The Incompetent Emperor Who Changes the World from the Shadows: Iron, Gunpowder, and the Young Maidens of Favor - Chapter 1: The Otherworldly Battlefield and the Mystery of Reincarnation

Chapter 1: The Otherworldly Battlefield and the Mystery of Reincarnation

The metallic clangs rattling my eardrums, the acrid smell of burnt gunpowder, the dry sound of wooden fences splintering in the distance.

The next moment, I open my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar place shrouded in thin mist.

This was the first and last day I spent as a soldier, before I awoke as the “emperor.”

*

“Where am I?”

I wasn’t on a bed in a room but lying in something like a small tent—a so-called military tent, or pup tent, it seems.

Is this a campsite or something? No, I don’t even remember coming to a place like this…

Raising my heavy body and stepping out of the tent, I find, as expected, an outdoor setting.

The sky is cloudless, and short grass covers the ground.

“Good morning. Slept well?”

A man with wavy, natural-permed blonde hair calls out to me.

His chiseled features and blue eyes mark him as a foreigner, unfamiliar to someone like me, a Japanese person.

But if he can speak fluent Japanese, there’s no need to feel intimidated.

“Where am I?”

“Come on, are you still half-asleep? Or did the shock of being drafted into the military give you amnesia?”

I don’t understand what he’s talking about.

But I can tell his clothes are some kind of old-fashioned military uniform, like something from a war movie.

It’s field-grey, reminiscent of what I think the German army wore in the early 20th century.

“Can you answer me seriously? Where is this?”

“They explained it yesterday, didn’t they? Well, being dragged to an unfamiliar place by truck would confuse anyone.”

He gives a wry smile, as if to say it can’t be helped, and continues.

“This is the northwestern part of the Empire, near the Republic’s border, a grassland called Elberk. We’re in a standoff with enemy forces, so it’s natural to feel on edge. But the enemy doesn’t seem to move unless we make the first strike.”

The Empire, and the Republic?

In the modern world I know, no empire ruled by an emperor exists anymore.

Unless he’s joking, is this the past? A time slip, then?

Judging by his clothing and gear, it’s not too far back—not medieval, but modern-ish.

But Elberk? I’ve never heard of such a place.

Maybe it was called that back then.

So, am I in Imperial Germany?

Considering he might be joking, I throw out a quip.

“The enemy—is it the French army?”

Whether this is the First or Second World War, the opponent shouldn’t change.

“France? What’s that? The enemy is the Allied Forces, but the ones in front of us are mostly Rontesia’s lot.”

“…?”

Rontesia? A country I’ve never heard of.

“…That aside, the general’s orders are as ridiculous as ever. The emperor’s busy chasing women, while we risk our lives testing new weapons.”

He says it jokingly, but his eyes aren’t laughing.

He continues.

“Distribution of food rations is starting soon, so you’d better pack your stuff.”

Prompted, I look at my tent.

I’ve got some camping experience, so I know enough to understand how to pack up a military tent.

My gaze falls on the rifle placed by my pillow.

I’m not a gun nut, but it looks like a lever-action rifle, similar to a “Gewehr 98.”

Even a gaming geek like me can recognize that much.

So, it’s reasonable to assume this is close to Western civilization in the early 1900s.

That said, something feels off—this doesn’t seem like the world I know.

It might be a different world with a similar level of civilization.

What clinches it is the text engraved on the rifle.

It’s neither Latin nor Greek letters, nor kanji or katakana.

Completely unfamiliar characters… yet somehow, I understand their meaning.

Manufactured by the Garava Kingdom

Where am I?

I mutter to myself.

Glancing at a puddle, I see my reflection: short hair, chiseled features.

A complete stranger stares back.

“Who… am I?”

※

While lining up for food rations, the guys behind me start gossiping.

“Hey, heard? His Majesty the Emperor is coming here for an inspection.”

“Chasing women again? Bet he’s after the pretty nurses on the front lines this time.”

“Idiot, shut up. You wanna get arrested for lese-majesty?”

“It’s fine, relax. The imperial guards are only in the capital. No one’s got time to come out here.”

“…Still, why’s he coming for an inspection? It doesn’t add up.”

“I heard a bit about it. The new weapon test, right? Seems like it needs parliamentary approval or something.”

“Huh. So, the emperor’s gotta vouch for it?”

“Officially, yeah. But the real power’s with the chancellor.”

“Pfft, doesn’t matter to grunts like us.”

I’m starting to get a sense of this country’s situation.

