喵绅HCMOIC士网页版

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They died for the prosperity and glory of the Empire.

Here they are buried with their great ancestors.

Only God will know their names.

Standing in front of the graves of the unknown soldiers, a woman gently stroked the tombstones.

They, noble patriots who passed away without even leaving their names behind.

From the beginning to the end of the empire, they will shine eternally.

“Your Highness, it’s time to go.”

Princess Miquella, with a nod, boarded the carriage.

The Medal of Honor ceremony. A day when the entire empire pays tribute to one person.

Normally, they should be heading to the Ministry of War, but today’s destination was different.

The Academy. The Ivory Tower of the Empire. That was where today’s ceremony was held.

Palak―

As we moved there, I examined the honoree for this occasion.

‘Karl Adelheit. The eldest son of Count Friedrich.’

He was truly an unusual figure. The eldest son of a count joining the military was rare indeed.

Such cases were rare even in the history of the empire. It was something that only happened when the empire was just established. There had been none since then.

If a direct descendant of an influential family became a prisoner, it would be quite troublesome.

Yet, this young man Karl enlisted voluntarily while concealing his identity.

Later, his identity was revealed, but both the Ministry of War and the Count accepted it.

They said if their son truly did it out of loyalty to the empire, they would understand his intentions.

“However, there were so many worries. Especially from Rika.”

The eldest daughter of House Adelheit. The next Count Friedrich. Rika Adelheit.

Even in front of me, she couldn’t hide her anxiety about her younger brother, who was three years younger.

Ironically, whenever news about Karl came up, she would say, ‘Huh! I don’t want to hear about that guy!’

Anyway, Karl, who enlisted like that, fulfilled his duty as an imperial soldier.

He trained with his comrades and soon went to the battlefield where he fought the enemies.

And in the process, he performed an unbelievable miracle of rescuing hundreds of comrades.

It was an incredible feat. He deserves to be hailed as a hero.

But the reason he’s not recognized until much later is because he kept his identity a secret.

Right after the rescue, before anything was known about him, he disappeared.

‘At that time, it was difficult to investigate because the war was still going on. But once the war ended and formal investigations began, testimonies about what happened that day poured in.’

I, myself, was serving as a captain in the imperial army at that time.

So I understood very well the significance of rescuing allies, especially hundreds of them, alone.

It wasn’t just about rescuing hundreds. It was about saving thousands of parents, spouses, and children from misery.

It was about saving the few soldiers who survived with lifelong guilt over the deaths of their comrades.

The empire owed a great debt to Karl. Therefore, the Medal of Honor ceremony was only natural.

“Your Highness.”

As we arrived at the square designated for the ceremony, personnel from the imperial army approached.

Seeing them, I reflexively prepared to salute, but soon lowered I hand.

During the war, I received orders from them as an imperial army captain.

But normally, as the Princess of the empire, I was respected by them.

I still wore the insignia of a captain, but that was natural.

Meanwhile, the men who had bowed politely continued.

“The preparations for the ceremony are complete. However, Your Highness, will you really…”

“I’ve already said it. He’s a young man who, by rescuing hundreds alone, eventually saved thousands, even tens of thousands. What’s the problem in paying tribute to someone who sacrificed himself for the empire?”

My determination was firm, and the army personnel did not stop me any further.

In fact, it was enough. Because the Medal of Honor was so glorious.

Even the servants would have bowed their heads to the emperor paying tribute personally.

“Who’s the hero of today?”

“They’re waiting.”

“How much time is left until the ceremony?”

“About 10 minutes.”

10 minutes. Just 10 minutes. That should be enough.

“Well, then, let’s have a quick chat with that hero before the ceremony.”

I was curious. Who exactly was this person? What kind of person could perform such brave actions?

By the enemies. And not just any enemies, but surrounded by the Elves, The ghost of encirclement.

A soldier who willingly threw himself for those who seemed to have no hope.

I, myself, filled with a sense of duty towards the empire, was unsure of.

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit?”

Thus I finally met the Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant Karl Adelheit.

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit! It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness!”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Just, don’t shout so loudly.”

He was just, really, an utterly ordinary young man that one could see anywhere.

* * *

In my past life, I once shook hands with a colonel.

Yeah. A colonel. Three stars. Lucky, right? Are you fucking kidding me?

It’s not luck, It was really fucked. My hands are still shaking.

I don’t know how many eyes were looking at me in that split second.

Each and every one of them had a meaning behind their gaze.

– If you make a mistake, you die. If anything comes out of the colonel’s mouth, you and I are both dead. –

But today, a buster call from worse than three stars came flying to me.

