9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 80 - Another World Army Officer (5)

The specific circumstances were as follows.

According to what Daniel revealed in his letter, Fael hadn’t conceived such an enormous plan from the beginning.

As I had understood, he simply wanted to bring down Kruger, and unable to step into the forefront himself in place of Bletter, he had borrowed the name of the White Raven Order when he encountered me.

He hadn’t even thought of forming an alliance until I was the first to extend my hand in partnership.

However, as he continued working together with the White Raven Order, his thinking gradually began to change.

Let’s say Kruger was brought down.

Whether by revolution or assassination, suppose Kruger somehow fell.

Then what comes next?

We don’t know who might appear to seize power, but could that alone ensure the survival of the elves?

Schufaben has harsher discrimination than other countries.

Except for the Great Desert, elves aren’t welcomed anywhere on the continent, but getting beaten up or losing your livelihood just for being discovered as an elf is a bit extreme.

It’s clear that Kruger is behind such an atmosphere.

That cunning Supreme Leader created public enemies to divide the people and incite hatred.

But would citizens with their heads screwed on straight eagerly fall for it just because the Supreme Leader threw the spark?

In the end, creating the current atmosphere was thoroughly everyone’s choice.

Removing Kruger might not change anything. No, amidst chaos worse than before, elves might face even harsher persecution.

Convinced of this, Fael became obsessed with the idea that he needed to prepare for the post-Kruger era.

And he conceived a mad… no, audacious plan.

Over the past year, that plan gradually began to take concrete shape.

Finally, when I asked him to take charge of the business, the tree of thought sprouted leaves.

What was that plan?

To make me king.

No, Supreme Leader, king, president, prime minister—it doesn’t matter. Monarchical restoration, constitutional amendment, whatever form is fine.

He says he doesn’t care what form it takes as long as he can put Lucas Redan in the position of supreme authority.

In fact, he’d prefer it if I became king and could wield absolute power.

He says he’ll make it happen, so let’s make a deal.

The price?

「A deal to establish a nation for the elves. Whether in the Great Desert or more fertile lands. I want to create a country where elves scattered around the world can gather and live together, so please help me.」

‘Crazy bastard!’

Forgetting that Hannah was sitting in front of me, I crumpled the letter forcefully and cackled.

National independence?

For so long persecuted by humans, losing their foothold, even the land they managed to keep becoming barren due to climate change.

So a diaspora occurred—a great migration—and elves had already spread throughout the world, with the population settled in other countries on the continent being twice that of those living in their homeland, the Great Desert.

And he wants to establish a nation for the elves?

And he’s asking me to help with that?

Insane.

This is a fantasy too absurd to even call impossible. Fael, caught in delusion, is simply trying to jump into a pit of fire.

Even if I succeeded in bringing down Kruger with Fael’s help and took that position, even if I became a dictator like Kruger, it would be the same.

That’s not something that can be accomplished with just the power to control a single country. It’s a dream that would require deploying enormous diplomatic and administrative power to barely have a chance of success.

‘This guy, just how remarkable does he think I am?’

The expectations transmitted through the letter made me breathless.

Daniel had simply written ‘this is what happened’ in a matter-of-fact tone.

But still…

‘Might not be bad.’

I paused to calm myself and carefully smoothed out the tattered letter.

‘Anyway, he’ll keep helping, right? No, it’s not help but fulfilling a contract.’

If I just accept this reckless goal that may or may not be achievable decades in the future, I can receive unlimited help until then.

It’s a deal proposed by an elf thorough in profit calculations. He probably thought it was sufficiently advantageous.

I thought so too.

It’s a promise to establish a nation. No matter how much compensation I receive, it’s too great a concession.

‘He’s really trying to buy a country with money. What a supreme merchant.’

I chuckled, then hardened my expression.

Fine, I’ll become king or whatever later.

But right now, killing Kruger is my top priority, so for now I’ll accept all the help I can get.

After that? I don’t know either!

