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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Count Kaledra Is Wary
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After finishing breakfast and his daily tasks, Daniel returned to his hotel room, humming a tune.
He felt good in many ways, thinking he could finally put an end to his perilous life in the Empire.
'Now I won't have to see Lucy, who's constantly after my life, and I won't have to worry about being sentenced to death in a war crimes trial.'
Plus, the risk of dying from a stray bullet on the battlefield would disappear. It was truly hitting three birds with one stone.
Daniel, a gentle smile gracing his face, opened the kitchen refrigerator and took out some Roquefort cheese and ice.
A strong, distinctive aroma wafted from the Roquefort, also known as blue cheese.
'Good. It's aged well.'
This was cheese the citizens of Nordia had pooled money to buy and gifted to Daniel when he left.
It was an expensive cheese, so he had intended to savor it, but since he was leaving the Empire soon anyway, there was no need to hesitate any longer.
Daniel placed the cheese on the table, then took out a supply-grade whiskey and a glass from the shelf.
He placed the glass on the table as well, added a small amount of ice, and lightly poured the whiskey.
The whiskey, the color of a sunset, filled the glass about halfway.
It felt a little wasteful to pair such expensive cheese with supply-grade whiskey, but on the battlefield, this was practically a luxury, so he had no complaints.
Pushing the whiskey bottle aside, Daniel picked up the glass and walked towards the window.
He wanted to take a sip while gazing at the view outside.
'But what should I do if I successfully defect? Maybe paint? I always wanted to be a painter…'
Daniel pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
'Unless I become a top-tier artist, painting won't make money. Then, baking? I helped the director bake bread a few times back home. I was praised quite a bit for my talent then…'
As Daniel walked, planning out his life, he stopped by the window and looked down outside.
In the square visible from the hotel, numerous soldiers were coming and going as usual.
However, what was different from usual was that today, for some reason, the soldiers moving under the lamplight seemed particularly vibrant.
'…Is something going on?'
He watched, puzzled, as what appeared to be low-ranking soldiers began running around, relaying messages.
Officers and veteran soldiers, after hearing the soldiers' words, exchanged a few remarks, then erupted in cheers.
Then, some soldiers pointed to the 7th floor of the hotel where Daniel was staying and abruptly saluted.
The salute, initiated by one or two, began to spread like an epidemic.
Every single one of them saluted Daniel with smiles on their faces, and even some junior officers followed the soldiers' lead.
Suddenly receiving salutes from hundreds of soldiers gathered in the square, Daniel broke into a cold sweat.
'What is this?'
He didn't understand.
No, to be precise, he didn't *want* to understand.
To quell the inexplicable fear, Daniel picked up the glass of whiskey and lightly moistened his throat.
'No way. It couldn't be…'
He was trying his best to calm his mind and deny reality when suddenly—
Knock, knock—
A polite knocking sound was accompanied by a voice from outside.
"Major Daniel Steiner! Are you in there? It's the Legion Commander's aide!"
Why do ominous premonitions always turn out to be true?
Daniel ran a hand over his face, set the glass of whiskey down on a nearby table, and walked towards the door.
He took a deep breath, opened the door, and Lieutenant Colonel Calphren stood there.
"…Lieutenant Colonel Calphren. What brings you here at this hour?"
At Daniel's question, Calphren offered a benevolent smile.
"I've come to bring you good news. The Kingdom has accepted your proposal!"
"My proposal, sir? What do you mean…?"
"They've agreed to all of the Empire's original negotiation terms, and furthermore, they've offered to cede not only Nordia but also Begenheim! This is truly an incredible triumph!"
Calphren burst into hearty laughter, but Daniel was simply bewildered.
'…Why?'
In the game, they rejected all three negotiations and fought to the bitter end, so why are they raising a white flag like a frightened dog now?
'Even after I revealed all the Class 2 confidential information that would have benefited them, they still surrendered?'
