Academy Genius Commander

63 – Prom is politics (2)

Because he was not born into an aristocratic family and did not receive a proper liberal arts education, he had no choice but to complete liberal arts subjects at the academy only to avoid failing.

Even after being appointed as a professor, he wanted to avoid it as much as possible, but the problem that imperial nobles and officers could never avoid was the ball.

Because the prom of this era is a different level from simply playing golf for politicians or high-ranking people in Korea.

I wasn’t even a member of an aristocratic family, and I didn’t even care about it because of my dancing and my lack of culture.

Originally, second lieutenants who graduated from the academy must attend a ball held near their base unless they are fighting the enemy on the front lines.

It was common for them to meet families who could support them or build close relationships there, and also meet young women who would marry them while dancing.

Because of that, even when things were going very urgently on the front line, the second lieutenants and lieutenants said that there was even a military law that required them to be exempted from duty on the day of the ball because of marriage problems.

Therefore, I had no choice but to answer timidly, unlike when I fought in war or in the political arena.

“Because I’m from a commoner… don’t you know that?”

The Count, who understood that well, said with a sigh.

“Since you were only captain last time, me and His Highness the Crown Prince deliberately pretended to be sick and told me to rest. It’s different now. You must attend.”

“I know.”

“Still, everyone knows that you are from a commoner, so nobles belonging to the half-princess faction won’t ask Peter Yeager to dance or anything like that. All you have to do is gossip about it behind your back. Normally, people take off their clothes because of such gossip, but you won’t even get scratched because of your great achievements.”

Of course, the main characters and aristocratic ladies in novels and comics are people who have learned only social dancing at home for at least 5 to 8 years.

It is virtually impossible for a person like me who has studied at the academy and just rolled in the front line to dance gracefully like those aristocrats.

From now on, if you want to catch up, you will have to hold on for at least two months and learn to dance hard.

So, it was a great comfort to say that I didn’t have to learn to dance just to be noticed by people.

“But if you had any intentions, you wouldn’t intend to go in wearing military uniforms like the students of the General Staff College, would you? It is said that there is no problem according to the Imperial Army regulations, but if you are a noble and a professor, you should not do that. Because a ball is said to be a gathering for dancing and socializing, but in reality it is a political arena.”

“of course. So I took care of myself and prepared nice clothes and even a temporary servant to hire.”

Hearing that, Count Benner waved his hand and said.

“If you’re a cramming baron with no connections, that’s for the best. i can’t do that Talk to the head of the Benner family and he’ll lend you a butler. let him take him With that much, you will be able to prepare clothes and other things you need to bring without any problems. Let’s talk more productively.”

Then, the count’s face, which had looked annoyed until just now, turned serious, as if he were having a meeting in Vysoccia.

“You used to be just an insignificant orphaned officer who didn’t even deserve my attention, to be honest. It’s great that he overcame his status problem and entered the academy. Even so, he was a bit of an idiot at a slightly better level than most executive officers.”

Until he proved his worth on the Rhineland front, whenever this fact was mentioned, his inferiority complex soared, but it was a long-standing problem that had already been overcome.

It means nothing now that most of the people who laughed at me now look at me with envy and envy.

Even the factions who oppose His Highness the Crown Prince right now curse me behind my back for being an orphaned lieutenant colonel, but they are subconsciously hostile to me as if I were the head of a certain aristocratic family.

“Then you caught the eye of the Crown Prince and me before I knew it, and now His Majesty the Emperor is watching you too. Proving that is your title and fiefdom.”

Instead of answering that, I nodded.

“No. His Majesty, in fact, has favor with you. It seems that he liked that he missed the chase in order not to make enemies politically, even though he could have done more by killing the second-in-command in Visochia.”

Considering that the rank of a commoner officer recorded in history is at least a brigadier general, it is a fact that you have no choice but to know unless your head is spinning.

However, when I heard about it through the words of my superior, the feeling was completely different.

“What if I had coveted more minor exploits in the chase?”

