chapter_0056

55 – I Think It Would Be Good to Go on Vacation

55 – I Think It Would Be Good to Go on Vacation

A day passed, and early in the morning, as I arrived at the headquarters, I raised my hand to my forehead.

The remnants of alcohol still lingered, causing my head to throb.

“Did I drink too much yesterday?”

It was my fault for being recognized by the bartender when I entered the Officer’s Club.

The bartender, smiling at me, declared, “Today, I will treat the hero of the Empire, Major Daniel Steiner, to free drinks!” and I ended up drinking far more than I could handle.

“At some point, I must have fallen asleep…”

When I regained consciousness, I found myself on the bed in my quarters.

The problem was that I had no memory of how I returned to my quarters.

“I couldn’t have walked back on my own. Did someone help me?”

Feeling like I had inconvenienced someone else made me feel terrible.

With my brows furrowed, I sighed softly as I arrived at my private office and grasped the doorknob.

Upon opening the door, Lucy, dressed neatly as always, was already at work.

She noticed my entrance, stood up, and saluted.

“Major Daniel Steiner, you have arrived.”

…I didn’t think she usually called me by my full name.

There was something oddly stiff about her demeanor.

After a moment of awkwardness, I returned her salute and walked toward my desk.

As I set my briefcase down and sat in front of the desk, Lucy approached me, holding the Imperial Daily.

“Ah. Thank you…”

As I reached out to take the newspaper, for some reason, Lucy didn’t loosen her grip.

Curious about her behavior, I looked up, and Lucy shot me a cold glare.

“Major Daniel Steiner. Alcohol is a matter of personal preference. I believe one can drink as much as they like according to their taste.”

“…Isn’t that right?”

“However, anything in excess is not good for the body. Especially drinking to the point of losing consciousness is not something a military officer of the Empire should exemplify.”

She was absolutely right from start to finish, leaving me no room to argue.

‘But why is she suddenly bringing this up…?’

Could it be that Lucy was the one who brought me back to my quarters? I was puzzled and decided to test her with a question.

“Are you saying I lost consciousness? What happened yesterday?”

Lucy flinched slightly at my words.

She couldn’t meet my gaze.

“…Nothing happened.”

With a tone that seemed to feign ignorance, Lucy released her grip on the newspaper and returned to her seat.

Sitting at her desk, Lucy resumed her work as usual, but for some reason, her ears were flushed.

I looked at her with curiosity, shrugged my shoulders, and opened the newspaper.

As I unfolded it, my photo was prominently displayed on the largest section.

It was a picture taken right after I met His Majesty the Emperor and left the Imperial Palace.

“Hero of the Empire, Major Daniel Steiner! Awarded the National Virtue Medal and the Golden Cross Medal!”

Just seeing the headline made my head spin.

Without even reading the content, I flipped through to look at other articles.

Having been on the battlefield, I had no idea how things were going in the Imperial City, so I wanted to check in on the situation, even if just roughly.

As I read through several articles carefully, I suddenly paused at a specific point.

“Editor Taiden Barcaloi dies of a heart attack at home.”

I knew Taiden Barcaloi well; he was a journalist known for publishing favorable articles about the princess.

His editorial policies and political stance were also focused on supporting the princess.

He could be considered one of the prominent figures in the princess’s faction.

‘Did Taiden die of a heart attack at home?’

In this current climate? That was absurd.

It was more reasonable to assume that the prince’s side had a hand in it.

‘That means…’

The struggle for succession was beginning to become apparent.

The princess was not a fool, so she would surely retaliate.

Thus, it was clear that a bloodbath would soon erupt from beneath the surface.

As long as I was in the Imperial City, I could not escape that bloodbath.

I tapped my fingers on the desk, deep in thought, and folded the newspaper.

How could I protect myself from the waves of the coming era?

After a brief contemplation, I made a decision.

‘Let’s run away.’

If I couldn’t avoid the bloodbath while in the Imperial City, then I would simply leave the city.

Fortunately, I had accumulated reward leave due to consecutive promotions, so there was no problem.

‘The maximum duration of reward leave in the Empire is 30 days…’

If I took leave now and returned, the hierarchy would have been sorted out.

Moreover, by going on leave, I could convey the message that “I have no interest in your succession struggle,” which would serve two purposes.

Of course, if I left for leave unilaterally, Lucy would have to endure overtime and take on my work, but that was unavoidable.

‘It would be strange to consider the circumstances of a spy who is aiming for my life.’

Having made up my mind, I stood up and walked toward the door.

Just before I opened the door, feeling playful, I glanced back at Lucy.

“Officer. I should apologize in advance.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

I looked at Lucy, who had a question mark floating above her head, with a kind expression before leaving my office.

As I entered the operations department, I saluted Ernst in the chief of staff’s office.

Ernst, returning my salute, smiled and opened his mouth.

