Academy Genius Commander - Chapter 454



454 – The Last of Peter Yeager

I am 115 years old, and looking back, my perspective has passed so quickly.

When I was first possessed by this world, I was only 15 years old. I was an orphan and was rolling around like a dog. To find hope in the dark reality, I entered the academy and did my best to change my life.

I was somehow able to graduate with average grades from the academy, and for a commoner, I laid the foundation for living a stable life as a middle-class person close to the upper class in the empire…

‘I didn’t like that, so I volunteered and went to the Rhineland front.’

From then on, I showed great potential in every war I went to, and I met Laura, fell in love with her, and got married.

I made a name for myself by cutting Khan to death.

I am reminiscing about the shining past with my eyes closed. Is it time for me to die too?

In fact, as I have been slowly losing strength in my body and losing my appetite for the past few days, I think it is time to close my eyes and go to the side of my comrades who have gone before me.

“Now it’s real death.”

They say that other people feel a great deal of fear right before they face death, but I had a feeling that I would die within the next hour or two, but I wasn’t particularly afraid.

As I have killed thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of people with my own hands, I feel like I have become indifferent to my own death.

“After taking over Francois, we didn’t kill anyone.”

But since the person I previously killed does not come back alive, my sins will not be completely washed away.

“I wrote my will in advance, but if I don’t leave a word before I go on my final journey, I’ll be criticized for being heartless, right?”

What was so funny that made me laugh out loud.

Then I rang the bell next to my seat.

Then the maid who was waiting right near me came towards me.

“Did you call me, Excellency Generalissimo?”

“I think it’s time to die. “Please call Friedrich. My other sons and grandsons live scattered throughout the empire, so I won’t be able to see them.”

When the maid heard me, she opened her mouth in surprise, but then she covered her mouth.

“Then, I will contact the imperial family immediately.”

“Why are you calling His Majesty in such a hurry when the old man in the back room is dying? “I have my will written down.”

“Just before he passed away, Emperor Michael the Great left a will saying to treat His Excellency the Grand Marshal as a great elder of the royal family. So this is not the matter of the Jaeger family, but the imperial family.”

His Majesty Michael, who took me in, said these words before he passed away.

‘If it were not for the Grand Marshal, this empire would have already fallen, so everyone in the imperial family must engrave that grace in their bones.’

So, even though I did not have a noble lineage from the imperial family, I received all the protocols and privileges that only the emperor’s younger brother received.

When I decided to hire a maid other than Charlotte to look at the food I was eating, there was no real fuss.

“Let it be so. And she’s thirsty, yes. “Please make me a cup of tea, the Royal Gray one that Charlotte gave me.”

“I understand, Your Excellency.”

Not long after, Friedrich came to where I was, carrying a teacup and a kettle.

From noble mtl dot com

It’s not enough for a guy who’s already over 80 years old to walk around with his arms and legs intact, and seeing him running around like that… I wonder if he’ll be able to correct himself until he’s 100 years old.

“Are you here? “There was no need to hurry.”

Friedrich shook his head at those words.

“What are you talking about, father? And you should get well soon.”

“You don’t die because you’re sick.”

“This time, I will do whatever it takes to get my father’s permission to resign. He heard that Duke Keitel, who had died 45 years ago, had lived his last years happily, as soon as he received his letter of resignation, his whole health improved rapidly. “If you take off your heavy burden, my father will live in good health until he is 130 years old.”

His Excellency, Minister of Military Affairs Kaitel, in order to strengthen the supply situation and capabilities of the Imperial Army, I forced a person who was about to retire to become Minister of Military Affairs and made him serve until his late 70s.

After resigning from his job, he spent nearly 23 years traveling wherever he wanted and enjoying himself, but for the last two years he spent his daily life quietly at home before passing away.

I think that will happen if I resign as well.

“I am already 115 years old. It’s the same as dying whether you resign or not. And what am I going to do if I live for a long time?”

“Isn’t your father the most popular throughout the empire, especially in the north? So let’s go there and be welcomed.”

“Anya died three years ago. So going there only adds to the loneliness.”

Until the day before his death, Anya cleaned up the cavalry sword he had wielded at Francois, and then he passed away quietly, leaving behind the words that he loved me.

“Then at least at my mother’s grave.”

Laura lived with me until last year, saying she couldn’t leave me alone, Charlotte died two years ago, and Louise died five years ago, probably because she ate a lot of sweets when she was young.

Still, all four of them lived and died without much pain, even though they suffered from minor illnesses for a much longer time than the elderly people of the 21st century, whom we barely remember anymore.

Even though he died, he was a noble person in his own way.

‘I was lonely because I felt like I was alone every time someone died…’

“There is no need to go. And how many people have I killed in dozens of wars, and how many years have I lived? “Why does someone who lived over 80 have so many regrets?”

