chapter_0092

91 – In Most Cases, It’s Easier to Give Up

91 – In Most Cases, It’s Easier to Give Up

The Imperial Palace’s Grand Conference Hall was bustling from early morning.

This was because Princess Selvia had summoned personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and key members of the General Staff to receive a report on the search operation.

As Selvia had not yet entered the Grand Conference Hall, they were conversing in a somewhat lighthearted atmosphere.

“Did you hear? There was a protest in Dawn Square yesterday.”

“You mean the protest demanding strong condemnation of the Allied Nations for attacking the diplomatic mission’s ship carrying the Empire’s hero? I heard it was a large-scale protest.”

“It’s a biased view, but it’s true that the Allied Nations are suspicious…”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel stopped talking and fell silent.

This was because the doors of the Grand Conference Hall were opening on both sides.

“Her Imperial Highness, the Princess, is entering!”

Immediately after the cry of the Imperial Guard soldier, Selvia stepped into the Grand Conference Hall.

The red cloak, symbolizing the heir to the throne, fluttered in time with Selvia’s steps.

Selvia walked straight to the head seat, sat down, and moved her small lips.

“Let’s begin the meeting. Everyone, please be seated.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel and members of the General Staff, having received permission, began to sit down one by one.

After confirming that everyone was seated, Selvia turned her gaze to Yobenp, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report first.”

Yobenp nodded.

“Your Highness. Starting with the most recent news, the Bellanos government has sent a telegram stating that they have found the culprit who opened their territorial waters to the terrorists.”

“They found them?”

“Yes. The culprit is said to be Colonel Edball, the commander of the 12th Naval District Defense Command of the Bellanos Navy. He claims to have received bribes from the Allied Nations, but there is one troublesome thing…”

Yobenp paused for a moment before continuing.

“There is no evidence left that he received bribes from the Allied Nations. There are no communication records, and the account records are clean, so we have no choice but to conclude that tracking is currently impossible.”

“A planned crime, then. What is the Allied Nations’ reaction?”

“They maintained silence until recently when the King of Edria, a permanent member of the Security Council, expressed regret at an official event. He said that terrorist acts that attack ships carrying civilians deserve condemnation.”

Hearing the report, Selvia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘The King of Edria is just a puppet of Count Caledra.’

So, Caledra was using the King’s mouth to say what he wanted to say.

‘Expressing regret?’

It seemed like they were cutting off the tail and then denying everything.

Selvia was grinding her teeth at the Allied Nations’ disgusting behavior, but without proper evidence, she could not officially condemn them.

“What about the submarine? Have you found the submarine’s whereabouts?”

She asked with a sliver of hope, but Yobenp only shook his head.

“The intelligence agency is putting their heart and soul into it, but its whereabouts are still unknown. Since it wasn’t a submarine that departed from the Allied Nations in the first place, tracking is difficult, and it seems they cut off communications and moved to avoid interception.”

Their meticulous behavior was giving her a headache.

Selvia sighed briefly and accepted that there was no clever solution.

“Tell them to continue investigating until a clue comes out. Then now…”

Selvia turned to Cedric, the Deputy Chief of Operations who attended in place of the Chief of Staff, and continued.

“I would like to hear the report from the General Staff.”

She was asking if they had found Daniel.

Cedric bowed to show respect and then began to speak.

“According to the report, they have found a man with a similar appearance to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner.”

“Really?”

“Yes. However, the man denied that he was Daniel Steiner. There are differing opinions as to why…”

His sanpaku eyes blinked.

“Assuming that the man is Daniel Steiner, it seems to stem from a distrust of lower-ranking officers. He must have calculated the probability of the lower-ranking officer being a spy or an enemy disguised as an Imperial soldier.”

“Indeed…”

Being alone in a foreign land, he would inevitably fall into suspicion and paranoia.

Selvia, feeling sorry for Daniel, sighed with pity.

Cedric, who was watching Selvia, said.

“If he doesn’t trust lower-ranking officers, it would be right to send someone with a confirmed identity to check. Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, who is leading the Magic Mobile Corps, is also conducting a search operation in Bellanos, so let’s send him. They know each other, so they will recognize each other.”

It was not a bad suggestion, so Selvia nodded.

“Do so. But what do you mean by saying that there are differing opinions about Daniel Steiner hiding his identity?”

“Ah. It’s a low probability story, but an opinion briefly came out within the General Staff that Daniel Steiner may be suffering from amnesia due to the aftereffects of the accident.”

“Amnesia?”

Selvia blinked blankly, then soon let out a hollow laugh.

