Chapter 51

After finishing breakfast and wrapping up his duties, Daniel returned to his hotel room whistling a little tune.

The thought of clearing out the perilous life in the Empire made him feel pretty damn good overall.

‘Now I don’t have to see Lucy coming after my head anymore, and I don’t have to worry about ending up on death row during some war tribunal either.’

On top of that, the risk of dying from a stray bullet on the battlefield would be gone too—truly killing three birds with one stone.

With a gentle smile spreading across his face, Daniel opened the fridge in the kitchen and pulled out some Roquefort cheese and ice.

The distinct, pungent aroma of the blue cheese wafted out as he handled it.

“Nice. It’s aged perfectly.”

This was the very cheese gifted to him by the citizens of Nordia when he left, who pooled their money together to buy it for him.

Given its high price tag, Daniel had been saving it for special occasions—but since he’d soon be leaving the Empire anyway, there was no point in holding back now.

Placing the cheese on the dining table, Daniel then retrieved a ration whiskey bottle and a glass from the shelf.

He poured himself a small drink, adding just a touch of ice, before setting it down on the table.

Even though pairing such an expensive cheese with standard-issue whiskey felt a bit wasteful, this was practically luxury-level indulgence compared to what you’d find on the battlefield—so no complaints here.

Pushing the whiskey bottle aside, Daniel picked up his glass and moved toward the window.

He wanted to take a sip while enjoying the view outside.

‘What should I do once I succeed in fleeing? Maybe paint? I’ve always wanted to become an artist…’

But then Daniel shook his head.

‘Art doesn’t pay unless you’re world-class. How about baking? I helped the boss back home bake bread a few times and got praised for having talent back then…’

Lost in thoughts of future plans, Daniel stood by the window and looked down at the square below.

As usual, countless soldiers were bustling around in the plaza visible from the hotel.

However, today was different—they seemed unusually energetic under the glow of the streetlights.

‘…Is something going on?’

Curious, Daniel kept watching as enlisted men began running around, passing messages.

When the junior officers and veterans heard the news, they exchanged a few words before bursting into cheers.

Then, some of them pointed at Daniel’s seventh-floor room and started saluting sharply.

It wasn’t just one or two people; the gesture quickly spread like wildfire across the crowd.

Every soldier smiled warmly as they saluted Daniel, and even a few junior officers joined in.

Suddenly finding himself being saluted by hundreds of troops gathered in the square, Daniel broke out in cold sweat.

‘What is this…?’

He didn’t understand. Or rather, he didn’t *want* to understand.

Attempting to quell an inexplicable sense of dread, Daniel took a sip of his whiskey.

‘No way. It can’t be…’

Just as he tried to deny reality and calm himself down—

Knock knock.

A polite knocking sound came from the door, followed by a voice.

“Captain Daniel Steiner! Are you in there? This is the aide-de-camp to the Army Commander!”

Why does foreboding always turn out to be right?

Daniel wiped his face with his hand, set the whiskey glass on the nearby table, and walked over to the door. After taking a deep breath, he opened it to find Colonel Kalfren standing there.

“…Colonel Kalfren sir. What brings you here at this hour?”

In response to Daniel’s question, Kalfren smiled kindly.

“I’ve come to deliver good news. The Kingdom has accepted your proposal!”

“Huh? My proposal…?”

“The Kingdom agreed to all terms of our previous negotiation package—and not only that, they’re willing to cede Nordia *and* Begenheim! Truly an incredible achievement!”

While Kalfren burst into hearty laughter, Daniel remained utterly confused.

‘Why…?’

Why did those guys who refused every single negotiation attempt and opted for stubborn resistance suddenly throw in the towel like scared dogs?

‘And why are they waving the white flag after we handed over Level 2 secrets that should’ve worked in their favor?’

Unable to make sense of the situation, Daniel clenched his fists unconsciously.

‘Could there have been a gap of information?’

If the Royal Army hadn’t fully grasped the strength and numbers of our forces, sharing classified info might’ve unintentionally intimidated them.

However, creating such a gap would require deliberately crippling the Kingdom’s intelligence network and spreading false information to create confusion.

At least, the Empire never did anything like that.

Even if we successfully seized control of the Kingdom’s communication network, we didn’t spread any fake data.

Besides, the Empire hoped the Kingdom would accept peace talks and surrender—it made no sense to sabotage negotiations by feeding them lies.

‘So then…’

The Allied Nations must have been pulling the strings behind the scenes.

They didn’t merely want the Kingdom to lose but ensured they endured maximum losses while resisting until the bitter end.

‘Damn it.’

Realizing how systematically the Allies manipulated the Kingdom, Daniel’s eyes clouded with worry.

Seeing his expression, Kalfren couldn’t help but feel impressed.

‘Even after hearing about this great accomplishment, he remains surprisingly composed.’

Watching Daniel, Kalfren felt somewhat ashamed of himself.

‘True, even though the Kingdom surrendered, the Empire is still at war with the Allies. A commanding officer leading soldiers shouldn’t act overly excited—it wouldn’t set a proper example for the army…’

Indeed, this was why Daniel Steiner was hailed as the Empire’s hero.

Kalfren cleared his throat and spoke more seriously.

“Excellent work, Captain Daniel Steiner. Now that the mission is complete, preparations will be made for your return to the capital.”

“…Thank you.”

“Our thanks go to you. Oh, and one more thing—His Majesty the Emperor wishes to see you.”

Hearing this, Daniel stared at Kalfren in surprise.

