chapter_0175

174 – Unexpected Guest

174 – Unexpected Guest

After promising to cooperate to the best of his ability with Selvia and Rembador, Daniel left the Imperial Palace and returned to the Central Security Agency after chatting a bit more with the two.

Once inside the Superintendent General Office of the Central Security Agency, Daniel sat down and stared blankly ahead.

“The Empire was developing nuclear weapons…?”

That fact had been unknown in the game.

After all, the Allied Nations had won and the game had ended before the Empire could even develop nuclear weapons.

Moreover, the Empire in the game was not as financially stable as the current one.

They were struggling just to hold the front lines, so they couldn’t afford to provide research funds to scientists.

“But history has changed.”

As Selvia said, thanks to Daniel, the Empire had seized tremendous interests.

They had managed to subjugate the Eldresia Kingdom, which should have incurred enormous losses, in a single negotiation and obtained massive war reparations.

The fervor of the total war speech had also contributed to the rapid sale of war bonds, and by effectively turning Bellanos into an ally, they were able to recruit talent and receive financial support.

It was true that Daniel Steiner was gradually changing the fate of the Empire, even if it wasn’t intentional.

“If we can withstand the three-front war… and if the Empire develops nuclear weapons before the Allied Nations…”

The Empire would emerge victorious in the war and become the unparalleled hegemonic power.

That thought slightly altered Daniel’s perspective.

“…There is a chance.”

Of course, this came with the very difficult premise that they had to endure the offensives from the Allied Nations, the Federation, and the Republic until the nuclear development was completed.

Still, the mere fact that a stepping stone for a turnaround had emerged was good news for Daniel.

“I can’t escape now.”

Being dismissed was his last escape route, but since Selvia had not permitted it, there was no way out.

In fact, he had even secured a position as an executive in the Barogoff Project, receiving Selvia’s boundless trust, which was a far cry from the position of Emergency Security General.

This meant he was now involved in a highly confidential matter that only a few in the Empire were aware of.

“I wonder how future historians will evaluate me…”

He was already feeling a headache at the thought of what misunderstandings he might face, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Everything only matters if the Empire wins.”

If the Empire couldn’t withstand the three-front war and ended up defeated, what would be the point of developing nuclear weapons?

The hope had emerged, but the Empire’s situation was still dire.

“What a foolish child. Why did I even apply to the military academy…”

He regretted many things about having volunteered to serve when the conscription officer came to the orphanage, blinded by money.

“I had planned to just fulfill my mandatory service and then start a bakery with the money I saved up…”

Now, he had not only become the youngest colonel but had also received three medals, which was something most people would struggle to earn even once in their military career.

As he reflected on how things had come to this, a knock sounded at the door.

Daniel, shaking off his thoughts, looked toward the door and said,

“Come in.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Lucy entered.

“Superintendent General.”

Lucy saluted with an expressionless face.

After Daniel acknowledged her with a nod, Lucy got straight to the point.

“A person who wishes to speak with you has come, so I have come to report.”

“At this hour? Who is it?”

“It is Count Ophilo Argentar, who runs an art auction house.”

Count Ophilo.

Thinking that the noble who had finally taken the bait had arrived, Daniel said,

“Let him in. Since he came in person, it wouldn’t be right to turn him away.”

“Understood.”

Bowing her head slightly, Lucy left the Superintendent General Office.

After a few moments of quiet conversation outside, a middle-aged man opened the door and entered the office.

He had a neatly trimmed beard, suggesting he was well-groomed.

Ophilo, who gazed at Daniel with somewhat drowsy eyes, lightly bowed his head.

Daniel responded,

“Count Ophilo.”

With a smile, Daniel gestured to the chair across from him.

Though it was displeasing to Ophilo that someone of Daniel’s background did not rise to greet him, he couldn’t complain.

Going against Daniel Steiner, the Emergency Security General of the current Empire, was akin to disregarding the Emperor’s command.

As Ophilo moved to sit down, Daniel placed his hands on the desk and smiled faintly.

“Have you had your meal? If you don’t mind, I would like to share a meal while we talk.”

“…I did not come here to receive favors, so I will decline.”

“I see. Then what brings you to seek me?”

Daniel inquired about his intentions, but Ophilo had no intention of easily revealing his hand.

Ophilo had not come to betray a colleague.

‘Do you think I don’t know your true intentions, Daniel Steiner?’

He had heard that the editor-in-chief of the Imperial Daily had been dismissed after a conversation with Daniel Steiner, receiving a relatively light punishment.

Following that, nobles had exchanged various stories after confirming that the head of the Security Agency had voted in favor of establishing the Security Surveillance Bureau.

One of the prominent rumors was that “if you deal with Daniel Steiner, you might avoid punishment.”

However, Ophilo was different.

He had sensed that Daniel was intentionally causing a rift within the surviving noble alliance.

Thinking he couldn’t fall prey to Daniel’s hunting tactics, Ophilo secretly called for a meeting with the alliance, determined to extract information from Daniel.

If Daniel Steiner had not obtained information about the noble alliance from Duke Belvar, then there was no need for them to be anxious.

