chapter_0081

80 – Unexpected Fortune

80 – Unexpected Fortune

Ten days later, in the western part of the Empire.

The port city of Lost Belamont.

“Is the ship ready?”

At the words of Hamtal, the leader of the Black Swan Secret Society, a man wearing a robe nodded his head.

“Yes. I’ve finished speaking with the captain of the merchant ship. Since the immigration inspection isn’t strict, if we prepare the right bribes for the officials, we should be able to bring about thirty people in under false identities.”

“Thirty people, huh. That’s fewer than I expected, so let’s only take the elite.”

“Understood.”

The man, who answered without further comment, turned his gaze toward the coast.

Perhaps because the weather was clear today, the warm sunlight was brightly illuminating the entire sea.

As he admired the various ships anchored on the water, the man spoke up.

“I wonder if Colonel Daniel has arrived in Bellanos by now.”

At the man’s question, Hamtal shook his head.

“He left last night, so he should be entering Bellanos’s territorial waters by now. Considering the distance from Lost Belamont to Bellanos, he should arrive shortly.”

“I see. But I hope nothing goes wrong before he arrives.”

Hamtal remained silent, perhaps unable to give a definite answer to this question.

‘Something feels off…’

Having heard the news that Daniel was dispatched to Bellanos as a diplomatic envoy, Hamtal had arrived here a few days ago to assess the situation.

He was worried that there might be a group trying to assassinate Daniel outside the Empire.

Fortunately, there were no signs of any assassination attempts on Daniel here, but after confirming the ship Daniel was scheduled to board, Hamtal was engulfed by an inexplicable sense of unease.

‘There was definitely no escort ship.’

It was common not to send an escort ship for diplomatic vessels when traveling to a nearby place like Bellanos, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too careless for a hero of the Empire to board without protection.

‘It’s almost as if they’re inviting an attack…’

Shaking his head as he continued his thoughts, Hamtal realized that he was being overly logical.

Still, the unease that had formed in his heart did not dissipate.

‘If only I could be by Colonel Daniel’s side to provide protection…’

Diplomatic vessels could only be boarded by government officials or individuals invited by the government.

If he had a bit more time to prepare, he would have disguised himself to board, but since he learned just a few days ago that Daniel had been appointed as a diplomatic envoy, Hamtal had no choice but to take a step back.

‘Still…’

It was fortunate, at least, that he had managed to strike a deal with the captain of the merchant ship heading to Bellanos, albeit belatedly.

The merchant ship was departing today, so he would be able to catch up with Daniel Steiner relatively quickly.

Then, just like he had done in the southern part of the Empire, he could provide protection for Daniel Steiner.

‘So please…’

Hamtal hoped that nothing would go wrong on the diplomatic vessel that Daniel was on.

–

Meanwhile, Daniel was on the deck, savoring the sea breeze while holding onto the railing.

As the cool, salty wind brushed against his face, a smile naturally spread across his lips.

Feeling so good that he almost wanted to greet the dolphins swimming alongside the ship.

“The weather is nice. The wind is nice. No lieutenant around. Everything is perfect today.”

Just the absence of a lieutenant trying to take his life brought him such a profound sense of psychological stability.

Moreover, there was no Selvia, whose intentions he couldn’t discern, nor the Emperor, who kept a watchful eye on him.

There weren’t even the noisy nobles or the perpetually dissatisfied politicians.

For Daniel, it was truly a paradise on earth.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying in Bellanos, but during my stay, I’ll enjoy peace to the fullest.”

Although he had been dispatched as a diplomatic envoy, it wasn’t typical to start work on the day of arrival.

After the official welcome ceremony, the Bellanos government usually allowed a day or two for the envoy to recover from their journey, so there would be plenty of time for sightseeing.

“Should I check out the famous dessert shop first? I heard that Bellanos is famous for trifle.”

Trifle, which consists of layers of custard and fruit topped with cream, was one of the desserts Daniel personally wanted to try.

“There are shops in the Empire that make trifle, but the taste from the mainland must be different.”

As he licked his lips and admired the sea view, Daniel suddenly halted.

He had spotted something rising close to the surface of the water a little distance away from the ship.

