Prepare for the Storm
Prepare for the Storm
After finishing his conversation with the Chief of the Security Bureau and returning to his office, Daniel found Lucy sitting meekly in her seat, attending to her work.
"......Adjutant?"
When he called out to her, just to be safe, Lucy slowly raised her head.
There wasn't the slightest agitation or flicker in her blood-red eyes.
Expressionless, as always.
'If the Chief of the Security Bureau suspects me, then Lucy probably does too. If she thinks I'm the one who destroyed the Palentia branch, the Allied Nations' intelligence organization.......'
Daniel, who had been looking at Lucy, swallowed dryly.
'From Lucy's perspective as an Allied Nations spy, she might be feeling fury towards me.'
It was a reasonable inference for Daniel, who had no way of knowing what kind of relationship Lucy had established with the Palentia branch.
On the other hand, Lucy felt no particular sentiment about the destruction of the Palentia branch, which had treated her as a tool.
Rather, she thought Daniel had gotten rid of the Palentia branch for her sake, so her affection graph was currently trending upward.
"Colonel, sir?"
Lucy, who had been watching Daniel with puzzlement as he showed subtle signs of tension, tilted her head.
"Did you have something to say?"
Her voice wasn't just nonchalant—it was so flat that she might as well have known nothing about the incident in question.
Thinking there was no point in probing her like this, Daniel shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Having said that, Daniel walked over to his office desk and sat down.
Opening a drawer and pulling out a few documents, Daniel pretended to work while he sank into thought.
Because the stories the Chief of the Security Bureau had told him kept circling inside his head.
'Duke Belvar is going to stir up a storm.......'
Judging by the intensity of the metaphor, something was indeed likely to happen within the Imperial Capital.
'Does that mean their goal wasn't simply to eliminate me?'
If eliminating Daniel Steiner wasn't the purpose of the plan but only a part of the plan, then Duke Belvar was a more dangerous figure than he had thought.
'It would be best to prepare, but.......'
Now that he had been appointed as Chief of Staff of the Eastern Front's 7th Division, he couldn't make any rash moves.
He would have to leave the Imperial Capital soon, and there was no need to cause a conflict for no reason now that things had entered a lull.
Furthermore, Daniel had currently inflicted the maximum possible damage on the Noble Union within his capabilities.
Hadn't he arrested Kembal, the leader of the Liberal Society Party who acted as the nobles' puppet in the National Assembly, on charges of being a collaborator, and used public opinion to isolate Baron Hendliem?
On top of that, Daniel Steiner's political standing had become even more solidified thanks to the 'Brick Incident.'
If he were to step forward to expose Duke Belvar's ulterior motives in this situation, in the worst-case scenario, it could end in mutual ruin.
By now, all evidence of supporting the prince's secret organization would have been wiped clean, so even if Daniel attacked, victory couldn't be guaranteed.
If so, it was obvious it would inevitably become a life-or-death mudfight.
He had to avoid losing his life in a political struggle as much as possible.
'And then.......'
Duke Belvar wasn't the only thing Daniel had to think about right now.
Because he began to harbor doubts about who exactly it was that had crushed the Palentia branch.
'According to what the Security Bureau Chief said, they used sleep paralysis gas. That's similar to the method used when the prince's secret organization was subdued.'
The members of the prince's secret organization had also confessed at the time of their arrest that they had lost consciousness to sleeping gas.
'If so, that means it's the same perpetrator.......'
He couldn't understand what they were after.
'It's certain that the bastards have been selling my name. But normally, don't people sell someone's name to pin evil deeds on them?'
Whether it was arresting the prince's secret organization plotting rebellion or destroying the Palentia branch, an enemy Allied Nations hideout, it looked like a public service no matter how he looked at it.
A mysterious group that forces public achievements upon him— it was only natural to find it bizarre no matter how much he thought about it.
'At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but.......'
If coincidences piled up one after another, that spelled inevitability.
However, from Daniel's perspective, he simply couldn't fathom the reason for carrying out such weird antics.
As Daniel pressed his brow, searching for a reason for a while, Lucy organized her documents.
Seeing that, Daniel unconsciously glanced at the wall clock and realized it was already time to leave work.
'Has it really gotten this late?'
He had done almost no work today because the Security Bureau Chief had visited, but getting off work is always righteous.
With the thought of going home and resting, Daniel picked up his briefcase and rose from his seat.
"Let's get off work."
"Understood."
Hearing Daniel's words, Lucy also rose from her seat.
Daniel made his way to the door, opened it, and stepped out into the corridor; Lucy followed closely.
In the corridor where the sound of dress shoes echoed quietly, Daniel, for no real reason, watched Lucy's mood.
'She seems to be in a bad mood today.......'
Lucy maintained a blank expression most of the time.
Because she wasn't easily startled, didn't get angry, and rarely showed joy.
So at first, he had even wondered if she lacked emotions entirely.
But having spent nearly a year with Lucy, Daniel had realized something.
The fact that there were subtle emotional changes even within Lucy's blank expression.
'For example, right now.......'
Her gaze was a little lower than usual.
It felt like she was looking slightly downward rather than straight ahead.
