NOVEL WEB Chapter 51
After finishing breakfast and wrapping up his daily tasks, Captain Daniel Steiner hummed a tune as he returned to his hotel room.
Thinking of leaving behind the perilous life in the Empire made him feel quite cheerful.
“Now I won’t have to see Lucy, who is after my life, nor worry about becoming a convict in a war crimes trial.”
Moreover, the risk of dying from a stray bullet on the battlefield would be eliminated, making it a threefold benefit.
With a gentle smile on his face, Daniel opened the refrigerator in the kitchen and took out Roquefort cheese and some ice.
Distinctive, strong aromas wafted from the Roquefort, often referred to as blue cheese.
“Great. It’s been well-aged.”
This cheese had been a gift from the citizens of Nordia, who pooled their money to buy it for Daniel when he was leaving.
Being a pricey cheese, he had intended to savor it, but since he would soon be leaving the Empire, there was no reason to hesitate.
Placing the cheese on the table, Daniel then retrieved some whiskey and a glass from the shelf.
He set the glass down on the table and filled it with a small amount of ice before pouring the whiskey in lightly.
The color of the whiskey, reminiscent of the sunset, filled the glass halfway.
Though it felt a tad unfortunate to eat such expensive cheese with standard whiskey, to him, it felt like a luxury akin to a feast on the battlefield.
Pushing the whiskey bottle aside, Daniel lifted his glass and walked over to the window.
He wanted to take a sip while looking at the scenery outside.
“By the way, what should I do first if the exile is a success? Maybe I’ll paint? I’ve always wanted to be a painter…”
As he contemplated, Daniel shook his head.
“Unless I become top-notch, painting won’t bring in money. Baking then? I’ve helped the director back home make bread a few times. I received quite a few compliments back then for having some knack for it…”
Planning his life while walking, Daniel stood by the window and looked down.
In the plaza visible from the hotel, countless soldiers were bustling about as usual.
However, unlike usual, the soldiers moving under the streetlights today appeared to be unusually lively.
“…Is something going on?”
Curious, he continued watching as what appeared to be junior soldiers dashed about, relaying messages.
Hearing their words, the senior officers and veteran soldiers exchanged a few words before erupting in cheers.
Some soldiers even pointed to the seventh floor of the hotel where Daniel was staying, suddenly saluting.
What started as one or two salutes quickly spread like wildfire.
All of them wore smiles as they saluted Daniel, and a few lower-ranking officers followed suit.
Suddenly receiving salutes from hundreds of soldiers gathered in the plaza, Daniel broke into a cold sweat.
“What’s happening?”
He couldn’t comprehend it.
No, to be precise, he didn’t want to understand.
To quell the unknown fear, Daniel raised his glass of whiskey and took a light sip.
“Could it be… No way…”
Just as he made an effort to calm himself and deny reality, a polite knocking sound came from outside.
“Captain Daniel Steiner! Are you in there? It’s the Army Commander’s aide!”
Why did the ominous premonition always turn out to be true?
Raising a hand, Daniel brushed his face and set his glass down on a nearby table before heading to the door.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to find Colonel Kalfren standing there.
“…Colonel Kalfren! What brings you here at this hour?”
At Daniel’s question, Kalfren smiled kindly.
“I’ve come to share some good news. The Kingdom has accepted your proposal!”
“Excuse me? My proposal…?”
“They’ve agreed to comply with the Empire’s existing negotiation terms and, in addition to Nordia, they’ve even offered to cede Begenheim! It’s truly a remarkable achievement!”
While Kalfren burst into a hearty laugh, Daniel was just bewildered.
“…Why?”
Why, after all the negotiations had fallen through in the game, did these guys now wave the white flag like fearful pups?
“Even though we divulged all the Level 2 Secrets in their favor, they surrendered?”
As Daniel’s brain raced through confusion, he unknowingly clenched his fist.
“…Could it be that a Gap of Information occurred?”
If the Royal Army was unaware of the Empire’s troop strength and capabilities, revealing the secrets could have served as some sort of intimidation.
However, for such a gap to occur, it would require either deliberately incapacitating the Kingdom’s intelligence agency or spreading false information to create a smokescreen.
At the very least, the Empire had never resorted to such tactics.
Although they had successfully taken control of the Kingdom’s communications, they had not spread false information.
From the start, the Empire desired the Kingdom to be frightened and accept the armistice negotiation.
There was no need to provide false information to give the Kingdom an excuse to break off negotiations.
“Then…”
That would imply the United Nations had been manipulating the Kingdom from behind.
They weren’t just hoping for the Kingdom’s defeat but actively working to bleed them dry while enduring the Empire’s attacks.
“Curse it.”
He never imagined the United Nations was orchestrating the Kingdom so systematically.
Realizing that things had gone awry, Daniel’s eyes deepened with worry.
Seeing Daniel like this, Kalfren couldn’t help but be surprised.
“You’ve been told you made a huge contribution, yet you remain remarkably calm.”
Kalfren felt a sense of shame reflecting on himself from Daniel’s demeanor.
“Of course, even if the Kingdom has surrendered, the Empire is still at war with the United Nations. An officer leading soldiers can’t be frivolously joyous, right…?”
As expected, it was Captain Daniel Steiner, hailed as a hero of the Empire.
Clearing his throat once, Kalfren adopted a serious tone.
“You performed excellently, Captain Daniel Steiner. Now that the mission is complete, I’ll prepare to head back to the system.”
“…Thank you.”
“The thanks should be conveyed by us. Oh, one more thing, the Emperor wishes to see you.”
Daniel looked at Kalfren in panic.
“The Emperor wishes to see me?”
