. After all, she was trained in a crash course. Even if she performed well in live combat, there was a chance she might lack the knowledge in some areas. Putting tactical level command aside, will she be able to analyze complicated conditions and take on command above that of a unit commander? They questioned the sense in selecting her.\n 

“Her graduate thesis is ‘The Logistics of War Zone Maneuver’. The Rail Department regarded this dissertation very highly.”\n 

But the members of panel who gave her outstanding grades during the anonymous judging refused to back down. After all, she had already proven to be capable of debating on the strategic level when she graduated.\n 

And the thesis was on a low profile topic which was uncommon among the ambitious cadets in OCS. But considering her war merits, this unexpectedly made sense. To research the logistics of a war zone, did the author have plenty of experiences on the battlefield?— That was what they thought during the anonymous assessment. Anyone who read this thesis would think this was a work of an expert, and not delve any further.\n 

And to those who were experts in this field, no matter how much they dislike it, they would be impressed by the excellence and focal point of the content. The outline was simple. It speaks of the importance of resource reserves, and improve the flow of materials by standardizing warehouse operations, in order to secure the supply lines. It concentrates heavily on efficiency, with the goal of storing only emergency supplies, and eliminating all unnecessary resources.\n 

It criticizes the storage of unnecessary materials, and proposed the management of necessary resources, which would allow the units to operate normally on the front lines. The Army Rail Department Chief was full of praise for this paper, and requested for the author to be assigned to the Rail Department, a story rather famous between logistics personnel.\n 

In fact, several seasoned senior officers gave rave reviews when they assessed the thesis. They commented that anyone who experienced launching an attack while short on resources will definitely understand this paper.\n 

Brigadier General Rudelsdorf who was troubled by the logistics operations during battles was no exception. That was why no one imagined the author to be just eleven years old during the anonymous assessment.\n 

“Excuse me, I didn’t take the identity of the author into account because it was classified… But this isn’t a research report from the War College?”\n 

“No, this is a thesis she wrote during her time in OCS.”\n 

“Pardon me, but do we need to continue with the review? I don’t think there is a need anymore.”\n 

Since her theme was about logistics, it would be hard to argue that she was short sighted in her goals. Her worries were similar to that of Brigadier General Rudelsdorf. The more they debate, the more certain they were that she should be selected. Reasons of doubts become fewer over time.\n 

He probably couldn’t stand it anymore. Brigadier General Zettois who had kept silence all this while said with an impatient expression. He wasn’t particularly loud, and his tone was filled with doubt:\n 

“I have a question. During her on site apprentice term as a cadet during her time in OCS, Brigadier General Walkoch already recommended her enrolment into War College, but Human Resources had rejected it. I would like to seek a clarification about this.”\n 

From Brigadier General Zettois’ perspective, aside from her age, First Lieutenant Degurechaff was undoubtedly an excellent candidate. She already received high evaluations during her time in OCS.\n 

Her performance in the conflict zone caught the eye of Brigadier General Walkoch, who recommended her enrolment into the War College back then. Even though they didn’t have much chance to meet directly, from the few times Zettois spoke with her, he found it hard to believe that Walkoch would make such a blunderous recommendation.\n 

For Zettois, First Lieutenant Degurechaff was highly evaluated for her capabilities, which had never been questioned before.\n 

“Why wasn’t she assessed for selection? Who rejected her candidacy?”\n 

“... It was me. The reason was her age and lack of war merit.”\n 

In response to Major Lehrgen’s answer, Zettois nodded as if he expected that answer, and looked at him sternly.\n 

“Major Lehrgen.”\n 

“Yes, how may I assist, General Sir?”\n 

“I don’t want to question your impartiality, so I will overlook the first rejection. But why did you request for a review for this selection?”\n 

What Lehrgen said was enough for others to question his fair mindedness. Brigadier General Zettois didn’t say it out loud, but everyone shared the same doubt. Such a talent with bountiful war merits. She was definitely an excellent officer. Why question her eligibility?\n 

“... Because I have serious doubts about First Lieutenant Degurechaff’s character.”\n 

