chapter_0127

126 – Drinking Buddy

126 – Drinking Buddy

After taking the throne, Selvia began to commend certain figures from the political and military circles after reading an official speech that conveyed her position.

The purpose was to clarify who her allies were, thereby strengthening the authority of the Emperor.

Naturally, among these was Daniel Steiner.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner of the Operations Staff, please step forward.”

It was not surprising, as Selvia had given him a heads-up in advance.

After adjusting his attire, Daniel approached the red carpet and knelt on one knee.

Looking down at Daniel from the throne, Selvia quietly began to speak.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner. You have not only led numerous battles to victory but have also demonstrated exceptional abilities in negotiations between the Eldresia Kingdom and the neutral nation of Bellanos, bringing immense advantages to the Empire and the Imperial Family.”

Daniel bowed his head deeply.

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

As Daniel humbly responded, Selvia smiled faintly.

“It is no flattery. Recently, you turned the surprise attack from the Belmore Kingdom to our advantage by capturing the Crown Prince. As a result, through a prisoner exchange, the Empire was able to acquire strategic resources while safely returning the engineers captured by the enemy.”

She did not mention the arrest of collaborators.

Not all nobles were at odds with Selvia, but since there were a considerable number of nobles with such tendencies present, it was decided not to mention sensitive matters.

“This is a commendable achievement deserving of praise. Therefore, I take this opportunity to announce the promotion of Daniel Steiner.”

As soon as Selvia finished speaking, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Johannes, walked in carrying a box wrapped in the national flag.

“Please rise.”

Nodding, Daniel stood up, and Johannes unfolded the flag before retrieving the rank insignia of Colonel from the box.

With graceful movements, Johannes replaced the insignia and muttered in a voice only Daniel could hear.

“…You may deceive the Emperor, but you cannot deceive me.”

A chill ran down Daniel’s spine, and he turned to look at Johannes.

However, Johannes merely stepped back after pinning on the insignia, as if he had never spoken to him at all.

To Daniel, this was somewhat absurd.

‘What did I deceive him about?’

He couldn’t understand what misunderstanding led to such a statement.

‘It seems he heard something strange from the late Emperor Bertam…’

Wanting to clear up the misunderstanding, Daniel knelt again, as he could not act differently while conversing with the Emperor.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Colonel Daniel Steiner. As your rank has increased, I expect your loyalty to the Imperial Family and the Empire to grow even greater. As for your reassignment…”

A thin smile appeared on Daniel’s lips, as he had hoped for the position of Chief of Operations.

However, Selvia’s words diverged from his expectations.

“Considering the dedication you have shown to the Empire, I will assign you to the position of Chief of Staff for the 7th Division, which is directly under the headquarters.”

Daniel’s shoulders flinched.

‘If I’m the Chief of Staff for a division directly under the headquarters…’

It meant he would have to go to the battlefield for operational support and independent missions in the future.

‘Are they going to push someone who almost died on the battlefield back into it?’

Not understanding, Daniel slowly raised his head to look at Selvia.

Yet, Selvia was only smiling gently.

From Selvia’s perspective, it was only natural to assume that Daniel, who had rejected a position that was essentially an office job in the Imperial Guard, would want to excel on the battlefield.

Moreover, the Chief of Staff had also conveyed that it was appropriate to assign Daniel Steiner to a frontline command position, making it a legitimate order.

On the other hand, Daniel, who would have preferred to serve in the rear if escaping the Empire was difficult, felt as if he were burning inside.

He had gone through the trouble of bribing the media to build a tower of success, only to feel as though he was being chased away before even moving in.

However, unable to dare refuse the Emperor’s command, Daniel bowed his head reluctantly.

“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”

–

After the coronation ceremony, Selvia set out for a procession.

She intended to inform the citizens that a new Emperor had ascended to the throne by circling the Imperial City.

Meanwhile, those invited to the coronation moved to the grand banquet hall prepared by the Imperial Family, as not attending would be considered disrespectful to the Emperor, and no one chose to leave.

Daniel, along with Ernst, arrived at the banquet hall and was having a brief conversation.

“Already a Colonel! The first time I saw you, you were definitely a Lieutenant!”

Ernst exclaimed with pride, but Daniel remained expressionless.

There was no excitement in receiving praise for a promotion he had no interest in.

Now that he was to go to the battlefield as a Colonel, it felt more like a death sentence.

If there were enemy snipers deployed, the first target to be eliminated would be the division commander, and next would be Daniel Steiner, the Chief of Staff.