This was one of the changes Lucy showed when she was gloomy or lost in contemplation.
'As expected, is she concerned about the Palentia branch being wiped out?'
That wasn't it at all.
Because right now, Lucy was racking her brain over how she could be of help to Daniel Steiner.
Also, she was unconsciously thinking that she wanted to become someone precious to Daniel.
But Daniel, unaware of that, could do nothing but be anxious.
And no wonder—this was Lucy Emilia.
Who could possibly remain unconcerned when a killing machine capable of taking on a battalion by herself was right next to him?
Daniel's hands began to sweat as he nervously walked down the stairs.
Thinking he had to somehow soothe her mood even for the sake of survival, Daniel let out a dry cough.
"Adjutant. How about we talk for a moment?"
At the stair landing, their footsteps came to a halt.
Daniel, who had been silently watching Lucy's back, composed his voice and spoke.
"I say this because the atmosphere you give off today is different from usual. If something is troubling you, won't you tell me about it?"
Lucy's hand flinched.
Lucy, who had been taking a deep breath amid all sorts of thoughts, turned around.
Perhaps because of the landing's lighting, her red irises were shining beautifully beneath her silver-white hair.
"......I apologize. I did not know you were paying attention, Colonel. However, as it is a personal matter, I do not wish to cause you any trouble, sir."
"You insolent thing."
Daniel let out a low laugh.
"Managing and supervising one's adjutant is also a superior's job and duty. If a superior doesn't even know what troubles his adjutant holds in her heart, can he truly be called a proper superior?"
"But......."
"Enough, just speak. From now on, you and I will have to spend more time together than anyone else, so wouldn't it be good to open our hearts to each other."
Lucy's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Because the words Daniel had spoken without any particular meaning had directly struck Lucy's heart.
'He said we'd spend more time together than anyone else.......'
She hadn't misheard.
Because the words had come straight from Daniel's own mouth.
There was something else she really wanted to hear, but this wasn't so bad either.
Lucy silently stared at Daniel, who was looking at her, then quietly opened her mouth.
"......Did the beet soup suit your taste?"
She changed the subject because, for some reason, she felt a little embarrassed.
Daniel thought it was a bit out of the blue, but he answered earnestly.
"Beet soup? Ah. It was quite delicious. The dessert you made before was the same; you seem to have a real talent for cooking."
"I see. Then, that's all."
Lucy, who gave him an enigmatic smile, bowed her head deeply.
Then she turned around and went down the steps.
Daniel, who had been blankly staring at her retreating figure, scratched his cheek, somewhat dumbfounded.
'What was that? Was she in a bad mood because I hadn't given a review of her cooking.......'
He couldn't figure out the reason, but he felt relieved thinking Lucy's mood had improved.
*
Meanwhile, at Duke Belvar's mansion.
"Your Excellency the Duke. It is said that the Chief of the Security Bureau has had an audience with Daniel Steiner."
At the words of Feliston, the Deputy Director of the Imperial Intelligence Department, Belvar, who had been spending time in the wine cellar, furrowed his brow.
"That bat-like bastard......."
The Security Bureau Chief, Otto, was a typical opportunist who, while pretending to maintain neutrality, threw his weight behind whichever faction seemed to have the upper hand.
Otto himself claimed it was a way of behaving to keep his life long and thin, but in Belvar's eyes, he was just a spineless bastard.
'But it's true that the man has an exceptional eye for people.'
The fact that Otto had resolved to meet Daniel was not a matter to be taken lightly.
It must have been because Otto, having judged that Daniel also had a chance of winning, had gone to the trouble of taking out an insurance policy.
'I shouldn't drag this out too long.'
Belvar, who had clenched his teeth, turned to look at Feliston and spoke.
"How is Bertram's health?"
"According to his personal physician, he won't make it past this month."
"Good. Make thorough preparations. The opportune time will be when Bertram passes away and Daniel Steiner has left the Imperial Capital."
Feliston hesitated for a moment before carefully asking a question.
"Your Excellency. I'm concerned the timing may be too early, no matter what. Daniel Steiner is certainly dangerous, but is there a need to rush this much?"
Belvar let out a hollow laugh.
Because Feliston's question was preposterous.
"You don't know Daniel Steiner."
Belvar recalled.
The time when Daniel Steiner had visited his mansion and threatened him.
Even now, thinking about that time, his hands trembled faintly with fear.
Those eyes, sharp like a wolf's yet resembling an abyss, were etched into his brain and could not be forgotten.
"Deputy Director, do you know who the great-grandfather of the current Emperor, Selvia, is?"
"If it's His Majesty the Emperor's great-grandfather......."
The Eternal Supreme Emperor, Bargov von Amberg.
When the Empire was still a kingdom, he had deposed the king and placed himself upon the throne.
He was also the very man who had turned the kingdom into an empire and made its prestige resonate across all corners of the world.
Belvar, who had served that iron-blooded man from afar in his youth, could tell.
That the spirit Daniel Steiner had shown that day was similar to Bargov's.
Having caught his breath, Belvar broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled the moment he had faced Daniel Steiner.
"He is no different from Bargov. Those eyes are clearly......."
The eyes of a usurper who would swallow the Empire whole.