For Major Lehrgen, the answer was his distrust of First Lieutenant Degurechaff’s personality; his experience in appraising countless officers told him that there was something wrong with this person.\n 

The feeling that something was wrong had now become deep distrust, setting roots deep in his heart. He made up his mind to stop this person with an abnormal character from infiltrating into the core of the imperial army.\n 

“Are you saying this while being fully aware of her high scores in both mental fortitude and the Intelligence Bureau’s confidentiality investigation?”\n 

“Yes.”\n 

As expected, she passed both the mental fortitude assessment and scrutiny by the Intelligence Bureau. Not just that, depending on the time and place, she might be praised by religious leaders for being a devout believer. After all, most soldiers don't have the mindset to ask god for forgiveness during a battle. But this just means the inspection failed to detect her abnormality.\n 

“Are you questioning the result of these investigations?”\n 

“Yes, it’s like what you said. However, I am not doubting the truthfulness of these reports, I think the investigation all yield conclusive results.”\n 

The figures from the investigation was probably conclusive. After all, that’s not where her abnormality lies. Sigh, this can’t be helped. The mental fortitude tests were drawn up with adult professional soldiers in mind, not for abnormal characters like her. The results were probably obtained through stringent and fair testing.\n 

That was the reason why she was abnormal.\n 

“Major Lehrgen, I want to confirm something. At the same time, I want to remind you that everything you say would be recorded in the minutes.”\n 

“Yes Sir.”\n 

For Major Lehrgen, both the records and potentially serious damage to his career was something that worries him. In fact, he was a one in a thousand talent set on the path of the elites. Considering his position, he should avoid such debates as much as possible.\n 

But he felt an urge to say his piece. His entire body and mind was warning him of a nemesis-like existence to him as a human. That was an alien-like existence, an abnormality he couldn’t tolerate.\n 

“Why do you have reservations about the character of First Lieutenant Degurechaff?”\n 

“I’ve met her three times before.”\n 

The first time he met her, he felt she was an outstanding officer cadet; The second time, he felt she was a terrifying officer cadet; The third time, he was sure she was a crazy officer cadet.\n 

“For official business or in private?”\n 

“All three times were for official business. I met her three times during my inspection tour of OCS.”\n 

There was probably no other cadets that left a deeper impression than her, and there probably won’t be any in the future. At least he could confirm that she was abnormal. Calm and rational; patriotic with an Egalitarian mindset; deeply religious and Liberalist. Despite having praiseworthy qualities, she still appeared distorted. Both a sense of wrongness and distortion that was difficult to describe engulfed her at the same time.\n 

“Are you implying she did something questionable before? Any problem with her behaviour?”\n 

“Please take a look at the comments of the instructors. A scratchy ‘abnormal’ is written on top.”\n 

An interesting record left by the instructors who interacted with her the most. Even though she had outstanding grades for everything, he left an ‘abnormal’ remark in private. Was the sense of wrongness he felt not her true nature? Normally, even if the instructors point out the shortcomings of cadets, they won’t write down the comment ‘abnormal’.\n 

“... Hmm, so there is a reason for this. Please explain.”\n 

When he heard that, Brigadier General Zettois relented his accusatory posture and adopted a listening attitude; He felt that he had to confirm the facts from an absolutely impartial viewpoint.\n 

“This is an abnormal situation. This is my first time seeing a cadet officer with fully formed personality, beliefs and treated humans as objects.”\n 

Just like a perfectly built robot that obeys and execute orders faithfully. This was an ideal officer. Despite that, she understood reality and had never said any empty remarks. No matter what, she wasn’t normal.\n 

That was why that incident happened when he met her the third time.\n 

“Don’t you think it’s something only found in geniuses?”\n 

“These characteristics of hers were definitely useful on the battlefield. In fact, Brigadier General Walkoch and the Intelligence Bureau once recommended her for the 2nd Class Iron Cross award.”\n 

Most importantly, it felt wrong to think of that person as a newly commissioned officer. After pushing his authority to the limit, Lehrgen realized that there were signs of her participating in live combat even before her commission as a Second Lieutenant.\n 

