As night deepened, three police cars roughly entered the site of the textile factory.
The officers patrolling the city had received reports of gunfire and were dispatched urgently.
As soon as the vehicles stopped, the officers disembarked, hesitating as they stared at the entrance of the factory.
The last to get out, Sergeant Coparo, shouted loudly as if for everyone to hear.
“Here! Everyone, draw your pistols! If there are any of them still inside, we may need to subdue them!”
Hearing Coparo’s words, the police felt tense but drew their guns.
Their mouths felt dry, perhaps because of nerves.
One rookie among them glanced at Coparo and spoke.
“Sergeant, are we really going in by ourselves? Shouldn’t we request support from the mobile unit…?”
Annoyed by the rookie’s question, Coparo turned around sharply.
“You stupid idiot. If we request the mobile unit, do you think only they will come? Those pesky journalists will swarm over here, thinking it’s a story worth reporting. If they report on a gunfight in the city, we’ll have to answer for it all!”
If incidents occurred right after the coronation, the royal family would surely not be pleased.
And a gunfight in the city? The likelihood of it sparking an issue of public security was very high.
At that moment, Coparo knew their police station would be in for some serious trouble, so he aimed to resolve the situation with just the patrol personnel.
“If you want to keep working as a police officer, shut your mouth and do what you’re told. Got it?”
After hesitating for a moment, the rookie nodded.
Satisfied with the rookie’s attitude, Coparo signaled to enter.
Those with relatively less experience stayed close to the factory’s outer wall, remaining vigilant, while Coparo and the veterans moved stealthily into the textile factory.
The police, with their guns drawn, stifled their breaths as they walked cautiously.
A pungent smell of blood wafted from the back of the factory.
Hiding among the looms, Coparo soon spotted a body lying on the floor.
A pool of blood had gathered beneath the corpse, which had been shot in the head.
Thinking that the murderer might still be nearby, Coparo surveyed the area but saw no sign of anyone.
It dawned on him that the murderer had escaped.
‘Was it an impulsive act? For what reason? Was it about money?’
As he approached the body, Coparo noticed that the nearby floor was charred.
Burnt pieces of currency decorated the spot.
‘They burned the money? Does that mean their motive isn’t money.’
Scratching his head in bewilderment at the inexplicable murder scene, more officers began to gather around him.
“Sergeant, it seems the perpetrator has already fled.”
Coparo nodded.
“Seems like it. For now, secure the area and focus on preserving evidence. I’ll inform the lieutenant… What’s that?”
His gaze fell on a fabric dyeing machine that had been pushed aside.
Curious, he approached it and discovered stairs leading down to a basement.
Swallowing dryly, Coparo exchanged glances with the nearby officer before looking down again.
“…This is ridiculous. Why is something like this in a textile factory?”
“Right? It’s not like they set up a secret room for card games or something.”
“Ugh. I knew today would be unlucky. Hey! We’re going in, so everyone follow me!”
Shouting loudly, Coparo led the way down the stairs with his gun drawn.
As it started to darken, an officer behind him pulled out a flashlight and pressed the power button.
Clack—
The light spread out in a fan shape, illuminating a steel door straight ahead.
With a strange tension, Coparo reached out, grasped the handle, and gently pushed.
‘It opens.’
Realizing the door wasn’t locked, Coparo took a deep breath and kicked it open.
Bang! As the door burst open, Coparo aimed his gun.
“Police! If you don’t want to die, everyone…”
He shouted forcefully, but the rest of his words were halted.
In the massive bunker-like basement, numerous individuals lay sprawled on the floor, unmoving.
Most appeared to be unconscious, but a few were bleeding as if wounded by gunfire.
As Coparo stared at them in disbelief, he slowly raised his head.
“What the hell is this…?”
Before him was a massive map of the empire.
Radar screens and surveillance equipment stretched out on either side.
Several electronic devices he had never seen before cluttered the space.
Breaking into a cold sweat, Coparo spoke after a brief silence.
“Contact the mobile unit, no, the Security Bureau. It seems we’ve stumbled upon the hiding place of enemy spies…”
“Excuse me? Is that alright?”
In response to the subordinate’s question, Coparo replied with a mix of frustration and anger.
“Do you think this looks like something we can solve ourselves?”
Simply judging by the scale, this was absolutely not something an ordinary police station could handle.
*
Two days later, at the General Staff Headquarters.
Daniel Steiner’s personal office.
“Here’s today’s Empire Daily.”
