chapter_0108

107 – Fish Caught in a Trap

107 – Fish Caught in a Trap

As Daniel Steiner realized that Prince Bleff’s unit was surrounded, he too was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

‘No. Why here…?’

Daniel could not comprehend what strategic value this outpost in the basin held that warranted such a surprise attack.

‘Could it be to capture me? If the enemy forces knew my location…’

The reason for the ambush became clear.

The figure of Daniel Steiner carried the symbolism of the “Hero of the Empire.”

If he were taken prisoner, it would not only significantly lower the morale of the Empire but also give the enemy leverage in negotiations with the Empire.

‘But…’

The information regarding Daniel Steiner’s mission and operational support was classified.

The implication of the enemy knowing such top-secret information was clear.

‘It means there is someone within the Empire colluding with the enemy.’

This was not unusual.

Anyone in the upper echelons who had received intelligence about the military mobilization of the Republic and the Federation would know that the current Empire was precarious.

It was a natural flow of the times for someone to seek self-preservation by leaking secrets to the enemy.

However, the thought that someone with access to top-secret information was colluding with the enemy was unsettling.

‘The goal is to hand me over to the Allied Nations…’

Once the situation settled, he would need to investigate slowly.

“Commander! We have completely blocked the retreat! Please give the next order!”

Daniel turned to his side.

The company commander, Burnard, was looking at him with eyes full of loyalty, which felt quite burdensome.

‘It seems he thinks I predicted everything and ordered a training exercise under the guise of a mission…’

In reality, he had just conducted a forced training session to kill time, and luck had played a part.

Yet, he could not speak the truth, so after a deep breath, Daniel opened his mouth.

“We will wait here until the enemy takes action. Radio operator.”

The radio operator, who had been following Daniel, responded energetically.

“Yes! Commander!”

“They must be aware by now that they are surrounded. They will be looking for a way to contact us through the communication station for negotiations, so change to the public frequency and send a transmission.”

“Understood. What should I convey?”

There was only one thing to say in this situation.

“Advise them to surrender immediately. Add that if their response is delayed or if suspicious movements are observed, they will experience hell.”

“Understood!”

The radio operator, who answered immediately, knelt and set down the military radio to begin communication.

Daniel let out a low sigh as he watched the scene for a moment.

‘This is maddening…’

He had intended to do nothing and just kill time here, but unexpectedly, the enemy unit had barged in and was now surrounded.

It felt like watching fish caught in a trap, and a hollow laugh escaped him.

Burnard, observing Daniel from the side, swallowed hard.

‘Things are going according to plan, and he’s finally showing a smile. Truly a genius staff officer, isn’t he?’

If Daniel Steiner were the enemy, it would not be Bleff’s unit that was surrounded but Burnard himself.

Thinking this, Burnard found Daniel’s eerie laughter unsettling.

Other soldiers also looked at Daniel with awe, while the radio operator, having finished communication, looked up at Daniel.

“Commander! The communication has been established, and we have confirmed that there is a recipient, but they are deliberately not responding to the surrender request.”

Are they hesitating?

Even though they were surrounded, the enemy had slightly more troops.

The higher-ups would surely be hoping to escape, even at the cost of losing troops.

‘Then I must crush that hope.’

Only by showing them that there is no hope can they force the enemy to surrender.

“They are stalling for time by delaying their response. The more time the enemy has, the more disadvantageous it is for us, so we cannot remain idle.”

“Then…?”

“Change to the operational frequency and order the snipers to fire. The targets are the officers, excluding the prince. If the officers are killed and the command structure collapses, chaos will surely ensue among them.”

A unit that loses its command structure is no better than a rabble.

“Once the officers are eliminated, order the support company to conduct high-angle artillery fire. The target is the enemy-occupied outpost.”

If the area becomes a mess from the bombardment while they lose their command structure, the enemy will have no choice but to raise the white flag.

“They wanted this, so we must show them.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes sharply as he looked toward the outpost.

“Hell that I never want to experience again.”

–

At the same time, Prince Bleff’s unit was descending into chaos.

“Your Highness! We must surrender! It is nearly impossible to defeat the enemy in the current situation!”

“Are you telling me to not only be defeated but to be captured by the enemy as well? Speak sense! Who would support me if I, with the kingdom’s elite troops, were captured?”

Colonel Galebalt was trying to persuade Bleff, but it was not easy.

Even though he knew they were surrounded, Bleff was only considering his political position and was ordering an escape instead of surrender.

With Bleff being so stubborn, the battalion commander ordered one company to secure a retreat route, but Galebalt saw it as a futile effort.

This place was a basin surrounded by mountainous terrain, with only one escape route.

If the enemy was determined to block the retreat, they would be helpless.

That was why he was advising surrender, but Bleff would not listen.

“Your Highness! Now is not the time to think about the future; you must focus on the present—”

In the midst of speaking, a loud explosion was heard.

At the same time, blood and flesh flew before their eyes.