There were limited clues, but after consolidating them, the suspicion of her taking part in an operation of the Intelligence Bureau in the past was rather high. Even though the award was withdrawn at the application stage, something definitely happened the moment they submitted the application for the Second Class Iron Cross award.\n 

“... You mean during her on site apprenticeship?”\n 

The surprise spread to everyone, and the room turned rowdy. This might be hard to believe, but her recorded accomplishment in a short amount of time made this incident much more believable.\n 

If this happened during her on site apprenticeship, that meant a child about nine years old not only took part in a live operation, but also qualified for a medal in the end? If words of this spreads out, it would just be laughed off as a bad joke. Hearing such a bad joke in a selection panel to decide candidates who will shoulder the future of the military was ridiculous.\n 

“After pressing the Intelligence Bureau, I discovered that there is a high possibility that she took part in some highly classified operation.”\n 

International dispute zone. For an officer cadet, it was a dangerous place for on site apprenticeship, but still within reasons. But conducting long range infiltration exercise into enemy territory, something that will even make grown men scream?\n 

Crossing land infested with ruffians while fully armed in the middle of the night. The destination being an isolated allied base. No matter what, this wasn’t an operation any officer cadet would be capable of commanding. His friend in the Intelligence Bureau he pressed the information from even thought that the operation was conducted by a seasoned Warrant Officer.\n 

That was only natural. Even the Intelligence Bureau would want to seek help from such a capable commander. But they probably never expected her to be an Officer Cadet going through her apprenticeship. Lehrgen suspect that the medal application was withdrawn after they realized that Tanya was an Officer Cadet.\n 

“... You are telling me that a cadet took part in an operation in the war zone, and her performance prompted the Intelligence Bureau to apply for a commendation for her?”\n 

At this point of the discussion, it was impossible to ignore her abnormality. The Intelligence Officers who were showered with gaze from the other participants shook their heads, gesturing that they didn’t know. But everyone knew that their department policy was that the right hand won’t know what the left hand was doing. But if they start their investigation, they will definitely uncover something. After all, their faces looked grim since just now.\n 

“If possible, I wish to declassify this information.”\n 

“I will look into it. And so? If that is all, then she is just an outstanding officer.”\n 

The investigation is under my purview. Even though that was the subtle meaning behind these words, the chairperson has already taken this to be the truth. But that was why he felt confused.\n 

Aside from her age, this officer had no problems with merits and grades, so why did he pursue the matter this far.\n 

“When she was in OCS, she intimidated a cadet who disobeyed orders with a magic knife.”\n 

“... Keeping the detractors in line is part of the responsibility of senior cadets, right?”\n 

Taking things to the extremes, military law prohibits handing out punishment in private, but there were unspoken rules within the organization hidden under the table. For example, it was commonplace for senior cadets to suffer injuries during accidents in combat training.\n 

Putting it bluntly, if Tanya is penalized for such a minor incident, then almost all of the soldiers would be in trouble.\n 

“She was serious about splitting the other guy’s head. If the instructor didn’t step in, someone probably would’ve lost a limb.”

No, that’ not it! Lehrgen explained as he suppressed the urge to scream. He understood very clearly, it was something you have to be there to understand.\n 

“... Major, if you take the words of the instructors too seriously, there would be corpses everywhere in the army.”\n 

Military instructors using overly intense words on recruits was a norm for soldiers. Considering the language used by trainers in the naval, army or aerial mage officer training, phrases such as ‘I will slaughter you’ would be considered as the cute end of the scale. The education method of absolutely demeaning the value of a human were a common sight in the military.\n 

Curses like ‘I will cleave open your damned head’ or ‘I will blast your hollow brains out’ could be heard echoing on the training field frequently. It’s not like physical punishment was off limits, it just wasn’t recommended.\n 

“Even though she might be too extreme, this evaluation is a bit too much.”\n 

“Considering her age, we can even compliment her self restraint.”\n 

If it was just on the level of verbal abuse and intimidation, this was rather cute— Most of the soldiers would make this judgement based on their personal experience. That was because they didn’t witness the scene with their own eyes.\n 

