chapter_0128

127 – Rising Entrepreneur

127 – Rising Entrepreneur

Platt felt an indescribable terror at the sight of Daniel Steiner offering him the drink.

For a spy, the most frightening thing was to have their intentions read by the other party.

‘But how…’

How could Daniel Steiner know that the whiskey was poisoned?

‘Was my acting clumsy?’

That wasn’t it.

Platt was a seasoned spy.

He had worked as an informant for the Imperial nobles without ever being exposed.

So, no matter how perceptive Daniel Steiner was, he couldn’t have noticed anything suspicious.

‘Then…’

There might be someone inside the Palentia branch cooperating with Daniel Steiner.

If information had been leaked in the middle, Daniel Steiner’s words and actions would be more than understandable.

‘Which bastard is it!’

Platt racked his brains in anguish, but no particular person came to mind.

In the first place, the members of the Palentia branch were the ones working as spies in the Imperial City, the heart of the Empire.

They were people who could hide their true intentions as much as they wanted, so it was impossible to guess who the traitor was.

‘Damn it…’

Platt gritted his teeth and grabbed the glass.

‘I never thought trying to assassinate Daniel Steiner would be a mistake.’

Platt looked down at the golden whiskey swirling in the glass and gave a bitter smile.

Ricin wasn’t a fast-acting poison, but there was no antidote either, so drinking it was as good as a death sentence.

He could avoid drinking it and beg Daniel Steiner for his life, but that was not an option for Platt, who had sworn allegiance to the Allied Nations.

‘My life as a spy, long if long, short if short, ends today.’

Platt slowly raised his head and looked at Daniel Steiner.

Staring into his abyss-like black eyes, Platt understood Daniel’s intention.

Daniel Steiner was urging him.

Confess the truth and pledge allegiance if you don’t want to die from the poison.

‘I will never submit to you.’

Filled with anger and sorrow, Platt finally decided to die for the Allied Nations.

Taking a deep breath, Platt slowly raised the glass containing death.

Daniel, who was watching him, thought.

‘…Why is he doing that?’

He had offered the first glass because he had brought expensive liquor.

But the other person hesitated as if he was seeing his life flashing before his eyes, and now he was making a face like a martyr.

‘Was it a lie that he liked alcohol?’

If that was the case, it was more than understandable.

The whiskey in question was quite strong.

‘He must be afraid of drinking it straight instead of putting ice in it to lower the proof. He should just say he can’t drink. He always has to show off.’

Daniel sighed and grabbed Platt’s wrist as he brought the glass to his lips.

Platt’s shoulders twitched.

He had been prepared for death, but he was flustered when Daniel suddenly stopped him.

“…Why are you doing this?”

“It’s just that I think you can’t drink, so I’m trying to stop you.”

“Even if you show mercy like that, my mind won’t change. I always live with the thought of death.”

It was just drinking high-proof whiskey, but he was talking about death. Daniel, thinking that his bluff was amazing, chuckled and agreed.

“Who will recognize you if you die like that?”

“My homeland…”

“Stop talking nonsense and tell the person who told you to give me this whiskey. Tell them not to send me this kind of bribe again.”

There was no way someone who couldn’t even drink properly would have selected and gifted the finest whiskey.

He thought there must be someone else who had chosen the gift.

On the other hand, Platt heard Daniel’s words as, “Tell your superior not to attempt such clumsy assassinations.”

Platt swallowed hard and slowly lowered the glass he was holding.

“…Are you saving me even though you know everything?”

His blank expression was so serious that Daniel couldn’t help but laugh.

Daniel, thinking that he was a very unique person, nodded in satisfaction.

“Wouldn’t it be bad luck if someone died on a day like today? So take this whiskey home and…”

Daniel thought for a moment about what would be good and snapped his fingers.

“That’s right. Give it to the friend who told you to give it to me. That friend will probably know the value of this liquor.”

Thanks to Daniel, who casually suggested suicide, Platt felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

However, Platt couldn’t refuse and nodded with difficulty.

Seeing that, Daniel patted Platt’s shoulder lightly.

“Have a good day. And don’t lie too much, since you’ll get caught anyway.”

Platt opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t say a word.

He felt an unknown awe for Daniel Steiner, who not only spared the life of the person who had come to assassinate him, but also treated him normally.

‘…Does this mean that this level of assassination attempt is just child’s play to Daniel Steiner?’

Just as Platt let out a hollow breath, Daniel turned around and walked towards the center of the banquet hall.

It was because he heard Ernst calling him from there.

As Daniel approached, Ernst asked as if he was puzzled.

“Who were you talking to for so long?”

“Ah. Was it Vylam? He said he’s in charge of tailoring at the Imperial Palace.”

“Hmm. A low-ranking official, huh? What did that person approach you for?”

“He said he had a bottle of the finest whiskey and wanted to give it to me. I guess he mistakenly thought he could get a promotion if he looked good to me.”

“Heh! The finest whiskey, you say!”

Ernst licked his lips and looked towards the table where Daniel had been just now.

Platt quickly grabbed the whiskey bottle and was leaving the banquet hall as if he had urgent business.

Seeing that, Ernst smacked his lips and said.

“Tsk. You should have just taken it. Whiskey is worth its weight in gold these days, so you can’t get it easily unless it’s supplied.”

