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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Rising Notoriety
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Thanks to Hartmann's courtesy, I immediately returned to my quarters to rest, and the next morning, I reported to the General Staff Headquarters.
The clear, cloudless sky and the cool breeze made for a pleasant mood, but the moment I stepped inside the General Staff Headquarters, my good mood completely vanished.
It was because everyone I encountered in the hallways treated me like some kind of ghost.
Those of lower rank than me would invariably stiffly salute me, and even my superiors would quickly return my salute without meeting my gaze when I saluted them.
Wondering why this was happening, I stopped by the lounge for coffee and was able to grasp the full story.
The personnel officers were gathered and talking about me.
"Did you hear? About Operations Officer Daniel Steiner. He supposedly went on vacation as a pretense to carry out a mission for Her Imperial Highness."
"And this time, he even visited Duke Belvar's mansion, didn't he? Together with Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann, who is Her Imperial Highness's chief bodyguard."
"Since he's become a war hero, he must be thinking of entering politics now. Anyway, let's not do anything that could get us in trouble with Daniel Steiner. We can't afford to suffer the consequences ourselves. And…"
The lieutenant colonel from the personnel planning department, who had been rambling on, spotted me and trailed off.
The lieutenant colonel, frozen in surprise, suddenly flashed an awkward smile at me.
Then he whispered something to his colleagues.
At the lieutenant colonel's strange behavior, the officers who had been chatting glanced at me once and unnaturally cleared their throats.
The major, who was the lowest-ranking among them, spoke to me.
"G-good morning, Major Daniel."
I took a sip of coffee and said.
"Yes. Good morning. And it's a lovely day for talking about others, isn't it?"
At my words, everyone began to look uneasy, discarded their coffee, and hurried away.
"Now that I think about it, I have some urgent business to attend to…"
"Ah, coincidentally, I also need to see the department head, so I should get going."
Everyone offered an excuse and filed out of the lounge.
I watched them quietly and let out a soft sigh.
Judging by the strange rumors spreading throughout the General Staff Headquarters, it seemed I had somehow established myself as 'Her Imperial Highness's closest confidant.'
But I couldn't really blame those who spread the rumors.
'I would think the same in their shoes.'
Considering the circumstances alone, it would be stranger *not* to consider me the Princess's closest confidant.
However, from my perspective, having had no such intentions whatsoever, it was becoming quite a headache.
'How did things end up like this…'
I had merely gone down to my hometown to enjoy a vacation, but after inadvertently apprehending the Prince's private organization there, things had been spiraling out of control.
'What would His Imperial Majesty think of me now…'
When I had previously met His Imperial Majesty, he had clearly stated that 'soldiers must maintain political neutrality,' yet I was now pursuing a political path to an unparalleled degree.
'He definitely wouldn't view me favorably.'
That incurring the Emperor's displeasure would lead to no good was a fact even a child knew.
I was filled with worry, but dwelling on things that hadn't even happened yet was a bad habit.
After finishing the rest of my coffee, I crumpled the paper cup and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
Then, carrying my briefcase, I left the lounge and headed up the stairs to my private office.
I opened the office door and looked inside to see Lucy working as usual.
Lucy sensed my presence, looked up, and immediately stood to attention and saluted.
"Major. You're in early today."
"Couldn't sleep for some reason. More importantly, you won't have to worry about the Security Bureau anymore."
"...You resolved it?"
I nodded and paused as I was about to walk to my desk.
Because on my desk, a box, meticulously wrapped with a ribbon, had been placed.
Feeling puzzled, I approached and tapped the box.
"What's this? A highly suspicious box."
"It's apple strudel. I brought it because I thought you might like it, Major."
"Huh? Do dessert shops sell this? I thought it was a Southern dish, not commonly found around here."
Lucy hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I made it myself."
"...You made it?"
Lucy nodded with an impassive expression.
This made me break out in a cold sweat.
'Is this an assassination attempt?'
A chilling sensation ran through me for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure.
'In the General Staff Headquarters… and in a room where we're alone, she wouldn't try to kill me, would she?'
If she were to kill me here, it would be too easy to identify the culprit.
Lucy couldn't possibly not know that, so it was hard to believe this food was for assassination.
'In that case, she made me a dessert out of pure goodwill.'
Unable to understand the reason, I stood still for a moment, but soon had a faint realization.
'Could she possibly think I protected her from the Security Bureau?'
In reality, I had only acted for my own self-preservation, but it seemed I had instilled a strange misconception in Lucy.
Still, there was no need to elaborate, so I simply nodded and untied the ribbon on the box.
As I untied the ribbon, the box opened like a blooming flower, revealing an apple strudel baked into an appetizing form.
"It looks delicious."
I picked up the cutlery enclosed in the box, cut a small piece of the apple strudel, and put it in my mouth.