“They would have given you more fiefdoms and not given you titles. In addition, instead of being promoted to a colonel instead of a professor at the Staff College, you were assigned to a division like Reitenburg with five soon-to-retire vice-division commanders, so you had to roll for two years.”

“Is that so?”

He answered calmly, but it was a more terrible troop deployment than he thought.

Of course, considering my age and achievements, His Majesty probably didn’t send me to the Central Army to purify me.

The 14th Division near Leithenburg is a central army, so there is little opportunity to make a feat.

It’s near the capital, so the working conditions are good, but it’s a good place to work comfortably.

Due to its characteristics, it is a unit that colonels who have given up on being promoted to general, who have a lot of time to surpass the division commander, go through it for the last time.

But a 21-year-old colonel with a star before the age of 30 goes to such a place?

Class is class, so you shouldn’t do crazy things that deserve beating or impeachment.

They would have suffered absurdities and cravings beyond human imagination in a line that did not go against the rules.

And having this conversation was indirectly asking how I would behave at the ball.

“In short, do you want me to have the bare minimum of dignity at this ball, and to block the approach of other forces on their own? To judge a little more politically, soon His Majesty the Emperor will step down, so the vote to select the next Emperor will begin.”

Just like in the ‘Empire that is neither sacred nor an empire’ I read in a book, here too the emperor is elected by the vote of the nobles.

Even so, only the son of the emperor would run as a candidate, and the crown prince would be elected in quite a few cases.

Unexpectedly, in a situation where there are many aristocrats who claim to be politically neutral, if they do not get votes from the middle class, it can be taken as meaning that they do not have the ‘capacity to maintain the stability of the empire’.

The fact that there are so many opposition votes proves that there are so many people who are trying to check the emperor, the ruling party and government.

So what Count Benner is worried about is how strong the next emperor’s imperial power will be depending on how many votes he gets here.

‘If I join another prince’s side, who is seen as a lumberjack who will become an imperial marshal in the future and take charge of the emperor’s military power, will the imperial authority hit the bottom?’

It may lead to this conclusion, but if you talk too much, you will die right away like the positive water in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

“Anyway, His Highness, the crown prince, dragged you in a bit too much, so how would we feel if we got along with the other side? you know better? That only for the sake of a lieutenant colonel, the only one who treats me well as a lieutenant general at the headquarters is only the crown prince.”

That’s a story anyone can agree on, unless you’re an idiot, or just brainless.

Who is the one who made an orphaned baron a baron right away… Isn’t that the generous crown prince?

“It is a matter of course. So, even if there are guys who approach me from time to time, I will cut them off in an appropriate line.”

Count Benner nodded, wondering if he was happy that I gave him the answer he wanted.

“At times like this, having a woman with you will help you in many ways. Didn’t Laura have a history of serving as your lieutenant? I will go with you.”

“I will do as you command. By the way… can I really go out with the lieutenant?”

“It is your order. Laura, he has a better eye than you, so ask him to pick out a suit as well.”

All things considered, Laura is much better at dressing than I am.

“All right. Then I’ll just…”

As I said that and was about to leave, the Count spoke loudly in a voice mixed with dejection and anger.

“yes. Go home right away and rest in peace!”

**

After Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger had left, Earl Benner sighed heavily.

Because, no matter how things are going, the daughter he really cherished was given to that thief…

The count’s daughter has never even had her first love, so she doesn’t know what her heart is like, but since she said she wanted to follow the lieutenant colonel even after leaving the staff college, strictly speaking, she’s not even a thief.

“Out of all the men of my age who could marry Laura, except for members of the royal family, Jaeger is my favorite anyway. Even being of the same age as a baron, being a professor at the Staff College, and being awarded the Silver Knight’s Sword twice is perfect. Besides, Laurado…”

Now that this has happened, wouldn’t it be the role of a father to at least lay the plate so that Laura can work well with the lieutenant colonel whom she respects and loves?

I’ll do well because I’ve spent more time as a commander and lieutenant than a fair number of aristocratic fiancées.