Daniel, Is He a God?
Daniel, Is He a God?
He had shown a moment of bravado, thinking he might turn the tables, but it was a foolish hope.
Manrad, realizing he had been placed in a completely submissive position, spoke in a groveling voice.
"What are you planning to do with me......."
His face, marked by defeat, held not a shred of hope.
Even if Daniel Steiner had bluntly declared he would have him shot, Manrad could not have resisted.
A justification? The moment Daniel, who had risen to the position of Emergency Security Chief, reported to His Majesty the Emperor that 'this man aided Duke Belvar, the head of the collaborators, and led biased media coverage,' it would be over.
'His Majesty, having just endured a military rebellion, would be utterly disgusted by the nobility....'
There was no chance Daniel Steiner's words would be rejected.
His act of posting articles favorable to the nobles in exchange for donations had proven a self-defeating move.
Just as Manrad, thinking there was no way out, let out a low sigh.
"Chief Editor. If you simply do as I say, I will guarantee your life."
Daniel Steiner's words slid into his ears like a gentle temptation.
For Manrad, it came as yet another form of terror.
'Just moments ago....'
Daniel had been berating Manrad as if he were about to kill him, but now he was different.
Now that his opponent had lost the will to resist and admitted defeat, wasn't he smiling as if pleased?
As Manrad remained silent, unable to fathom Daniel Steiner's true intentions, Daniel continued.
"Admit that you have been reporting with bias, feel responsible for the mistakes you have made, and step down. Isn't that a remarkably cheap price for your life?"
"......You mean resign?"
"That's right. Furthermore, given the biased slant that has been running through the Imperial Daily, I would like you to nominate an outsider as your successor."
"Who......."
"Nominate Bölm, the editor-in-chief of the Melbaroten Newspaper."
Manrad's eyes trembled once.
'The Melbaroten Newspaper....'
He could hardly pretend not to know, even if he wanted to.
When news broke that Daniel Steiner was marching his troops back, numerous newspapers, including the Imperial Daily, criticized the move, but the Melbaroten Newspaper alone did not.
They had stepped up to defend Daniel Steiner, arguing it wouldn't be too late to criticize once the reason for the march was known.
Back then, that stance made no sense, but now that Daniel Steiner had mentioned the Melbaroten Newspaper, everything became clear.
'The Melbaroten Newspaper was Daniel Steiner's mouthpiece.'
Manrad bit his lip hard.
The suggestion to install the editor-in-chief of the Melbaroten Newspaper as the Imperial Daily's chief editor effectively meant the Empire's largest daily newspaper would become Daniel Steiner's.
It was tantamount to handing over everything he had built to Daniel Steiner, but Manrad could not refuse.
The one holding his lifeline right now was none other than Daniel Steiner.
"......I will speak to the publisher."
"That's a good idea. And, just so you know...."
Daniel, who had grabbed Manrad's shoulder, whispered quietly.
"A long tongue is a tongue that gets cut off."
It meant he was not to speak of this to anyone else, and that if he took any action beyond what was ordered, he would not be left alone.
As the stiffened Manrad nodded his head, Daniel gave him a smile and then left the office.
Then, the employees who had been hiding under desks or standing blankly at their posts turned to look at Daniel.
Daniel looked around at the Imperial Daily employees and addressed them in a light tone.
"I see a lot of you are from the political desk. A few faces are familiar. You were the ones who used to persistently cling to me to secure an interview in the past. Isn't that right?"
Daniel pointed at the reporters in question and laughed playfully, but the atmosphere only grew more subdued.
"I'm seeing the others for the first time, but I imagine you're from the editing or proofreading teams. Beyond that, I'm sure there are people working hard in various areas like publishing, printing, advertising, and sales."
Only the faint sound of employees swallowing nervously could be heard.
"I believe none of you are at fault. You were merely carrying out orders from above. Therefore, I will not hold you accountable for your crimes."
No one felt relieved.
Because Daniel Steiner had not finished speaking.
"But that doesn't mean I'm giving you a free pass."
Daniel Steiner was still speaking with a smile, but its implication carried a lurking threat for the employees.
"If, after today, any of you, out of a stubbornly rebellious nature, still set your minds to writing biased articles...."
After a brief silence, Daniel spoke.
"Things won't end as peacefully as they did today."
The reporters' faces turned deathly pale.
Some of the editing department staff who had been hiding under their desks were so horrified they started hiccuping.
Thinking that the warning was sufficient, Daniel turned to a nearby soldier and said.
"Withdraw."
The soldier nodded and relayed the order to those nearby.
As the room became chaotic, Daniel quietly made his way out of the building.
When he reached the entrance, he saw Pelf waiting with a driver by the military jeep.
Pelf saluted, and Daniel accepted it casually.
"Colonel Daniel. Did the matter conclude well?"
"It was almost too easy."
As Daniel approached after saying that, the driver opened the rear door.
Daniel got in first, and then Pelf opened the door on the adjacent seat and climbed in.
Afterward, as the soldier got into the driver's seat and started the engine, Pelf turned to look at Daniel.
"Colonel. If it's not rude, may I know the next plan?"
"The next plan, you say. Are you asking about rooting out the remnants of the Noble Union?"