“But, father. “What will our imperial army do when my father dies?”

The Reich Imperial Army, an organization that I have raised throughout my life and that is engraved with the hard work and sweat of Laura and Anya…

I don’t know anything else, but it’s a pity that if I die here, I won’t be able to lead the development of the imperial army anymore.

“Well, I guess your son Wilhelm will take care of it. “Aren’t you doing very well since you retired as Marshal and became Marshal about 10 years ago?”

“No matter what, I’m not as good as my father.”

“Our imperial army only lacks a little bit of actual combat experience, but it is a strong army that can defeat any country that invades.”

This is not an exaggeration.

The standing army, selected through conscription, is 1.2 Million strong, and the supply of soldiers is at the highest level on the European continent.

No, to be honest, the difference will be similar to that of the United States and Vietnam in the 2020s, which I barely remember.

“It’s okay as long as the commanders don’t do anything strange. Also, it is enough not to start a war just to make the empire stronger. “Don’t do anything crazy like Lieutenant General Manstein.”

Over the course of several hours, I left many stories about the military to Frederick.

It may seem strange not to talk about my family right before I die, but since I was in bed, we have always talked for two hours a day.

Just because it’s time to die doesn’t mean there’s anything new to talk about.

It’s my personal opinion, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea to bring up long stories while bringing up memories of the past.

‘It’s not like there’s any animosity between us.’

Not long after, His Majesty Michael’s grandson, the current emperor, Josef and his son Zwei came running in.

Tears were already filling their eyes.

I made a joke to lighten the mood a little.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince. Anyone who sees me will think I’m already dead. “Do not kill someone who is still alive and well.”

“…… What on earth would our empire do without a Grand Marshal, or rather, a Master? “Because of Master, the empire has been at peace until now…”

Ever since His Majesty Michael entrusted me with the position of the Crown Prince’s teacher, His Highness has always used an honorific when calling me out of respect.

It went on like this and continued even after I became emperor, and I became the only non-royal person in the empire, excluding the pope, to be treated with respect by the emperor…

“The work that could not have been done without me was already over 70 years ago when I conquered Francois. “The other officers will take care of the rest.”

“No matter how many other officers you gather, there is no more than one general. When war was declared in Spain 20 years ago, didn’t the Grand Marshal glare at the ambassador and persuade him several times to overcome the crisis of war? Then, as a bonus, he received 100,000 gold coins as compensation.”

That’s because they trusted other countries on the Europa continent too much and foolishly declared war…

This was possible because I had some conversations with ambassadors of other countries before meeting the Spanish ambassador and made them give up the war.

“Is that all? “Didn’t you stop me when I said something stupid about going on an expedition to the United Kingdom?”

“hahahaha, wasn’t that a mistake made because Your Majesty was young and energetic?”

“That mistake nearly killed hundreds of thousands of Imperial soldiers. I still need you, Master, but what if you are already gone? I will allow you to resign today, so please just get up from your sick bed. Just like Duke Keitel did.”

The time of death is already approaching, and there is nothing I can do if I receive permission to resign now.

And slowly, the clock inside my body is telling me ‘the end’…

“Your Majesty, I would like to share more of the stories we haven’t shared before. I think I’m going to die soon. So please consider this my last will, no, it is my last will, so please listen to it.”

At those words, His Majesty gritted his teeth and held back from bursting into tears, and the Crown Prince must have received instructions in advance to write down whatever I said.

I was holding a pen and paper while crying.

“In the long period of peace, we have always prepared for war, so we can close our eyes in peace. “Let every officer in the empire engrave this poor man’s will in their hearts.”

Then I held the hand of the crying Emperor Joseph.

“Your Majesty will do really well even without me. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see that, so please forgive me.”

As soon as I finished saying that, my breathing gradually became difficult, or rather, I just couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t particularly painful, but my entire body began to lose energy and my consciousness began to blur, as if I was falling asleep.

My vision gradually narrowed and turned black…

‘All the enemy soldiers I killed must have suffered and died like this.’

As I approach death like this, my heart is tormented by the murder of countless Polski citizens for revenge in Bastion and the execution of prisoners in Lichen.

Was there a better way?

When the time comes to die, no matter how much I am, my heart becomes weak…

Although I had no strength left to shake my head or open my eyes, I shook off those feelings.

‘I did it for the Reich Empire, and if I hadn’t done it, the people of the country I was supposed to protect would have died instead.’

And when I was about to lose consciousness with that last thought, what I heard was the sound of sincere mourning from over a thousand people, including His Majesty, although I don’t know when they had gathered.

Year 300 of the Imperial Calendar, December 19th, 1:13 PM.

The death of Peter Jaeger, the famous general who was the pillar and final shield of the Reich Empire.