Chapter 55

As the day passed and morning came, I raised my hand to my forehead after arriving at General Staff Headquarters for work.

My head was pounding from a hangover.

‘Did I drink too much last night?’

It all started when the bartender at the Officer’s Club recognized me.

He smiled at me and shouted, “Today, drinks on the house for Captain Daniel Steiner, hero of the Empire!” and before I knew it, I’d surpassed my limit.

‘Then I must’ve fallen asleep somewhere…’

When I came to, I was in my bed.

The problem is, I don’t remember how I got there at all.

‘There’s no way I walked home myself. Did someone help me?’

The thought of inconveniencing others left a bad taste in my mouth.

Frowning deeply, I sighed as I reached the door handle of my private office.

Upon opening the door, Lucy was already seated, neatly dressed as always, working away.

Lucy stood upon noticing me and saluted.

“Captain Daniel Steiner.”

That didn’t sound like her usual tone. Something felt off—stiffer than normal.

After returning the salute awkwardly, I walked towards my desk.

Setting down my briefcase, I sat down as Lucy approached with the Imperial Daily Newspaper.

“Ahh, thank you…”

But for some reason, Lucy wouldn’t let go of the paper.

Glancing up, I noticed she was giving me a cold stare.

“Captain Daniel Steiner. Alcohol is a personal preference; you can drink as much as you want. But overindulgence isn’t healthy. Especially drinking to the point of unconsciousness—it’s not a good example for an officer of the Empire.”

Her words were spot-on, leaving me no room to argue.

‘Why is she bringing this up now…’

Could Lucy have been the one who helped me get home? Curious, I decided to probe further.

“Was I that drunk? What happened last night?”

Lucy’s shoulders twitched slightly, avoiding my gaze.

“…Nothing happened.”

With that dismissive tone, she released the newspaper and returned to her seat.

Sitting back down, Lucy resumed her duties, though her ears were inexplicably red.

I stared at her curiously, shrugged, and opened the newspaper.

On the front page was a photo of me—specifically, one taken after meeting His Majesty the Emperor at the Imperial Palace.

“Hero of the Empire, Captain Daniel Steiner! Awarded the Golden Cross Medal after the National Order of Goryeo!”

Reading the headline made my head spin even more.

Skimming past other articles without much interest, I tried to catch up on what was happening in the capital while I’d been away on the battlefield.

But then I stopped at a particular article.

“Taiden Barkalo, Editor-in-Chief, Dies of Heart Attack at Home.”

Taiden Barkalo was a well-known journalist to me—a supporter of the Princess, focusing his editorial policies around her favor.

A key figure among the Princess faction.

‘So Taiden died of a heart attack at home?’

In these times? That doesn’t add up.

It was more logical to assume interference from the Prince’s side.

‘Which means…’

The succession struggle has begun.

The Princess won’t sit idly by either.

This will surely escalate into chaos behind the scenes.

And as long as I’m here, I’ll be dragged into it.

Tapping my fingers on the desk, I folded the newspaper.

How could I weather this storm?

After a moment of thought, I decided.

‘Run away.’

If I can’t avoid the chaos here, I’ll just leave the system altogether.

I’ve accumulated enough reward leave from recent promotions.

‘The longest reward leave allowed by the Empire is 30 days…’

By the time I return, things should settle down.

Plus, taking leave would send a clear message: “I have no interest in your succession feud.” Win-win.

Of course, Lucy will be stuck pulling overtime covering for me, but that’s unavoidable.

‘Besides, showing sympathy for spies targeting my life is ridiculous anyway.’

With my decision made, I stood up and headed for the door.

Just before leaving, I turned back to Lucy with a mischievous grin.

“Aide-de-camp, allow me to apologize in advance.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

Leaving Lucy with a question mark floating above her head, I exited the office.

Walking straight into the Office of the Operations Staff, I entered the Head of the Operations Staff Office and saluted Colonel Ernst.

Seeing me, Ernst smiled and spoke.

“Ah, Captain Daniel. What brings you to the staff bureau? I thought we agreed you could handle your tasks from your private office?”

