NOVEL WEB Chapter 47
Since Daniel couldn’t refuse, he immediately mobilized the company personnel according to orders.
After receiving a send-off from the citizens of the garrison, Daniel left Nordia and headed towards Marovark, where the Third Army Division Command was located.
Fortunately, the bad weather he had worried about before departure did not occur, allowing Daniel to arrive in Marovark a day earlier than the time specified in the orders.
Marovark, occupied by the Imperial Army, was a larger city than Nordia, but it seemed the citizens were not welcoming the military presence, casting cold glances in their direction.
‘This is normal…’
Daniel couldn’t understand why the citizens of Nordia were so enthusiastic about the Imperial Army.
As he blankly watched the sight of Imperial soldiers mingling among the kingdom’s citizens, the driver cautiously stepped on the brakes.
Once the car came to a complete stop, Daniel opened the door and stepped out.
The first thing that caught his eye was the headquarters building adorned with the imperial flag, fluttering majestically against the backdrop of the starry night sky; it almost stirred a sense of patriotism within him.
‘To hang such a large flag, those soldiers must have had quite a hard time.’
Letting out a dry laugh, Daniel’s gaze fell on a major stepping out from the front entrance of the headquarters with some soldiers.
As Daniel reflexively saluted, the major chuckled and returned the salute.
“Isn’t this the hero of the Empire, Captain Daniel Steiner! We’ve been expecting you. I am Kalfren, the commander’s aide.”
“Hero? That’s far from true. But the fact that the aide has come to greet me means…”
“Ah, the commander is waiting for you.”
“…The commander is waiting for me?”
“Indeed. I know it’s unusual to call you right after your arrival, but as you know, we are pressed for time. Please follow me.”
Did the commander have a reason to wait for a mere captain? Although puzzled, Daniel had no choice but to follow aide Kalfren.
Entering the headquarters and climbing the stairs consecutively, Daniel stopped in front of the commander’s office on the fifth floor.
“Those who delay their responses while trying to read the room are not liked here, so if you have an opinion, please state it clearly.”
Kalfren, who offered Daniel some advice, knocked on the office door.
“Commander, I have brought Captain Daniel Steiner.”
The response came a moment later.
“Let him in.”
It was a deep, powerful voice.
As Daniel felt the tension rise, Kalfren opened the door.
Inside, Commander Karl-Peter was seated at his desk, handling paperwork. Behind him was a flag adorned with the eagle emblem of the royal family, crossed with the imperial flag.
On the walls hung a multitude of strategic maps and operation boards, making it evident that this was the commander’s office overseeing the entire division.
Lieutenant General Karl-Peter Kraus.
He was the highest-ranking individual Daniel had encountered, next to the princess.
Taking a deep breath in secret, Daniel walked into the office and saluted.
“Commander, I heard you called for me.”
Only then did Karl-Peter slowly raise his head from the paperwork he had been engrossed in.
His blue eyes sparkled beneath thick eyebrows.
He was an impressive man with numerous small scars on his face and a chiseled jawline.
Acknowledging Daniel’s salute, he leaned back in his chair.
“Captain Daniel Steiner. According to the General Staff headquarters’ records, you are quite adept at interrogation. Considering how you made Lieutenant Colonel Reginald of the Royal Army submit and pressured a spy at the royal banquet.”
Diving straight into the main topic without pleasantries took Daniel by surprise.
In the heavy atmosphere, he managed an awkward smile.
“Commander, that was merely good luck.”
“Too much humility. Even if what you say is true, I believe luck is also a skill. Especially on the battlefield, where nothing is set in stone.”
Karl-Peter exhaled softly, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Therefore, I wish to borrow your luck and eloquence. To be direct, I intend to send you as the chief negotiator and special envoy for the armistice negotiation that will occur four days from now.”
Daniel, standing at attention, felt his fingertips twitch in disbelief.
Karl-Peter was making an unreasonable request.
‘…The chief negotiator? Me?’
