Chapter 20: Chapter 18 – Loophole

1st Sergeant, Reichel Schwertspinne, Russiva Imperial Year 782 Month 3, Day 11, Sturm Army Camp, Deutsche Imperial Army

*step*

*step*

*step*

Reichel was making her way through one of the corridors of the medical bay with a heavy steps and a large scowl on her face, It was like someone tried to poison her breakfast this morning ... Which actually happend but she doesn't know it which was good or she would be more than just 'enraged'.

'I swear if I ever get promoted to be the supreme leading official of this country I will fucking tear down this commissal system from the inside-out and crush any delusions of righteous inactions!' Reichel was about to reach for the doorknob that led her outside so she could head for the Liutenant Colonel's office instead of just dawdling around doing nothing productive at all.

"Wait! Sergeant Schwertspinne!" Wilhelm rushed to stand between Reichel and the doorknob, denying her access outside.

A visible vein was bulging out on Reichel's forehead, But fortunately nobody could see it because her bandages were getting in the way.

"What is it? Don't waste my time!" She said on a threatening tone.

Wilhelm gulped just once again seeing how furious she was, He didn't know what ticked her off but it was clear that she was mad. It was quite comical that a grown man was afraid of a teenage girl but nonetheless it was happening right now.

"Um, Well ... You need to recover first or your wounds may start acting up again!" Wilhelm said it.

The healer, When taking care of Reichel's wounds estimated that it would take her at least a week to walk properly again, And that it would take her at least a month for her injuries to fully heal to the point where she can fight in an acceptable condition.

Wilhelm may be scared of her, But he wasn't just going to let the girl hurt herself even more just because her injuries couldn't heal properly.

He owed the girl his life for saving his life in the battlefield, Even if his friend Veit didn't make it he thought that it would at least be proper if he took care of things from his end. He kept checking on her for the past two days while bring flowers, and even some extra left-over rations.

Reichel didn't even wake up for two days despite that making him eat all the cold left-overs. Even now he painstakingly foraged the nearby forest despite it's dangers so he could make a stew that he though Reichel would like. And by God's will it looked like he was just in time too when he heard a loud bang coming from Reichel's room while he was carrying the bowl full of hot substance.

Yet the girl in question doesn't even realize the work he's been through ... Not that she would care even if she did know though.

Reichel stared at stared at WIlhelm with her head slightly tilted, confused. For many that single action would be some kind of cute gesture, a sign of cute confusion when they didn't understand something that you explained clearly. However the look on Reichel's face was different ... it didn't carry the look of 'cute' confusion, instead what the look on her face was implying was ...

'Are you a fucking idiot?' That looked to be exactly the kind of message that Reichel's facial expression was conveying, and with the head-tilt it even looked all the more annoying, Wilhelm felt his pride melt, as well as his care for the girl crumble in that moment.

'Give it back! Give all of the care that I gave you back!' Wilhelm wanted to say that out loud in frustration, 

"Pardon me ... But what is your rank again?"

"2nd Sergeant."

"And now what is my rank?"

" ..." Wilhelm could see where Reichel was playing at.

'She did it didn't she? She just pulled the 'My rank is higher than yours so piss off card' didn't she!?' Wilhelm was basically fuming right now.

Understandably, It was Reichel who got a promotion as well as Chlust because they took the command of the 126th squadron when it was active during the battle while Wilhelm was busy consoling himself to take action. It was even a surprise that he didn't get demoted for being incapable of command even considering his aristocratic status.

But still, To play that card upon just a few minutes after getting the promotion.

"How dare yo--"

*THUK*

Without Wilhelm even realizing it, Reichel had already left him by himself as she sleekly went past him while he was in his train of thoughts, closing the door behind him.

"--Eh? ..."

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"My my, Sergeant Schwertspinne, Shouldn't you be ... resting?" Maurius was surprised.

He was sincerely surprised actually, He had heard of people blessed with so much vitality that they could still move even after being beheaded but he had never expected to see that someone with a physique of a corn stalk like Reichel could recover in just 2 days especially after taking all those wounds.

But more than that actually, as soon as the last person that Maurius was talking to walked out of his office tent Reichel just barged in without announcing herself, Moreso than that she hasn't even changed into her military uniform and instead was still wearing the grey patient's clothes from the infirmary.

"Liutenant Colonel von Radnitzer." Reiche said with a heavy voice.

