chapter_0041

40 – The Leader of the Secret Society is Confused

40 – The Leader of the Secret Society is Confused

Ten days later.

I was walking around the outskirts of the city with the officers and soldiers under the pretext of a city patrol.

Why patrol the outskirts, you ask? I thought it would be easier to hear the citizens’ complaints and grievances there than in the central area where the stationed troops were based.

But there was nothing.

I was straining my ears as I walked, but there were no complaints about the stationed troops.

Occasionally, some citizens who spotted me would make strange faces and simply bow their heads as they passed by.

“Hmm. This is rather…”

It seemed they were holding back their words out of fear that they might be arrested for speaking ill of the stationed troops.

Or perhaps the rumor that I, the temporary commander of the stationed troops, was patrolling had spread in the streets beforehand.

If not that, it wouldn’t make sense for them not to resist the tyranny I had enacted.

Understanding the situation, I nodded once and turned to Lucy.

“Lieutenant. What is the evaluation of the Nordian citizens regarding the stationed troops? I think you would know better than I, having been out in the field more than sitting at a desk for the past ten days.”

Lucy thought for a moment before replying.

“There are some complaints, but overall, there is a mood of acceptance towards the occupation of the city by the stationed troops.”

“…Acceptance? Of the stationed troops?”

“Yes. Thanks to the appropriate measures taken by the Major, public services in the city have been quickly restored, and the paralyzed administrative system is gradually finding its footing again. Moreover, reports indicate that the crime rate has decreased compared to before the occupation.”

It made sense since I had ordered the patrols to be strengthened and public services to be urgently revitalized.

However, the fact that citizens were accepting the stationed troops was another matter.

Typically, in the early stages of an occupation, it was common for citizens to be filled with anger.

“And in a normal city, they should be resisting the tax rates and forced military service I imposed, right?”

Was there something I was overlooking? Just as I was about to ask Lucy about it, a young man shouted.

“This is too much! The daily wage has decreased compared to yesterday!”

My attention naturally turned to the sound of his loud voice.

In front of the reconstruction site of the watchtower, a middle manager seemed to be in a standoff with a Black man.

The middle manager frowned in annoyance and crossed his arms.

“Hey. You should be grateful that I’m even employing you. Or do you want to lose that wage too?”

“I appreciate being employed, but this is unacceptable! If you take half of my wage, how am I supposed to feed my family…!”

The atmosphere was clearly tense.

Wanting to understand the situation, I walked towards them.

“If you want to feed your family, then work overtime. Why are you causing a fuss with me…”

The middle manager turned his head towards me upon hearing my footsteps.

Seeing me with armed soldiers and military officers, he quickly bowed his head.

“Co-Commander! Wh-what brings you to this humble place…!”

“I don’t think it’s humble. My hometown was worse than this. But more importantly, what is going on that you are arguing with a laborer?”

“Ah, well, you see, this guy keeps making a fuss about not being paid properly.”

The middle manager spoke while glancing at the man, causing me to tilt my head in confusion.

“The stationed troops appointed you as a middle manager to ensure proper payment. Why on earth are you not paying him fully? Is this guy slacking off?”

“What? No. That’s not it. He works diligently.”

“Then why isn’t he being paid properly?”

“You know, Commander, he’s Black.”

What? I thought I had misheard due to the casual way it was said.

After a moment of silence, I asked again to confirm if I had heard correctly.

“You didn’t pay him properly because he’s Black?”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s ridiculous that the son of a former slave is pretending to be a free citizen. Historically, in the kingdom, people of color are considered third-class citizens…”

I raised my hand to stop the middle manager’s words.

There was no need to hear more.

“You’re speaking such disgusting words. Are you invoking the laws of the kingdom while serving in the imperial military? Or are you trying to insult His Majesty the Emperor, who forbids discrimination based on status and race?”

The middle manager’s eyes widened in shock.

Stammering with his mouth agape, he quickly clasped his hands together.

“No! That was not my intention at all! I was, I was just…!”

“Shut your filthy mouth. Not only have you disobeyed my order to pay him properly, but you have also insulted the sacred laws set by His Majesty the Emperor. Soldier, bind this man.”

“Yes!” Two soldiers responded energetically and rushed forward, kicking the middle manager’s legs out from under him.

“Ugh!”

As he was forced to kneel, one soldier twisted his arms behind his back.

Immediately after, they pulled out a rope and bound his wrists.

“Commander! Ugh! I had no intention of doing that…!”

The middle manager cried out in desperation, but I didn’t even glance at him.

Letting out a low sigh, I turned to the Black man who was sweating profusely beside me.

“You.”

The Black man quickly stood at attention, as if he realized he might also be bound.

