chapter_0059

58 – Is it acceptable for politicians to behave so rudely?

58 – Is it acceptable for politicians to behave so rudely?

After spending the whole day playing with the children, Daniel Steiner decided to leave the monastery in the evening.

In the process, Hieronymi, the head of the monastery, and the children tried to persuade him to stay the night, but Daniel steadfastly refused.

He had booked a separate accommodation, and he also had somewhere to be today.

Hieronymi, who had a rough idea of where he was going, didn’t press Daniel any further.

The place Daniel arrived at after leaving the monastery was ‘Jack’s Restaurant’.

Located in the center of town, Jack’s Restaurant had a shabby exterior, but inside, it was a popular restaurant bustling with customers.

‘A place of memories. It really feels like I’m back home.’

When he was young, Daniel had been indebted to Jack’s Restaurant several times.

During his turbulent adolescence, when he ran away from the stifling life at the monastery, Jack, the owner of the restaurant, always welcomed him with a smile.

Lost in memories, Daniel stared up at the crude wooden sign for a while before moving his feet.

Opening the door to the restaurant, he saw employees busily serving food.

“Yes! I’ll be right there!”

“Sausage and pretzel? Got it! Just a moment, please!”

“Fried potatoes and a beer here!”

Even after a long time, it was still a lively place.

Daniel, careful not to disturb the employees, quietly moved and sat down at an empty table.

Taking off his Officer’s cap and placing it on the table, an employee approached with an order pad.

“Hello! Welcome to Jack’s Restaurant! It’s been a while since an Officer has visited our place…”

The employee, who was greeting him as usual, stared blankly with his mouth open when he saw Daniel’s face.

Blinking a few times as if he couldn’t believe it, the employee suddenly raised his voice.

“Oppa! Is that really you!? Oh my god! Am I dreaming?”

This freckled employee’s name was Nemerim.

She was also a younger sister who had lived together in the monastery for quite a long time.

Daniel smiled at Nemerim’s fuss and began to speak.

“It’s been a while. I heard you left the monastery and became independent, so I came to visit, but it seems I don’t have to worry about you. You’ve matured a lot in the last two years.”

Nemerim, who was happy to see him, burst into laughter.

“You too, Oppa. You look a little sharper and more decadent? Ah! In a good way, of course! Anyway, it’s so good to see you again. It would have been nice if Jack was here too.”

“Is he not here now?”

“Yeah. He’s off work. He’s been getting off work early these days, I guess they’re having a good time. He said they’re going to have a fourth child or something.”

“A fourth? At his age?”

Daniel asked in disbelief, and Nemerim giggled, covering her mouth.

“Age doesn’t matter in love, right? I think it’s a little romantic, though?”

“Well, I can’t really argue with that…”

“Right? And also… Oh, look at me. You must be hungry, let’s get you something to eat first? What would you like to order? No, let me guess!”

Nemerim stroked her chin and pondered, then snapped her fingers.

“Sausage and beer! Right? You used to sneak sausages from Jack when you were little. And you asked for a sip of beer when you saw the adults drinking it.”

“How long ago was that? Why are you still bringing it up?”

“Ahaha! Seeing you embarrassed confirms that you’re the Oppa I know. So, should I bring you sausage and beer?”

Daniel nodded, and Nemerim told him to wait a moment before heading to the kitchen.

Daniel, thinking that she was always a lively girl, smiled secretly.

‘…Huh?’

A middle-aged man in a dark brown coat was approaching.

At first, he thought he was looking for an empty table, but that wasn’t the case.

The man was staring at Daniel and continued to walk towards him.

Eventually, the man sat down opposite Daniel.

As a result, Daniel couldn’t help but be taken aback.

‘What is this?’

His confusion about the man who sat down without asking if he could join him grew.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, the man looked around and began to speak.

“Major Daniel Steiner. This seat is uncomfortable, so I’ll get straight to the point. What was the intention behind what you said to us at the monastery today?”

The man’s identity was Morten Blackmore, the head of the ‘Dawn’s Light’, a secret organization under the Prince.

Of course, Daniel had no way of knowing that.

‘The monastery today? The only person I spoke to at the monastery…’

Apart from Hieronymi and the children, it was just one council member from the city council.

‘Is he from the city council? Did he take my words about taking care of the monastery as offensive?’

Considering how flustered Hieronymi was, they must have been talking about the budget related to donations.

‘He must think I’m putting pressure on the city council.’

It was such an absurd misunderstanding that Daniel chuckled softly.

“There seems to have been a miscommunication. I simply wanted cooperation. There was no other intention.”

Morten’s eyebrow twitched at the word cooperation.

It was called cooperation, but it was no different from saying, ‘Betray the Prince and come under me.’

“Are you seriously saying that now? Do you think that’s even possible?”

“Oh dear. You’re overreacting. It’s not impossible.”

Morten gritted his teeth.

‘Bastard. He’s mocking us.’

He thought he could at least have a conversation, but Daniel was more arrogant and self-righteous than he had imagined.

