Chapter 126

After taking the throne, Selvia began to congratulate certain figures in the political and military circles following her official speech reflecting her position.

The purpose was to clearly define who her allies were in order to strengthen the Emperor’s authority.

Of course, among them was Colonel Daniel Steiner.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff of the General Staff Headquarters, please step forward.”

It wasn’t surprising, as Selvia had informed him beforehand.

After adjusting his clothing, Daniel approached the red carpet and knelt on one knee.

Selvia, looking down from her throne, began to speak quietly.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner. You have not only led numerous battles to victory but also demonstrated remarkable abilities in negotiations between the Eldreshia Kingdom and the neutral nation of Belanos, bringing immense benefits to the Empire and the Royal Family.”

Daniel bowed his head deeply.

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

As Daniel humbly downplayed his achievements, Selvia smiled softly.

“It is not flattery. Recently, you even turned the surprise attack from the Belmoore Kingdom to your advantage by capturing the Crown Prince. As a result, the Empire obtained strategic resources and managed to safely return the engineers captured by the enemy nation through a prisoner exchange.”

She did not mention the arrest of collaborators.

While not all nobles were at odds with Selvia, there were a considerable number present with such tendencies, so she chose not to mention sensitive matters.

“This is a deed that deserves praise. Therefore, I take this opportunity to announce the promotion of Daniel Steiner.”

Just as Selvia finished speaking, Johannes, the Chief of the Imperial Guard, approached carrying a box wrapped in the national flag.

“Please rise.”

As Daniel nodded and stood up, Johannes unfolded the flag and took out the rank insignia of a Colonel.

Johannes, with a delicate gesture, replaced the insignia and murmured in a voice only Daniel could hear.

“……You can deceive His Majesty the Emperor, but you cannot deceive me.”

Daniel felt a chill run down his spine and turned to look at Johannes.

However, Johannes simply fixed the insignia with a neutral expression and stepped back, as if he had never spoken to him at all.

It struck Daniel as somewhat absurd.

‘What did I deceive?’

He could not comprehend what misunderstanding led to such a statement.

‘It’s as if strange rumors reached the previous Emperor Berthelm…’

Daniel wanted to clarify the misunderstanding, but there was no way to do so at the moment, so he knelt on one knee again.

He could not act differently while conversing with the Emperor.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Colonel Daniel Steiner. As your rank has increased, I expect your loyalty to the Royal Family and the Empire to deepen even further. Now, regarding your reassignment…”

A subtle smile formed on Daniel’s lips, as he had hoped for the position of Head of the Operations Staff.

However, Selvia’s next words were not what he expected.

“Considering the dedication you have shown to the Empire, I will assign you to the position of Chief of Staff for the 7th Division, which is directly under the headquarters.”

Daniel’s shoulders trembled.

‘If I am to be the Chief of Staff for a division directly under the headquarters…’

This meant he would still have to go to the battlefield for operations support and independent missions.

‘Are they going to push someone who has nearly died in battle back into the field?’

With a lack of understanding, Daniel slowly raised his head to look at Selvia.

But Selvia only wore a gentle smile.

From Selvia’s perspective, it was only natural to assume that Daniel, who had rejected a position within the Imperial Guard, would want to be active on the battlefield.

Moreover, the Chief of General Staff had also conveyed that it was appropriate to assign Daniel Steiner to a frontline command position, so this was a legitimate order.

Conversely, Daniel, who wanted to do rear duties if escaping the Empire was difficult, felt as if he were slowly being consumed with anxiety.

He had worked hard to build a position of power, only to feel like he was being chased out before he could even move in.

However, unable to dare refuse the Emperor’s command, Daniel bowed his head begrudgingly.

“I am deeply moved by Your Majesty’s grace.”

*

After the coronation ceremony, Selvia proceeded to the parade.

She intended to inform the citizens that a new Emperor had ascended to the throne.

During this time, those invited to the ceremony were moving to the grand banquet hall prepared by the Royal Family, as failing to attend the banquet would be considered disrespectful to the Emperor, and no one departed.

Daniel arrived at the banquet hall with Ernst, and they exchanged a few words.

“Already a Colonel! When I first saw you, you were definitely a Lieutenant!”

Ernst exclaimed as if he were proud, but Daniel remained expressionless throughout.

There was no excitement about the promotion that he did not care about.

With the rank of Colonel now on him, going to the battlefield felt more like a death sentence.

If an enemy sniper were stationed nearby, the first target to kill would be the Division Commander, and next, it would be Operations Staff Officer Daniel Steiner.

