Two days later, Belmoore Kingdom
Office of the Division Commander at the Headquarters of the 2nd Armored Division.
Knock, knock—
Hearing the knock, Count Magreph, the Division Commander, puts away the report he was reading.
He raises his hand to take off his reading glasses and opens his mouth.
“Come in.”
As the permission is granted, the office door opens, and a well-groomed man enters.
He was Magreph’s Aide-de-Camp.
“Your Excellency!”
The aide, rarely flustered, hurriedly spills out his words.
“It’s urgent news! Crown Prince Bleve has been defeated by Daniel Steiner’s forces and taken hostage!”
At the aide’s words, Magreph’s hand that was folding his glasses stops.
He couldn’t comprehend it.
“What do you mean? The Crown Prince was supposed to ambush Daniel Steiner, leading a battalion of the kingdom’s elite troops.”
“You’re not wrong. However, Daniel Steiner anticipated everything.”
The aide, biting his lip, continues after a deep breath.
“According to the reports, the Crown Prince issued an order to charge while waiting inside the outpost, forming a siege line. The Crown Prince, unaware of anything, commanded the assault, and as a result….”
Magreph raised his hand to stop him.
No further explanation was needed.
“Daniel Steiner anticipated the ambush?”
Though it was hard to believe, given the formation of a siege line, it was a reasonable deduction.
“No. How could this…?”
Muttering in confusion, Magreph soon grasped the whole situation.
‘The person who relayed Daniel Steiner’s position to us was actually a double spy. Or perhaps a spy working for Daniel Steiner has infiltrated the kingdom…’
He couldn’t tell which of the two was correct, but it was clear that Daniel Steiner had used all the information to his advantage.
‘Truly, a scheme akin to a devil’s work.’
He finally understood why Daniel Steiner was called the Empire’s Demon.
With a low groan, Magreph turned to the aide.
“Immediately gather a negotiation team.”
Daniel Steiner, who had captured the Crown Prince, would surely propose negotiations to the kingdom.
The kingdom could not hand the Crown Prince over to the enemy forces, so they had no choice but to respond to Daniel’s proposal somehow.
Thus, it was imperative to move quickly and devise a negotiation strategy from this moment on.
Understanding Magreph’s intentions, the aide regained his composure and responded.
“Understood. I will issue commands promptly. However, have you decided who to send as the head of the negotiation team?”
Exhaling softly, Magreph nodded.
“I will go personally.”
“……You mean the Division Commander will go personally?”
“Yes.”
He needed to find out how Daniel Steiner was extracting information from the Belmoore Kingdom.
Thus, he resolved that sending some mediocre negotiation expert or a government official would be insufficient, and that he would go himself.
After a brief silence, the aide, having understood Magreph’s intent, bowed deeply.
“Understood. I will convey that.”
Having spoken respectfully, the aide saluted Magreph one last time and left the office.
Left alone, Magreph looked out the window, submerged in thought.
‘Daniel Steiner…….’
Was a person’s name capable of such overwhelming intimidation?
Calming his trembling hands unconsciously, Magreph narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.
‘Your Highness. Please hold on a little longer.’
I will save you from that dastardly villain.
*
After capturing Crown Prince Bleve, Daniel verified his identity once more and requested support from the rear unit.
Due to artillery fire from mortars, the outpost was damaged, and even if it hadn’t been damaged, there was no space to accommodate the battalion personnel, including the hostages.
After hearing the news of Crown Prince Bleve’s capture, the rear unit sent a support battalion to the outpost without hesitation.
After waiting a day, dozens of transport vehicles and escort troops arrived at the outpost, and Daniel ordered for the hostages to be loaded first, climbing aboard last.
Once everyone was on board, the transport vehicles headed for Barheim, a small town near the eastern front.
Upon arrival in Barheim, the brigade commander, who was responsible for the city’s defense, came out to greet them.
Whether he wanted to commend Daniel for capturing the Crown Prince or not, the brigade commander treated Daniel’s unit with great hospitality.
Wishing to relieve his fatigue, Daniel accepted the hospitality and spent a few days resting before politely requesting the brigade commander for a place to conduct business.
In response, the brigade commander gladly complied and provided the largest office in the brigade building.
Thanks to this, Daniel was able to spend time at the brigade headquarters and called in two officers today.
So now.
