Chapter 57

The next evening.

At the monastery’s dining room, Abbot Hieroni was fully occupied conversing with councilmen and wealthy patrons who had come to make donations.

Normally, he would have sent Daniel to greet them, but fatefully, the donation event coincided with Daniel’s visit, leaving him no choice but to prioritize entertaining the guests.

Of course, Daniel is important too, but from Abbot Hieroni’s perspective as head of the monastery, the money needed to feed countless orphans takes precedence.

Especially now, when donations for the orphans are gradually decreasing, Hieroni was doing his best to win over the councilmen’s hearts.

“It’s truly ironic that while the number of orphans increases due to war, donations for them keep dwindling. What exactly are those companies profiting from the war up to…?”

As Councilman Reden pontificated, Hieroni awkwardly smiled and nodded.

“In that sense, Councilman Reden, you’re a truly remarkable person for generously donating such a large sum to our monastery for the orphans. It’s like God’s grace incarnate.”

“Not at all! However, I must apologize, but our city council might consider cutting the budget allocated to orphanages in the future.”

Despite trying hard to please, the outcome wasn’t good.

Still, Hieroni understood.

Even the city council has limited funds after all.

So it wouldn’t be right to label them as bad people just because they’re cutting donations.

“How much of a cut are we talking about…?”

While Hieroni cautiously asked this question, the dining room door opened.

Both Hieroni and the councilman instinctively turned their heads and saw an officer in military uniform.

Clack—

The sound of the officer’s boots echoed hollowly through the room.

Everyone froze, intimidated as the officer straightened their attire and slowly walked forward.

Just as Hieroni was wondering why an officer from the Empire was here, the officer removed their cap and spoke in a deep voice.

“Abbot.”

Hieroni’s face lit up in recognition.

“Daniel!”

Surprised by Daniel’s presence, Hieroni hesitated mid-step before noticing the captain insignia on Daniel’s shoulder epaulettes.

Confused, Hieroni blinked repeatedly as Daniel approached.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“…Yeah. But it seems something big happened to you. Captain? Am I seeing this right? You’re THAT war hero of the Empire?”

Embarrassed, Daniel gave a modest smile.

“It’s been a series of unexpected events. By the way, who’s that gentleman over there?”

Upon catching Daniel’s eye, Councilman Reden instinctively stood at attention.

“I’m Councilman Reden. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine. So you’re the one donating to our monastery. Thank you kindly.”

“Yes, yes…”

With a maintained smile, Daniel glanced back at Hieroni.

“And how are the children? Are they doing well?”

“Y-yeah. They’re all gathered over there.”

Turning his gaze, Daniel spotted the kids standing quietly in a corner, staring at him.

The boys were dressed in white dress shirts and black suspender pants with bow ties, while the girls wore white dresses adorned with floral hairpins.

‘Nothing changes.’

Every time there was a donation event, dressing the kids neatly for show remained the same routine.

Chuckling softly, Daniel addressed Hieroni.

“In that case, I’ll play with the children until the event ends.”

Saying so, Daniel moved toward the kids.

Watching his retreating back, Councilman Reden nervously fidgeted before finally speaking.

“So Captain Daniel, you’re a graduate of this monastery, huh? If only we’d known earlier. Abbot, forgive me for changing my stance, but the city council will not cut the donation budget after all.”

“What? Really?”

Really. The war hero personally decorated by His Majesty the Emperor with the Golden Cross Medal had politely requested care for the monastery—there was no way the council could proceed with budget cuts.

As Councilman Reden reluctantly nodded, Daniel stopped in front of the children and crossed his arms behind his back gravely.

“Listen up, everyone. This is Captain Daniel Steiner of the Imperial General Staff Headquarters Operations Staff. Does anyone know why I’m here?”

The children gulped fearfully, none daring to answer.

But then Daniel broke into a warm smile and extended both arms.

“To play with you, of course! Ella! Luca! Melly! You’ve all grown so much!”

Realizing Daniel was joking, the kids erupted in laughter and rushed toward him.

Some got so excited they nearly tackled Daniel.

