A Cornered Wolf
A Cornered Wolf
About two weeks after the negotiations concluded, the Kingdom of Belmore sent Imperial engineers, Hans Jernmehat among them, to Barheim.
After verifying the engineers' identities, Daniel returned the battalion—including the crown prince—to Belmore, then requested his own return to General Headquarters.
GHQ, which could hardly abandon Daniel Steiner to the front after he had completed his mission so successfully, approved the request.
As a result, Daniel escorted the engineers—Hans Jernmehat among them—to the Imperial Capital, and once they arrived safely, he formally requested an audience with Her Highness the Princess.
This was not a summons from the Imperial Household; Daniel Steiner himself had requested the audience.
It was not the sort of action an ordinary operations staff officer—a mere field-grade officer—could take, but when that officer's name was Daniel Steiner, the situation changed entirely.
The Imperial Household could hardly ignore Daniel Steiner's request, so they informed the Princess, and despite her hectic schedule, Selvia agreed to grant it.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner."
And so, Daniel now found himself in the Audience Chamber, face to face with Selvia, who was seated upon the throne.
He could not tell if it was the atmosphere, but Selvia had matured in some elusive way.
She had apparently gone through more than he had expected during the month and a half he had been out on operations; her appearance was now closer to that of a lady than a girl.
Blinking her blue eyes, which were stained with fatigue, Selvia parted her delicate lips.
"You wished to see me?"
On the crimson carpet of the Audience Chamber, Daniel knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
"Yes, Your Highness. I am deeply sorry to have imposed upon Your Highness's time, knowing how occupied you are with affairs both public and private, but I judged it necessary to report to you directly, given that this is a matter of some urgency."
"Whether it is truly regrettable or not, I will determine after hearing you out. Please, speak."
"Understood. In truth......"
Daniel recounted to Selvia everything he had been through.
Crown Prince Blef of Belmore's surprise attack had seemed suspicious to him, so he had conducted a separate investigation at the negotiation site, which had revealed that Kembal, the head of the Liberal Society Party, had been leaking classified information.
Once she had heard the whole story, Selvia's expression grew grave.
She had already been informed that Daniel had turned Crown Prince Blef's surprise attack around and seized victory.
But the fact that Kembal, the head of the Liberal Society Party, had leaked Imperial secrets was something she was hearing for the first time.
If all of this was true, then it was clearly an 'urgent matter,' just as Daniel had said.
"Is this true? That there is truly not a shred of falsehood in this......"
"Yes. If Your Highness desires a witness, you may summon my adjutant, who is waiting outside the Audience Chamber. She was also present at the negotiation site, so she will corroborate my account."
One of Selvia's eyebrows twitched subtly.
Something about Daniel mentioning his adjutant had displeased her.
"I am not demanding a witness stand; I am asking you, Daniel Steiner, for your true intent. If you are certain of your claim, then raise your head and speak."
Raising his head, Daniel spoke with a solemn expression.
"I am certain."
If he was willing to go that far, she could hardly continue to press him.
'Given that he's trying to put his adjutant up as a witness, it doesn't seem to be a lie......'
Daniel Steiner was not the sort of man to submit a false report in the first place.
Trusting Daniel, Selvia raised her hand and waved it lightly.
The gesture meant she would believe him and he should rise from his position, so Daniel nodded.
As Daniel rose to his feet, Selvia rested her hand on the armrest of the throne.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel. So, what is it that you wish from me?"
At the invitation to get to the point, Daniel thought for a brief moment and then spoke.
"I would ask that you grant me the Temporary Inspection Authority to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Under Imperial law, if a politician engaging in a military threat was discovered, the Collaborator Eradication Act allowed temporary inspection authority to be granted to a military officer until the matter was resolved.
Daniel Steiner was requesting, on the basis of that law, that the authority be granted to him.
The request was well-founded, but from Selvia's position, it was somewhat delicate.
"......You must know that granting inspection authority to you, Lieutenant Colonel, is no simple matter."
The moment Selvia threw her support behind Daniel, there was a distinct possibility that the nobles who championed the legitimacy of the Imperial Household would rise up in protest.
They would likely rebel at the idea that Daniel Steiner—a man who was little more than an orphan—would dare to inspect a politician of noble birth.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel? Might you reconsider? Would it not be better to hand the inspection over to the Security Bureau or the Military Police?"
