The next morning.
Chapel of the Church of the Glorious Flame.
“In the Old Testament, God commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is one of the guiding principles of God we can find in our lives and…”
While Pastor Belaff delivered his sermon, Prien and Daniel, seated on the pews, quietly exchanged words.
“Do you truly intend to deal with those shameless individuals who don’t even know God’s grace?”
It was Prien who spoke.
Daniel chuckled meaninglessly and nodded.
“Yes. It’s important to extinguish even the smallest flame before it grows. Once they become a wildfire, it’ll be too late to regret.”
“But Colonel Daniel, your plan is too dangerous. What if these protestors turn into a mob?”
“Mob, you say.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Daniel’s lips.
“Prien Lieutenant, these aren’t a mob. They’re just sheep being riled up by a shepherd’s incitement. No matter how many sheep gather, they will never be able to bite through a wolf.”
Despite knowing that a crowd of protestors was approaching, Daniel remained calm.
Prien, observing Daniel’s side profile, couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked,
“…Do you have any plan?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
After a brief pause, Daniel continued.
“Listen carefully, Prien. What sheep fear the most is the blood of a wolf. Because they don’t know what an injured wolf might do.”
“You’re talking about blood?”
“I’ve planted someone among the protestors. When the protest heats up, that person will throw a brick at my head.”
Prien’s mouth slightly parted in response to Daniel’s casual revelation of this shocking fact.
Prien quietly glanced around her surroundings, and then whispered toward Daniel,
“A brick? Colonel, you will get seriously hurt.”
“Don’t worry. The brick is made with reduced clay content and more sand. Its firing temperature is also lowered, making it a fragile fake brick.”
“Colonel, even if it’s fake, it’s not safe. You will certainly get injured.”
“That’s what I hope.”
Prien’s words faltered. She didn’t understand why Daniel would hope for such a thing.
Daniel glanced sideways at the bewildered Prien and delivered a meaningful line.
“Didn’t I just say that what sheep fear the most is the blood of a wolf?”
*
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Church of the Glorious Flame, about a thousand people were gathered, holding placards and shouting slogans.
“The Church of the Glorious Flame must cease idolizing the warmonger!”
“We don’t want war! Only killers want war!”
“Daniel Steiner, the denier of peace, must step down!”
Voices rising with a common purpose echoed into the sky.
“Deniers of peace!”
“Are nothing but killers!”
Some time later, a few people took the lead in chanting the slogans repeatedly.
Reacting to their voices, the church doors opened, and Daniel Steiner and Prien emerged.
With the flaps of their coats fluttering, they moved forward, exuding an intimidating presence.
But the protestors weren’t about to back down. They raised their voices louder.
“Warmonger!”
“Here comes the killer!”
“Get out!”
The agitated protestors began throwing rotten vegetables and fruits that they had brought in baskets.
They were resisting to the maximum extent possible without causing harm.
However, the thrown fruits couldn’t possibly reach Daniel.
Daniel steadily advanced through the falling fruits.
Thud—
A tomato hit Daniel briefly but failed to stop his movement.
Approaching within ten steps of the protestors, Daniel halted.
Though fruits were still being thrown, their frequency had significantly decreased.
Noticing this, Daniel assumed a troubled expression and raised his hands.
“Protestors, I’m not here to argue with you. I’m here merely to resolve misunderstandings through dialogue and find common ground—”
“Screw your dialogue!”
A middle-aged man stepped forward from the front of the protest group.
“My son died because of the war! The son who promised to take over my family business turned into a corpse because of the war!”
The man’s outcry garnered sympathy from voices scattered around the crowd.
“Back away, demon!”
“You’re leading us all to death!”
Once again, they started throwing fruits.
Now, with the shorter distance, more fruit was hitting Daniel’s body.
While the smell of the splattered fruits filled the air, Daniel desperately raised his hands.
“Citizens! Calm down! I didn’t come here to fight with you!”
At that moment, a brick flew out from the midst of the protestors.
Daniel noticed the incoming brick but didn’t dodge.
There was no need to dodge.
It was part of the plan.
Crack—
The brick, flying in a curve, struck Daniel’s forehead and passed by.
