chapter_0135

134 – The Security Chief Gives Me Chills

134 – The Security Chief Gives Me Chills

Receiving gratitude for something I hadn’t even done left me feeling anything but good.

Just when I was wondering what on earth he was talking about, Otto reached into his pocket.

In his hand were several photographs.

“You’ve used quite a humanitarian approach, even when dealing with enemy spies.”

The photos showed people lying down with their eyes closed, as if they had fallen asleep.

Nearby, electronic devices and scattered documents were also captured in the shots.

Just as I was starting to wonder what this was about, Otto added, “It seems to me that chloroform was dispersed in gas form, and the entrance was blocked until they lost consciousness. Am I correct in my assumption?”

Daniel looked up and stared at Otto intently.

I thought he might be joking, but there was a seriousness in Otto’s gaze.

Realizing he needed to clear up the misunderstanding, Daniel let out a low chuckle and shook his head.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have no connection to that incident.”

“Is that so? Hmm.”

Otto, looking puzzled, licked his lips and placed the photographs on the table before picking up a briefcase that was next to the sofa.

Opening the briefcase, Otto rummaged through it and pulled out another photograph.

“Then, do you recognize this person? You should remember him before he was unmasked.”

The photo showed an elderly man presumed to be lying with a bullet lodged in his forehead.

His eyes were closed.

As Daniel examined the old man in the photograph, he nodded in surprise.

It was someone he had actually met.

“That’s the old man I spoke with briefly at a place called Beer Heaven. Could it be that he was an enemy spy?”

Otto, maintaining his smile while quietly observing Daniel, nodded.

“That’s correct. According to my investigation, he returned to his hideout after speaking with Colonel Daniel Steiner. Shortly after, he met with some group and ended up with a bullet in his head. There’s more I’ve found out….”

Otto gestured as if asking for a moment and pulled out several documents from the briefcase.

They were testimonies from enemy spies who had regained consciousness.

Otto handed them to Daniel, saying, “As you can see, they refuse to say who attacked them, which is quite strange. They all seem terrified and reluctant to speak. It seems that a few were silenced after being killed in the bunker….”

Otto shrugged his shoulders.

“I have one question. If they were all killed, it would ensure their silence, so why leave any alive? Perhaps the person who ordered this respected the value of the information that could be obtained by keeping the enemy spies alive instead of killing them.”

If all the discovered spies were killed, it wouldn’t be a significant loss for the Allied Nations.

Losing spies would be a painful blow, but their deaths would mean the information they could divulge would disappear with them.

However, if the spies were kept alive and coerced or tortured into revealing information, the Allied Nations would suffer astronomical losses.

Daniel Steiner, who had fought numerous battles against the Allied Nations, surely understood this simple truth.

Moreover, Daniel Steiner operated a private organization that could easily dismantle a branch.

It was common knowledge that he had used his organization to apprehend members of the Imperial Faction in the past.

On the day the Palentia branch was destroyed, Daniel Steiner had a conversation with their leader, Theobalt, at a restaurant.

As a result of gathering information, Otto, the head of the Security Agency, could only conclude that Daniel Steiner was the one orchestrating all of this from behind the scenes.

Thus, he had come here directly, hoping for the truth to be revealed to him, but Daniel, who had no connection to the enemy spy organization, was simply put in a difficult position.

“I don’t even know that old man’s name. We only had a meal together.”

“Just a meal, huh….”

Otto nodded as if resigned while observing Daniel.

“If that is Colonel Daniel Steiner’s intention, I won’t press further. However, I would like you to know one thing: the Security Agency truly wants to express its gratitude regarding this matter.”

“…I don’t think there’s anything for me to be grateful for.”

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m thankful for. Because Colonel Daniel Steiner remained silent, the Security Agency can take full credit for uncovering the enemy spies’ hideout.”

With a smile, Otto began to gather the photographs and documents spread across the table.

“Many people offer money in exchange for the Security Agency’s cooperation. Quite a few even promise power. But very few actually deliver results like this.”

Having neatly organized the documents, Otto returned them to the briefcase.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner, you must understand that the Imperial City is in the eye of the storm. It feels like something bad is about to happen.”

Otto, now holding the photographs close, adjusted his clothing.

