chapter_0226

225 – Give It a Try

225 – Give It a Try

After leaving the office, Daniel established matters related to the security and control of the city through meetings with his staff.

Although he expressed it as passing the buck to Heinrich, he believed it was only proper to implement basic administrative measures before transferring command.

After stabilizing the city’s security for about a week, Daniel complied with headquarters’ orders and transferred command of the city to Heinrich.

Heinrich sighed but reluctantly accepted the command, allowing Daniel to prepare for his return to the Imperial City.

After informing the troops of the news, Daniel took a light walk the night before his return.

Though calling it a walk was a stretch, as it merely involved strolling through the front yard of the mansion.

As he walked, listening to the sounds of summer night insects, Daniel let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally going back. By the time I arrive in the Imperial City, this sweltering summer will probably be coming to an end.”

While he couldn’t be completely at ease just because he was returning to the Imperial City, it was certainly better than staying close to the front lines.

“More importantly…”

In the whirlwind of life, a year and a half had already passed since he was commissioned.

As he walked, thinking how quickly time flies, he heard a song coming from somewhere.

The monotonous yet warm-toned melody tickled his ears.

Curious about who was singing, Daniel turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw Frien sitting on a bench by the pond.

The starlight seemed to cast a dreamy hue over the pond, creating quite a surreal scene.

As if enchanted, Daniel walked closer and quietly spoke.

“…Frien?”

The pleasant melody abruptly stopped.

Frien turned to the side, saw Daniel, and her expression shifted from a daze to a smile.

“I was surprised. I thought you would be asleep… Would you like to sit next to me?”

With no reason to refuse, Daniel nodded and sat beside Frien.

“That was quite a lovely song.”

“It’s a song I sang to comfort myself when life was tough. For some reason, singing it makes me feel at ease.”

“Oh. Perhaps now you…”

As Daniel trailed off, Frien waved her hand dismissively.

“Not at all. I just sang it without any particular reason today. After our victory, returning to the Imperial City shouldn’t be hard, right?”

“Is that so? More importantly, I appreciate it. You may have heard my thanks through my aide, but since we’re face to face, I want to say it again. I deeply appreciate your efforts for the brigade, especially considering how tough it must have been.”

“Mm…”

Frien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I think you might be mistaken. I didn’t act for the brigade; I used my abilities for the brigade commander. And…”

Frien spoke with a hint of irritation.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much? Coming here now to say thank you. Of course, I know the brigade commander is incredibly busy, unlike me, but couldn’t you have spared a little time?”

“Well…”

Daniel, seemingly in a bind, let out a low chuckle.

“I have no excuse. I admit my fault.”

Frien, who was about to retort, shook her head upon seeing Daniel’s smiling face.

It was hard to voice complaints against someone who was smiling.

So, she simply turned her gaze straight ahead to look at the pond.

A brief silence fell between them.

Just as Daniel thought the breeze blowing across the surface was refreshing, he opened his mouth.

“I hope you won’t do that again. If your actions are based on caring for me rather than the brigade.”

Frien, puzzled by his words, turned to look at Daniel.

Daniel continued to gaze at the pond as he spoke.

“Just hypothetically, if I had lost you in that battle, I would have been tormented by guilt for the rest of my life. While it’s natural for someone to die in war, I never wished for it to be you.”

Amidst the chirping of insects, Daniel turned to Frien.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

Their gazes met.

“So remember that caring for you is the same as caring for me.”

Frien’s eyes widened.

Her lips parted slightly, and her heart raced uncontrollably.

A feeling different from respect and devotion stirred deep within her heart.

Unconsciously clenching her hands, Frien hurriedly averted her gaze.

“With words like that…”

Her voice trembled for no reason.

Taking a deep breath, Frien parted her lips.

“I’ll forgive you for coming to see me late.”

“Thank you for your leniency.”

Daniel, jokingly, leaned back against the bench.

“It’s nice to have some quiet time after a long while.”

