I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

After informing Lucie of the dessert shop’s location, I left the headquarters and headed to the munitions factory Mecalla had mentioned, riding in a jeep.

After about a 30-minute drive, the driver gently applied the brakes.

Decelerating gradually, the jeep came to a complete stop at the entrance of the dilapidated munitions factory.

“We’ve arrived, Commander.”

With a nod to the driver, I opened the door and exited.

Passing through the shattered front gate, I saw the patrol team gathered not too far inside.

The soldiers and Mecalla, who had been conversing, turned their heads at the sound of my approach.

Spotting me, they swiftly saluted.

“Commander! We’ve been waiting for you!”

After returning a cursory salute, I approached them.

“Where is the research facility?”
“Ah, this way.”

Mecalla pointed to the ground.

Looking where he indicated, I saw a staircase leading underground beyond an open iron door.

“An underground base. These Kingdom bastards sure love digging holes.”
“Indeed. Befitting their Union alliance, they mirror those rats perfectly.”

The soldiers around Mecalla let out dry chuckles at his jest.

I flashed a faint smile before turning back to him.

“Your jokes have increased. More importantly, how far have you searched?”
“We only did a basic situational assessment. It doesn’t seem booby-trapped, so you should be able to inspect it safely. If you don’t mind, I’d like to accompany you, Commander.”
“No, I’ll go alone. You and the soldiers guard the entrance.”
“Understood!”

With his affirmation, I descended the stairs into the underground facility.

As the surroundings grew darker with each step, I retrieved a flashlight I had prepared and turned it on.

Click—

The beam of light illuminated the path ahead.

At the bottom of the stairs was another iron door, left open presumably by Mecalla.

Carefully entering, I found an epoxy-coated floor stretching out.

Gleaming as if waxed, the immaculate floor was lined with long tables and various experimental apparatuses.

Flasks, microscopes, and some devices so strange that I couldn’t discern their purpose.

‘Just what were they doing here…?’

While I wanted to assess the situation, it seemed any samples obtained during their research had been cleared out, leaving only the equipment behind.

Observing the dusty interior, I noticed an open automatic door.

Passing through it revealed a wide corridor.

Metal bars were installed on both sides of the corridor, sectioning it into cell-like compartments, each containing a bed and tableware.

A prison-like structure, but devoid of any people.

With all the doors open, it appeared they had been evacuated.

Taking a deep breath, I continued forward.

Another iron door stood at the end of the corridor.

Reaching it, I gripped the handle and pulled.

Creak—

The door opened partway before stopping.

Steadying my breathing, I grasped the handle firmly and tugged with force.

The iron door swung open, billowing ash into the air.

‘…Ash?’

Perplexed, I peered inside to find the floor completely covered in ash.

‘They burned something. And in large quantities.’

The most likely item to be burned in such vast amounts was paper.

Documents containing records from the research facility.

‘But it was sloppy. Signs of a hasty retreat are evident everywhere.’

They must have constructed this underground facility to conceal research that could not be made public.

Logically, during an evacuation, they should have properly disposed of the experimental equipment and the bedding and tableware inside the cells.

Their failure to do so implied a rushed evacuation due to lack of time.

‘They probably didn’t expect the Imperial forces to penetrate the city by exploiting their supply route.’

The burning of valuable research data was likely also due to time constraints.

After setting the fire, they likely fled without confirming if the documents had been completely incinerated.

Surveying the surroundings, I easily found partially unburned paper documents.

Of course, they were not fully intact.

About half of each page was scorched.

Nevertheless, there was enough to ascertain the events.

Picking up a few sheets from the floor, I brushed off the ash coating the surface.

The written characters gradually became visible.

『…The ultimate goal is to develop cutting-edge combat weapons capable of turning the tide of war. If we can fuse magic and science to transform humans into weapons, not only can we break the Empire’s ambitions, but it may also become possible for the Kingdom to rise as a great power…』

Too much was scorched to decipher the rest.

I turned the page.

『…While most magic has been declassified, there are still proven effective spells. Mana bestowal and temporary physical enhancements can be used by the majority of soldiers, but specialized skills like optical camouflage or gravity field formation require exceptional talent.』

Another page turn.