"Your Highness, the head of a political party is acting as a collaborator. What do you suppose that means? It means there will be corrupt elements not only in the Security Bureau but in the Military Police as well."
Selvia fell silent.
Because Daniel was not wrong.
"Even if we ordered them to inspect, the investigation would not be carried out properly. So I intend to personally inspect the head of the Liberal Society Party and ascertain just how deep the roots extend."
"......I understand your sentiment. But if you fail to secure proper evidence, even I will not be able to protect you, Lieutenant Colonel."
The testimony of an enemy division commander alone could not prove that Kembal was a collaborator.
So Daniel inevitably had to extract a confession or gather evidence from Kembal himself.
The moment he failed in that process to secure proof that Kembal was a traitor to the Empire, Daniel would come under attack from the nobles and be subjected to trial.
The nobles who held a grudge against Daniel would do their utmost to increase the severity of the sentence, and in the worst case, the death penalty might be handed down.
Selvia could not understand why he was willing to take such a risk, but from Daniel's standpoint, he had no other choice.
'If I don't deal a blow to the bastards this time, the only difference is whether I die sooner or later.'
He had to show them just how far a cornered wolf could bare its fangs, so that they, too, would be forced to act with caution.
"I do not seek protection. I merely wish to devote myself to Her Highness the Princess and to this Empire. So I beseech you, please grant me the inspection authority. I will bear all responsibility."
Hiding his true motive of self-preservation, Daniel bowed his head with the utmost deference.
Selvia did not want to accept, but she could not refuse the first request Daniel had ever made of her.
In the end, having decided to trust Daniel, she nodded.
"Very well. I will write the writ of delegation, so see that you conduct the investigation properly. However......"
Looking down at Daniel, Selvia continued.
"The deadline is before the coronation. I simply detest the idea of rumors flying about while the ceremony is underway. Do you understand what I am saying?"
She was telling him to settle the matter and report back as quickly as possible.
It also meant that, even if he failed to produce results, she—having fully received the imperial authority after the coronation—would revoke the inspection authority and soothe the nobles' anger.
It was entirely for Daniel's sake, and since Daniel was not unaware of this, he smiled faintly and placed a hand over his heart.
"I will bear it in mind, Your Highness."
"Good. Then you may take your leave now."
At Selvia's dismissal, Daniel offered a crisp salute and turned to walk out.
As a royal guard saw that Daniel was about to exit and opened the door, a long corridor became visible.
And so did Lucy, waiting there.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, sir."
When Daniel emerged into the corridor, Lucy fell into step beside him.
"Did the conversation conclude well?"
Daniel walked along the corridor and spoke in his usual manner.
"It did. Her Highness the Princess has agreed to write the writ of delegation, so I will proceed to Kembal's residence the moment the sun rises tomorrow. Regarding that, prepare some soldiers and bring me a single round of ammunition without any gunpowder."
What in the world did he need a bullet without powder for? Lucy felt a twinge of curiosity, but Daniel was always prone to unpredictable eccentricities, so she did not bother to ask.
"Understood. I will make the preparations quickly."
Nodding at Lucy's words, Daniel walked on, his eyes lost in thought.
As Lucy walked alongside him and stared at Daniel in that state, she suddenly recalled that moment in the brigade headquarters office in Barheim, when Daniel had been pining for a woman he had lost.
Because something about Daniel's eyes now felt similar to then.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, sir."
She knew this was hardly the right time to talk about it, but Lucy felt she needed to apologize, so she carefully broached the subject.
"The other day, at the brigade headquarters, I unintentionally overheard you murmuring while looking at a photograph. Since I don't think I'll have the time tomorrow, I wanted to apologize now."
A photograph? Wondering what she meant, Daniel glanced back at Lucy and soon understood.
"I was merely reminiscing about an old memory, so there's no need to apologize. The fact that the child left me is sad, but it is no more than the past now."
"......From the sound of it, you were quite close."
"We were inseparable friends. I even made a birthday present with my own hands for the first time in my life for that child."
"A present, you say?"
"Ah. It was a dog collar made of fine leather. Kelly loved putting it around her neck and going for walks."
Listening to the story, Lucy came to an abrupt halt.
'A dog collar for a birthday present?'
Flustered, her eyes wide, Lucy unconsciously hugged the documents she was holding to her chest.
'......And that woman liked putting a dog collar around her neck and going for walks?'
Lucy simply could not comprehend Daniel's words at all.