It’s somewhat similar to Imperial Germany’s political system, with a few differences.

If Rontesia, mentioned earlier, is a republic, it’s even closer to early 20th-century history.

“…Ugh!”

At that moment, a shout comes from the distance.

It spreads to the soldiers ahead, and the hands distributing food stop.

“Assembly call. Food’s on hold.”

“What? They won’t even let us eat?”

One soldier snaps angrily at the ration distributor.

“General Ramble’s arrived. If you don’t wanna die, you’d better obey.”

Those words send a wave of tension through the soldiers.

It doesn’t sound like a joke.

Feeling uneasy, I run with the others to the assembly point.

In the grassland where the soldiers gather, a platform for speeches is set up.

Hundreds of soldiers line up in front of it, maybe several hundred.

The arriving soldiers fall into line from the edges.

Before everyone’s in place, a silver-haired, bearded military man with an imposing attitude appears.

Standing before the platform, he declares:

“Slow! Anyone not in line now will be punished.”

I barely made it, but that’s a harsh punishment.

Not letting frontline soldiers eat properly—do they even plan to win this war?

Those who arrived late are herded away by the general’s subordinates at gunpoint.

In a way, my condolences to them.

“Those standing here are splendid. You are the chosen ones. You’ll participate in a glorious experiment for the Empire.”

He just casually said something pretty ominous.

“Experiment?”

“The new weapon, right?”

“What’re they making us do?”

Others must’ve noticed too, as soldiers start whispering.

“Silence! The experiment is simple. The new weapon will protect you from enemy attacks with something called ‘Denjiha.’ Though in the last test, half the soldiers were burned to a crisp.”

For a moment, the air in the ranks freezes.

“All you need to do is charge the enemy.”

His tone doesn’t change, but the words sound chillingly cold.

This is insane. If “Denjiha” means electromagnetic waves, not some unknown term, it’s seriously bad. (T/N: Denjiha is a japanese word, literally electromagnetic waves.)

In theory, powerful electromagnetic forces could deflect bullets—or rather, absorb them in one direction.

Such a method might be theoretically possible, but it’s not realistic.

Unless it’s an extraordinarily strong electromagnetic force, it wouldn’t be able to alter the trajectory of lead bullets fired from guns.

First and foremost, bullets aren’t magnetic.

.

With the scientific level I judged to be early 20th-century, it’s outright impossible.

They must’ve been duped by a con artist or some idiot developer who miscalculated.

That means we soldiers are being sent to charge the enemy with no guarantees.

For the enemy, it’s easy—they just hide behind cover and shoot us.

It’s nothing but a massacre show.

“G-General, what if it fails?”

One soldier, trembling, raises his hand to ask.

“No need to think about failure. We’ll handle it.”

The general laughs as he answers.

Maybe he doesn’t trust the weapon’s practicality either.

“Hieee!”

A different soldier, not the one who asked, breaks from the line in fear and runs off.

“Desertion in the face of the enemy is a grave military offense. Do it!”

The general raises his right hand to head height, and several subordinates beside him shoot the fleeing soldier.

After a few gunshots, the soldier collapses, motionless, likely dead.

Terror grips the scene.

※

“First Company, to your designated positions.”

I seem to be part of the First Company, about 300 soldiers strong.

As ordered, we move to the pre-assigned location.

“Are we gonna die?”

The soldier next to me mutters.

He’s probably not expecting an answer.

Charging like this or fleeing won’t change the outcome.

If the experiment fails, we’ll be riddled with enemy bullets.

If we flee, the rear guard’s disciplinary unit will shoot us dead.

No, maybe there’s a one-in-a-million chance the new weapon works and protects us… but it’s better not to hold such naive hopes.

“First Company, charge!”

The general’s booming voice echoes from behind, followed by the signal trumpet’s blare.

Seriously… reincarnated into another world, and I haven’t even accomplished a single thing.

Well, it’s not a world of swords and magic, so I’ve got no attachment to this place…

“Just kill me already!”

I can’t help but feel reckless.

This is an impossible game. There’s no way for me to survive this situation.

Kyuiiiiin!!!

A piercing, high-pitched sound reaches my ears from behind.

The new weapon activating? Not that I’m holding out hope.

Then, the battlefield is engulfed in white light.

The moment my vision turns pure white, my heart feels like it stops for an instant—and in that moment, I distinctly hear a whisper in my ear.

“…Your Majesty.”

The next instant, my consciousness sinks into darkness.