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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 03
To put things into perspective, the teacup I gave Augustin was part of a set I bought from a home shopping channel for a grand total of fifty dollars.
And yet, less than three days after Augustin received the teacup, Napoleon was appointed as Toulon’s artillery commander.
‘Was the teacup really that impressive?’
For its price, its influence was far beyond my expectations.
I had assumed that replacing a commander would take at least a week.
But, as it turned out, there was a reason things moved so quickly.
"The previous commander had no real knowledge of artillery."
"Then how did he even become artillery commander?"
"His father is a deputy of the Convention."
"Ah. That explains it."
I understood immediately.
In an army where positions were handed out based on connections, it wasn’t surprising that the son of a government official would land a high-ranking post.
Still, appointing someone with no artillery experience to lead an artillery unit seemed like an especially terrible idea.
‘This army is an even bigger mess than I thought.’
I had always heard that the early revolutionary army was a disaster.
But seeing it first hand… it was far worse than I could have imagined.
Deputies handing out command positions in exchange for teacups.
Artillery commanders who had never so much as touched a cannon.
The fact that this revolution succeeded was nothing short of a miracle.
Of course, this chaos had made it easier to get Napoleon into power.
But despite his promotion, Napoleon didn’t look particularly pleased.
"Something seems to be troubling you."
"You catch on quickly."
"It’s written all over your face."
That was a lie.
I already knew from history that Napoleon was about to run into a major problem the moment he arrived in Toulon.
"The commanding officer is… too ignorant."
‘As expected.’
Calling the commander ignorant might have seemed harsh.
But for Napoleon, this was likely the mildest way he could put it.
In true revolutionary fashion, Toulon’s commanding general was someone with zero military experience.
Jean-François Carteaux.
Known simply as General Carteaux.
His actual profession?
A painter.
Yes, the revolutionary army had entrusted military command to a painter.
No wonder Napoleon was so exasperated.
This was the same man who, due to his complete ignorance of artillery, couldn’t even hit a stationary hill with a cannon.
‘But Napoleon isn’t one to just sit back and take this.’
Frustrated by Carteaux’s incompetence, Napoleon did something unthinkable he completely ignored the chain of command and reported Carteaux directly to the revolutionary leadership.
To put it in modern terms, it was as if a major had bypassed his entire chain of command and called the president to report his own general.
The result?
Carteaux was immediately arrested.
‘The problem was… his replacement was a physician.’
Yes.
After throwing out a painter, the revolutionary army replaced him with a doctor.
And yet, despite leading an army full of clueless amateurs, Napoleon still managed to win the Siege of Toulon.
If that wasn’t the mark of a true hero, I didn’t know what was.
But since Napoleon had only just been assigned to Toulon, he had yet to realize just how catastrophically incompetent Carteaux was.
If he did know, he wouldn’t be venting to me; he'd already be writing a letter to the revolutionary leadership.
"I won’t be able to visit for a while."
"You’re preparing for an operation?"
"They’re planning to recapture a fort."
Napoleon and I had established a routine of meeting regularly at my general store.
But now that the Siege of Toulon was beginning in earnest, our meetings would inevitably become less frequent.
Still…
"What’s the name of the fort they’re targeting?"
"They called it Mulgrave."
‘Hmm.’
Hearing that name, I let out a quiet sigh.
‘So they’ve already finished constructing it.’
Mulgrave.
Also known as Little Gibraltar.
This fortress was the centerpiece of the Siege of Toulon.
And it was impenetrable.
Even Napoleon Bonaparte, a strategic genius, had eventually given up on storming it and instead devised a way to lure the enemy out.
But there was an even bigger problem.
"General Carteaux himself will be leading the assault."
"……."
Even as he said it, Napoleon still hadn’t grasped the full gravity of the situation.
He hadn’t been here long enough to fully assess the battlefield.
Nor did he yet understand just how utterly useless General Carteaux was.
After all, who could possibly imagine a commanding general who didn’t even know the range of his own cannons?
‘So that’s why things were going too smoothly.’
The realization hit me like a hammer.
If I let Napoleon go into this battle unprepared, there was a very real chance that his debut battle would become his death battle.
"Napoleon."
After thinking it over, I decided to give him a single piece of advice.
"Do not leave the artillery position."
"What do you mean?"
"A field officer shouldn’t leave their post when commanding artillery, should they?"
"That much is obvious."
Napoleon let out a small chuckle.
"The main assault is being led by General Carteaux. There’s no reason for me to leave my position."
He still had no idea just how much worse Carteaux was than he imagined.
***
The assault on Fort Mulgrave began under General Carteaux’s command.
Napoleon’s task was to position his artillery on a hill and bombard the fortress.
Once the walls were weakened, Carteaux’s main force would charge in.
A simple, straightforward strategy.
So simple, in fact, that it should have been impossible to mess up.
That’s what Napoleon thought.
Until he saw the location where General Carteaux had ordered him to set up.
