chapter_0021

20 – I Have Allergies

20 – I Have Allergies

Through the CCTV, I received indirect death threats, so I went to my office and ordered Lucy to halt her work.

After finishing lunch with Lucy, I returned to my office after informing her about the facilities available for senior staff at the headquarters.

I handled most of the afternoon’s tasks myself.

The reason was simple.

I thought that if I piled more work onto Lucy, she might actually kill me.

That probably wouldn’t happen, but if Lucy, driven mad by excessive work, pulled out her revolver from her holster and shot me, it would be a disaster.

So, I planned to proceed with my work in a way that would not provoke Lucy as much as possible.

“Captain.”

When I had finished all the afternoon tasks, Lucy organized the documents and looked at me.

“It’s time to leave.”

Has it already come to that?

I raised my head to look at the wall clock, and as Lucy said, the hour hand pointed to 6 PM.

I wanted to leave the headquarters humming a tune, but I refused to leave with Lucy. Who knew what might happen?

“Go ahead. I’ll stay behind to review some additional matters…”

“If that’s the case, I’ll stay and help you, Captain.”

“…I think it’s better to leave. Just go.”

Clearing my throat, I stood up, draped my officer’s coat over my arm, and picked up my briefcase.

Lucy also finished her preparations and stood up.

As we opened the office door and stepped into the hallway, Lucy naturally fell in step beside me.

Carrying her own briefcase like I was, Lucy suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

“Captain? You don’t look well. Is something wrong?”

It’s because of you, you crazy girl!

…That thought rose to the tip of my tongue, but I held it back with superhuman patience.

“I just have a bit of an upset stomach. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Saying that, I maintained my silence as we exited the headquarters.

I walked slowly to the eaves and then came to a halt.

It was raining. Not a downpour, but a gentle drizzle falling softly.

Thanks to that, Lucy, who had come up beside me, spoke with a troubled expression.

“It’s raining. The weather forecast said it would be clear all day…”

“How pathetic.”

Even the weather forecast from a more distant future sometimes gets it wrong, so it was foolish not to bring an umbrella based on the current forecast.

“Officers of the Empire must always be prepared for inclement weather.”

I pulled out a folding umbrella from my briefcase.

After a moment of hesitation, I offered the umbrella to Lucy.

“Take it. I don’t want my subordinate to be seen leaving in the rain like a fool.”

“Excuse me? But…”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

Maintaining a professional relationship while showing a bit of kindness was the quickest way to ensure my survival.

Lucy looked at me in surprise, then raised both hands to accept the umbrella.

“Thank you, I’ll use it well. But are you really okay? If I take the umbrella, you’ll have to walk in the rain.”

“There’s a spare in the office. You can go get that.”

In truth, there was no spare.

Still, it was a lie to avoid walking around with an umbrella like a spy.

Lucy gave me a meaningful look, then nodded and opened the umbrella.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Bowing her head slightly, Lucy began to walk away.

As I watched her retreating figure, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘I survived.’

Sharing an office with a spy who could kill me at any moment was exhausting.

‘That aside…’

Now, I had no choice but to stay at the headquarters until the rain stopped.

Since I was stuck at the headquarters anyway, I thought I might as well handle some tasks for tomorrow when I noticed a steam vehicle with a long hood and slim body approaching from a distance.

It was a modern vehicle reminiscent of the Doble Model E, but it was considered outdated, having been produced over twenty years ago.

At a time when internal combustion engine vehicles had become popular, anyone driving something like that was either an old-timer or a miser.

And as far as I knew, the owner of that vehicle possessed both of those characteristics.

Screech—

The vehicle came to a neat stop at the entrance of the building.

The person in the driver’s seat was none other than my superior, Colonel Ernst.

After getting out of the car, Ernst spotted me before entering the headquarters and immediately broke into a bright smile.

“Oh! Captain Daniel! What a wonderful coincidence to find you here while I was looking for you!”

“…You were looking for me?”

“Yes. Didn’t I say I was going to talk with the royal family? I received a very good proposal there! You’ll be pleased to hear it too.”

I was already feeling uneasy.

Sweating profusely, I asked again.

“A good proposal, you say?”