In disbelief, Daniel spoke after a brief silence.
“Commander? I believe someone of my humble rank as a mere captain cannot fulfill the role of chief negotiator. There are many competent individuals in the General Staff, are there not?”
“There are. That’s why I sent those capable individuals, but what were the results? The negotiations fell through.”
“But…”
Karl-Peter raised his hand, cutting Daniel off.
“Let me ease your sense of responsibility. Neither I nor the General Staff hold high expectations of you. The staff is currently considering a full-scale war as well.”
He was essentially saying that even if the negotiations failed again, there would be no blame placed on him, so to calm down.
“So, will you do it or not?”
Raising an eyebrow, Karl-Peter probed Daniel.
“I…”
Just as Daniel was about to decline, a brilliant thought flashed in his mind.
Perhaps this opportunity could genuinely allow him to escape the Empire.
Clenching his fist tight, Daniel met Karl-Peter’s gaze.
“I will do it.”
The sudden shift in Daniel’s demeanor piqued Karl-Peter’s interest, his eyes glinting.
“However, I have conditions. If you are to appoint me as the chief negotiator, I require appropriate authority.”
“Authority, you say?”
“I need access to all operations and troop status of the Third Army Division. Additionally, I would like to be entrusted with the personnel arrangements for the third negotiation in four days.”
Karl-Peter was momentarily speechless.
The operations and troop status of the division were classified as field-grade two secrets.
No matter how much he belonged to the General Staff, a mere captain had no right to make such demands.
Of course, Daniel may have come across some level two classified information while working as an operations staffer, but that was only a fraction of what was known at the division level.
‘But to demand access to all level two secrets of the division?’
It was outrageous to the point of being ridiculous.
‘Now I understand why Cedric favors this guy.’
Cedric greatly values ‘appropriately unexpected outcomes’ when devising operations.
Uncommon tactics and strategies tend to plunge enemies into a quagmire.
In that aspect, Daniel Steiner before him was undoubtedly an exceptional individual.
Who else would dare request access to the division’s troop and operations data in front of the division commander?
His boldness and courage were astonishing beyond measure.
“Very well.”
Karl-Peter chuckled softly, looking at Daniel.
“I grant you permission.”
If you place your bet on the joker card, you must stick it out until the end.
*
Meanwhile, Lucy was drying off after a bath at a hotel near the headquarters.
Originally, due to the garrison in Marovark being filled to capacity, she and other junior officers had to find lodgings in dilapidated commercial buildings or schools.
However, thanks to being assigned to a ‘directly affiliated unit’ with the heroic ‘Captain Daniel’ in the Empire, the headquarters ordered the unit’s officers to be accommodated at the hotel.
Honestly, Lucy didn’t mind where she stayed, but the chance to bathe in warm water at a hotel was certainly a luxury she appreciated.
‘I feel alive…’
As she stepped into the corridor with her weary body, Lucy paused midway through drying her hair with a towel.
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At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary advertisement flyer, but something small and raised in braille caught Lucy’s eye in the top right corner.
A spy operating nearby must have slipped the flyer with encoded instructions.
Leaning down to pick it up, Lucy knelt beside the flyer.
Placing her hand over the braille and closing her eyes, Lucy deciphered the code.
As she interpreted the code, various letters appeared, but they were out of order.
It was a type of multiple substitution cipher.
To rearrange the cipher in the correct order required a codebook, but since Lucy had memorized all the contents, she could skip that step.
As Lucy rearranged the letters, she read through the content of the command in her heart.
‘Warning that the activities of Daniel Steiner may pose a future threat to the allies. It is advised to develop measures to incapacitate his rational thinking for exploitation…’
As Lucy continued to decode, her eyes suddenly widened.
‘Initially commanded to seduce Daniel Steiner to gain emotional control…?’
Unintentionally, her shoulders flinched.
Lucy’s red eyes quivered, perhaps out of agitation.
For someone with no experience with men, such an order felt far too harsh.