Chapter 198 - The Calm Before The Storm (3)
It took a little while before Ernest and Robert could greet Charlotte.
They had to give her some time to compose herself, since she'd been crying her eyes out in Ferdinand's arms.
During that time, Ernest gently sent away the officers who had come running at the report that Heinz's car had arrived, while Robert went to check the supplies brought in by the Logistics Corps.
Charlotte, still nestled in Ferdinand's arms, was carried into the building.
Her maid hurried along behind, while the soldiers who had gotten out of the other car carried four large bags after them—most likely filled with clothes, cosmetics, and the like.
"She's such a thoughtless young lady."
One of the soldiers from the Logistics Corps muttered under his breath.
She'd come all the way to the front line, which was facing off against the enemy nation, just to see her fiancé, making life more difficult for everyone.
In that sense, his comment wasn't entirely wrong.
"You'd better watch what you say."
"Ah! I-I'm sorry!"
Ernest placed his hand firmly on the soldier's shoulder and warned him before continuing on.
Charlotte might be a bit of a naïve young lady, but to Ernest, she was his friend's fiancée, the Corps Chief of Staff's future daughter-in-law, and a noblewoman.
A lowly soldier had no right to speak carelessly about her.
"Let's wait for a bit. It'll take some time for her to calm down and fix her makeup."
Baumann said this in a slightly amused tone as he headed toward the barracks.
Ernest followed Baumann into the barracks, giving Robert a meaningful glance as he checked the supplies.
Robert waved his hand lazily in response.
Ernest spent some quiet time with Baumann.
Baumann read a book, while Ernest studied the Konchanya language.
In the Empire, the Imperial Language was held in the highest regard, so few people bothered to learn any others.
Still, some learned for reasons like diplomacy or trade.
Ernest was one of those people—he sought out others with such interests and studied Konchanya with them.
Even though he could have, Ernest didn't ask Baumann anything about Charlotte.
Baumann didn't offer up anything, either.
Speaking thoughtlessly about a lady who hadn't been officially introduced was rude, and discussing a friend's fiancée was equally improper—especially if it risked fostering prejudice or gossip.
The only things Baumann had ever said about Charlotte were her age—sixteen—and that she wanted to be seen as Hartmann's future mistress.
Considering how small and delicate Charlotte was, it was understandable he'd clarify her age, and everyone knew that, as Ferdinand was Heinz's eldest grandson, she'd eventually become Mistress of the Hartmann family after marrying him.
So, truthfully, Baumann never made any idle remarks about Charlotte at all; he simply reminded others to treat her with proper respect.
"Oh, what a pain. This is exhausting."
A little while later, Robert came into the room.
He pretended to dust off spotless clothes and exaggerated his weariness.
The real heavy lifting was done by the NCOs and the soldiers.
As quartermaster, there was no reason for Robert himself to be hauling any supplies.
"Already finished?"
"What do you mean, already! Do you know how much I've suffered!"
"Robert really is talented. I can't believe we've been using someone like him as a mere platoon leader all this time."
"I liked it, though. Outside of drills, whatever I asked, he always got it done, so he was easy to use."
"Don't say things like 'using your friend,' you jerks! By the way, Baumann, how long are you going to stay platoon leader? Aren't you going to move up to staff officer?"
"It's not like you can just go up because you want to."
"Then why did I move up?"
"Because Ernest asked for you to be promoted."
"Ernest is the worst guy here."
"No way, you're the worst. I guarantee it."
The moment Robert stepped in, the room that had been so quiet suddenly burst to life.
He took off his thick, uncomfortable jacket, hung it up, and flopped down on a chair.
"So, how long are we going to keep doing this?"
"Until Ferdinand calls us."
"And the work?"
"This is our job right now."
The Corps Chief of Staff's future grandaughter-in-law and an unofficial inspection team from Corps Headquarters had arrived at the front lines.
The current mission assigned to Ferdinand's friends was to meet with Charlotte, the Ferdinand's future wife, greet her, engage in casual conversation, and do their best to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable.
Honestly, just treating her naturally would be best for everyone involved.
Still, they had to understand that the other officers couldn't help but make a fuss, given the circumstances of being soldiers.
Knock, knock, knock.
Their chatter came to an abrupt stop at the sound of a polite knock.
They exchanged glances, hastily straightened up, and adjusted their clothes.
