NOVEL WEB Chapter 55
A day passed, and early in the morning, as I arrived at the General Staff Headquarters, I raised my hand to my forehead.
My head throbbed, probably because I still had a bit of a hangover.
‘Did I drink too much yesterday?’
It was all the bartender’s fault at the Officer’s Club who recognized me.
The bartender, smiling at me, blurted out, “For our Empire’s hero, Captain Daniel Steiner, today’s drinks are on the house!” and I ended up drinking far more than I usually could.
‘At some point, I must have fallen asleep…’
When I came to, I found myself on the bed at my lodgings.
The problem was, I couldn’t remember how I got back to the lodgings at all.
‘I surely wouldn’t have walked back myself. Did someone help me?’
Thinking I must have inconvenienced someone, I felt terrible.
Sighing and furrowing my brows, I arrived at my personal office and grasped the doorknob.
Upon opening the door, I spotted Lucy, always dressed neatly, already attending to work.
Lucy confirmed my arrival and quickly stood up to salute me.
“Captain Daniel Steiner, you’ve arrived.”
… I didn’t think she usually used my full name.
There was something about her demeanor that felt stiff.
After a moment of awkwardness, I returned her salute and walked toward my desk.
As I set my briefcase down and took a seat, Lucy approached me, holding the Empire Daily.
“Ah. Thanks…”
As I reached out for the newspaper, for some reason, Lucy didn’t let go.
Wondering what was going on, I looked up to find her sending me a chilling glare.
“Captain Daniel Steiner. Alcohol is a luxury item. I believe one can drink as much as they desire based on personal preference.”
“…… Is that so?”
“However, anything in excess is not good for the body. Particularly, drinking until one is unconscious is not exemplary behavior for an officer of the Empire.”
She spoke nothing but the truth from start to finish, leaving me unable to refute her words.
‘Why is she suddenly lecturing me like this…?’
Could it be that Lucy was the one who brought me back to my lodgings? Curious, I decided to probe her with a question.
“Did I become unconscious or something? What happened yesterday?”
Lucy’s shoulders twitched slightly.
She couldn’t even meet my gaze.
“…… Nothing happened.”
Trying to brush it off, Lucy set the newspaper down and returned to her seat.
Sitting down at the desk, Lucy performed her duties as usual, but for some reason, her ears were flushed red.
I looked at her in confusion, shrugged once, and then opened the newspaper.
As I unfolded it, my photo was prominently displayed on the largest section.
More specifically, it was a photo taken when I left the palace after meeting His Majesty the Emperor.
“Empire’s Hero, Captain Daniel Steiner! Awarded after the National Order of Goryeo Medal, the Golden Cross Medal!”
The title of the article made my head spin even before I read any content.
Skipping reading it, I began to glance at other articles.
I was out on the battlefield, so I had no idea how the administration was functioning, and I decided to check on that somewhat.
As I slowly read through several articles, I abruptly stopped at a particular point.
“Editor Taiden Barkalo dies of a heart attack at home.”
Taiden Barkalo was a journalist I was well acquainted with.
He was known for primarily publishing favorable articles about the princess.
His editorial direction and political stance were also focused on supporting the princess.
He could be counted among the prominent pro-princess figures.
‘Is it true that Taiden died of a heart attack at home?’
In this current political climate? That was ridiculous.
Objectively, it seemed right to assume the prince’s side had a hand in this.
‘Which means…’
The succession struggle had begun to become visible.
The princess wasn’t a fool, so she would retaliate.
The undercurrents were sure to become turbulent from now on.
With my position in the administration, I couldn’t escape the coming storm either.
As I tapped my fingers rhythmically on the desk, I folded the newspaper.
How could I protect myself amid the upcoming waves of change?
After a brief moment of contemplation, I made a decision.
‘Let’s run away.’
If I couldn’t escape the storm while in the administration, then I’d simply have to step outside of it.
Moreover, with the special promotions piling up, I had no problems with taking a vacation.
‘The maximum duration of the Empire’s reward vacation is 30 days…’
If I took a vacation now and returned, the hierarchy would have likely been reorganized.
Additionally, by going on vacation, I could convey that “I have no interest in your succession struggles,” killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, if I left for vacation unilaterally, Lucy would have to take on the work while suffering through overtime, but that couldn’t be helped.
‘After all, it would be strange to consider a spy aiming for my life.’
With my resolve set, I stood up and walked towards the door.
Just before opening it, a mischievous thought crossed my mind, and I glanced back at Lucy.
“Aide-de-Camp, I’d like to apologize in advance.”
“…… What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
I gave Lucy a gentle smile as she looked at me with a question mark above her head, and then I left the office.
Moments later, entering the Office of the Operations Staff, I saluted Colonel Ernst.
Ernst returned the salute and spoke, grinning.
“Well, if it isn’t our Captain Daniel! What brings you to the Staff Office? They said you could handle administrative matters in your personal office.”
