NOVEL WEB Chapter 48
Military Security Department under the Army Command Headquarters.
Basement Floor of the Headquarters, Temporary Archive Room.
“Captain Daniel Steiner has been inside the archive room for 10 hours already. Shouldn’t we check on him? I’m starting to get worried.”
Sergeant Salodam, guarding the entrance, shook his head at the soldier’s words.
“The captain said that he wants to browse the archive room alone, so we can’t go in. Don’t even think about disobeying the order. I don’t want to get killed because of you.”
“W-what do you mean I’ll die?”
“This kid doesn’t know anything. The reason Captain Daniel can roam freely in the security department is that the Army Commander personally granted him that privilege. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
In short, anyone who disobeys Captain Daniel Steiner’s orders here is practically disobeying the Army Commander himself.
Thanks to that, the soldier’s face turned pale as he broke into a cold sweat, suddenly taking a stiff posture.
The scene was so amusing that Sergeant Salodam let out a low laugh.
“Look at this chicken! How can you fight for the Royal Army when you’re such a coward? Sure, we’ll hardly ever go to battle, but still…”
“C-c-c-c-Sergeant!”
The soldier, trembling, shot a quick glance at Salodam.
Wondering what all the fuss was for, Salodam turned his head only to find himself turning pale as well.
Colonel Kalfren, the Army Commander’s assistant, was watching them from not too far away.
Salodam reflexively saluted.
“C-Colonel! What brings you here…!”
Kalfren stood with his hands clasped behind his back, wearing a friendly smile.
“I came for an unexpected inspection to see if Captain Daniel is doing well. I apologize if I interrupted your pleasant chat.”
While Kalfren’s words seemed gentle, the meaning behind them was sharp as a knife.
In literal terms, it meant: Are you idiots chatting while letting someone walk right in front of you without a clue?
The soldier, thinking Kalfren had come to encourage them, relaxed, but Salodam, understanding Kalfren’s true intent, froze in place, unable to even salute.
“Don’t worry; I’m not here to trouble you. But where is Captain Daniel?”
Finally snapping back to reality, Salodam stammered.
“Ah. Well… he’s been inside the archive room for 10 hours, claiming he wanted to look around alone.”
“Today too? Didn’t he practically live in the archive room yesterday?”
“Yes. He’s in a hurry to prepare for the negotiations and only has four days, so he said it’s urgent…”
Upon hearing Salodam’s words, Kalfren was internally impressed.
He had thought that the captain would simply treat the Army Commander’s request as an ‘avoidance of responsibility’ or perhaps pretend to accept it. He hadn’t expected him to be so earnest in his preparations.
“There’s a rumor that he always gives his best, and it turns out it wasn’t just talk.”
If a competent talent puts in effort, their potential is limitless.
While Kalfren was contemplating the figure of Daniel Steiner, a light knock sounded from the steel door guarded by Salodam and the soldier.
It was a signal that someone wanted to come out. The design of the door made it impossible to open from the inside, so this was the procedure they had to go through.
“Please wait a moment!”
As the soldier grabbed the steel door to open it, Daniel Steiner emerged from within.
He looked exhausted, but his wolf-like eyes were staring straight ahead.
This wasn’t the gaze of a rookie just promoted to captain, but that of a seasoned staff officer, making Kalfren’s shoulders tremble slightly.
After staring at Kalfren for a moment, Daniel saluted politely.
“Colonel. What brings you here?”
His tone was firm, yet he conveyed respect for his superior.
Kalfren, receiving the salute amid a certain tension, replied.
“…I came to ask if you need anything while you’re working on the Army Commander’s orders. But are you alright? You seem like you haven’t had a proper rest.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, could you please move aside? It’s time to draft the negotiation plan.”
Realizing he was blocking the way, Kalfren stepped aside, and Daniel, bowing his head slightly, climbed the stairs past him.
Watching Daniel’s back, Kalfren exhaled a sigh of relief.
‘What a tenacious spirit. It’s clear he’s determined to succeed in the negotiations…’
However, due to the Emperor’s arbitrary decision, the chances of finalizing the negotiations seemed nearly impossible.
‘Could it be that he’s found a way to overturn that?’
Though he wasn’t sure, seeing the exhausted Daniel gave Kalfren a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps he might successfully negotiate and save many lives.
*
As Daniel walked down the corridor, he made sure there was no one following him and let out a sigh of relief.
‘…I thought I was caught.’
