Published at 24th of May 2026 6:08 am

Chapter 957: A Day Alone

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

It was the first day of Kaiser Wilhelm III’s rule that Bruno was shockingly absent. He did not arrive in Berlin that day. Instead, he had done something unusual in his life.

He took a day off. On the rare occasion that Bruno did take days off, he had decided to use that time to sharpen the skills that had long since gone to rust.

Over the course of the last few decades, as he spent more time in the office commanding nations and armies than actually in the field.

But Bruno was not the type to allow himself to become indolent, slothful, and gluttonous. He focused his spare time on the continued maintenance of his own physique, his ability to march and endure in the wilderness.

Today he was on a mountain, one of many in Tyrol, gazing down at the city of Innsbruck below in the distance. The River Inn flowed through the realm and gave life to the fertile fields that darted across the valley.

"Trains ran through mountains, across bridges, and into cities alike." From here he could see it all. He took a sip from his canteen, placing it back on his belt before reaching towards his rifle.

It was an older rifle, one he had not used since the earliest days of his military career. A rifle, now more commonly found in the hands of hunters.

The Gewehr 98, a staple of industry and a rifle that truly did not get to see its heyday in this life due to Bruno’s many innovations.

It had no scope, its lange iron sights had been replaced with a flat tangent leaf sight, and the barrel was chopped down to a carbine length. Its bolt was turned over, and a notch was cut for easier access.

To those from his past life, this specific hunting rifle that Bruno used was nearly identical in appearance to the infamous Kar98k.

Bruno was dressed in loose fitted, earthen clothing, blending into the environment quite well.

As he finished admiring the old weapon, he heard a rustle in the bushes, quickly shouldering the weapon, Bruno flipped over the safety and aimed down his sights. Looking for the stag that had escaped his pursuit thus far.

It was only then that he heard the calling of an unfamiliar voice come from the tree line.

"Put your weapon down right now! By order of the King, you are to disarm!"

Bruno’s eyes narrowed as his brow raised. There was a slight smirk that appeared on Bruno’s weathered face as his voice carried beyond the leaves.

"Yeah? Funny, I don’t remember giving myself that order! You have about three seconds to show yourselves before I send eight millimeters of lead straight through that empty skull of yours!"

There was silence, and Bruno could feel his finger coiling around the trigger, forcing him to call out to them.

"One...."

Silence remained...

"Two..."

Bruno could see between the leaves that swayed in the wind, something within them remained still and he aimed his sight directly down at the center of its mass. He was just about to pull the trigger when he heard someone shouting from an open radio.

"Cease you damn fools! That’s the fucking King you’ve engaged!"

Bruno sighed and lowered his weapon as a group of young men stepped out of the woods their weapons raised above their heads, and the looks of utter embarrassment on their faces.

He looked at them and realized instantly these men were members of the Royal Alemannic Landwehr and likely had found themselves lost in the Alps. By the looks of their uniforms, they were not combat veterans, and were likely members of the younger generation who had decided to join up after the war came to an end.

The sigh in Bruno’s voice was like that of a disappointed father as he shook his head.

"What the hell are you fool doing on my property? Did you manage to get so lost from your unit that you ended up in my hunting grounds?"

Bruno could hear the roar of an engine cut the men off before they could answer, as several camouflaged Unimogs pulled up. A man clearly holding authority stepped out, and glared at his own soldiers who had strayed so far from his own unit and damn near engaged their King in armed combat.

"You absolute wretches of Jäger! How in the hell did you get lost in the fucking mountains? You practically live there! Herr Reichsmarschall, I apologize profusely for the overwhelming degree of unprofessionalism you just witnessed...."

Bruno sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how this had occurred. He could only chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

"I suppose the next time I go on a hunting trip I’ll have to bring the Leibgarde with me won’t I?"

The officer of the Landwehr could not help but wonder why the hell Bruno was out here alone on a hunting trip. Nevertheless, he felt obliged to inform the man of the circumstances.

"Sir, the Leibgarde has already been contacted and is preparing a chopper now to come fetch you. I’m not sure why you are out here by yourself, but that will be remedied soon."

Once more the officer found himself confused at Bruno’s expression, he didn’t seem the least bit relieved that his own personal guard was on their way out to assist him. In fact, he almost seemed annoyed by it.

But Bruno didn’t misplace his irritation towards his subordinates, nor did he let the thoughts fester. He simply sighed and shook his head before flipping the safety back on his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.

"I suppose that is for the best...."

He then looked up towards the peaks of the Alps and sighed once more. He knew now, it was impossible for him to get a day to himself. He was too important after all, and too many people had a vested interest in keeping him safe."Trains ran through mountains, across bridges, and into cities alike."

Share