“Sir, I didn’t come to discuss work.”
“Hmm? Ah, so you want to discuss your promotion? That’s already under discussion at a higher level. There will surely be good news, so don’t worry about it.”
“That’s not it either.”
Then what in the world did I come here for? Ernst’s expression showed his confusion.
After a brief pause, I said, “Sir, I would like to take a vacation.”
Ernst nodded as if he understood.
“A vacation, eh? Even you need a break, right? How long are you thinking?”
“For a month.”
Ernst’s eyes widened in surprise.
He must have been thinking of one week or so, so hearing a month came as a shock.
“…… A month? Are you serious?”
“Yes. I understand that if I use my reward vacation, a long leave is possible.”
“That’s not wrong. It’s not wrong, but… Hmm. I see. If you want to take it, I can’t really object. I’ll notify the higher-ups.”
I had thought about what I’d do if he tried to stop me, so I felt relieved.
As I exhaled a sigh of relief, Ernst looked at me as if he found it quite unexpected.
“By the way, you’re applying for quite a long vacation. Do you have a specific place in mind to relax?”
A place to relax, huh.
I hadn’t decided on a specific destination, but there was somewhere I wanted to go.
“I’m thinking of going to my hometown.”
The Barony of Betargen in the Southern Empire, in the village of Pianmari.
My birthplace and the place where my mentor, the Monastery Head, resides.
***
Barony of Betargen in the Southern Empire.
Secret organization under the prince, ‘Dawn of the Shadow.’
Clack—
In the dim light below, the mechanical, repetitive clicking sounds resonated from the Telex sending and receiving messages.
This was one way for the leadership of Dawn of the Shadow to issue commands to the paramilitary groups stealthily scattered throughout the administration.
Monitoring them was Morten Blackmore, the organization’s supreme advisor, with a subdued gaze fixed on the informants.
If any of them were found colluding with pro-princess figures, the organization would crumble from within.
Though it was unlikely, during such a significant time, it wasn’t bad to be suspicious.
After scanning the informants for some time, Morten clenched his fist tightly.
‘By any means, the prince must ascend the throne.’
Having chosen to side with the prince, Morten found himself with no other options.
The moment the princess ascended to the throne, both he and the organization would face annihilation.
The assassination of Editor Taiden Barkalo, who was voicing support for the princess, was carried out for similar reasons.
‘Moderate opinions favoring the princess cannot be permitted.’
Public sentiment shapes the perspectives of citizens, and the voice of the citizens ultimately reaches the ears of the emperor, who will select the next heir.
The current emperor was a rare breed known for his groundbreaking policies, being deemed a progressive monarch.
He was deeply concerned about the public’s livelihood, so he certainly wouldn’t ignore public sentiment when choosing the next heir.
Thus, Morten exerted his utmost effort to incite the citizens and suppress opposing voices.
This was the best way to put an inept prince on the throne.
‘For now, there are no issues…’
Yet, the princess, not being a fool, would soon initiate her counterattack.
As he pondered what cards the princess held, one informant suddenly stood up in shock, causing Morten to furrow his brows in curiosity.
“What’s wrong?”
The informant, having re-read the message he received, turned to Morten.
“Supreme Advisor! It appears that Daniel Steiner has applied for vacation. A month, which is quite unusual.”
“A vacation, huh. So what?”
“The place Daniel Steiner plans to visit is…”
Swallowing hard, the informant spoke shakily.
“… right here in the Barony of Betargen in the Southern Empire.”
In an instant, all the hands typing on the Telex froze.
Morten held his breath, his eyes trembling.
‘Could it be… he’s coming to eradicate us while siding with the princess?’
As Morten remained frozen in disbelief, a heavy atmosphere pressed down on the leadership.
The mere mention of Daniel Steiner’s name held a significant amount of fear.
After a prolonged silence, Morten finally found his voice.
“The Barony of Betargen is Daniel Steiner’s hometown. It’s entirely possible he simply wants to enjoy a vacation. Even if not, he likely hasn’t discovered our location. If he had, he wouldn’t have taken a month off.”
Putting on an air of calm, Morten surveyed the informants before speaking.
“From now on, we will keep a close watch on Daniel Steiner’s every move. Even if he targets us, we must be ready to respond at any time. Understood?”
“Yes!” The informants replied energetically and resumed typing on the Telex.
Having succeeded in rallying the informants, Morten himself could not calm his trembling hands.
Who was Daniel Steiner? Someone calculative and cold, branded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom as the child of Satan, devoid of compassion or warmth.
Did he really come back to his hometown just for a vacation? That was utterly absurd.
It would make more sense to say he discovered the whereabouts of the Dawn of the Shadow leadership.
‘If Daniel Steiner is indeed targeting us…’
Before we even dare confront him, we could be torn to shreds.
Suppressing an unknown terror, Morten clenched his fist tightly.
‘God.’
Please grant us the strength to overcome this demon.