“Relax. Her Highness The Princess is coming soon.”

The Princess. The Emperor’s Daughter. An invincible being who would make the stars look pale in comparison.

And such a person has come to personally award me a medal and give a congratulatory speech.

She even said she wants to meet me for a moment and is on her way to the waiting room!

Please, no. Please, don’t come. Damn it, why does it always have to be a soldier’s background!

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit?”

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit! It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness!”

But this body started as a private and made it to Sergeant safely discharged.

This much can be easily overcome. I didn’t eat my rations through a straw!

“Oh, uh, yeah. Just, don’t shout so loudly.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

The First Princess, Miquella. I haven’t met her before, but I’ve heard of her.

During the War in Luzerne, this woman was also in the imperial army like me.

To be precise, I was a private and Miquella was an officer.

“Your physique is more impressive than I expected.”

“I apologize!”

“No need to apologize. Just an observation. More importantly, you resemble Rika.”

Rika? You mean my sister Rika?

“Excuse me, but I’d like to ask what relationship you have with my sister.”

“Friends. Let’s just leave it at that for now.”

That’s strange. I’ve never heard of my sister being friends with the princess.

Did she not say it out of embarrassment, or is it some kind of tacit understanding?

“I’ll say the same thing later, but I just came to express my gratitude.”

“I’ve just done what I had to do.”

“Indeed. Just did what you had to do. But those who fulfill their duties should rightfully be respected. Without that, which soldier would try to protect the country, and who would try to become a hero?”

…Hmm. I almost cringed for a moment.

Not because my efforts were acknowledged, but because it seemed like my comrades were being recognized.

All the things I’ve experienced so far somehow had meaning, in some way or another.

“So, you can be proud of yourself. No, you must. Because you’re the one who remembers those who’ve gone before us. That’s the best tribute we can offer.”

“….”

“There. Rise and shine, it’s time for the ceremony. Sergeant.”

Bbe proud of yourself.

Those words would probably remain in my mind for quite a long time.

* * *

“Distinguished guests. Let me first offer a prayer to our protector and guide. O Light, bless this ceremony with your radiance today. Sergeant Karl Adelheit was a brave soldier and a warm person. As a member of the Imperial Army–”

Prayers to the gods. And a blessing from the bishop of the Order of Light.

I stood nervously, awaiting the ceremony with all my body.

‘I imagined myself to be more carefree, given that I rescued hundreds. But no.’

A smile crept onto my face. I think I understand now why Rika was so worried about me.

To call me a war hero… It felt a bit thin to say I did such amazing things alone.

Of course, there’s nothing more foolish than judging a person by their appearance.

“…Next, we’ll proceed with the presentation of the medal by the First Princess.”

It’s my turn. The most important moment. To express gratitude to the hero on behalf of the empire and the royal family.

After adjusting my clothes, I stood up and cleared my throat before stepping forward.

“Thank you all for attending today.”

After some appropriate greetings, I mentioned how powerful the empire currently is.

And in all of this, I made sure to acknowledge everyone’s contribution.

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit. We are truly delighted to honor his heroic deeds today with this prestigious medal. Furthermore, we deeply respect his noble acts.”

It wasn’t just reading off a prepared script. If not for them, at least for me.

Those who willingly sacrificed themselves for the empire and the royal family. Regardless of their status, we must bow our heads to them with infinite respect and admiration.

“Sergeant Karl Adelheit, I express my gratitude once again for your dedication to the empire.”

Next were detailed accounts of his heroic actions.

Honestly, it was tough to memorize all of it. It was a lot of work.

But, I did it. I couldn’t just read off a piece of paper in front of the medal recipient.

“…He performed a miracle by rescuing a total of 267 people. As a result, those who were saved likely number in the thousands. A true hero of the empire. Now, we are honored to present him with this prestigious medal.”

The colonel held up the medal next to me, a shining symbol of sacrifice.

“The esteemed Emperor himself, after considering the opinions of the Imperial Council and Ministry of War, has decided to award this medal in recognition of your great spirit, whose bravery and sacrifice, unflinching in the face of all odds, saved countless lives.”

The medal was placed around Karl’s neck.

This wasn’t something he wanted or asked for.

But still, we had to do this. So that we could remember.

“If you have anything you’d like to say…”

As usual, I asked the honoree for a word.

Karl, who seemed hesitant for a moment, finally spoke up.

“I… I was just lucky.”

After a brief pause, Karl spoke slowly.

“The real heroes are the comrades who didn’t return.”

Thunderous applause erupted for him. Karl looked sad.

I earnestly prayed that the sound would reach his comrades as well.