Prien, thinking she had gotten the answer she wanted, quietly closed the door.
Upon seeing this, Daniel internally sighed in relief, but Belaff did not hide his perplexity as he spoke. “I, I apologize. I never imagined Colonel Daniel Steiner would regard my daughter so highly.”
Though it seemed some misunderstanding had arisen, Daniel did not bother to clarify.
Clearly observing a poor relationship between father and daughter, Daniel did not want any ill-thought remarks to reach Prien’s ears.
Instead, Daniel gave a shallow nod and coughed lightly. “There’s no need for an apology. I do not wish to impose my opinions on others. Instead, wouldn’t it be better to proceed to the main topic?”
“Hmm? Ah… the main topic. Understood.”
Belaff adjusted his glasses before speaking. “In truth, there are two main requests the Church of the Glorious Flame has for Colonel Daniel Steiner.”
“Two requests?”
“Yes. First, we would like Colonel Steiner to demonstrate to the congregation that he has ties with the Church of the Glorious Flame.”
“…Why is that necessary?”
Daniel, puzzled, awaited an explanation, which Belaff promptly delivered. “As you’re likely aware, due to the ongoing war, the public’s willingness to donate has drastically decreased compared to before.”
This was due to both the financial hardship faced by the people and the growing sentiment that it would be better to support the soldiers directly, thus aiming to end the war sooner, than donating to the church.
As a result, some churches had even been forced to halt their activities or shut down entirely.
Rumors began spreading that the church was robbing the people under the guise of divine worship, leaving Belaff, the pastor, deeply troubled.
This was the exact moment when Prien returned to her hometown during her leave and took the pulpit.
Standing before the congregation, Prien delivered an extreme sermon, lamenting the death of war hero Daniel Steiner and insisting that the United Nations (or Allied Nations) must be obliterated from this world.
How could a church that preaches compassion and love advocate for the destruction of the United Nations?
At the time, Belaff was shocked by this turn but, to his surprise, the reaction from the congregation was not entirely negative.
Rather, the sermon elicited an overwhelming response. cheers and applause echoed, demonstrating explosive popularity.
“Oddly enough, since the service where Prien mentioned you, Colonel Steiner, the Church of the Glorious Flame’s reputation started gaining traction by word of mouth, and soon we began seeing more visitors.”
When the number of followers returned to what it was before the war, news spread that Daniel Steiner was, in fact, still alive, which was broadcasted across the empire.
Upon hearing this, people rejoiced as if it were their personal victory, cheers erupting everywhere.
Festivals were even held in various cities in celebration, and as a result, the Church of the Glorious Flame gained followers in unprecedented numbers.
Today, it has more followers than it did before the war.
“Since Colonel Steiner returned, we’ve even surpassed our pre-war follower count. However, with the increase in followers, certain issues have arisen.”
“Such issues?”
“Some people have started questioning whether the Church of the Glorious Flame truly has a connection to Colonel Daniel Steiner, and that’s why we’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Colonel Steiner to the church.”
Daniel let out a low laugh. The more he listened, the more absurd it sounded.
“So, you’re asking me to allow you to continue profiting from my name.”
Upon Daniel’s straightforward question, Belaff broke into a cold sweat.
“Colonel Steiner, we had no such intentions… If you feel offended, I offer my apologies…”
Raising his hand to stop Belaff’s rambling, Daniel decided to hear him out till the end.
“What is the second request from the Church of the Glorious Flame?”
The atmosphere around Daniel changed subtly but assertively, reminiscent of a superior addressing a subordinate. But Belaff could not protest, as Daniel’s fame had essentially become the church’s financial lifeline.
“Secondly…” Belaff cleared his throat before continuing, “…We need the ongoing protests in front of the church to be ceased. They were initially a small group, but their numbers have significantly grown recently. Now that they’re threatening the safety of our attendees, it has become quite a headache.”
“What kind of protests are these?”
“Primarily, anti-war protests. They criticize and accuse our church of idolizing Colonel Steiner—a war enthusiast, as they say. We’ve attempted to persuade and placate them, but it has been futile.”
