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29 – The Empire’s Dessert is the Best in the World

29 – The Empire’s Dessert is the Best in the World

Hearing the terrible news that he was under the upper management’s scrutiny, Daniel Steiner resolved that this time he would go to the dessert shop for some healing.

“Taking care of mental health amidst a busy and stressful work life is a commendable thing.”

Thus, as soon as he got off work, Daniel took a shortcut and arrived in front of the newly opened Golden Rose Bakery on the outskirts of the Imperial City.

Given the overwhelming smell of pastries and bread already wafting through the air, it was highly likely that this was a proper dessert shop.

Thanks to that, Daniel felt quite satisfied.

If it weren’t for the strange woman beside him, he might have even hummed a tune.

“Here we are. This is the place the Captain mentioned.”

As Lucy looked up at the bakery’s sign, Daniel secretly sighed.

“…Why on earth did she follow me?”

Looking back, it was during his exit from the headquarters that Lucy had struck up a conversation with him, and Daniel had responded in a businesslike manner.

In the course of that interaction, the topic of the dessert shop came up, and Daniel had merely suggested, out of courtesy, that she could join him if she wanted.

He had naturally expected her to decline, but Lucy had accepted, saying she wouldn’t refuse the kindness offered by an officer.

This was extremely uncomfortable for Daniel.

“Is she trying to keep an eye on me?”

He could see through Lucy’s intentions, but he didn’t show it and simply nodded.

“Let’s go.”

As Daniel opened the bakery door and stepped inside, Lucy followed him in.

The employee sitting at the counter quickly smiled and got up upon their arrival.

“Welcome! You’ve arrived at the Golden Rose Bakery, where we bring happiness to everyone! How many of you…”

The employee stopped mid-sentence, closing his mouth as he was met with the intimidating gaze of two soldiers in military uniforms.

In reality, both of them were expressionless, but the employee had no way of knowing that.

“Scary…!”

Internally panicking, the employee managed to compose himself and forced an awkward smile.

“So, it’s just the two of you. Do you have a menu in mind?”

“Ah. Yes.”

Daniel, having removed his cap and tucked it under his arm, spoke with a gentle smile.

“I’ve heard that the Dream Parfait is famous here. Considering how many people are coming to eat even though it just opened, it must be delicious. I’ll have two, please.”

“Ah…”

While the employee had found him intimidating when he was expressionless, there was a subtle charm in his gentle demeanor and soft-spoken words.

Was it an unexpected side of him? The employee, momentarily dazed, nodded.

“I’ll prepare that right away! If it’s alright, please have a seat by the window!”

Nodding slightly in response, Daniel moved to an empty seat by the window.

Lucy also sat down opposite Daniel and placed her briefcase on the vacant chair.

She then observed Daniel closely.

Perhaps she was familiar with dessert shops, as she looked around with a languid expression.

“…Was it not a lie that she was on her way to a dessert shop yesterday?”

If that were a lie, it would mean Daniel had known her identity from the start and had been tracking her.

To hide that, she would have created a fictional hobby of “going to a dessert shop.”

But it felt too natural, as if she had been to a similar shop multiple times.

“Was it really just a coincidence that we ran into each other?”

As Lucy pondered various theories in her mind, she suddenly locked eyes with Daniel.

“…Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Oops. Lost in thought, she hadn’t managed her gaze properly.

As Lucy cleared her throat, she was about to mumble an excuse.

“Here are the two Dream Parfaits you ordered!”

The cheerful voice of the employee announced as he placed the parfaits in front of Lucy and Daniel.

“Wishing you a delicious day!”

With that, the employee bowed his head and returned to the counter.

As Daniel naturally picked up a spoon to dig into the parfait, he paused.

Lucy was literally glaring at the parfait placed in front of her.

“…”

It was understandable; this was the first time Lucy had ever seen such a dessert.

She had lived a life where, until now, she had only eaten military rations and laboratory meals.

So, when she first joined as Daniel’s aide and tasted a freshly baked croissant, she had been internally amazed.

If a croissant could evoke such a reaction, then this extravagant dessert was entirely foreign to Lucy.

The tall glass filled with ice cream, cookies, fruits, cream, and chocolate syrup layered haphazardly looked almost magnificent.

“…How on earth do I eat this?”

