chapter_0149

148 – Daniel Steiner Might Be the Dark Figure

148 – Daniel Steiner Might Be the Dark Figure

Pelf, the intelligence officer, confirmed that Daniel had entered the command post and headed towards the field interrogation center.

“Lieutenant Frien, was it? She said she was confident about the interrogation, but…”

Extracting the desired information through torture was not an easy task.

If one were to ask whether torturing was difficult, the answer could be no.

Anyone could inflict pain on another if they knew how.

The hardest part of conducting torture was maintaining a sound mind.

“When the torture begins, the subject writhes in pain and screams. They might shout nervously, beg for mercy, or sometimes call out the names of their family, pleading for forgiveness.”

Watching such scenes, it was only natural for even the coldest of hearts to become psychologically disturbed.

Conceptually, one might understand that extracting information from the person in front of them would prevent countless allies from suffering, but psychologically, it was hard to accept.

In such cases, one would become swayed by the subject’s pain and pleas, ultimately giving up on the torture.

In the worst-case scenario, one might feel pity for the subject and betray their allies to offer help.

Pelf believed that Frien would likely follow a similar path.

“She’s a young woman who became an officer at an early age. While admirable, she surely isn’t accustomed to torture.”

It was common for newcomers, driven by enthusiasm, to conduct torture only to feel nauseous or panic upon witnessing the subject bleeding and screaming.

“I too experienced trauma after conducting torture during my first interrogation…”

Thus, Pelf was heading to the interrogation center in case Frien decided to give up.

“If Lieutenant Frien breaks down and cries…”

Pelf had no intention of scolding Frien.

He understood well that torture inflicted mental shock not only on the subject but also on the torturer.

Determined to encourage her as an ideal superior, Pelf arrived at the temporary interrogation center, where the soldiers guarding the entrance turned to look at him.

Given the field setting, they did not salute.

“Intelligence Officer.”

“What brings you here?”

Pelf replied flatly to the soldier’s question.

“I came to check if the interrogation is proceeding properly.”

At Pelf’s words, the soldiers exchanged glances and responded reluctantly.

“…It might be better for you to see for yourself.”

“I was planning to do just that. Will you step aside?”

As the soldiers nodded and cleared the way, Pelf stepped into the interrogation room.

“Lieutenant Frien. Is the interrogation going well…”

As Pelf lifted the cloth at the entrance to enter, he froze on the spot.

The hands of Dahamen, the squad leader of the Allied Nations, bound to a chair, were drenched in blood.

Below them lay at least twenty severed fingernails.

‘What on earth…’

As he stood there in a daze, Frien tapped the pliers in her hand and spoke.

“Well then, let’s proceed with the final question. How should we refer to Colonel Daniel Steiner from now on?”

At Frien’s question, Dahamen muttered gloomily, his expression vacant.

“…Saint. Colonel Daniel Steiner is a great soldier and also a saint.”

Pelf could only be left in shock.

‘Goodness.’

That was not a statement that could come from the mouth of a squad leader of the Allied Nations.

In other words, it was indicative of how thoroughly Frien had crushed the spirit of the Allied Nations’ squad leader.

As Pelf watched in astonishment, Frien smiled faintly.

“Good job. Now, what does that make you and the Allied Nations, who not only dishonored our Colonel Daniel Steiner but also planned to kill him?”

This time, Dahamen remained silent, biting his lip.

Seeing this, Frien tilted her head.

“Oh dear. Is your reformation still lacking? Then this time…”

Frien lifted Dahamen’s chin with the pliers.

With their eyes forcibly locked, Frien wiped the smile from her face and said.

“Shall we try pulling out a tooth?”

Dahamen’s breath began to quicken.

Feeling fear, Dahamen desperately shook his head, prompting Frien to give a gentle smile as if offering him another chance.

“Well then. If you don’t want to hurt, you’ll need to prove that you’ve been reformed, won’t you? Will you answer my question?”

Nodding vigorously, Dahamen shouted for his life.

“The one who dishonored Colonel Daniel Steiner is a beast! To attack Colonel Daniel Steiner, who is akin to a saint, is to be less than a beast! So please forgive me!”

Seemingly pleased with Dahamen’s answer, Frien withdrew the pliers.

“You’ve been completely reformed. I’m so glad. Then from now on…”

As Frien spoke kindly, she sensed a presence and turned to the side.

Upon spotting Pelf, Frien blinked her dark eyes twice before smiling.

“Oh! Intelligence Officer! You’ve come at just the right time.”

Frien, speaking casually with blood splattered on her face, was a horror in itself.

