In the distant past, clothing was a survival tool created for hairless humans to survive. It protected their weak and smooth skin from the scorching sun, the howling wind, the swirling dust, and the biting cold. Clothes were so precious that cloth and silk, the materials for clothing, were sometimes traded like currency.
However, now that alchemy has emerged and weaving technology has advanced, clothes are no longer that precious. Of course, this is equivalent to saying that air is not precious. It is essential, but so common and abundant that it is difficult to feel grateful for it every time.
So clothes changed their purpose. From warmth and protection, to a mark indicating status and position.
I was wearing the Military Nation's uniform for the first time in a while. The dark blue, stiff garment wrapped around my body in a not-so-pleasant way. It fits my body perfectly, but precisely because of that, the slight discomfort it causes makes my body tense.
Nevertheless, the uniform paid off its uncomfortable price. It made the Military Nation's soldiers think of me as one of their own.
Especially the star on my chest, a different color from usual.
Lieutenant General Garlik looked at the star and muttered.
"Brigadier General...?"
"Loyalty. Brigadier General Hughes reporting. It's not much of an honor to meet you like this."
It would be uncomfortable. Lieutenant General Garlik was currently detaining and threatening a signal officer to receive military supplies, and embezzling them. Right in the middle of sucking honey, an outsider, and one with a star no less, casually stepped into the unit.
Lieutenant General Garlik asked his subordinate.
"Major. Was there a Brigadier General like that?"
"As far as I know, there is no general by the name of Hughes... But I don't know the Brigadier Generals well. Brigadier General is an honorary position given to external figures with special capabilities."
"Then there's a possibility of impersonation."
"That's true... but."
"Right. I've never seen a Brigadier General named Hughes either. What does this mean?"
An unfamiliar outsider intruding while committing corruption. Then what's the first thing to do?
As expected, the Lieutenant General did not deviate from my expectations. He immediately gathered his qi and shouted.
"Impersonator of a general! Arrest him immediately!"
His subordinates looked back and forth between me and Lieutenant General Garlik, hesitating. They were afraid because I was also a general. Lieutenant General Garlik pointed at me and yelled.
"What are you all doing! Letting an outsider parade around inside the base without any proper identification? I'll punish you all under military law first! If you don't want to see a more miserable sight, arrest him now!"
At the Lieutenant General's shout, the interior of the conference room divided into two groups.
One side was those still hesitating. And the other side was those who tried to catch me following Lieutenant General Garlik's command.
"See? I told you there was something fishy, right?"
When I lived in the Military Nation before, even generals who had mastered the Qi Suppression Art couldn't handle me. What's a general? I struggled to catch even officers.
But now it's different.
"Hyah."
Kwaaaaang.
I grabbed a captain who lunged at me and slammed him straight into the ground. The floor broke and the captain fell straight down to the floor below. After lightly dusting off my hands, I grabbed the major by the collar. After first breaking the wall with my fist, I threw the major far away. The major screamed "Aaaah!" and crashed into a haystack.
The people who saw my unexpected power flinched.
Having awakened the Human Principle, I have reached the biological extreme. In terms of raw strength alone, I'm at the level of the King of Beasts. Officers who haven't even properly tasted the Qi Suppression Art are no match for me.
...No, actually, isn't the Military Nation just a pathetic country? Their overall level is low. These so-called officers haven't even properly learned the Qi Suppression Art.
'Strong...! Easily at the level of a Six-Star General! Damn it, where did such a monster come from...?! Could it be because of the signal officer?'
Even a rotten fish still has some use. At the Lieutenant General level, they develop an eye for judging situations. Lieutenant General Garlik shouted at the remaining officers.
"Y-you! What are you doing!"
"What do you mean, Lieutenant General Garlik. Why did these soldiers with such professional dedication let an outsider into the base without any proper identification?"
No matter what, the Military Nation is still the Military Nation. They wouldn't let me in with a free pass just because I claimed to be impersonating a general. Then how did I do it?
"Because I revealed my identity and showed my power beforehand. They knew they couldn't stop me."
"Y-you! Disobeying a superior's order! All of you..."
