Mein Krieg (Youjo Senki/Tanya the Evil OC)

[Trunko]

IMPORTANT MESSAGE​

Good day to all. It is me, Trunko, and I have an important communication to report to you.

Last Saturday, a relative of mine to whom I was enormously close and fond of died in hospital due to a complication. This event has greatly shocked me and my family. The funeral was yesterday and I have not yet recovered. For this reason, this week there will not be the new chapter of fanfiction. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I need to spend some time with my family in order to cooperate with this time of pain.

I take advantage of this space to send a condolence card to all of you who have lost a loved one this year. I understand your pain well, and I hope to be able to overcome it as you have succeeded.

Kind regards, Trunko.

 

[RandomDwarf]

IMPORTANT MESSAGE​

Good day to all. It is me, Trunko, and I have an important communication to report to you.

Last Saturday, a relative of mine to whom I was enormously close and fond of died in hospital due to a complication. This event has greatly shocked me and my family. The funeral was yesterday and I have not yet recovered. For this reason, this week there will not be the new chapter of fanfiction. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I need to spend some time with my family in order to cooperate with this time of pain.

I take advantage of this space to send a condolence card to all of you who have lost a loved one this year. I understand your pain well, and I hope to be able to overcome it as you have succeeded.

Kind regards, Trunko.

Click to shrink...

dear lord man, take care of yourself, hell take your time with things, remember the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful times.

im sorry this had to happen to ya, and no words i can type or say can make things better, all you can do is take things one day at a time. It might get better, or it might not. Just one day at a time and Live.

 

[Trunko]

Chapter 101: Pain​

The base at Saufort was much larger than it appeared to the outside observer. The reason for this was that only part of the complex was visible. Much of the base was constructed underground. This way, the buildings and depots were safe from all but the most intense bombing or bombardment, sheltering it and its occupants from most harm.

In addition, in some of these underground rooms, events and operations took place that could not, for official reasons, be allowed to reach daylight. That included interrogation.

"How is our guest?" I asked at the back-clad Intel officer in front of me.

"Still in one piece, at least for now." he spoke sourly. "We gave him enough to eat to keep him alive, but he refused it. Every time we try to talk to him, he just repeats his name, rank and service number, and asks to see a representative of his government."

"Have you told him that, since the Allied Kingdom insists on not recognizing the presence of its own soldiers on the soil of the Entente, his position does not enjoy any diplomatic protection? And that nothing is forcing us to keep him alive?"

"We have. At least, we tried." he spoke somberly. "But he doesn't seem to want to hear a single word of what we say. Perhaps he believes that it's all propaganda we invented just to make him give in."

"I see." I said, thinking about it. "What disciplinary measures have you taken?"

"Pressure and intimidation, mostly." he glanced back at the door of the cell. "We told him that if he didn't start talking, we would kill him and get rid of his remains. It seems like he's not afraid to die."

"I wouldn't be either, were I in his shoes." I lied. "I mean, if you were captured by the enemy, what would you do?"

"Kill myself before I gave up any intel or Imperial secrets to the enemy."

"Let's hope he is more attached to his life than we Imperials are then. Has he tried to… kill himself yet?"

"Twice, in fact! The first time he tried to crack open his head by bashing it into the wall. We went in and restrained him. The second time, he tried to asphyxiate himself. Luckily, one of our guards noticed, went in and forced him to stop. For the moment, we are keeping an eye on him in case he tries again."

I nodded. "And… why do you think I will have better luck getting him to talk? The fact that it was I who captured him does not mean that I can do better."

"Sir, if I may, we weren't considering asking you at first. However, Major Degurechaff suggested that you could be the right person to help us with him. She said that you know how to deal with such situations."

I snorted. Logically, Tanya had tried once again to make things harder for me. If I refused, or if I tried but failed, it could be the first sign that I was not as skillful as they had believed until now. This could be the first step towards a possible catastrophe for my military career.

"Very well." I said, looking at the cell door. "But I hope I can count on your support."

"At your service, Major." the Intelligence officer said, saluting me.

"Open that door."

As soon as I entered the cell, I realized that the officer had not exaggerated: the Albish officer was immobilized, tied to a chair and blindfolded. He could not see me, but he had certainly heard the the door, and my footsteps.

"Who is it? I am not saying anything to you!" he quickly repeated.

"Relax, my dear guest." I mocked him. "Can you hear my voice? Do you know who I am?"

"You… You!" he almost spat. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends from Intelligence told me that, apparently, you have been very naughty since I brought you and your friends here. They asked me to take over for them."

"W-where are the soldiers under my command?"

"Gone." I repeated with a glee. "Some were sent to Berun, others to the Rhine, others to the border with the Federation. If they are lucky, the Imperial officers will use them as labor forces to strengthen our defenses; if not…"

"Y-you bastard! Let me free and fight me like a man!"

"Sorry, no can do!" I replied. "Not only would I risk ruining my uniform, but you are now a valuable resource for the Empire. The secrets you are going to tell us will help us against the Entente and the Allied Kingdom."

"Fat chance, you demonic brat!" he almost yelled. "I'm not giving you nothing! You hear me? Nothing!"

"Tsk-tsk-tsk, looks like they really do not teach manners in Foggy Albion, contrary to what everyone believes. Do you really want to stay here longer, with no means to survive expect what we can give to you? Let me remind you that if you give us no information, we give you no food."

"I'll just starve! I don't care; you missed abort of a true human!"

"Listen now, my patience is wearing thin!" I yelled at him. "You want me to-" No no no no, Frederick! I said to myself. This is not the right way to do it. Don't get mad, get sadistic! I thought with glee.

I turned around, and faced the prisoner again. I knew what to do now.

"Looks like we are going to do it in the hard way." I walked to the door of the cell, and knocked over it twice.

"Sir? Is there a problem?" The guards outside was quickly to ask.

"Not at all. However, our prisoner needs a little… encouragement to talk. Can you please send someone to pick up a few things for me?"

"Of course, sir! What do you need?"

"Just a couple of things…"



"Now..." I said, looking at the prisoner in the eyes, the blindfold that had previously had been over his eyes laying on the ground. "Let's get down to business, what were you and your men doing in that forest?"

"Go to hell!" he spat, looking at me with challenging eyes.

I smirked, while, with the pliers I had in my right hand, I held the nail of his index finger firmly. Then...

"Augh!" the prisoner screamed, almost unable to look at what I just did.

"That's one out of ten. What were you doing?"

Silence. Another gone.

"Aaagh!" he screamed again, louder.

"It is very painful, right?" I mocked him. "You want me to stop? Give us what we want and we'll stop."

"P-please, please don't…AAGH!" he sobbed before screaming for the third time as I repeated the act.

"What. Were. You. Doing?!" I yelled in anger. "I am going to count until five, before I start again. One, four…."

"We…. we were ordered to spy on you!" he erupted in agony. "The Allied Headquarters of Londinium wanted us to spy on you and Major Degurechaff, gather as much information as possible and then report back. They… wanted to study you, so they could find out your weakness and use them against you. But please, just STOP! I can't take this anymore…"

"So, from your words, I can guess that the government of the Allied Kingdom knows about us. How did you find out?"

"Some of the information, including your existence, we got them to know from Imperial citizens residing in the Allied Kingdom, as well from your own propaganda. B-but the rest, we got them from the Republicans' Intelligence…"

"So, this means that the Allied Kingdom is actually giving military assistance to the Republic?"

"I… I am not going to be a rat-"

Strap!

"Aaaah!" he screamed in pain once more.

"You prefer to be a nail-less wretch? Because that's what you are going to be, if you do not answer to my questions right now. Is the Allied Kingdom actually helping the Republic?"

"Yes!" he finally yelled, admitting defeat. "Albion is worried. They fear that if the Empire wins, they will gain massive control all over the continent, with disastrous consequences for us. They also fear your military."

"And, pray tell: were there other listening posts like yours that you know of?"

"I'm not telling you-"

Rrrrip!

"Augh!" he yelled for the fifth time. That's the left hand done.