『…What if talent could be artificially induced? For instance, if ordinary soldiers could attain the level of the Imperial Royal Guards? This experiment, sparked by that initial question, involved injecting volunteers with high magical aptitude and unknown backgrounds with enhancement substances…』

Another page.

『…In the end, it was a complete failure. All volunteers exhibited abnormal magical reactions, suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, delirium, hallucinations, and self-harm. Their magical enhancement was also negligible, rendering them unfit for combat deployment. Furthermore, whether these tortured individuals would even swear allegiance is…』

Another page.

『…According to recent data provided by the Union, there is a successful experimental subject. Currently unique, its magical enhancement far exceeds expected parameters. As such, our research team, in reverence to the Union, has decided to name our future project after this subject…』

After reading the final part, I narrowed my eyes sharply.

“…The Lucie Project.”

The Lucie Project.

Those words were undoubtedly written at the end of the report.

○

After collecting the reports, I instructed Mecalla to keep the discovery of the research facility strictly confidential.

Afterwards, while patrolling the vicinity to gather my thoughts, the afternoon arrived, and I headed to the dessert shop where I had arranged to meet Lucie.

Entering the shop, the soothing strains of classical music greeted my ears.

Admiring the Gothic-inspired interior, I was approached by someone waving vigorously from a window-side table.

“Major! Over here!”

Turning, it was Prien.

For some reason, Lucie was seated beside her.

Perplexed, I approached and inquired.

“Cadet Prien? I didn’t expect you to be with my aide.”
“I came for dessert and happened to run into Second Lieutenant Lucie. When I heard you were also coming, I decided to wait. Oh, and I’ve already ordered for us, so please have a seat.”
“You ordered? For me?”
“Yes. Second Lieutenant Lucie mentioned you were craving an éclair, so I placed the order in advance to save you time.”

I see. Since it wasn’t an issue, I acquiesced and took a seat across from Prien.

In the process, I glanced at Lucie.

‘…An experimental subject? Lucie?’

The games had never mentioned Lucie’s past, so this was the first I had learned of it.

Moreover, the existence of human weapons like Lucie was never revealed until the very end of the games.

Well, there was one more in the enemy nation, but that person was simply exceptionally talented, an exception.

Which meant their cutting-edge weapons development project continued failing even in the distant future.

‘Speaking of which…’

How could Lucie, an experimental subject of the Union, swear allegiance to them?

Was there something else I was unaware of?

Intrigued, I stared intently at her, our gazes meeting.

Her crimson eyes, reminiscent of blood, seemed eerily unsettling today.

“Major? Did you have something to say?”

Searching for an excuse, I mumbled awkwardly.

“Nothing. I was just admiring your beauty today.”

Caught off guard by my unexpected response, Lucie blinked a few times before giving a slight nod.

“…Thank you.”

Relieved that she had bought it, I let out a sigh, only to sense Prien’s gaze upon me.

She was regarding me with disdain for complimenting Lucie.

Just as I wondered why, a server approached with a tray.

“My apologies for the wait. Who ordered the éclair and coffee?”
“Over here.”

As I raised my hand, the server smiled and set down the éclair and coffee.

They then placed mint chip ice cream in front of Prien and Lucie.

Seeing this, Lucie blinked blankly for a moment before turning to the server.

“Excuse me, there seems to be a mistake with our order.”
“Hm? That can’t be right…”

As the server looked perplexed, Prien interjected.

“The order is correct. You may return.”

With Prien’s radiant smile, the server awkwardly nodded and retreated to the counter.

Confirming the server’s departure, Prien maintained her smile as she spoke.

“Second Lieutenant Lucie entrusted me with the menu order. Since you didn’t specify any preference, I ordered the mint chip ice cream, as I thought you might enjoy it.”

Shouldn’t she have at least asked Lucie first?

Feeling it was a bit excessive, I glanced at Lucie and inadvertently broke out in a cold sweat.

“…”

Lucie was glaring at Prien with a murderous gaze.