chapter_0083

82 – Time to Make a Decision

82 – Time to Make a Decision

Daniel was able to reach the port city of Tentarbahim in Bellanos after walking for about three hours.

As he entered the city, he saw merchants selling food and goods through stalls among the relatively low buildings.

It was unclear whether the pleasant weather was due to the good climate of Bellanos, which was less affected by winter, but overall, it was a comfortable day.

‘Not bad. This is a passing grade.’

Daniel smiled softly as he evaluated the weather of the country he would be spending a long time in.

‘If I succeed in laundering my identity, should I open a bakery here? No, it would be dangerous since imperial citizens frequent port cities; I should move inland…’

As Daniel was planning how to live his new life, he suddenly frowned.

‘The problem is money.’

The “identity laundering” necessary to lay the foundation for his plans required quite a bit of money.

From what Daniel knew, identity laundering was not just about creating a fake ID.

First, one needed to secure a social security number from the government and obtain passport documents.

Additionally, one had to open a bank account and register a residence before they could truly be reborn with a new identity.

It goes without saying that such cumbersome tasks required a significant amount of money.

Of course, one needed funds to bribe public officials, and lobbying politicians was also necessary.

Paying a broker to handle all those tasks added to the costs.

‘So how should I make money…’

A part-time job? It would be hard to find work.

Even in this era, basic identification was still checked.

Even if he looked for a job that didn’t require ID checks, the pay wouldn’t be good.

Moreover, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of getting caught up in incidents.

‘Places that don’t check IDs are inevitably shady.’

As Daniel was stroking his chin, thinking that earning money through regular work would make identity laundering difficult, he heard a commotion.

“Hey! Did I say anything wrong!? That guy is definitely a scammer!”

“A person who lost money has no credibility to cause a scene like this. I’m sure I warned you. I said I would throw you out if you caused trouble in my establishment again.”

Daniel looked up at the scuffle happening in front of a tavern.

A woman with black hair, dressed in quite luxurious casual attire, was arguing with what appeared to be the tavern owner.

The woman was somewhat shorter than average, but her fierce spirit was enough to overwhelm an adult man.

“Causing trouble? Is trying to throw out a scammer from your establishment causing trouble? Is it because of money? If it’s about money, I can give you as much as you want, just get that bastard out of here…”

“Ma’am! If you bring evidence to prove he’s a scammer, I might understand! But if you’re just making a fuss because you lost at gambling without any proof, what am I supposed to say?”

As the tavern owner countered with reason, the woman was left speechless, fumbling for words.

The tavern owner, looking down at her with disdain, grabbed the doorknob.

“I don’t enjoy treating customers like this, but please step outside for a moment to cool off. You can come back when you’re calmer.”

With that, the tavern owner slammed the door shut.

The sight of the woman standing alone in front of the closed door was pitiful.

‘That’s unfortunate. I should help her out.’

Sensing the smell of money, Daniel approached, and the woman turned her gaze upon him.

“…What do you want?”

The woman, looking at Daniel with sharp eyes, paused for a moment.

Daniel placed his hand on his chest and spoke.

“Let me introduce myself; I’m a fixer who helps recover lost money. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with the tavern owner, and it seems you’ve been scammed. Am I right?”

“Um…”

Since it wasn’t incorrect, the woman nodded her head awkwardly.

Thinking he had struck gold, Daniel smiled faintly and bent his knees to meet her gaze.

“Then how about you entrust the matter to me? If you provide me with some initial funds, I will ensure you get back all the money you lost. However, there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“I will only take half of the recovered amount as a commission if I succeed. If I fail? I will compensate you for the entire amount. What do you think? It’s a deal with no risk, isn’t it?”

Half as a commission? The woman found it absurd, but considering the full compensation in case of failure, it was indeed a no-risk deal.

Intrigued, the woman nodded slightly, and Daniel smiled as he extended his hand.

“My name is Libelard. I look forward to working with you.”

Of course, it was a pseudonym.

–

At the same time, in the grand conference hall of the Imperial Palace.

“Everyone has arrived, Your Highness the Princess.”

At Hartmann’s words, Selvia, seated at the head of the table, lifted her head.

On either side of the conference hall, figures known as the empire’s leadership stood, maintaining a tense posture.

They were individuals who usually found it hard to gather in one place, but thanks to Selvia’s dismissal of the party leaders from the National Assembly and her emergency summons of the cabinet, they were all present here.

