425 – The Marshal cannot retire (3)
Imperial Palace.
I came to the imperial palace to apply for discharge and as I was walking down the hallway, my steps felt light and cheerful.
It’s been a long time since the corners of my mouth fell on my ears, and my heart swells with anticipation for the happiness and peace that life will bring in the future.
I have risen to the highest position a soldier can achieve.
He saved the empire from crisis and laid the foundation for becoming a ‘hegemony.’
‘Now I have no more regrets.’
“Wow, it’s a nice day. Isn’t that right, Captain Karl?”
Carol smiled bitterly at those words.
“Yes, Marshal. The day is truly sunny. “It would be perfect to go to a place with a nice view.”
“What does the Marshal say? He’s going to submit an application for discharge now, so he’ll soon become a civilian. Just call me Marquis Jaeger.”
“I honestly have no idea that the Marshal has been discharged.”
After becoming possessed in this world, I continued to live as a soldier for nearly 30 years.
I only served as an officer and commander in the Reich Empire…
Now that I have asked His Majesty to retire, I feel very happy but also sad to think that I will just stay in my villa and relax like my father-in-law.
‘Still, it would be too greedy to stay here any longer.’
I wish I could do more, but I do have some regrets.
When you leave, you should leave gracefully, as they say, the back of someone you know is beautiful.
Feeling such complicated emotions, I slapped Carol on the shoulder.
“If you think about it that way, I can’t believe you’re entering the academy.”
This is a smart Carol who has been steadily preparing to enter the Academy.
This guy did a better job by my side than any other officer who graduated from the academy after being judged as outstanding.
Looking at this guy, I feel like I don’t need an academy course at all.
Still, I had to go because ‘educational background’ was essential to succeed as an imperial officer during the peaceful times.
He will have the Bronze Knight Sword medal on his school uniform, so if other students grovel, he will grovel, but no one will start a fuss.
However, due to his personality, he will not show off and show off at school, and will grow by getting along well with other kids.
From noble mtl dot com
‘I wonder if this little guy will one day wear a star and rise to the rank of enemy.’
There are many things I want to keep an eye on even after I retire, so I want to live as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Don’t be stressed.
Karl shrugged his shoulders at my words and then spoke.
“For my contribution in participating in this expedition, I was promoted to first rank and received a small fiefdom. So now you’re a major.”
Although he did not achieve any outstanding achievements, he participated in the battle to gain the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and 42 duchies.
In other words, in a situation where everyone who participated in the war had no choice but to receive a reward, he served as the adjutant general of the Imperial Army, so he was definitely promoted and received some territory.
“Huh, back in my day, there was no officer who earned the rank of major before entering the academy.”
“This is all thanks to the Marshal and my comrades who fought together in Bastion. And the Marshal’s academic achievement award has not been announced yet…”
I shook my head at those words.
“You will be granted the title of duke, a few more suitable fiefdoms, and an honorary title. “After my essay is announced, please come to my house to play with your grandmother.”
“I will go willingly.”
“And now that I’m entering the academy, I’ll have to think about getting married soon. Tell me when you get married. “I will officiate the wedding.”
When I was sorting out these sad feelings while chatting about all kinds of things.
A servant appeared next to me and said.
“Marshal Jaeger, Your Majesty is looking for you. Please come inside.”
With those words, I untied the dagger from my waist, handed it to Carol, and said,
“That is the last gift I give you as an enemy.”
**
As soon as I entered the Emperor’s office, His Majesty stood up from his seat, ran towards me, and hugged me tightly.
“Marshal Jaeger, how could a man who was the supreme commander of a country risk so much risk and fight at the vanguard? And then he says, what will happen to me and the empire if I get hurt somewhere?”
Hearing those words, I bowed my head and apologized.
“There was no choice for the empire to win. “But I came back unscathed, so please forgive me.”
“I forgive you because you were not hurt. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“I am devastated.”
As I looked around, I realized that under normal circumstances, the Grand Master and other servants would have looked uncomfortable.
Now I’m just trying to turn my face away and clear my throat.
“Ah hmm, a hmm.”
I guess because the scale of my achievements is so great, I don’t have the courage to say anything to His Majesty like this.
His Majesty also slowly let go of me and slightly raised the corners of his mouth with a gentle smile.