In a life where I might get struck by lightning and die tomorrow, only a fool wouldn’t grab the rice cake right in front of him.

“Hannah, do you know what’s written in this letter?”

“I don’t peek at Lord Fa-Elhar’s messages without permission.”

Hannah, who had been watching me cry and laugh and make a complete spectacle of myself with interest, smiled sweetly as she answered.

“That’s fortunate. It wouldn’t be good for you to know the contents.”

The letter thrown into the fireplace soon disappeared as a handful of ashes.

The family stories and Great Desert scenery written afterward were already all etched in my memory.

I tore out a page from my notebook and quickly scrawled with my fountain pen.

“Please deliver this reply.”

Hannah simply nodded.

“By the way, you must have had a hard time coming all this way to such a remote place. Please rest as long as you want. Is everything alright in Lüdelheim?”

“So far, yes. We’re continuing to train as per Sir Assad’s instructions. As you must have seen in the newspapers, Mr. Redan, there’s been no particular news from the Supreme Leader’s side either. Oh, your friends asked me to give you their regards.”

Hannah and I caught up on accumulated stories.

The letter that slipped into her coat pocket would soon cross the sea or travel a long overland route to reach the Great Desert.

My answer was brief.

「Will make deal. Cannot guarantee success.」

I understand everything you’re saying. I’ll accept it.

But if I can’t become king, it’s not my fault, right? It’s your fault for not supporting me enough.

Also, don’t complain if I can’t create an independent nation for you. You’re the one who proposed an impossible goal in the first place.

That’s what I meant.

‘I’ll try my best, I’ll try.’

With that peace of mind, I enjoyed tea time with Hannah.

***

Around dinner time, the guard post called again. This guest was someone I had expected.

“You’re here, First Lieutenant Philip Decker.”

Instead of his Ossel uniform, Philip wore comfortable civilian clothes and ran all the way to the front of the residence to greet me, his face turning red and blue.

“You don’t look very well?”

I giggled openly, making his face look ready to explode even more.

“Uh, um…! Redan… um…”

“Just call me comfortably. You probably came hiding your Ossel identity anyway.”

Then Philip, who had been hesitating, returned to his shameless expression and nodded.

“Right. Lucas Redan, I came to deliver a letter.”

He absolutely refuses to call me ‘Major General,’ it seems. Plus those eyes still looking at me with the same contempt.

Really, he still maintains the attitude that he’s Lieutenant Colonel Johann Werner’s aide and is merely following his superior’s orders.

Such things have no meaning anymore.

‘Well, it doesn’t concern me.’

I shrugged and led Philip inside the residence.

“Have some tea before you go. There’s already a guest here though.”

“A guest?”

“You’ve met her before, haven’t you? Hannah Art.”

For a moment, I felt Philip’s body stiffen. What’s this?

“Oh my, Mr. Philip Decker?”

“Ah, Miss Art. What a coincidence.”

Philip’s face, which had instantly become dazed, turned red.

‘Look at this guy?’

An elf is evil and reactionaries should be killed immediately? I couldn’t help but snicker.

This kind of guy would probably say ‘She’s different from the other ones!’ and deny reality if told ‘Hannah is also a half-elf!’

I left Philip excitedly chattering about this and that and Hannah smiling while playing along, and went to sit in the armchair.

The envelope Philip gave me contained two pieces of paper.

Personal information about Captain Alina Himmel, and a letter from Johann.

I read the information first.

Alina Himmel.

Born May 8, 1870.

Enlisted at 18, served as a soldier and steadily promoted, received captain’s insignia at 29. Currently 32 years old.

Her husband is a middle school teacher, and she has one five-year-old daughter.

There were no special circumstances.

No reactionary relatives or suitability for any particular branch.

Captain Himmel was an ordinary and exemplary soldier who faithfully completed whatever task she was assigned and had never received even a single disciplinary action.

That was all Johann’s purchased information could reveal.

‘And that she’s reluctant to discuss personal matters?’

