Chapter 96: Finishing The Job And Departing Casually, Leaving Not A Trace Of Cloud
Two minutes later, Vienna City Tax Bureau Economic Supervision Section.
“Lelouch? Hey! You’re actually back? Your sister has been looking for you for almost half a year! Were you forcibly drafted into military service, or did you evade military service?”
After Lelouch knocked on the section chief’s office door, he was instantly grabbed by the arm by a man in his thirties—it was his brother-in-law Guilford.
Lelouch: “I’m doing very well now. I went to enlist in Baria. Brother-in-law, this time I’ve come back hoping to take everyone to Baria, to Germania. I’ve started some businesses there and need some people to help me in official circles.”
Section Chief Guilford looked him up and down twice, then noticed that his brother-in-law’s attire was completely different—he clearly looked like a respectable person:
“You enlisted in Baria? Looking at you like this, you’ve made it big, huh? You shouldn’t be an ordinary NCO… NCO, right? And you even have businesses—did you run into some kind of extraordinary opportunity?”
Lelouch: “Indeed, I’m now an officer in the Germania 6th Army Group, and I’ve earned the appreciation of Baria Crown Prince Duke Rupprecht…”
Guilford had originally been curious—how much ability could this little brother-in-law, fresh out of university, have to achieve such presentable results? But upon hearing that the kid had earned the appreciation of a royal family member, Guilford immediately had a suspicion:
“You? Appreciated by a royal family member? Aha… you didn’t go eat soft rice, did you? Could it be that some royal lady took a liking to you, so that duke had no choice but to recruit you as a son-in-law or nephew-in-law?”
This body of Lelouch’s before possession had no heaven-defying talents or skills. Based on his sister and brother-in-law’s understanding of him, the only way he could suddenly rise so dramatically was with that heaven-defying handsome face.
Lelouch just felt a mix of amusement and exasperation: “You’re misunderstanding. I did it on my own merits…”
But before he could finish, the office door was forcefully pushed open with a bang.
Several Austria conscription office military police rushed in, followed by several City Tax Bureau staff watching the excitement, as well as Captain Klose who had hurriedly locked the car and caught up.
“Lelouch Hunt? Your case of deserting to evade military service has come to light—please come with us to explain yourself!”
Lelouch’s shoulders were pressed down, but he didn’t want to resist with force; he just calmly explained: “I didn’t evade enlisting. Before the war officially broke out, I had already left the country and gone to the neighboring country Baria.”
The leading NCO among the military police immediately sternly rebuked: “Sophistry! A month before the war, most people could guess it would definitely break out! You left at that time—your intentions were clearly to evade military service!”
The Sarajevo Incident erupted on June 28 last year; the war officially broke out on July 28, with a full month of negotiations and tug-of-war in between.
So before the war officially broke out, some rational Austria citizens had already fled abroad out of fear.
Lelouch had coincidentally gone abroad during the university graduation job-hunting season at the end of June and beginning of July, right in that time window.
He originally didn’t want to explain further, but seeing these military police not following the law, he couldn’t help but remind them: “Legally speaking, anyone who left the country before the mobilization order was issued doesn’t count as a deserter!”
The military police NCO was stunned by his retort but quickly reacted: “The war has been raging for over half a year now—why didn’t you return? Even if your departure at the time wasn’t intentional, if you’re not a coward, you should have come back to fight for the homeland!”
“Who says I haven’t fought for the homeland? I blood battled the Britannians for half a year! I’ve earned the Second Class Iron Cross, First Class Iron Cross, and Blue Max Medal! From a signal corporal, I rose through merits to Colonel Regimental Commander in the Germania 6th Army Group!”
“I can vouch for Officer Lelouch! Everything he said is true! I’m Officer Lelouch’s Company Commander of Guards! I’m a Germanian!” Klose hurriedly squeezed forward from the side, blocking in front of Lelouch, and even pulled out his identification.
Klose had been waiting in the car earlier, so he was still wearing his Germania captain’s military uniform and carrying his identification—he wasn’t afraid of drawing attention.
The conscription office people looked at his identification; though they couldn’t verify its authenticity, they believed it about sixty percent, especially since the two countries shared the same language and script.
The military police NCO just suspiciously added: “From corporal to colonel in half a year? What merits would it take to do that? You don’t even draft your lies properly.”
Before Lelouch could answer, Klose immediately jumped in to defend him: “It was Officer Lelouch who led his battalion to be the first to seize Dunkirk Fortress! Cutting off the Belgian Expeditionary Force’s retreat! It was also Officer Lelouch who led his battalion to be the first to storm Ypres, capturing the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, Marshal John French!”
Klose was wearing a Germania military uniform, so his words carried some weight.
Plus, everyone read the newspaper and knew the hottest recent war news: the Britannia Expeditionary Force had been annihilated half a month ago.
Everyone was shocked; the military police’s expressions changed dramatically, but they still weren’t fully convinced.
Fortunately, there were sensible people present. Lelouch’s brother-in-law Guilford, able to become section chief, naturally had a good eye for the situation.