“Anti-war protests? I thought such protests significantly decreased after the all-out war speech. But here, large-scale protests are taking place?”
Belaff hesitated. “As far as I remember, about a month ago, the number of people participating in these protests began to grow rapidly. A few extremists have even thrown rotten fruits and vegetables at the church, creating a rather embarrassing situation.”
Daniel furrowed his brows upon hearing this.
‘If a month ago…’
It was precisely around the time when Daniel went to a forward outpost near the Belmoore Kingdom’s border to provide operations support.
‘They’ve been preparing since then.’
They had deliberately leaked information to the Belmoore Kingdom while simultaneously sowing dissent among the people, reigniting mass anti-war protests.
The goal was to diminish Daniel Steiner’s status, using these protests as an excuse.
If Daniel Steiner were to die in battle against the Belmoore Kingdom, it would ensure his deification never happened. Instead, they planned to systematically tarnish his image among the people over time.
They had intended to start this manipulation in the provinces and gradually spread it until the church would be forced to surrender.
‘They’re more despicable than I imagined.’
It was nothing more than a game of dirty tactics.
They were trying to drag Daniel Steiner into their filth, employing every possible means to cover him in muck.
Among those participating in the protests, it was likely that covert agents, who either took money or followed orders, outnumbered those genuinely protesting against the war.
‘How…’
How could he derail their plot?
‘No, merely derailing isn’t enough.’
He needed to cut off their hands and ensure they’d never attempt anything like this again.
While fiddling with the armrest of the sofa, Daniel suddenly glanced at Belaff.
“You mentioned a few extremists throwing rotten vegetables and fruits?”
“Yes.”
Daniel faintly smiled at his reply.
“Then, they might get overexcited enough to throw bricks.”
“Bricks? Though there’s a possibility, in the past month, they haven’t done that. But yes, should a brick hit someone, it could result in serious injuries…”
Interrupting Belaff’s response, Daniel leaned forward and tapped lightly on the table as if asking Belaff to pay close attention.
“The fact that they haven’t thrown bricks yet isn’t the point.”
As Daniel continued, his voice carried an edge.
“The point is that they could throw bricks.”
The moment a brick is thrown, they cease to be simple protestors. If someone were to get hit, it would transform from a peaceful protest into violent unrest. This would give the empire’s soldiers a justification to punish them as rioters.
“Surely, Colonel Steiner wouldn’t…”
But Daniel shook his head, maintaining his calm.
“Why would I punish them even if they threw bricks? However, every step of this process would be broadcast by a mysterious journalist, spreading across the entire empire.”
Picking up his cup, Daniel added, “I’ll arrange for the journalist; you take care of the publicity.”
“Publicity?”
“Exactly. Spread the word that Daniel Steiner will visit the Church of the Glorious Flame tomorrow. It will lure the right fish to our trap.”
Raising the cup to his lips, Daniel inhaled the fragrance and spoke lightly.
“I’ll personally negotiate with them.”
After finishing his sentence, he took a small sip of coffee, which truly lived up to its reputation as a premium blend, delightfully pleasing his palate.
Setting the cup down with satisfaction, Daniel continued quietly, “And, if you so wish, I’ll continue to allow you to profit from my name. On one condition: The Church of the Glorious Flame must, without question, fulfill any request I make from now on.”
His statement was clear—he intended to turn the church into his personal arm.
Startled by this proposition, Belaff hastily interjected. “Colonel Daniel Steiner! Such a demand is unfair.”
“Unfair…?”
Daniel chuckled lightly and shrugged. “It’s rather amusing to hear someone who’s benefited from my name now call this unfair. But, if you insist on continuing in this manner…”
The light-hearted tone vanished, replaced with a serious expression. Daniel’s dark eyes penetrated Belaff.
“I’ll show you what real unfairness looks like.”
A brief silence loomed between them.
Belaff’s body stiffened, realizing Daniel was not joking.
Lowering his eyes in submission after a tense moment, he murmured, “I… I will accept Colonel Steiner’s proposal.”
