Chapter 4: Organizational Corruption
The next day, Hazen returned to the fortress. He had a slight hangover, and his head was pounding. Ideally, he would have liked to be resting in bed, but reporting, communicating, and coordinating are the basic duties of a soldier.
Immediately, Hazen went straight to Lieutenant Mospitza’s room. The anxious-looking superior officer shot him a stern glance.
“You haven’t reported to Captain Lorenzo yet, have you?”
“No. I was ordered to report to you first.”
“Absolutely.”
“Yes.”
“You’re risking your life, aren’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Hazen was starting to get fed up with this incompetent man. He wanted to suggest to Captain Lorenzo that he [the lieutenant Mospitza] be eliminated, but he supposed the captain was already considering proper disciplinary action.
Hazen sighed deeply, resigning himself to the fate of a hired soldier.
Hazen briefly reported the results.
“…Unbelievable. Did you really accomplish a ceasefire agreement?”
“Yes. Here is the treaty, written in the Kumin and the imperial language .”
“This could be a forgery.”
“The Queen Vashia of the Kumin will visit the fortress soon. She will officially ratify the agreement. It would be best if Colonel Gedol attended.”
“The queen herself will come?”
“Yes.”
“…Unbelievable. Well, alright. However, this is a tremendous achievement. It’s the greatest accomplishment of the 4th Company since its inception! A special commendation… a special commendation, heh, hehehe.”
” …… “
Hazen thought this man was dangerous. Even though he had done nothing, or rather, had actively opposed and obstructed the efforts, he now tried to claim the credit for himself.
But oblivious to Hazen’s cold gaze, Lieutenant Mospitza whispered in a cloying, saccharine voice:
“Second Lieutenant Hazen?”
“…Yes.”
“The special commendation… well, you see, I’ve been thinking that it should be awarded to the 4th Company. The 8th Platoon has a reputation for poor conduct, you know.”
“By that logic, the 4th Company must also have poor conduct, since the 8th Platoon is part of the 4th Company.”
“…Huh?”
The previously cheerful Mospitza’s expression hardened, and his voice returned to its usual disgruntled tone. On the other hand, Hazen was relieved. If that sickly-sweet voice had continued whispering in his ear, he might have been tempted to lash out.
“…The poor conduct of the 8th Platoon does not implicate the entire 4th Company. Only the 8th Platoon has a bad record.”
“Then, if you’re recommending the special commendation, please limit it to just the 8th Platoon.”
“Huh? You were listening to my explanation, weren’t you?”
“Yes. According to your logic, if ‘the whole does not encompass the part,’ then the same should apply here.
“Tch…”
“To begin with, none of outside of the 8th Platoon squad have made any effort.”
“You scoundrel! Are you trying to hog all the credit?”
“That’s not my intention. However, I don’t want to share the credit with those who haven’t contributed. If it must be shared, I think the 8th squad is the most appropriate.”
The squad members had been pushed hard with investigations and preparations. Naturally, they deserved to be rewarded. However, Lieutenant Mospitza had only been a hindrance. The fact that he had to explain this felt utterly pointless to Hazen.
“…Then, you don’t recommend the special commendation at all?”
“As you wish.”
“Because you said, ‘the 8th Platoon is not part of the 4th Company,’ right?”
“No, I only said ‘the other members have not contributed any effort.’ I don’t recall saying anything about the 8th Platoon not being part of the 4th Company.”
“…Are you really sure you don’t want me to recommend it?”
“Yes.”
“Let me make this clear: I won’t recommend the commendation at all.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sergeant Hazen… why are you being so stubborn? Think more flexibly. Flexibly, flexibly!”
Again, Mospitza spoke in a slimy, cat-like voice.
“If we attribute the credit to the 4th Company as a whole, at least all the members of the 4th Company would receive an award. If you don’t recommend it, no one will get any commendation. Isn’t the choice obvious?”
Hazen shook his head.
“It would be wrong to receive an award for an accomplishment for who didn’t earn.”
“But that’s the established custom!”
Mospitza suddenly shouted in outrage.
“It’s a bad custom. If we don’t get rid of the bad traditions, the empire will fall.
