Chapter 34: Peter Yaeger, Soaring High (4)
Upon receiving his daughter’s request, Count Benner spoke with a gentle smile and a soothing voice.
“Ever since you entered the academy, even when I offered help, you would say, ‘I can do it on my own,’ and you have always managed on your own. I never thought you would directly ask something from me before you graduate.”
“I thought the same. However, what I desire now is something I can’t obtain with effort alone, hence the request.”
Laura came to this place worried whether her father would actually listen to her request.
In truth, Count Benner wanted to fulfill any request Laura made, unless it was something extremely problematic.
His daughter, Laura von Benner, had always exceeded his expectations without causing him any trouble since birth.
He wanted to praise his wonderful daughter, but due to patriarchal times, he had to maintain a strict fatherly image.
So, he planned to approve her request this time and give her the praise he couldn’t before.
Thus, Count Benner spoke to his daughter with a satisfied smile.
“Tell me anything. If it is within my power, I’ll do as you wish.”
Hearing her father’s positive response, Laura’s usually cold expression brightened slightly.
“Thank you, father.”
“No. You, who have always been at the top since entering the Imperial Academy, are making a request for the first time. I would gladly pluck out the stars from the sky for you. Now, speak up.”
Gaining courage from his words, Laura spoke.
“I want to serve under Captain Peter Yaeger, no, soon to be Major, after graduating from the academy. Please help me.”
“That Knight of Silver Sword Cross Medal recipient?”
“Yes. To succeed as a future commander, starting military life under him is the best choice. Didn’t you always say that even talented officers need 10 years of real-world experience after the academy, and meeting a worthy superior is crucial?”
Count Benner nodded. He had heard the same from his own father, and as recommended by his father, he learned a lot under General Howard. Using those experiences, he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant General at his current age.
He wanted to respect his daughter’s wishes, but there was one issue.
“Indeed, serving Lieutenant Yaeger, who will soon be promoted to Major, isn’t wrong. He has the qualities of a hero. No one has received the Silver Sword Cross Medal and been promoted to Major at his age in the last 100 years. But… even if you cannot succeed the Count title, a member of Count’s family serving under him is a bit…”
“I know. But Lieutenant Yaeger will rapidly be promoted, and his reputation and value will only increase. He’s the youngest Silver Sword Cross Medal recipient and a 20-year-old Major, but he will soon be a Lieutenant Colonel at 23 and a Colonel at 25. He might even become a General before turning 30.”
“That might be why the Crown Prince assigned him to me and occasionally provides support. But that alone cannot convince me. Speak more clearly.”
Hearing this, Laura von Benner recalled her conversation with Peter Yaeger from yesterday. He had openly shared the principles, uses, and values of the new formation he had developed. From this, she saw his genius and boldness.
Normal commanders would keep new tactics secret until they could use them, but Lieutenant Yaeger had shared everything, possibly thinking that even if she, Laura von Benner, knew it, she couldn’t utilize them as much as he could.
If she could fight under such a confident commander, she could overcome her limitations as a woman and become a general like her respected father.
“I heard officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers who fought with Lieutenant Yaeger on the Raintlant front received considerable benefits. His direct superior, a Captain, bypassed the limitations and got promoted to Major, and the remaining Lieutenants have their promotions to Captain confirmed next year. All the non-commissioned officers above Sergeant passed the officer courses just by applying.”
Hearing this, Count Benner nodded without objection.
Because, when the Crown Prince recruited Lieutenant Yaeger, he had investigated all related records and confirmed that all known accomplishments of the soldiers who worked with Lieutenant Yaeger were true.
And Laura having such information implied that she had been interested in him for a long time…
Count Benner felt proud, thinking that, like himself, his daughter also had a discerning eye for recognizing talent.
“Despite being just a student platoon leader, he had achieved such accomplishments. It is unfathomable what great feats he will achieve when he officially commands a battalion. If records show that I, Laura von Benner, contributed alongside him, it will be a great advantage in my future career. I could also learn the essential skills of a commander that you emphasized.”
Hearing this, Count Benner sighed, for there was nothing incorrect in his daughter’s words.
Especially when considering the empire’s military textbook, which stated, ‘In war, a battalion commander is guaranteed independent troop operation rights and can dominate the battlefield using that autonomy.’
He was a genius who, even as a mere lieutenant, could move a battalion to behead enemy battalion commanders and, as a captain, utilizing a hundred soldiers, could annihilate enemy troops, including a colonel and two lieutenant colonels.
So everyone was anticipating how much he would shine once he commanded an entire battalion. That was why the Crown Prince and he himself, had promoted him with somewhat excessive measures, but Yaeger’s battalion would be primarily placed in the most dangerous locations as the price for his exceptional accomplishments and rapid promotions.
With that in mind, as a father, he honestly didn’t want to approve of her request.
But, as the saying went, a parent couldn’t overcome their child’s will.
So he ultimately sighed and agreed,
“Alright. But there’s one condition.”
Hearing this, Laura’s face brightened like a full moon. Count Benner felt a fleeting sense of loss, but he still maintained his fatherly dignity.
“Firstly, I am in charge of operations at the General Staff Office, so getting a place under Lieutenant Yaeger is not difficult. However, since Lieutenant Yaeger is under high scrutiny, I cannot easily send you under him. So, until you graduate next year, maintain being in the top position.”
“Understood.”
“When Yaeger is promoted to Major, he will openly select a ‘battalion deputy’ among the academy graduates and you should apply. Lieutenant Yaeger is not stupid; he will accept you unless your grades are the absolute worst. To prevent any dispute, you should maintain top grades.”
If other graduates or academy students had heard him, they might have made a fuss about how lightly he talked about the honor of graduating as the valedictorian, which practically guaranteed a promotion to general.
But Laura von Benner had never lost the top position since her first year. So, to her, this wasn’t an excessive condition.
“Understood, Father.”
Then Count Benner stood up to give the praise he hadn’t been able to give, patting her head like he often did when she was younger.
“I have rejected all requests related to personnel appointments, even from nearby nobles asking to send their children to good places. But this time, for you, who brought honor to our family as the valedictorian from the academy without causing a single problem, I will break the rules. So, make sure I don’t regret this decision and continue doing well wherever you go.”
Hearing this, Laura shed tears, feeling the warm approval of her proud and trusting father. And on that night, they were able to share many stories they hadn’t before.
Laura asked about Lieutenant Yaeger, whom she decided to follow, and Count Benner honestly shared his thoughts, based on his personnel records and his impressions when he met him.
The next morning, Count Benner wrote a letter to the promoted Lieutenant Yaeger,
[After winning the mock battle, my daughter said she wanted to ask you something, so I told her to deliver you food and ask you directly. I don’t know what you talked about, but she requested to be your deputy. If she officially serves under you, please treat her well.]
He momentarily wanted to add,
‘Take care of my daughter, damn it.’
But knowing that Laura’s sparkling eyes when talking about Yaeger was because she recognized his abilities and not out of romantic interest, he refrained from doing so.
Yet he still couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable and anxious feeling that, like all fathers with daughters, he was hoping that guy wouldn’t go after his daughter.
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