chapter_0109

108 – A Caught Fish is Bait to Catch a Big Fish

108 – A Caught Fish is Bait to Catch a Big Fish

Two days later, in the Kingdom of Belmore

The office of the commander of the 2nd Armored Division.

Knock, knock—

Hearing the knock, Count Magreff, the division commander, set aside the report he had been reading.

He raised his hand to remove his reading glasses and opened his mouth.

“Come in.”

As permission was granted, the office door opened, and a neatly dressed man entered.

It was Magreff’s aide.

“Your Excellency!”

The aide, unusually flustered, hurriedly spoke.

“It’s urgent news! The Crown Prince has been defeated by Daniel Steiner’s unit and taken hostage!”

At the aide’s words, Magreff’s hand, which had been folding his glasses, froze.

He couldn’t comprehend it.

“…What on earth does that mean? The Crown Prince was supposed to ambush Daniel Steiner, wasn’t he? Leading a battalion of the kingdom’s elite troops, no less.”

“That’s not incorrect. However, Daniel Steiner anticipated all of it.”

The aide, biting his lip, continued after a deep breath.

“According to reports, the Crown Prince was forming a siege line while waiting for him to enter the forward base. Unaware of anything, the Crown Prince ordered an assault, and as a result…”

Magreff raised his hand to stop him.

There was no need for further explanation.

“Daniel Steiner anticipated the ambush?”

It was hard to believe, but given that a siege line had been formed, it was a reasonable deduction.

“No. How could that be…?”

As Magreff muttered in confusion, he soon grasped the entire situation.

‘Was the person who conveyed Daniel Steiner’s location to us actually a double agent? Or perhaps a spy working for Daniel Steiner has infiltrated the kingdom…’

He wasn’t sure which was correct, but it was clear that Daniel Steiner had known and utilized all the information in advance.

‘Truly, a scheme as devilish as that.’

He understood all too well why Daniel Steiner was called the demon of the empire.

With a low sigh, Magreff turned to his aide.

“Immediately assemble a negotiation team.”

Daniel Steiner, having captured the Crown Prince, would surely propose negotiations with the kingdom.

The kingdom could not afford to hand over the Crown Prince to the enemy, so they had no choice but to respond to Daniel’s proposal in some way.

Thus, it was right to move quickly from now on and devise a negotiation strategy.

Understanding Magreff’s intent, the aide regained his composure and replied.

“Understood. I will issue orders promptly. However, have you decided who will lead the negotiation team?”

Exhaling softly, Magreff nodded.

“I will go myself.”

“…You mean you will personally attend, Commander?”

“Yes.”

He needed to find out how Daniel Steiner was extracting information from the Kingdom of Belmore.

So he resolved to take direct action rather than send some inept negotiation expert or government official.

After a brief silence, the aide, having understood Magreff’s intention, bowed deeply.

“Understood. I will convey that.”

The aide, having spoken formally, saluted Magreff one last time before leaving the office.

Left alone, Magreff gazed out the window, lost in thought.

‘Daniel Steiner…’

Could a person’s name carry such an oppressive weight?

Calming his trembling hands, Magreff narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

‘Crown Prince. Please hold on just a little longer.’

I will rescue you from that wicked man.

–

Having captured Crown Prince Bleff, Daniel once again went through identity verification before requesting support from the rear unit.

The forward base had been damaged by mortar fire, and even if it hadn’t been, there was no space to accommodate all the battalion personnel, including the hostage.

Upon hearing the news of capturing the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Belmore, the rear unit sent support troops to the forward base without hesitation.

After waiting a day, dozens of transport vehicles and escort troops arrived at the forward base, and Daniel ordered that the prisoners be loaded first before boarding himself.

Once everyone was on board, the transport vehicles headed to a small town near the eastern front called Barheim.

Upon arriving in Barheim, they were greeted by the brigade commander in charge of the city’s defense.

It was unclear whether he wanted to commend Daniel for capturing the Crown Prince, but the brigade commander treated Daniel’s unit with great hospitality.

Wanting to relieve his fatigue, Daniel accepted the hospitality, and after resting for a few days, he politely requested a place to conduct his duties from the brigade commander.

The brigade commander readily agreed and provided him with the largest office in the brigade headquarters.

Thanks to this, Daniel was able to spend time at the brigade headquarters and called two officers today.

So now.

