chapter_0071

70 – Let’s Not Do Anything for a While Because It’s Dangerous

70 – Let’s Not Do Anything for a While Because It’s Dangerous

Fifteen days later.

Daniel had been promoted to lieutenant colonel, but his job itself hadn’t changed much.

Except for the fact that he could handle more classified information than usual, his role as a operations staff officer remained the same.

It was fortunate for Daniel, who had been worried about getting caught up in some strange incident.

Daniel, inwardly relieved that his peaceful daily life continued, thought to himself.

For the time being, I should keep a low profile.

But, contrary to Daniel’s resolution, he received a message from the Imperial Family.

To be precise, it was a message from Selvia, the next Emperor.

『If you have some free time, please visit the Imperial Palace.』

It was written on a piece of stationery that a maid from the Inner Court had personally delivered to him when it was time to leave work.

It was absurd, but it seemed that she had something important to discuss with him, so Daniel expressed his intention to visit now and followed the maid.

Outside the staff headquarters, Daniel saw a luxury sedan parked.

It was a vehicle from the Imperial Family, sent by Selvia, who knew that Daniel would not be able to refuse.

Daniel chuckled and got into the sedan, which headed for the Imperial Palace.

Arriving at the Imperial Palace and getting out of the sedan, Daniel followed the maid into the Separate Palace. The building was as large as the main palace, so he had no choice but to move with the maid’s guidance.

After turning several times in the hallway, they arrived at a huge indoor garden.

The indoor garden, filled with warm air, was lush with colorful foliage plants and flowers, and herbs such as lavender and rosemary gave off a subtle fragrance.

It was truly a paradise on earth, created by pouring in manpower and money.

Daniel, thinking once again how great the power of the Imperial Family was, stopped as he moved inside.

He had found Selvia kneeling in the open space of the garden, playing with a puppy.

“Good job. Well done.”

Selvia gently stroked the head of the dog, which had a sharp look in its eyes.

The dog was a Doberman, with glossy black fur and a solid build.

Did Selvia raise a dog? As Daniel approached, the Doberman turned its head.

Grrr…

Then it bared its teeth and became wary of Daniel.

Thanks to this, Selvia, who had glanced to the side, found Daniel.

Selvia, with a faint smile, stroked the Doberman’s head and said.

“Don’t be wary. He’s my friend.”

Then, as if understanding her words, the Doberman stopped growling.

Daniel, who was inwardly amazed by this, opened his mouth.

“It listens very well, doesn’t it?”

“It’s a breed with high loyalty. Moreover, it’s more intelligent than other dogs, and it has a sleek and handsome appearance, so it’s said to be very popular these days. So I brought one.”

Selvia chuckled softly and gently pinched the Doberman’s cheek.

“This child won’t hate being sold to the Imperial Family either. Not only is there plenty of food, but it’s being pampered by countless maids every day. Moreover, its owner is going to be the Emperor of the Empire, so it can be said to be very lucky.”

Selvia, releasing the Doberman’s cheek, got up from her seat and turned her body lightly.

Thanks to this, Daniel was able to see it.

The red shoulder cape that Selvia was wearing on her left shoulder.

The red cape, which looked like it was made of luxurious fabric at first glance, had an eagle pattern embroidered with gold thread, showing off its presence.

That shoulder cape was a kind of ceremonial dress and symbol of power given to the person who would become the next Emperor.

Selvia, conscious of Daniel’s gaze, narrowed her eyes softly.

“What do you think, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if this Doberman is satisfied with its situation.”

From Selvia’s question, Daniel felt as if she was testing him in some way.

*’Like father, like daughter, I guess…’ *

Daniel, feeling a similarity to the attitude that the Emperor had shown, said awkwardly.

“I think that depends on the direction and personality that the Doberman is pursuing.”

Selvia was silent for a moment at the meaningful answer, then nodded.

Then she pointed to a nearby table.

On the table were expensive snacks and two cups of hot coffee.

“Let’s stop talking about the dog and have a cup of coffee?”

“I will follow your kindness.”

Daniel, expressing his gratitude by placing his hand on his chest, walked to the table with Selvia.

After Selvia sat down on the chair first, Daniel sat down on the opposite side.

Daniel, who had unnecessarily straightened his clothes once, looked at Selvia’s face.

‘She’s wearing makeup….’

It was light makeup that was barely noticeable, but Daniel could see the difference.

‘Well, since the regency has begun, she’ll have to be active externally, so….’

It would be better in many ways to wear basic makeup that wasn’t too excessive.

