chapter_0194

193 – Why That Kid Specifically

193 – Why That Kid Specifically

The auditorium was engulfed in silence.

The moment I die, the future of the Empire will vanish.

That arrogant statement pushed the fear felt in the gunfire to the back of emotions.

Moreover, to the crowd’s eyes, Daniel was surprisingly composed in a situation where he might die.

As if what he cared about was the future of the Empire, not some trivial life.

His demeanor, which seemed to transcend human limits, was enough to inspire awe.

As the crowd stared blankly up at Daniel Steiner, a man gripped his pistol tightly.

“Do you think I can’t do it? If I set my mind to it, someone like you…!”

It was the moment the man placed his finger on the trigger.

“You trash!”

An officer shouted and struck the man’s head with the butt of the revolver.

At the same time, the man let out a yelp and collapsed to the ground.

As the pistol he dropped rolled on the floor, a soldier who arrived late hurriedly picked it up.

The man, who had been subdued in an instant, groaned, but the officer paid no mind.

“How dare you try to attack General Daniel!? You filthy bastard!”

The officer’s sharp voice was strangely familiar.

As Daniel examined the officer’s appearance, he broke into a cold sweat.

‘It’s Frien.’

The officer’s identity was none other than Frien.

He had burst into the auditorium as soon as the gunfire was heard and subdued the man.

Just when Daniel thought Frien was remarkably quick to act, Frien kicked the man with a military boot.

A dull sound echoed as the man’s back arched like a shrimp, but Frien did not stop.

“How dare! How dare! Someone like you! Attack the General!”

The violence fueled by rage continued.

It was only natural for Frien to be furious at the man who had attempted to assassinate Daniel.

That said, excessive force was not desirable.

Hearing the murmurs rising among the crowd, Daniel opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to cause a commotion here. Take him away.”

As soon as Daniel finished speaking, Frien, who had been trampling the man, quickly turned and saluted.

“Understood! I will take him away and deal with him!”

What he meant by “deal with” was unclear, but Daniel decided not to ask.

Nodding, Daniel instructed Frien to have the soldiers bind the man.

The man, writhing in pain, was dragged out of the auditorium, bound.

As the commotion settled, the crowd’s gaze naturally turned to the podium.

Standing on the podium, Daniel maintained his silence while surveying the crowd.

On the surface, he appeared to be a young general with a heart of iron and blood, but Daniel’s inner thoughts were different.

‘…Is it really all over?’

He was merely scanning for any other terrorists that might be hiding among the crowd.

Confirming that there were no other terrorists present, Daniel felt relieved but hesitated to leave.

He saw that the crowd was holding its breath, waiting for his words.

Only then did Daniel realize.

The words he had hastily thrown out to buy time had indeed conveyed a significant emotion to the crowd.

If he left without saying anything, he might be met with a backlash.

Thinking he couldn’t remain silent, Daniel opened his mouth amidst the stillness created by the crowd.

“Citizens, you must have seen it. You must have thought about it as well.”

Daniel’s deep voice enveloped the auditorium.

“Why didn’t Daniel Steiner hide? Why didn’t he run away?”

A few in the crowd nodded.

“Wouldn’t I be scared? If it were the past me, I would have surely fled without looking back. Life is precious, after all. You have to be alive to do anything, right?”

A small laugh spread among the crowd.

As Daniel smiled along with them, he suddenly turned serious.

“But!”

The laughter that had been spreading among the crowd came to an abrupt halt at his powerful voice.

“As a general, I know that I must not beg for my life in the face of threats from subversives! To fear death would be to deceive the courage of my soldiers! Moreover, it would betray the expectations of the citizens!”

Daniel raised his voice.

“The filthy Allied Nations and the Republic believe we will be afraid! They hope we will run away with our tails between our legs like frightened puppies! But are we afraid? I ask you, citizens of the Empire! Are we afraid?”

The entire crowd gathered in the auditorium shouted in unison.

─ No!

As if they had completely forgotten that gunfire had just erupted here, the crowd was cheering.