"Yes, That is my name." Maurius responded after drinking a newly invented drink called 'lemonade'.

A new drink that made from a weird yellow fruit that was considered 'inedible' went famous among the recruits for it's sweet yet sour taste, Even Maurius himself found it a delight.

'I don't know what to feel about this actually ...'

Actually, the inventor of lemonade was standing right in front of him, Which was obviously Reichel.

But more importantly, Maurius was wondering why the guards outside didn't stop her, but he didn't chase her outside seeing as she was already here, And if it was Reichel then surely she would have something important for him.

" ... Let me be clear with you, You will be executed for your incompetence."

*SHRIIIING*

The sound of a shard of metal leaving its wooden encasing resounded throughout the tent. A double-edged blade with a silver luster that didn't lose in any way to Reichel's old rapier was now just touching the skin of her neck, just below her chin.

Blood started to drip due to the sheer sharpness of the blade, Yet Reichel was unfazed and maintained her 'serious' look.

Maurius also tried to copy Reichel's poker-face, yet was unable to when a small amount of anger could be seen lingering on his face.

"You know Sergeant, You may have saved my life but that doesn't mean that you can just walk into my tent willy-nilly wihout any kind of approval, And then say it to my face that I am incompetent."

"I think you misunderstand Liutenant Colonel, But everybody here in this army division is incompetent." Reichel responded with an indifferent tone, almost mocking Maurius' words.

'All of you From the logistics officers to the rank-and-file troopers, You're all so damn incompetent!' Reichel was wondering if it was still too late to switch teams, Perhaps the dwarves in the Polski Confederacy could treat her nicely when she hands out blueprints of well-known machines back on Earth, Or maybe the Britannian Royalists would welcome her with open arms if she works as an Ensign.

"Is this really the time for philosophy?" A vein started to bulge in Maurius' forehead as his face suddenly gained a red tint, signifying that he was quite angry at Reichel's cheekiness.

"Mhmm, I'm supposed you're right, This isn't the time for philosophy." Reichel said as she apathetically resigned herself, Changing the atmosphere inside the tent from tense to awkward in an instant.

...

...

...

"A-Anyways tell me what you're doing here! It's very improbable that you just came here to test my patience, considering that you're not the type of person who would do meaningless things." Maurius broke the awkward atmosphere first, completely forgetting what Reichel said earlier and even stuttering when he first spoke.

"Ah right, Forgive me, My memory is a bit hazy ..." Reichel said as she pointed to the bandages on her forehead.

Of course that was a cold lie. There was no way in hell that Reichel would forget anything, Well sometimes she has trouble remembering but it all comes back to her in the end, no matter how vague the memory was, It was a part of her constructions after all.

Not like Maurius would know though ...

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'Then why did you insist on coming here when I specifically ordered for you to take a rest!?' Maurius was about to say, But rather he held himself back because he wanted to hear what Reichel was proposing first.

The last time that he ignored Reichel's proposal ended up with ... rather more wanted and reasonable outcomes, And he wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"Let me do the information gathering."

"What?"

"The prisoner, Let me do the information gathering on him."

"I fail to see why giving you permission to do the information gathering would be of any benefit to me. In the first place, I have already sent for Interrogators from the Imperial Capital, All that's left is to leave it to them."

"Think about it, If the interrogators from the Imperial Capital arrive and they manage to crack the prisoner, Then who gets the merit for gathering the sensitive information?" Reichel asked, The tone of her voice obviously annoyed.

"Of course it would be--" Maurius was stricken with a realization.

He suddenly remembered why Interrogators were loathed among his fellow commanding officers and other compatriots.

Whenever an army official calls for an Interrogator from the Information Department. It is not the soldier who captured the prisoner, nor the commander who sent the request for the Interrogators who gets even a portion of the merit for obtaining the sensitive information.

Everything goes to the Intelligence Department.

The sound of gritting teeth could be heard, as Maurius absolutely refused to yield to the greed of the Intelligence Department. Sitting down after sheathing his sword, Maurius weighed the merits and demerits ... and sure enough the merits outweighed the non-existent demerits my a lot.

"Alright, You ma--" Maurius was about to give his approval for Reichel, When he suddenly received a chill on his spine when seeing the look on Reichel's eyes.

He had grown accustomed to Reichel's eyes, Mysterious and bottomless like an abyss, and fiery when enraged. But now when he looked into her eyes as he anticipated for his answer he saw something that shouldn't have been there.

