chapter_0079

78 – Daniel Just Wants a Simple Job

78 – Daniel Just Wants a Simple Job

As morning arrived, Daniel Steiner took a deep breath in front of his personal office at the headquarters.

The thought of facing Lucy, who had come to assassinate him early this morning and then left, made him unnecessarily tense.

“Calm down, Daniel.”

From Lucy’s perspective, Daniel had been “asleep” this morning.

If it were to be revealed that he hadn’t actually been sleeping, it would naturally lead to trouble in various ways.

Thus, it was best to act as naturally as possible to avoid suspicion.

Reassuring himself that he could do it, Daniel turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Upon entering the office, he saw Lucy, who had arrived earlier, standing up and saluting.

“Welcome, Colonel Daniel.”

Her expression was as indifferent as usual.

“……It’s hard to believe she’s the one who came to kill me this morning.”

It was a stark reminder of how capable Lucy was as a spy.

Feeling a strange chill, Daniel nodded and walked toward his desk.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, placing his briefcase on the desk as he spoke.

“By the way, Lieutenant. May I ask you a personal question?”

Lucy, now seated, turned to look at Daniel.

“Yes. Is there something you’re curious about?”

“Right. Do you remember the conversation we had two days ago?”

“If it was two days ago… are you referring to the conversation we had at the entrance of the headquarters?”

Daniel nodded.

“At that time, you mentioned that the Golden Rose Bakery was selling Stollen for Christmas. When I checked, I found out that there would be a lot of customers during Christmas, so reservations need to be made in advance. If you’re free, would you like me to make a reservation? Also…”

Daniel, who was afraid to meet her gaze, fumbled through his briefcase.

“It would be a shame to part ways after just eating Stollen on Christmas, so we should look for other entertainment as well. As you know, other shops also operate on a reservation basis during Christmas, so it’s best to prepare now. So, please make your intentions clear.”

As Daniel took out the necessary items from his briefcase, he glanced at Lucy.

‘If Lucy asks me to make a reservation…’

It could be interpreted as her having no assassination plans until after Christmas.

If she refused, it would imply that she was considering attempting to assassinate him again before Christmas.

Of course, she could answer falsely, but in that case, there would be subtle changes in Lucy’s expression, burdened with guilt, making it easy to see through her.

As Daniel watched Lucy with great caution, she was interpreting his proposal in another way.

“Suggesting we enjoy other entertainment together instead of just having a meal…”

It was undeniably a date invitation.

“……Does Daniel have feelings for me?”

Thinking back, it was impossible to hide the fact that he had saved her from the Security Agency and kept her identity as a spy secret without some level of affection.

“However…”

Lucy had never been on a date.

Naturally, this was the first time she had received a date invitation.

Her heart began to race as she didn’t know how to respond.

Fidgeting with her fountain pen, Lucy nodded slightly.

“……I don’t have anything particular to do at that time, so I think it would be fine for you to make the reservation.”

It was a sincere yet passive acceptance.

Thanks to that, Daniel felt a sense of relief as he set down his briefcase.

“Then I’ll make the reservation, so don’t change your mind when the time comes. And…”

As Daniel was about to elaborate on their plans for Christmas, he paused.

He heard familiar footsteps from the hallway outside the office.

Knock, knock—

As the knocking sound echoed, Daniel stood up in advance and said,

“Come in.”

As soon as Daniel finished speaking, the door opened, and Ernst entered.

With a robust figure, Ernst opened his mouth before Daniel could even salute.

“Daniel! This isn’t the time to be sitting around! You need to head to the reception room right now!”

Daniel, somewhat puzzled, lowered the arm he had raised for a salute.

“Director, I believe the protocol for receiving guests is handled by the General Affairs Department. Why do I need to go to the reception room…?”

“Because that guest specifically called for you!”

“Called for me? If it’s nobles from the Imperial City or politicians from the Parliament, I don’t see why I need to meet them.”

Ernst, looking frustrated, thumped his chest and said,

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have mentioned it! The guest who called for you is none other than Her Highness the Princess!”

Daniel blinked in surprise, feeling flustered.

‘Why is Selvia here?’

Swallowing hard, Daniel hurriedly moved his feet.

He didn’t know the reason, but it was a summons from a princess, and he couldn’t refuse.

“Director, please let me know in advance next time that it was Her Highness the Princess who called for me.”

It was a bit of an unnecessary complaint directed at Ernst.

–

Arriving at the reception room at a brisk pace, Daniel saw Selvia sitting on a sofa.

On the opposite sofa sat Cedric, the Deputy Chief of Operations.

As Daniel approached, having seen the two engaged in conversation, he saluted.

“Your Highness the Princess. I heard you called for me.”

Setting down her cup, Selvia turned to Daniel and awkwardly cleared her throat.

Seeing his face, she almost smiled out of joy without realizing it.

Thinking she needed to maintain her dignity as the future empress, Selvia spoke somewhat sternly.

“I have something important to discuss. Will you sit?”

“It’s alright. Since I came during work hours, I think I should head back up right after hearing what you have to say.”

Daniel knew from his experience with the total war speech that there was no benefit in having a long conversation with Selvia.

Thus, he politely declined.

Selvia felt a bit dissatisfied with that but didn’t show it and said,

“Then listen while standing. Daniel Steiner, the royal family was deeply moved by your total war speech. So, I’d like to make you a good proposal this time.”

