chapter_0120

119 – Be Careful with Your Words, Whether Awake or Asleep

119 – Be Careful with Your Words, Whether Awake or Asleep

Selvia’s mouth gently parted.

Having been frozen in shock as if she had just heard a shocking truth, Selvia looked around.

Confirming that there were no eavesdroppers, Selvia lowered her voice and spoke.

“Why is that?”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’m asking why you are going to such lengths for me. I don’t understand.”

Daniel felt a sense of bewilderment at Selvia’s question.

‘Me?’

He had merely been desperately seeking a way out for his own survival.

However, from Selvia’s perspective, all of Daniel’s actions appeared altruistic.

First of all, Selvia had been saved by Daniel twice.

Moreover, when she was troubled by the issue of succession to the throne, Daniel had provided significant help.

And that wasn’t all.

This time, during a period when the imperial authority was shaken due to the conflicts among the nobles, Daniel had brought information that some of the nobles were acting as collaborators.

It was remarkably timely, just before the coronation ceremony.

Thanks to this, Daniel, who received orders from the imperial family, was able to conduct inspections against the nobles using a solid justification, which greatly impacted the authority of the imperial family.

Thus, for Selvia, who was soon to become the Empress, Daniel was akin to an invaluable loyal subject.

On the other hand, since Daniel had not acted for Selvia’s sake, he felt burdened by her gaze.

Yet, thinking that there was no need to reveal the truth, Daniel forced a smile.

“I believed that serving Your Highness the Princess was the way for the Empire.”

“The way for the Empire….”

It was a somewhat vague answer, but Selvia did not find it bad.

She had confirmed once again that Daniel was acting for her benefit.

“I also believe that placing Colonel Daniel in a key position is the way for the Empire. Therefore, after the coronation, I plan to promote Colonel Daniel in front of all the ministers.”

Promoting Daniel to the rank of Colonel in front of the high-ranking officials gathered for the coronation would declare that he was now a man of the Emperor.

Although this was extremely burdensome for Daniel, he could not refuse.

He had no justification to decline, given the many achievements he had accumulated, and from a broader perspective, being close to Selvia would be more advantageous for his survival.

“If you do that, I will accept it as the greatest joy of my life.”

As Daniel placed his hand on his chest and lightly bowed his head, a smile spread across Selvia’s lips.

She had been worried about what to do if he refused, but Daniel’s cheerful acceptance made her feel good.

“I’m glad to hear that. But….”

Selvia lightly lifted her cup of tea.

“What are your plans moving forward?”

She was asking how he would spend the time while delaying the investigation, observing the nobles’ reactions.

While Daniel would have preferred to leisurely enjoy some dessert, he had no such luxury.

“I plan to head down to the southern part of the Empire.”

“The south? Are you planning to visit your hometown?”

“Not exactly. I’m going down to fulfill a promise I made to a subordinate’s father.”

Here, the subordinate referred to was Frien, and the father was the pastor of The Great Church of Holy Flame.

Naturally, it was to be expected that the funding provided by The Great Church of Holy Flame to the Belvaroton newspaper was not out of pure goodwill, but rather aligned with Daniel’s intentions.

–

A few days later, near The Great Church of Holy Flame.

The Cradle of Peace Orphanage.

Screech—

A luxurious car entered through the entrance of the orphanage.

As the car gradually slowed to a stop, the driver’s door opened.

The person who emerged from the open door was Frien, her light brown hair braided back.

Frien glanced at the scenery of the orphanage and smiled faintly as she opened the back seat door.

“We’ve arrived, Colonel Daniel.”

Daniel, who had been reading the inspection report, turned at the sound of her voice.

He could see children playing with a ball in the open space next to the orphanage.

Confirming that they had arrived, Daniel tossed the report aside, got out of the car, and stretched.

His body felt stiff from the long drive, and the pouring sunlight made him furrow his brow unnecessarily.

‘So this is the orphanage run by Frien’s father. It seems deserted except for the children, so I can guess why we were asked to meet here…’

Daniel’s thoughts did not continue.

Thud—

A ball that had come flying from somewhere hit Daniel in the abdomen and fell to the ground.

Curious, he looked down to see a child running over to retrieve the ball.

“I’m sorry. I….”

As the child approached to pick up the ball, they looked up to apologize but froze in place.

“Uh, eek….”

A man in the Empire’s officer uniform was looking down at them with a cold gaze.

Beneath the cap, the emotionless, dry eyes held a fear that was hard for a pure child to bear.

“Hyie, hyieek….”

