Chapter 68

A bead of cold sweat formed on Daniel’s forehead as he looked at Berthelm.

It was clear that Berthelm suspected him strongly.

But from Daniel’s perspective, who truly knew nothing, it felt completely unjust.

How could he possibly escape this ridiculous situation?

After quickly doing some mental calculations, Daniel abruptly dropped to one knee.

“Your Majesty! I have no idea what intention lies behind your words…”

The man before him was the emperor who held this empire in the palm of his hand.

Killing someone on a whim was like eating cold porridge for him.

If Daniel pushed back too hard claiming ignorance, his life might be in danger.

“Of course, given the circumstances, it’s understandable why you’d suspect me. If I were in your position, I’d probably suspect myself too. But I have no secret organization!”

At Daniel’s plea, Berthelm let out a low chuckle.

With a wave of his hand, a nearby servant frozen in place approached with some bullets.

Berthelm expertly loaded each bullet into his gun.

“There’s no secret organization, you say.”

Once all the bullets were in, Berthelm finished loading the barrel and raised the gun.

“Strange… So what exactly were those armed groups that arrived before you apprehended the Dawn of the Morning? The victims said they were well-trained…”

“Your Majesty, though I hesitate to speak, I truly know nothing about this matter.”

“You don’t know? Are you saying I’m delusional and making things up?”

Though Berthelm spoke calmly, the intent behind his words was chilling.

This caused Daniel to panic and bow his head deeply.

“Misunderstanding! How dare I say such a thing to Your Majesty! I’m merely stating what I don’t know…”

Swallowing hard, Daniel continued.

“If Your Majesty believes there is a secret organization or military faction under my command, even if it isn’t true, I will humbly accept it.”

“Humbly accept it? In what way?”

“I’ll step down from the military if you but utter the words. I’ll return to being an ordinary citizen and won’t interfere in any political matters within the empire.”

Though Daniel spoke sincerely, to Berthelm, it sounded more like a threat.

It was as if Daniel was pressuring him to consider whether oppressing and slandering the empire’s war hero would benefit him.

An emperor may seem above the law, but no one must adhere to the law as strictly as an emperor.

If the emperor breaks the law, its credibility diminishes, and when credibility falls, higher officials will inevitably exploit legal loopholes.

Such practices would soon become bad habits, which would then evolve into national corruption.

‘Therefore…’

Daniel was essentially asking, ‘Will you destroy the solemn laws of the empire established by previous emperors with your own hands?’

‘Now I understand how this guy managed to manipulate Duke Belvar.’

He wasn’t just some ordinary person; this was beyond expectations.

After a moment of silence, Berthelm glanced down at Daniel.

“Daniel Steiner, raise your head.”

As Daniel lifted his head, Berthelm spoke again.

“Can you swear that there isn’t a single lie in what you’re saying now?”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation.

“Under the heavens watched by the divine, I sincerely declare to Your Majesty that there is neither a secret organization nor a military faction under my command.”

Berthelm, staring intently at Daniel’s face, nodded reluctantly as if conceding.

“If that’s the case, I won’t press you further. You may rise.”

As Daniel stood up at Berthelm’s nod, the emperor withdrew his hand and signaled with his fingers.

It was a signal to launch the discs.

Simultaneously, Berthelm threw the double-barrel shotgun loaded with ammo toward Daniel.

Startled, Daniel caught the shotgun as Berthelm said,

“Fire.”

The moment the word left his lips, two discs whizzed through the air.

Instinctively assuming a stance, Daniel saw the discs soaring high into the sky.

But instead of shooting immediately, he calculated their trajectories.

Just as the two discs flying at different speeds overlapped, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

The explosion of gunpowder sent buckshot flying, shattering both discs simultaneously.

Impressed, Berthelm whistled softly.

Even Daniel, who hadn’t expected success, blinked dumbfounded before lowering the shotgun.

Berthelm, watching the shattered disc fragments fall to the ground, turned back to Daniel.

“Great marksmanship. Are you planning to pass this off as mere luck too?”

“Your Majesty, I am simply…”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to bicker. Judging by your face, you look exhausted. You may leave now. I apologize for troubling you unnecessarily with my little game.”