Galebalt quickly turned toward the source of the sound and saw the battalion commander’s head explode, who had just been giving orders to his subordinates.

The silence was brief, and the actions were swift.

“Damn it! Snipers! The enemy has begun their attack! Everyone, protect the prince!”

As he issued the command, Galebalt immediately grabbed Bleff’s hand and ran.

“Into the building! Everyone, into the building!”

Galebalt shouted loudly as he created a defensive barrier with magic in all directions.

The soldiers assigned to guard also ran after the prince, holding up bulletproof shields.

“Staff officer? What is happening right now…?”

It was the moment when Bleff, who had been unaware of the brutality of war, opened his mouth in a daze.

Boom—

A high-explosive bomb fell not far away, sending a pillar of fire soaring.

The ground shook, and his vision flickered.

As he struggled to keep his body from collapsing, Galebalt shouted.

“We have to go! Quickly!”

Only then did Bleff regain his senses and reluctantly move toward a nearby building.

Once all the guards were inside, Galebalt hurriedly closed the iron door.

Boom! Boom—

The sound of high-explosive bombs exploding outside continued to echo.

That horrific sound made a ringing in their ears.

“…Your Highness! Prince!”

Thanks to Galebalt shaking him by the shoulder, Bleff finally regained his composure.

“Staff officer? What on earth is happening…?”

“It’s not too late! If we continue like this, it will be a pointless death!”

“A pointless death? When the company I sent to secure the retreat returns…”

Galebalt clenched his teeth and frowned.

This was the first time Bleff had seen such an expression from Galebalt.

“How can a single company secure a retreat route? If the enemy is fully prepared to block the retreat, even the entire battalion will struggle to secure it!”

If they continued like this, they would all die.

Galebalt kept repeating that.

Bleff, sweating coldly, had no choice but to nod.

“Fine, tell them I will surrender. So tell them to stop the bombardment! Please…!”

If shells fell overhead, Bleff could not escape death either.

As Bleff, engulfed in the fear of death, declared his surrender, Galebalt nodded.

He approached a soldier carrying the Empire’s radio and picked up the transmitter.

After pressing the transmit button, Galebalt took a deep breath and spoke.

“I am Colonel Galebalt, the direct staff officer serving Prince Bleff of the Belmore Kingdom. I speak on behalf of His Highness.”

After a brief silence, Galebalt finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

“…We will surrender.”

–

As Galebalt conveyed the intention to surrender, the bombardment ceased.

Daniel ordered the disarmament via radio, and Bleff’s unit complied, throwing all their weapons into the storage and raising a white flag.

After confirming through cross-verification that the enemy had indeed surrendered, Daniel finally revealed himself.

He saw Bleff standing there, covered in dust, staring blankly.

From the other side, he saw the Imperial soldiers in black uniforms approaching.

Leading them was none other than Daniel Steiner.

The thought that he had been played by that man made Bleff grit his teeth in anger.

As Bleff suppressed his rage, the sound of many boots drew closer.

Daniel, leading the army, stopped about ten steps away from Bleff, who was glaring at him.

With one hand on his chest, Daniel politely greeted him.

“Your Highness. As you may know, I am Daniel Steiner. I truly regret that things have come to this.”

“Regret? You dare say that after attacking royalty?”

Daniel chuckled softly and shook his head.

“That statement seems somewhat flawed. I initially advised Your Highness to surrender out of respect.”

Bleff found that calm face repulsive.

He clenched his fists, but Daniel continued in a casual tone.

“The refusal to resolve this peacefully lies solely with Your Highness. So—”

“Can’t you just shut your mouth!”

In a fit of rage, Bleff drew a pistol from his coat.

At the same time, the Imperial soldiers raised their rifles in unison.

In a tense standoff, a heavy silence fell.

Everyone was flustered, but only Daniel stood with his hands behind his back, calmly staring at Bleff.

After a long silence, Daniel raised his hand.

It was a signal to lower their guns, and the Imperial soldiers complied without question.

However, Bleff continued to aim his pistol at Daniel.

“To surrender and then attack.”

As Daniel blinked several times in the stillness, he suddenly laughed.

“That single shot will go down in history. It would be a blatant violation of international war law. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Bleff did not respond.

But his hand was visibly trembling.

“Oh, of course, this will remain a part of the Empire’s history.”

Daniel’s smile faded as he narrowed his eyes at Bleff.

“In the future I envision, the Belmore Kingdom does not exist.”

Would the Allied Nations take full responsibility for a small nation that violated international law?

Moreover, if the entity was a prince, the nation would inevitably face a crisis of existence.

Daniel’s words were seemingly reasonable, and Bleff released his finger from the trigger.

As he relaxed his grip, the pistol fell to the ground with a thud.

“Damn it. Damn it all…”

Thinking everything was over, Bleff bowed his head and sobbed softly.

Approaching him, Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke kindly.

“You made the right choice.”

Bleff felt a chill at that insincere tongue.

‘This man…’

He realized painfully that Daniel would use even his life for the Empire’s gain.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

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