As Lucy fidgeted in her expressionless state, Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle.

He had roughly understood the situation.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

Pretending to talk to himself, Daniel pressed his spoon into the ice cream in the parfait.

Slowly lifting the spoon, he made sure to scoop up some strawberry and cream along with the ice cream and took a bite.

The soft, sweet, and tangy flavors spread delightfully in his mouth.

As Daniel set down his spoon with a faint smile of satisfaction, Lucy followed suit.

Of course, she didn’t have high expectations.

There was no way the Empire’s desserts could be delicious.

But the moment she put the spoonful of ice cream in her mouth…

Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Gasp…!”

With an odd sound escaping her, Lucy set down her spoon and blinked in a daze.

The mix of all those sweet flavors in her mouth felt like a taste of heaven.

It was incomparable to the military rations.

Naturally, that was to be expected. Military food tends to prioritize nutrition over taste.

Having only eaten military rations until now, she was shocked to experience a dessert that focused entirely on “flavor.”

Daniel found her reaction quite amusing.

“Just yesterday, she dismissed it as junk food. Had she never tasted it before?”

Chuckling softly, Daniel asked with a triumphant tone.

“How is it? Does the dessert suit your taste?”

At Daniel’s words, Lucy snapped back to reality and opened her eyes halfway.

Realizing she had failed to manage her expression over just one dessert, a wave of embarrassment washed over her.

And it was a defeat to a dessert, no less.

Feeling a hint of shame, Lucy blushed slightly and muttered.

“…It’s edible.”

The slight tremor in her voice was a perfect representation of her feelings.

“Glad to hear it’s edible.”

Saying that, Daniel took a cookie sticking out of the parfait and popped it into his mouth.

The crunchiness was exquisite.

As Daniel savored the taste of the parfait, he gazed out the window, lost in thought.

“I should be grateful that I can serve in such a peaceful rear area instead of the battlefield, even though my aide is a spy and things aren’t going as planned…”

There must be fierce exchanges happening on the front lines right now.

“Parfaits are probably a distant dream on the battlefield.”

Thus, Daniel hoped he could continue to serve in the rear.

He had no desire to fight in a life-or-death situation on the front lines.

–

Meanwhile, at the headquarters.

In the office of the Deputy Chief of Operations.

Rustle—

Surrounded by various confidential documents, Brigadier General Cedric Wendell calmly flipped through the newspaper.

His hazel eyes quickly scanned the articles printed in the paper.

In less than thirty seconds, Cedric had read all the articles and set the newspaper down.

“They wiped out a mafia organization…”

The article he had just read detailed how Daniel had dismantled a small mafia organization.

“Why?”

Cedric was curious about the reason.

Captain Daniel Steiner was already on the list of candidates for early promotion due to his numerous achievements.

If he could just go two more years without any incidents, he would be promoted to Major without any issues.

He surely knew that himself.

Yet, he had gone out looking for more achievements and dismantled a mafia organization.

And he did it alone after working hours.

Cedric, who was slowly blinking, fully understood Daniel’s mindset.

“…He can’t wait two years.”

In a battlefield where information becomes obsolete in just a year, it was understandable that Daniel felt frustrated.

From Daniel’s perspective, filled with a desire to contribute to the Empire, it must have been exasperating.

Even if he was a hero of the Imperial City, as a mere Captain, his influence in the military was limited.

Thus, Daniel was staging a protest towards the upper management by annihilating the mafia organization.

“I get it. He doesn’t want to rot away in the headquarters; he wants to be sent to the battlefield.”

Daniel was likely aiming to build up his experience—his achievements—so that he could be promoted to Major.

Once he became a field-grade officer, his authority would increase significantly compared to a company-grade officer.

It was clear that Daniel wanted to operate on the front lines of the Empire with that authority.

“A courageous young man. Like a brightly burning flame.”

In this chaotic time, with issues surrounding the imperial succession and the offensive from the allied forces, a talent like Daniel Steiner was worth its weight in gold.

“Good. I was just thinking of sending operational support to the Northern Army Group.”

It was only right to give an opportunity to a capable young man who sought a promotion.

That would benefit the Empire in the long run.

“Alright. Captain Daniel Steiner. I’ll trust you…”

Let’s see how you perform on the battlefield.