Sadism.

A glint of ecstatic sadism seemed to taint her normally apathetic and emotionless eyes, Which unnerved Maurius.

"Say ... By 'Information Gathering' what methods are you going to use?" Maurius had not noticed it until now, But Reichel had delibrately avoided saying that she would 'interrogate' the goblin.

...

...

...

Another awkward atmosphere invaded the tent, Until suddenly Reichel broke the silence this time by voicing her answer.

" ... Torture."

*BANG*

"Are you insane!?" Maurius stood up yet again and slammed his palm on the desk, Although not strong enough to break it or anything because he treasured the desk dearly.

Reichel had suggested using torture on the prisoner, If someone had gotten wind of this then they could get reported for a heavy charge of planning to commit a War Crime.

Maurius was already one foot in the grave for his incompetence on the battlefield just two days ago, If he suddenly even did a War Crime on top of that then there was no doubt the punishment would even reach his innocent family members!

And although it may not look like it, But all the major powers in the continent had signed a treaty of war should they ever choose to engage in the act of war, Although it seemed like the world was yet too primitive in the face of technology, it seemed this world far outclassed Earth by moral alignment.

But fortunately, Reichel was prepared for this kind of argument.

"Liutenant Colonel, What is the Forbidden Act, Clause 4 in the International Laws of War Index?"

"It is outlawed to do acts of physical or magical torture on the Prisoners of War gained from other countries." Maurius answered, It was one of the basics of the Law. It wasn't something that they afford to forget at Officer School.

"Precisely." Reichel said, as if she was expecting that Maurius would get what she was saying.

"I don't get what you mean ..."

But unfortunately, Maurius wasn't as bright as Reichel expected, Well it was kind of sin to set the bar so high for simple-minded human soldiers, so she accepted that she was in the wrong this time.

"What is the affiliation of our prisoner?"

"Well of course since this is No Man's Land then that means he belongs to the Czu--" Maurius stopped his words midway.

When the goblin woke up in his cell just yesterday, A few higher officials from the Sturm Army Camp wanted to establish contact by asking a few questions in Deutsche, Which was the national language of the Deutsche Empery.

However when they tried to speak to him or ask any questions, such as his name, rank, or affiliation, the prisoner responded my throwing profanities in Deutsche left and right. It seemed that the prisoner knew only how to speak profanities in Deutsche. Even Maurius himself tried to establish contact with the prisoner.

Even if Maurius was an incompetent noble, he at least knew some phrases in Czuch, However when he asked about his name, rank, and affiliation the prisoner only responded in Czuch swears this time.

He never stated his affiliation, Nor did he state anything that could pin him back as affiliated to the Czuch Union. Actually, even all the goblin corpses by Urganschoft didn't have anything that could be said as 'The property of the Czuch Union'.

'Could it be!?' Maurius now knew what Reichel was suggesting.

Maurius quickly opened the drawer on his desk and brought out a copy of the International Laws of War Index, He skimmed through the pages with his old fingers until he finally reached the page related to the subject of what should be done with Prisoners of War.

And after reviewing it fully he gasped.

'It's... It's legal!' Maurius was dripping in cold sweat.

Even if they had identified themselves as a member of another country who had signed the International Treaty of War, It is the prisoner's fault for not identifying themselves as affiliated to the country beforehand!

The plan of Michal to attack without any sort of Czuch Union insignias so they couldn't pin the blame on the Czuch Union backfired on him as he could now be tortured for the sensitive information that he had!

He could simply order for the torture of the prisoner since he lacked the knowledge for even the basics of the International Laws of War!

*bok* Maurius closed the book, With cold sweat still dripping down his forehead.

This was a legitimate loophole, It could be exploited. They could essentially torture their enemies belonging from other countries and gain information that could save thousands ... millions of Deutsche lives even!

"Let me do the information gathering, And we'll share the merit fifty-fifty ... Not only can you live, But you'd also have enough merit to outweigh your past mistakes and even keep your position." Reichel's words were coiling around Maurius like a snake.

"Come on." There was no escape.

"All you have to do ..." Even Maurius felt himself suffocating because of the sheer pressure in the air.

Her words were sweet like the temptation of the devil, An irresistible offer that he couldn't possibly refuse.

"Is to say yes ..."

 

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