The servant standing nearby approached Daniel with outstretched hands to receive the shotgun.

After handing it over, the servant stepped back.

Was Berthelm really dismissing him? Daniel hesitated for a moment until Berthelm waved his hand dismissively.

Only then did Daniel bow deeply to Berthelm.

“It was an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

With that, Daniel turned and slowly walked away.

As Berthelm watched Daniel’s retreating figure, a distortion appeared beside him.

The distortion soon took the shape of a person, acquiring color as optical camouflage deactivated.

Chief of the Imperial Guard Johannes emerged.

Without turning around, Berthelm began speaking.

“That guy is far more cunning than I anticipated. Even when offered rewards, he didn’t bat an eye.”

Once Daniel was out of sight, Johannes turned his gaze to Berthelm.

“Your Majesty, if Daniel had confessed due to the lure of rewards, what would you have done?”

“If he had confessed, I would’ve opened a military tribunal and sentenced him to death.”

According to imperial law, if a soldier privately maintained troops or formed a military faction, the ringleader could be executed.

Had Daniel confessed, it would serve as valid evidence, allowing Berthelm to sentence him to death without issue.

Of course, public opinion against executing a war hero would plummet, but Berthelm had accounted for that.

“I wouldn’t execute the death sentence, though. My daughter would surely oppose it strongly. That way, I’d remain an emperor unable to execute sentences because of Princess Selvia.”

“Surely…”

“When the time comes, I’ll pass the throne to my daughter. She’ll likely pardon and release Daniel first. What do you think Daniel would feel then?”

Johannes thought for a moment and nodded in understanding.

“He’d think he owes Her Highness a favor. Her Highness will easily win Daniel Steiner’s loyalty.”

“Additionally, using his past involvement in illegal organizations as leverage, we could’ve kept him on a leash. If he ever showed his fangs, we could’ve reined him in anytime.”

Emperor Berthelm had arranged everything so Princess Selvia could tame Daniel Steiner.

However, Daniel had not fallen into the trap set by the emperor.

It was as if he had known all along.

“Did you see it, Chief of the Guard? Daniel Steiner’s trap shooting.”

“Yes, I saw it.”

Berthelm smiled faintly.

“He’s no stranger to trap shooting. His steady stance and ability to instantly calculate the disc’s trajectory suggest he’s played this game countless times.”

“But why lie and say he hasn’t tried it before…”

“Because he knew from the start this wasn’t a friendly gathering. He realized it was a setup for interrogation and wanted to leave quickly.”

Daniel likely tried to bore the emperor by pretending to lack skill in trap shooting.

But when handed the gun unexpectedly, Daniel instinctively assumed the proper stance.

Seeing this, Berthelm was certain.

“Everything Daniel Steiner said from start to finish was a lie. But we can’t prove it’s a lie since he erased all evidence.”

If the empire’s intelligence agency couldn’t uncover anything, no one else could either.

This realization added wrinkles to Berthelm’s face.

“A meticulous and methodical individual. He deceives everyone while cloaked in falsehoods yet leaves no room for error. He’s someone even I, as emperor, cannot easily touch.”

Had Berthelm been younger and had more time, he might have welcomed Daniel’s emergence.

If only he could win Daniel’s heart, they might have conquered the world together.

“But…”

Berthelm was old and frail, and his successor, Princess Selvia, was young and inexperienced.

“The current Selvia could never tame the wolf that is Daniel Steiner.”

What ripple this would create in the empire, Berthelm dared not predict.

“For now, all I can do is hope that Daniel Steiner’s loyalty to Selvia is genuine…”

Looking at the spot where Daniel had departed with a worried expression, Berthelm turned away.

Taking a deep breath, Berthelm gazed up at the blue sky.

“Chief of the Guard, will Daniel Steiner bring spring to the empire?”

Understanding the meaning behind Berthelm’s words, Johannes bowed deeply.

“I will do my utmost to ensure he doesn’t bring winter to the empire.”

Berthelm quietly nodded, letting out a soft laugh.

He hoped his loyal hound Johannes would curb the wolf’s tyranny.