chapter_0124

123 – Who Pronounced the Death Sentence?

123 – Who Pronounced the Death Sentence?

Having spent another day in the hospital, Daniel Steiner completed his discharge procedures and stepped outside.

As he took a breath under the pouring sunlight, Daniel slowly raised his hand to touch his forehead.

It was the very spot where he had been hit by a brick two days ago.

“You said it was real…”

After sending Wölm away yesterday, Daniel was about to rest in his hospital room when he was met by an unexpected visitor.

Without being called, Tom burst into the room, knelt down, and shouted an apology.

Not understanding what he was talking about, Daniel asked him to explain, and Tom revealed that “someone else threw a brick before I did.”

So, Daniel had been hit by a real brick, not a fake one.

“No wonder I was bleeding profusely and it hurt strangely…”

If the brick had struck him head-on instead of glancing off, he might not even be standing here now.

“How absurd.”

Logically thinking, there shouldn’t have been anyone among the protesters who would resort to violence.

Most of the protesters were likely acting on the orders of the noble class, and if they were to attack someone like Daniel Steiner, who was essentially their political rival, they would find themselves in a disadvantageous position.

Even if they were to seriously injure Daniel with a brick and put him in a coma, they would not be able to escape Selvia’s wrath.

Selvia would have mobilized the military under the pretext of investigating the protesters who attacked the war hero Daniel Steiner, thereby achieving a more solid centralization of power.

“And yet…”

It was simply bewildering that someone had reacted emotionally enough to throw a brick.

Still, from Daniel’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad thing.

He had heard that the person who threw the brick had been caught in the act.

According to the report, he was a high-ranking member who not only organized the protesters but also led them, which made Daniel rather pleased.

“Since someone from the inside committed the act of violence, the nobles won’t be able to refute it.”

Under normal circumstances, they would have responded with something like “Daniel Steiner’s act has gone too far,” but the moment an insider was caught in the act, they had no choice but to keep quiet.

“If the empire’s largest newspaper goes silent…”

It would plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the public that the Imperial Daily was writing biased articles under the sponsorship of the nobles.

Even if they had to report the incident passively to avoid the image of being a biased newspaper, it wouldn’t matter much.

That would be akin to them admitting the violence of the anti-war protests themselves.

“It would be like losing one means to attack me forever.”

Just when Daniel was feeling inwardly satisfied, he heard a familiar voice.

“Oh! Colonel Daniel!”

Turning his head, he saw Bellaf, dressed in a pastor’s gown, accompanied by Frien.

As Bellaf approached, he fussed, saying, “I was so worried when I heard you were injured, but I’m relieved to see you’re fine. Is there anything uncomfortable? If you need anything, please let me know, and I’ll prepare it all for you.”

Although Bellaf spoke in a concerned tone, his true intentions were clear.

He was trying to establish a connection with Daniel, who might become the new power in the empire.

It was truly opportunistic, but Daniel, who had no particular expectations of Bellaf, merely responded indifferently.

“I don’t need anything right now. I will be heading to the Imperial City shortly.”

“What? You could take a little more time to rest…”

“There is less than a week until the coronation. I need to report the inspection results to the royal family before the ceremony, so I can’t afford to dawdle here.”

“Can’t afford to dawdle?” Was that something someone who had been hit in the head with a brick just two days ago could say?

Letting out a resigned sigh, Bellaf looked at Daniel as if he were a superhuman.

Feeling burdened by that gaze, Daniel cleared his throat and turned to Frien.

“Frien. You treated me. I didn’t get a chance to thank you in the chaos…”

“It’s okay. I feel like I’ve been rewarded with what you just said.”

Frien’s kind response felt oddly out of place.

“If only she hadn’t been tainted by strange ideologies…”

Daniel shook his head.

It was common for soldiers in this era to be influenced by nationalism.

While Frien was a bit extreme, there was no need to lecture someone who had helped him.

“I seem to have a good subordinate. Your healing magic has effects that even doctors would be surprised by, so keep honing your skills.”

The reason Frien would later be called the Saint of the Empire was precisely because of this healing ability.

While typical healing magic could only provide emergency treatment, Frien could perform miracles that completely healed wounds.

Having never been injured before, Daniel had not had the chance to verify Frien’s abilities, but seeing her heal the gash on his forehead in no time made him realize she truly was a saint.

“If Colonel Daniel says so…”

Perhaps pleased by the compliment, Frien smiled faintly.

“I will dedicate all my time outside of work to studying healing magic.”

“No, I didn’t mean to imply you should go that far…”

“Please let me. I want to be of help to you, Colonel Daniel.”

…It felt like he had said something wrong.

As Daniel hesitated to respond, Bellaf interjected.

“Colonel Daniel, may I say something?”

Thinking it was a good opportunity, Daniel nodded, and Bellaf continued.

“Now that we are on the same boat with the Great Church of Holy Flame, it would be greatly beneficial if you could share your goals with us.”

Daniel fell into thought for a moment.

Goals.

Unwanted events kept happening, and while he struggled to survive, he found himself caught in the storm of history, but his purpose had not changed significantly.

The breeze blowing under the clear sky felt refreshing.

With his eyes closed, Daniel savored the sensation of the wind touching his skin for a moment before he parted his lips.

“Peace.”

As Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Bellaf, a faint smile appeared on his face.

“My goal is to live my daily life in a truly pastoral yet somewhat boring peace.”

Thanks to that, Bellaf could only smile awkwardly.

“Ah, I see.”