At first, he thought it might be a whale, but whales don’t move so steadily.

Finding it strange, Daniel scrutinized the shadow beneath the surface and broke into a cold sweat.

‘Could it be…’

He began to entertain the thought that it might be an enemy submarine.

‘If my guess isn’t just a delusion…’

If a submarine was floating near the surface, it was preparing to launch a torpedo.

Due to the technological limitations of the torpedo launch systems of this era, it had to surface to attack enemy vessels.

‘But…’

Would they really attack a diplomatic vessel heading to a neutral country? Unable to comprehend this, Daniel released his grip from the railing and quickly turned to head back.

If that was indeed a submarine, he had to inform the captain.

As Daniel hurriedly made his way to the captain’s quarters, he suddenly heard a dull thud.

Then the ship shook, causing Daniel to lose his balance.

In that moment of realization, a loud warning alarm began to blare from inside the ship.

Wiiiiiing—

As the emergency siren sounded, those on the deck, who had been enjoying the sea view, panicked and screamed.

Some were so flustered that they didn’t know what to do.

Suppressing his urge to panic, Daniel approached them.

“Enemy attack! But please, calm down for now! Hold onto the railing as tightly as you can, children and women, and men, follow me to get life jackets and lifeboats…”

Before he could finish his sentence, another torpedo struck the ship.

Boom!

An explosion far louder than the previous one erupted, sending flames soaring.

As the ship shook violently, Daniel lost his balance and fell backward.

In the blink of an eye, Daniel was flung over the railing, staring blankly.

‘Ah.’

What Daniel saw as he fell into the sea was the ship slowly tilting amidst the flames.

The next moment.

Splash!

Daniel’s body was engulfed by the ocean’s currents.

–

A few hours later.

On a deserted coastline, waves rolled ashore and gently broke.

Daniel, who had been lying on the boundary between land and sea, opened his eyes slowly.

As he regained consciousness, he coughed up seawater before he could even focus his vision.

Struggling to lift his upper body with one arm, Daniel bent his head toward the sandy beach, repeatedly coughing and retching.

After several minutes of expelling the water from his stomach, Daniel looked around with dazed eyes.

Aside from the mechanical debris and metal fragments that had washed ashore, there was no one else.

Holding his throbbing head, Daniel lifted his gaze to survey the area further.

He spotted a single abandoned fishing boat and a hut.

As he widened his view, he saw a landscape in the distance where buildings appeared to be clustered together, looking smaller than his pinky nail.

‘…It’s not an uninhabited island.’

It seemed he had washed ashore in Bellanos.

Feeling relieved by this fact, Daniel suddenly clenched his fist.

‘Those crazy bastards…! Attacking a diplomatic vessel just to catch me?’

In Daniel’s mind, the one orchestrating this incident was undoubtedly Count Caledra.

He was notorious for using any means necessary to achieve his goals.

Considering the recent assassination attempt on Lucy, it was easy to deduce that this incident was also the work of Caledra.

With his teeth clenched in anger, Daniel gathered his strength and rose from his spot.

‘I’ll make you regret not killing me. You won’t get a second chance.’

With his eyes narrowed sharply, Daniel raised his hand and threw his head back.

After shedding his waterlogged officer’s coat, Daniel began to walk with heavy steps.

Knowing that he was in Bellanos, his purpose and direction were clear.

‘I need to reveal my identity as a diplomatic envoy at the nearby city hall and borrow communication. The Empire probably doesn’t know I’m alive, so I have to inform them directly. That way, requesting support will be easier…’

A crack appeared in Daniel’s frowning expression.

‘…The Empire doesn’t know I’m alive?’

Logically thinking, it would be easy to assume that there wouldn’t be any survivors from a ship that had been sunk by two torpedoes.

As this thought crossed his mind, Daniel stopped in his tracks on the sandy beach.

His face momentarily went blank as he stood there.

Swoosh—

Hearing the sound of the refreshing waves on the white sand, Daniel felt his heart race with a sudden realization.

‘Wait a minute. This means…’

Had he successfully escaped the Empire?

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

Dear readers! How is everyone enjoying their weekend?

I hope my work contributes to your enjoyment.

Thank you for reading today, and I’ll see you again tomorrow!