Daniel, racking his brain in the incomprehensible situation, unconsciously clenched his fists.
'…Could there have been an information disparity?'
If the Kingdom's army hadn't properly understood the Empire's legion strength and capabilities, then revealing the confidential information might have served as a form of blackmail.
But for an information disparity to occur, the Kingdom's intelligence department would have had to be intentionally crippled, and false information spread to create a smokescreen.
At least, the Empire had never done such a thing.
Although they had succeeded in seizing control of the Kingdom's communication network, they hadn't spread false information.
From the start, it was the Empire that hoped the Kingdom would be intimidated and accept peace negotiations.
There was no need to deliberately spread false information and give the Kingdom an excuse to break off negotiations.
'In that case…'
It meant the Allied Nations were manipulating the Kingdom from behind the scenes.
They didn't just want the Kingdom to lose; they intervened to make it endure the Empire's attacks as much as possible, bleed it dry, and ultimately lead to its demise.
'Damn it.'
To think the Allied Nations had been manipulating the Kingdom so systematically.
Daniel's eyes clouded with worry as he realized his plan had gone awry.
Seeing his expression, Calphren couldn't help but be inwardly surprised.
'Even after telling him he achieved a great feat, he's astonishingly calm.'
Daniel's demeanor made Calphren feel a sense of shame.
'Indeed, even if the Kingdom has been subdued, the Empire is still at war with the Allied Nations. An officer leading soldiers shouldn't be foolishly overjoyed; it wouldn't set a good example for the military…'
He was truly Daniel Steiner, the man called the Empire's hero.
Calphren cleared his throat once and spoke with a considerably more serious demeanor.
"An excellent mission, Major Daniel Steiner. Now that your task is complete, I'll make arrangements for you to return to the capital."
"…Thank you, sir."
"No, it's we who should thank you. Oh, and one more thing, His Majesty the Emperor wishes to see you."
Daniel looked at Calphren, flustered.
"His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, the war with the Kingdom, which could have easily dragged on, was brought to an early end. His Majesty must be very pleased."
Calphren had spoken with the intention of congratulating him on a promising path to advancement, but Daniel was only troubled.
He worried that if he caught the Emperor's eye, he might get entangled in the upcoming succession struggle.
However, he couldn't show his true feelings, so Daniel managed an awkward smile.
"That would indeed be a great honor."
"It's good to see you smile. Well. You must have had a difficult time, so get some good rest today."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Calphren nodded once and slowly turned to leave.
Watching Calphren descend the hotel stairs, Daniel closed the door.
Daniel, who had stood still for a while with his hand on the doorknob, suddenly yelled out.
"Whyyyy!"
Daniel turned around and walked towards the table, shouting.
"Why are you doing this to me?! Why can't I be happy?!"
Daniel, venting his undirected fury, grabbed the whiskey bottle.
Just as he was about to throw it, Daniel forced himself to regain composure and set the bottle down.
'I should at least drink the alcohol.'
There was no point in taking his anger out on precious liquor.
Daniel sighed lowly, sat in the chair, and poured the remaining whiskey from the glass into his mouth.
The liquor was bitter.
'I was clearly happy just a moment ago…'
Daniel, who had been half-forced to bury his dreams of being a painter and a baker, picked up the whiskey bottle and poured himself another drink.
It seemed he would have to drink a lot today.
*
At the same time, Edria, a permanent member state of the United Nations.
"Count Kaledra! What is the meaning of this?!"
Count Kaledra burst into the palace's audience chamber with his private soldiers.
Kaledra himself was also wearing a pistol at his waist.
This was a direct violation of the decree that prohibited carrying weapons in the audience chamber.
However, Kaledra walked towards the king, who sat on the throne, without blinking an eye.
Each time Kaledra struck his cane against the floor as he walked, a dull thud echoed.
Towards the king, who was groaning and gripping the armrest of his throne tightly, Kaledra gave a slight bow.