"Looks like it's over for your left hand. Too bad, this means we have to move on to the other. And then, other parts of your body."

"D-don't do it!" he almost cried. "I know for sure there are other listening posts in Entente territory, as well in the Republic, but I don't know where they are! Our superiors felt that it was safer for each of us to know only information related to our listening position."

"Indeed." I pondered the implication. "Very good. We can move on to another subject: Let us suppose, for a moment, that you were able to complete your mission. What would have been the next step?"

"L-like I said" he tried to regain breath. "Albion's government would hand all our findings to the Special Magic Allied Research Division, they would analyze everything we had collected, probing for any gaps and weaknesses. Then, once the division had prepared one or more efficient strategies to be applied against you, a chosen team of magicians of the kingdom would-"

"And tell me, while your division team would research and develop, what would your super-chosen team of wizards do? Playing Quiddich?"

"What?"

"Oh right, too early..." I almost laughed. "Oh well, so far you have answered all my questions in a satisfying manner… You've helped us greatly."

He hung his own head in shame. It was not difficult to understand why: he had succumbed to pain, and given up state secrets. The Allied Kingdom would suffer, because of what he had just revealed to us, and it would be his responsibility.

In a strange sense, he would be lucky: the pain he would have caused his country, he would have shared it.

"Well then." I said. "Guards, bring me a battery and a pair of pliers!"

"Yes, sir!" came the voice from the outside.

"What?" The poor prisoner's eyes were full of horror. "What else you want? I do not know anything else!"

"I know. This is not part of the interrogation."

I walked in front of him and looked him right into the eyes. I could practically taste the fear in his soul.

"This is for fun."

 

[rodon]

What a shitty interrogation. Everything that was said was already known, or at least suspected. In addition using force and pain doesn't really work, as ignoring lying from the start, past a certain point people will say anything to get the pain to stop (even if that means lying). The Intel officer should have yanked him out of there once he failed with the no food thing.

 

[aledeth]

When your self insert is gleefully torturing someone just for the fun of it, what the fuck is wrong with you?

 

[Trunko]

When your self insert is gleefully torturing someone just for the fun of it, what the fuck is wrong with you?

Click to shrink...

Like I clearly stated in my FAQ:

The views expressed by a character or by characters in this story do not necessarily reflect those of the author. There are no author mouthpiece characters, only individuals with their own perspectives and opinions.

I do not believe torturing someone is fun, and neither I think torture is a solution for any kind of situation. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong interpretation.

 

[NuclearBird]

When your self insert is gleefully torturing someone just for the fun of it, what the fuck is wrong with you?

Click to shrink...

What the fuck is wrong with you to get so upset over a fictional character acting in a way that's consistent with their position?

 

[aledeth]

Like I clearly stated in my FAQ:

The views expressed by a character or by characters in this story do not necessarily reflect those of the author. There are no author mouthpiece characters, only individuals with their own perspectives and opinions.

I do not believe torturing someone is fun, and neither I think torture is a solution for any kind of situation. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong interpretation.

Click to shrink...

That's the problem with using the self-insert label then. If the MC is your SI, then he, and the actions he takes, are based on you and what you would try and do in these situations.

If it's not, and the MC is fundamentally different from you, then it's just not SI. The MC is an OC insert instead.

Sorry for getting so heated about this. I loathe the concept of torture so this chapter was perfectly made to set me off, but you don't need this so soon after the death of a loved one.

 

[Trunko]

That's the problem with using the self-insert label then. If the MC is your SI, then he, and the actions he takes, are based on you and what you would try and do in these situations.

If it's not, and the MC is fundamentally different from you, then it's just not SI. The MC is an OC insert instead.

Sorry for getting so heated about this. I loathe the concept of torture so this chapter was perfectly made to set me off, but you don't need this so soon after the death of a loved one.

Click to shrink...

Do not worry. I understand your motivation, and your reasons.

I take this opportunity to apologize once again: I did not want to disrespect you or make you angry. I am sorry and I will try, in future occasions, to write chapters more appropriate to what you want.

Just to remind you, if you have proposals or ideas for the future that you would like to see inserted or developed, you only have to ask.

 

[NuclearBird]

That's the problem with using the self-insert label then. If the MC is your SI, then he, and the actions he takes, are based on you and what you would try and do in these situations.

If it's not, and the MC is fundamentally different from you, then it's just not SI. The MC is an OC insert instead.

Sorry for getting so heated about this. I loathe the concept of torture so this chapter was perfectly made to set me off, but you don't need this so soon after the death of a loved one.

Click to shrink...

Consider that Frederick and the author are separated by almost a decade-and-a-half of life experience in a highly stressful environment where the pressure to succeed is combined with a culture that doesn't quite have the same views on human rights as modern (1st World) society.
Consider that Frederick is being influence by not one, but two horrible personalities on a daily basis on top of being a child soldier in charge of a unit of enlisted in an active war zone. Reincarnator or not, that kind of stress builds up.


Also, not every SI is of the author. Oftentimes the stories are set up in a way that the reader themselves can insert themselves into the place of the character and live the story. Of course, this is not such a case, but there.

Do not worry. I understand your motivation, and your reasons.

I take this opportunity to apologize once again: I did not want to disrespect you or make you angry. I am sorry and I will try, in future occasions, to write chapters more appropriate to what you want.

Just to remind you, if you have proposals or ideas for the future that you would like to see inserted or developed, you only have to ask.

Click to shrink...

Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.

 

[General forge]

Just gonna say something ion wanna brag but I'm in the US Army just graduated around August. Things like torture an shit like that you may hear things about genva convention an stuff. But war turns some of the most nicest men into deprived monsters. I haven't deployed or anything but it's something the old war vets have talked about. I forgot who said it but war is the place where the young filled with laughter go to die. I was kinda shocked at the dude for getting so upset over a story but I forgot not everyone really experience true nature of what the world can bring. Sorry for the rant

 

[rainfallMyth]

I just read this entire story so far, and I've really enjoyed it! I'm still wondering what that secret wish was though, where even skeleton man called Frederick evil.

Keep up the great work!

 

[Trunko]

Chapter 102: Death Is Cheap​

The following days on the Norden Front were very useful to understand the daily routine of fighting on snowy regions. Though not as terrible as the Rhine, there were nevertheless considerable dangers, dangers that would lead you to end up dead if you failed to pay attention.

I discovered this at my own expense a few days after the capture of the Albish, on a sunny day. The pale light of the daily star was not strong enough to melt the snow, but it was strong enough to make the air as clear and shiny as glass, and allow our artillery to compete with that of the Entente. For this reason, command was intent on acquiring information on enemy firing positions, in order to better target artillery and offensives of our troops.

Our unit had been ordered to remain in the rear,prepared to counterattack advancing enemy units or magical attacks, but I, using an agreement with Becker, was able to obtain from the command permission to work with a mage reconnaissance unit. A simple routine mission: approach enemy lines, gather information about enemy artillery positions, return and report back. Less dangerous than staying in the camp and hoping that a stray artillery shell did not hit you.

Of course, Tanya was far from happy.

"Are you out of your mind, Frederick?" She thundered into the small room that was now my office in Norden. "What are you thinking?"

"Hello, Tanya." I replied nonchalantly, quickly returning my attention to the loose lace of my boot. "What brings you in the office of your superior, with no previous warning?"

"You know very well what I am talking about, you maggot!" she hissed. "Second Lieutenant Carsten Korsch of the 68th​ Mage Platoon stationed here at the base told me that you would join him and his men on a patrol mission in a few hours. Since I cannot believe that you voluntarily consented to something like this, I want to know what kind of thought process led you to make such a decision. I want an answer, and I want it now!"

"You want an answer? Fiiine..." I said, stepping up and looking at her. "I made the decision of my own free will, and without any external manipulation or coercion."

"But why?!" she asked me, glare attempting to reprimand me. "Why would you do such a nonsensical thing?"

"Nonsensical?" I questioned her. "Offering myself as a volunteer for a mission is now nonsense? I should report this to the brass…"

"Don't talk to me that way!" she hissed. "You are nothing without me. You understand it? Nothing!"