He looked terrified, as if he knew he had done nothing wrong but was still afraid.

“From now on, you are the middle manager of this area.”

“…What? Co-Commander, I cannot take such a high position.”

“Who are you to say that?”

The Black man hesitated for a moment before responding.

“My name is Danel.”

“Good. Danel. I don’t care at all that you are a person of color or that your father was a slave. What matters is that you have worked diligently and yet have not received proper payment. I am here to rectify that.”

I placed my hand on Danel’s shoulder.

“This is an order. From today, you will supervise the laborers as a middle manager and ensure they are paid properly. If anyone protests unfairly against you, seek help from the stationed troops.”

Tears welled up in Danel’s eyes upon hearing my words.

Trying to hide his overwhelming emotions, he bit his lip and bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Commander!”

I nodded once and turned to leave.

Then, I suddenly paused.

The officers and soldiers looking at me had faint smiles on their faces.

A chill ran down my spine, and I quickened my pace.

“Let’s go back. It’s getting cold.”

As I walked ahead, the officers and soldiers followed.

I tried to ignore it as much as possible, but I could hear the officers whispering behind me.

“The Commander is truly impeccable. I never knew his loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor was this high.”

“Surely His Majesty awarded the Commander the Order of National Security Merit for a reason? He is a model soldier. Just being near him is an honor.”

It was Sergeant Glendy and Lieutenant Mckell.

“Indeed, Major Daniel is like a saint sent by God. Honestly, if he were another imperial citizen, he wouldn’t have cared at all. Right, Lieutenant Lucy?”

“Yes. That’s certainly true…”

It was Frien and Lucy.

As Lucy responded, Frien seemed excited and clasped her hands together.

“The two things I hate the most are racists and citizens of the Allied Nations. Both are close to beasts in that regard.”

…When will she realize that she’s not in her right mind?

–

Meanwhile, in the hideout of the Black Swan Secret Society.

On the third floor of a building disguised as an ordinary general store, telex machines and radios lined the walls.

As the members of the society moved about, their leader, Hamtal, sat at a desk, pressing his temples.

“Daniel Steiner is the leader of the occupying forces that have taken over the city. He is naturally a target that must be eliminated. But…”

The citizens had begun to accept the stationed troops.

The anger that had been boiling over gradually subsided as they heard about Daniel Steiner’s urban plans.

Hamtal was no different.

As he observed the policies Daniel proposed, the question arose: “Must he really be eliminated?”

“However, since he is the leader of a foreign army…”

It was uncertain when he would remove his mask and oppress the citizens of the city.

Thus, it would be wise to eliminate him.

Resolutely, Hamtal opened a drawer and took out a revolver.

Just as he was checking the cartridges, he heard familiar footsteps.

Looking up to identify the source, he saw Tarki, who had delivered information to the council yesterday.

Tarki, seemingly out of breath from running, finally caught his breath and spoke.

“Hamtal! The stationed troops have issued a new order towards the citizens!”

“…An order? What kind of order?”

If they were planning to oppress the citizens, there was no time to waste.

As tension filled the air, Tarki opened his mouth.

“From now on, any discrimination against people of color within the city will be punished according to imperial law.”

Hamtal, having closed the revolver’s chamber, paused.

“…They will prohibit racial discrimination?”

“Yes. I also heard that one of the local middle managers assisting the imperial military has been appointed as a Black man.”

Upon hearing Tarki’s words, Hamtal inadvertently dropped the revolver.

‘This can’t be…’

For the past ten years, Hamtal had sought to eliminate the racial discrimination perpetuated by the Nordian aristocracy.

The Black Swan Secret Society was founded precisely in opposition to racial discrimination.

Yet Hamtal’s hopes had not been realized.

Though he had once succeeded in bribing politicians to rise to the position of mayor, the mayor had continued his autocratic ways, failing to uphold the promises made to the Black Swan.

However, Hamtal did not give up and continued to fight for freedom and equality.

‘Yet there had been no progress…’

The wish that seemed unattainable was being fulfilled by Daniel Steiner.

An unprecedented emotion filled his heart, causing confusion in his mind.

With a furrowed brow and heavy breaths, Hamtal raised his hand to wipe his face.

“Thank you for the news. It seems I must verify what kind of person Daniel Steiner is directly.”

“…Are you going to reveal your identity?”

“No. I will merely observe from the sidelines. I need to determine whether the policies he has shown are a temporary deception aimed at soothing the public sentiment of the city.”

If it were a temporary deception, he would naturally be a target that must be eliminated.

But if all his actions were genuine, the story would be different.

‘In that case, Daniel Steiner might not be a conqueror here to dominate the city, but…’

He could be a savior trying to liberate the city from the kingdom’s oppression.