“Indeed. You’ve helped end the war with the Kingdom early, which could have turned into a protracted conflict. I’m sure His Majesty is quite pleased.”
Although Kalfren spoke to congratulate him on his rise, Daniel felt only compunction.
If he caught the Emperor’s eye, he might get dragged into the upcoming Succession Struggle.
However, he couldn’t show his discomfort, so Daniel forced out a stiff smile.
“Then it would be an honor.”
“You look good when you smile. Indeed, you must have had a tough time, so make sure to get some rest today.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Kalfren nodded once and began to walk away slowly.
As Kalfren descended the hotel stairs, Daniel shut the door.
Holding the doorknob for a while, Daniel suddenly yelled.
“Why!”
Turning around, he walked over to the table and shouted.
“Why are you doing this to me!? Why can’t I be happy!”
Frustrated, Daniel grasped the whiskey bottle tightly.
Though he tried to hurl it at the wall, he managed to regain composure and set the bottle down.
“I must drink.”
There’s no way to vent my frustration on expensive liquor.
Letting out a deep sigh, Daniel sat down and poured the remaining whiskey into his mouth.
The liquor was bitter.
“I swear I was happy just a moment ago…”
Forcing down the dreams of becoming a painter and baker deep inside, Daniel poured himself another glass.
It seemed he would be drinking a lot today.
*
At the same time, in Edria, the permanent member state of the United Nations.
“Count Kaledra! What in the world are you doing!?”
Count Kaledra barged into the Audience Room with his soldiers.
He himself was also sporting a pistol at his waist.
This was a blatant violation of the law prohibiting weapons in the Audience Room.
Yet, Kaledra, undeterred, approached the seated king without even a flicker of hesitation.
With each step he took leaning on his cane, a heavy thud echoed in the room.
Gripping the armrests of the throne, the king, who had been silent, cast a glance at Kaledra.
“Your Majesty. Please forgive my rudeness. However, time is of the essence, and I had no option but to disregard protocol to come here.”
“Kaledra! Is that something to say in front of His Majesty!?”
One of the ministers present pointed at Kaledra and raised his voice.
Taking a deep breath as if to calm his irritation, Kaledra turned to the minister.
His serpent-like, sharp eyes glinted with malice.
“I clearly said it is urgent.”
Do not interrupt me.
With Kaledra’s words, the minister could only swallow hard in silence.
Having silenced the minister, Kaledra looked up at the king again.
“Your Majesty. With the help of the Central Intelligence Agency, I tracked down and eliminated the vile individuals plotting treason. I believe you should see their disgusting faces.”
At Kaledra’s signal, a soldier beside him stepped closer to the king and opened a box he was holding.
“…!”
At that moment, the king and the ministers widened their eyes in shock.
Inside the box was a human head.
Specifically, the head of a minister who had been criticizing Kaledra all along and advocating for a stronger royal authority.
He was also a minister who had been preparing to assassinate Kaledra on the king’s secret orders.
Placing his hand on his chest, Kaledra offered his condolences while looking at the head in the box.
“What a poor, foolish man. This one was secretly plotting treason. He was training soldiers behind your back, Your Majesty.”
Everyone present knew Kaledra’s words were a lie.
Yet no one dared to challenge him.
Having savored the weight of the silence, Kaledra turned his gaze back to the king.
Kaledra soon dropped his smile and scowled fiercely.
“If anyone dares to pull such disgraceful acts in the future!”
Kaledra shouted with a booming voice, striking the ground with his cane.
As everyone trembled in fear, Kaledra’s voice chilled.
“…They will meet the same fate. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
At Kaledra’s words, the king sitting on the throne felt a shiver down his spine and nodded slowly.
Seeing this, Kaledra stepped back and bowed his head.
His non-cane-holding hand extended elegantly to the side, following royal etiquette.
However, Kaledra’s eyes were wide, glaring fiercely at the king.
Having completed his bow, Kaledra did not wait for permission and turned to leave.
With each step he took, the mud stuck to his shoes marked the Audience Room floor.
Egressing the Audience Room, Kaledra left the palace.
As numerous soldiers followed, the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, who had been waiting at the entrance of the palace, approached Kaledra.
Throwing a glance, Kaledra saw the deputy bowing his head and speaking.
“Sir. Intelligence reports say the Eldreshia Kingdom has accepted the Empire’s negotiation terms.”
The cool expression on Kaledra’s face cracked.
“…Why?”
The deputy paused briefly before responding.
“The Foreign Minister of the Eldreshia Kingdom has reportedly changed his mind after meeting Captain Daniel Steiner. The details of what was discussed during their meeting remain unclear, but…”
Seeing the deputy gauge Kaledra’s reaction, he continued.
“The Foreign Minister purportedly said that Captain Daniel Steiner told him to ‘Inform the United Nations of the fact that the Eldreshia Kingdom has surrendered.'”
Gripping the cane tightly, Kaledra’s expression darkened.
‘So arrogant…’
Yet, it was the arrogance befitting his abilities.
Somehow, Kaledra was reminded of his younger days when he thought of Daniel.
‘Captain Daniel Steiner may be an even bigger figure than I supposed…’
As he pondered how to deal with him, Kaledra set his feet in motion.
“Inform Lucy to expedite the operations. The kid is quick-witted and cunning. If trust isn’t built, no matter how capable Lucy is, there remains the risk of discovery.”
Nodding obediently, the deputy retreated.
Afterward, Kaledra climbed into the back seat of a waiting sedan and took a breath.
He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from his cheek, muttering softly.
“Daniel Steiner…”
Perhaps, he could become a more troublesome opponent than the Empire’s Emperor.