chapter_0082

81 – Conflicting Joys and Sorrows

81 – Conflicting Joys and Sorrows

A cool breeze from the sea swept through Daniel’s hair, flowing past him.

Standing still on the white sand, feeling the sea breeze, Daniel suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

“It’s almost absurd…”

Shaking his head, Daniel recalled the countless things he had done to escape the Empire.

All those efforts had returned to him as failures, as if it were a cruel joke of fate.

In fact, the more he struggled to escape, the higher his status rose and the more famous he became.

Having experienced such nonsensical situations in succession, Daniel was half-giving up.

He thought it would be impossible to escape the Empire now.

“But…!”

They say that even if the sky falls, there’s a hole to escape through.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Daniel Steiner had been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Finally, a chance had come to erase the blemishes of his past and start a new life.

Thinking this way, the unpleasantness of being attacked by the enemy vanished in an instant.

Feeling his heart lighten, Daniel walked toward a nearby hut.

It was dangerous to meet someone while wearing a military uniform, as it could reveal his identity, but Daniel wasn’t worried at all.

He had his reasons.

“The fishing boat near the hut is rusty, and moss is growing on it. It hasn’t been maintained for a while, so the hut must also be abandoned.”

Even if there happened to be someone inside, he could just make up an excuse and leave.

As he walked through the sand of the white beach toward the hut, Daniel knocked lightly on the shabby door with the back of his hand.

“Is anyone there?”

There was no response.

Daniel knocked again.

“I’m in distress and seeking help. Is anyone there?”

Still, there was no answer.

Convinced that the hut was abandoned, Daniel grasped the doorknob and pushed it inward.

The old hinges creaked, and the door swung wide open.

Daniel squinted his eyes and slowly surveyed the area beyond the open door.

The hut was filled with various odds and ends and boxes, but there was no sign of human presence.

Even when he stepped inside and looked around, it was the same.

Only then did Daniel relax and begin to examine the items inside the boxes.

“Old clothes and worn-out shoes… and broken appliances.”

It seemed that this hut was a sort of storage for items that had become unnecessary.

For Daniel, who wanted to hide his identity, it was nothing short of a treasure trove.

Chuckling softly, Daniel rummaged through the boxes in search of usable clothes.

After about thirty minutes of searching, he managed to find a fairly decent cotton outfit and shoes.

Though there were signs of repairs, they were good enough to wear.

Thinking it wasn’t bad, Daniel immediately took off his uniform, dried himself off, and changed into the old clothes.

Next, he put on a pair of old sunglasses he found among the junk and placed a fedora on his head.

Without a mirror, he adjusted his appearance by looking at the window and smiled with satisfaction.

“Good. Now, no one will recognize me.”

Even if someone did, he could just say they were mistaken.

“Unfortunately, Daniel Steiner is dead.”

As of today, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, an operations officer in the headquarters, was as good as dead.

Burying his name in his heart, Daniel took a moment for silent mourning.

After a brief pause, Daniel adjusted his cuffs and stepped outside the hut.

The sun, hanging at the boundary between day and evening, was painting the sea with a sunset glow.

In the distance, the buildings clustered together like barnacles began to light up, creating a warm and dreamlike landscape in harmony with the sunset.

“I should head there first. The most important thing right now is to secure money for laundering my identity.”

Having made up his mind, Daniel began to walk slowly.

Wearing ordinary shoes instead of military boots or dress shoes, he stepped onto the white sand and took a deep breath.

The fresh air filled his lungs, feeling almost intoxicating.

Looking up at the sky, tinted a reddish hue, Daniel suddenly spread his arms wide and burst into laughter.

“After so much hardship, it has finally come to me! Sweet and pastoral freedom!”

He never imagined that breaking free from shackles and oppression could feel this exhilarating.

“From now on, there will be no misfortune for me, only happiness!”

Speaking playfully like a character in a play, Daniel walked lightly.

His destination was Tentarvahem, the port city of Bellanos.

He planned to secure funds for laundering his identity there.

–

Meanwhile, in the conference hall of the Imperial Palace.

“So you think provoking the Allied Nations and other great powers with a total war speech was a good thing? Is that the official stance of the Central National Party?”