Kneeling down to avoid injury, Daniel greeted Ella, who clasped her hands in front of her chest.

“Big Brother Daniel! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? I’ve waited so long!”

“Sorry. I wrote to the abbot, but maybe he didn’t pass it along?”

“He didn’t! He’s grumpy!”

Interrupted by the mischievous Luca, who shouted enthusiastically.

“Bro! Is it true you’re really a captain? That’s such a high rank, right? Do you have thousands of soldiers under your command now?”

“Not quite that many. At most, I can command a few hundred men.”

“A few hundred is still amazing! Wait, is it true what Melly said earlier—that you’re here on a secret mission!?”

At the mention of a “secret mission,” the children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Though slightly flustered, Daniel decided to go along with it.

“Well, looks like I’ve been found out. Yes, I am here on a secret mission.”

Luca gasped dramatically, wide-eyed.

The other kids leaned closer, pretending to check their surroundings as they listened intently.

“Listen carefully. I’ve come here on orders from the Royal Family. There’s an unsavory faction hiding here, and my goal is to wipe them out completely.”

“…Is that true?”

Even mature Ella seemed to fall for the fib, nodding earnestly.

Smiling, Daniel nodded.

“That’s right. Normally, they pose as shop employees, but underground, they gather intelligence and act secretly. Their numbers are approximately…”

“Approximately?”

How many should he say?

Deciding five fingers wasn’t too excessive, Daniel held them up.

“Roughly fifty.”

Gasp! The kids collectively gasped and murmured among themselves.

Seeing some looked genuinely scared, Daniel quickly reassured them.

“But don’t worry. I’ll handle everything. Got it?”

Relieved, the children nodded one after another.

Finding their reactions adorable, Daniel chuckled but suddenly paused.

He felt an intense gaze from somewhere.

Instinctively turning his head, Daniel locked eyes with one of the wealthy patrons attending the donation event.

Startled, the patron quickly averted his gaze and hurried away.

‘What’s going on…’

Was it just his imagination?

As Daniel pondered, Luca tugged on his arm.

“Bro! You’re so cool! I want to be like you! I want to become a soldier like you and help you…”

“No.”

Cutting Luca off, Daniel wiped the playful expression from his face and spoke seriously.

“Let me warn you: never become a soldier.”

It was heartfelt advice.

*

That night, in the basement of the shop, the Dawn of Morning leadership convened.

“Sir! Chief Advisor Sir!”

An informant dispatched to monitor Daniel rushed into the basement, immediately seeking Morten Blackmore.

Bursting into Morten’s office without pausing to catch his breath, the informant exclaimed:

“Sir! Daniel Steiner…!”

Irritated by the panting subordinate disguised as a wealthy patron, Morten frowned.

“Calm down, gather your thoughts, then speak.”

Nodding, the informant took a deep breath before continuing.

“Daniel Steiner isn’t just here on the princess’s orders—he seems aware of our headquarters’ location.”

Morten’s eyebrow twitched as he sat at his desk, removing his glasses to scrutinize the informant skeptically.

“…Aware? Of here?”

“Yes. I overheard him joking around with the children, mentioning a base located beneath a shop, even estimating our numbers. Moreover…”

Recalling Daniel’s piercing glare, the informant added:

“…After finishing his story, he stared directly at me, as if he’d known everything from the start.”

Morten ground his teeth in frustration.

While the approximate location and number estimates could be coincidental, identifying someone monitoring him went beyond chance.

‘And…’

To Morten, it seemed Daniel was using the guise of playing with children to subtly threaten the Dawn of Morning.

“Damn. Daniel is warning us. He’s saying he could annihilate you all if he wanted—but he won’t.”

“…Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know the reason. One thing is clear though—he wants to talk.”

There was no way out.

Dizziness made his head throb.

Taking deep breaths to suppress his fear, Morten raised his head.

“Fine. If he wants to talk, we’ll accept. I’ll personally assess Daniel’s intentions.”

Though unclear about Daniel’s plans,

For the organization’s survival, Morten had no choice but to agree to Daniel’s proposal.