I Won't Leave Nobles Who Threaten My Survival Alone
I Won't Leave Nobles Who Threaten My Survival Alone
Thanks to the guard captain opening the entrance, the 7th Armored Division was able to enter the capital without suffering any damage.
Of course, the lack of damage did not mean there was no chaos in the capital.
"Tanks! Why are there tanks in the capital...!"
"What? It wasn't a lie that the 7th Armored Division was coming down and leaving the front lines empty?"
"Be good. Hold mommy's hand tight. Let's go home quickly. And don't even think about going outside for a while."
Faced with the procession of tanks and soldiers entering the capital, the citizens scattered in a blind panic.
Occasionally, the tanks crushed illegally parked vehicles blocking the road under their treads, and each time the sight of shattering windows and pulverized car bodies dealt the citizens no small shock.
"Hey, dumbass, snap out of it! This isn't a military parade!"
"Is a civil war about to break out or something?"
"How on earth can this be happening...?"
From the citizens' perspective, they had been going about their ordinary daily lives when a massive force suddenly began occupying the capital, so it was only natural they were thrown into confusion.
On top of that, Duke Belvar would have been inciting the citizens through the Imperial Daily with claims that 'Daniel Steiner has committed treason,' which likely multiplied the current chaos several times over.
'They must be thinking that I really might have started a rebellion.'
It was a misunderstanding that would be cleared up anyway, but it was best to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Daniel pulled a radio from his coat and pressed the transmit button.
"Ensure that the staff officers and each unit commander assemble swiftly at the Central Plaza."
No sooner had the order been given than the driver broke away from the column and headed for the Central Plaza.
As they moved past tanks and armored vehicles, Lucy, who was sitting beside Daniel, spoke up.
"There's no resistance."
"Did you think the Defense Command would block us?"
"To be honest, yes."
Daniel let out a low laugh.
"As you predicted, the Defense Commander may have issued orders to stop us. But do you think the unit commanders are likely to follow those orders?"
"Ah. Come to think of it..."
"Right. The Guards Armored Regiment, one of their main forces, has sided with me. So even if a civil war breaks out, their defeat is already a foregone conclusion. From the unit commanders' perspective, rather than listening to the Defense Commander and dying a dog's death, they'd choose insubordination."
It might be one thing if it were an attack from the Allied Nations, but no commander wanted to die brawling with friendly forces.
It might have turned out differently if Duke Belvar had given the Defense Command a proper justification, but the moment Daniel succeeded in persuading the Guards Armored Regiment, everything turned to foam.
'Those bastards are now rats in a trap.'
Daniel clenched his fist tightly.
'I'll make you pay the price for trying to kill me.'
To Daniel, whose top priority in life was survival, the Noble Union was nothing less than a malignant tumor that had to be rooted out without a trace.
Just as he was pondering exactly how to deal with the nobles, including Duke Belvar, the vehicle entered the Central Plaza and gradually came to a halt.
The moment it stopped, Daniel opened the door and stepped outside. He could see the unit commanders gathered in front of the fountain.
Around them, beneath the bright full moon, staff officers and soldiers assigned to escort duty had also assembled.
As Daniel approached, the unit commanders spoke to him lightly.
"Division Commander."
"You have arrived."
Returning their greetings with a nod, Daniel spoke up.
"The longer the military occupies the capital, the worse it will be. To minimize public confusion, the 7th Armored Division will move into action swiftly."
With the unit commanders voicing their agreement, Daniel continued.
"The first points we must secure are the organs of power: the Intelligence Bureau, the State Propaganda Department, the Parliament, and the Security Bureau. The infantry regiment's battalions will each be responsible for handling these."
"Understood."
Having heard the answer, Daniel looked toward the reconnaissance battalion commander.
"The reconnaissance battalion will move throughout the capital and focus on stabilizing public order. Also, should any collaborators attempt to flee during the arrests, make thorough preparations to track them down using light tank platoons."
"I will follow your orders."
This time, he looked at the commander of the Guards Armored Regiment.
"After occupying each sector, the armored regiment will concentrate its full effort on liberating the pro-Emperor figures who have been isolated or confined to their own homes by the Defense Command. I presume you are well aware of their locations."
"Yes. I remember the orders issued by the Defense Commander."
Having issued orders in sequence, Daniel swept his gaze over the faces of the other unit commanders.
"The remaining personnel will enter a standby state and await further orders. You must be fully prepared to provide organic fire support at any given moment. And the grenadier battalion."
"Yes! Give us your command!"
"You men will come with me."
"...Where to, sir?"
Daniel turned his head and looked up at the Imperial Palace, which guarded the heart of the capital.