"Well, you keep saying that, but..." I looked at her, my glare versus hers. "But, I hereby place you under arrest."

"...What?" she glared at me more.

"I said that you are under arrest. Until I return from the mission, at least."

"Frederick, stop joking-"

"I'm not joking. You have a very bad habit of addressing superior officer as if he was your minion. This must stop. I hope some time in the cell will get you to understand your situation. Guards!"

The door of my office opened, and two muscular soldiers emerged from the lobby

"You called, sir?"

"Yes. I want Major Degurechaff, once she has left my office, to be taken to the nearest Military Police station and held there until my return. I trust you to ensure that she is well treated and well maintained, but also to remain in custody. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the two nodded, closing back the door and resuming their guard duty. They would take care of Tanya once she would have stepped of one foot outside.

I looked at her. Her angry expression had turned to shock.

"Frederick- You… You…"

"First, I suggest you to drop calling me by my real name, Major Nardak Degurechaff, unless I allow it. It is very unprofessional to treat me as if i were still your frail friend of the orphanage. If you want to addres me, please use my rank."

Tanya's mouth grimaced. "Very well, Major Orzak König." she glared at me with a thousand megaton death stare. "Would you like to tell me what you were thinking?"

"Haven't I told you already?" I replied, a smirk appearing on my lips. "I decided to join that mission of my own will."

"You still have not told me why!" she almost screamed. "Why would you join a mission voluntary with the risk of getting shot or worse?"

"One: It's a simple reconnaissance mission and the chances of getting killed in it are quite low. Hell, there is a greater chance of being killed staying here and risk being hit by a lone artillery shell than by participating in such mission. Two: Participating in a small mission with some fresh troops could help me understand better the level of discipline of the Northern Magical troops… and how to help improve it. This could led us to an increase in prestige, and maybe a new medal or two. Three: I need to let off some steam: after what happened yesterday, with those planes and Being X, I need a distraction."

"Do you realize that if you are wrong, you have good chance of dying?" she replied coldly.

"Well, yes. However, that is a risk I have learned to live with. And I figured out that you would like this happening. The chance of becoming the commanding officer of the unit…."

She smiled. "Good idea. Go do your mission, and get yourself killed. I'll be quite happy to report you dead, and take your place."

"Don't worry about me."

"I have zero intention of worry." she replied. "Now, before you go, can you tell the guards that I am no longer under arrest?"

"Why should I do something like that?"

She jerked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that what I said before is true: you are behaving like you are the commanding officer of this unit, even in front of myself. You treat me like I am one of your subordinate, and not your superior. This need to stop now"

"Ok, I'll stop-"

"No, you won't. Not unless I give you a little incentive. First comes repentance and then penance, if not, what redemption is it? Enjoy your time under arrest. If you like it, I can give you more time like that, when I return…"

"Frederick, where are you going? Get back here!"

I ignored her, walking outside of my office and outside.

"Frederick! Come back here! Come back!"

"Major Degurechaff, we are sorry but you are under arrest. Please follow us…."

"Frederick!" she yelled again. However, I was not listening.



"Sir… Major… I am sorry but… can I ask you a questions?"

I looked at the young mage at my right. He was very young, probably a recruit from this year. He was not very experienced, and you could tell right away. In all probability, he would die at the first big battle... unless someone helped him.

"What is it, soldier?" I asked, careful to not lower my guard.

"Is… is it true what the troops says about you and Major Degurechaff? You captured the Dakian princess all of your own?"

"Silence in the back!" the commanding officer of the platoon, a sergeant wizard with the face of a mastiff named Bastian Krieger, said. "We are now approaching the enemy's territory. Do not speak unless I say so!"

"Yes sir!" the young wizard said. "I am sorry."

"Major König, sir, can you come in the front with me? There are some thing I need to discuss with you…."

"Of course." I replied, flying upfront and reaching him. "What is that?"

"I believe your presence is… quite distracting for my soldiers. Do not misunderstand me: I am happy to have such a prestigious and important officer of the Imperial Magical Corp joining us today, but I am afraid the troops are less aware of what they should. Maybe it would be better if you stay here with myself"

"I noticed it, yes." I replied, looking behind. "And I believe you are right. Still, I would like to ask what the situation in this sector is?"

"So far, good." the sergeant replied. "The Entente forces stationed here are not experts like the ones more westward. According from to our intel, the Entente here has only old men and young boys."

"Even young boys and old men can be dangerous, if they know how to use a gun and shoot." I replied, taking my binoculars and starting looking through them.

"I know, and yet…."

"Stop!" I yelled, realizing something was wrong. "All troops! Survey the area!"

"Sir, what is happening?" Krieger replied

"Take your own binoculars and look: the Entente's soldiers are nowhere to be seen!"

He looked too. "By the Emperor, that's right. I cannot see the enemy trenches nor their anti-air equipment. What does this mean?"

"This could be one of two: the enemy decided he does not need or cannot hold this position, and as such, they retread with everything they could. This could allow our army to advance and occupy this territory with no unnecessary deaths. Of course, this could also be a trap…"

"A trap? For what?"

I pondered about it. "Could be anything: maybe the Entente soldiers are planning to draw our troops out of our fortifications in order to better fight them, or maybe…"

"Sir!" said another wizard, waving at Krieger. "I see some Entente infantry, camping near the forest. They are a team, maybe a platoon...

I looked in the same direction too. Yep, that was without doubt a little squad of Entente soldiers; currently busy cooking something on a self-made grid. None of them were keeping an eye on the sky, and consequently none of them seemed to notice that we were flying above their position.

"I see." I said, lowering my binoculars and talking to the others. "Looks like they are not expecting us or other Imperial mages. If we attack, they would be caught flat-footed."

"Ok then. Let's crush those-" one of the wizards started to move forwards, only to see Krieger stopping him by placing himself before him.

"Wizard Kaleb Grünbaum." Krieger reprimanded him. "This is not our objective! Our mission is to scout the area, report any possible change and return to the base to report. We cannot engage enemy units just because we want to!"

"But, sir!" the wizards protested, "It's just a small squad, we are a platoon. And they are common humans, we are wizards. And there are no other enemy forces who can reinforce them. It's an occasion we cannot allow to lose…"

"As a matter of fact, we can lose this. I believe we should lose it." I said, looking at the area under us. "The more I think about it, the more I am convinced this is some kind of trap to lure our forces into advancing forward and then destroy them."

"Sir?"

"Tell me, soldier." I turned around to face him. "Why would the enemy leave an entire sector unguarded, deploying their precious, limited supplies of men and equipment elsewhere, giving us a full chance to break through the front and advance to their capital?"

"Well, sir, I have not studied strategy, so…"

"And it shows!" I replied with a stern look. "I am sure there are many men with anti-air, anti-tank and anti-wizard weapons hidden in the area. We must return and make sure that-"

Nevertheless, at that very moment, I felt a very violent shock hit me on the rib, and I suddenly lost consciousness.



When I regained consciousness, I was no longer in the frozen forests of Norden, nor was I on the ground. I was in a bed in the military hospital. Around me, several nurses and doctors were moving to treat the wounded or mutilated soldiers from the front. Worse, a certain blond-haired person was in front of my bed, and she was looking at me with a very smug expression.

"You never learn, do you, Frederick?"

"Tanya? Where am I? I was flying with the patrol platoon, and…"

"That was an ambush," she replied with nonchalance, "Like the soldier of the squad found out after you were shot, the Entente were creating some hidden sniper and artillery position deep into the forest, and intentionally leaving the front lines unguarded so, when our forces would advance, they would be outflanked."

"I… I was shot?"

My eyes suddenly ran to my ribs, where I noticed a very conspicuous bandage inked with blood, which I presumed it was mine. Yep, I was shot, and very bad from what I have been able to see.

"Yes, you were shot. Some Entente sniper with an anti-tank rifle jumped the gun and fired at you as soon as he had a clear shot. He almost managed to kill you, but he also blew the ambush's cover, allowing our ground forces to eliminate the enemy position."