“You’ve heard that the royal family is hosting a banquet to celebrate the victory of the Northern Army Group, right? Thankfully, the royal family has sent invitations for both you and me.”

“Excuse me? But… why am I being invited to the banquet?”

I asked sincerely, but Ernst playfully poked me in the side.

He looked quite pleased, probably because of the royal invitation.

“Ah, this friend is being overly modest! How many contributions have you made? The royal family wouldn’t just ignore you! So don’t hesitate, let’s go together.”

…This is troublesome. I genuinely didn’t want to go.

As far as I knew, a banquet celebrating the victory of the Northern Army Group would surely be a target for a terrorist attack.

I didn’t know exactly what kind of attack would occur.

It was only mentioned in a single line in the game’s history book.

In any case, I wanted to stay as far away from unknown dangers as possible.

However, a mere captain could not refuse a royal invitation.

Was there no way out? As I racked my brain, I looked at Ernst as if grasping at straws.

“Colonel, I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but I have a royal allergy. My symptoms worsen when I see noble and high-ranking individuals. So, I was wondering if I could skip it…”

Ernst frowned, which was a rare sight.

His expression held a slight disdain, as if he had just heard a dad joke for the first time.

“Captain Daniel.”

“Yes.”

“Please don’t say such nonsense.”

“…Yes.”

In this tense atmosphere, I felt I could no longer express my desire to decline.

So, regrettably, I was confirmed to attend the banquet.

–

Meanwhile, at the Eisenkrone Imperial Palace.

On the second floor of the royal library.

“Your Highness, the Princess.”

Selvia, who was deciphering ancient documents with several books spread out on her desk, looked up.

Standing there was a veteran in uniform adorned with the Golden Wing Insignia, Colonel Hartmann Edelstein, who was in charge of the Princess’s chief security.

Upon recognizing the identity of the person who called her, Selvia lowered her head and turned the page of the ancient document.

“What is it?”

Her tone was cold. It also implied that she was engrossed in her work and did not want to be disturbed.

However, this time Hartmann could not let it slide.

“The head maid in charge of the attire asked me to come. She said it would be difficult to prepare for tomorrow’s banquet since Your Highness is uninterested in dressing up and only stays in the library.”

Selvia let out a low sigh.

“Then please tell the head maid that studying tactics and strategies is far more beneficial than spending time on attire.”

“Your Highness.”

“Hartmann. I have no intention of being a spectacle for those attending the banquet. We’ve merely succeeded in pushing back the coalition forces from the North, and now we’re celebrating…”

Trailing off, Selvia shook her head in disdain.

“If it were me, I would have used the money for the banquet to bolster the defense. What on earth is my father thinking?”

A smile crept onto Hartmann’s lips.

It was a humble attitude that seemed hard to associate with someone born of a leader’s blood.

However, her aversion to socializing could bring disadvantages in the long run.

“Your Highness. The banquet is the foundation of socializing, and socializing is politics. Moreover, the state is, broadly speaking, a gathering of communities. Excessive socializing can turn the people against you, but a complete lack of socializing might turn the nobles against you.”

Historically, those who are only praised by one side do not last long.

“To govern both factions and keep them underfoot is the Emperor. One leader who commands the strongest army in the world. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

While he wasn’t wrong, I still felt reluctant.

As Selvia remained silent in defiance, Hartmann suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Oh, by the way, I heard that Captain Daniel Steiner will also be attending this banquet. He’s someone you’re acquainted with, isn’t he?”

At the mention of Daniel Steiner, Selvia’s shoulders flinched.

─ If my death can save you, then that is enough. A soldier exists to protect their country’s citizens.

His words still lingered in her mind.

He was someone who wouldn’t be a bad ally to have. If possible, she wanted to make him an ally.

Clearing her throat, Selvia closed the ancient document.

“…Fine. Please call the head maid. A little bit of dressing up should be acceptable.”

Though she spoke nonchalantly, Hartmann could see that Selvia’s ears were subtly turning red.

‘It seems she’s not very skilled at hiding her emotions.’

Could it be that she was so fond of someone like Daniel Steiner?

With a subtle smile, Hartmann nodded.