When the steel door opened and the Army Commander’s assistant was standing there, Daniel felt his heart drop.
He feared he had been discovered sneaking in classified information written in his notebook.
‘If the assistant had caught on to my intention to leak classified info, things would have gotten pretty tough for me.’
It was a moment that could have branded him a traitor, leading to execution.
But contrary to his worries, the assistant was just there to check on him.
Thanks to that, Daniel managed to keep his notebook filled with classified information safe.
‘Now I just need to document this…’
He would hand it over to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom during the armistice negotiation tomorrow and apply for asylum.
No matter how much Daniel was regarded as a hero of the Empire, they wouldn’t doubt his sincerity if he handed over Level 2 military secrets.
‘Finally, I will escape from this damned Empire.’
As he envisioned a rosy future, his steps became lighter.
Stifling an impending chuckle, as Daniel walked, he suddenly froze.
Lucy was approaching from the opposite direction.
With each step closer to Lucy, a strong scent of perfume wafted towards him.
He didn’t quite understand why she wore perfume, but as she reached him, she gave a light nod.
“Captain. So you’ve been here.”
“…Were you looking for me? Did the Army Commander summon you?”
“No, that’s not it. I just…”
Lucy hesitated.
It was fine that she had worn perfume to seduce Daniel.
But how could she smoothly continue the conversation?
What does ‘seduction’ even mean? Lucy’s knowledge of winning someone’s heart was as blank as a piece of paper.
So she hurriedly read a book about romance that morning.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked at Daniel and said.
“…Could you let me know your schedule for today?”
“We need to start drafting the negotiation plan now. I have a rough outline, and I plan to leave early today. But why do you ask?”
“Oh, um…”
She had to be confident. Although it was embarrassing, it was her mission.
“If you have time in the evening, would you….”
The rest of her words got stuck.
She didn’t know how to convey the awkward words she’d learned from the book.
“So, just the two of us…”
When Lucy got that far, Daniel thought.
Unstable eye movements, slightly quickened breathing, her request for a private meeting seemed very meaningful.
Running the abacus of possibilities in his head, Daniel reached a conclusion.
‘…Could it be, an assassination?’
Had the Allied Nations issued an assassination order on him? He had thought this would happen someday, but it felt too soon.
‘Yeah. It’s way too soon.’
Just when he thought it was a misunderstanding, Lucy looked at him as if she had regained her composure.
‘I read it in a book. To allure a man, I should give a subtle smile…’
But what does a subtle smile even mean?
For Lucy, who had never properly smiled, even a regular smile felt like a difficult task.
However, given the order to seduce Daniel Steiner, the spy Lucy had to follow through.
After mentally battling herself several times, Lucy awkwardly managed to smile at Daniel.
Seeing that smile, Daniel could only let out a helpless sigh.
With narrowed eyes and a thin smile, she looked like a literal ‘death smile.’
It felt like he was being watched by a hunter waiting to pounce on its prey.
As a result, he felt immense pressure.
‘This is definitely an assassination…!’
Daniel, who didn’t realize Lucy was trying to seduce him, cleared his throat.
He thought to distance himself from her as naturally as possible.
“Aide-de-Camp? I think I’ll have to work overtime today.”
“…What? But you just said you would leave early.”
“I suddenly remembered something I had to do. Well then…”
Just as he was about to pass by, Daniel suddenly turned back as if something had come to mind.
“By the way, did you apply too much perfume? Typically, perfume is used to mask one’s scent, and I don’t understand why you’re using it.”
“Oh. I….”
“There’s no scent on your skin. It’s almost fragrant. So don’t rely on luxury items like perfume.”
Daniel patted Lucy’s shoulder lightly and turned to walk away.
‘Good. Now that we’ve had a normal conversation, she shouldn’t suspect I noticed the assassination order.’
Just as Daniel sighed in relief, he noticed Lucy standing still, her ears turning red.
Daniel’s praise had unknowingly embarrassed her.
She didn’t precisely know what kind of embarrassment it was.
Feeling a strange emotion, Lucy leaned against the window and let out a low sigh.
‘So foolish…’
Both the higher-ups who gave her such strange orders and herself for following them felt utterly silly.
However, since the order had been given, she would eventually have to seduce Daniel.
It felt like a daunting task.
Gazing down at her feet and biting her lower lip, Lucy forced herself to shake off the shame and slowly moved her feet.
First, she needed to return to her lodgings and get rid of the scent of the perfume.