Pelf, who didn’t particularly want to point this out, cleared his throat and approached.

“…Lieutenant Frien, was it? It seems the interrogation was successful.”

“Yes. We managed to uncover not only the operational frequency but also the encryption of Morse code. Of course, we’ll need to cross-verify with other prisoners as well.”

“Are you planning to do the same to the other prisoners?”

Frien tilted her head as if to say, what kind of question is that?

“If necessary, shouldn’t we? We must show no mercy to the traitors of the Empire and the beasts of the Allied Nations.”

Surprisingly, it was a reasonable argument, and Pelf could not bring himself to refute it.

For some reason, Frien felt frightening to Pelf, who cleared his throat to change the subject.

“Excellent. You managed to extract a confession from the enemy in less than half a day. Have you perhaps learned interrogation techniques from someone?”

“I haven’t learned anything separately. It’s just that Colonel Daniel recognized my abilities and advised me to train without rest, so I followed his guidance.”

Frien, who mentioned Daniel, smiled shyly like a girl in love.

While holding the bloodied pliers.

It was genuinely terrifying.

“Ah, so the Chief of Staff has been guiding you…”

Pelf replied hesitantly, looking down at the Allied Nations squad leader bound to the chair.

Watching Dahamen, who was sobbing while laying down his pride and humanity, Pelf made a resolution.

‘Even if it costs me my life…’

I must never betray Daniel Steiner.

–

Late in the evening, in the office of the Security Agency Director.

“There are rumors that the former emperor will not survive today. If that’s the case, a state funeral will be held simultaneously with his passing.”

At the advisor’s words, Otto, the Security Agency Director, nodded with a smile.

“What will happen when the state funeral is held? The noble alliance will propose to the Emperor to declare martial law, claiming they need to suppress internal divisions. Since the defense commander has sided with Belvar, it’s a necessary step to seize the Imperial City.”

“But even if they seize the Imperial City, the command of the military still lies with the Emperor. If they cannot take the Imperial Palace soon, the Emperor will surely call in external troops to the Imperial City.”

“That’s why I would persuade the commander of the Imperial Guard, Johannes. It won’t be easy, but he values the legitimacy of the royal family as much as Belvar, so…”

Otto stopped mid-sentence.

The deputy director burst into the office, abruptly opening the door.

The deputy director bowed his head to Otto, who was sitting at his desk, and approached.

“Director. We have new information regarding Colonel Daniel Steiner.”

“Information?”

“It seems Colonel Daniel Steiner captured an Allied Nations squad while they were transporting Aetherium ore. He has thwarted a trump card prepared by the Allied Nations.”

Otto’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He couldn’t believe it, but the deputy director wouldn’t lie to him.

“Evidence?”

The deputy director pulled out a document from his waist and handed it to Otto.

“This is the report received from the 7th Division. It would be quicker for you to see it for yourself.”

As Otto took the document and unfolded it, he couldn’t help but be astonished.

The document stated that Chief of Staff Daniel Steiner had persuaded the division commander to initiate a search operation, which successfully captured the enemy squad transporting Aetherium ore.

‘How on earth did he find out? It’s not enough to call him a genius…’

As Otto marveled, he turned the page and paused.

There was a photo attached.

‘This is…’

It was a photo of the Allied Nations squad leader, bloodied and tearful, begging for his life, with his fingernails ripped off.

The deputy director, knowing what Otto was looking at, explained.

“…It is said that this was done by Colonel Daniel Steiner’s subordinate. While it’s not confirmed, there are rumors that those who betray the Empire will meet the same fate.”

Hearing the deputy director’s explanation, an intriguing smile crept onto Otto’s lips.

‘It seems like Daniel is warning Belvar.’

After stroking his chin once, Otto quietly narrowed his eyes.

‘Could it be…’

As Otto kept several possibilities open, he felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Daniel Steiner is doing this to take the Empire into his own hands…’

Could it be that he is turning a blind eye to the noble revolution, even though he knows about it?

From the military’s perspective, the noble revolution is akin to a rebellion.

If the nobles succeed in their attack before securing legitimacy, Daniel Steiner could subdue them all in one fell swoop.

This means he could become the undisputed leader of the Empire.

‘I know this is a ridiculous speculation. But…’

If Daniel Steiner is someone who constantly schemes, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to do so.

As a sociopath who hides his emotions, concealing his intentions would be a trivial matter.

‘Well then. The situation is unfolding interestingly. I wonder who will end up with the Empire.’

From Otto’s perspective, it was an undeniably fascinating situation.