chapter_0032

31 – The Suspicious Saintess

31 – The Suspicious Saintess

Knock, knock—

Cedric, who was eating a sandwich while reviewing documents in his office, lifted his head.

Looking at the wall clock, he saw that the hour hand was already pointing to 5 PM.

‘…Then the one knocking now must be Captain Daniel Steiner.’

Around lunchtime, Daniel had requested a meeting to discuss support for the Northern operations. Cedric, who had wanted to see his face at least once, had asked him to come at 5 PM, and he had knocked precisely on time.

“Come in.”

As Cedric granted permission, Daniel opened the door to the office.

Seeing the interior of the operations deputy chief’s office for the first time, Daniel was enveloped by a strange sense of intimidation.

The office was oddly devoid of unnecessary items.

No matter how much he looked around, there were only a coat rack, a bookshelf, a fountain pen, a telephone, a desk, and various documents.

Usually, one would expect to find at least something personal, like a golf ball or a stamp, but there were no such traces here.

Only confidential documents were endlessly filed in the bookshelves on both walls.

“You’re here.”

It was a low but sharp voice.

Cedric, sitting in front of an elegant mahogany desk, threw a glance at Daniel before finishing his sandwich.

Seeing this, Daniel felt a bit nervous as he walked to the center of the office and saluted.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal. However, I have something urgent to discuss, and I took the liberty of coming to see you.”

After swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, Cedric took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and looked at Daniel.

His pale eyes were silently asking him to state his business.

“…I don’t want to take up your valuable time, so I’ll be direct. I would like you to withdraw the support for my aide, Lieutenant Lucy, and Cadet Frien in the North.”

From Daniel’s perspective, both were uncomfortable presences, and he wanted to keep them as far away as possible.

However, Cedric, unable to grasp Daniel’s true intentions, could only feel puzzled.

Swallowing the remnants of his sandwich, Cedric asked a question.

“Why?”

How nice it would be if he could just say, ‘Lucy is a spy, and Frien is not in her right mind.’

Letting out a quiet sigh, Daniel came up with a plausible excuse.

“My aide and Cadet Frien have just become adults. I cannot take young girls who have not yet shed their childhood into a dangerous battlefield.”

“While that may be true for Lieutenant Lucy, I believe Cadet Frien was under your command during her soldier days?”

“At that time, we were conducting operations for the purpose of defending our territory. Compared to the current support for the Northern Army Group, which involves entering deep into enemy territory, the risk was relatively low.”

Cedric blinked in surprise at the unexpected response.

‘How unexpected.’

He had thought Daniel was a cold-blooded individual who wouldn’t care about trivial matters if he could just get promoted.

But seeing him step up to protect his subordinates showed a rather human side.

‘Even a hedgehog is protective of its young.’

Caring for one’s subordinates is one of the important virtues of a commander.

Cedric found Daniel even more likable, but he could not grant that request.

“I refuse. The Empire’s ideology is one of meritocracy. It focuses on equality of opportunity. Therefore, deciding not to send young girls to the battlefield contradicts the Empire’s principles.”

Daniel had anticipated this much.

“If that’s the case, then at least exclude Cadet Frien from my unit’s organization. She is a cadet in the military academy. I see no reason to take a mere cadet with me.”

There was no need to incorporate an untrained cadet into the unit. It was a reasonable stance.

However, Cedric saw infinite potential in Frien’s ‘uniqueness.’

“Captain Daniel, she is not just any cadet. You should know from your combat experience that Frien’s magic possesses a ‘color’ unlike that of ordinary soldiers.”

Daniel could not deny it. When Frien had killed Colonel Jeremy, she had infused her bullet with magic right next to him.

“Frien’s magic is black, which does not allow light to pass through. If you think of ordinary magic as being transparent or having a light blue hue, this is a very alien phenomenon. It can be considered a kind of mutation.”

Cedric took off his monocle and placed it on the desk.

“Let’s talk about something a bit different. Historically, black has been seen as an omen of misfortune. It has been a symbol of the devil. Superstitions that black cats or crows bring bad luck stem from this.”

Cedric placed his hands on the desk, fingers interlaced.

“Of course, it’s just superstition. In this day and age, if someone like you were to be criticized for having black hair or eyes, they would be called crazy. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“That’s true.”

“But magic is different. Especially if a child born into a priestly family shows black magic? They would inevitably face religious condemnation.”

Daniel understood the gist of what Cedric was saying.