"Come in," Baumann said as he stood.
Ernest and Robert also rose to their feet.
The door opened, and Ferdinand entered first.
Holding the door open, he carefully gestured inside, ushering Charlotte in.
She nervously stepped in, visibly trying to suppress her anxiety.
The lady's maid slipped in behind them, as quiet as a ghost, and took her place at the side of the room.
Although Charlotte had touched up her makeup, her eyes were puffy from crying so much.
She gave Baumann a small nod, then, catching sight of the unfamiliar Ernest and Robert, instinctively clung to Ferdinand's hand.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. This is my fiancée, Charlotte Spiegelmann," Ferdinand said, gingerly holding Charlotte's hand as if afraid he might break it while introducing her.
Her small hand looked as if it disappeared in Ferdinand's large grasp
"Lotte, these are my friends, Robert Jimman and Ernest Krieger."
Ferdinand then gestured to Robert and Ernest, introducing them to Charlotte.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Charlotte. I'm Robert Jimman."
"I'm Ernest Krieger."
Unusually, Robert greeted her politely, and Ernest followed suit.
Charlotte looked flustered, her lips trembling, but then she let go of Ferdinand's hand.
Gathering up the hem of her dress—now dirtied from the mud—she curtsied with as much grace as she could muster.
"I'm Charlotte, Ferdie's fiancée. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Having said that, her cheeks flushed bright red, and she shyly hid her face behind Ferdinand's shoulder.
She was embarrassed, both from having been seen crying and because her eyes were still swollen.
"Ferdie, this is your fault."
Seeing this, Robert made a comment out of the blue.
As everyone's attention shifted to him in the awkward silence, Robert shrugged nonchalantly and quipped,
"Well, it's true. If this blockhead hadn't insisted on coming out to the field, Lady Charlotte wouldn't have had to worry herself sick and cry over her fiancé."
"Well… yeah, I suppose you're right."
Baumann, debating whether or not to point out that Robert had brought up her crying again, just gave a wry smile and agreed
"How long are we going to stand around? Young Lady, you should sit as well."
"I'm fine, really."
"No, if you stand, it just makes the rest of us uncomfortable. Unless you want us to look like bad people, please join us. If you don't mind, you can sit next to me."
"In that case, I'll sit beside Charlotte."
Robert managed to persuade Charlotte's lady's maid to sit down as well.
He tried, rather brazenly, to have her sit next to him, but in truth, despite how he sounded, Robert was terribly shy and had a hard time talking to women.
Secretly, he was desperately hoping she would refuse his invitation.
Regardless, thanks to Robert, much of the awkward tension in the air eased noticeably.
"It would've been nice to make proper introductions, but things just turned out this way."
Feeling it was his duty to take the lead in conversation between his fiancée and his friends, Ferdinand struggled to find the right words.
Listening to this, Baumann cracked a slightly ironic smile.
He was reminded of when Ferdinand had introduced Charlotte to him and Georg.
"It's been nine years this year since I got engaged to Lotte. Originally, the plan was to graduate from the Military Academy and—well, that is, to get married this year. But because of the current situation, we had to postpone the wedding."
"..."
Ferdinand, just as nervous as Charlotte, rambled on incoherently.
Charlotte, her face flushed red, glanced up at Ferdinand from time to time.
It was obvious to anyone that the two of them were tightly holding hands under the table.
"So, so, then what happened?"
Robert, looking thoroughly entertained, rested his chin on his interlaced fingers and chimed in.
Ferdinand was so anxious he didn't even realize Robert was teasing him.
"As soon as the war ends, I intend to formally propose and get married. I'll invite you all to the wedding."
"Um… Ferdinand. Maybe you should calm down a little?"
"Leave him be. Let's see how far he goes."
When Ernest carefully tried to calm down Ferdinand, who was clutching his fiancée's hand and announcing his intentions to propose, Robert lightly tapped Ernest on the shoulder to stop him.
"Go on. We're listening."
"..."
At Robert's smiling prompt to continue, Ferdinand finally realized he'd been nervously rambling and abruptly shut his mouth.
Both Ferdinand's and Charlotte's hands, still tightly clasped together, were slick with sweat.
'This is a little hard to watch…'
Watching the two of them, Ernest started to feel nervous himself, for no real reason.
It honestly felt like he might suffocate from the tension.
"Um, excuse me."