“Oof…”
The sudden stumble made Prien shriek.
Prien, as agreed, quickly supported Daniel and sobbed while turning to look at the protestors.
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill Colonel Daniel?”
At Prien’s outcry, the protestors exchanged frightened glances but said nothing.
There’s a difference between throwing rotten fruits and throwing a brick.
Everyone knew that harming an officer of the Empire during wartime would result in severe punishment.
Harming an officer, no matter the rank, constituted a grave crime—and the protestors had just injured Daniel Steiner, hailed as a hero of the Empire.
“Who…?”
“Why throw a brick…?”
Thanks to the tension, distrust spread among the protestors.
Watching this silently, Daniel reached up to touch the place where the brick had struck his forehead.
His brow furrowed as he felt pain.
Lowering his hand, his palm was soaked with blood.
‘Done’
Now the protestors couldn’t escape the fact that they had used violence against an officer of the Empire.
Believing he had fully seized the initiative, Daniel pushed Prien aside and lifted his head.
“…Citizens.”
Unlike before, the citizens were now compelled to listen to what Daniel had to say.
“You said I’m a warmonger and someone who denies peace. Half right, half wrong. How could I deny peace?”
Blood trickled down Daniel’s forehead.
“I wish for peace more than anyone here! More than anyone present!”
Daniel’s shout intensified the tension among the protestors.
After scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes, Daniel continued.
“If peace were simply the absence of war, then you’re right—I do deny peace! Do you wish for that?”
Daniel pointed in the direction of the Allied Nations with a raised hand.
“Do you desire to surrender to the Allied Nations and live as their slaves? If that truly is your will, I will take off my uniform and retreat—exactly as you wish!”
But none of the protestors dared to ask Daniel to step down.
They were afraid not only by Daniel, who was spilling blood and passionately arguing, but also because, fundamentally, they didn’t wish to become the slaves of the Allied Nations.
“Dear citizens.”
Daniel seemingly calmed his temper and lowered his voice, expressing sorrow.
“War is something we engage in to safeguard the peaceful values we pursue. If advocating war to protect ideal peace makes someone a warmonger, then I won’t object.”
After lowering his hand, Daniel paused briefly before continuing.
“If criticizing me brings you peace of mind, then so be it. But you must not falsely claim peace while deceiving yourselves.”
Some of the citizens were moved by Daniel’s words and lowered their heads.
However, others, though scared, were still not persuaded by Daniel’s argument.
The lead man spoke for them.
“False peace? Would you still say the same to my son who came back as a corpse from the battlefield?”
Daniel glanced over to the man.
Even under the sharp gaze, the man felt intimidated but did not retract his words.
Daniel stared at him silently for a while and then spoke.
“Yes, I would.”
“On what basis—?”
“How many times do you think I’ve been through combat?”
The man closed his mouth.
“Do you know what words those about to die on the battlefield spoke to me?”
Daniel approached the man slowly.
“Out of countless comrades who fell, some even breathed their last in my arms. Do you believe their final words were about opposing war?”
Daniel stopped just in front of the man.
“All soldiers, on the brink of death, pleaded with me, their commander: continue this war so that when we defeat the Allied Nations, the Empire can enjoy an eternal peace.”
“…”
“I don’t think your son was much different.”
The man’s mouth opened but failed to vocalize anything.
He didn’t know the final moments of his son.
If Daniel Steiner had been carrying the final wishes of soldiers like his own son into the battlefield, then insulting Daniel Steiner was the same as trampling on his son’s wish.
With this subtle realization, the man slowly lowered his head, tears welling up.
The moisture blurred his vision.
“I’m sorry…”
Overcome with emotion, the man finally closed his eyes.
“Truly, I’m sorry…”
As the man began to sob, Daniel took a deep breath.
He gently embraced the man and patted his back.
“It’s okay. I understand completely.”
Daniel closed his eyes as well and listened to the surroundings.
The sound of placards falling from the protestors.
The murmurs of regret for participating in the protest.
The muttering voices burdened with guilt.
‘Amid all that…’
The sound of a camera shutter clicking came from afar.
It was the moment the carefully planned drama successfully concluded.