“Cadet Frien did not enlist voluntarily. There must have been external pressure.”

“It’s good that you understand quickly. Yes, Cadet Frien was abandoned by her family. They sent her to the military under duress, to prove that she is not the child of Satan by showing a spirit of patriotism. It’s practically the same as sending her to die fighting the enemy.”

“Why are you suddenly telling me this…?”

Cedric opened a drawer and pulled out a letter.

It was the document regarding Frien’s support for the Northern Army Group.

“Cadet Frien, who has been trying hard to deny that she was abandoned by her family, has now met someone she can rely on. That seems to be you.”

“Your Excellency? I am certainly not someone Frien can rely on.”

“Is that so? According to the letter, you provided quite a bit of comfort to Cadet Frien while she was in the detention center, and during the operations in the North, you did not discriminate against her for using black magic?”

Daniel felt somewhat incredulous.

In the detention center, he had merely chatted with her out of boredom, and he hadn’t been surprised by her use of black magic because he had prior knowledge from games.

However, Cedric’s perspective did not care much about Daniel’s feelings.

“Captain Daniel Steiner. Let me put it simply. While black magic may be condemned religiously, it should be praised in the military. It has strategic value in itself. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Black magic, which does not allow light to pass through, could easily facilitate concealment when scattered around.

Thus, based on its strategic value, Cedric was suggesting that they make Cadet Frien a suitable asset for the battlefield.

‘Why should I be the one to do that?’

Daniel wanted to refuse, suggesting that someone else capable should handle it, but Cedric’s gaze was resolute.

If he tried to argue further, he might provoke Cedric’s anger unnecessarily.

In the end, Daniel saluted, resigned to the situation.

“I will follow your Excellency’s orders.”

Cedric, satisfied, returned the salute.

“Good. If your business is concluded, you may leave.”

As Daniel lowered his hand and turned to walk out, he opened the office door and left.

Watching him go, Cedric leaned back in his chair and chuckled softly.

‘It feels like I’m seeing the old chief of staff. Even while nervous in front of his superior, he still manages to say everything he needs to.’

Cedric knew that such individuals would never be swayed by power.

It had been a long time since he had encountered a talent he wanted to nurture like this.

–

At the same time, Frien and Lucy were gathered in Daniel’s personal office.

Lucy had come to the office to organize documents as it was close to quitting time.

What about Frien? She was killing time waiting in the personal office because Daniel had told her to wait while he met with the deputy chief and would relay the results.

Rustle—

Leaning against the wall, Frien stole a glance.

She felt somewhat envious of Lucy, who was sitting at her desk skillfully organizing documents.

‘That position as Captain Daniel’s aide should have been mine…’

She felt uncomfortable, as if she had been robbed of something.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Lucy paused her work and looked up.

Their eyes met.

“…”

“…”

In the strange silence, it was Lucy who spoke first.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

In a businesslike tone, Frien replied curtly.

“I’m just curious about why you, Lieutenant Lucy, applied for the position of Captain Daniel’s aide.”

“There’s no particular reason. If I had to find one, it would be for the glory of the Empire.”

It was a straightforward answer.

In truth, she had applied for this position as a cover to perform her role as a spy, but she couldn’t say that outright.

Lucy had successfully concealed her true intentions, but Frien couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion.

She felt as if Lucy was lying about something.

This was more of a gut feeling than intuition.

It was Frien’s unique discernment, which was not always accurate but generally correct.

“Lieutenant Lucy? I grew up under my father, who is a priest. So I attended worship services every day. After the service, people who wanted to confess their wrongdoings usually stayed behind. They would go in to confess to my father.”

Lucy, taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation, stopped organizing the documents.

“So, as a child, I used to play a game guessing who among the many people attending the service would go in for confession. My accuracy was quite high. No matter how devoutly and earnestly someone prayed, there would always be a shadow over the faces of those hiding sins.”

Thud. Lucy closed the documents and stared silently at Frien.

Frien also met Lucy’s gaze without looking away.

Tick—

After a silence so thick that the ticking of the wall clock could be clearly heard, Frien walked over to where Lucy was sitting and placed her hands on the desk.

“Strangely enough, I see a shadow on your face, Lieutenant.”

Slowly lowering her head, Frien stared intently at Lucy’s face.

Their indifferent gazes met, freezing the space between them.

In that tense atmosphere, Frien quietly parted her lips.

“On your face, Lieutenant, there’s a shadow.”