Standing in front of Daniel, who was seated at his desk, was Prien, wearing a gentle smile, and Lucy, who held a document folder with her usual expression of indifference.
While sitting and quietly watching Prien, Daniel tried to suppress his irritation before speaking.
“Lieutenant Prien.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“I heard that you went to a church in Barheim during your leisure time. Is the information I have correct?”
Prien nodded.
“That’s right. Is there a problem?”
Is that even an appropriate question? Daniel felt incredulous as he shook his head.
“If you’re going to have a service, then just have a service. Why are you out there using my name and spouting nonsense about a saint?”
“……Nonsense, you say? I only spoke the truth to the congregation.”
Due to Prien blinking as if she didn’t understand, Daniel felt a headache coming on.
‘For the love of God, please stop…’
Prien seemed to have some sort of credibility in her strange words, as several brainwashed congregants came to the brigade headquarters, clamoring to see the saint, which was quite stressful.
However, he had no confidence to persuade Prien that her perspective was wrong.
Sighing deeply, Daniel pressed his fingers to his temples.
“Just don’t do it. If you’re going to worship, just worship and don’t spread any weird rumors. Do you understand?”
“Understood. If that’s what you want, Battalion Commander…”
“Good. Then you may leave now.”
With a smile, Prien nodded and exited the office.
Confirming that, Daniel turned his gaze to Lucy.
“Aide-de-Camp. Didn’t you have something to report?”
Lucy, who blinked her red eyes once, nodded.
“The Belmoore Kingdom has agreed to the negotiation proposal. The head of the negotiation team is Colonel Magreph of the 2nd Armored Brigade. According to the report, he expressed his intent to come directly to Barheim.”
“What kind of person is Magreph?”
“He is a general from a noble background. He has a cautious nature and values royal legitimacy like most nobles.”
Upon hearing Lucy’s words, Daniel entered deep thought.
‘Rather than sending a diplomat or a special envoy, the commander of the enemy’s armored division is coming as the head of the negotiation team…’
While not impossible, it did raise suspicion.
‘The Belmoore Kingdom probably thinks that I obtained their information through some means.’
Therefore, they likely judged that sending someone with appropriate information was right if they were to negotiate with Daniel Steiner.
‘Thus, they sent Colonel Magreph.’
It was highly probable that Magreph held all the kingdom’s information.
‘In that case, he would also know the identity of the empire’s betrayer who informed the Crown Prince of my location.’
I had asked the Crown Prince previously, but I only knew that he had received information from someone in the empire, without knowing exactly who that was.
However, Magreph would know precisely who that person was.
From Daniel’s perspective, he needed to locate the Empire’s betrayer through Magreph to ensure his safety.
If he could not expel this person this time, they would leak confidential information again, creating a dangerous situation.
‘What should I do…’
How could I coax the name of the empire’s betrayer out of Magreph?
Even if I simply told him to say it on the condition of releasing the Crown Prince, he would not respond.
If he pretended he didn’t understand what I was saying, Daniel wouldn’t be able to extract anything further.
As he pondered, stroking his chin, Daniel felt a brilliant idea flash across his mind.
‘With this…’
He might be able to get Magreph to confess.
With the plan forming in his mind, Daniel lifted his head to look at Lucy.
“Aide-de-Camp. On the day of the negotiations, tell them to conduct shooting practice near the negotiation location. Also, inform them to answer truthfully to any questions I ask while carrying a radio.”
“Shooting practice? At such an unexpected order, Lucy blinked in confusion.
“Are you saying to conduct shooting practice in the city center?”
“Yes. Also, inform the brigade commander about the route Magreph will take to the negotiation location… No, I think it would be better if I went directly to tell him. Clearly, this…”
Muttering and organizing his thoughts, Daniel’s expression was filled with determination.
Seeing that, Lucy, feeling a sense of awe unknowingly, cautiously opened her mouth.
“It seems the Colonel has everything planned out.”
“No. This is more of…”
Sighing reluctantly, Daniel spoke in a low voice.
“It’s more like a damned act. Creating a suitable setup to make the enemy fear me. Even if the essence isn’t that.”
Hearing Daniel’s words, Lucy wore a puzzled expression.
‘Although I don’t quite understand what he means, if it leads to the enemy fearing Daniel…’
Isn’t that something far beyond just an act?