“You, a mere lower rank, dare to speak of the Empire’s future?”
“Yes. As an imperial soldier, I always consider the future of the Empire in my actions.”
“…Are you saying I don’t consider the Empire’s future?”
“I’m not saying that, and it can’t be inferred from the context either, but I do think that’s the case.”
“You…!”
Mospitza tried to slap Hazen, but Hazen dodged it and unleashed a wind-slicing attack. The sudden gust of wind grazed the lieutenant’s cheek, causing him to instinctively collapse to the floor.
“Gah… gah gah…”
“Excuse me. There was a vermin on the lieutenant’s shoulder.”
Hazen shows the large vermin he has split in two and laughs. Of course, this was something he had prepared beforehand.
“You! You tried to kill me, didn’t you?”
“No, I just killed the vermin.”
“Don’t lie!”
“I’m not lying. I killed this vermin. I will kill vermins… and the vermins that are corroding the Empire, thoroughly.”
“Eek…”
Hazen gives the lieutenant Mospitza a piercing gaze.
“So, you won’t recommend me then? Is that really okay?”
“Yes.”
“…Really? Is that really okay?”
///
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///
“Excuse me, are you hard of hearing? I’ve said ‘yes’ several times already.”
“Well, I’m just double-checking, as it’s an important matter.”
“In that case, please be brief. I have a report to make to Captain Lorenzo afterward.”
!?
“Uooooooh!”
Lieutenant Mospitza lets out a high-pitched, strange cry.
“You. Are you saying you’ll report alone?”
“Yes.”
“Bypassing me, your superior officer?”
“I was directly instructed by Captain Lorenzo.”
“I haven’t received any such report order!”
“Yes.”
“Why won’t you report it?!”
“I wasn’t instructed to report it.”
“You should report it! You should-report-it!”
Lieutenant Mospitza stomps his foot on the ground as he shouts.
“Is that so? But it’s unreasonable to expect me to guess everything. You’ll need to clearly tell me or incorporate it into the instructions.”
“Grrr… This is an important matter, isn’t it?!”
“Yes.”
“Then why aren’t you reporting it?!”
“I didn’t recognize it as an important matter.”
“It is important! It’s important, dammit!”
“I see. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“It’s too late now! You’re too-slow!”
“I understand.”
Hazen answers calmly, and Lieutenant Mospitza gives him a look that seems to say “I can’t believe this.”
“You’re saying it’s too late, aren’t you? Don’t you have any explanation or excuse?”
“No. If it’s an important matter, you should clearly tell me or incorporate it into the instructions. It’s your own responsibility.”
“What did you say?!”
“Of course, if it’s an important matter for the Empire, I’ll accept your scolding. But I’ll only report the content to the captain. That was important only to you, so I didn’t know.”
“…Forget it!”
“I see. Then, excuse me.”
!?
“Waaaait! Wait, wait, wait!”
Lieutenant Mospitza quickly moves in front of the door, blocking the exit with his body.
“Ah, please don’t give contradictory instructions before and after. It confuses me.”
“Grrr… ‘Forget it’ doesn’t mean ‘leave.’ It means ‘I’m disappointed in you!'”
“I see.”
“Don’t you understand? That’s common sense!”
“I think it’s better to avoid ambiguous speech. It could disrupt the squad’s operations.”
“Grrr…”
“…”
” …… “
“…Then, excuse me.”
“Waaaait, wait, wait, wait!”
Lieutenant Mospitza blocks Hazen, who is trying to open the door and leave.
“Yes?”
“Why were you trying to leave?”
“I judged the conversation was over.”
“It’s not over! I said ‘I’m disappointed in you.'”
“Yes, and in response to that, I said ‘I see.’ I then judged the conversation was over.”
“Don’t mess with me! Normally, when a superior officer says they’re disappointed, you just stand there silently!”
“I see.”
“You understand, don’t you? Don’t you?!”
“I think it’s better to avoid ambiguous attitudes. It could disrupt the squad’s operations.”
“Grrrr… That’s right, I said ‘wait’! I said ‘wait,’ didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
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