chapter_0069

68 – As Expected, He’s Not Just an Ordinary Guy

68 – As Expected, He’s Not Just an Ordinary Guy

Cold sweat beaded on Daniel’s forehead as he looked at Bertam. It was clear that Bertam harbored strong doubts about him. However, from Daniel’s perspective, who truly knew nothing, it was nothing short of unjust. How could he escape this absurd situation?

In a brief moment of mental calculation, Daniel hurriedly knelt on one knee. “Your Majesty! I cannot understand your intentions behind these words…!” The other party was the Emperor, who held the power to manipulate the empire at will. It was said that killing a single person due to a mere change of heart was as easy as eating a bowl of cold porridge. If he were to firmly deny any wrongdoing, he could easily find himself in danger of losing his life.

“Of course, I can understand why you would suspect me given the circumstances. If I were in your position, I would have suspected myself as well. However, I assure you, I have no secret organization.”

Bertam chuckled softly at Daniel’s defense. As Bertam gestured, a nearby attendant, who had been frozen in place, approached with a bullet in hand. Receiving the bullet, Bertam loaded it into the shotgun with elegant movements.

“No secret organization, you say?”

Once all the bullets were loaded, Bertam raised the barrel and completed the loading. “How strange. If that’s the case, then what was that armed group that attacked before you apprehended the Dawn’s Dawn? According to the testimonies of the victims, they were all well-trained.”

“Your Majesty, I humbly submit that I truly do not know about that matter.”

“You don’t know, you say? So, are you implying that I am lost in suspicion and speaking nonsense?”

Bertam spoke in a calm tone, but the underlying meaning was chilling. As a result, Daniel bowed his head deeply in fright.

“It is a misunderstanding! How could I say such a thing to Your Majesty? I am merely stating that I do not know what I do not know. If…,”

Swallowing dryly, Daniel continued, “If Your Majesty believes that I have a secret organization or a warlord under my command, I will humbly accept that, even if it is not true.”

“Humbly accept, you say? How do you intend to do that?”

“If you simply tell me to step down from the military, I will take off my uniform and return to being an ordinary citizen. Furthermore, I will not involve myself in any political events occurring in the empire.”

Daniel spoke sincerely, but to Bertam, it sounded like a form of threat. It was as if he was pressuring Bertam to consider whether it would be beneficial for him to persecute and slander the empire’s war hero without any evidence.

On the surface, the Emperor appeared to be above the law and order, but there was no one who had to adhere to law and order more than the Emperor himself. If the Emperor did not uphold the law, the credibility of that law would diminish, and as the credibility waned, higher officials would also seek to exploit the loopholes in the law, following the Emperor’s example.

That would soon lead to bad practices, and bad practices would transform into the downfall of the state.

“So…,”

Daniel was essentially asking the Emperor, “Will you ruin the sacred laws of the empire established by your predecessors with your own hands?”

“I see how this cunning child has managed to manipulate Duke Belvar.”

Daniel was not an ordinary person, but this level of cunning was unexpected.

Perhaps needing time to think, Bertam fell silent for a moment as he looked down at Daniel.

“Daniel Steiner. Raise your head.”

When Daniel lifted his head, Bertam spoke again.

“Can you swear that there is not a single lie in what you are saying right now?”

“Yes.”

It was a straightforward answer.

“Under the watchful eyes of the heavens, I sincerely declare to Your Majesty that there is no secret organization or warlord under my command.”

Bertam, who had been staring intently at Daniel’s face, nodded as if he had no choice.

“If that is the case, I will not press you further. You may rise.”

As Daniel nodded and stood up, Bertam withdrew his hand and gestured with his fingers.

It was a signal to fire the disc.

At the same time, Bertam threw a loaded double-barrel shotgun toward Daniel.

As Daniel, startled, caught the shotgun, Bertam commanded, “Shoot.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of gunfire echoed, and two discs soared into the air simultaneously.

Almost instinctively, Daniel took aim at the discs soaring high above.

However, he did not shoot immediately; instead, he calculated the trajectory of the discs.

Just before the two discs, flying at different speeds, were about to overlap, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

The gunpowder exploded, and the shot pellets burst both discs simultaneously.

Bertam marveled at the sight.

Daniel, who had not expected to succeed, blinked in surprise before lowering the shotgun.

As he watched the shattered fragments of the discs fall to the ground, Bertam turned to Daniel.