"I… I almost died?"

"You were almost dead, dumbass. And this proves my point of why officers should not be allowed to engage in frontline operations without direct orders from their superiors. We cannot allow loosing many talented officers by the lucky shot of small-time snipers…"

I groaned. "I guess… I was pretty dumb, I can't say?"

"Yes. You were definitively dumb. Still, your action allowed our army to localize the enemy strongholds, and destroy them, so it was not a complete disaster. And of course, it allowed me to get here to tell you in face why you should listen to me when I say to you something is a bad idea!"

I tried to put myself sitting, but as soon as I tried, the wound started to hurt. A lot.

"How… how much time I will need before I will be able to move freely again?"

"One week, at least. Seriously, you realized that you almost left me alone in this world? Let alone…"

"Tanya?" I said, pointing behind of us.

She turned, and she came face to face with an officer. A general with a big beard growing from his chin.

"Major Degurechaff, Major König." he nodded at us. "I believe there is something I would need to question you about. Now."

 

[lolpancaker]

Rip seems Kinda bullshit

 

[RandomDwarf]

Ummm what the hell is going on...shouldn't they have had some shields up or something?

Also this situation stinks...or worse it's going to be nasty soon enough.

 

[NuclearBird]

Ummm what the hell is going on...shouldn't they have had some shields up or something?

Also this situation stinks...or worse it's going to be nasty soon enough.

Click to shrink...

I have about as much of a clue as you, and I'm the editor.
I know Trunko has a plan, and may be this is what will snap Fritz out of his funk, who knows?

 

[Cybandeath]

Rip seems Kinda bullshit

Click to shrink...

Normally bullshit in my opinion just happens, that is life, but this seems rather forced bullshit somehow to me.

 

[Granz Tacz]

For some reason, this feels out of place from the last chapter.

 

[Trunko]

Chapter 103: Punished with Care​

Punishment, as a rule, is not a good thing. Punishment in the army, moreover, is a serious thing: it can cost you a promotion, reassignment to some forsaken remote hole or even your own military rank.

And yet, as I was stretching myself on my seat on the train to Berun, I couldn't help but feel happy to have been punished with a temporary leave to the capital.

After the general had summoned us, Tanya had done everything she could to explain how my actions were against regulations and unprofessional, demanding that I be punished. The General had agreed with her, reprimanding me for my decision to join a frontline mission that could have cost me my life, and then punishing me... by ordering me to return to the capital for temporary leave, pending new orders from Command.

The look on Tanya's face when she realized that her actions had led me to be reassigned to the safety of the rear.... moments like that made me regret not having a camera with me. And so, here I was: Major Frederick König of the Imperial Army's Magic Corps, on temporary leave as "punishment" for jeopardizing my safety, headed to Berun for an indeterminate period, to spend my days in the cushy safety of the rear echelons.

"I almost feel sorry for Tanya. Almost." I said to no-one, looking out the window as the train pulled into the monumentally large and ornate grand station of Berun. "All her strategies, all her tricks and schemes, and in the end I'm the one who gets to kick back in the rear and enjoy the pleasures of not being on the front and in immediate mortal danger. If she wasn't such a contemptible bitch, I'd be feeling sorry for her." But, in a way, she did bring this upon herself.

Instinctively, I put my hand on my hip, my wounds still feeling sore. From what I had discovered before my departure, the sniper who shot me had been lucky enough to have powerful anti-mage ammunition from the newest generation on hand at the time. Strong and fast enough to break through my lowered magic shield, but not enough to kill me.

It still hurt a lot, though.

I hope that the army scientists can do their job. I thought with some nervousness. And that they put the development of new shields more powerful at the top of their priorities. It would be a shame if these new munitions took away one of our main strengths. And besides…

"Grand Central Station, Berun!" said the train controller shouting aloud, "The train stops for half an hour. All passengers with tickets to this station are asked to disembark!"

In silence, I got up from my seat, checked my bags and headed towards the wagon's exit. It was time to enjoy my off-days.

As soon as I got off the train, a wave of hot air flooded over me. Maybe it was just the steam from the train stopped, but for me it was like the air of rebirth. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy.

"I'm sorry, but is that you, Herr Frederick?" a voice asked.

I turned around, and came face to face with a familiar face. Someone I had learned to trust like myself in the past.

"Mathias!" I grinned, walking toward him. "Did you receive my letter?"

"Of course I did, sir." he replied in his usual tone of voice. "We were all anxious to know when you were coming home."

"We?" I asked.

"There have been... some small changes in the servants during the period when you were absent. On my own initiative, I chose to expand the staff of the estate in order to manage it more efficiently. Of course, I took the utmost care to hire only the most trustworthy people."

I nodded. "Very well. I suppose I'll give it a look, as soon as we return home."

"Of course sir. The car is waiting right outside. Please follow me!"



"We are delighted with your return, Sir Frederick." the assembled household greeted me, in almost the same tone, slightly bowing. "We hope you had a pleasant journey."

"I did, thank you." I replied with a grin. "Did something important happen while I was at the front?"

"Nothing particularly serious, sir." Mathias replied. "Of course, we had to deal with your… former relatives, but-"

"My former… are you talking about Erika, Albin and Bernhardt?" I asked. "Have they not given up yet, after the tribunal?"

"Some people can't stop themselves, even when every voice of reason warns them to." one of the maids replied. "Of course, I did not mean to disrespect your blood, but-"

"It's fine." I replied. "Did they try anything?"

"They attempted to trespass onto the premises, on more than one occasion." Mathias explained. "Apparently, they were attempting to locate something. Fortunately, the staff were able to deal with them."

"Good. Anything else?"

"Just one thing, sir." Mathias said. "There was a letter addressed to you, we didn't open it, obviously, as the Military Police would have reprimanded us for it. It is in the study, should you want to read it."

"How long-"

"Three days ago now." Matthias said, guessing my question. "If it had been longer, I would have violated my ethics as a butler."

"Very well." I replied, taking a few steps into the big mansion. "I want to look out for the papers before relaxing a little. It has been a long journey but I need to make sure I don't have anything urgent to do. Mathias, please follow me"

"As you wish, sir." he said.

As I was going through the big house, I felt like a shiver running down my shoulders. I felt like I was being watched, but not by anything like a person.

I looked up, towards the sky and the Sun, looking for something that looked like a grin or a smile or even just a pompous expression. I knew that Being X was keeping an eye on me, I knew it because he himself had said that he had been keeping a constant eye on me, and yet... and yet the simple fact of knowing it did not make me feel more comfortable.

In a way, it was like being under the constant attention of an omnipotent pervert.

"How about a deal? I will give you Tanya if you leave me alone." I murmured to the almost motionless sky, with a smug half-joking look.

"Sir, do you wish to go inside?" Mathias asked, looking at me.

"O-of course." I replied, slowly walking into the mansion.

The first thing I noticed was that although the house hadn't changed much in terms of furniture, there were some differences that immediately caught my eye. In particular, one.

"Mathias?"

"Yes sir?"

"Can you please explain to me why you decided to remove the old Gegenbauer's portrait?" I asked, pointing to the now empty piece of wall where the portrait used to be.

"Well, sir, it has been a long time since Herr Gegenbauer passed, and we believed you would want to place it somewhere else, to make place for yours"

"For what?"

"Well, we thought you would like to put up a portrait of yourself. Obviously, if we made a mistake, we can always..."

"No, no, its' fine." I replied. "I was just concerned that it was maybe stolen or something like that."

"As you say, sir."

We continued until we came to the study's entrance. In silence, Mathias opened the door, and beckoned me to enter.

The old study had been completely renovated during my absence: there were no more papers scattered around, remnants of cigars in the ashtrays or any remaining stale smell. Now the room was in perfect order, with a pleasant smell of cleanliness reaching up my nostrils.

"I hope you like what we did in your absence, sir." Mathias replied with a smile. "I took great care to make sure it could become a good place for you to work when you would return."