However, contrary to Daniel’s expectations, that was not the fundamental reason why Selvia wore makeup.

Selvia, pretending to savor the scent of the coffee, was inwardly dissatisfied as she looked at Daniel’s face.

‘I tried to dress up today….’

She had asked the head maid to do makeup that was popular with men, and even wore earrings to make her stand out without being too excessive, but Daniel didn’t seem to notice.

‘Well….’

The reason for trying to meet today was not to gain Daniel’s romantic interest, so it didn’t matter much.

Selvia took a sip of coffee and put down her cup.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel. Are you interested in international affairs?”

Daniel, who also took a sip of coffee, put down his cup.

“Due to the nature of my job, I am always interested.”

“Then you must also know that the Republic and the Federal States are cooperating with the Allied Nations to criticize the Empire.”

“Yes. Unfortunately.”

Since Count Caledra expressed his position that he should fight against the Empire two weeks ago, the international community has slowly been turning its back on the Empire.

In a way, it was natural.

No country in this world wants the birth of a hegemonic power that far surpasses them.

But what if the Empire, which has the potential to become that hegemonic power, is even at war? They had no choice but to judge that if the Allied Nations collapsed, it would be their turn next.

What fear creates is war.

The great powers had no choice but to take up arms to suppress the Empire before it became even bigger.

“The Empire will not be able to avoid a world war.”

By now, not only the military of the Empire, but also the ministers of the Imperial Family and the ministers of each field would have noticed that the flow of the world was strange.

This was not just a story for the upper class.

The citizens of the Imperial City also heard the news through the news that the Empire was slowly becoming isolated.

Most of them were likely unable to escape from the shock of having to wage war against the world.

However, Selvia, who would become the next Emperor, was able to maintain her composure in all of this.

This was because Daniel had told her in advance that a world war would come.

“Then….”

Selvia looked at Daniel with a serious look in her eyes.

“We must prepare for a world war now. It will be too late to prepare after the Republic and the Federal States have joined the war.”

“Do you have any special measures?”

“There are no special measures. But we have to do everything we can. First of all, we need to raise the tax rate to secure the budget, but… we can’t raise it excessively.”

As the war dragged on, the fatigue felt by the citizens was gradually increasing.

If the tax rate was raised excessively at this point, there was a possibility that distrust of the state would increase.

In the worst case, riots could break out or a civil war could break out, so we had to be as careful as possible.

“Since there is a limit to the tax rate, I am thinking of issuing war bonds. The problem is that it will not be easy to get the public to purchase these war bonds.”

“Because there are many citizens who do not want the war to continue any longer than it is now.”

“That’s right. So what I’m thinking now is to set up a speaker who can explain to the citizens why we need to continue the war at the same time as issuing bonds. What do you think, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?”

Daniel nodded without any particular objection.

“That’s a good idea. Since bond issuance and speeches have a close relationship in that they must gain public trust. Then the selection of the speaker will be important.”

Selvia nodded.

“That’s what I’m worried about. Who should I put on the podium?”

“If I may offer some advice, look for someone who has achieved military or political achievements relatively recently. It should be someone that citizens can easily recall when their name is mentioned.”

Selvia nodded.

“And?”

“It would be good to have someone with a handsome appearance. I don’t mean they have to be handsome. They should have an impression that can be liked by most people. People tend to rely on what they see, so they trust the words of someone with a neat appearance more than the words of someone who doesn’t.”

Selvia, leaning her upper body forward, placed her hand on the table.

“Hmm. What other conditions are there?”

“It would be a good idea to put forward someone who belongs to the military in order to utilize authority and charisma. It would be even better if they had a history of actually working on the battlefield. Even if you mix in some lies to sell the bonds, the citizens won’t think what he’s saying is a lie….”

Daniel, feeling something strange, stopped talking.

After listing the right things to say, he realized who the most suitable person to be a speaker was right now.

‘Could it be….’

Was this what Selvia had in mind from the beginning when she told him to come?

It was around the time that Daniel, feeling that Selvia’s gaze was somehow becoming persistent, was sweating coldly.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel.”

A sticky voice made him doubt his ears.

Selvia, with her eyes half-open, licked her lips with an interesting look on her face.

“It seems to me that you meet all the conditions.”

Thanks to this, Daniel felt like screaming.

The author’s words (author’s note)

I heard that the flu is popular these days, so everyone be careful…!

I hope all of you readers are always healthy and I will end the postscript!

Then I’ll see you again tomorrow! Thank you for always watching!