"That's right. Even if they are remnants, they are nobles who hold the Empire's interests. If we don't eradicate them completely, there's a possibility they will incite another military rebellion."
It was a gross exaggeration, but it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.
But the moment you entered the den to catch the prey, they would only hide deeper.
Knowing that, Daniel answered indifferently.
"For the time being, I will do nothing."
The engine started, and the vehicle moved toward the Central Security Office.
Pelf, flustered by Daniel's statement that he would do nothing, hesitated before opening his mouth.
"May I ask what your intention is?"
"Major Pelf. The news that I visited the Imperial Daily headquarters will spread like wildfire soon. Won't it? The remnants of the Noble Union will hear that news too. The news that I finished things by simply having the chief editor step down from his post instead of throwing him in jail."
"Ah. You don't mean...."
Daniel nodded his head.
"Following that, the Security Bureau Chief will step forward and endorse the creation of the National Security Surveillance Bureau that Daniel Steiner proposed to His Majesty. What do you think the noble remnants will think when they see this?"
"......They will conclude that if they make a deal with Colonel Daniel, they can preserve their lives without being punished. It will cause a fracture within their ranks. Because no one will know who might inform on them."
Someone among the nobles would surely choose to inform on others rather than be informed on themselves.
Wasn't there a saying, the strategy of killing with a borrowed knife?
Daniel had set the stage for the nobles to stab and kill each other.
Unconsciously getting goosebumps, Pelf quietly observed Daniel's profile.
That man of iron will seemed like he would do anything for the Empire.
But Daniel's inner thoughts were a far cry from what Pelf imagined.
'Because of you bastards, my discharge was ruined. Now even the slightest chance of discharge has vanished. You dare make me serve the Empire for life?'
Daniel, who had been looking at the scenery outside the window, bit his lip hard.
'I'll make sure you feel my pain too.'
Daniel thought of the noble remnants hiding somewhere.
He would definitely make them pay the price.
*
A few days later, at 11 Volberferk Street, Melbaroten Newspaper.
"Yes. This is Bölm, editor-in-chief of the Melbaroten Newspaper. What is the matter?"
Bölm, who had answered the phone as usual, was flustered by the words coming from the other end of the receiver.
"You're the publisher of the Imperial Daily?"
It was only natural to be bewildered when the top executive of the Imperial Daily suddenly called.
Tom, who had been chatting with Bölm in the office, was also unable to hide his surprise.
"Bölm? The Imperial Daily? What's going on?"
Bölm raised his index finger to signal for silence and then continued the call.
"Yes, that's right. That's true, but...... What!? You mean me? You're saying I can bring all the Melbaroten Newspaper employees? Is that true? No—of course I'm not against it."
Bölm, who had been speaking with an excited air, bowed his head to the unseen caller.
"Oh my. I'm even more grateful. Yeees. I'll keep that in mind. I'll prepare as quickly as possible. Yes! Thank you!"
Having finished the call, Bölm put down the receiver.
Then he looked at Tom with a somewhat dazed face.
"Tom. A call came from the Imperial Daily......."
"And?"
"They offered me the position of chief editor of the Imperial Daily."
Tom's eyes widened into circles.
"Chief editor of the Imperial Daily? You're not joking?"
"I'm not. At first, I wondered if it was a prank, but from the voice, it's definitely the president of the Imperial Daily. How could I forget that unique voice? And what about his distinctive way of speaking?"
"Even so, does that make sense? Why would they suddenly offer it to you......."
"It's not sudden."
Bölm had an idea about why.
"You know, too, that Colonel Daniel visited the Imperial Daily recently."
"Then, you don't mean Colonel Daniel......."
"Yeah. Otherwise, it makes no sense that they contacted us, out of all the many newspapers out there."
As Tom's mouth fell open, Bölm let out a laugh.
"He's giving us a truly unbelievable gift. An overwhelmingly generous one. I knew it from the beginning—I had a hunch that Colonel Daniel would become a great figure."
At Bölm's boasting, Tom furrowed his brow.
'What bullshit is this?'
Tom vividly remembered how Bölm, when he first joined hands with Daniel, had cried and wailed that he had made a pact with the devil.
But for Bölm, such trivial past matters were no longer important.
Bölm jumped up from his seat and said.
"Tom! I think we need to prepare to move, so let's start packing. While we're at it, bring the picture of His Majesty the Emperor and the picture of Colonel Daniel Steiner too. I'm planning to put them in frames and hang them in the chief editor's office."
Tom nodded, got up from his seat, and left the office.
Left alone, Bölm calmed his pounding heart, exhilarated, and thought of Daniel.
'They say there's only a fine line between a god and a devil, wasn't it?'
A man who had once been so terrifying now felt almost like an omnipotent, omniscient god.
Not only had he saved the Melbaroten Newspaper from the brink of bankruptcy, but now he had even secured him the chief editor position of the Imperial Daily, the Empire's largest daily paper.
'I think I understand why people believe in religion.'
Having a being to guide him was a better thing than he had thought.
Bölm resolved to run the Imperial Daily for Daniel Steiner from now on.
'If only to repay this favor....'
He would willingly volunteer to be his loyal follower.