Lieutenant Mospitza’s nervous face grew even redder. The blood vessels on his forehead were dangerously close to bursting.
“You scoundrel! To report to both myself, the superior officer, and the captain at the same time, what is the meaning of this!”
“But didn’t you just give me permission?”
“Wha- permission? I don’t recall giving any such thing! Not a single bit!”
“But you did. Earlier, when I told Lieutenant Mospitza that I thought it was a matter requiring the captain’s guidance, and that I’d like to consult the captain, he said I could decide whether to bring it up.”
“…So what if I said that? Isn’t that correct?”
As the nervous man ranted, Captain Lorenzo gave a puzzled expression.
“Lieutenant Mospitza, did you say that?”
“I certainly did! Without a doubt! And yet, this man ignored it!”
“But didn’t you also say this: [I only said to avoid being disrespectful to the captain]?”
“…Uhh…”
Lieutenant Mospitza groaned and fell silent. An unpleasant atmosphere once again filled the room. The sweat pouring from his body was now soaked into the carpet. Perhaps he really was coming down with a cold.
“Which of your statements is the truth?”
“Uh, well, that is, somehow…”
“Lieutenant Mospitza. I advise you, if you keep piling lie upon lie, the timeline will not add up. It would be best to refrain from that.”
“Shut up! I haven’t lied at all!”
“But the details don’t match up.”
“…No, it’s like this. I had forgotten. You were telling such outrageous lies that I got flustered and inadvertently said [that’s all I said]. Captain Lorenzo, this Mospitza, I swear by the heavens that I have not lied.”
“…Alright, I’ll believe you.”
Lieutenant Mospitza managed to push through with sheer force and intensity. His expression changed to one of having narrowly escaped death, then instantly transformed into that of a fish that had found water.
“So, Hazen Lieutenant. You, of all people, ignored the statement of myself, your superior officer, and presumed to take the matter to the captain. Isn’t this a serious breach of military discipline?”
“No, that’s not the case.”
“Why not!? Explain your reason! Rea-son!”
“…Don’t you understand?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you just declare earlier that you were denying your own statement?”
” …… “
” …… “
“…Aaaahh!?”
Once again, Lieutenant Mospitza broke out in a heavy sweat.
Just what was this man trying to do, flip-flopping between claiming he “said” or “didn’t say” his previous statements. Hazen sighed quietly and continued.
“May I move on to the main topic now?”
“No, that’s, uh, not what I meant. I denied that I said [to hurry up and go home without talking to the captain]…”
“Lieutenant Mospitza.”
“Ah! No, that’s a lie. I didn’t say that.”
“Enough. I understand you were lying.”
As soon as Captain Lorenzo responded, Lieutenant Mospitza’s expression turned to one of despair.
Seeing Lieutenant Mospitza looking deathly pale, Hazen gave a puzzled look.
“Lieutenant Mospitza, are you alright? Could it be you’re unwell?”
“Haha, Hazen Lieutenant. You’re being mean.”
“Mean…?”
I don’t understand at all.
“Drop the insincere act. You exposed Lieutenant Mospitza’s lies and revealed them to me, the captain. It’s no wonder he’s panicking.”
“Is that what this is about?”
Hazen was visibly surprised as he looked at Captain Lorenzo.
“So that’s how it is… However, lying to a superior officer could be considered a violation of military regulations.”
“That may be true, but the lie that Lieutenant Mospitza told is meaningless either way.”
“…What do you mean?”
Lorenzo had a puzzled expression on his face.
“Whether I said this or not, to be honest, I thought it was a meaningless conversation. In other words, a conversation without value.”
“……”
“A lie told in a conversation without value is ultimately worthless. So, whether it was a lie or not, does it really matter?”
“But it is still a violation of military regulations.”
“We are senior officers, are we not?”
Upon hearing this, Captain Lorenzo looked surprised.
“And what of that? Surely you don’t mean to say that as senior officers, we don’t have to follow the regulations?”
