chapter_0087

86 – Who Opened the Territorial Waters?

86 – Who Opened the Territorial Waters?

Early morning.

The faint morning light filtering through the inn’s window signaled the start of the day.

Thanks to that, Daniel, who had been sleeping in a proper posture, stirred awake.

Instinctively, Daniel opened his eyes and turned his head toward the window, letting out a faint chuckle.

“It’s morning. I was sure I’d sleep until noon…”

Even though he had deliberately tried to sleep in, it seemed he couldn’t shake off the habits of a staff officer.

“Well, after living a year as an officer in the headquarters, it’s not like my habits would change overnight.”

With a self-deprecating thought, Daniel propped himself up and ran a hand over his face.

Though his body felt a bit sluggish, the fatigue seemed to have vanished, which wasn’t bad.

“Let’s see. Today is…”

As he slowly recalled his schedule in his hazy mind, Daniel nodded.

“It’s the day I go to Leff’s mansion.”

That mischievous young lady had successfully invited Daniel to the mansion using money as bait.

The problem was that Leff hadn’t told him the location of the mansion.

So Daniel had asked how he was supposed to find a mansion whose location he didn’t know.

In response, Leff had said, “I’ll send someone to you when the time comes,” and then left the cocktail bar.

“Maybe I should have asked what kind of person they were.”

Given Leff’s cautious demeanor, it didn’t seem likely that he would have answered even if Daniel had asked.

“Well, anyway…”

Since Leff had agreed to be the one to provide the water, there was no need to refuse the dinner invitation.

“…It was a dinner invitation, wasn’t it?”

Since it was still early morning, that meant there was quite a bit of time left.

Since it was a rare break, it wouldn’t be bad to just lounge around the inn, but having come to Bellanos, he wanted to try the local desserts.

Thinking it was time to head out, Daniel got up from the bed and slipped on his slippers.

As he walked, Daniel opened the wardrobe.

Inside the open wardrobe hung neatly arranged new clothes on hangers.

There was a jacket, vest, and trousers made of tweed.

Overall, they were dark gray, and the vest had a subtle check pattern that added to its elegance.

Daniel had purchased them out of his own pocket after receiving the dinner invitation from Leff.

“That woman seems like a noble no matter how I look at it…”

He had prepared suitably expensive clothes to maintain a minimum level of dignity.

While others might see it as being overly particular, it was important to Daniel.

“If it’s a dinner, Leff’s family will surely be there.”

The ones providing the money would likely be Leff’s parents rather than Leff himself.

In that case, the ones Daniel needed to impress were not Leff but his parents.

It was only natural that the money he would receive would increase if he could win their favor.

In that regard, Daniel had bought luxurious clothes even at his own expense.

Nobles were generally sensitive to the attire of others.

It wasn’t for nothing that children were dressed in formal attire when the mayor and nobles visited the monastery for sponsorship.

There were other things to pay attention to, such as mannerisms, speech, personality, and dining etiquette, but for Daniel, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

“I always handled the nobles at the monastery.”

He knew exactly what the nobles liked and disliked, so earning points with them wasn’t a hard task.

“Let’s give it a shot. For my social standing and my bakery.”

Having made up his mind, Daniel entered the bathroom, quickly washed up, and changed clothes.

After finishing his hair while looking in the mirror, Daniel put on his sunglasses and left the inn.

The warm sunlight that greeted him was hard to believe for a winter day.

Thinking the weather was quite nice, Daniel headed to a famous dessert shop in Bellanos as originally planned.

Navigating through the crowd, he entered the dessert shop and found a seat, and a server approached him.

The server, feeling a strange charm from Daniel sitting by the window, asked, “May I take your order?”

Daniel nodded as he turned to the server.

“Could I have a trifle, please? And a coffee as well.”

“One trifle and a coffee… Understood.”

The server smiled at Daniel and walked away.

After placing his order, Daniel looked out the window with a relaxed demeanor.

Since it was a dessert shop located on the second floor, the view outside was quite good, and a massive trade ship was approaching, honking its horn in the wide-open sea.

A flock of seagulls reacted to the horn, soaring high into the sky.

It was truly a pastoral scene that brought peace to his heart.