So far, I’d spent all day babbling about useless things trying to draw something out, but she had poor reactions and never initiated conversation.

Naturally, I’d never heard any family stories either.

‘I thought she was single.’

This brief personal profile was very revealing.

That Alina Himmel was also someone capable of emotional exchange enough to marry and have a child.

That despite appearing stoic on the outside, she was definitely not a machine-like person or someone with a cold personality.

Simply, she just hadn’t opened her heart to me yet.

“Good, this was very useful.”

I threw the paper into the fireplace and opened Johann’s letter next. I shrieked as soon as I read it.

“Wh-what’s this supposed to mean? He’s raising his friendship fees?! What kind of outrageous…”

When I exploded in fury, Philip and Hannah, who had been chatting pleasantly, looked this way.

“Hey Philip, say something. He wants me to pay money. Does this make any sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it make sense?”

Philip sneered with a cold expression completely different from when he was looking at Hannah.

“You’re a kite with a broken string. Naturally the treatment has to be different from before. There’s no reason to feel wronged.”

“Your words are too harsh.”

“I’m sorry, I spoke without thinking.”

Look at how he keeps apologizing to Hannah’s scolding!

“Quite a sight, quite a sight. No, the broken string doesn’t seem to be the problem. What are you scheming?”

I muttered with a frown.

***

Lüdelheim was quiet.

Being quiet meant there were no particular incidents or accidents.

Lieutenant Colonel Johann Werner, doing trivial paperwork in the office hidden in the garbage dump, soon put down his pen in a bored mood.

He knew why Lüdelheim was quiet.

Because Lucas Redan had been driven off to the distant border, and the mutts who had been helping him had also left for the Great Desert.

The remaining White Raven Order and Bletter members had decided to focus on intelligence gathering for now, so naturally there would be fewer incidents than before.

Johann quite liked this current state while also finding it a bit boring.

Boring aside, his head was complicated enough to be irritating.

After his promotion from major to lieutenant colonel, he had been working as Lieutenant General Kaiser’s right-hand man.

Right-hand man, but the kind where master and subordinate always kept each other in check.

Of course, he was still lining his own pockets separately.

A new person in charge had been assigned to District 13. Actually, he had personally promoted one of the lower-ranking Ossels to take charge of the District 13 office.

He had transferred his previous connections—mainly those who paid tribute money—to that guy and pocketed a large sum, and was still regularly receiving bribes from the mutts.

Lieutenant General Kaiser was busy creating areas beyond the Supreme Leader’s sight, but he was diligently monitoring him while throwing various odd jobs his way to prevent him from having other thoughts.

So there was no immediate threat to his safety, and although a lieutenant general sat above him, he could rest easy as Ossel’s number two.

However, Johann couldn’t do that.

Because of that troublesome existence called Lucas Redan.

‘He’ll come back somehow from there.’

If his eye for people wasn’t rusty, Lucas Redan wasn’t the type to stay buried in the military feeling dejected.

No, he had brazenly boasted himself.

“I’ll come back and climb up next to Kruger, so don’t cut contact!”

And so on.

Really, he showed the momentum to never stop until he killed Kruger.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Johann’s lips twisted.

He had already achieved most of his goals.

Two years ago, what had Lucas Redan boasted loudly to him?

“I’ll raise the White Raven Order to become big shots, and when they’re nice and plump, you can swallow them whole. Then you’ll gain great achievements, right?”

And many things had happened.

Johann had indeed gained real achievements and been promoted to become Ossel’s number two.

The problem was that it wasn’t by using the White Raven Order as sacrificial lambs for his promotion.

According to the original plan, he should have gained achievements while eliminating that mad dog and his colleagues and washing his hands of them.

However, the White Raven Order had conversely gained tremendous fame, making them difficult for him to touch, and he was now holding hands with Lucas Redan in a situation where they could stab each other at any moment, like hunting dogs in name only.

‘Troublesome.’

He had managed somehow up to now, but he didn’t really think they could kill Kruger.

Then he’d have to find his own way to survive.