"Thank you Mathias" I replied, almost automatically "It is a good job, really"

"Well, thank you sir. You want to ask me something else?"

"For now, none." I replied. "I'll ask for you if necessary, however."

"Very well, sir." he replied, taking a couple of steps back and exiting the room.

Now I was alone.

"Time to get to work." I grinned.



"Although I can agree that the presence of Major Degurechaff has proven decisive in many clashes with the Dakian, Entente and Republican militaries, one cannot help but note that…" I stopped for a moment, so that my fingers could regain energy while I reread the letter I was writing. It was coming along, but in any case, a careful check would not hurt. On the contrary.

I smiled evilly as my planning behind Tanya's back kept growing and taking forms. She could be a devil in the body of a little girl, but I knew how she worked.

It was so simple, in hindsight. My actions in battle brought me plenty of fame and respect and my charm bored into the heads of many well-connected officers, high- and low-ranking alike. Perfect and fertile soil to grow... connections. And spread rumors before anyone else in my circle could. I knew very well that the army was literally built on the knowledge and friendship between the officers: a common officer who disliked such a system, no matter how good and competent he was, would never be able to get ahead.

Once I had managed to acquire enough "friends" among the ranks, I had enough freedom to act, and phase two would be safe to begin: manipulate the information and rumors circulating about my esteemed friend Tanya.

Not that it took long, of course: Tanya had always been cursed with a particular personality. She would obey an order even when it would mean death and destruction for many (provided she was not involved). Thanks to some well-placed bribes and some talks with some cadets who had served under Tanya at the Academy or during our first stay on the Rhine front, I had the opportunity to discover that the incidents I had witnessed while standing next to her were not unique at all. On the contrary, they were the most striking cases of a long series.

Ripe for exploitation.

With some generous "spontaneous donations", I had managed to convince some soldiers I had met to testify what they had seen in their military police, embellishing and decorating their stories with new, interesting details. The purpose was simple: it was necessary to insinuate the suspicion that, under her devoted soldier's face, Tanya was clinically insane.

It was true, even, from a certain point of view.

Obviously, I had encountered severe difficulties: the soldiers spoke and spat, and it was very easy to create rumors that they would then spread among the other departments as insidious poisons. The officers, especially those of medium-high rank, were a completely different story. Convincing them that Tanya, the model soldier who had also been used for her nation's propaganda, could suffer from mental disorders, based mostly on rumors from the enlisted, was very difficult.

The solution I had found was a slow, expensive but effective ascent of the pyramid from the base. Before such rumors were spread among the lower level officers, then, once such rumors were widespread enough, the same low level officers were used to spread the rumors to higher levels. And so forth.

Finally, once the rumors were widespread enough throughout the Imperial Army's chain of command, phase three would start: by exploiting my perfect resume, and "sabotaging" Tanya by exploiting the previous rumors, I would make sure that my young childhood "friend" could take advantage of a flashy new post at the back, with hot meals and lots of people to take care of her.

A madhouse, probably. Or perhaps a nursing home would be more suitable?

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice came from outside the study. "May I come in?"

"Yes, Mathias." I replied, being careful to move the letter I was writing so the butler could not catch what I was writing. "Please come in."

The door unlocked itself, and then the butler came in, bringing a new letterd.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Just a letter it came a few minutes ago. The postal worker said that he needed to be sure that you would receive it, so he asked a receipt signature. I took the liberty to use mine instead of disturbing you."

"Thank you, Mathias." I replied, taking the letter and starting to read it.

It was a fairly anonymous letter, with few (or rather, none) elements that would stand out. The letter had not even indicated the place to which it was to be delivered: there was only my name, without rank. I turned the letter around and began to read the sender's address.

It was then that I barred my eyes for the surprise. The letter was sent from an orphanage-convent run by nuns, near the capital. An orphanage that I knew very well.

Immediately I opened the envelope, and began to read the letter all in one go.

Dear Frederick, how are you?

It has been a long time since you and Tanya left the convent to join the Imperial Army, and since the day you left, we have not stopped thinking about you. Are you all right?

I know you left a bit abruptly, and that you probably do not intend to do so, but we would like to ask you if you would like to come back for a few days to our orphanage to talk about some important things and, if possible, help us.

I know I should not even ask you this, but I do not see any other choice. Since the war started, our convent is in a terrible situation, and only your help can allow us to save it.

Please, in the name of God, come back and listen to what we have to tell you.

Sincerely, Sisters Helene and Greta.

I looked at the letter for a few moments, while thoughts that had been hidden in the dark corners of my mind for many years now resurfaced. The old orphanage. The place where Tanya and I started our new lives in this world. Where we had learned the basics of survival, and the only place before the Army that we could call home.

For a moment, I was tempted to throw the letter on the ground, crumple it or throw it into the fireplace to burn it. My life before the army no longer concerned me. It was no longer a part of me. What was the point of them contacting me again to ask me for help, after I had closed all contact with them?

I still remembered the heavy slaps I had received, the day I had decided to accompany the nuns to the market.

And yet…

And yet, there was something, in that letter, that pushed me not to ignore that desperate cry for help. The sisters knew that the request had little chance of success, yet they had sent it anyway. They must be truly desperate.

I looked at the letter again. I could go and listen, and then decide. I was not obliged to say yes just because I was going, no?

In silence, I stood up and walked towards the door.

"Sir?" one of the maids said, seeing me.

"Please call Mathias. I need to take a ride outside the city."

"Yes sir."





SMALL MESSAGE FROM TRUNKO

Hello, you beautiful people. How are you?

I have read your messages and thank you for your feedback. Thank you for your criticism, as it helps me to improve and perfect my work. I understand it and where is it coming from. In addition, if you want me to focus the story on particular elements or contexts, you are free to let me know. I am always available to listen to what you want to say.

I hope you will enjoy the further chapters that are coming in the future and that your feedback will always help me develop the story better.

 

[ComradeH]

I know I should not even ask you this, but I do not see any other choice. Since the war started, our convent is in a terrible situation, and only your help can allow us to save it.

Click to shrink...

It is implied that the Imperial Army is involved somehow. "Only Federick" can solve this issue, and considering he has a high standing in the army...

 

[NuclearBird]

It is implied that the Imperial Army is involved somehow. "Only Federick" can solve this issue, and considering he has a high standing in the army...

Click to shrink...

I think the implication was that the nuns think only Frederick has the finances or pull (from his high rank) to help out the orphanage, because the other kids from there definitely didn't end up as well as him.

 

[Trunko]

Chapter 104: Where It All Began​

"We have arrived, sir." said Mathias, opening the car door. "I think so, at least."

I got out of the car and pulled on my collar, letting a painful but pleasant feeling run through my bones. The stinging cold air was a pleasant panacea after the long drive, on a road made of dirt and mud and full of potholes.

I immediately recognized a member of the convent, a few hundred meters ahead. An ordinary citizen from Berun would have said that it was just an old community of nuns, who spent the day looking after foundlings, working their fields and singing praises for the Lord. Nevertheless, for me, it was the place where I was reborn, and where my suffering had begun.

"Thank you Mathias." I said, turning toward the butler. "Can you… please wait here for me, until I return?"

"Sir, you do not want myself to accompany you?" he asked.

"No. This is personal business. This is the place where I lived before the army… and the only place I could call home before herr Gegenbauer passed. The nuns here raised and cared for me since I was a baby. I need some personal time with them."

"Understood, sir." he replied. "How long do you think you'll stay?"

"Not long. Then, if it takes longer than expected, I will come and call you. I do not want to risk you freezing to death out here."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." Mathias replied once more. "That's more than Miss Tanya ever showed…"

I smiled, before starting to float a little, and flying right in front of the old peeled wooden door of the convent. As I approached, I realized that many of the surrounding fields were abandoned and had not been cleared. It was to be expected that the coming summer would give a very poor harvest.

I fixed the officer's cap on my head, and put my hand near the door, after which I knocked three times.

I hope they have a good reason to contact me. I said to myself while waiting in front of the closed door. It would be rather embarrassing if it became known that this is something mundane and common.

