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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Double-Edged Sword
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Did you truly believe you used Daniel?
While the entire Empire was ecstatic about Daniel Steiner's total war speech, the man himself felt utterly miserable.
He remained silent.
In the General Staff headquarters' lounge, Daniel gazed out the window, a paper cup of coffee in his hand.
Far off, beyond the entrance to the General Staff headquarters, citizens holding picket signs were visible.
The signs bore propaganda slogans like, "We want total war!" or cheering messages such as, "Hero of the Empire! Daniel Steiner!"
These were citizens who had been so moved by the speech they heard on the radio that they had flocked there, eager to see Daniel in person.
Reporters with cameras were mixed among the citizens, which naturally made him sigh.
'Looks like an early departure is out of the question today...'
The moment he stepped out of the General Staff headquarters, he would undoubtedly be subjected to unwanted praise and a barrage of questions.
For the record, this wasn't Daniel's prediction; it was his lived experience.
Just a few days ago, a commotion had erupted when he tried to ignore them and leave.
The thought of being surrounded by the crowd that gathered, enduring nearly two hours of endless questions, still made Daniel's teeth clench.
'It's enough to make me understand why idols hate sasaeng fans.'
With a displeased look, Daniel lifted the paper cup and took a sip of coffee.
It was then that he began to ponder how he should conduct himself in the future.
"Oh! Look who it is!"
Daniel subtly turned his head at the voice from behind him.
It turned out to be Colonel Ernst, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.
Ernst approached Daniel and offered a kindly smile.
"Our hero, Daniel Steiner, isn't it? I was worried because you've been holed up in your office the moment you arrive for work, unwilling to take a single step out. But looking at your face..."
Ernst paused, his gaze fixed on Daniel for the pleasantry.
He felt as though the dark circles under Daniel's eyes had grown even darker.
"...It doesn't look like you're doing well. Have you not been getting any sleep lately?"
"My worries have deepened due to various issues."
"What worries? From my perspective, a smooth path seems to be laid out before you. Even the higher-ups are praising your total war speech to no end."
Ernst had no idea that was precisely one of Daniel's worries.
The ripple effect of the total war speech was far greater than Daniel had imagined.
It wasn't merely a matter of the Empire's citizens cheering; it was generating positive effects for the war effort across various sectors of society.
Foreign correspondents were reporting on it daily, making Daniel's life a living hell.
If the difficulty of defection before the speech had been like passing through the eye of a needle, the difficulty after the speech was like passing through a concrete wall.
In short, it had become nearly impossible.
'Then the options are...'
He either had to make the Empire a hegemonic power, or escape abroad after laundering his identity through a trustworthy broker.
However, both possibilities had significantly low chances of success.
While the total war speech had accelerated preparations for a world war, the Empire's enemies were three nations, all of them great powers.
Furthermore, they had formed a geographical encirclement, meaning the Empire would have to fight under the disadvantageous premise of having to block three fronts with only two hands.
'Unless the Empire miraculously secures successive victories...'
The outcome of being defeated and branded a war criminal would not change significantly.
So, what about laundering his identity through a trustworthy broker and fleeing to another country? That was even more absurd.
'As long as they know I'm alive, both the Empire and the Allied Nations will try to find me.'
It was practically impossible unless he could completely fake his own death.
'Is there no way at all...?'
Daniel, deep in thought about how to escape his bleak future, shook his head.
He felt it was improper to be lost in thought with his superior standing beside him.
"It seems a smooth path has indeed opened up, as the Colonel says. However, in my opinion, the bridge supporting that path appears to have been built with shoddy construction, making it extremely precarious."
Ernst flinched at Daniel's words.
'Shoddy construction? Is he saying the Empire's leadership is incompetent?'
Ernst, breaking into a cold sweat, began to speak, trying to probe Daniel.
"Are you perhaps... thinking of finding the cause of this shoddy construction and eliminating it?"
To Daniel, those words strangely sounded like, 'Are you looking for another way to escape the Empire?'
'Ernst probably said this thinking it was about anxiety over rapid promotion, but...'
Daniel, thinking their conversation was strangely aligned, let out a low chuckle.
"Yes. If possible, I intend to eliminate it."
Ernst's shoulders twitched.
Daniel's calm statement, not only pointing out the incompetence of the Empire's leadership but also declaring his intent to find and eliminate them, struck fear into him.