"Y-yes!"
When Robert called out to Charlotte with a serious expression, she jumped, startled.
She thought he'd caught her fidgeting with Ferdinand's hand under the table.
Not that this wasn't already obvious to everyone.
"Is it true that Ferdie writes you love letters quoting poetry?"
"Robert."
Ferdinand tried to warn him through clenched teeth, but Robert acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
He knew Ferdinand, busy clasping his fiancée's hand under the table, wasn't about to lunge at him.
"...Yes."
Charlotte gave a tiny nod, blushing so deeply that her flushed cheeks were obvious even through her makeup.
Her ears, which she hadn't managed to cover with makeup, were bright red and looked about ready to burst.
"He's always done that, ever since he wrote me his first letter. I've kept every letter Ferdie has given me—they're all precious. He even writes poems just for me."
"Wow, really? You'd never guess, but it turns out Ferdie's actually incredibly thoughtful and sweet."
"Ferdinand may not look it, but he's actually really sensitive and emotional. Remember back when we were First Years?"
"Oh! Ah! I remember! Charlotte, did you know? Back when we were in our first year, there was this time I was really terrible at shooting, so I had to get extra training in the evening. Ferdinand came too… Wait, what did he say again?"
"He said, 'Even a weed, if it wishes to bloom, is surely a flower.'"
"Yes! That's it! People who work hard shine so brightly! That's probably what he meant! You're lucky to have a fiancé who's tall, strong, and has such a good personality!"
"…Yes."
"But does Ferdinand always act like this around you, Charlotte? When he's with us, he laughs and jokes around so loudly."
"Huh? Really?"
"Robert."
"Of course! He'll drink like there's no tomorrow and chat up a storm too!"
"Robert."
"Oh! Ferdie! Your fiancée wants to know more about you. How could I possibly stop now?"
"I… won't let you get away with this."
Ferdinand couldn't very well threaten Robert in front of Charlotte, so he settled for that toned-down warning.
Not that Robert cared—he had no intention of letting this golden opportunity slip by.
He put his remarkable storytelling skills to full use, sharing every kind of tale he could about Ferdinand.
While Ferdinand glared daggers at him, Robert pressed on.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had completely forgotten her nerves, her blue eyes sparkling as she hung on Robert's every word.
She focused intently, eager to discover more about this side of the man she loved—how Ferdinand, always so polite and composed around her, acted when he was with his friends.
Robert, though brimming with mischief, never said a bad word about Ferdinand.
Really, aside from being a bit stubborn, there wasn't much to criticize.
He was talented, came from a good background, had a strong sense of character, and—even if he resembled a bear a little—cut quite a dashing figure.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if the war ended soon and you could get married?"
"Yes!"
"But if Ferdinand got transferred to the rear, wouldn't you be able to get married sooner?"
"That's…!"
At Robert's words, Charlotte looked up at Ferdinand with wide, expectant eyes.
Ferdinand was at a loss, clearly uncomfortable.
"Ferdinand, if you get the chance, you should go to the rear. Charlotte's waiting for you," Baumann said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, hurry up and go to the rear already," Ernst added, using Charlotte as an excuse to try and get their stubborn blockhead of a friend somewhere safe.
"That's right! Go to the rear, get married soon, and live happily ever after!"
Robert fiercely criticized Ferdinand for willingly trudging into the field when he had a beautiful, sweet, and devoted fiancée like Charlotte waiting for him.
While Ferdinand glared fiercely at these sons of bitches, his gaze met Charlotte's, her eyes brimming with honey as she stared up at him.
"Lotte, I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
"...."
"But once the war is over, I'll propose to you right away. Let's get married. Will you promise me?"
"Yes! I promise!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
"So cool! Ferdinand, that's what a real man sounds like!"
"Wasn't that basically a proposal? Why not just get married now?"
"Yeah, why don't you two just get married right here? It doesn't even look like there'll be any more battles anyway."
Only one person present fully grasped that things were spiraling out of control thanks to Robert stirring the pot.
It was Charlotte's lady's maid, who'd quietly stayed out of the conversation until now.
"A wedding should be done properly, with all the proper formalities."
When the lady's maid spoke softly, Ferdinand and Charlotte—who had nearly lost their senses and actually started considering getting married right then and there—immediately snapped back to reality.