“If I accept a bribe, something will definitely go wrong. I’m already getting glared at from all sorts of places, so it wouldn’t be good to create an incident.”

“Well, it must not be easy to live as a war hero. It’s a shame to let go of the finest whiskey, but there’s plenty of good liquor here, so it’s not bad. But the best thing is…”

Ernst whistled, and a waiter approached and placed a tray down.

Ernst took two glasses of champagne from the tray and handed one to Daniel.

“Our Emperor is generous, so all the liquor is free! How about it? Shall we run all night together today?”

“Sir, I do have a hobby of drinking, but I don’t really like drinking and singing…”

Daniel stopped talking.

Ernst, who was looking at him with pleading eyes, was more burdensome than he had expected.

“…Did you have a fight with your wife recently?”

Nod.

“So you want to go home as late as possible because you think you’ll get nagged if you go home early?”

Nod nod.

“And you think there won’t be breakfast the next morning if you say you were late because you were drinking alone, so you’re trying to use me as a shield?”

Nod nod nod.

Daniel pondered for a moment at the nodding filled with the sorrows of a married man, and then opened his mouth.

“…I understand. When else would I drink as much as I want if not on a day like today?”

At that, Ernst burst into a hearty laugh and patted Daniel on the back.

“Thank you! Thank you! You’re my best subordinate after all! Oh, and there are quite a few generals who want to see you, so let’s take this opportunity to expand your network! I’ll introduce you to everyone!”

Daniel sighed and nodded, and Ernst raised his hand and shouted loudly.

“Waiter! On a happy day like today, we can’t run out of liquor! If we run out of liquor, wouldn’t that be a slap in the face to His Majesty the Emperor! So bring us some new liquor!”

It seemed that it would be difficult to go home early today.

*

Meanwhile, in the reception room of the textile factory where the Palentia branch was located, they were busy preparing to receive a guest.

“Didn’t I tell you to prepare the most expensive refreshments? Not this cheap stuff! The businessman coming here is a big shot. We have to get a proper investment this time!”

Following the orders of Branch Manager Theobalt, spies disguised as employees moved in an orderly manner.

Theobalt crossed his arms and looked at his subordinates.

‘We have to get a proper investment this time to maintain the Palentia branch for a long time.’

The Palentia branch basically received funds from the Allied Nations, but due to the fact that it was located in the heart of the Empire, it could not receive a large sum of money at once.

The larger the amount of money, the higher the probability of being caught by the Empire’s surveillance network.

Therefore, the Palentia branch was self-sufficient in a certain portion of its intelligence activities.

This meant that operating the textile factory was not just for disguise.

The Palentia branch was operated based on the factory’s profits.

Recently, those profits had decreased, and he was worried, but a person had come forward to invest in the textile factory at the right time.

‘I heard he’s a businessman who’s come into the light relatively recently…’

Before Daniel Steiner gave his total war speech, that is, during the time when anti-war demonstrations were rampant and negative public opinion dominated the war, he was said to have invested heavily in the military industry.

With almost all of his money invested in the military industry, Daniel Steiner’s total war speech broke out, and as a result, the businessman earned tens of times his investment.

He made a lot of money, and he was quiet for a while, but recently he started investing in a diversified manner.

One of the places selected as one of those diversifications was the textile factory where the Palentia branch was located.

Theobalt, who couldn’t miss this opportunity, invited the businessman directly.

The best thing to do was to hold a business briefing to get more investment.

‘Five minutes left.’

Just as he was gauging the time by looking at the wall clock, noise rang out from the radio he was carrying.

Startled, Theobalt picked up the radio, and a familiar voice came from the other side.

─ Blue Wall here. The operation failed. Daniel Steiner noticed my identity.

Code name Blue Wall meant Platt.

─ I’m going to hide my identity and go into hiding for the time being. Branch Manager, please be careful too. There is a possibility that Daniel Steiner knows the identity of the branch. I’ll explain in detail later when I have the chance.

Platt, who had delivered his message neatly, cut off the radio.

‘Daniel Steiner knows the identity of the branch?’

Theobalt, flustered, pressed the transmit button.

“Blue Wall? Answer me! What does that mean?”

But there was no answer.

It seemed that he had changed the frequency of the radio altogether, thinking about eavesdropping.

‘There’s no way Daniel Steiner knows the identity of the branch. Lucy? No. That child hasn’t completely betrayed the Allied Nations yet. She wouldn’t have said anything about the branch.’

Theobalt thought that Platt must have misunderstood something, when one of his subordinates approached him.

“The investor is coming.”

“…Okay.”

For now, attracting investment was the priority.

Theobalt changed the frequency of the radio and put it in his pocket, then straightened his clothes.

After waiting for a while, the door of the reception room opened and a man wearing an expensive vest entered.

The black-skinned man was wearing a fedora and a monocle.

It was not common to see a successful black businessman in this era.

As Theobalt was inwardly marveling, the man strode forward.

With a dignified gait that was not frivolous, the man approached Theobalt and quietly extended his hand.

He was exuding an aura that somehow made it impossible to refuse the handshake.

Theobalt, who had hesitated for a moment, relaxed his stiff body and grabbed the man’s hand.

“My name is Belter, and I run the textile factory.”

The man, hearing Theobalt’s alias, gave a gentle smile and raised his head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Hamtal, and I run several businesses…”

The man narrowed his eyes sharply and continued in a monotone voice.