After chewing a few times, I couldn't help but be impressed.
"This is… incredible."
The crisp, refreshing taste of apple was complemented by the warm, aromatic flavor of cinnamon.
Beside them, walnuts and almonds provided a delightful crunch, while sugar and raisins subtly asserted their presence, as if saying, 'We're here!'
Moreover, the pastry was perfectly baked and had an exquisite savory flavor.
I had eaten quite a lot of apple strudel in my life, but this was the first time I'd ever had one this delicious.
"It's good enough to start a business. Do you enjoy cooking normally?"
It was a question born of pure curiosity, but Lucy just blinked blankly, looking as if she hadn't expected a compliment.
As if choosing her words, Lucy, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke.
"That's not it. I bought a cookbook yesterday and practiced…"
Lucy stopped mid-sentence and closed her mouth.
Her expression suggested she was embarrassed to admit that she had practiced cooking 'for me'.
Lucy, who had been flustered for a while, soon regained her composure and spoke.
"...It's a token of my gratitude for your concern yesterday."
Having said that, Lucy gave me a quick bow and sat down.
She then resumed her work with an expressionless face, but the faint blush on her ears was undeniable.
'And what's more…'
It seemed she had gone through some trial and error while practicing cooking, as a bandage was affixed to Lucy's left index finger.
'She probably cut herself while slicing apples.'
To practice cooking for her superior and then serve it made me want to praise her excessively.
She truly was an exemplary adjutant.
'The problem is…'
...that this very adjutant was trying to kill me.
This dish, too, was likely made and given to me to lower my guard.
Thinking that, I felt a sudden lump in my throat.
'I suppose the rest of this food…'
...it would be best to dispose of it back at my quarters.
*
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace reception room.
"What… what did you just say?"
The eyes of Prince Arno, with his striking golden hair, trembled for a moment.
Because the news conveyed by Feliston, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau, was utterly preposterous.
Though the Prince wanted to deny reality, Feliston, despite groaning, repeated what he had said.
"...Duke Belvar has declared he will withdraw from the succession struggle. He is currently forbidding all outside entry and has holed himself up in his room, refusing to come out."
It was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
From Prince Arno's perspective, now that the Dawn's Embrace had been apprehended, he needed at least Belvar's support to continue the succession struggle.
But for Belvar to suddenly withdraw his support overnight was simply absurd.
"Why, in the world…"
Feliston replied to Arno's murmur.
"We don't know the exact circumstances, but it seems he changed his mind after a conversation with Major Daniel Steiner."
"...Daniel Steiner? That bastard again?"
Arno, who had been laughing as if resigned to fate, suddenly roared.
"Why does that son of a bitch keep obstructing me at every turn! Why, for God's sake!?"
From the northern assassination incident to now.
The man named Daniel Steiner not only stood in Arno's way but also completely ruined all his plans.
Now, by even forcing Belvar to withdraw his support, he had as good as utterly shattered Arno's future.
His head throbbed.
At the same time, fury burned within him.
"Deputy Director! The fight isn't over yet! Immediately! Right now, bring me information that can incriminate Daniel Steiner! Find evidence that he used private soldiers! For me…"
Arno's voice trailed off.
Because the Deputy Director, who would normally have nodded with a determined expression, was now looking around nervously, like an idiot.
Just as he wondered why, the Deputy Director bowed his head as if apologizing.
"Your Highness. We conducted our own private investigation, but no evidence was found."
"No evidence?"
"Yes. We assumed Daniel had established a personal force and launched a large-scale investigation, but found nothing."
Cold sweat trickled down the Deputy Director's forehead.
"If he could deal with the Dawn's Embrace in one fell swoop, it must be a large-scale organization. In that case, there should definitely be a system for sending and receiving orders. But Daniel…"
The Deputy Director bowed his head even lower.
"Major Daniel Steiner did not communicate with anyone from the organization during his entire stay in the South. And the organization that attacked the Dawn's Embrace vanished without a trace; we couldn't find where they scattered to."
"What kind of…."
"Your Highness, to be honest, we can't shake the feeling that we're chasing a ghost. We simply cannot fathom what methods Daniel Steiner is using to conduct his operations."
A certain fear crept into the Deputy Director's voice.
As a result, Arno, who had been dumbfounded, slumped into his chair.
"Just… what…"
In short, it meant that Daniel Steiner was a man who carried out his operations so meticulously that even the Deputy Director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau couldn't find a single trace.
At that fact, the rage boiling within him cooled down.
The cooled rage soon morphed into an inexplicable fear.
"...Just what kind of man is Daniel Steiner?"
The Deputy Director couldn't easily answer the Prince's question.
It was because the Deputy Director himself couldn't properly define the person known as Daniel Steiner.
'He simply stops at nothing to achieve his goals…'
There was no other way to describe him than as a ghost-like being who left no trace behind.