It was impossible for a normal conversation to happen; Ferdinand and Charlotte were so caught up in their emotions after finally reuniting.
"Charlotte, you have that business with the Women's Association."
The lady's maid whispered quietly to Charlotte.
Suddenly, Charlotte gasped in surprise and covered her mouth—her mind had been completely preoccupied with Ferdinand, and she'd forgotten everything else.
"Ah, well, I'm here because of my duties with the 2nd Corps Military Wives' Association."
Charlotte hesitated, looking flustered before responding, her tone slightly tense.
She rolled her eyes, searching for the right words, and then as Ferdinand squeezed her hand, she offered a gentle smile.
"The Women's Association is involved in support activities, but after hearing stories filtered through several layers, there's concern that the voices of soldiers on the front lines aren't being properly conveyed. I was told to take this opportunity to investigate the difficulties soldiers face here in the field."
Once Charlotte overcame her nerves with the strength of love and finished speaking, everyone stared at her in shock.
So she didn't just dash recklessly all the way to the front lines, overexcited to see her fiancé?
Everyone had assumed she was a naïve young lady who had stubbornly insisted on coming just to see Ferdinand, never considering anything else—but to think she was actually here on a mission for the 2nd Corps Military Wives' Association!
Come to think of it, even for Ferdinand's fiancée—the eldest grandson of the Corps Chief of Staff—getting permission to come all the way to the front lines wouldn't be easy.
Yet she'd not only been approved but had even arrived in Heinz's vehicle.
The 2nd Corps Military Wives' Association, as the name implies, is an organization dedicated to supporting the soldiers of the 2nd Corps.
Since it includes the mothers, wives, and daughters of the officers, it wields considerable influence.
Given that, it made sense that Charlotte could come all the way here on association business.
Of course, no one would entrust such a serious responsibility entirely to a shy sixteen-year-old girl.
Charlotte was a symbol—a figurehead.
Her presence signifies that the Women's Association is deeply invested in the well-being of soldiers on the field and that the military is actively engaging with the Association.
She's also a convenient justification for some as-yet-unknown political or military action.
So what would happen if Charlotte reported back to the 2nd Corps Military Wives' Association about the hardships faced by the soldiers on the front lines?
'The initial goal of conquering Belliang has been achieved, and the Empire no longer has the capacity for further war. Is this meant to stir up public opinion in favor of ending the war?'
Ernest cautiously speculated that this wasn't simply the Women's Association acting on its own to create a pretext for ending the war, but that the Emperor or Imperial Army Headquarters was involved behind the scenes.
After all, the Empire had seized the vast plains of Belliang—the continent's greatest breadbasket—completely absorbing them.
Thanks to last year's bumper harvest, grain filled the storage rooms to overflowing. Wheat prices, which had surged because of the war, had now dropped dramatically.
That alone spoke volumes.
Now was the time to end the war and focus on rebuilding.
The Empire could keep fighting if it wished, but to do so would doom its future.
The imperial system itself would collapse.
Perhaps this move was aimed at raising voices within the Empire that called for an end to the war, using the Women's Association as its medium.
After all, they hadn't lost—they'd conquered Belliang.
If they could end the war cleanly now, rather than dragging it out after victory, that would certainly be desirable.
On the Western Front, the only enemy left was Konchanya, and even that nation was barely holding on alone.
Of course, fierce battles might still be raging on the Eastern Front.
Logically, anyone with a brain in their head could see that the Empire needed to stop fighting.
'Looking back, the Empire has gained an enormous amount from this war. It's a clear strategic victory. If only we can end the war here.'
For those who had risked their lives on the field, there was no denying this war had been madness.
The Battle of Bertagne Forest, in particular, would go down in continental history as one of the worst battles ever fought.
The casualty rate per hour was higher than any other recorded in the annals of war.
And yet, look at what the Empire had gained from this conflict.
Before artillery could advance any further, they had seized Belliang with the Power of Balt, resolved internal issues through a purge, taken control of the continent's most fertile breadbasket, and significantly reduced the Alliance Army's grain production.
For now, they would suffer the aftereffects of the war, but if time passed and they could increase the population thanks to a massive food supply—and if they devoted themselves to the development of gunpowder weapons instead of obsessing over Balt—
'In the long run, continental unification could be achieved within twenty years.'
It was only a matter of time before the Empire unified the continent.