“A proposal?”

“The Empire is currently pushing forward various public works with the money from war bonds. Moreover, thanks to the bond sales exceeding our previous expectations, we are looking to proceed with additional projects.”

Selvia looked up at Daniel with meaningful eyes.

“I intend to grant authority to Colonel Daniel regarding this. I’m talking about the authority to conceive projects and act as the person in charge.”

“……Your Highness? Isn’t that too heavy a responsibility for a mere operations officer?”

“Neither I nor the royal family sees you as just a mere operations officer. So, I would like you to speak your mind without holding back.”

While Selvia was smiling, it was a test for Daniel.

If Daniel were indeed the wolf that would devour the Empire, he would likely seize this opportunity to engage in matters of state importance to strengthen his influence.

On the other hand, Daniel saw this as a good opportunity to escape the Empire, even if just for a moment.

“Your Highness, if that’s the case, I would like to be appointed as the ambassador to Bellanos.”

“……Bellanos?”

Bellanos was a neutral country located to the west of the Empire, across the sea.

Selvia, confused by Daniel’s desire to go there as an ambassador, asked back.

However, Daniel explained in a serious tone why he wanted to go to Bellanos.

“Yes. As you know, the Empire will soon have to face the three nations. Therefore, what the Empire needs most right now is weapons and manpower. I believe it would be right to go to Bellanos to import weapons and hire mercenaries.”

That wasn’t incorrect.

This was something the Empire’s leadership had also been considering.

However, there were plenty of people who could be appointed as ambassadors to Bellanos.

It was something that could be done by anyone other than Daniel Steiner.

So, Selvia found it perplexing that he would want to do it himself.

“Really? So… you mean you want to be dispatched as an ambassador to Bellanos?”

“Yes. I’m serious.”

From Daniel’s perspective, he wanted to “run away” to Bellanos right away.

Look at the domestic situation.

Politicians and nobles were eager to devour Daniel, the Emperor was on guard with some misunderstanding, and his aide Lucy was out for his life.

He couldn’t shake the feeling of being in the eye of a storm.

Thus, Daniel thought of pretending to carry out diplomatic duties while temporarily escaping abroad.

Of course, Selvia, unaware of Daniel’s true intentions, couldn’t fathom what he was thinking.

After a moment of contemplation, Selvia nodded in understanding.

“It seems your resolve is firm, so I will consider it positively. Now, you may go back.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Bowing his head in respect, Daniel turned to leave.

As Selvia watched his neat figure, she turned to Cedric, who was sitting opposite her.

“……What do you think?”

Cedric, who had been listening to their conversation, replied.

“I believe it is indeed a wise decision.”

Cedric rarely smiled.

“Daniel Steiner has a history of subduing Duke Belvar with the backing of Her Highness’s authority. Therefore, he has certainly earned the ire of the nobles and the politicians who operate with their money.”

Cedric, holding a pair of tongs, dropped a sugar cube into his coffee.

“Thanks to this total war speech, that ire must have reached its peak. They likely see Daniel Steiner as a threat to their positions. Among the more extreme among them, some might even be advocating for Daniel Steiner to be politically isolated.”

With a graceful gesture, Cedric stirred his coffee with a spoon.

“Even the Emperor is rumored to be wary of Daniel Steiner. What do you think will happen if Daniel tries to expand his influence by meddling in matters of state in this situation?”

“……The politicians and nobles might unite to attack Colonel Daniel.”

“Exactly. So, Daniel is trying to quell their discontent by being appointed as the ambassador to Bellanos, a lowly position, and disappearing from the Imperial City.”

The sugar cube dissolved slowly in the coffee.

“If their discontent subsides, there may arise an opinion among the members of parliament that Daniel is not acting for personal gain but is genuinely working for the country. If that happens…”

Cedric removed his spoon and picked up a napkin to wipe the coffee-stained part.

“There will inevitably be factional strife. For instance, the Central National Party and the Liberty Socialist Party, which have differing ideologies, will clash. This is what we call ‘using the enemy’s enemy as a weapon.’ For Daniel Steiner, it would be like blowing his nose without using his hands.”

Setting down his spoon, Cedric took a sip of his coffee and placed the cup down.

“Of course, all of this is just my speculation, but I can’t find any other reason for Daniel to choose the lowly position of ambassador to Bellanos.”

Having listened to Cedric’s entire account, Selvia broke into a cold sweat without realizing it.

If Cedric’s words were true, then Daniel was indeed a dangerous person, just as her father had said.

However, it was too early to jump to conclusions.

“……Do you think Colonel Daniel’s loyalty to the royal family appears to be false?”

Cedric blinked once and shook his head.

“In my view, Daniel Steiner’s loyalty is genuine. It would be unreasonable to see everything as actions for his own selfish desires. However, I’m not sure whether this loyalty is directed towards the royal family or the Empire itself.”

If Daniel Steiner’s loyalty was directed towards the royal family, there would be no problem.

But what if that loyalty lay with the great Empire… in other words, the development of the nation itself?

The moment Daniel Steiner judged the royal family to be incompetent, the consequences would not be pleasant.

“Your Highness.”

Cedric, looking at Selvia with his characteristic sharp gaze, earnestly advised her.

“You must win Daniel Steiner’s heart as soon as possible. If you fail to win his heart…”

After a brief pause, Cedric continued.

“You will have an opponent more troublesome than the Allied Nations within your own ranks.”