They even think that she was showing kindness by not court martialing the subject for repeated insubordination. After all, the worst case for defying the orders of a superior would be execution. In other words, instead of executing recruits who lack the ability to make judgement, beating them up would be a much kinder way.\n 

“Hmm, it seemed that the HR Section Chief is worried about her age and self restraint, and I can understand his concern.”\n 

At this stage of the discussion, their conclusion was rock steady. That’s right, she didn’t act her age in some areas. The HR Section Chief’s criticism about her abuse of recruits might be too extreme, but it was still within tolerable range; It was understandable for Section Chief Lehrgen to be worried about her exceptional talent.\n 

But enrolling her into the war college would provide her with the education that she lacked previously, allowing her to experience realms she had never tried before. This will definitely nurture her towards becoming a great and exceptional officer.\n 

“But Major Lehrgen, your opinion is too objective. You have to be more subjective.”\n 

There were some disputes along the way, but they decided to acknowledged her selection.\n 

“Of course, we also recognize that you are asking fairness. However, considering your status and position, you are too engrossed over first impressions.”\n 

“On the other hand, you performed your investigation well. Reining the Intelligence Bureau in would be a problem.”\n 

Or rather, no one thought that the HR Section Chief’s intention was to discuss about Tanya. Because of the dynamics of military politics, the HR Section Chief who had to maintain exceptional social skills probably couldn’t critique the Intelligence Bureau directly. That’s why he made his criticism in the guise of another topic— That’s how most of the people saw this incident.\n 

It wasn’t stated clearly, but they assume that the HR Section Chief discovered the ‘non transparent behaviour’ of the Intelligence Bureau while scrutinizing the personnel reports, and was using this request for a review to critique the Intelligence Bureau. He pointed out the evaluation given by the Intelligence Bureau this way, which hinted at the secret operation conducted by them and their ‘non transparent behaviour’. If that was true, his action wasn’t a mistake, and could even be commended. As for the Intelligence Bureau, they couldn’t find fault with Major Lehrgen, and would even need to apologize to them.\n 

Which was to say, the general consensus of everyone present was that the HR Section Chief investigated this well. In conclusion, they thought of them as questioning the secrecy policies of the Intelligence Bureau in his pursuit of fairness and justice.\n 

“Thank you for your hard work, Major Lehrgen. Even though we didn’t revoke her selection, we will accept the request to audit the Intelligence Bureau.”\n 

“... My thanks.”\n 

And contrary to Major Lehrgen’s intention, no one stood up to blockade the selection.\n \n 

The Rhine frontlines at the furthest border of the west. A place where she might be woken at any hour of the day to execute engagement missions. During this period when her body soaked in mud and the blood of her enemies, Tanya received a notice on her promotion to First Lieutenant. It wasn’t much, but it was a good thing that her basic salary increased.\n 

But there was news that made Tanya even happier, which was her enrolment notice into the war college, which came together with her promotion papers. This was fortunate indeed. First Lieutenant Schuwakoff mentioned that the capabilities of Corporal Serbiakof had been affirmed in live combat, so he would be recommending her enrolment into Officer Cadet School, and told Tanya not to worry about going off to war college. So there was no need for Tanya to hold back.\n 

Not needing to pretend to worry about her subordinates was a lucky break for Tanya.\n 

And the all important notification of enrolment was just as she wished, done through the recommendation of others, which was an honourable manner. Application could only be done by First Lieutenants and above, so she couldn’t do so. After asking around, it seemed that a highly regarded person recommended her enrolment through her war merits. It goes without saying that Tanya was really happy with her social network that she had built quietly, and accepted the invitation to attend war college, which meant her assignment to the safe zone in the rear.\n 

And so—\n 

First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff who was eleven years old on paper begun enjoying her second college life. In the eyes of others, she was skipping grades, but in actual fact, this was her second time studying in college. From her perspective, it wouldn’t take much effort for her to adjust to this lifestyle.\n 

And of course, the education policy and classes in war college was very different from normal colleges. But for Tanya, schooling was living comfortably in the rear with three hot meals a day. Compared to the frontlines, life in the rear was much more enjoyable.\n 