Sitting at his desk, Daniel faced Frien, who wore a gentle smile, and Lucy, who stood with her usual indifferent expression, holding a stack of documents.

Daniel, sitting in his chair and quietly observing Frien, tried to hide his irritation as he spoke.

“Lieutenant Frien.”

“Yes, Battalion Commander.”

“I heard that you went to the church located here in Barheim for worship during your free time. Is the information I have correct?”

Frien nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct. Is there a problem?”

Was that even a question? Daniel, taken aback, clicked his tongue and replied.

“If you’re going to worship, just worship. Why are you going around using my name and spouting strange things like ‘saint’?”

“…Strange things? I merely told the congregation the truth.”

Frien blinked her eyes as if she didn’t understand, causing Daniel to feel a headache coming on.

‘Please, just stop…’

It seemed that Frien’s strange claims had some credibility, as several brainwashed congregation members had come to the brigade headquarters, clamoring to meet the ‘saint,’ which was causing him considerable stress.

Yet he had no confidence in persuading Frien that her thoughts were misguided.

Sighing deeply, Daniel pressed his temples.

“Just don’t do it. If you’re going to worship, then just worship and don’t spread strange rumors. Do you understand?”

“Understood. If that’s what you want, Battalion Commander…”

“Good. That’s enough. You can leave now.”

With a smile, Frien bowed her head and exited the office.

Confirming her departure, Daniel turned his gaze to Lucy.

“Lieutenant. Didn’t you have something to report to me?”

Lucy, blinking her red eyes once, nodded.

“The Kingdom of Belmore has responded to the negotiation proposal. The person in charge of the negotiations is Major General Magreff, who commands the 2nd Armored Brigade. According to the report, he has expressed his intention to come here to Barheim directly.”

“What kind of person is Magreff?”

“He is a general of noble birth. He has a cautious personality and values the legitimacy of the royal family like any ordinary noble.”

Upon hearing Lucy’s words, Daniel fell into thought for a moment.

‘Rather than sending a diplomat or envoy, they are sending the commander of the enemy armored division as the negotiation leader…’

It wasn’t impossible, but it smelled fishy.

‘The Kingdom of Belmore probably thinks that I obtained their information through some means.’

Thus, it was likely they judged that sending someone with appropriate information was the right move for negotiating with Daniel Steiner.

‘So they sent Major General Magreff.’

Magreff was likely a key figure who held all the kingdom’s information.

‘Then he would also know the identity of the imperial informant who conveyed my location to the Crown Prince.’

He had previously asked the Crown Prince, but he only knew that the information had come from an imperial informant; he didn’t know exactly who that person was.

But Magreff would surely know who that individual was.

From Daniel’s perspective, he needed to find the imperial traitor through Magreff to ensure his safety.

If he failed to eliminate that person this time, it would lead to another leak of confidential information, creating a dangerous situation.

‘What should I do…’

How could he make Magreff reveal the name of the imperial traitor?

Even if he simply asked him to speak in exchange for releasing the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t answer.

If he acted as if he didn’t understand what was being said, Daniel wouldn’t be able to extract any more information.

As he stroked his chin, contemplating, Daniel felt a brilliant idea flash through his mind.

‘With this…’

He might be able to extract a confession from Magreff.

Lifting his head, Daniel looked at Lucy.

“Lieutenant. On the day of the negotiations, instruct the troops to conduct shooting practice near the negotiation site. Also, tell them to answer truthfully to any questions I ask while carrying a radio.”

Shooting practice? At the sudden command, Lucy blinked in confusion.

“Are you saying to conduct shooting practice in the city center? The negotiation site is in the city center.”

“Yes. Also, I think it would be better if I personally went to inform the brigade commander about the route Magreff will take to the negotiation site… No, I’ll handle that myself. This is definitely…”

Muttering as he organized his thoughts, Daniel’s eyes were filled with conviction.

Seeing this, Lucy felt a sense of awe, albeit unknowingly, and cautiously spoke.

“It seems you have a plan, Colonel.”

“No. This isn’t so much a plan as…”

Reluctantly, Daniel sighed deeply.

“It’s more like a damn act. I’m setting up the right conditions to make the enemy fear me. Even if the essence isn’t that.”

Hearing Daniel’s words, Lucy wore a puzzled expression.

‘Though I don’t quite understand what he means, if the result is that the enemy fears Daniel…’

Isn’t that something that can no longer be dismissed as an act?