“Impressive shooting skills. Will you just say it was luck and move on?”

“Your Majesty, I merely…”

“That’s enough. I do not wish to quarrel. You look tired, so you may go. I apologize for putting you in an awkward position with my foolish jest.”

An attendant, who had been listening to the conversation, approached Daniel with outstretched hands.

As Daniel handed over the shotgun, the attendant stepped back.

Wondering if he was truly being dismissed, Daniel hesitated for a moment until Bertam waved his hand.

Only then did Daniel bow deeply to Bertam.

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

With those words, Daniel turned and slowly walked away.

As Bertam quietly watched his retreating figure, the space beside him distorted.

The distorted space soon took on a human form and began to assume a definite color.

As the optical camouflage was completely deactivated, the captain of the guard, Johannes, revealed himself.

Bertam opened his mouth without even looking at Johannes.

“He is more cunning than I thought. I expected it, but he didn’t even blink at the mention of a reward.”

Once Daniel was out of sight, Johannes cast a glance at Bertam.

“Your Majesty, what would you have done if Daniel had been blinded by the reward and confessed to his secret organization?”

“If he confessed, I would have held a military trial and sentenced him to death.”

According to the empire’s laws, if a mere soldier were to personally command troops or form a warlord faction, the instigator could face the death penalty.

If Daniel confessed, it would serve as evidence, allowing Bertam to sentence him to death without any issues.

Of course, the public opinion regarding an Emperor who sentenced a war hero to death would plummet, but Bertam had calculated that as well.

“I would sentence him to death but not carry it out. My daughter would surely oppose it strongly. Thus, I would remain as the Emperor who could not execute a sentence because of Selvia.”

“Surely…”

“When the time comes, I will pass the throne to my daughter. Then Selvia will be the first to grant Daniel amnesty and release him. What do you think Daniel would think then?”

Johannes, who had been pondering deeply, nodded as if he understood.

“He would think he had received a favor from Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness would easily win Daniel Steiner’s heart.”

“Moreover, he could use the crime of operating a secret organization as leverage to keep him on a tight leash. A leash that could be pulled at any time if he showed his teeth.”

Emperor Bertam had orchestrated all of this so that his daughter Selvia could tame Daniel Steiner.

However, Daniel did not fall into the trap prepared by the Emperor.

It was as if he had known everything from the beginning.

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

“Yes. I saw it.”

Bertam smiled faintly.

“He is not new to trap shooting. Given his stable stance and the way he calculated the trajectory of the discs in an instant, he must have enjoyed this game several times.”

“Then why the lie about never having done it before…?”

“From the moment he was called by the Inner Court, he must have known that this was not a gathering for camaraderie. He would have realized it was a setup for interrogation and would have wanted to leave quickly.”

Daniel likely tried to downplay his lack of skill in trap shooting to kill the Emperor’s interest.

However, when suddenly handed a gun, Daniel instinctively took aim in his surprise.

Seeing that, Bertam was convinced.

“Daniel Steiner’s words were filled with lies from beginning to end. However, we cannot claim that those lies are lies. He has erased all evidence.”

If the empire’s intelligence agency could not uncover it, then no one could know.

That fact added more wrinkles to Bertam’s face.

“He is truly a meticulous and calculated individual. He deceives everyone and wears lies like a second skin, yet he has no gaps. He is someone even I, as Emperor, cannot easily touch.”

If Bertam had the strength and time, he would have welcomed the appearance of such a Daniel.

If he could win his heart, they might have conquered the world together.

“But…”

Bertam was old and ill, and the next Emperor, Selvia, was young and inexperienced.

“Selvia, as she is now, will never be able to tame the wolf that is Daniel Steiner.”

Bertam could not dare to predict what kind of repercussions this would have on the empire.

“Right now, I can only hope that Daniel Steiner’s loyalty shown to Selvia is not a lie…”

With a worried expression, Bertam turned to look at the spot where Daniel had left.

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

“Captain of the Guard. Will the season that Daniel Steiner brings to the empire truly be spring?”

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

“I will do my utmost to ensure that he does not bring winter to the empire.”

Bertam, who let out a low chuckle, quietly nodded.

He hoped that his loyal dog, Johannes, would protect them from the wolf’s tyranny.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Today is Monday…!

The start of the week may feel tiring, but I hope everyone stays strong!

I hope my writing can bring some joy to the readers, even if just for a moment…!

Then, let’s meet again tomorrow! Thank you for reading!