From Tanya’s view, she thinks the main essence of both college life were the same. If she could communicate through theory of her worth as a human capital, then war college was fundamentally just a college after all. Not just that, her sense of values even judge that it was better than normal colleges in some areas.\n 

From her experience, not needing to pay school fees and even receiving an allowance meant that her future was bright.\n 

It was a college with many benefits. That was why First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff was studying passionately in War college as a freshmen. A bag of a primary schooler suited her height more, but she wore a uniform that fitted her strangely well, with a large officer’s bag on her back that didn’t fit her at all.\n 

At the same time, Tanya carried her standard equipment of rifle and Operation Orb she couldn’t let go of since her times in the battlefield, and headed to the college after finishing her homework. And of course, she knew very well that she should be bringing stationery instead of a rifle to school.\n 

That might be so, but having a weapon near her had become a habit, and she would feel uneasy without it. After all, she might run into crazy shooters, religious fanatics or be lucky enough to run into existence X. That’s why she had to be prepared mentally for battle and wait for a good opportunity. This was something she shouldn’t rest easy about, and couldn’t rest easy about.\n 

That’s right, the mentality of being prepared for war. That was why a child like First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff who skipped grades blended into the war college environment so naturally. Even though she didn’t intend for this, but an officer decorated with the Silver Wing Assault medal returning from the battlefield and giving off the tense aura of being in the battlefield, was unlikely to be looked down on by others.\n 

In addition, she would unconsciously imagine the moment she shoots existence X while grinding her teeth as she disassembles and clean her rifle during break time. When an instructor asked her why she carried her rifle with her, the answer left a deep impression.\n 

The subject would be stunned for a moment, show a confused expression that fit her age, then reply calmly:\n 

“Since I might need to bet my meaning of existence on this equipment at any moment, I will feel uneasy if I didn’t have it on me. I am very timid after all.”\n 

“... Which means to say that you won’t feel at ease if you don’t have this with you?”\n 

“Yes, that is correct. Please think of this as the childish behaviour of a toddler refusing to let go of her favourite blanket, and laugh it off.”\n 

Such an action would give a decisive impression. And so, even though she was a child, but the impression she imprint on others was too intense. This allowed everyone to know what kind of person First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff was without needing to spend too much time with her. She would discuss with her classmates in her neighbouring desk how to crush the enemy with a smile and explain her concept of national defence, a soldier that was scary and reliable at the same time.\n 

“Good morning, guard commander Laagan.”\n 

He only realized she was here after hearing the greeting. He couldn’t detect her presence at all. He was a war veteran, but probably looked rusty to the group who had returned fresh from the battlefield. Or was it because she was an exceptional soldier?\n 

“Good morning, First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff. Excuse me, do you have a rifle with you today?”\n 

As a non-commissioned officer (NCO), I have seen countless famous soldiers, but an officer with such a bright future was a rare sight. After researching a little, there had been no cases of anyone studying in the war college during their early teens. But before that, being commissioned a First Lieutenant a little after the age of ten was even more amazing.\n 

Seems that this was a big world after all.\n 

I have never been caught off guard on the battlefield, but an officer actually sneaked to my back so easily. It was easy to tell that you can’t judge First Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff by her appearance. I heard that she will bring her rifle and operation orb every day and leave it to the guard commander on duty for safekeeping.\n 

Her refusal to let go of her weapon was probably because of her experience on the battlefield. Occasionally, there would be people who couldn’t let go of their weapons after returning from a warzone, but she seemed different from them. She didn’t seem too uneasy when she deposited her weapon.\n 

In a word, she was forcing herself to make her weapon into a habit. I just said so, but following her doctrine of being ready for battle at any moment to such an extent, as expected of someone who earned a Field Aerial Combat medal at such a tender age. The lessons of war was engraved deeply in her, and she had good attitude towards NCOs.\n 

The next time I take to the field, I have better not differentiate the enemy by their age. I might die if I hesitate to fire. I will treat this as a lesson.\n 

“That’s right. It is shameful, but I still can’t break this habit.”\n 

I can empathize with her. I will search for cover unconsciously long before I can fall asleep easily in a bed with moonlight. Even though I knew the place was safe, the habits I learned seriously on the battlefield wasn’t something that could be changed easily.\n 