“No, that’s not it. We are the ones who are supposed to uphold, enforce, and establish the regulations. Therefore, shouldn’t we focus on understanding and implementing the essence of our military duties, rather than nitpicking?”
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“……”
“I don’t think the regulations are infallible. Most people, to a greater or lesser extent, violate them. But if we get hung up on every small transgression, we’ll lose sight of the core purpose.”
“…So?”
“For us, the regulations are not something to be blindly obeyed. Rather, we should be in a position to utilize the regulations in accordance with their essence. From that perspective, our previous exchange was inconsequential. Of course, I have no mercy for those who try to nitpick the regulations and engage in pointless arguments.”
Hazen glanced at Lieutenant Mospitza, who seemed to be in a different world.
“…I see. You really are an unusual man.”
Captain Lorenzo looked at Hazen intently.
“Of course, if the Captain is bothered by it, I have no authority to stop. But I’d rather move on to the main topic.”
“Haha. Well, I can’t say I’m particularly bothered by it. Lieutenant Mospitza, it seems Second Lieutenant Hazen has saved your sensibilities. Be more careful next time.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant Mospitza lowered his head, looking like he was about to cry.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Regarding the Kumin tribe prisoners, do you think we could use them to negotiate a ceasefire?”
“…Hmm.”
“Lieutenant Hazen! Do you dare to interfere with the Empire’s grand military strategy?”
Instantly, Lieutenant Mospitza came back to life, yelling. Hazen was impressed in a way by the man’s persistence. Should he say that he is not easily discouraged?
“Yes, I am proposing it.”
“Preposterous! You, a lieutenant who has been in service for barely ten days, daring to meddle in the grand strategy of a colonel…this is a grave matter!”
“…Lieutenant Mospitza, please be silent for a moment.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Lieutenant Hazen, your proposal is quite interesting. Please tell me more about it.”
It seems that Hazen has successfully piqued the Captain’s interest. Hazen spread out a map of the northern Garna region and drew some lines.
“This is?”
“This is the estimated activity area of the Kumin tribe, based on the location of their appearances.”
“…How were you able to determine this?”
“I had my subordinates compile the locations of their appearances and compile statistics. I also had them conduct inquiries with other units and check past records.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Yes. There is a Private named Edal who is very intelligent.”
Hazen himself did not expect that his subordinates would go to such lengths. Private Edal had understood his intentions and done an even better job than expected.
“So you didn’t do this yourself?”
“Yes, sir.”
“…I see. And then?”
“Their living area is mainly in the mountains. For us who live in the plains, there are few opportunities to utilize them. Nevertheless, due to the territorial expansion policy, we are forced to fight them.”
The territorial expansion policy is a core policy of the Empire. The overarching directive from the Emperor is that the territory must be expanded bit by bit every year, with the eventual goal of unifying the entire continent.
“But as an Imperial soldier, the territorial expansion policy is unavoidable, no matter how reckless it may be. The territory must be taken.”
“That’s why I propose a ceasefire, to focus our efforts on attacking…the territory of the Duchy of Diode.”
“…So you’re planning to take this on a full-scale?”
“Yes. Until now, we had to be prepared for the attacks of the Kumin tribe as well, so we couldn’t take an aggressive stance. If we can establish a ceasefire, the Duchy of Diode will effectively have to deal with both us, the Imperial Army, and the Kumin tribe.”
“…But I’m not sure if that will work out so well.”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s worth a try. This time, the 8th platoon captured a mage from the Kumin tribe.”
They probably don’t want to lose such valuable human capital. If communication can be established, there is a possibility of sitting down at the negotiating table.
“So who do you propose to be the negotiator? I’ve never heard of anyone who can converse with the Kumin tribe.”
“I will go. Also, as the interpreter… I will use a 6-year-old girl,”
Captain Lorenzo’s eyes widened at this.
It’s no wonder he was surprised. Even for a noble, a 6-year-old is just starting to learn to read and write. For a commoner, it’s around the time they begin helping with the family business, and even then they can only speak their native language fluently.
A 6-year-old interpreter of a foreign tribe? That’s unheard of.
“You’re joking, right?”
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