Realizing what kind of person Daniel was, Morten jumped up from his seat.

“This was a waste of time. Prepare for war. Even if you’re the opponent, we won’t back down.”

Daniel, seeing Morten growling, unknowingly raised the corners of his mouth.

From Daniel’s point of view, Morten’s words were too much of an exaggeration.

“War? Can you even call this war?”

Politicians have a habit of exaggerating ordinary words.

He was using the metaphor of ‘war’ over a mere budget issue, which was absurd.

Daniel waved his hand and chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair.

“I’ll understand if you think it’s a bad joke…”

As a result, Morten couldn’t help but sweat.

He couldn’t understand Daniel, who treated the declaration of all-out war as a simple joke.

Daniel, who had been laughing for a while, slowly raised his head.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t war.”

Daniel looked up at Morten and whispered.

“It’s just a simple coordination of opinions.”

Morten gasped involuntarily.

That snake-like voice felt like a kind of threat attacking his mind.

Those black eyes, which seemed to see through everything, looked like an abyss.

He felt a fear that he might be devoured if he stayed here any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Morten forced himself to move and passed by Daniel.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, being so rude to me.”

From behind, Daniel’s voice sounded eerie.

“I hope you make the right choice.”

He didn’t have the courage to turn around.

Forcibly suppressing the uneasy feeling, Morten gritted his teeth and walked resolutely to leave the restaurant.

*

At the same time, at the Dawn’s Light headquarters located in the basement of a shopping district.

─ Suspicious individuals are approaching en masse! Damn it! Who the hell are those guys!?

The hands of the informants operating the telex stopped at the voice coming from the walkie-talkie tuned to the frequency.

─ It’s hard to identify them because they’re all covering their faces. Wait a minute, that’s… Shit! Guns! Armed forces! Those bastards! I told you not to get caught from behind!

Everyone was bewildered by the continuous radio messages, wondering what was going on, but Mabel, who had disguised herself as a wealthy man yesterday to monitor Daniel, clutched her head.

“It’s Daniel Steiner…! They’re the guys he sent! They’re trying to annihilate us!”

Despite Mabel’s shouts, the informants were all unaware of the situation and just looked at each other.

That’s when it happened.

Bang─

When a gunshot rang out from the ground, the informants each took out their pistols and began to burn the documents.

“Shit! We’ve been discovered! Burn all the documents!”

“Bring the guns! We have to guard the entrance!”

They were moving quickly, as expected of trained individuals, but Mabel crawled under the desk and just shook her head.

“It’s over. You stupid bastards…”

Those are the armed forces that Daniel Steiner commands.

There’s no way we can stand against them with ordinary methods.

While Mabel was trembling, a few more gunshots rang out from the ground.

Then, the iron door leading to the basement slammed open!

After the loud noise passed, everyone held their breath and stared only at the entrance.

A heavy atmosphere filled with tension descended.

“When is the Chief of Staff coming back?”

“We need someone to give us instructions…”

Just as everyone was looking at each other, Mabel closed her eyes tightly and shouted.

“You idiots! Don’t you understand yet!? Daniel Steiner intended to do this from the beginning! He took the Chief of Staff out to break the chain of command and then wipe us out in one fell swoop!”

Morten, who went to meet Daniel without knowing that, had put his head in the crocodile’s mouth.

Now that everything was clear, Mabel sobbed softly when three grenades were thrown into the basement in quick succession.

The startled informants hid behind the desks, but the grenades didn’t explode.

Fwoosh─

However, they could only hear the sound of gas leaking.

But they could only hear the sound, and they couldn’t see the gas spreading.

One of the informants, who was blankly watching the scene, coughed and soon collapsed to the floor.

Mabel, seeing that, muttered.

“Colorless with an almond scent… Shit! It’s sleep paralysis gas! Don’t breathe it in… Cough!”

Mabel, with her hand on the floor, covered her nose and mouth with her other hand and crawled on the floor.

She thought she had to escape through the emergency exit somehow.

But the next moment.

Tap tap tap tap tap─

The sound of military boots began to be heard in succession, and armed forces rushed in through the entrance.

Those wearing gas masks quickly took over the surroundings and began to hit the heads of those who were still conscious with the butts of their rifles.

The black man who was leading them quietly gave an order.

“Knock everyone unconscious and bind them. You may kill anyone who resists.”

Her vision was gradually blurring.

Mabel, who was drooling and coughing, soon collapsed to the floor.

“All of this is…”

The voice inside the gas mask sounded thicker.

In her fading consciousness, she could see the black man approaching.

He raised the butt of his rifle towards Mabel.

“…For Daniel Steiner.”

The next moment, with a thud, Mabel’s consciousness went dark.

Author’s Note

Thank you, I542, for the 50 coin donation! I’m so happy that you said it’s a good work. I will do my best to make sure you continue to think it’s a good work in the future! Thank you!

Dear readers! Today is Friday! Tomorrow is the weekend! Have a great day today and a happy weekend!

Then let’s meet again tomorrow!