I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~

When we hurriedly made our way to the battalion commander’s office after being summoned, Captain Yugi, our company commander, was already there.

“Everyone’s here.”

“Indeed they are.”

The company commander and battalion commander nodded to each other, then turned to face us.

With both direct superior officers gathered together, this had to be a serious matter. I started feeling a bit tense.

“Lieutenant Fonkt and Second Lieutenant Crimine, reporting as ordered.”

When I gave the formal reporting procedure that we rarely used, the battalion commander gave a small nod.

“Well done. First, let me convey your mission. Captain Yugi and the two others under her command are to assassinate Admiral Telzen of the Imperial Navy’s Southern Fleet.”

An assassination order right off the bat. And he’s one of the biggest names in the Navy, too.

Though we were surprised, we saluted, and the battalion commander gave a wry smile.

“I suppose an explanation is in order?”

“If possible, please.”

When I said that, Second Lieutenant Crimine was nodding vigorously too. Well, of course she was.

The battalion commander settled deeply into his chair and crossed his arms.

“The truth is, these kinds of assassination orders have been coming down for a while now. But I used my authority to reject them, saying ‘this battalion lacks the capability to execute assassination operations.'”

Amazing, this woman. Just how much political power would you need to pull off something that outrageous?

“I hate assassination. It’s the most foolish method of eliminating political enemies. I hate executions too, but at least they have legal legitimacy backing them, so I consider them somewhat better.”

It’s true that using assassination as a political tool was unhealthy no matter how you look at it. In my previous life’s games, I preferred using assassin characters, but that’s precisely because it’s something shameful—that’s what makes it fun in a game.

When I nodded emphatically, the battalion commander gave a wry smile.

“But precisely because it’s such a foolish method, if we accept it, we can demand appropriate compensation. Specifically, authority and military force sufficient to execute assassination operations.”

“That would certainly be helpful.”

During the recent tailing operation, if we’d had sufficient personnel, we should have been able to arrest the person following us. With a battalion that exists only on paper with just a few dozen people including non-commissioned officers, we can’t mobilize people at times like that.

The battalion commander sighed.

“So this time I accepted the order. Besides, Admiral Telzen is a scoundrel who has been appropriating warships for personal use and smuggling prohibited drugs. It’s been confirmed that Admiral Telzen was the mastermind behind the large-scale drug smuggling operation that was recently exposed. He must have made quite a profit.”

Once Imperial military officers reach a certain scale and could freely move personnel and budgets around, many of them start doing whatever they please. Our battalion commander probably wasn’t lining her own pockets, but she was certainly doing things her own way.

“Some amount of smuggling is tolerated as a perk of the position, but given the nature of these particular goods, it seems to have touched the Emperor’s reverse scale. The Emperor is passionate about eradicating prohibited drugs.”

(T/N: “Reverse scale” refers to something that triggers a person’s strongest anger or reaction when touched or provoked.)

While he was an incompetent emperor who was ignorant of current affairs and eager to execute people, his politics were generally fairly reasonable in broad strokes. That’s why everyone follows him.

“So the Emperor issued a summon for Admiral Telzen to appear before an inquiry committee, but he’s being cautious and won’t comply with the summons. The Emperor has determined that Admiral Telzen has treasonous intent and decided on his elimination below the surface.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to mobilize other fleets to blockade the harbors?”

Don’t make the Army handle Navy problems. No, wait—that kind of thinking was too bureaucratic. I need to be careful.

The battalion commander gave a wry smile.

“It seems His Wise Majesty the Emperor harbors distrust toward the Navy itself. He’s concerned about the possibility that other admirals might support Admiral Telzen, leading to large-scale rebellion. The reason for assassination is that the repercussions of legal punishment are unpredictable.”

If the Emperor couldn’t trust his own military, that’s the end. This country really didn’t have long left.

I sighed lightly and answered:

“So the imperial command has come down to us, who are directly under the Imperial Household?”

“Exactly. With the situation unstable due to the ‘Yuo Nevilnel’ incident, it would be problematic if our battalion earned the Emperor’s distrust like the Navy. If our budget and personnel were reduced, I couldn’t protect you all.”

While she mocked the Emperor, ultimately relying on the Emperor’s authority was the sad reality of the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion. When trying to strengthen our position, we inevitably end up making pro-imperial moves.

But this country really didn’t have long left… This was troubling.

“So this time, in exchange for accepting the elimination order, I demanded expanded authority and military strength. It’s only natural—we’re eliminating an active Navy admiral, after all.”

The battalion commander grinned as she said this.

“Our Imperial Ceremonial Battalion has been allocated two infantry platoons—about one hundred line infantry soldiers. While it’s less than a company, with this many we can conduct organized security and patrols.”

As a battalion, we’d really want five or six hundred, but since we were not a combat unit, we couldn’t complain. It was sufficient for headquarters guards.

Still, this was quite a bold reorganization. I wonder where they were going to pull a hundred soldiers from.

Perhaps my doubts showed on my face, because the battalion commander turned to the side while keeping her arms crossed.

“Well, they’re disabled veterans. Men who’ve been cast out from regular units due to injuries or age. They can’t keep up with marching.”

“Will that be alright?”

The battalion commander replied matter-of-factly:

“They might fall behind in marches or bayonet charges, but our battalion doesn’t do that kind of thing anyway. Our usual duties are guarding battalion headquarters and carrying out executions by firing squad, and if we go out, it’s just patrols within the imperial capital.”

“That’s true.”

The most important things for infantry were walking and running, but in our case, being able to shoot was sufficient.

“I’ll assign one platoon each to the Second and Third Companies. As officers, you two can freely borrow up to four men.”

“That’s helpful. Can we borrow them for this mission too?”

“If necessary, yes. However, don’t expect them to perform like regular soldiers.”

If four soldiers carrying bayonet-fixed muskets accompanied us, the intimidation factor they projected would be completely different. Work should be easier from now on.

Well, whether it’s four or fifty people, it’s still insufficient as military strength anyway. Our opponent was a Navy admiral.

“Additionally, the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion will have independent investigative and judicial authority. From now on, there’s no need to seek approval from other departments every time. You can arrest officers up to lieutenant rank without question.”

That’s secret police. In this country where revolution could break out at any time, we’ve ended up taking on the dark side of politics.

I felt something cold run down my spine, but I also understood there were no other options. We were the Emperor’s direct executioners. The only thing we could rely on was the Emperor’s authority.

The battalion commander looked at me and smiled.

“Now then, I’ve increased your hand as much as possible. Can you eliminate Admiral Telzen with this?”

“I’m not confident, but we have to do it. We might cause quite a commotion.”

“That’s fine. Cleaning up afterward is my job.”

Resting her cheek on her hand at the desk, the battalion commander said in a cheerful tone:

“I’ll suppress most things, so just go harvest Admiral Telzen’s life. But don’t overdo it.”

“I’ve never overdone anything.”

“Right.”

When the battalion commander gave a wry smile, even Captain Yugi started chuckling.

“I’ll supervise them, so it’ll be fine, Battalion Commander.”

“You’re a source of anxiety yourself, but bring these two back safely. They’re indispensable personnel for our battalion. You too, of course.”

“How delightful.”