“I didn’t say it was a good thing. But how can you interpret the total war speech as provoking the great powers? Don’t distort the speech; look at the essence!”

At the long table in the conference hall, the leaders of various political parties were attacking each other, engaged in a heated debate.

The loudest voices belonged to Kemble, the leader of the Liberty Socialist Party, and Elkar, the leader of the Central National Party.

Usually, Kemble criticized Daniel Steiner’s total war speech, and Elkar would counter.

“It’s you who fails to see the essence! While the total war speech may have rallied the people, the situation on the battlefield remains unfavorable! You know very well that the nation we will face is not just the Allied Nations!”

“Because the enemy is not just the Allied Nations, I’m saying there’s significance in Daniel Steiner’s speech! Of course, I agree that Colonel Daniel’s speech has a somewhat radical and aggressive tone, but considering the current situation of the Empire, it’s not incorrect!”

Elkar, relatively young among the gathered leaders, raised his voice.

“However, it seems that the leader of the Liberty Socialist Party has been trying to portray Colonel Daniel as someone acting for personal gain. Is that just my feeling?”

“Ha! Trying to portray him? If you have a brain, think for a moment. Who benefits the most from the total war speech? It’s none other than Colonel Daniel Steiner!”

“Are you saying that someone who is appointed to a lowly position as the ambassador to Bellanos is seeking to gain something? Doesn’t that seem contradictory to you?”

Princess Selvia, who had been observing their conversation from the head seat, let out a low sigh.

“It’s going just as Cedric, the deputy chief of staff, said…”

If Daniel were dispatched as the ambassador to Bellanos, there would indeed be factional strife, and it was proving true.

To go back in time, earlier today, the leaders of the National Assembly had come together to urgently speak with Her Highness the Princess, who was acting in place of the Emperor.

So Selvia had given them the conference hall and asked them to share their opinions, but Kemble, the leader of the Liberty Socialist Party, had insisted that they needed to create a bill to restrain Daniel Steiner, which had led to this trouble.

What had started as a healthy exchange of opinions had gradually escalated into a heated argument, to the point where it could be called a verbal fight.

Selvia was displeased with that.

Even more displeased was Kemble, the leader of the Liberty Socialist Party, who was insisting that Daniel should be confined within the bounds of the law.

“Why does that old man keep slandering Daniel?”

Compared to the numerous advantages Daniel had brought to the Empire, all Kemble had done was use connections and bloodlines to sit in the position of party leader and act like a king in the National Assembly.

Hearing that the chair of the National Assembly was also from the Liberty Socialist Party, Selvia began to understand why Kemble could confidently raise his voice in front of the members.

“I suppose I need to say something.”

Her father had told her that the members of the assembly were fundamentally representatives of the people’s voices, so unless it was a special case, she should not criticize them but listen. However, she felt she could no longer hold back.

Just as Selvia had made up her mind to speak, the door to the conference hall burst open, and Hartmann, the chief bodyguard of the Imperial Guard, rushed in.

Ignoring the court etiquette, Hartmann ran toward Selvia as soon as he spotted her.

His rudeness was such that he could have been scolded, but Selvia was only taken aback.

She knew there was a reason Hartmann was disregarding etiquette.

Breathless, Hartmann knelt before Selvia.

“Your Highness! Please forgive my rudeness! I was simply anxious to deliver urgent news.”

Urgent news? After a brief pause, Selvia opened her mouth.

“What is it? Has my father’s health worsened?”

“That is not the case. The urgent news I have to convey is regarding the dispatch of the ambassador to Bellanos. I regret to inform you that the official vessel heading to Bellanos…”

Hartmann glanced at Selvia, lowering his head.

“It has reportedly been sunk by an enemy torpedo attack.”

The shocking news silenced all the members who had been passionately speaking just moments ago.

Selvia was no exception.

After a long moment of being frozen, Selvia’s lips moved in a daze.

“Right now….”

In her voice, trembling endlessly, Hartmann let out a short sigh.

Selvia, as if unable to believe it, held her breath and struggled to continue speaking.

“It can’t be….”

Her words, as if denying reality, lacked strength.

Thanks to that, Hartmann, understanding Selvia’s feelings, could only bow his head deeper in silence.