“His Majesty personally requested this?”

“Aye. Thanks to you, we avoided a potential long-term conflict with the Kingdom and ended the war early. His Majesty is reportedly very pleased.”

Though Kalfren meant this as a congratulatory remark about career advancement, Daniel only felt uneasy.

Being noticed by the Emperor could drag him into the upcoming Succession Struggle—a dangerous prospect indeed.

But there was no way to show it outwardly, so Daniel forced a stiff smile.

“If that’s the case, it’ll truly be an honor.”

“You look good when you smile. Anyway, you’ve worked hard lately, so take today off and rest well.”

“Understood.”

Nodding once, Kalfren slowly turned away.

After watching him descend the hotel stairs, Daniel closed the door.

For a moment, he stood there gripping the doorknob before shouting in frustration.

“Why!?”

Turning around, Daniel stormed back to the dining table, yelling aloud.

“What the hell is wrong with everyone?! Why can’t I ever be happy!?”

Seething with aimless anger, Daniel grabbed the whiskey bottle, intending to throw it—but managed to regain composure and placed it back down instead.

‘I shouldn’t waste good liquor.’

Sighing deeply, Daniel sat down and drained the remaining whiskey from his glass.

It tasted bitter.

‘I was definitely happy just moments ago…’

Reluctantly burying his dreams of becoming an artist and baker, Daniel refilled his glass with another shot of whiskey.

Looks like tonight would involve quite a bit of drinking.

—

Meanwhile, in Edria, one of the Permanent Member States of the United Nations.

“Count Kaledra! What exactly are you doing!?”

Inside the palace audience room, Count Kaledra barged in with several privates, openly defying the rule against carrying weapons inside.

Not only did Kaledra himself carry a pistol on his hip, but he showed no remorse as he strode toward the throne where the king sat.

Each step of his cane produced a dull thud against the floor.

Gripping the armrests tightly, the king watched silently as Kaledra gave a brief bow.

“Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. However, time was pressing, forcing me to bypass formalities and arrive here directly.”

“Kaledra! Is that something you say in front of royalty!?”

One of the ministers present scolded Kaledra harshly, gesturing wildly.

Annoyed, Kaledra took a deep breath and glanced at the minister.

His sharp gaze glinted dangerously like a snake ready to strike.

“Didn’t I already explain? Time is critical.”

“Stay out of this.”

Intimidated by Kaledra’s glare, the minister clutched his hands and swallowed nervously.

Suppressing the minister’s protest, Kaledra turned back to face the king.

“Your Majesty, thanks to assistance from the Central Intelligence Agency, I uncovered and eliminated traitors plotting rebellion. Their disgusting faces deserve Your Majesty’s inspection.”

At Kaledra’s signal, a private stepped forward and opened a box he was holding, presenting it to the king.

Everyone present gasped in shock upon seeing its contents.

Inside lay a human head—the head of a minister who constantly criticized Kaledra and advocated strengthening royal authority.

Ironically, this same minister had secretly received orders from the king to prepare Kaledra’s assassination.

Lowering his head respectfully, Kaledra placed his hand over his chest in mourning.

“Poor, foolish man. He plotted treason against you, Your Majesty. Secretly training soldiers without Your knowledge…”

Everyone knew Kaledra was lying—but no one dared to call him out.

Savoring the heavy silence for a moment, Kaledra turned to the king again.

His pleasant demeanor vanished, replaced by a fierce scowl.

“If anyone else attempts such disgraceful acts—”

Kaledra slammed his cane onto the floor with a thunderous bang.

Trembling in fear, everyone froze as Kaledra spoke in a chilling tone.

“—they shall meet the same fate. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Chilled to the bone, the king slowly nodded from his throne.

Observing this, Kaledra withdrew one foot backward and bowed formally, adhering to court etiquette despite not holding his cane.

Yet his piercing eyes continued to glare menacingly at the king.

Finishing the ceremony, Kaledra turned around and walked away without seeking permission.

Muddy footprints marked his path through the pristine audience chamber.

Leaving the palace, Kaledra found the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency waiting outside with numerous privates.

Upon catching Kaledra’s eye, the deputy bowed deeply and reported.

“Excellency, according to intelligence, the Eldreshia Kingdom has accepted the Empire’s peace terms.”

A crack appeared in Kaledra’s usually stoic expression.

“…Why?”

Pausing briefly to choose his words carefully, the deputy replied.

“After discussions with Captain Daniel Steiner, the foreign minister of the Eldreshia Kingdom changed his stance. Details of their conversation remain unclear. However…”

The deputy hesitated before continuing.

“The foreign minister mentioned that Captain Daniel Steiner told him ‘to inform the Allies that the Eldreshia Kingdom has been subdued.’”

Kaledra’s grip tightened around his cane.

‘Arrogant bastard…’

Yet it was arrogance justified by capability.

For some reason, gazing at Daniel reminded Kaledra of his own younger days.

‘Perhaps Daniel Steiner is even more formidable than I imagined…’

Deep in thought about how best to approach this new challenge, Kaledra resumed walking.

“Tell Lucy to accelerate her operation. That guy is quick-witted and resourceful. If she doesn’t build trust first, even someone like Lucy risks getting exposed.”

Acknowledging with a nod, the deputy retreated.

Climbing into a sedan waiting nearby, Kaledra leaned back and exhaled.

Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped a streak of blood from his cheek and murmured softly.

“Daniel Steiner…”

Who knows, maybe this man could prove a stickier opponent than even the Emperor himself.