Before a scream could escape, the child merely trembled their shoulders as Daniel knelt down on one knee.

When the child’s gaze met Daniel’s, their face nearly crumpled into tears.

Daniel slowly reached out his hand toward the frightened child.

Unable to contain their fear, the child squeezed their eyes shut.

Daniel’s hand gently settled on the child’s head.

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault for not dodging the ball.”

His voice was warm and his touch gentle, contrary to his appearance.

The child, gathering courage to open their eyes, saw Daniel smiling kindly.

Thinking that he might not be a bad person, the child hesitated, and Daniel withdrew his hand, showing his empty palm.

“Here. Look closely.”

Daniel clenched his fist as if straining and then opened his hand again.

In his wide-open palm lay a single coin.

The child’s eyes widened in amazement at the sight.

“Wow! How did you do that!?”

“Well, it seems like God made a coin in my hand to give you as a gift for having a good heart.”

“Really?”

At the child’s innocent question, Daniel smiled and offered the coin.

“Of course. Use this to buy some delicious snacks.”

Finally realizing that Daniel was not a bad person, the child accepted the coin and bowed their head.

“Thank you!”

As the child turned and ran away, Daniel rose with a faint smile.

Gently brushing his hands off, Daniel turned to look at Frien, only to pause.

Frien was gazing at him with shining eyes.

‘Let’s not ask why…’

Not wanting to hear any more strange praise, Daniel cleared his throat.

“Where is your father?”

“Oh. I’ll guide you.”

Frien, regaining her composure, led Daniel inside the orphanage.

After moving through the surprisingly spacious building, they arrived at the reception room.

“I’ll wait here.”

At Frien’s words as she opened the door to the reception room, Daniel nodded and stepped inside.

There, the pastor, Bellaf, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up.

Bellaf let out an exclamation as if he were genuinely moved and extended his hand toward Daniel.

“I am Bellaf, the pastor of The Great Church of Holy Flame and Frien’s father.”

“Nice to meet you. I am….”

“You are Colonel Daniel Steiner, the hero of the Empire! Anyone who doesn’t know is a spy! I cannot express how honored I am to see you in person like this!”

As Bellaf laughed heartily, the sound of the door closing could be heard behind him.

Daniel shook Bellaf’s hand lightly as they exchanged pleasantries.

“Since you have granted my request, it is only natural for me to grant yours as well.”

“I am at a loss for words that you think so. Ah! Why don’t you sit down and enjoy some coffee? I have brought the finest coffee for you, Colonel Daniel.”

“That sounds good.”

After finishing their warm handshake, the two naturally sat down on the sofa.

Bellaf, seemingly fascinated by seeing Daniel in person, blinked several times before smiling and speaking.

“At first, I thought my daughter was just playing a prank. After all, my daughter is famous for using dark magic, isn’t she? In other words, she is a child close to the shadows of the Empire….”

Bellaf clicked his tongue openly.

“To think that such a child knows someone as bright as Colonel Daniel! But now that I see you in person, I realize my daughter’s words were not false.”

“It seems you should apologize to Frien regarding that. Doubt is a betrayal, after all.”

“Excuse me? Ah, haha! That makes sense. By the way, did my daughter cause any trouble for you, Colonel? She’s not just a bit flawed in terms of her magical abilities, but also in her personality.”

“Flawed?”

“I’m not sure if it was due to her educational environment, but my daughter tends to think in extremes. I doubt there is any good sign in that.”

Extreme.

Considering Frien’s previous actions and statements, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.

“I agree with what you just said….”

Daniel began to speak but suddenly closed his mouth.

He had unconsciously glanced at the door and saw Frien peering into the reception room through the slightly opened door.

Her gaze, filled with ominous and unsettling energy, staring quietly at him was terrifyingly intimidating.

Whether it was just his feeling or not, it seemed as if dark magic was visibly rising.

‘…She didn’t close the door, but pretended to do so?’

Cold sweat began to flow down his back.

If he were to speak ill of Frien in this place, he felt he would not be able to preserve his life.

How could one predict what that woman, driven mad by nationalism, might do?

After a brief silence, Daniel revised his response.

“I disagree. While I won’t concern myself with what you think of your daughter, Frien is one of the people I cherish the most and is a devoted and capable subordinate.”

After saying this, Daniel subtly glanced at Frien.

Upon hearing Daniel’s words, Frien’s eyes widened in surprise, and soon she smiled bashfully, as if embarrassed.

She looked like a girl in love, but to Daniel, it only felt eerie.

‘Still…’

At least it seemed he had avoided the worst situation, so that was a relief.