“Isn’t this our Major Daniel? What brings you to the chief of staff’s office? I thought you could handle work in your private office?”

“Chief, I’m not here to discuss work.”

“Oh? Ah, then are you here to discuss promotions? That matter is already under discussion at higher levels. Don’t worry; there will be good results.”

“That’s not it either.”

Then what on earth was I here for? Ernst looked puzzled.

After a brief pause, I spoke.

“Chief, I would like to take leave.”

Ernst nodded as if he understood.

“Leave, huh? Even you need a break sometimes. How long are you thinking of taking?”

“A month.”

Ernst’s eyes widened in surprise.

He must have been thinking about a week or so, so hearing a month caught him off guard.

“…A month? Are you serious?”

“Yes. I understand that using reward leave allows for long-term leave.”

“That’s not incorrect. It’s not incorrect, but… Hmm. I see. Since you’re asking, I can’t object. I’ll inform the higher-ups.”

I wondered what I would do if he tried to stop me, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

As I let out a sigh of relief, Ernst looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression.

“By the way, you’re applying for quite a long leave. Have you decided on a place to rest?”

A place to rest.

I didn’t have a specific place in mind, but there was somewhere I wanted to go.

“I’m planning to go to my hometown.”

The village of Pianmari in the Barony of Betargen in the southern Empire.

It was my birthplace and the place where my mentor, the head of the monastery, resided.

–

In the southern Empire, Barony of Betargen.

The secret organization under the prince, “Dawn’s Light,” leadership.

Tap tap—

In the dimly lit basement, the mechanical and repetitive clicking of the telex echoed as it transmitted messages.

This was one of the ways the leadership of Dawn’s Light issued orders to the armed groups scattered throughout the Imperial City like a network.

Morten Blackmore, the head of the organization and the chief advisor, watched the informants with a somber gaze.

If any of them were in collusion with the princess’s faction, the organization would crumble from within.

Though that was unlikely, it was not a bad idea to harbor suspicions in such a critical time.

After scanning the informants for a while, Morten clenched his fist.

‘I must do whatever it takes to place the prince on the throne.’

Having chosen to side with the prince, Morten had no other options.

The moment the princess ascended to the throne instead of the prince, both he and the entire organization would be purged.

The assassination of Editor Taiden Barcaloi, who had been raising his voice in support of the princess, was carried out for similar reasons.

‘I cannot allow positive public opinion to flow toward the princess.’

Public opinion is the will of the citizens, and the will of the citizens will inevitably reach the ears of the emperor, who will ultimately choose the successor.

The current emperor was a rare breed, known for implementing groundbreaking policies that prioritized the welfare of the people.

Given his keen interest in the people’s livelihood, he would certainly not ignore public opinion when choosing a successor.

Thus, Morten was doing his utmost to incite the citizens and silence the opposing voices.

This was the best course of action to elevate the incompetent prince to the throne.

‘So far, there have been no issues…’

But since the princess was no fool, she would soon begin to retaliate.

As he pondered what cards the princess might hold, one of the informants suddenly stood up in shock.

Morten frowned at the unexpected behavior.

“What is it?”

The informant read the message he had received again and turned to Morten.

“Chief Advisor, it seems… Daniel Steiner has applied for leave. And unusually, for a month.”

“He can apply for leave. What’s the issue?”

“The place Daniel Steiner has chosen to visit for his leave is…”

The informant swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

“…the very Barony of Betargen where we are located.”

In an instant, all the hands that had been typing on the telex stopped.

Morten also held his breath, his eyes trembling.

‘Could it be… that he is coming to annihilate us while siding with the princess?’

As Morten pondered, a heavy atmosphere pressed down on the leadership.

The fear that the name Daniel Steiner evoked was significant.

After a moment of silence, Morten finally managed to speak.

“The Barony of Betargen is Daniel Steiner’s hometown. He might simply be coming to enjoy his leave. Even if that’s not the case, he likely hasn’t pinpointed our location yet. If he had, he wouldn’t have taken a month of leave.”

Morten, trying to appear calm, looked around at the informants.

“From now on, we will monitor Daniel Steiner’s every move. If he is indeed targeting us, we must be ready to respond at any time. Understood!”

“Yes!” The informants replied energetically and resumed typing.

Morten succeeded in rallying the informants, but he couldn’t calm his trembling hands.

Who was Daniel Steiner? A calculating and cold individual, he was even referred to as the son of Satan by the kingdom’s foreign minister.

Would he really come back to his hometown just to enjoy a vacation? That was absurd by any standard.

It was more accurate to assume that Daniel had discovered the presence of Dawn’s Light leadership here.

‘If Daniel Steiner is indeed targeting us…’

We might be shattered before we even have a chance to confront him.

Suppressing the unknown fear, Morten clenched his fist tightly.

‘Oh God.’

Please grant us the strength to win against the devil.