chapter_0187

186 – Isn’t It Obvious?

186 – Isn’t It Obvious?

After hearing a rough outline of the mysterious businessman, Daniel Steiner headed to the reception room of the Central Security Agency.

Opening the door to the reception room, Daniel could see Hamtal sitting on the sofa, savoring the aroma of coffee.

As he had heard, he was a black man dressed neatly in a suit.

It wasn’t an expensive suit at first glance, but it wasn’t cheap either.

He gave a strong impression that he was wearing it not for luxury, but to maintain his dignity.

‘Hamtal, was it?’

His face was somehow familiar.

As Daniel approached, Hamtal, sensing his presence, put down the cup he was holding and looked up.

Hamtal, with a faint smile, rose from his seat and extended his hand.

“Chief of the Central Security Agency. Thank you for making time for me. I’m Hamtal, a businessman making various investments in the Imperial City.”

Daniel took Hamtal’s hand.

“I heard you’re making donations with good intentions, so of course, I had to make time. I heard you made a huge profit from investing a lot of money in the military industry. Is that correct?”

“I made a decent amount. That money allowed me to participate in small-scale military supply bids, and now I operate a few small transportation companies. Of course, I’m still investing.”

For someone who had made a fortune in a short period, he was surprisingly humble.

Thinking it was unexpected, Daniel withdrew his hand and said,

“That’s amazing. I wouldn’t have thought of using money like that. But…”

Daniel, examining Hamtal’s face, tilted his head.

“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Hamtal chuckled softly.

“I’m grateful you remember. To be honest, I had a conversation with you on the train. We exchanged greetings in the first-class section of the Royal Express.”

“The first-class section of the Royal Express…”

Daniel, racking his memory, clapped his hands as if he remembered.

“Ah! I remember! You introduced yourself as being from Nordia back then.”

“That’s right. You were wearing the rank of Major back then. Now you’re wearing the rank of Colonel, so I think you’ve been even more successful than me.”

“Success is too much. I’ve just done what I had to do for the Empire. More than that, it’s fate that we’ve met like this, so why don’t you sit down and talk?”

At Daniel’s invitation, Hamtal nodded and sat on the sofa.

Daniel also sat opposite Hamtal, smiling.

“You came to the Empire from Nordia and made a name for yourself as a businessman. You must be busy enough just running your business, but you’re even donating to the Empire. I can’t help but feel respect.”

“I also always have respect for you, Chief of the Central Security Agency, who is dedicated to the Empire. Compared to the battlefield where lives are at stake, business is nothing more than child’s play.”

“Don’t say that. I know that business is no different from war.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Daniel picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee.

It tasted good, perhaps because Lucy had made it.

Daniel, savoring the coffee in his mouth, put down the cup and said,

“Then, shall we get down to business?”

“By business, do you mean?”

“What do you want? I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in business.”

Businessmen were people who would hire even monkeys as employees if it benefited them.

So, he was asking what he wanted in exchange for donating to the Security Surveillance Bureau.

Hamtal seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then looked up and stared at Daniel.

“There’s not much I want. But if you insist on asking, I’d like the Imperial Daily to publish a story on the front page about my donation. In times of war, patriotic donations can have a significant advertising effect.”

“Is that all?”

“There shouldn’t be anything else I want. Even if I say this, my patriotism is not a lie. I sincerely hope that a more ideal Empire will be born. And you, Chief of the Central Security Agency, will be by the side of His Majesty the Emperor, leading that Empire.”

Hamtal was simply running the Black Swan for that future.

“When that time comes, I believe you will eradicate the racial discrimination that is widespread throughout the world, just as you did in Nordia. So, I have a question…”

Hamtal looked at Daniel and continued.

“Do you think racial discrimination will disappear in the future?”

Anyone living in this era would hesitate to answer that question.

Frankly speaking, even in the Empire, which had abolished discrimination based on status and stipulated that races should not be divided by law, people were subtly excluding each other.

How many people in this era could confidently say that the future would be different?

But Daniel could be sure.

He knew how history would unfold from his previous life.

“It won’t disappear completely.”

“I see…”

“But I can guarantee that it will definitely be better than it is now. At least, there will be no more disadvantages based on race. Who knows, in the distant future, a black person might become the leader of a powerful nation?”

Hamtal was strangely shocked by Daniel’s last words.

‘A black person might become the leader of a powerful nation…’

That was absurd.

The world Hamtal had experienced so far would never allow that.

Daniel was naturally saying something that was realistically impossible.

Even Hamtal, who was born and lived as a black man all his life, had never dared to imagine such a thing.