“Citizens! What happened today will be remembered by history and witnessed by the world! The Empire knows no fear! We will face death and burn our enemies!”

As soon as Daniel finished speaking, the crowd waved the flags they had brought and erupted in a unified roar.

─ The Empire knows no fear!

─ Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner!

In the atmosphere that lay somewhere between fervor and madness, Daniel lightly bowed his head.

He felt that if he continued his speech any longer, it would become unmanageable.

Turning his back on the crowd’s cheers, Daniel was startled.

Lucy was staring at him with her red eyes wide open.

“…Aide? When did you come here?”

“I came up on stage as soon as I heard the gunfire. I thought I should stop you if you were attacked, General Daniel. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.”

“Right. Lieutenant Frien subdued him in time.”

Lucy nodded slightly in agreement.

However, her face bore a hint of suspicion.

Unable to refrain from asking, Daniel moved his feet and spoke.

“Why do you say that?”

“I have a small question. The man who entered the auditorium with a pistol acted very clumsily. It’s as if he wanted to show everyone that he was attempting an assassination rather than actually coming to assassinate.”

Daniel was about to say that not everyone was as competent as her when he stopped himself.

There was no need to nitpick.

“There’s no need to dwell on what’s already happened. More importantly, how is the direct unit that the headquarters assigned to me?”

“Yes. Everyone is waiting for your orders, General Daniel.”

“In that case, let’s get to the point.”

Having been unexpectedly targeted for assassination, it was only natural that public interest would explode.

Daniel, already feeling a headache coming on, came up with a clever plan.

“Tell them to hurry up and prepare for deployment.”

Not wanting to be bothered by reporters and royal family members, Daniel said while looking straight ahead.

“There’s no need to waste time.”

–

A few days later, in the old capital of the Allied Nations, Edria, Penbarch.

In the office of Colonel Dolbap, the Defense Commander.

“Hmm…”

Sitting at his desk and reading the newspaper, Dolbap absentmindedly stroked his chin.

‘Even though the Republic has joined the war, the situation isn’t flowing very favorably. It’s a relief compared to when the Allied Nations faced the Empire alone, though.’

The Republic, which had declared war, was launching offensives, but the Empire was maintaining the front lines better than expected.

This was partly due to the Empire’s quick troop redeployment after anticipating the Republic’s preparations for war.

‘Well, it’s not bad.’

Thanks to the Empire’s troops, which should have been on the eastern front, moving north, Penbarch had become even safer.

Penbarch was a region that, despite being the old capital of Edria, was not strategically easy to utilize.

‘The east and south are mountainous, so even if we occupy it, it’s not suitable as a forward base. The population is small, the transportation network is a mess, and there are hardly any industrial facilities.’

It was a place that was almost embarrassing to call a city, but Dolbap was somewhat satisfied.

As the Defense Commander of Penbarch, he didn’t have to go into battle unless absolutely necessary.

‘Peace in war. It’s not as bad as I thought…’

Dolbap chuckled softly, closed the newspaper, and picked up the sandwich on his desk.

Just as he was about to take a bite, he heard the chirping of birds from behind him, and suddenly the door slammed open.

Wondering who it was, he saw it was his aide.

“Verot, you idiot! Who barges into a superior’s office like that—”

“That’s not important right now!”

There was something oddly breathless about him.

Dolbap raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Why? Did the central command send a notice to cut down on snacks?”

“It’s much more serious! An enemy force is coming! A brigade-sized enemy force is on its way!”

Dolbap broke into a cold sweat at the mention of enemy forces.

But soon he regained his composure.

“Contact the central command. Ask for reinforcements immediately. We just need to hold out as long as we can. But why here of all places? Who’s the lunatic in charge? Who is the enemy commander?”

“That is…”

Verot hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s General Daniel Steiner.”

Dolbap dropped the sandwich he was holding.

In the heavy silence, Dolbap’s complexion turned pale.

After a long moment, Dolbap pressed his forehead and clenched his teeth.

“Damn it…!”

It was a name that made curses come out involuntarily.