“Not at all, this is a good thing.”\n 

Or rather, this proved that she understood the important points on the battlefield. Maintaining a normal psyche and learning the important things in the warzone was a trial for fresh Second Lieutenants. The battlefield was a place that would ravage their deep rooted beliefs.\n 

In the clashes where courage, honor and glory were covered in mud, only a select few officers could gain fame. The secret only these few officers knew wasn’t anything difficult. That was to listen to the NCOs, and state opinions they would be agreeable with. But the number of officers who could achieve this were really low.\n 

“Thank you. The affirmation of a veteran NCO pleases me more than anything else.”\n 

That’s why I respect the girl before me for the content of her character, and not just her appearance, and converse with her sincerely.\n 

A veteran NCO who knew how to appreciate good officers will grow. With such a thought in mind, the guard commander decided to show her respect to this petite First Lieutenant by performing his duty faithfully.\n 

“Pardon me, may I ask for your reason of visit, Lieutenant? As you know, today is a holiday and there are no classes today.”\n 

This was a common day of rest for society. Which was Sunday. For devout believers, most of them will head to church for mass today. Some will confess their sins; it was said that this First Lieutenant will head to church and pray really hard in the morning too. Most importantly I caught her staring at the statue of god more than once.\n 

“Yes, the reason is simple. I wish to use the library facilities. The books in the archives room of the dormitory isn’t too well stocked.”\n 

And the reason was plain, First Lieutenant Degurechaff was really hard working, even the eccentric Head Librarian also praised her knowledge, curiosity and thirst for knowledge, saying that she was a model soldier. I even heard the older officers mentioned that her re-analysis of old battles and concepts even made the Operation Department of Staff Headquarters sigh in admiration.\n 

Just what is inside that tiny brain of hers—— I wondered sincerely.\n 

“Pardon me. If possible, please allow me to safekeep your weapons as usual.”\n 

Normally, safekeeping the personal belongings of an officer required unnecessary procedures, which felt like a hassle. But it’s different for this First Lieutenant. On the battlefield, there is no companion who is more reliable than your rifle. And for Mages, Operational Orbs were as indispensable as a rifle. It was an honour to safekeep these two items, so it wasn’t a hassle at all.\n 

“Let’s do so. I will take my leave then.”\n 

After swiftly finishing the paperwork at the designated place, she kept the safekeeping document with practiced movements and headed into the college. It was just a glimpse, but I could see no hesitation in her steps, even though her strides were tiny. This made her petite back seemed unexpectedly huge. To receive the trust of such an officer, for her to entrust her companion to me unhesitantly—— When I thought this far, I couldn’t help feeling happy.\n 

“... That Warrant Officer is still a haughty brat.”\n 

But an idiot who didn’t understand the utmost joy of being a NCO poured cold water over me. Compared to her who became an officer at such a young age, this fool’s only good point is his age.\n 

“Are you dumb? That isn’t some useless brat, but a brat who is giving off the stench of gunpowder and the blood of her enemies.”\n 

As expected of a sergeant who was a veteran of war. But his knowledge was still too shallow. Even a veteran of many battles needed talent and the passion for war to become a complete soldier. In other words, if one doesn’t detest war from the perspective of a human, and doesn’t long for war even when one was away from the battlefield, they wouldn’t be able to understand her.\n 

“Sergeant, is that all that you understand?”\n 

“Hmm? No, I feel that she will be a good officer in the future, of course.”\n 

Of course she will become a good officer. If she could command her own battalion, I would be happy to serve under her. I will be fine with breaching attack, last line of defense or even stalling defense. No, I will even be fine with covering the unit’s retreat. That’s how she was, a person loved by war.\n 

It would surely be a glorious military unit that will make it into the history books. I am certain that I will achieve glory. I understand this well because I have seen countless officers. She is a hero.\n 

“Pay attention, dumbass. The First Lieutenant has two Operation Orbs, and she only deposited one for safekeeping.”\n 