“What we need right now is results. No matter who becomes the ruler of the Empire, as long as I can show that the Security Agency is not incompetent, my head will remain safe.”

Daniel felt a sense of unease from Otto’s words.

The coronation must have already taken place, so it was hard to understand why the head of the Security Agency would say such things.

“…The only ruler of the Empire is His Majesty the Emperor.”

Otto nodded in agreement.

“Yes. That is not incorrect. I agree with you on that.”

“Your statement seems rather unusual for someone who agrees….”

“It should certainly be unusual. This is a gift I am giving to Colonel Daniel Steiner. If you receive something, you should also give something in return, shouldn’t you?”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“I see. Then let me express my intentions more clearly.”

Even though he knew no one was around, Otto pretended to be cautious and leaned forward to whisper quietly.

“Be careful of Duke Belvar. He will stir the storm.”

At Otto’s words, Daniel’s eyes narrowed sharply.

‘Duke Belvar…’

He was the old fox who had sided with the prince when the Emperor’s children fought over the succession.

‘I thought he had acknowledged his defeat and withdrawn his support for the prince. Could it be that this old man is the head of the noble alliance that was pressuring me?’

I had vaguely suspected it, but hearing it from someone else was a different matter.

Of course, Otto could be lying.

However, it was impossible to dismiss the words of the head of the Security Agency, who possessed a wealth of information, as mere lies.

“I will take your advice to heart.”

Upon hearing Daniel’s response, Otto smiled and closed the briefcase.

“I hope the information I provided was to your liking. Well then, I shall take my leave.”

Rising from his seat, Otto was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, do you happen to know someone named Hamtal? He’s a rare black businessman….”

Hamtal? It was a name that sounded familiar, but I didn’t know much about it.

“I don’t know him. But why do you ask?”

“Nothing much, just that he was the businessman who was supposed to invest in Theobalt’s textile factory, the head of the enemy spies. I looked into whether he was connected to this incident, but his alibi was so perfect that he was excluded from suspicion. However….”

Otto raised his hand and stroked his chin.

“Do you know that feeling when an alibi is so perfect that it becomes suspicious?”

“I can’t say I feel that way….”

“That makes sense. I understand. I hope to see you again next time.”

Otto extended his hand toward Daniel.

Seeing this, Daniel stood up and shook his hand in farewell, while Otto lightly bowed his head as a parting gesture and walked out.

As he exited through the entrance of the headquarters, an aide who had been waiting nearby approached him.

“Director, did the conversation go well?”

At the aide’s words, Otto made a peculiar expression.

“Well, it didn’t feel like I was talking to a person.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He was like a machine. At least the Daniel Steiner who was responding to my words.”

Otto recalled the meeting room where he had spoken with Daniel.

Circumstantially, it seemed that Daniel Steiner had indeed used his private organization to dismantle the enemy spy organization.

However, Daniel Steiner had denied it without a moment’s hesitation when asked by Otto.

While it was easy to predict that he would deny the truth, the problem lay in what came next.

“It was clear he was lying, but I couldn’t tell he was lying.”

Otto had dealt with numerous con artists on his way up to the position of head of the Security Agency.

The con artists had spun many lies to Otto, but in most cases, he had seen through them.

When a person lies, there is usually a disconnect in their behavior or physiological responses.

Breathing and magical energy also tend to become slightly disordered.

For Otto, who had been adept at detecting others’ lies since childhood, noticing such minor discrepancies was relatively easy.

But with Daniel Steiner, he couldn’t sense even a hint of deception.

It was as if he was only speaking the truth.

“Chills are running down my spine. Chills….”

Shivering, Otto rubbed his arms.

He was almost at the point of being astounded by Daniel’s demeanor, which seemed to deceive even himself.

“He might have sociopathic tendencies. Anyway, aide, after our conversation, I feel more certain that we should change our course of action.”

“In what way do you mean?”

“From now on, if Duke Belvar requests cooperation, do not provide more information than necessary. Also, do not deploy our personnel moving forward. On the other hand, if Daniel Steiner requests cooperation, respond more than adequately.”

The aide seemed a bit surprised by Otto’s words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Yes. Perhaps it is not Duke Belvar who will bring the storm to the Empire….”

Otto smiled as if he found it amusing.

“It might just be Daniel Steiner.”