I heard the sound of a latch, then the door opened, and a young nun in her twenties appeared behind it.

"Hello?" he said in an almost automatic mode. "What can we…" she stopped speaking as her look focused on me. "Can we help you with something?"

I smiled. "I am sorry but my name is Frederick König, former…"

"Frederick!" came a voice from the inside of the building. A couple more oseconds, then another nun came from the inside.

"Frederick. Are… are you really…?"

"Happy to see you are still looking good, Sister Helene." I smiled at her. "I received a letter from you orphanage, claiming that you needed some kind of help, and since I was already in Berun, I decided to take the opportunity to come and visit you. How are you?"

"I am… fine." she said, before turning to the other Nun. "Sister, this is Frederick König, he used to be a children living here some years ago."

"But why is he dressed as an officer?"

"Because I happen to be a commisioned officer of the Imperial Army." I replied matter-of-factly. "Major Frederick König, commander of the 203rd​ Aerial Mage Battalion of the Magical Corps of the Imperial Army. I am sorry, but I could not help but overhear."

The younger nun blushed, looking at Sister Helene only to see a nodding glare. "Very well. I will… go to tell the Mother Superior. I am sure she will get quite happy. If you can excuse me…" she said, before disappearing back inside.

I looked at sister Helene. "Is she new?"

"She joined our congregation a few months after you and Tanya left for the Army. We talked about you sometimes, but she was either not listening or she did not believe my words when I told her about you two. By the way, where is Tanya? Did she…"

"No, she is not dead." I replied. "She's currently busy on the Norden front dealing with the Entente. I managed to get some leave. That's how I can be here now."

"I see. Come inside, then. You don't want to stay in the front door forever, do you?"

I nodded, and walked inside, following the nun. I had almost forgotten those old rooms, the ones with the mold growing on the walls. And yet, here they were, like some old reliquary of my past.

"I see the convent isn't doing too well. Looks like the place is in badly in need of some renovation and a few coats of paint."

"I agree. Unfortunately, with the War and such, we cannot allow spending money in frivolousness. It's a dark time, and we have to be careful about our finances."

Finally, after another minute we entered the main hall of the convent. Here numerous children of all ages, who at the time were not busy studying, spent their time playing, talking with others or even just looking out for time.

They noticed my officer hat and my uniform within moments.

"Who…."

"Is that?"

"Frederick?!"

"No way, he is back?"

"Where is Tanya?"

"What happened?"

"Calm down, calm down!" I said, raising my hands. "First of all, I would like to greet you and ask how you guys are doing. I know it's been a long time since we last saw each other, but..."

"Frederick?" another voice came from behind the crowd.

I turned around, right in time to meet the face of the person who has spoken.

"Elsie." I smiled again. "I am happy to see you again."

"I would like to say the same thing about you." she replied. She was wearing stained shirt and a pair of worn-out pants that must have had a lot of time. Her face was dusty, her skin was pale and she was very thin. "What brings you back here?"

"I received a letter from here saying you needed help, so I decided to come here to see what kind of problem you have and if I could help you somehow."

"You look very… different from when you and Tanya left." another boy said

"Well, times changed and-"

"Where is Tanya?" a third boy, also dressed in worn-out clothes and very thin, asked. "Did… something bad happen to her?"

"Nothing bad happened to Tanya, Hubert." I replied, remembering the name of the boy in front of me. "She is currently in Norden, leading a unit of Mages against the Entente, while her commanding officer is busy in Berun."

"No way. You are her commanding officer?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. We…"

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed my arm, pushing me towards the center of the room.

"Come on!" Elsie said, pushing me again. "Come on, you have to tell us everything!"

"But, really…"

"It's no problem." Sister Helene said. "We'll have time to talk later. Do not worry."

I smiled at the nuns again, before turning around to face my old friends I grew up with. "I suppose you have some questions you want to ask me…"

"Some questions?" Elsie said, smiling in turn. "Try six hundred!"

"Me too!" another boy said. "About Tanya!"

"I have questions as well!"

"So do I!"

"Calm down!" I gleamed. "I will be quite happy to answer all your questions. Make yourself comfortable, because this will take a while."



A few minutes later, I was sitting in a battered old chair, looking silently at the thirty or more pairs of eyes fixed on me. Some of the children in the orphanage were lucky enough to sit on chairs like mine, or on patched cushions, or they were leaning back against the wall of the room, but most of them were sitting on the bare floor, legs crossed. Their worn-out, filthy clothes and their skinny, emancipated covers seemed almost at odds with me, wearing a shiny, clean uniform, and I was in relative good health.

"So, after you left the orphanage… what happened to you and Tanya? Where did the military men bring you?"

"They brought us to a barracks. There, we were officially enrolled in the Imperial Army, and then they gave us some fancy clothes, and a place to sleep with some other soldiers."

"Fancy clothes?" a little girl with a small doll asked.

"The uniform. They gave us uniforms."

"Oh."

"Was the training hard?" another one asked.

"Of course it was. Fortunately, Tanya and I managed to get through, so after some time we both graduated to serve as assistant military trainers for fresh troops."

"No way! You commanded bigger men?"

"Yes, we both did. And then when we were busy on the Norden Theater, the Entente attacked and we were forced to fight them…"

"You fought? And you killed enemy soldiers?" this time a boy with glasses had his turn.

"Yes. We fought for the Homeland, and we killed several enemy Mages. And then, we got this…." I said pointing at my most beautiful medal, affixed to my chest.

"Is that…"

"A Silver Wings? No way!"

"Frederick, is that a Silver Wings medal?" Elsie asked, quite dumb folded.

I nodded proudly. "And as you can see, it not the only medal." I pointed to my other medals. "Every single badge here is proof of every operation and battle we fought in."

Elsie got forward. "Your Silver Wings… can I see it better?"

"Uh…. yes." I said, unpinning the medal and holding it out to her. "Be careful. I don't want to ask Command for a replacement."

Elsie nodded, before giving a look at the medal that was now in her hands. "It's… heavy, and beautiful…."

"Let me touch it!" one of the boys demanded. "I want to touch it!"

"Frederick!" another girl asked, while the others were busy arguing for the chance to see and touch my medal. "Can I ask you… how the war is going? The nuns never tell us anything, but we all want to know what's happening."

"Well, I don't want to lie to you: It's messy out there. You risk dying out there every day. Almost happened with me a few times."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

In silence, I raised a little my uniform, and showed her the side where my bandaged wound used to be "An Entente sniper with an armor-piercing bullet, able to get through even a mage's shield. I was lucky because there were friendly mages close by, and could help me out."

The girl moved her hand to the mouth, as to hide her expression. "So… war is bad?"

"Of course." I replied. "But it's the duty of every mage within the Empire to fight for it, in order to protect the borders and safeguard our homes and families. It is not easy, like I said, but when you are called on, it's you duty."

"And… why are you here today? Did you come to take Elsie away?"

I stopped cold. "What? Why would I need to take Elsie away?"

"Because..." Elsie herself broke off from the fighting, handing me my medal back. "They tested me a while ago and said I'm powerful enough. Jacob and Reiner too." she pointed to two other guys I used to know, when I lived here. "And there are others."

I gasped. "When was the testing?"

"Almost a month ago." she replied with nonchalance. "Those military guys in white coats came back to do more checks. When you were selected, I scored none, but this time, apparently, they gave me a B magical aptitude."

"I got a C!" Jacob cut in.

"And I got a B too!" Reiner right after.

"They told us that, since the Fatherland is in dire need of soldiers and mages, we may be forced to be enlisted if things get worse. They said that if it was necessary, we would also be sent to the front."

I gulped. "So that's why you were worried. And why you asked me those questions about the war. You fear that you could be forced to join in the near future."

"Yes. When we saw you, at first we thought you were here to take us away…"

"Don't worry about that." I replied. "If I were here to take you away, I wouldn't have come here alone. I'd have come with other soldiers, not with a single car and my butler…"

"Butler?" Elsie was quick to notice my word. "You have a butler? How much does the Army pay you to have a butler?"