“Yeah. This is what a proper life is…”

Escaping a life of trembling uncertainty and enjoying peace was the greatest luxury for Daniel.

Feeling good, he hummed a tune for a while until the server returned.

“Your trifle and coffee are here.”

The server placed the trifle and coffee on the table.

Just as Daniel was about to thank him, he paused.

Three almond cookies had come as a bonus.

“Huh? Did I order almond cookies too?”

“Oh, no. The almond cookies are complimentary.”

“Complimentary? Thank you. There are many nice people in Bellanos.”

As Daniel smiled, the server secretly blushed.

“W-well, enjoy your meal.”

The server quickly bowed his head and left in a hurried step.

Though Daniel found it odd, he didn’t think much of it.

What mattered now was the trifle.

Daniel picked up his fork and gently cut into the trifle topped with strawberries, bringing a piece to his mouth.

The fresh, soft, and sweet flavor filled his mouth.

With a satisfied smile, Daniel unconsciously opened his mouth.

“Lieutenant. This is a proper place, so you should try it…”

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing there was no one sitting across from him, yet he had instinctively looked for Lucy.

The absurdity of that made Daniel chuckle softly.

“To think I’d be looking for a spy who tried to kill me after finally escaping…”

This was why habits were frightening.

“Still…”

If Lucy had been there, the enjoyment of eating would have increased.

If she had tasted this, she surely wouldn’t have been able to contain herself.

It seemed obvious that she would have suppressed her admiration, unwilling to admit how delicious it was.

Watching Lucy like that would have been a kind of fun in itself.

Yet, that didn’t mean he had any desire to return to the Empire.

“I should be content with the peace I have now.”

Shaking off the thoughts in his head, Daniel cut into the trifle again and put it back in his mouth.

Somehow, the taste of the trifle wasn’t as good as the first bite.

–

The trade ship that arrived at the Tentarbahm port in Bellanos confirmed its docking position and dropped anchor.

Afterward, they connected the ship to the dock using mooring lines and set up a boarding ramp known as a gangway.

Once the gangway was secured, the crew of the trade ship began to move one by one to transport the cargo.

Among those crew members, the secret organization known as the Black Swan also began to move.

About thirty individuals dressed in black suits entered Tentarbahm via the gangway.

They moved in unison as if they had made a pact, and merchants near the port, as well as hawkers, dared not speak to them.

The intense anger emanating from their closed mouths and furrowed brows was palpable.

No one knew who they were or why they had arrived at Tentarbahm, leading to various speculations.

As whispers circulated, “Aren’t they a mafia organization?” the leader of the Black Swan, Hamtal, paid no mind.

The Black Swan’s conspicuous black suits, unlike their usual attire, were solely to commemorate Daniel Steiner.

“Daniel Steiner is dead. Right here…”

The prophet, a symbol of the abolition of racial discrimination, had been martyred in Bellanos.

The Black Swan understood that fact intellectually but could not grasp it emotionally.

The inability to comprehend it emotionally turned into anger, and they became obsessed with finding the culprit who had contributed to Daniel Steiner’s death by any means necessary.

“Leader.”

One of the subordinates approached Hamtal, who was at the forefront.

“Should we focus all our efforts on identifying the culprit as you instructed?”

Hamtal nodded at his subordinate’s words.

“Bellanos is a place where not only the nobles but also politicians and the military are corrupt. If you slip them a bribe, they’ll readily tell you who ordered the opening of the territorial waters. Gather clues and pursue them.”

“Understood. But what if someone refuses to cooperate…?”

“Make them cooperate.”

The cold voice made the subordinate nod without further comment.

He understood well what the command to make them cooperate meant.

As the subordinate stepped back to relay the orders, Hamtal stared straight ahead, clenching his teeth.

“I don’t know who you are. But I will make you deeply regret killing our prophet. We will surely find you…”

He clenched his fist so tightly that the leather gloves twisted.

“We will punish you thoroughly!”

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Today is Friday!

You’ve worked hard all week!

I hope you enjoy the Lunar New Year holiday and relieve the accumulated fatigue!

I will do my best to contribute to your relaxation!

Thank you for reading today!

See you again tomorrow!