While Daniel smiled contentedly at the peaceful routine, Frien felt differently.

“What did he mean by saying that?”

Daniel was getting heated in his mind, trying to grasp his intentions.

Thus, the two of them admired the beauty of the pond late into the night, harboring similar yet different feelings.

–

As soon as morning broke, Daniel moved to the Imperial City with his troops.

After about a week of continuous travel, Daniel safely arrived in the Imperial City and saw a large crowd lined up along the streets.

It was only natural, as Daniel was both a hero of the Empire and, quite literally, a triumphant general.

Cheers erupted from all around, and petals fluttered down from the sky.

Though it was a bit overwhelming, it was now a familiar sight.

Waving to the citizens from the military jeep, Daniel headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

He needed to report his return to Her Majesty, the Emperor Selvia.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, the head of the Inner Court, who had come to greet him, took charge of guiding him.

As Daniel walked through the corridors of the palace, he suddenly halted.

A man in a pristine white uniform was approaching from the opposite end of the corridor.

The white uniform was something only royalty could wear in the Empire.

Seeing him confidently striding through the palace corridors made it easy to deduce his identity.

“Is that Prince Arno? I really didn’t want to run into him…”

From Arno’s perspective, he likely thought he had lost the throne because of Daniel Steiner, so there was nothing good about them meeting.

However, contrary to Daniel’s expectations, Arno smiled lightly.

“Isn’t this the Empire’s hero, Daniel Steiner! I was just hoping to see your face, and here you are! May I have a moment to talk?”

Looking to the side, the head of the Inner Court nodded, indicating that a brief conversation would be fine.

Seeing this, Daniel turned to Arno.

“I can hardly refuse your request, Your Highness. What is it?”

“Ah, it’s just that we used to bare our teeth at each other in the past, didn’t we? I thought it would be good to clear the air between us.”

“I’ve never held any ill will towards you, Your Highness…”

Arno burst into laughter.

“That’s just talk! Just talk! Anyway, I heard you made a significant contribution in Penbarch. You even found evidence of the Allied Nations conducting human experiments, right?”

“That’s too much praise. I merely did what I had to do.”

“Stop being humble. There are plenty of people out there who can’t even do what they’re supposed to do in this current situation. Anyway, back to the main point, I’d like to strengthen our relationship…”

As if he just remembered something, Arno snapped his fingers.

“Ah! How about this? You could say in front of the citizens that your discovery of the Allied Nations’ human experimentation site was greatly aided by Prince Arno.”

For a moment, Daniel was at a loss for words, then after a brief silence, he replied.

“…Are you asking me to lie in front of the citizens?”

“I’d prefer if you could say it was loyalty to the royal family instead of a lie.”

“Your Highness, how can deceiving the citizens be considered loyalty to the royal family?”

As Daniel subtly rejected the proposal, the smile vanished from Arno’s face.

After a moment of silence, as if choosing his words carefully, Arno narrowed his eyes.

“General Daniel. I’ve heard your aide is a test subject of the Allied Nations. And it’s also true that she was a spy working for them?”

Given the Penbarch incident, everyone who needed to know likely already did.

With no need to deny it, Daniel nodded.

“That is correct.”

“Then you must know that rejecting my proposal isn’t a wise choice, especially if you value your aide.”

Daniel’s eyebrow twitched at Arno’s words.

“…Are you threatening me?”

“It’s not a threat; it’s a proposal for a deal.”

“You seem to think you’re in a position to make deals with me.”

As Daniel took a strong stance, Arno hesitated for a moment but soon clenched his fists tightly.

“Watch your words. Don’t forget this is the Imperial Palace. If I give an order, you…”

“Go ahead and try.”

Daniel glanced at the guards stationed in the corridor.

“Do you think those soldiers will follow your orders? Or…”

Turning his gaze back to Arno, he stared intently.

“Will they follow my orders?”

At Daniel’s chilling words, Arno felt his body stiffen.