"Not nearly enough." I admitted. "However, I had an incredible stroke of luck. Do you remember the couple who wanted to adopt me, who never came back?"

"I remember." Elsie nodded. "What happened?"

"You would not believe it, but…"

"Frederick!" another voice, from someone much older, reached my eyes. "You came. I cannot even believe it!"

"Hello, Sister Greta!" I turned around to look at her and meet her face to face. "I was just telling my old friends what happened while I was in the army. Would you like to hear it too?"

Her face grimaced at once. "It would be a pleasure. However, there are some more important things I would like to talk to you about. Can you follow me, please?

"Where?" I asked, quite puzzled.

"In the office of our Mother Superior." she said, with a veil of sadness on her face. "She… wants to talk with you."

I gulped. What could be so important that the Mother Superior wanted to speak to me directly? Something told me that it was not a simple request for money.

"Of course. Can I just have a minute?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Looks like I am needed elsewhere." I said, turning to face my former friends of the orphanage. "Don't worry, however. I'l go back to answering question as soon as I get back."

"I am sure you will." Elsie said, crossing her arms on her chest. "In particular, I want to know how you managed to get yourself a butler, rich kid." she said, catching the attention of other kids as well.

"I will. I promise you, I will." I said, before following Sister Greta on the way to the Mother's Superior Office.



"Who is it?" a deep, old female voice came from inside the room.

"Mother, is it me, Sister Greta. The one who you wanted to talk about… he's here."

"Let him in."

"Very well, Mother." Sister Greta said, before turning to me. "I really hope you can help us with this…"

"With what? So far, I have absolutely no idea of what you need my help for."

"You'll find out soon. Please enter."

I gulped, and walked inside. The first thing I noticed was that the room was almost completely dark, except for the central table, illuminated by the soft light of an oil lamp. And behind that table, the Mother Superior was waiting for me.

"Frederick, my dear boy." the Mother Superior greeted me as I stepped inside the room. "I'm glad you came. How are you?"

"I am fine, ma'am." I replied, with nonchalance. "Tanya is-"

"I know where she is. And I know that you came in a very beautiful car, with your butler and driver. His name is Mathias, right?"

"You know about him?"

"My dear boy, when you lead a convent for long enough you will find ways to stay informed. I know about the late Gegenbauer, as well as his gift to you."

I gulped again. "What do you want?"

"I need your help Frederick. Joining the army was the best thing that ever happened to you and Tanya. However..." she stood up, and looked directly at me in the ees. "It also had some… unintended consequences…"

"What kind of consequences?"

She sighed. "Apparently, your success on the front gave some generals the wrong idea. We received an order from the Imperial government, a few days ago: Every childr with magical potential living in Berun or the surrounding area must register for future employment in the army."

"What?" I asked, realizing what she just said. "But that's-"

"I know. And this is why we need your help…"

NEW COMMUNICATION FROM TRUNKO ​

Hello again, you beautiful people. How are you?

Excuse my intrusion, but I have some things I would like to communicate to you.

First of all, I would like to take advantage of this small space to dedicate today's chapter to all of you who have a soul mate (boyfriend or girlfriend; husband or wife, etc.) and who, for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot see these people as or how much they would like to. I will not hide this from you, I find myself in a complicated situation: although my partner and I live in very close towns, the anti-COVID rules imposed by our government prevent us from seeing each other except in cases of "serious emergency". For this reason, I want to send my best wishes to all those who are in the same situation, and are therefore tormented by this forced distance. It is a difficult time, but together, we will get through it.

Second, I am hypothesizing, for a future chapter, to make the Emperor appear. I already have a model of the character in mind; however, I would very much like to discuss with you the possible name to give him. Do you already have any idea what the Emperor might be called? If the name you suggest will be suitable, it will be added to the story and yourself will be credited for it.

Third and last thing, I wanted to inform you that, due to personal family events of the Christmas period, this fanfiction will be paused from December 17, 2020 until January 12, 2021. The last chapter before this break will therefore be published on December 16, 2020, and the publications of new chapters will resume on January 13, 2020.

Kind regards, and I wish everyone a happy final sprint before the end of the year.

 

[LordInfinitius]

Second, I am hypothesizing, for a future chapter, to make the Emperor appear. I already have a model of the character in mind; however, I would very much like to discuss with you the possible name to give him. Do you already have any idea what the Emperor might be called? If the name you suggest will be suitable, it will be added to the story and yourself will be credited for it.

Click to shrink...

So what are you thinking for the family that made the Empire in this story? Looking at the map it could be feasible for the alt!Habsburgs to have won the conflict between the alt!Hohenzollerns, however the capital is Berun and not alt!Wien. So something drastic happened, either complete utter victory by alt!Hohenzollerns, maybe unification a-la Tudor style, neither won and a third party managed to do it, or something else entirely.

I'm thinking
Charles/Karl Ferdinand Hoherdrache or something.

 

[LoquaciousLizard]

So what are you thinking for the family that made the Empire in this story? Looking at the map it could be feasible for the alt!Habsburgs to have won the conflict between the alt!Hohenzollerns, however the capital is Berun and not alt!Wien. So something drastic happened, either complete utter victory by alt!Hohenzollerns, maybe unification a-la Tudor style, neither won and a third party managed to do it, or something else entirely.

I'm thinking
Charles/Karl Ferdinand Hoherdrache or something.

Click to shrink...

Charles had better have that chad habsburg chin if he's supposed to be a alt!habsburg

 

[Trunko]

Chapter 105: In Nomini Pater​

"So this is the place where you grew up, sir?" Mathias asked, looking around at the interior of the orphanage. "No wonder Herr Karl wanted to bring you into the family, if I am allowed to say it."

"Yes, I know." I said, looking around to see if any of my old friends were still around. "It's not a very luxurious place. In fact, is literally falling apart. But it is home, or at least used to be before the Army."

"I suppose you were lucky, then." Mathias mused. "Sir, if I am allowed to ask, why did you decide to rush out all of sudden to ask me to come inside?"

"Because I spoke with the Mother Superior." I explained. "And she told me that she had some very important things she wanted to discuss with me and that it will take some time. Since I am not too keen at the idea of my personal butler freezing to death outside, I took the liberty to ask you to come inside and wait here until…"

"Frederick!" Sister Greta called, appearing out of nowhere. Behind her was Sister Helene, and many of my old friends from the orphanage. "There you are. The Mother Superior was getting worried because you said that you had to take some time outside, and we…" She stopped cold, as her eyes laid on Mathias. "And who is this man?"

"He… ehm… his name is Mathias. He is with me. He-"

"You don't have to hide the truth from the people who used to know you, sir." Mathias said with a smile, before properly greeting Sister Greta with a small bow. "My name is Mathias, and I am Herr Frederick's personal butler, housekeeper and the chief of staff of his residence. I hope that my presence will not be a disturbance for as long as my master is here."

For a few moments, nobody spoke up. Sister Greta and Sister Helene's eyes alternated constantly, moving from me to Mathias and from Mathias back to me.

"Have I offended you, madam?" Mathias said, looking quite puzzled. "I thought that a bow was preferable to a handshake, especially towards the clergy..."

"No, no, you are not doing anything wrong." Sister Helene was quick to say. "It's us that are being disrespectful. Allow us to present ourselves: my name is Sister Helene, and this is Sister Greta. We are both nuns in this orphanage, where we take care and nurture many children who are not lucky enough to have a family or parents to care for them. We simply… We were not expecting one of our former protégés to return with a butler."

"Indeed." Mathias said. "Herr Frederick was quite lucky, especially considering the attention the late Herr Gegenbauer gave to him."

"Gegenbauer? Is that…"

"Frederick!" Elsie said, stepping outside of the group and walking towards me, until her eyes and mine were exactly lined up in front of each other. "Is… is this one the butler you were talking about?"

"…yes?"

"And, why didn't you tell us he was right outside?"