But it’s useless to tell all that to an imbecile who couldn’t understand this. The First Lieutenant made a compromise for the sake of us performing our duty, that’s why she deposited her rifle and back up Operational Orb here. Keeping the other Orb— Which was the one she uses primarily, was equivalent to her exercising her authority.\n 

However, I didn’t feel like explaining to fools who didn’t allow her to bring it in because they understood this point, and simply didn’t realized she had another Orb.\n 

“She must have forgotten, I can’t let my guard down around her.”\n 

“... It would be terrible if the duty officer caught her.”\n 

… Eh, so that really is the extent of your understanding.\n \n 

As she walked in the war college she was gradually getting used to, Tanya’s state of mind was complicated as usual. If humans lost their sense of shame, what awaited them would be shamelessness, a dishonorable accusation for social living beings. This meant that knowing shame was a sign of a social animal.\n 

Hence… Ahhh, how shameful—— That’s why she thought this way. Even though I am driven by my heart of vengeance, running around with a rifle on my back wasn’t a praiseworthy act. Tanya knew this very well.\n 

And so, ever since the instructor warned her nonchalantly once, Tanya would deposit her rifle in the guard room whenever she was on campus. As a compromise, she equipped an army knife without any magical properties, so she wouldn’t be completely unarmed.\n 

But she would be lying if she said that she didn’t mind the gazes of the guards whenever she deposited her weapons in the guard room. She didn’t like basking in the eyes of people watching a weirdo. And she understood that there was a good reason behind these gazes, which made her even more hapless.\n 

It might just be her mind playing tricks on her, but she had a feeling that the guards were mocking her; Look, that moron brought her rifle with her again. Even Tanya understood the psychology of a fully armed mage wandering around in the back lines being the center of attention. When she thought that she would do the same thing, she couldn’t blame them for acting this way too.\n 

Despite that, because of a reason she couldn’t explain to others, Tanya had no choice but to keep a weapon in hand at all times.\n 

It was a simple matter of pride. If she don’t clearly maintain her raison d'être①, and avoid religious beliefs from encroaching her rationality, her sense of self will gradually grow weaker. She could imagine a future of her being toyed with like a puppet. The super existence proclaiming to be god might be playing with puppets because of their boredom, but the one being toyed around wouldn’t be able to take it.\n 

Hence, in order to clearly reestablish the existence of the enemy in her mind, Tanya headed to the nearest church during off days recently, nurturing her hatred for existence X before the statues. Her heart was filled with endless hate for her archenemy, a healthy mind filled with curses for her foe. This was the abstract answer given by the individual known as Tanya Degurechaff to existence X that toys with humans. Even though she brought the rifle with the idea that she will shoot to kill existence X if she came across him, it was regrettable that she never ran into him.\n 

And of course, she knew that this was an unproductive action. It might be unproductive, but if she let her guard down, the curse of the Elisom type 95 will turn her into a devout ‘believer of god’ for real. Taking into consideration the need to protect her mental health, maintaining the mindset that the sight of existence X disgusts her was an unavoidable course of action.\n 

Taking this lightly would be as good as taking breathing lightly or giving up on thinking.\n 

“... Hmmp, which means that you don’t want to be toyed around like a doll?”\n 

The dignity of humans lies in their ability to think, Tanya believed this firmly. For humans that evolved from apes, it was the concept of thinking that set them apart from other organisms.\n 

That was why she couldn’t comprehend the idea ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’, which was an act of giving up on thinking.\n 

For Tanya, when someone loses the ability to think, to question and to probe further, their existence wouldn’t even be equivalent to a human, but just a robot that has the shape of a human. That was why Tanya Degurechaff respects thinking, loves debating and mocks dogmatists from the bottom of her heart.\n 

That’s why she laughs at fanatics and those who believes blindly. She finds it hard to accept that she was the same as those who blindly believe in the teachings of communism as if it was some kind of religion, morons who created mountains of dead bodies during their social experiments. All her hatred stem from her view of humans. Humans were great because they performed trial and error. Giving up on thinking, and forcing others to follow their dogmatic principles were absolutely stupid.\n 

Existence X who was attempting to turn her into such a soldier was definitely her sworn enemy.\n 