"This is where we are to wait?"
"Yes, sir. You are to establish the artillery position here and commence bombardment upon command."
"…From this distance?"
Napoleon was momentarily speechless.
Far in the distance, Fort Mulgrave was barely visible—a mere speck on the horizon.
A rough estimate put it at least six kilometers away.
Meanwhile, the maximum range of the 24-pounder cannons under Napoleon’s command was only two kilometers.
That meant Fort Mulgrave was positioned three times beyond effective range.
Napoleon could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Still, just in case, he asked,
"Does the Toulon army use cannons with a different range?"
"No, sir. We are equipped with standard 24-pounders."
That much was obvious.
After all, the 24-pounder was the most advanced artillery in the military.
‘The location must have been miscommunicated.’
Napoleon could only assume there had been some sort of mistake.
Surely, General Carteaux wouldn’t have miscalculated the range of his cannons by a factor of three.
But then, Napoleon’s gaze shifted toward the main force’s position, and his expression hardened.
"They’re too close."
Carteaux’s main force, which was supposed to be waiting, had instead advanced dangerously close to the fortress.
And yet, something was off.
At such a short distance, the enemy should have noticed them by now.
But the fortress remained eerily silent.
A strange chill ran down Napoleon’s spine.
He was about to move toward the main force himself when.
A voice rang through his mind.
"Do not leave the artillery position."
The voice of the shopkeeper, Choi Seojun
It had been a simple remark, something Napoleon had dismissed as a joke at the time.
But now, it held him in place.
It made no logical sense.
And yet, there had been an undeniable certainty in Seojun’s words—a quiet but absolute conviction that this would happen.
And once again, that conviction became reality.
"Attack! Attack now!"
"Waaaaaah!"
A royalist ambush force, hidden near the fortress, sprang into action.
The entire main force, completely caught off guard, collapsed instantly.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
‘If I had been there…’
A cold sweat ran down Napoleon’s spine.
"That’s the general!"
"Protect General Carteaux!"
The so-called commander, having lost his entire army, was now fleeing up the hill—right toward Napoleon.
***
"How did you know?"
Those were the first words out of Napoleon’s mouth when he visited the shop again five days later.
"What do you mean?"
"You knew the main force was going to be ambushed, didn’t you?"
"Did I?"
"You mean you didn’t know?"
"Of course not. How could I have known that?"
I was hearing about the ambush for the first time from Napoleon himself.
‘Well, at least he made it out safely. I guess the artillery position really was safe.’
All I did know was that General Carteaux had completely misjudged the range of his artillery.
Jean-François Carteaux.
Even in historical records, he was an incompetent general who had miscalculated his cannons’ range by a factor of three.
That was the only reason I had advised Napoleon never to leave the artillery position.
No matter what strategy Carteaux attempted, his fundamental misjudgment meant that the artillery position would always be in a safe zone.
"Carteaux has been dismissed for his failure."
"I suppose you’ll get some rest until the new commander arrives?"
"The next general has already been chosen, General Dugommier."
Napoleon's expression darkened as he spoke.
"You don’t seem pleased."
"Dugommier is… a physician."
Napoleon’s words were no exaggeration.
Dugommier, Carteaux’s replacement, had originally been a doctor.
And he was a coward.
He had heard the rumors of Napoleon, the officer who had no qualms about removing his superiors. (After all, it was Napoleon’s letter that got Carteaux dismissed.)
So, Dugommier became nothing more than a puppet, following Napoleon’s orders without question.
But his lack of battlefield experience showed.
The moment he saw one of his soldiers get torn apart by cannon fire, his fear got the better of him, and he resigned from his command.
It wasn’t until two more generals were replaced that Napoleon was finally able to fight a proper battle.
"Don’t worry. Everything will work out."
"Every time I talk to you… it’s as if you already know the future."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Napoleon found Seojun fascinating.
Every word he spoke carried a strange weight—an unshakable certainty that made it feel as though things would inevitably unfold just as he said.
He never seemed flustered.
He never doubted himself.
It was as if he knew everything.
Napoleon couldn’t help but wonder, was this how the demons felt when they foresaw the birth of Christ?
That was why he kept returning to this shop.
Because every time he spoke with Seojun, he found himself at ease.
"Then, I’ll be back."
"You’re always welcome."
Napoleon continued to visit regularly.
And every time, his rank was different.
Captain.
Major.
Lieutenant Colonel…
His rapid rise through the ranks was astonishing.
Two months passed.
And by then, Napoleon had become a Colonel.
‘It’s almost time.’
I knew today would be the last time he visited.
Because he always came before a battle.
Like a devout man offering a prayer before stepping onto the battlefield.
And now, Napoleon’s first operation as a Colonel would be…
The final battle for Toulon.
A battle that would end with him reclaiming the port securing his place as the hero of the Revolution.
"In two days, we’ll launch an attack on the harbor."
The final act of the early modern era was about to begin.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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