“Colonel, I’m not here regarding official business.”

“Hmm? Oh, are you here to discuss your promotion then? It’s already under review upstairs. Don’t worry, it’ll turn out fine.”

“No, it’s not about that.”

Ernst looked puzzled.

After a pause, I said:

“Colonel, I’d like to take leave.”

Ernst nodded understandingly.

“Leave, huh? Even someone as tough as you needs rest. How long are you planning to take?”

“A month.”

Ernst’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A month? Are you serious?”

“Yes. Using accumulated reward leave, I believe I qualify for extended leave.”

Technically correct…

“Hmm…not wrong. Not wrong at all… Alright, since you’re asking, I can’t stop you. I’ll inform higher-ups.”

Relieved he didn’t try to block me, I exhaled.

Noticing my relief, Ernst gave me a curious look.

“Quite a long vacation you’re taking. Do you have somewhere special planned?”

Somewhere special…

No specific plans, but there was somewhere I wanted to go.

“My hometown.”

The southern Betargen Barony, Pianmari Village.

Where I was born, and where my mentor, the Monastery Head, resides.

*

Southern Betargen Barony of the Empire.

Underground headquarters of the Prince’s secret organization, “Dawn’s Light.”

Click-click-click…

In the dimly lit basement, the Telex machine continued its mechanical tapping as orders were sent to sleeper cells scattered throughout the capital.

Morten Blackmore, leader and chief strategist of Dawn’s Light, watched the informants with a calculating gaze.

Any hint of betrayal to the Princess faction could unravel everything.

Unlikely, but better safe than sorry in these critical times.

Clutching his fists tightly, Morten thought:

‘I must ensure the Prince ascends to the throne, no matter what.’

Once committed to the Prince’s side, Morten had no choice.

If the Princess became Empress, he and the entire organization would be purged.

Even the assassination of editor Taiden Barkalo was part of this strategy.

‘Positive public sentiment for the Princess cannot be allowed.’

Public opinion shapes the people’s will, which inevitably reaches the Emperor’s ears during the succession decision.

The current Emperor was known for progressive policies—he cared about the common folk and likely wouldn’t ignore public sentiment when choosing a successor.

Thus, Morten focused on swaying the populace and silencing opposition voices.

For the incompetent Prince to become Emperor, this was the best approach.

‘So far, so good…’

But the Princess wasn’t stupid—she’d soon counterattack.

While pondering her potential moves, an informant suddenly jumped up in panic.

Confused, Morten furrowed his brow.

“What is it?”

Rechecking the message, the informant turned to Morten.

“Chief Strategist…it says Daniel Steiner has applied for leave. An unusually long month-long leave, specifically.”

“So? People can apply for leave.”

“The destination of Daniel Steiner’s leave…is…”

Swallowing hard, the informant trembled as they spoke.

“…our very own Southern Betargen Barony.”

Instantly, all typing ceased.

Morten froze, his eyes shaking.

‘Could it be…he’s coming to wipe us out on behalf of the Princess?’

As the heavy silence weighed down the leadership council, fear of Daniel Steiner’s name was palpable.

Breaking the silence, Morten finally spoke.

“Betargen Barony is Daniel Steiner’s hometown. He might simply be coming for vacation. Even if not, he hasn’t discovered our exact location yet—if he had, he wouldn’t have requested such a long leave.”

Looking around at the informants, Morten forced calmness into his voice.

“From now on, we’ll monitor every move Daniel Steiner makes. So we can respond appropriately if he truly comes for us. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” The informants vigorously resumed typing.

Though successful in motivating the team, Morten couldn’t steady his trembling hands.

Who is Daniel Steiner? Calculating, cold-hearted—someone called “the Devil’s Child” by the Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. A man without mercy or emotion.

Is he really coming just for vacation? That’s absurd.

Clearly, he’s been tipped off about our presence here.

‘If Daniel Steiner truly comes for us…’

We might crumble before even resisting.

Gripping his fists tighter, Morten prayed.

“Lord, grant us the strength to stand against the devil.”