When Crown Prince Bleve’s unit realized they were surrounded, Daniel Steiner, who had inadvertently encircled the enemy, felt just as flustered.
‘No. Why here…….’
Daniel simply could not understand what strategic value could possibly be held by this outpost located in a basin that warranted an ambush.
‘Are they trying to capture me? If the enemy forces knew my position…….’
The reason behind the ambush became clear.
The persona of Daniel Steiner bore the symbolism of the “Hero of the Empire.”
If they captured that symbolism, it would not only greatly demoralize the Empire but also give them an advantage in negotiations with the Empire.
‘But…….’
Information regarding Daniel Steiner receiving a mission and launching operations support was classified information of the highest order.
The fact that the enemy forces knew this classified information could only mean one thing.
‘There are traitors collaborating with the enemy within the Empire.’
This was not surprising.
Anyone in the elite class who had access to military mobilization information from the Republic and the Federation would be well aware that the current Empire was precarious.
It was only natural that in such times, some individuals would seek to protect their own interests by leaking secrets to the enemy.
However, the fact that someone in the vicinity of the highest classified information was colluding with the enemy was unsettling.
‘The goal is to hand me over to the United Nations…….’
It would be important to find out more once the situation settled.
“Commander! We have completely blocked their escape route! Please give us the next order!”
Daniel turned to his side.
It was rather burdensome to see the company commander, Bernhardt, looking at him with eyes full of loyalty.
‘It seems they think I predicted everything and ordered a training exercise…….’
In truth, Daniel had merely engaged in a forced training session just to pass the time and had gotten lucky.
However, he could not speak the truth, so Daniel took a deep breath and began to speak.
“We will wait here until the enemy takes action. Radio soldier.”
The radio soldier, who had been following Daniel, answered energetically.
“Yes! Commander!”
“They must have realized by now that they are surrounded. They will be looking for a way to contact us from the communication station for negotiations, so after switching to the common frequency, send a message.”
“Understood. What should I say?”
In this situation, there was only one thing to convey.
“Advise them to surrender immediately. If their response is delayed or suspicious movements are observed, let them know they will experience hell.”
“Understood!”
The radio soldier, who promptly nodded, knelt down and started communication with the military radio.
Daniel let out a low sigh as he watched for a moment.
‘This is maddening…….’
Daniel had initially intended to just kill time and do nothing, but unexpectedly, the enemy forces had recklessly entered and were now surrounded.
It felt as if he were watching a fish caught in a trap, prompting an involuntary smile of resignation.
Bernhardt, watching Daniel from the side, swallowed hard.
‘Now that events are unfolding as planned, he is finally showing a smile. Is he truly a genius staff officer?’
If Daniel Steiner had been the enemy, it would have been Bernhardt’s own unit that was surrounded, not Bleve’s.
Thinking this, Bernhardt found Daniel’s eerie laughter unsettling.
As other soldiers looked at Daniel with eyes full of awe, the radio soldier, finishing communication, looked up at Daniel.
“Commander! Communication has been established, and we have confirmed a recipient, but they are intentionally not responding to the surrender request.”
Are they hesitating?
Though they were surrounded, the enemy had slightly more soldiers.
Their superiors would likely be hoping to escape, even at the cost of losing soldiers.
‘In that case, we must crush that hope.’
The enemy would only surrender if they demonstrated that there was no hope left.
“They are stalling for time by delaying their response. The more time the enemy has, the worse off we will be, so we cannot afford to remain idle.”
“Then……”
“Change to operation frequency and order the snipers to fire. The targets are the officers, excluding the Crown Prince. If the officers are killed and the chain of command collapses, immense chaos will surely ensue among them.”
A unit that faces confusion in command is akin to rabble.
“As soon as the officers are killed, order the support company to carry out high-angle artillery fire. The target is the enemy-occupied outpost.”
Once the area becomes a shambles due to artillery fire while losing their chain of command, the enemy will have no choice but to raise a white flag.
“They wanted to see it, so we must show it to them.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes sharply as he gazed towards the outpost.
“A hell I do not wish to experience again.”
At the same time, Crown Prince Bleve’s unit was descending into chaos.
“Your Highness! We must surrender! It is nearly impossible to defeat the enemy under the current situation!”
“Are you telling me to not only accept defeat but to be captured by the enemy as well? Make sense! Who would support me, captured while leading the kingdom’s elite forces!”
Colonel Galbaud was desperately trying to persuade Bleve, but it was not easy.
Even aware that they were surrounded, Bleve was considering only his political position, commanding an escape instead of surrender.
Since Bleve was so stubborn, the battalion commander ordered one company to secure an escape route, but Galbaud saw this as a meaningless act.
They were in a basin surrounded by mountains, with only one escape route available.
If the enemy decided to block it, they would be powerless to resist.
That is why they were advising surrender, but Bleve refused to listen.
“Your Highness! Now is not the time to think about the future; you must look at the present—”
While he was speaking, a loud explosion echoed.
At the same time, blood and flesh flew into their faces.
Turning abruptly towards the sound, Galbaud saw the battalion commander, who had been issuing orders to his subordinates just moments before, with his head blown apart.