"I… I didn't think I needed to. However, the Mother Superior told me that we needed to discuss something very important… And I couldn't leave him alone outside waiting in the cold. So…"

"Tell me!" Elsie then turned around to face Mathia.s "How the hell did Frederick manage to gather enough money to enlist your services. Does the Army pay him so well?"

"It's not the Army, miss. Herr Frederick here was the chosen heir for the affairs of my late master, the honorable August Gegenbauer, who passed away some time ago. Since then, I and the other servants of the mansion have served him to the best of our capabilities…"

"Gegenbauer?" Elsie said, turning around and looking at me in shock. "No way! Frederick, you were adopted by that old rich man?"

"I was… going to be adopted." I replied sleepily. "There was a couple who really wanted to take me, but they… had an accident before they could do it completely. However…"

"No way!"

"That's got to be the luckiest stroke ever!"

"I bet Tanya is jealous of him now!"

"What? Awww!"

"This is not fair!"

"Calm down children!" sister Helene was quick to wave them down. "Just because Frederick here got lucky it does not mean that you'll not possibly get the same fate as well. Besides, all of you have the opportunity to be adopted, as he did."

"But this is not fair!" one of the children repeated, jumping on his feet. "He was adopted by a rich family. This is the dream of all of us."

Elsie turned around again, and looked at me with big eyes. Then, she did something I would not have expected her to do at all.

She hugged me.

"I am happy for you." Elsie said, beginning to cry. "I'm a bit jealous, though. You got the biggest break an orphan can hope for."

"I guess you're right." I said. "I'd be jealous too if something like this happened to one of you. Do not misunderstand, however: It wasn't all roses and flowers. Above all, Tanya and I risked ending up with some terrible step parents…"

"Was it an evil stepmother like the ones of the stories that Sister Helene tells us?" a little girl asked.

"Worse." I breathed out, the memories causing my heart to beat faster. "Maybe… Mathias, can you do a favor for me?"

"Of course, sir. What do you need my help for?"

"Look, like I said before, I have to get back to the Mother Superior. Would you care to stay here in the meantime and tell them what happened with Erika and the others, while I talk with her? I am pretty sure my friends would be very interested into listening to your version of the story."

"That's no need to ask, sir." Mathias smiled again. "If I may remark, your friends seem like very good children, not like others I had to nurture. It would be my pleasure to entertain them for a bit, as well as help the nuns if necessary."

I smiled. "Thank you, Mathias."

"No, sir. You do not need to thank me. It's an honor for me to have met the people who used to know you before." He said, smiling lightly toward Sister Helene.

"You are a true gentleman." she replied.

I smiled, and walked away, just before Mathias was quickly surrounded by the other children, every one of them with a question about me or Tanya that they wanted to ask him. I wondered if Mathias would be able to survive such a relentless assault.

I continued along the corridor, heading back towards the office of Mother Superior. As soon as I was in front of the door, I knocked.

"Yes?" came her voice from the inside.

"Mother Superior, it's me, Frederick." I replied, in my most innocent voice ever. "I have returned. We can continue our talk, if you wish."

"Enter." was her answer.

I nodded, and pushed the door to enter. In silence, I reached the chair on which I was sitting until just before, and sat on it again.

"I am sorry for having to leave our discussion earlier earlier." I started to speak. "But-"

"Let me guess: you rushed outside because, when I said that we would need much more time than you have estimated, you realized that old butler of yours would have to wait longer outside. And so, you came to call him inside so he can keep company with our sisters and your child friends while we spoke."

"How do you know that?" I asked, puzzled. "Did sister Greta come here and tell you?"

"No need for that." she smiled wide enough to show teeth. "As I have already mentioned, after a long time running this orphanage and convent, I have learned to know what is happening while it is still happening. A difficult skill to learn, but necessary."

I nodded. "I see. Earlier you told me you had a plan to avoid the selected children being drafted, but you haven't shared any details yet. I'm curious how you plan to achieve that."

"Quite simple, really." she leaned forward. "I want you to write a report to Strategic Headquarters to try and dissuade them from going through with this insane plan of theirs."

"What?!" I almost yelled.

"Yes. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to discuss the matter with an old friend of mine, who had experience with cases of military interference in civil functions and children's rights. He told me that we have little hope of winning, but, if a member of the aforementioned army supported our case, we would have a better chance of being heard. You are a decorated officer, you are famed across the Empire and have a charisma to you, so probably..."

"I'll get demoted and booted somewhere on the Rhine for just daring to go against the decisions of the higher ranks, and they'd do it without a second thought. I am sorry to say this, Mother, but you are not facing a salesman who steals on the weight, or a sleazy landlord who wants to seize the convent land to build a factory. This is the Imperial Army we're talking about, the strongest, most powerful, influential and vindictive state apparatus in the whole Empire. I'm sorry to tell you this, but in a direct confrontation, we will never be able to prevail. If we want to save our friends, we must act more intelligently."

"More intelligently..." she said. "Then, what do you have on your mind? How do you suggest we act?"

"I don't know yet." I said, rising from the chair and looking around. "We need to think about it. We need to find a way for Elsie and the others to avoid the Rhine Front, without angering Strategic Headquarters. Maybe…"

I stopped talking, and focused on thinking. How could we avoid Elsie and the others being conscripted into the Mage Corps? There was no clear way for them to avoid it. However…

Then the idea came to me. A terrible, terrific idea.

"I got it!" I yelled.

"You do?" the Mother Superior asked to me. "Then, why don't you tell me what you've come up with?"

"Quite simple: we cannot stop the Army from conscripting them. But, if they enlist voluntarily, they have a good chance to choose where they will be deployed, and the unit they will be assigned to."

"And this is your idea?" she asked. "I don't see how this could be a great idea, even if the children volunteered…"

"Of course it is! Because, this gives us the chance to recruit them into my unit!"

"Y-your unit?"

"Yes. The 203rd​ Rapid-Response Battalion of the Magical Corps of the Imperial Army. If they enlist by their own volition, I could request them as reinforcements for my units. This will give them some time at the training grounds before deployment, and Tanya and I would take care of them, should they have to join us…"

"That… is not a bad idea." the Mother Superior admitted. "However, I have some doubts about it: who can guarantee that you will be able to request them specifically for your unit, once they will enroll?"

"Like I already said, the 203rd​ Battalion is an elite unit, and as such, Tanya and I are gifted with first choice into choosing the reinforcements to replenish our manpower. Especially when it comes to young and highly skilled mages fresh out of basic training. And in this regard, I already have an idea of how to implement this plan of ours."

"Oh yes? And how?" she looked at me with a glare that could have frozen hell. "How do you expect to be able to be sure that Elsie and the others will be assigned to your unit?"

"With a simple three-stage strategy." I said with a chuckle. "First, the boys will have to make an official application for enlistment in the army, while, at the same time, Tanya and I will apply for reinforcements for our unit. Then, with an official letter of requisition, we will request that Elsie and the others be reassigned to our unit for intensive training. Obviously, better in a training camp than on the front: at least, in the rear, they will have comfortable dorms, hot meals and will be far from the front, and consequently from the enemy. Moreover…"

"And you… can guarantee that they will not be lost somewhere on the Rhine Front or something like that?"

"Mother, nothing is guaranteed: of course there is the chance that something will go wrong. If there is something I have learned during my academy years and on the Front, is that nothing ever goes as planned. However, it is still a better option to let the Army itself come and get them: we have only bad options. We have to choose the least bad."

"Isn't there a better option than this?" she asked. "One that's more likely to work, maybe?"

"Well, you could still try to hide them and smuggle them out of the Empire's territory. However, I don't think that's going to work any better than this. The Army is not very kind to those it considers "deserters". They will probably send men in pursuit, with anti-mage equipment, to hunt them down. They will have to live of fugitives, in deprivation and constantly on alert. Always terrified of being caught and convicted for their real or alleged crimes. So, this is not an option."

She sighed. "Very well. I will tell the other sisters of the Orphanage. Can you tell Elsie and the others?"

"I can. However, I have plans for doing something better…."





….





"Frederick, you want to bring us to your house?" Elsie asked, her mouth open from surprise.