‘If he had amnesia, he wouldn’t have changed his clothes and hidden his uniform right after the shipwreck.’

It was not an action that someone who didn’t know who they were would take.

‘But if, just in case, he really has amnesia…’

Selvia bit her lip slightly, thinking of the worst-case scenario.

‘There’s no choice. I’ll have to take care of him by my side for the rest of my life…’

There was also the justification of treating a war hero with respect, so it was not impossible.

Selvia cleared her throat and looked at Cedric with a somewhat playful smile.

“Just in case, tell Daniel Steiner to convey what I’m about to say from now on.”

*

Meanwhile, Daniel was preparing to meet his end in the inn room.

He had accepted that he could not escape from the troops searching with the fleet.

‘By now, they must have blocked all the entrances and exits and are checking identities…’

The option of escaping was virtually gone.

‘Still, shouldn’t I at least try?’

Optimistic hope raised its head, but Daniel’s reason quickly suppressed it.

The moment he was caught while running away, he would become someone who betrayed the Empire without even hearing the reason.

The end of a traitor was death.

It would be different if the encirclement was weak and there was a high probability of escaping, but he could not bet on the insane idea of breaking through a fleet-scale encirclement.

Just as he was sighing, pessimistic about his life, someone knocked on the door.

“…Who is it?”

The door opened wide without permission.

Thanks to this, Daniel was startled.

The person standing beyond the door was Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, who was leading the Magic Mobile Corps.

He was one of the people who played a huge role in the Nordia invasion operation.

If Daniel suggested the operation, it was Heinrich who put it into action.

‘But they even sent the Empire’s elite Magic Mobile Corps to the search operation?’

He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh.

As Daniel stood frozen, dumbfounded, Heinrich entered the room.

“Daniel Steiner. Looking at your face, it’s you. But why did you lie to the officer who came yesterday that you weren’t?”

Daniel did not answer.

To be exact, he was racking his brains to find an excuse.

Heinrich, feeling strange about it, frowned.

“Could it really be amnesia? An opinion came out internally that you might have amnesia. I don’t believe it, though…”

At the word amnesia, Daniel’s hope raised its head again.

‘This might be an opportunity.’

The operations staff of the General Staff was a position that could only be held by those with a high level of work ability.

In that case, the General Staff would not continue to keep an officer with amnesia.

‘I’ll definitely be relieved of my position.’

Moreover, it would not end with just leaving the General Staff.

Due to the Empire’s characteristic of not employing incompetent people, he might be judged as unqualified for work and discharged.

‘Good.’

It was the moment Daniel decided to pretend to have amnesia.

“Daniel Steiner. Even if you have amnesia, don’t worry. Her Imperial Highness, the Princess, has asserted that war heroes should be treated with respect. Her Highness told me to personally bring you to the Imperial Palace if you have amnesia.”

What does that mean? As Daniel looked at him in bewilderment, Heinrich smiled.

“Her Imperial Highness said that she would keep you by her side ‘for life’. Isn’t that a great honor?”

Daniel, his eyes wide with surprise, screamed inwardly.

‘No…!’

Thinking that he had to stop that at all costs, Daniel acted calmly and laughed lowly.

Daniel’s insides were burning, but he stood up from his seat as naturally as possible.

“It seems the time has come to reveal my identity.”

Daniel, who had secretly taken a deep breath, looked at Heinrich and said clearly.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff of the General Staff, who is carrying out a diplomatic mission in Bellanos under the orders of Her Imperial Highness, greets Your Excellency.”

Daniel, looking at Heinrich with sharp eyes, gave a sharp salute.

Heinrich, who saw it, admired it inwardly and accepted the salute.

“I see. It was true that you were hiding your identity and operating secretly here. Can you tell me what kind of plan you were plotting for the Empire?”

There was no plan for the Empire.

It was the opposite.

He was just saving money to get out of the Empire.

However, if he told the truth, he might be executed.

Daniel, who had been racking his brains for a short time, slowly moved his steps.

“I would love to tell you…”

Daniel, who approached the window, looked at the distant sea through the window.

“The information I have learned here is not the kind that can be easily divulged.”

It meant that it was information corresponding to at least a minimum secret.

In other words, Daniel Steiner had collected such information in a state of being shipwrecked.

‘An ordinary person would be busy protecting their own safety…’

Heinrich, who was looking at Daniel’s back, felt awe without realizing it.

‘I shouldn’t ignore him just because he’s young. Is this what a genius staff officer is like?’

To be honest, he felt respect.

One word from the author (Author’s Note)

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