Guessing that Selvia would be confined there, Daniel quietly spoke.
"To where His Majesty the Emperor resides."
*
While the 7th Armored Division was occupying the capital, the Grand Conference Hall of the Imperial Palace was engulfed in chaos.
"They say Daniel Steiner has led the military into the capital! That he is rapidly seizing control of it as we speak! What in the world is the Defense Commander doing?!"
"The Defense Commander is not the issue! Did you not hear that the commanders of the units under the Guards Division expressed their intent to commit insubordination? It means they saw Daniel Steiner and swallowed their fear!"
"Goddamn it! Then are we supposed to just sit here and wait until Daniel Steiner swallows up the capital whole? Duke Belvar! Say something, won't you?!"
Whenever a plan fails, the blame inevitably falls upon the leader of the group.
The nobles gathered at the command table began pouring out their resentment toward Duke Belvar, who sat at the head of the table.
"Yes! Duke Belvar! Did you not say there was a way to stop Daniel Steiner? I believe the time has come for you to tell us what that method is."
"That's right! Duke, are you holding some kind of leverage over Daniel Steiner? You must inform us as well so that we can have peace of mind and cease these idle debates!"
"No matter how golden silence may be, it is quite troublesome if you remain completely mute in a situation like this!"
Duke Belvar watched them quietly.
The sight of them trembling in terror and raising their voices was closer to that of beasts than human beings.
They were so utterly wretched that one could scarcely believe these were the same men who normally feigned dignity while prattling on, spraying spittle over matters of prestige, authority, and personal interest.
'Was I truly planning to usurp power by trusting people like these?'
No, perhaps it was precisely because they were like this that he had been able to manipulate them from behind.
'What exactly is a noble, and what is a commoner?'
Because a human being could become so repulsively ugly with just a single layer peeled away.
"Duke Belvar! Shouldn't we summon even the Imperial Guard to this place?!"
"Answer us...!"
"Right now is not the time to...!"
Duke Belvar, who had been letting their voices go in one ear and out the other, let out a low sigh.
"I cannot understand."
The moment Duke Belvar spoke, silence settled over the assembly.
Toward those who were desperately trying to deny reality, Duke Belvar spoke the truth.
"Deep down, do you not already know that we have lost? We are simply finished."
At the defeat proclaimed by the leader of the group, everyone wore dumbfounded expressions.
"What on earth do you mean...?"
A brief silence descended, but soon they erupted in fury.
"Duke Belvar! Do you dare say such a thing right now?!"
"Do you have any idea how much risk our family took on for your sake?"
"Do you think we will simply accept this because you speak such nonsense?!"
However, their rage did not last long.
Taang─
A gunshot rang out from outside the Grand Conference Hall, and the nobles flinched their shoulders.
As everyone broke into a cold sweat, gunshots rang out in succession.
From time to time, the sounds of explosions joined in.
─ Uwaaaaah!
─ S-save me! I'll surrender! I surraandaaah!
─ Please! Please! Pleeeaaase!
Because the yelling and screaming penetrated right through the door, the nobles did nothing but tremble, their hands shaking.
'That is clearly...'
It meant that the enlisted soldiers the nobles had brought with them were being massacred.
After the scream of the very last man was cut off, the Grand Conference Hall was cloaked in a heavy silence.
A stillness so terrifying that no one present dared open their mouths dominated the hall.
The master of that fear and silence was none other than Daniel Steiner.
─ Open the door.
From just outside the door, Daniel Steiner's voice was heard.
Right after, with a deafening 'Kwang!', the door burst open and the grenadiers revealed themselves.
Amidst the billowing smoke, Daniel Steiner led them.
With blood staining the hem of his officer's coat, Daniel Steiner observed the inside of the Grand Conference Hall, then slowly advanced.
Ttok-gak─
While everyone remained silent, only the sound of Daniel Steiner's military boots echoed quietly.
Duke Belvar watched Daniel Steiner and clenched his teeth tightly.
For it was Daniel Steiner who had ruined everything he had.
Daniel, meanwhile, cast a somewhat arrogant gaze, like that of a predator looking at its prey.
Daniel, who had been staring intently at Duke Belvar, opened his mouth.
"It's been a while. I wondered who was leading this incident, and it was you after all. Of course, such things are no longer important now, seeing as the situation has been reversed. To commemorate that, I believe I shall ask you a single question."
He offered a sliver of respect to the courage that had staked its life on trying to overthrow the nation.
"Duke Belvar."
But the emotion that followed was singular.
"Are you prepared to experience hell?"
It was rage toward Duke Belvar, who had threatened his survival.