“I wonder if you’ll come back later as a Major General. That would put me in quite a tricky situation since I would have to show respect to someone who was once my subordinate.”

Daniel knew Ernst was oblivious to his true feelings and sighed softly.

“Don’t worry. Even if I become a Major General, I won’t insist that you show me respect.”

“Thanks for saying that. But I’m not sure if we’ll meet often in the future. You’ll be active as a frontline commander from now on.”

That was not a wrong statement.

The unit directly under headquarters mainly operated on the frontline.

Which meant he would hear gunfire more often than alarm bells.

The realization of that was a gloomy thought, causing Daniel’s gaze to darken.

Seeing that, Ernst felt an instinctive fear and gradually stepped back.

“Um. I have someone I agreed to meet at the… banquet hall. Colonel Daniel? Please enjoy the banquet.”

Clearing his throat excessively, Ernst walked away.

Daniel, who had quietly watched his retreating figure, sighed and headed toward a table laden with food.

Worrying about the future would change nothing, so there was no need to sulk and should focus on filling his stomach.

Just as he was looking down at the appetizing food, he heard a voice.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner?”

Turning his head at the unfamiliar voice, he saw a well-dressed man approaching with a bright smile.

In his hand was a bottle of whiskey; he was Plarte, who was disguised as a low-ranking official of the Imperial Palace.

“Oh! You are indeed Colonel Daniel Steiner! I have been looking for you, and I cannot express how happy I am to have finally found you!”

“……You were looking for me?”

“Indeed! I am Vyram, working with the royal clothing alteration team, and personally a fan of Colonel Daniel Steiner, so I came to present you with a gift.”

Plarte lightly lifted the whiskey bottle he was holding.

The golden liquid swirling inside indicated it was of high quality.

Daniel, pausing for a moment, nodded.

“If you are offering it, I won’t refuse. But it looks quite expensive; is it really fine for me to accept such a gift?”

“Of course! While I enjoy drinking, I have a cheap palate, so I would prefer someone like Colonel Daniel Steiner to enjoy such a fine product.”

“Well then…”

With a gesture of acceptance, Daniel received the whiskey bottle.

After examining the bottle briefly, he turned and raised his hand.

“Waiter.”

A waiter carrying a tray with several wine glasses approached.

Daniel took two glasses from the tray and smiled lightly, while the waiter also returned a smile and moved on to another area.

After sending the waiter away, Daniel muttered to himself.

“I suppose I’ve been drinking too much whiskey lately; today, I feel like having wine. I heard it’s of very good quality, made directly in the monastery.”

Daniel placed the two glasses on the table.

“But since you work for the Royal Family, you must have drunk wine like this often. It seems you might be tired of wine like I am of whiskey.”

Lifting one of the glasses, Daniel poured the wine out onto the floor.

Plarte, taken aback, maintained a smile with difficulty.

Ignoring Plarte’s reaction, Daniel set the empty glass down and opened the whiskey bottle.

Holding the bottom of the bottle, Daniel poured whiskey into the empty glass.

Once he filled one glass with whiskey, he set the bottle down and held up two glasses.

He then offered the whiskey-filled glass to Plarte.

“I understand this is hard to obtain, so I will let you have the first drink.”

Though Daniel offered it with pure goodwill, Plarte broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew that poison was in the whiskey.

However, he could not refuse, so Plarte trembled as he raised his hand.

As Plarte accepted the glass, Daniel smiled and clinked their glasses together.

“Did you say your name is Vyram?”

“……Yes.”

“That’s a good name. It might be a little tacky for the Empire, but let’s drink to our future.”

With that, Daniel raised his glass and drank the wine.

As he watched, Plarte’s lips gradually dried.

The echo of the conversation in the banquet hall faded into the background, while the sound of Daniel Steiner swallowing clearly resonated.

Gulp—

As Daniel finished the last sip with a refreshing expression, he pulled the glass away from his lips.

“Ah! I think this is the most delicious wine I’ve ever tasted. Still……”

Daniel chuckled softly and turned to Plarte, playfully saying,

“It may not compare to the whiskey you gifted me.”

Shrugging once, Daniel set down the empty glass.

“By the way…”

With a light gesture, Daniel asked with a hint of curiosity,

“Why aren’t you drinking? I heard you liked alcohol.”

Plarte’s breathing quickened.

Daniel’s gaze felt like a heavy lead weight pressing down on him.

Just as Plarte, breaking out in a cold sweat, was about to open his mouth to come up with an excuse, Daniel spoke again.

“What are you doing?”

After a short silence, Daniel recommended with a light smile,

“Please drink.”