Daniel’s words about wanting peace sounded like a complete lie to him.

“If you don’t want to share, just say so…”

Though Daniel had spoken sincerely, Bellaf could hardly believe that the man who had led numerous battles to victory and engaged in political maneuvering, including the total war speech, truly desired peace.

–

That night.

In Baron Hendleyem’s mansion.

“Damn it! Why does no one believe me…!”

Hendleyem opened the door to the mansion, irritated.

As he took off his coat to hand it to a servant, he felt something was off.

There should have been a servant approaching him by now, asking how he had fared.

Not even a light was on in the mansion’s hallway.

As Hendleyem surveyed the dark mansion, instead of calling out the servant’s name like a fool, he moved slowly.

“…Someone has broken into my mansion.”

However, there were no signs that the servants had been harmed by the intruder.

That meant the entity that had entered the mansion was familiar with the servants.

“Did someone use my name to send everyone home? What could the reason be?”

Feeling an inexplicable discomfort, Hendleyem ascended the mansion’s stairs.

The creaking of the aging stairs sounded particularly eerie today.

Walking down the hallway with his coat draped over his arm, Hendleyem approached his room and grasped the doorknob to open it.

Peering through the crack of the door, he saw a man sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper.

It was Platt, who worked as his informant.

Only then did Hendleyem feel relieved and opened the door to step inside.

“Was it you? If we have urgent matters to discuss, you should have contacted me beforehand…”

Platt continued reading the newspaper without responding.

Though Hendleyem found it odd, he decided not to point it out, as it was common for Platt to behave rudely at times.

“By the way, what brings you here today…?”

As Hendleyem, who had draped his coat over the chair at his desk, was about to sit down, he hesitated.

There was a piece of paper on the desk with a will written on it.

Moreover, it was a will that imitated Hendleyem’s own handwriting.

Seeing the revolver placed next to the will, Hendleyem’s eyes widened as he looked at Platt.

“…What the hell is this?”

Platt turned a page of the newspaper and replied.

“As you see, please commit suicide.”

The shocking words spoken so casually by Platt left Hendleyem’s mind paralyzed.

As if to show consideration for Hendleyem’s shock, Platt added an explanation.

“The Duke has labeled you as a traitor. Therefore, you must take responsibility.”

“…A traitor? Me? Are you making some nonsensical accusation right now!?”

“An accusation, you say?”

Platt chuckled softly.

“Can we really consider it a mere accusation when Daniel Steiner has come to your defense?”

“That’s… isn’t that just that bastard trying to isolate me with some trick!”

“The Duke also tried to interpret it that way. He was trying to consider you in the best light possible. But…”

Platt folded the newspaper and tossed it onto the desk.

“What is this?”

What about the newspaper? Lowering his head, Hendleyem was able to see the headline on the front page.

【The anti-war protesters turned violent, yet Colonel Daniel Steiner showed them compassion】

Below the headline was a photo of Daniel Steiner, bleeding from his forehead, comforting a person who appeared to be a protester.

As Hendleyem stared blankly at the article, Platt spoke.

“The protesters were under your jurisdiction, Baron Hendleyem. Am I correct?”

That was not an incorrect statement.

Baron Hendleyem had been secretly funding the protesters.

“But violence occurred during that protest. And it was directed at Daniel Steiner.”

His breath trembled.

Hendleyem tried to regain his composure and lifted his head.

“What does that mean? If this was also part of Daniel Steiner’s scheme—”

“Baron, please stop.”

Platt interrupted Hendleyem’s words with a sigh.

“They say the person who threw the brick was caught in the act. Upon investigating their identity, it turns out they were a high-ranking member who had been active among the protesters for a long time.”

“….”

“Both the Duke and other high-ranking officials are questioning whether ‘Baron Hendleyem colluded with Daniel Steiner to carry out this act.'”

Platt scratched his head as if feeling sorry.

“Thanks to that, the Duke is furious that he can no longer attack Daniel Steiner through the anti-war protests. Everything ended the moment the protester was caught in the act.”

“Wait a minute. My words…”

“If Daniel Steiner bribed the protester, you still won’t escape the Duke’s wrath. That would mean you failed to carry out your duties adequately.”

After finishing his words, Platt stood up and adjusted his clothes.

“I will give you plenty of time. I will wait just outside the door, so if there are any parts of the will you wish to amend, please let me know.”

With that, Platt bowed his head slightly and walked out.

Only after hearing the sound of the door closing did Hendleyem let out a resigned sigh.

“Ah…”

His trembling eyes captured the image of Daniel Steiner smiling kindly on the front page of the newspaper.

After capturing Kemble, Daniel Steiner had politically isolated Hendleyem using the media.

He had caused other nobles to harbor suspicions and distance themselves from Hendleyem.

Before he could dispel those suspicions, Daniel had gone south to clash with the protesters, inciting violence.

“That too…”

By bribing a high-ranking member of the protesters.

How he managed to do that was a mystery.

But Daniel Steiner had succeeded, and as a result, Hendleyem had lost all trust.

“Ah…”

With his strength drained, Hendleyem staggered.

The man smiling kindly in the newspaper was driving him, using devilish schemes, toward death without even knowing him.

Overwhelmed by endless despair, Hendleyem ultimately collapsed into a chair.

In a mind clouded by defeat, Hendleyem bit his teeth tightly and quietly sobbed.

“The one who ordered me to die was the Duke, but…”

He cursed the fact that it was none other than Daniel Steiner who had driven him to death.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Dear readers!

Thank you for reading today!

See you again tomorrow!