"Your Majesty, the King. Please forgive my impertinence. However, time was of the essence, and I had no choice but to disregard basic protocol and come here."
"Kaledra! Is that something to say in front of His Majesty?!"
One of the ministers in the audience chamber pointed a finger at Kaledra and raised his voice.
Kaledra took a deep breath, as if annoyed, and turned to face the minister.
His sharp, snake-like eyes gleamed with malice.
"Did I not just say that time was of the essence?"
'Do not interfere.'
Because of Kaledra's words, the minister could only clench his hand and swallow hard.
Kaledra, having silenced the minister, looked up at the king once more.
"Your Majesty. With the assistance of the Central Intelligence Department, I have hunted down and annihilated the shameless individuals who attempted treason. I believe you should also see their repulsive faces."
At Kaledra's subtle signal, a private soldier standing nearby took a step closer to the king and opened the lid of a box he was holding.
"…!"
At the same time, not only the king but also the ministers widened their eyes in shock.
Inside the box was a human head.
And it was the head of a minister who had spent the day criticizing Kaledra and advocating for the strengthening of royal authority.
He was also the minister who had been preparing to assassinate Kaledra under the king's secret orders.
Kaledra turned his gaze towards the head in the box, placed a hand on his chest, and offered condolences.
"What a pitiful and foolish man. This individual was plotting treason. He was secretly training soldiers without Your Majesty's knowledge."
Everyone present knew Kaledra's words were a lie.
But no one dared to correct Kaledra.
After savoring the heavy silence for a moment, Kaledra turned back to the king.
Kaledra then dropped his smile and scowled fiercely.
"If anyone dares to commit such an unsavory act again in the future!"
Kaledra slammed his cane against the floor with a roar that sounded like a reprimand.
As everyone trembled, consumed by fear, Kaledra spoke in an eerie voice.
"…They will all meet the same fate. Won't they, Your Majesty, the King?"
At Kaledra's words, the king, seated on his throne, shivered and slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Kaledra took a step back with one foot and bowed his head.
His hand not holding the cane was elegantly extended to the side, as was customary court etiquette.
However, Kaledra's eyes alone were piercingly glaring at the king.
Having completed his bow, Kaledra turned and walked out without waiting for the king's permission.
With each step he took, the mud clinging to his shoes left imprints on the audience chamber floor.
Kaledra then exited the audience chamber and left the palace.
As numerous private soldiers followed him, the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Department, who had been waiting at the palace entrance, approached Kaledra.
When Kaledra cast a glance his way, the deputy director bowed respectfully and spoke.
"Your Excellency. According to intelligence reports, the Eldresia Kingdom has accepted the Empire's terms for negotiation."
A crack appeared on Kaledra's perpetually cold face.
"Why…?"
The deputy director paused, choosing his words carefully, then replied.
"It seems the Eldresia Kingdom's Foreign Minister had a change of heart after holding a meeting with Major Daniel Steiner. We don't have detailed information on what was discussed during the meeting. However…"
The deputy director, sensing Kaledra's impatience, continued.
"The Foreign Minister stated that Major Daniel Steiner told him to 'inform the Allied Nations that the Eldresia Kingdom has been subdued.'"
Kaledra's grip tightened on the handle of his cane.
'Arrogant…'
But it was an arrogance befitting his capabilities.
Kaledra somehow saw a reflection of his own youth in Daniel.
'Daniel Steiner was a bigger player than I thought…'
Kaledra, pondering how he should deal with him, began to walk.
"Inform Lucy to accelerate the operation. That man is quick-witted and meticulous. If she fails to build trust, even Lucy risks being discovered."
The deputy director bowed his head in acknowledgment and stepped back.
Afterward, Kaledra entered the backseat of the sedan that had been waiting for him and took a breath.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped a speck of blood from his cheek, and quietly murmured.
"Daniel Steiner…"
Perhaps, that man might prove to be an even more troublesome opponent than the Emperor of the Empire.