"Shut up, Lieutenant General!"
A lieutenant colonel who had been sitting quietly jumped up.
"I've actually been suspicious all along! The suddenly increased supplies, the luxury goods that kept coming! Anyone can see it's suspicious!"
"When I checked the inventory as Brigadier General Hughes said, even at a glance, the quantities didn't match! Unless the Lieutenant General embezzled them, it makes no sense!"
"You even interrogated the female officer who came to the military hospital! What exactly happened to her? Why has there been no news since she was dragged to the Lieutenant General's room!"
"And you're a married man!"
"Damn it, there are so many suspicious points that I can't even figure out what you came here for!"
When there were no problems, they just let it slide. But when problems arise, it's a different story. The officers who had been feeling anxious all joined together to criticize the Lieutenant General.
Suddenly cornered, Lieutenant General Garlik swallowed a groan.
"K-keuk. You all...!"
"Now, now, now. Everyone calm down. Lieutenant General Garlik. Shall we have a little chat?"
When I approached with a smile, Lieutenant General Garlik rolled his eyes.
'If I just get rid of this guy, I can solve the problem! The problem is...!'
I wonder what he'll do. Will he take one more step forward from here, or will he compromise and surrender?
'...Can't win!'
Lieutenant General Garlik was a practical person. He put on a servile expression and slightly lowered his head. He looked exactly like a small dog tucking its tail.
"B-Brigadier General Hughes. There has been a misunderstanding."
"Let's hear about the misunderstanding in the interrogation room. Lieutenant Colonel Chambra. Arrest Major Fogoten. Captain Kaminski, go to the supply sergeant and check the material status. He's likely an accomplice too, so be careful."
"Yes, sir!"
'He knows all our ranks and duties.'
'He must be from the Military Nation's Public Security Bureau!'
No. I read your minds. I didn't come from the Public Security Bureau. Actually, I'm not even a Brigadier General.
But so what? If you believe that, then I become that person.
"And Lieutenant General Garlik, please come with me."
I walked ahead, and Lieutenant General Garlik followed behind me with a face that looked ten years older.
In the interrogation room, I liberated Signal Officer Diyu. Having regained her freedom, she couldn't simply rejoice. It was because she had already told Lieutenant General Garlik everything about the signal officer. Signal Officer Diyu suffered from the fact that she had failed to fulfill her duty.
"I felt something wrong with my health and went to the military hospital, but was detained by Lieutenant General Garlik, and while being interrogated, leaked the signal officer's secrets... Hmm. This is a headache."
"That's right... This officer has abandoned the duty of a signal officer... Sob, hic..."
"Don't cry. Captain Diyu. If the Captain is guilty, then I am guilty as well."
"Sob... I didn't hear that well...?"
MjcxVFo4d001MHFyUFkzTTZqZG5xNFVvMWFObzRNWTJMRUpIQXRBT0dMbm5sZkdUVlA2L2tTZ3NEVFhrMUdNbg
"If Captain Diyu failed to keep the duty of a signal officer, then I who failed to protect the Captain also failed to fulfill my duty. The sin and responsibility do not lie with the Captain alone."
There is no sin or responsibility on my part. But let me say empty words. Perhaps because signal officers live isolated lives, their favorability goes up if you just whisper sweet words to them. Having secured Diyu's favorability, I turned to the one who had actually committed the crime.
"Now. Lieutenant General Garlik. I have two options. One is a certain and clear option, and one is still an uncertain option."
I have two options. One is to surrender to my sister and become her standard, and the other is to resist my sister.
"Either dispose of everything related to the Lieutenant General. Or bury this matter and move on."
If you don't want to die, you must become the standard. But unlike others, I cannot become my sister's standard. If that happens, humans will no longer be free even in their hearts.
Then I must fight against my sister. The odds are slim, but it's not entirely impossible.
If I fully take the Military Nation into my hands and complete the Anti-Imperial Front.
"This is a secret among secrets, so according to military law, I should silence the Lieutenant General."
"Gasp!"
"Honestly, that would be easier for me too, but the current situation is unusual. Hasn't the Nger Plains area been turbulent lately?"
