I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 22: False Smiles ②

The Imperial Navy began as a unit of the Army, initially tasked primarily with coastal patrol and pirate suppression.

…So I learned at the military academy.

Eventually they began conducting fleet battles and offshore bombardments, and gained independence as the Navy several decades ago. Therefore, their scale was small and they were organizationally new.

The imperial capital had a branch of Navy Command, responsible for liaison and coordination with the Army and Foreign Trade Ministry.

A strange military doctor came to that branch.

Well, that was me.

“Greetings, I am Lieutenant-equivalent Roxon Boltaren of Army Medical, specializing in internal medicine.”

I introduced myself using my ‘public face’ while rummaging through my medical bag.

“Yes…”

The branch’s non-commissioned officers looked suspicious, but I didn’t mind.

“Are you familiar with subterranean miasma? Toxic miasma sometimes accumulates in vertical shafts, killing those who enter.”

“No…”

The clerical NCOs were completely confused, but since I was a lieutenant-equivalent, they couldn’t just throw me out. I’d checked beforehand—all officers were absent today for meetings and business trips.

I continued rummaging through my medical bag while talking one-sidedly.

“I treated an engineer lieutenant who was affected by such a miasma, but despite all remedies, he passed away. Well, human life and death are beyond our control, so it couldn’t be helped, but this gentleman entrusted me with a map.”

“Um, what does that have to do with the Navy?”

“Ah, that’s just it!”

I adjusted my borrowed glasses while pressing close to one of the NCOs.

“This engineer lieutenant apparently borrowed a precision map copy from the Navy Survey Bureau. As you know, precision maps are military secrets. They must be returned without fail. …That’s correct, isn’t it?”

“A-ah, yes. That’s right. But for the Navy to lend to the Army…”

Interrupting the NCO’s statement, I continued rapidly:

“Normally I should go to the Survey Bureau to return it, but I don’t know which branch office loaned it. I can’t be away from my unit for long either. Since I happened to have business in the capital today, I came to return it.”

Incidentally, this speaking style imitated my supervising professor from my previous life. He was knowledgeable and amazing, but his talks were incredibly long.

As expected, the NCO was completely troubled. The other NCOs, wanting to avoid getting involved, started staring intently at their paperwork.

“I-I understand your purpose. But this is troubling—we don’t have much connection to the Navy Survey Bureau.”

“I apologize for the imposition, but I have more house calls afterward. Since carrying it around does no good, I really want to return it.”

“I understand that, but…”

The NCO who didn’t want extra work looked reluctant, but couldn’t treat a map lightly. He reluctantly nodded.

“C-could you show me the map first?”

“Here it is.”

I took out a folded, wrinkled map. This was a precision map from the Army Survey Bureau, precisely depicting a lakeside deep in the mountains of Kavalaf region.

Naturally, the NCO was confused.

“Where is this map of…”

“I don’t really know either. I’m completely hopeless at reading maps.”

Actually, having been drilled as an infantry officer at a military academy, I could visualize terrain in my head just by glancing at it.

But Imperial Army medical officers weren’t soldiers but military-affiliated internal medicine and surgical doctors, so they didn’t receive such training.

Therefore, “internal medicine doctor Roxon Boltaren” played dumb.

The NCO looked troubled, tracing the place names marked on the map with his finger.

“Hmm, which port is this?”

It’s not a port.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll check with the map registry.”

The NCO walked to one of the filing cabinets and pulled out a thick ledger from a section marked “Class 4 Classified.” I see, over there.

Security was quite lax too—sneaking a look in the middle of the night would be fairly easy.

“Ah… this is annoying.”

For this NCO, the map I brought was nothing but trouble.

But unlike civilian maps, precision survey maps were military secrets. Mishandling them could result in worse than demotion.

“What the hell, I really can’t find it…”

The Navy didn’t have data on inland maps. The Army monopolized them to maintain superiority.

So no matter how much he searched, there was no matching map.

Unaware of this, the NCO stared at the thick ledger with a difficult expression.

“This map has place names I’ve never heard of, and the coastlines don’t match any of our maps…”

It’s not a coast.

I pretended ignorance while closing my medical bag.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“No wait, wait please. I can’t accept this without confirming whether it’s one of our maps.”

“Even if you say that, I only received it from a patient, so I can’t do anything more.”

“I’ll check right away.”

Here I offered assistance.

“If it’s just looking for matching place names, I think I could help too. Shall I assist?”

“Ah, yes please.”

Perhaps my earlier interaction had lowered his guard, because the NCO handed me a volume of the ledger.

I selected one containing Zelan Bay from the volumes and flipped through it. Found it.

After confirming the NCOs weren’t watching me, I took out a paper scrap from my pocket. This was also from an Army survey map, but cut out to show only the Zelan Bay area.

Zelan Bay as known by the Army, and Zelan Bay as known by the Navy.

Two maps lay before me.

“Hmm, let me see…”

“Don’t dirty the map, okay?”

“I’ll treat it as gently as a dying patient.”

This country was dying anyway.

Now then…

I compared the two maps. This reminded me of spot-the-difference games at a family restaurant near my workplace. I think I never found them all in the end.

This one seemed easy.

Oh, found it.

As I’d expected, there were slight but crucial differences between the two. I marked the map I’d brought.

Well, I’d accomplished my purpose, so time to go home.

I called out leisurely to the NCO:

“By the way, this map registry is all coastal areas.”

“Well, we are the Navy…”

I immediately tilted my head with a puzzled expression.

“In that case, this might not be a Navy map after all. I heard the engineer lieutenant was on inland duty, so it might be a lake map.”

“Ah, if so, that would be Army jurisdiction. The Navy doesn’t operate on lakes.”

The NCO turned to me with a relieved expression.

“How about inquiring with the Army Survey Bureau first?”

“Indeed, perhaps the patient confused Army and Navy in his final moments. Let me try the Army first.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

Since it seemed the troublesome matter could be avoided, the NCO hurriedly began putting away the ledger.

I refolded the map I’d brought and stuffed it into my medical bag.

“Sorry to bother you during busy hours. Thank you for your trouble.”

“Not at all.”

Since the annoying military doctor was leaving, the NCO was exceptionally friendly.

I also smiled pleasantly as I stepped into the corridor and gently closed the door of the Navy Command branch.

It was right to investigate beforehand. The risk was worth it.

I need to hurry back. This requires additional investigation.