'This isn't just a joke. Daniel might actually do it.'
Ernst swallowed hard, glancing at Daniel, and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel? Do you think I'm incompetent?"
What was that all of a sudden? Daniel, blinking quietly as he turned to Ernst, shook his head.
"No. Colonel, you are not incompetent."
Ernst breathed a low sigh of relief, his hand on his chest.
"...Thank you. I'll do my best not to become incompetent in the future."
Daniel nodded, looking curiously at Ernst, who was speaking strangely.
There was no need to contradict his superior when he said he would work hard.
*
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace dining hall.
In the unnecessarily vast and grand dining hall, maids attending to the meal stood lined up along the walls, waiting.
Emperor Berthram, paying no mind to them, sat at a long dining table, eating with his daughter and wife beside him.
"Selvia. It seems your decision was the right one."
Berthram, seated in an ornate chair, cutting his meat, spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"Appointing Daniel as the orator was an excellent choice. Thanks to Daniel, the Empire is more unified than ever. So much so that I didn't even need to step forward."
A smile formed on Selvia's lips at her father Berthram's praise.
"I merely put into practice what I learned from Father. Your teaching was always to place people in their rightful positions."
"Hmm. Learned from me, you say? Then you learned incorrectly."
The smile that had lingered on Selvia's lips vanished.
Just as she wondered what he meant, Berthram continued.
"If it were me, I would not have placed Daniel in the position of orator. An opportunity to speak before countless masses would have been precisely what Daniel Steiner had longed for."
"...Lieutenant Colonel Daniel wanted this?"
"Indeed. Daniel is shrewder than I gave him credit for. He must have realized I was wary of him back at the firing range a while ago."
Berthram put a slice of meat into his mouth and chewed lightly.
After swallowing the meat, Berthram took a sip of red wine before speaking.
"The fellow must have thought that the old Emperor might pressure him. He would have felt a sense of crisis. What would be the easiest way to escape that crisis?"
"That would be..."
"To spread his influence throughout the Empire through a speech. To make it so that even the Emperor wouldn't dare touch him. And his plan was successful."
Selvia, listening to the story, furrowed her brow.
"Father. That's an excessive assumption. Daniel isn't that kind of person."
Berthram let out a low chuckle.
"An assumption, you say. Selvia, do you not recall what Daniel said at the very end of his speech?"
"The very end of the speech, then..."
"He said he would represent the nation and its people under His Imperial Majesty's protection. As if the content of his speech was not significantly different from the Emperor's will."
Berthram set down his utensils and looked at Selvia.
"Was Daniel's speech the Emperor's will? Tell me, Selvia. Did you ever order Daniel to deliver such a speech?"
She could not answer.
What Selvia had demanded from the National Propaganda Department and Daniel was not a radical total war speech.
She had forgotten, because the result was successful, but Daniel had disregarded the contents of the prepared speech and continued his address as he saw fit.
It was close to insubordination.
"Daniel did not obey orders. Yet, Selvia, you cannot punish Daniel. A favorable wind is blowing across the Empire due to the total war speech. If you were to punish Daniel in such a situation, it would be tantamount to turning the populace against you."
Berthram raised a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.
"Selvia. You are still young. You have not matured politically. You are being used by Daniel, yet you mistakenly believe you are using him."
Selvia, secretly clenching her fist, managed to speak.
"Daniel refused when I suggested he be the orator. I was the one who forced him. Yet, you're saying I was used?"
Berthram, having finished wiping his mouth, let out a low chuckle.
"The wiser a person is, the less easily they reveal their true intentions. Why do you think Daniel refused your suggestion? Was it truly unwelcome? No. It was because he knew you would force him, even if he refused."
She remained silent.
"Why refuse, even knowing you would force him? It was to create an escape route, should things go truly wrong, by saying, 'I didn't want to, but His Highness commanded it.'"
Berthram folded his handkerchief and placed it on the table.
"Selvia. With this choice, you have made the Empire prosperous, but at the same time, you have fattened the wolf named Daniel, who threatens the authority of the Imperial Family. Do you understand what this means?"
Berthram narrowed his eyes sharply at the silent Selvia.
"It means you might have your throat torn out by him. So, remember this: Daniel Steiner is an exceptional talent, unmatched in the Empire, but..."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Berthram, after a brief pause, spoke with genuine seriousness.
"He is a double-edged sword, precisely that dangerous."