“The major I chose this time was truly amazing. He led a million-strong army and took over the Grand Duchy of Warsaw with minimal casualties. The Allied countries, including the Grand Duchy of Czechia, received enormous amounts of territory and money that far exceeded expectations. Thanks to this, our empire has now become the only hegemony on Europa, and all that remains is to spread its wings and fly.”
“It is an honor.”
His Majesty patted my shoulder and smiled softly.
“I think all of this is thanks to having you as my enemy. There are many things left in our empire that will require your skills in the future. Are you really planning on retiring though?”
As I listened to the emperor’s words, I recalled past events.
He was possessed by a 15-year-old orphan and struggled to somehow enter the academy and change his ways to survive. He achieved victory by carrying out a ridiculous surprise attack on the Rhineland front, where he was originally supposed to be defeated.
In addition, he destroyed the enemy’s supplies in Czechia.
Just when I thought I had settled down, I had to lead the 7th Division from Lichen Hill to hold off the enemy’s 100,000-strong army.
Recently, they stopped the Allied forces that attacked with a 1 million-strong army at Bastion and even occupied the Grand Duchy of Warsaw.
I have lived a very difficult but rewarding life for nearly 30 years.
So, while my head is happy to know that I have to retire, my heart feels sad that I have to retire.
‘Now it’s time to go.’
I smiled and answered those words.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I did everything I could as a general of a country. “I was able to save His Majesty from the danger of death, saved the empire from the crisis of ruin, and now laid the foundation for the empire to gain hegemony over the entire continent.”
The emperor smiled bitterly upon hearing my words.
“That’s right. You saved my life on Litzen Hill, and it was you who saved the empire from being consumed by the Allied forces led by the Archduke of Warsaw. The Grand Duchy of Warsaw and the 42 Allied Duchies have been handed over to me. As a subject, it is true that you have done everything you could have done for me.”
It is common for an ordinary monarch to keep in check or look down on a general who played a major role when the country was in danger of collapse.
Because it is true that if I ever point a sword at His Majesty, I could be taken down from the position of emperor.
You become unable to trust the subjects who devoted themselves to you.
But now, His Majesty’s eyes and voice are full of only goodwill toward me.
The reason we can talk about retirement while laughing like this is probably because I hoped to give up power first.
“I am so flattered and happy to hear you say that. So, as I said before my departure, I am now planning to retire. Even without me, there are many capable people, including senior captains, so I believe there will be no shortage of support for your Majesty’s reign. “I think my remaining role now is to watch the empire prosper from behind the scenes.”
“Can’t you think again?”
“As a mere subject, I have contributed too much under Your Majesty’s command. “If I continue to remain in the military, all the generals will become obsessed with looking after me, which will have a negative impact on the imperial army in the long run.”
I took a moment to catch my breath and handed the resignation letter I had already written to Her Majesty.
“I was able to come this far thanks to His Majesty’s trust in me and his full support. So, I will give all the credit I have contributed to Your Majesty. It is no longer helpful to the Empire for me to be by your side any longer. Now I will go back to the night and rest. I will resign from my position as Marshal. Please allow it.”
Hearing those words, His Majesty accepted my resignation with an expression as if he had no choice.
“I understand. As you wish, I will accept your resignation as Marshal. “As of today, Marquis Peter von Jaeger is no longer Marshal of the Imperial Army.”
“I am devastated.”
However, when His Majesty received the resignation letter, an ominous smile appeared on His Majesty’s face, not one of regret, but as if he had a plan.
“But I cannot accept that you are retiring like this. So I came up with another alternative.”
“…….?”
When I heard those words, I got goosebumps all over my body out of ominousness.
To be honest, I thought it would be difficult to completely retire, and I thought it would end with him receiving an honorary title and being often called to the imperial palace.
But…
His Majesty spoke as he handed me the documents he had prepared in advance.
“All the nobles of the Imperial Council unanimously opposed your retirement. So I thought carefully. “I decided it wasn’t right to keep you in the position of an enemy.”
After the goosebumps had disappeared, cold sweat began to break out.
“Therefore, I, Emperor Michael von Reich, hereby appoint Duke Peter Jaeger as ‘General Marshal of the Imperial Army’ as of the present time.”
Grand Marshal. Six stars instead of five?