Chapter 47

Since Daniel couldn’t disobey, he immediately assembled his platoon upon receiving the order.

After bidding farewell to the citizens of the garrison town, Daniel left Nordia and headed toward Marovark, where the Third Army Division Command was located.

Thankfully, the feared weather deterioration didn’t happen, allowing Daniel to arrive in Marovark a day earlier than the time specified in the orders.

The Empire had occupied Marovark, a city larger than Nordia. The citizens here seemed unenthusiastic about the military presence, giving cold stares as they passed.

‘This is normal though…’

Daniel couldn’t understand why the citizens of Nordia had cheered for the Imperial Army.

As he blankly watched Imperial soldiers mingling with Kingdom citizens on the streets, the driver cautiously pressed the brakes.

Once the vehicle fully stopped, Daniel opened the door and stepped out.

The first thing he saw was the headquarters building, adorned with the Empire’s flag hanging like a banner.

With the night sky’s stars as a backdrop, the majestic waving flag almost stirred patriotism within him.

‘They must’ve worked hard to hang such a large flag.’

Letting out a hollow chuckle, Daniel lowered his gaze and noticed a colonel walking out from the main gate of the headquarters, accompanied by several soldiers.

Reflexively saluting, Daniel was greeted with hearty laughter as the colonel returned the salute.

“This must be Daniel Steiner, the Empire’s hero! We’ve been waiting for you. I’m Kalfren, the commander’s adjutant.”

“Hero? That’s far too kind. But if the adjutant came all this way to greet me, it means…”

“Aha, the commander himself is awaiting your arrival.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Though calling you right after your arrival isn’t ideal, we’re short on time, as you know. Please follow me.”

Though puzzled why the commander would wait for a mere captain, Daniel had no choice but to follow Adjutant Kalfren.

Upon entering the headquarters and climbing several flights of stairs, Daniel stopped in front of the commander’s office on the fifth floor.

“He doesn’t like people dragging their answers. If you have an opinion, state it clearly.”

Giving Daniel one piece of advice, Kalfren knocked on the office door.

“Commander. Captain Daniel Steiner has arrived.”

A response came after a moment.

“Send him in.”

A deep, commanding voice echoed through the hallway.

Tense, Daniel watched as Kalfren opened the door.

Inside, General Karl-Peter Kraus sat at his desk, engrossed in paperwork.

Behind him hung the royal eagle insignia alongside the Empire’s flag, crossed in a table decoration form.

The walls were filled with various strategy maps and operation boards.

It felt like stepping into the nerve center of an entire army division.

Lieutenant General Karl-Peter Kraus.

He was the highest-ranking officer Daniel had ever met, aside from the princess.

Taking a deep breath unnoticed, Daniel entered the room and saluted.

“Commander. I understand you requested my presence.”

Only then did Karl-Peter lower his pen and slowly raise his head.

His sharp blue eyes gleamed beneath thick eyebrows.

An imposing man with small scars on his face and a chiseled jawline.

Returning the salute, he leaned back in his chair.

“Daniel Steiner. According to General Staff Headquarters records, you’re quite skilled in interrogation. Your handling of Lieutenant Colonel Reginald of the Royal Army and pressuring spies at the royal banquet are examples.”

Without preamble, straight to business—Daniel felt his throat tighten.

In the heavy silence, Daniel managed a nervous smile.

“Sir, that was just good luck.”

“Too modest. Even if what you say is true, I believe luck is also a form of skill. Especially on unpredictable battlefields.”

Karl-Peter exhaled softly, half-opening his eyes.

“So, I want to borrow your luck and silver tongue. Straightforwardly speaking, I intend to send you as the lead negotiator and special envoy for the armistice negotiation four days from now.”

Daniel’s fingers twitched as he stood rigid.

Karl-Peter was making an absurd demand.

“…Negotiation leader? Me?”

Feeling disoriented, Daniel broke the brief silence.

“Sir, I don’t think someone of my rank fits such a position. Aren’t there more qualified officers in the headquarters?”

“There are. And what happened when we sent those qualified ones? The negotiations collapsed.”

“But…”

Karl-Peter raised a hand to cut Daniel off.

“I’m not saying this because I expect much from you. Neither am I nor the headquarters placing high hopes on you. Headquarters is still considering an all-out war.”

Meaning even if the negotiation fails again, they won’t hold you responsible. Calm down.

“So, will you do it or not?”

Karl-Peter arched an eyebrow, testing Daniel.

“I…”

A sudden thought struck Daniel mid-rejection.

Maybe this was his chance to escape the Empire once and for all.

Meeting Karl-Peter’s gaze with clenched fists, Daniel declared,

“I’ll do it.”

The shift in Daniel’s demeanor caught Karl-Peter’s interest.

“In that case, there’s a condition. If you appoint me as the negotiation leader, grant me the appropriate authority.”

“What kind of authority?”

“I need access to all operations and troop status information of the Third Division. Also, I’d like full control over the personnel arrangements for the third round of negotiations four days from now.”

For a moment, Karl-Peter was speechless.

Division-level operations and troop statuses are classified as Field Grade 2 secrets.

Even as a member of the Operations Staff, a mere captain shouldn’t request such access.

While Daniel had encountered some Field Grade 2 secrets during his duties, they were only a tiny fraction of the whole picture.

‘And he wants access to all Field Grade 2 secrets of the division?’

Brazen to the point of absurdity.

‘Now I see why Sedric likes this guy so much.’

Sedric values ‘appropriate unpredictability’ in strategy.

Unorthodox tactics often trap enemies in chaos.

In that sense, Daniel Steiner standing before him was definitely unconventional.

Who would dare ask a division commander for full access to troops and operations?

His audacity and courage were beyond imagination.

“Fine.”

Karl-Peter chuckled lowly and looked at Daniel.

“I’ll grant it.”

When you bet big on a joker card, you play till the end.

*

Meanwhile, Lucy was drying herself off after bathing at a hotel near the headquarters.

Originally, due to the garrison being at full capacity, she’d have to stay in dilapidated commercial buildings or schools like other junior officers.

However, thanks to her association with “Headquarters Direct Command” and the famed “Daniel’s Platoon,” the headquarters arranged for the officers of said platoon to stay at the hotel.

Frankly, Lucy wouldn’t have minded staying elsewhere, but she appreciated having access to warm water for bathing.

‘Feels like living again…’

Walking down the corridor with a towel around her head, Lucy suddenly paused.

A flyer had slipped under the door.

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To the casual eye, it was a regular advertisement flyer, but Lucy noticed something peculiar in the top-right corner: tiny braille dots.

It was a coded message from a nearby spy operative.

Lucy bent down to pick up the flyer.

Running her fingers over the braille, Lucy closed her eyes and began decoding.

Various letters appeared in her mind, but the sequence was wrong.

It was a type of multi-substitution cipher.

To properly arrange the letters, she would need a codebook—but Lucy had memorized its contents, so it wasn’t necessary.

Reordering the letters, Lucy mentally read the message:

“Warn that Daniel Steiner’s actions may harm the Allied Nations. It is recommended to devise a plan to disable his rational thinking and use him accordingly…”

Continuing to decode, Lucy’s eyes fluttered open.

“Primarily, seduce Daniel Steiner to gain emotional dominance over him…”

Her shoulders involuntarily trembled.

Seeing Lucy’s red eyes waver slightly, it was clear she was unsettled.

For Lucy, who had zero experience with men, this command was cruel indeed.