He immediately smoothly played along: “Oh? So you’re the one who captured Marshal John French? Did you capture any tokens from him? I hear those marshals have very ornate scepters. I’m not doubting you—I just want to see it.”
That tone, that demeanor—it was just like a schoolgirl who, after hearing Mr. Lu Xun say “What does catching Zhou Shuren have to do with me, Lu Xun?”, rushes up saying “Mr. Lu Xun, I’m your admirer—please sign for me.”
Unfortunately, he was a grown man; if Lelouch’s own elder sister or younger sister were there, having a woman say those lines would have been even more effective.
Since Section Chief Guilford had said it, the military police could only hold back and observe further.
Everyone was civilized, after all. Even those colleagues who arrested Lu Xun knew to first check if the signature the schoolgirl wanted matched the one on the wanted poster.
Lelouch also gave his brother-in-law an approving look—this had perfectly given him a way out.
What were those military police? Did they deserve to make Lelouch prove his innocence? But if his own brother-in-law wanted to see it, he still had to satisfy the curiosity.
“Klose, bring those souvenirs from the car.”
Klose immediately ran downstairs again and returned in less than two minutes, holding the ivory-inlaid gold marshal’s scepter that Lelouch had captured from Marshal John French.
Lelouch took it and directly ignored the conscription office people, handing the scepter to his brother-in-law for appraisal.
Guilford had only meant to defuse the situation and hadn’t expected it to be real. When he took the ivory scepter, his hands trembled slightly, afraid of dropping it.
“John Denton Pinkstone French, Marshal…” Guilford murmured the inscription on the scepter. At that moment, he wasn’t proving anything anymore—he was purely admiring it from the heart, like visiting a museum.
The conscription office people, seeing his reaction, were completely swayed by some inexplicable force and didn’t bother pursuing it further.
“Forget it; we’ll check the Germania newspapers later. Maybe this guy really has those exploits.” The leading NCO quietly instructed his men.
The group silently left, without causing any further stir.
In the Economic Supervision Section office, only a group of spectating civil servants remained.
And some gossiping female staff who loved drama and were fairly close to Guilford’s family had already rushed downstairs to notify Guilford’s wife—Lelouch’s sister Cornelia—at the nearby dormitories.
Lelouch took the scepter back from Guilford and leisurely said: “I wasn’t hiding it from you; I was just about to tell you when the military police came. And it’s perfect—now that you all know, I’ll be direct. Brother-in-law, this time I’ve come back hoping you, my sister, and little sister will all come with me to Germania.
There are much bigger opportunities there. If you think you’re better suited for economic supervision and don’t want to switch to running real businesses, I can still figure something out for you.
I’ll call Minister Mark von Baden of the Germania Prisoner of War and Occupied Area Affairs Department and get you appointed as the wartime economy coordination committee specialist for the Dunkirk-Ypres zone—way more promising than being a section chief at the Vienna City Tax Bureau.”
“Hiss—” Guilford’s colleagues all suddenly showed jealous looks.
What kind of good fortune was this?
Guilford’s focus, however, was even sharper than his colleagues’: “Baden… Minister? That name sounds like a duchy. Could it be…”
Lelouch: “Exactly—Minister Baden is also the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Baden.”
What more was there to say? Guilford was fully on board; a little Vienna section chief position—might as well quit.
At that moment, several gossiping female colleagues at the door dragged in a 30-year-old woman with naturally slightly purplish-red hair, dressed in casual clothes and flat shoes, without time to do her makeup, hurrying upstairs.
“Lulu! You’re back!” The woman gave Lelouch a hug as soon as she entered.
“Sister Cornelia, I’ve already talked it over with brother-in-law. The whole family will go to Germania to work for me. My career is rising fast now, and I need a lot of my own people—these are my medals.”
Cornelia was quite calm, not questioning anything, just quietly looking at her brother’s three medals.
“I never imagined you could achieve such great things in Germania, but I believe you.”
After putting away the medals, Cornelia took Guilford’s arm and pushed him to the director’s office, urging her husband to resign in person immediately.
“Dear Director, my husband is quitting. No need for retirement pension either—just let him hand over work today.” Cornelia spoke for her husband as soon as she entered.
The director was shocked; his pipe fell onto the desk: “This doesn’t follow procedure…”
But he didn’t finish; he swallowed it back. Since she didn’t even want the retirement pension, they could walk out without handover and he’d be helpless.
Director: “What high position has Guilford found?”
“Nothing much—just no longer needing money.” Cornelia spoke for her husband again.
With things said to that point, there was nothing left to retain him with.
The director immediately found a deputy section chief to take over from Guilford.
Cornelia hurried to the school to pick up little sister Nanalie, who was boarding there.
By the time she brought little sister back, Section Chief Guilford had finished handing over.
The family got into Lelouch’s car; the bewildered little sister finally remembered to ask: “Second brother, where are we going? Straight to Germania?”
Lelouch drove: “No rush. Before leaving Vienna these next couple days, I still need to talk some things over with Mr. Porsche from Daimler Vienna Company and, through him, meet some Skoda people.
You all pack up first. Oh, right, brother-in-law—do you have any relatives in Vienna? We can leave this car for them before we go.”