"T-that's right. The Wolf King appeared, or some meteor fell. The border area has been quite noisy lately. My subordinates and I were also exhausted from being deployed continuously recently. Supplies were also very insufficient..."
To complete the Anti-Imperial Front, the Military Nation is essential. The Principality, the League of Nations, and the Demonic Federation are nations with 'differences' that my sister cannot tolerate. Ideologically, they have no choice but to resist my sister.
But the Military Nation is different. The Military Nation is the closest country to my sister's ideal empire. It has the highest probability of becoming my sister's ally.
That is why I must take the Military Nation into my hands.
For me to use.
I sighed and spoke as if reluctant.
"Lieutenant General Garlik, the Lieutenant General simply coerced the signal officer and received excess supplies through false reports."
"...What does that mean?"
"I mean to let it go. Detaining and threatening the signal officer, and forcing false reports to embezzle materials. I will end all those crimes as simple false reporting. This way you'll receive disciplinary action but won't be 'disposed of.'"
That's why even trash opportunists like Lieutenant General Garlik are precious to me. What I gain from executing them are corpses and fear, but if I win them over and have them keep each other in check, I add one more follower. Moreover, his garrison is at the border closest to the Empire. It would be troublesome to create a military vacuum at the border now.
I am weak. The Military Nation is also weak.
That is why I must compromise. Even with such a weak and cowardly human.
"Actually, if the Lieutenant General had kept all the supplies to himself, or harmed Captain Diyu, or resisted investigation and attacked me, it would have ended right there. In a way, the Lieutenant General was lucky."
"T-thank you...! Honestly, I didn't intend to go this far either."
Truly lucky. If the world had been a little more peaceful and I didn't need you, it wouldn't have been this easy.
...No, maybe it hasn't been resolved yet. Because while I'm speaking as a possessed Brigadier General, I'm actually a Brigadier General impersonator. And the signal officer system is the Military Nation's most critical secret.
A short distance away, Diyu had something like a telescope attached to her head. It's a contact-type unique magic circle shared between signal officers. Signal Officer Diyu was faithful to her duty even right after being rescued.
"Signal Officer Diyu reporting. Abi. There is a matter that must be communicated directly."
[Diyu. This is Abi. Do not resist at all and stay where you are. Forces have been sent to rescue you.]
"You already grasped the situation. It's fine now. This officer has been rescued and is in a safe state. Regarding this matter, a detailed report..."
[...Repeat. Did you say you were rescued?]
It's a matter serious enough that if Hilde were still in the Military Nation, she would have mobilized immediately. Although Hilde is currently away, what will happen? Should I just leave it be?
[...Diyu. This is Abi. The forces sent from headquarters have not yet arrived at the Southwest Canyon garrison.]
"Question...? This officer was rescued thanks to the Brigadier General, but...?"
[Have you verified the identity of that Brigadier General?]
Being a signal officer, one would naturally know the personal information of all generals. Moreover, Brigadier General is a special kind of honorary position among generals, so there aren't many of them. A Brigadier General unknown to a signal officer cannot exist.
Yeah. You're only faithful to your duty, but you're not very reliable. To realize that only now.
[Diyu. I repeat. Wait at that location without making it obvious. I have already contacted the rescue team. They will arrive within 10 minutes.]
Diyu's expression hardened. She slowly turned her head without even managing her facial expression.
I told you not to make it obvious. There are individual differences even among signal officers. With this kind of carelessness...
I smiled to show reassurance, and Diyu's expression turned ashen.
[Diyu....]
Hmm. This is troublesome. If the fact that I'm an impersonator is revealed here, the connection I painstakingly made with Lieutenant General Garlik will be ruined. I thought a signal officer would be more thorough.
What should I do. Should I stall for some time...
Bang.
A dry gunshot rang out. From somewhere outside the building, invisible, a gun was fired. Since the Military Nation adopts guns as standard weapons, the gunshot itself isn't strange.
However, there was only one gunshot this loud and far-reaching. I looked toward where the gunshot came from and fell into thought.
...I didn't expect to meet so soon.