As soon as he sat down, Lucy approached and handed him the newspaper.
Daniel smiled in response as he received the paper.
“Thank you.”
Lucy bowed her head slightly and returned to her original seat.
Once he confirmed that Lucy was seated again, Daniel unfolded the newspaper.
Many matters required attention regarding public opinion within the empire, so he wanted to check what news was being reported.
‘Let’s see. Today’s…’
Upon looking at the front page, Daniel’s interest was piqued.
【The Security Bureau Achieves Success! Enemy Spy Hideout Exposed!】
Beneath the article was a photo of Security Bureau police investigating what appeared to be a textile factory.
‘The Security Bureau has done something…’
From Daniel’s perspective, having previously clashed with the Security Bureau officers, this wasn’t exactly welcome news.
‘On top of that…’
The thought that Lucy must have seen this article made him feel oddly uncomfortable.
Lucy would also likely be connected to these events.
He wanted to know what she was thinking right now, but judging by her calm expression, it was evident she wouldn’t reveal her true feelings.
Just then, an unexpected knock echoed through the room.
“Come in.”
Upon Daniel’s permission, the door opened, revealing Ernst.
Thinking it was about joining him for coffee in the break room, Daniel noticed that Ernst looked somewhat flustered.
Choosing his words carefully, Ernst cautiously opened his mouth.
“About you, I just wanted to check if you’ve gotten into any trouble again.”
“Pardon? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“The Security Bureau has come out. And the director himself wants to see you. But I have no idea why.”
Why would the director of the Security Bureau want to see him? Though taken aback, Daniel quickly rose to his feet.
“Where is the director now?”
“He’s waiting for you in the reception room.”
“I’ll go immediately.”
Thinking he couldn’t delay, Daniel dashed into the corridor.
As he walked, Daniel contemplated seriously.
The director of the Security Bureau essentially held a position among the upper echelons of power.
Using his authority, he could easily ruin someone’s life.
Though it seemed unlikely that this would reach someone like Daniel Steiner, it was still a source of intimidation.
‘Why would someone like him want to see me? Has he figured out that Lucy is a spy?’
If not that, he might have discovered the cunning ways Daniel had employed to escape the empire.
While the probability was quite low, there was still a chance if the Security Bureau had been persistently investigating.
‘Considering that Security Bureau police had their eyes on Lucy before, he might have come to test me…’
Thinking like this, an instinctive shiver ran down his spine.
Speculating the worst-case scenario, Daniel continued to walk until he arrived at the reception room on the first floor.
Upon opening the door to enter, he found the director of the Security Bureau sitting alone, a subordinate visibly bitten.
Otto Whitmore, the head of the National Security Bureau, was in charge of wartime counterintelligence tasks.
‘He’s said to come from a powerful noble family…’
If the Security Bureau director were part of an alliance of nobles opposing the emperor and was here to assist that alliance, it would be a troubling situation for Daniel.
Turning the director into an enemy would offer him no benefits.
“Ah.”
While Daniel’s mind raced, Director Otto raised his hand lightly.
“You’ve arrived! I was wondering when you would come.”
The relaxed smile on his face brought an inexplicable sense of pressure.
“I apologize if I kept you waiting after receiving your invitation.”
As Daniel approached, Otto chuckled and shook his head.
“It seems my words inadvertently placed a burden on you. I merely wished to express my eagerness to meet Colonel Daniel Steiner as soon as possible.”
Otto gestured toward the sofa on the opposite side of the table.
“Shall we sit down and talk?”
“Sounds good.”
Smiling, Daniel sat on the sofa, and Otto returned the smile.
Though he had a middle-aged face, the sharp lines of his features concealed the signs of aging.
“I have many questions to ask, but first, I would like to express my gratitude, on behalf of the Security Bureau.”
Gratitude? For what? From Daniel’s perspective, it seemed absurd since he had obstructed investigations rather than aided them.
Remaining silent, he simply stared, prompting Otto to speak earnestly.
“I’m talking about how you eliminated armed enemy spies in the textile factory. You subdued the enemies so cleanly and decisively that there was not a trace of evidence left behind. Others may not know, but I do. I received several reports regarding this.”
After surveying the surroundings, Otto placed a hand near his mouth and whispered quietly.
“This was all thanks to you, Colonel Daniel Steiner.”
At the words of the Security Bureau director, Daniel fell into deeper confusion.
‘…Me?’
It was a statement he had never heard before in his life.