The silence was short-lived, and actions were swift.
“Damn it! It’s a sniper! The enemy has begun their attack! Everyone, protect the Crown Prince!”
Immediately after giving the order, Galbaud grabbed Bleve’s hand and ran.
“Into the building! Everyone, inside the building!”
With a loud voice, Galbaud shouted and formed a magical barrier around them.
The soldiers assigned to protect them also ran after the Crown Prince while holding up bulletproof shields.
“Staff officer? What is happening….”
At that moment, Bleve, who had not understood the cruelty of war, opened his mouth in a daze.
Boom─
A high-explosive shell landed not far away, and flames soared.
The ground shook, and his vision flickered.
Struggling to hold himself up as if he were about to fall, Galbaud shouted, “We must go! Quickly!”
Only then did Bleve come to his senses and awkwardly move towards an nearby building.
Once the guards had all entered, Galbaud hurriedly shut the steel door.
Boom! Boom─
The sound of high-explosive shells exploding on the ground outside continued to resonate.
The terrible noise was ringing in their ears.
“……Your Highness! Crown Prince!”
Thanks to Galbaud shaking him by the shoulder, Bleve finally managed to collect himself.
“Staff officer? What in the world….”
“It is not too late! If we stay like this, we will die!”
“Die? When the company sent to secure the escape route returns….”
Galbaud gritted his teeth, frowning.
This was the first time Bleve had seen that expression on Galbaud.
“What can a single company do to secure an escape route? If the enemy is fully prepared to block the route, even the entire battalion will struggle to secure it!”
If they continued like this, they would all die.
Galbaud was repeatedly expressing that.
Bleve, who was sweating profusely, could only nod in defeat.
“Ugh, tell them we will surrender. So tell them to stop the artillery fire! Please…!”
If shells kept falling above him, Bleve could not escape death.
Overwhelmed by the fear of death, Bleve declared surrender, and Galbaud nodded.
He approached a soldier carrying an Imperial Army radio and took the transmitter.
After taking a deep breath, Galbaud pressed the transmit button and spoke.
“I am Colonel Galbaud, the direct staff officer serving Crown Prince Bleve of the Belmoore Kingdom. I speak on His Highness’s behalf.”
After a brief silence, Galbaud finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
“……We will surrender.”
As soon as Galbaud conveyed the intention to surrender, the artillery fire ceased.
Through the radio, Daniel commanded the disarmament, and Bleve’s unit complied by throwing all their weapons into the storage and raising a white flag.
Confirming through cross-verification that the enemy had truly surrendered, Daniel finally revealed himself.
He was able to see Bleve, standing there, covered in dirt.
From across, he saw the Imperial Army dressed in black uniforms approaching.
The realization that he had been played by that man made his teeth grit with anger.
As Bleve was suppressing his rage, the sound of many marching boots grew closer.
Daniel, leading his troops, stopped just about ten steps away from Bleve.
Looking at Bleve, who was glaring at him, Daniel placed his hand over his heart and politely bowed his head.
“Crown Prince. As you may know, I am Daniel Steiner. I sincerely regret that it has come to this.”
“Regret? You dare say you regret attacking royalty?”
Daniel chuckled softly and shook his head.
“That statement seems somewhat flawed. I initially advised the Crown Prince to surrender out of respect.”
That nonchalant attitude made Bleve feel disgusted.
Though he clenched his fists, Daniel continued speaking in a calm tone.
“It is only the Crown Prince who rejected the opportunity for a peaceful resolution. Therefore—”
“Can you not keep that mouth shut!”
In his anger, Bleve pulled out a handgun.
At the same time, the soldiers of the Imperial Army raised their rifles in unison.
In that moment of tension, a heavy silence fell.
Everyone was flustered, but Daniel stood with his hands behind his back, quietly staring at Bleve.
After an extended silence, Daniel raised his hand.
Since it signaled to lower their weapons, the Imperial soldiers followed suit without protest.
However, Bleve continued to aim his handgun at Daniel.
“To surrender and then attack, huh?”
In the stillness, Daniel blinked a few times before suddenly breaking into a smile.
“That shot will go down in history. It would directly violate international laws of war. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Bleve remained silent.
However, he could see Bleve’s hand trembling slightly.
“Oh. Of course, this will remain a part of imperial history.”
As Daniel’s smile vanished, he narrowed his eyes at Bleve.
“I envision a future where the Belmoore Kingdom does not exist.”
Would the Allied Nations really hold the small nation accountable for violating international law?
Moreover, if the perpetrator was the Crown Prince, the nation would be undoubtedly facing a crisis of existence.
Daniel’s words were somewhat reasonable, causing Bleve to pull his finger off the trigger.
As he relaxed his hand, the handgun fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Damn it. Damn it all…”
Thinking everything was over, Bleve bowed his head, sobbing quietly.
Approaching Bleve, Daniel grasped his shoulder and said gently, “You made the right choice.”
That insidious tongue brought a chill to Bleve’s spine.
‘This man……’
He keenly felt that for the benefit of the Empire, he would even use his own life.