‘Perhaps Daniel Steiner is even more…’

He might be more sincere about abolishing racial discrimination than he was.

Of course, Daniel was just recounting the history he had experienced in his previous life, but there was no way Hamtal could know that.

Hamtal, inwardly admiring him as if he were facing a prophet, nodded with a faint smile.

“Your vision is very broad, Chief of the Central Security Agency. So broad that I can’t dare to follow. With that, I think I can trust you and hand over the document.”

Document? Just as he was wondering what he meant, Hamtal reached into his arms.

What came out of Hamtal’s hand was an old document.

“It’s something I unintentionally collected while expanding my business. It seems to be encrypted, but I couldn’t decipher it, so I was agonizing over it. I thought you might be able to read it, so I’m handing it over to you.”

Wondering what he was talking about, Daniel received the document from Hamtal.

Opening the folded document, Daniel discovered characters marked with double encryption.

‘This is…’

They were codes that the Allied Nations used in the past.

Daniel, who had learned code interpretation at the military academy, knew these codes.

‘These are codes that are no longer used due to security issues. That means…’

This document itself was a confidential document that was at least 10 years old.

Amidst his bewilderment, Daniel examined the document while deciphering the code and involuntarily paused.

‘It’s a document about the Lucy Project. To be exact, it describes the location and geographical advantages of the research institute that conducted the Lucy Project. Is it a copy?’

Thinking that far, Daniel folded the document and looked at Hamtal.

“…Where on earth did you get this?”

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s something I unintentionally obtained while expanding my business. You can have it if you want. I don’t need it.”

Hamtal, as if telling him not to ask any further, stood up.

“Then, I’ll be on my way. I can’t let you waste any more of your precious time, Chief of the Central Security Agency. I’ll send you the details about the donation in writing later.”

Hamtal bowed and walked towards the door of the reception room.

His appearance was somehow suspicious, but he couldn’t bring himself to call him back.

After Hamtal left the reception room, Lucy entered shortly after.

“Chief of the Central Security Agency. If you’re done talking, about the meeting with the Bellanos ambassador…”

As Lucy entered the reception room, Daniel hurriedly put the document in his arms.

It was information that Lucy didn’t need to know.

The problem was that Lucy had watched him do it.

“Chief of the Central Security Agency? Weren’t you hiding something just now?”

He was caught.

Daniel, sweating, answered as naturally as possible.

“Hiding? I was just looking at Kelly’s picture and then putting it back in my arms.”

But Lucy didn’t seem to believe him.

Noticing that her red eyes were staring at him fiercely, Daniel cleared his throat and stood up.

“Lieutenant. It’s not good to suspect your superior. If you want, I’ll take Kelly’s picture out of my arms and show it to you now. How about it?”

At the mention of Kelly’s picture, Lucy’s expression changed.

She had wanted to see it all along, but she hadn’t asked because she thought it would be a nuisance. Now the opportunity had finally come.

Lucy tried to hide her excitement and answered.

“…I want to see it.”

Daniel, thinking he had diverted the topic, breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and reached into his coat pocket.

“Good. She’s a very cute and pretty child, so you’ll like her too.”

Daniel, taking out Kelly’s picture instead of the document from his arms, handed it to Lucy.

Lucy accepted Kelly’s picture with a trembling heart.

“…”

And she froze.

The picture showed a golden retriever with a bright smile.

Confused, Lucy stared blankly for a while before slowly raising her head.

“Colonel Daniel? I don’t think that’s a very funny joke.”

“Joke? What are you talking about?”

“This is a dog, not Kelly.”

A question mark appeared above Daniel’s head.

He couldn’t understand what Lucy was talking about at all.

After a long time, Daniel finally spoke.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s Kelly.”

Lucy’s eyes trembled once.

In her confused mind, Lucy managed to open her lips.

“…As far as I know, you were thinking of Kelly and said you wanted to see her. With a very sad look on your face.”

“She was my best friend when I was young. I was the one who insisted on raising Kelly at the monastery in the first place, so of course, I have a lot of memories.”

“Th-Then what was that about wanting to hug Kelly? You said hugging Kelly and rolling around was the joy of your life.”

Lucy’s voice was trembling slightly.

Daniel looked at Lucy, who was not maintaining her composure as usual, in embarrassment.

He didn’t know what Lucy wanted, but he had no choice but to tell the truth.

“That’s because…”

After a short silence, Daniel said awkwardly.

“Kelly is a dog.”

A word from the author (author’s afterword)

Thank you to the readers who read it today!

Are you having a good holiday? I hope you have a happy holiday!

Then I’ll see you again tomorrow!