“I wonder if you’ll come back as a General later. That would make things quite awkward, wouldn’t it? I’d have to show respect to someone who was once my subordinate.”

Ernst laughed, unaware of Daniel’s true feelings.

Daniel, looking at Ernst with a dry expression, exhaled softly.

“Don’t worry. Even if I become a General, I won’t ask you to show me respect.”

“Thank you for saying that. But I’m not sure how often we’ll meet in the future. You’ll be active as a frontline commander from now on.”

That was not an incorrect statement.

The division directly under the headquarters was primarily tasked with operations on the front lines.

It meant he would hear the sound of bullets more often than alarm bells in the future.

The thought of that weighed heavily on Daniel, causing his gaze to grow cold.

Seeing this, Ernst, feeling an inexplicable fear, slowly stepped back.

“Um. I have someone to meet at the… banquet hall. Colonel Daniel? Enjoy the banquet.”

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Ernst walked away.

As Daniel quietly watched his retreating figure, he sighed and walked toward the table laden with food.

Worrying about the future wouldn’t change anything, so he decided not to sulk and to fill his stomach instead.

Just as he was looking down at the appetizing food, he heard a voice.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner?”

Turning at the unfamiliar voice, he saw a well-groomed man approaching with a bright smile.

In his hand, he held a whiskey bottle, and he was Platt, disguised as a low-ranking official of the Imperial Palace.

“Oh! You really are Colonel Daniel Steiner! I’ve been looking for you, and I can’t express how happy I am to finally find you!”

“…You were looking for me?”

“Yes! I work in the royal clothing alteration team, and I’m a personal fan of yours, so I wanted to give you a gift on this occasion.”

Platt lightly raised the whiskey bottle in his hand.

The golden liquid inside was clearly of high quality.

After a brief pause, Daniel nodded.

“If you’re offering, I won’t refuse. But it looks like a very expensive item; is it really okay for me to accept this?”

“Of course. I enjoy drinking as well, but since I have a cheap palate, I hope someone like you, Colonel Daniel Steiner, will enjoy this fine product.”

“If you insist…”

Reluctantly, Daniel accepted the whiskey bottle.

As he examined the bottle for a moment, he turned and raised his hand.

“Waiter.”

A waiter carrying a tray with several glasses of wine approached.

Daniel took two glasses from the tray, smiled faintly, and the waiter responded with a smile before moving on.

After the waiter left, Daniel muttered.

“I’ve been drinking too much whiskey lately, so I feel like having some wine today. I’ve heard the quality is very good since it’s made directly at the monastery.”

Daniel placed the two glasses on the table.

“But since you work for the Imperial Family, you must have had this kind of wine often. Just as I’m tired of whiskey, you must be tired of wine.”

Lifting one of the glasses, Daniel poured the wine onto the floor.

Platt was taken aback but managed to maintain a smile.

Ignoring Platt’s reaction, Daniel set the empty glass down and opened the whiskey bottle.

Holding the bottom of the bottle, Daniel poured whiskey into the empty glass on the table.

After pouring all the whiskey, Daniel set the bottle down and held up the two glasses filled with liquor.

He then offered the glass of whiskey to Platt.

“I know this whiskey is hard to come by, so I’ll let you have the first drink.”

Daniel offered the glass with pure goodwill, but Platt was sweating profusely.

He knew there was poison in that whiskey.

However, he couldn’t refuse, so Platt raised his trembling hand.

As Platt took the glass, Daniel smiled and lightly clinked their glasses together.

“Did you say your name was Viram?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s a nice name. It’s a bit cliché for the Empire, so let’s drink to our future.”

With that, Daniel raised his glass and drank the wine.

As he watched Daniel, Platt’s lips began to dry out.

The sounds of conversation in the banquet hall felt distant, while the sound of Daniel Steiner swallowing was crystal clear.

Gulp—

After finishing the last sip, Daniel smiled refreshingly as he pulled the glass away from his lips.

“Ah! I think this is the best wine I’ve ever had. But still…”

Daniel chuckled softly and turned to Platt, playfully saying, “It’s not as good as the whiskey you gifted me, though.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Daniel set the empty glass down.

“By the way…”

With a light flick of his hand, Daniel asked curiously, “Why aren’t you drinking? I heard you like alcohol.”

Platt’s breathing quickened.

Daniel’s gaze felt like a heavy lead pressing down on him.

As Platt, sweating profusely, was about to open his mouth to make an excuse, Daniel spoke after a brief silence.

“What are you doing?”

With a light smile, Daniel urged, “Go ahead and drink.”