That might be so, but the remnants of her rational mind also made her think that letting her rage build up was unproductive. That was the reason why she set this matter aside for now and focused on her studies.\n 

As she looked at her future, Tanya was very greedy on doing everything she can on improving her prospect. That was why she was heading to the library. Walking on the path she had gotten used to, she greeted the familiar staff and headed with certainty towards the library\n 

“Reporting, First Lieutenant Degurechaff entering.”\n 

After reaching the entrance of the library, she made a brief report before pushing the door open. The reason she did so was simple; the minimum rank to enroll in War College was First Lieutenant, so Tanya who was a First Lieutenant had the lowest rank.\n 

Although it was Sunday, it wouldn’t be surprising to find several people who arrived before her. And so, she had to be alert at all times, and assume a senior officer was inside at all times.\n 

“Hmm?”

Her effort pays off, proving her concern to be well founded. Tanya who entered the library immediately saw a scholar-like soldier over half a century old inside, looking her way over piles of documents.\n 

From the insignia on his shoulders, he was a Brigadier General. Judging from his dressing, he was probably a big shot. For this guest who arrived before her to be leaving through huge amount of maps and records, it was only natural for him to do so here if one considered the quality and quantity of the War college’s archives. This was a big reason why military strategy research had to be dependent on the documents in the War College.\n 

And of course, it wasn’t a rare sight to see a big shot searching for information in the War College. After all, a lot of the records and thesis’ were prohibited from being taken off site, and ‘the only way to read it would be to come here yourself’, so it was only natural for them to stay here.\n 

“Eh, pardon my intrusion, Brigadier Sir.”\n 

This was a golden opportunity as Tanya rejoiced in her heart for this wonderful coincidental meeting. No matter the era, having a friend in high places would only be a good thing. If you were seeking the chance to meet them, you would have to visit the places they might frequent personally, and increase the chance of a coincidental meeting.\n 

That might be so, but the appearance of her body looked too young, and she would regrettably be rejected from entering places that serve alcohol. But of course, sitting with the big wigs in such places would only bring them displeasure.\n 

On the other hand, it was possible to use her image as being dependendable despite her young age to leave a good impression. Although it would be hard to pull that off if she doesn’t deliberately act like a young child.\n 

Asking her to act like a child was already beyond her realm of understanding, even more so for her to behave like a little girl, which was akin to comprehending the behaviours of aliens. If there was an urgent need, she could fake a smile, but that’s the limit of what she could do.\n 

That was why she won’t hesitate to make the most of her chances when they come.\n 

“Ah, be at ease. It’s fine to simply treat me as an alumni at this moment.”\n 

In response to her salute, his reaction felt more like a researcher or philosopher instead of a soldier. His character was dull in a way, but from what she could tell, his personality wasn’t eccentric, and was forthcoming instead. That’s the kind of impression the general gives.\n 

“Yes, thank you for your kindness. I am cadet Tanya Degurechaff, commissioned by the Empire as a First Lieutenant.”\n 

“I am Brigadier General Zettois. Serving as the Deputy Chief of Logistics in the General Staff Office.”\n 

The Chief of Logistics in the General Staff Office! Isn’t that the top gun of the group in the rear? How lucky.\n 

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, General Sir.”\n 

She said with sincerity. After all, his group had the same authority as the ones in charge of Human Resources in the General Staff Office. In terms of a corporation, that would be the core team that determines the operation strategy.\n 

It would be really fortunate to get to know someone from a place like that outside of office work.\n 

“Hmm, do you have any pressing matters to attend to, Lieutenant?”\n 

“Reporting, I don’t have anything urgent, General Sir. I came here today in order to study.”\n 

Restraining her excitable urge to jump up, Tanya stated her objective honestly. Fortunately, she had been frequenting the library in order to satisfy her thirst for knowledge and research of law studies, so it shouldn’t feel unnatural to others.\n 

“This is a good opportunity. If time permits, could you share with me the opinions of a young person?”\n 

“Yes, I will be happy to oblige if I am not bothering you.”\n 

“It’s fine, please relax.”

“Yes, pardon me.”\n&nbs