They were all watching Selvia, who was to be the next emperor, and noticed the tear stains on her cheeks.

This was evidence that Selvia had been silently crying alone in this place for the three hours since the cabinet was summoned.

In the icy atmosphere, Selvia slowly parted her lips.

“Let’s each report.”

The first to speak among the anxious figures was Schiller Daines, the Minister of the National Propaganda Department.

“I ordered the news director and the broadcasting director to keep the information from leaking until it was confirmed, but it was insufficient. As a result, the public is currently agitated and angry.”

Next, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency spoke.

“Your Highness, the Central Intelligence Agency attempted to identify the initial command post immediately after the incident of the diplomatic vessel being sunk, but it was not easy. We believed it was the work of the Allied Nations, and we investigated both the official and unofficial departure times, but there were no records matching the incident.”

Selvia’s cold gaze fell upon the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Are you trying to say it wasn’t the work of the Allied Nations?”

“N-no, that’s not it. I just wanted to inform you that it’s highly likely the submarine departed from a port other than that of the Allied Nations. Therefore, I believe it would be unwise to hastily label it as ‘an act of terror by the Allied Nations.’”

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency bowed his head, sweating profusely.

Unable to bear it, the Minister of Defense chimed in.

“Your Highness, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency is not wrong. It would be wise not to act hastily until the incident is clarified. We can redirect our anger towards the Allied Nations after the incident is resolved, can we not?”

Selvia’s gaze turned to the Minister of Defense.

“Clarify the incident?”

“Yes. As you know, the sinking of the diplomatic vessel occurred in the territorial waters of Bellanos. Therefore, it is highly probable that one of Bellanos’ naval commanders opened the territorial waters to unknown terrorists. We must first investigate who that person is. Additionally…”

The Minister of Defense lowered his head.

“According to the naval strategist, we cannot rule out the possibility that Daniel Steiner, the lieutenant colonel, is still alive.”

After a brief silence, Selvia urgently asked.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. While the probability is low, considering the currents at the time, it is not impossible. If Daniel Steiner was on deck rather than in his cabin, was relatively far from the explosion point, and fell into the sea before the vessel sank…”

The Minister of Defense raised his previously bowed head.

“He may have reached one of the coastal areas of Bellanos, which are close to the incident site. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the probability is quite low, but it is not impossible.”

The Minister of Defense’s words caused a stir among the cabinet members.

While many thought it was nonsensical, Selvia wanted to cling to even that slender hope.

Gripping the armrest of her seat tightly, Selvia commanded.

“Immediately assemble a fleet to head to Bellanos. We will conduct a large-scale search operation.”

As a result, silence enveloped the conference hall.

Everyone present understood that the weight of Selvia’s words was not light.

After a moment, the Minister of Defense hesitantly spoke up.

“Your Highness, while it is a reasonable command, this involves entering another country’s territorial waters with a fleet. We can expect resistance from Bellanos. Furthermore, to conduct a search operation with military forces, we will need Bellanos’ consent, so it would be wise to send a negotiation team first…”

The Minister of Defense stopped mid-sentence.

He realized that Selvia was looking down on him.

Silencing the Minister, Selvia spoke.

“What is needed now is not negotiation but a message. So convey this to them.”

As Selvia stood up abruptly, all the ministers and directors bowed their heads in unison.

“The moment Bellanos refuses to open its territorial waters to the imperial fleet departing for the clarification of the incident…”

Selvia, who had taken control of the cabinet, narrowed her eyes sharply in cold fury.

“Bellanos will be treated the same as the terrorists.”

Author’s Note:

Thank you to BeastBeastBeast for the 1,000 coins! Teacher…! Didn’t you also donate 1,000 coins before? I’m not sure if I deserve to receive such a large sum…! Thank you so much…! I’ll be sure to use the money to buy lots of coffee, my fuel…! Also, I’m so grateful to hear that you find it interesting. I’ll do my best to keep writing so you can enjoy it!

Thank you to GojoHitori for the 50 coins! Saying the characters are charming is one of the best compliments for a novelist! I’ll gladly accept that. Thank you so much.

It’s Monday, the start of the week…!

I know everyone is tired and struggling, but I hope you have a happy day…!

I’ll pray for all of you readers to have nothing but happiness this week!

Thank you for reading today as well!