More than anything else, the overwhelming benefit was the increased food production from conquering Belliang.
The Alliance Army would soon start to struggle with food shortages. But there was one problem.
'As long as the Empire doesn't splinter after the death of the Emperor, the sole Master Baltracher.'
With the Empire conquering Belliang, it was only a matter of time before continental unification.
Yet, the Emperor Walter Ulrich Mihahil was already an old man, and he had completely withdrawn from public life.
No one knew how much longer he had to live.
Would a new Master Baltracher emerge and be crowned Emperor before he died?
If a Master Baltracher did appear, their status would be utterly irrelevant.
Even if they were a lowly slave, everyone would bow to them, place the imperial crown atop their head, and seat them on the throne.
The dream of Mihahil Empire's continental unification was at hand.
If a young Master Baltracher emerged, the whole world would submit to them.
"If it's for something like that, I'd be happy to help in any way I can," Ernest said.
As Ernest was lost in thought for that brief moment, Baumann smiled and spoke to Charlotte.
"Since it's come to this, we'd better do it properly. Let's give the survey to everyone—not just the officers, but the rank-and-file soldiers as well."
Ernest, recognizing that building public support for ending the war was behind all this, also decided to actively help Charlotte with her mission.
"For the soldiers, too?"
Startled by Ernest's comment, Charlotte's tear-swollen eyes opened wide.
"But can we? Most of them probably can't even read."
"Lotte, there are hardly any soldiers in our battalion who can't read," Ferdinand leaned in and replied gently to Charlotte.
Embarrassed, Charlotte blushed and rested her head lightly on Ferdinand's shoulder.
Ferdinand, in turn, cautiously brought his face close to hers.
As the two became absorbed in each other again, everyone turned to Fixer Jimman Robert.
"I'm at my limit. I can't take this anymore."
Having single-handedly set the mood and led the conversation up to now, Robert raised his hands in surrender, looking exhausted.
He'd truly done all he could.
This was it.
He simply couldn't go on.
"Let's just… let's just let those two enjoy their time together. It'll be better for all of us. Right?"
"I couldn't agree more. I'll draft a Survey Form Template and submit it."
"I've also got things to do in place of our busy Company Commander."
At Robert's words, Ernest got up, thinking about the survey form, and Baumann stood as well, ready to carry out his Deputy Company Commander duties in place of his lovestruck superior and friend.
"We don't want to intrude any longer, so we'll take our leave. Enjoy your time together, Ferdie."
"Ah, uh, well… that is…"
"Oh, no need to apologize! Really, don't worry. Anything Ferdie's supposed to do, Baumann will take care of."
As Charlotte grew flustered and tried to say something, Robert jumped in, jokingly waving it off and quickly herding Ernest and Baumann out of the room.
Ferdinand glanced back at his friends, and even while making a sour face, Robert gave him a big thumbs-up.
"We'll handle things, so enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you."
Even if they usually bicker and drive each other crazy, their friendship is genuine.
With just an exchange of glances, the two understood each other before turning back to their own tasks.
"No children before marriage, absolutely not."
"All right, let's get back to work!"
Once outside, Robert purposely ignored the lady's maid's sharp warning, shouting loudly as he strode away.
"The Empire might really be thinking about putting a complete end to this war."
"What? All of a sudden?"
As Ernest walked along with his friends, he whispered in a low voice.
Seeing their curious faces, he carefully shared his speculation.
"That actually makes a lot of sense," Baumann said, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a finger.
"For someone so smart, you're still hopeless when it comes to social skills…" Jimman chimed in.
"Lieutenant Jitman, that's insubordination," Baumann shot back.
"Anyway, got it. Well, knowing this doesn't really change what we have to do."
Robert grinned broadly.
"Either way, it's not bad news for us, right?"
"That's true."
If this really was about ending the war, then of course that was good news.
But even if it wasn't, it simply meant the Women's Association was stepping up their support and conducting surveys, which couldn't possibly be a bad thing.
"Aah! While some people are slaving away at work, others get to enjoy sweet moments with their fiancée!"
"Yeah, yeah. You mean Major Kirchner, right?"
"I miss her!"
"You're disgusting."
Leaving behind Robert's familiar muttering about his infatuation with Major Liselotte Kirchner and her blond hair, the three friends went their separate ways to take care of their duties.
If only this really were about ending the war, that would be wonderful.