‘If he knew who the members of the noble alliance were, he would have acted immediately, rather than idly spending time in the Superintendent General Office like a hunter setting traps.’

This meant that Duke Belvar had not disclosed information about the noble alliance to Daniel Steiner.

That was only natural.

The moment Belvar betrayed the alliance, the nobles would not remain silent.

To mitigate his own punishment, he would surely make numerous statements unfavorable to the Belvar family.

If during that process the whereabouts of his family were discovered, everything would fall apart, so Belvar had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

It might be Daniel Steiner, not the noble alliance, who was in a precarious situation.

“I simply…”

Ophilo began.

“I requested this meeting because I hope you will swiftly capture the collaborators lurking in the Empire. I am also curious about the state of the traitor Duke Belvar.”

Daniel remained silent.

With an inscrutable smile, he merely tapped his fingers on the desk.

In the atmosphere that exuded an inexplicable sense of intimidation, Daniel shrugged his shoulders once.

“I cannot disclose that. It is classified information.”

From Daniel’s words, Ophilo could be certain.

‘It seems he hasn’t been able to extract information from Duke Belvar after all.’

If he had managed to obtain even trivial information, he would have been trying to negotiate right here and now.

With his questions resolved, Ophilo smiled back.

“I see. I have overstepped my bounds. Then let’s postpone the meal for another time; I think it would be best for me to take my leave now. I came here out of patriotic fervor, but now that I have arrived, I feel like I am being a hindrance.”

As Ophilo chuckled, Daniel stood up.

“Understood. Then I will see you off.”

–

As Ophilo chatted with Daniel and stepped outside the Central Security Agency, he noticed it was raining.

“Oh dear. It’s raining. I’m glad I brought an umbrella. But the rain is quite heavy.”

Daniel, who was looking at the same scene, nodded in agreement.

“It seems summer is approaching. With rain this heavy already.”

“Summer, huh? Just thinking about the mosquitoes keeping me up at night makes me tired already.”

“Indeed. Mosquitoes are a problem. They are creatures that grow by sucking blood and are of no help to humans at all. They are also quite foolish.”

Daniel turned to Ophilo.

“They don’t even realize that if they suck too much blood, they will end up dead at the hands of an angry human.”

Ophilo felt a chill run down his spine as it sounded somewhat like a jab at the noble alliance.

But he quickly regained his composure.

‘Duke Belvar is someone who cherishes his family dearly. Unless Daniel Steiner captures Duke Belvar’s family, he would have no reason to disclose information about the noble alliance.’

He needed to judge rationally, not be swept away by the atmosphere Daniel Steiner exuded.

With his mind set, Ophilo smiled and loosened the strap of his umbrella.

“I think humans are just as foolish. I’ve heard that humans have limitations when it comes to tracking small, fast-moving objects. Moreover, mosquitoes do not follow a consistent flight path. That’s why it’s difficult for us to catch them.”

Ophilo countered Daniel’s statement as he opened the umbrella.

“I hope you take care to avoid mosquitoes, Superintendent General. Though they may be few in number now, they will surely increase in strength once summer arrives.”

Having unknowingly delivered a threat, Ophilo was about to step away from the Central Security Agency when he suddenly halted.

Families were arriving at the entrance of the Central Security Agency.

“Oh. Ugh…”

They were all dressed in fine clothes, yet their appearances were disheveled.

Without a single umbrella, they approached Daniel slowly through the rain.

As they got closer, the man at the front of the group knelt before Daniel.

“Colonel Daniel Steiner! I am sorry. Truly sorry…!”

The man, trembling with sobs, pressed his hands to the ground and bowed his head.

“My desire to seek asylum was my arrogance! Yes! I now understand that I cannot escape from you, Colonel! I deeply regret trying to evade responsibility! I will cooperate with everything you command! So please, show our family a modicum of mercy!”

As Ophilo watched the man prostrating and crying out, his complexion turned pale.

‘That is…’

It was Perehmila, the eldest son of Duke Belvar.

The others were also the family of Duke Belvar.

‘How… how is this possible…’

Did Daniel Steiner secure Duke Belvar’s family long ago?

‘Then why has he been torturing Duke Belvar unilaterally and trying to cause a rift within the noble alliance without revealing any cards until now?’

If he used them, it would be very easy to extract all the members of the noble alliance from Duke Belvar.

‘Yet he has not disclosed that he has captured Duke Belvar’s family to the outside world…’

It was akin to playing with Duke Belvar and the noble alliance.

For Duke Belvar, there was hope that his family would be safe.

For the noble alliance, there was hope that they could survive.

Daniel Steiner had planned everything to shatter those hopes after giving them.

‘Is this person truly human?’

To Ophilo, who saw Daniel as a devil wearing the guise of a human, he dropped his umbrella.

Looking down coldly at Perehmila, who was flat on the ground begging for his life, Daniel’s expression was icy.

The sound of the rain intensified, and a long silence ensued.

‘What is this…?’

Contrary to Ophilo’s thoughts, Daniel could not comprehend the situation at all.

‘Why are you all here?’

He genuinely could not understand.