Daniel Steiner's Warning
Daniel Steiner's Warning
After finishing the mass arrests of collaborators, Daniel didn't manage to return to the Central Security Office until the early hours of dawn.
With a great number of nobles in tow, their wrists bound with rope.
The sight of countless nobles who had been active in political and financial circles being dragged in as criminals was shocking to anyone who witnessed it.
As the Chief of Public Security and the police under his command, who had been guarding the Central Security Office, looked on utterly dumbfounded, Daniel quietly issued an order.
They were to be imprisoned in the basement, and if there were not enough cells, they were to request assistance from the Military Police.
The Chief of Public Security, who harbored a certain fear of Daniel, bowed all the way to his waist as he received the command.
Afterward, Daniel entered the Office of the Public Security Inspector General and fell into thought for a moment.
What weighed on his mind was the fact that a few quick-witted nobles had managed to flee without being captured.
When he listened to the detailed reports, the number wasn't anything to particularly worry about, but it still left an unpleasant feeling.
'Among the nobles we caught today, some will have connections to the ones who ran...'
If he gathered information, a search wouldn't be all that difficult, but the problem lay in what came after.
'The moment I perfectly wrap up the collaborator roundup, I'll be stepping down from the position of Emergency Security Chief.'
From that point on, he would no longer be the Emergency Security Chief who wielded almighty power by special decree of the emperor, but would have to return to being a mere soldier who had to follow the orders of the military leadership.
'Of course, they won't be able to handle me as carelessly as before, but...'
The fact that he would have to obey the decisions of the high command was a shortcut to an uncertain future.
To put it bluntly, now that the internal purge was over, there was a possibility they might say it was time to go be active externally again and ship him off to the Eastern Front.
Daniel remembered.
The battles he experienced when he was the operations staff officer of the 7th Armored Division.
Gunfire and shouting exchanged amidst enemy bombardment, and thanks to the ground occasionally exploding, dust flew up, making it difficult to even secure a view. Hadn't it been like that?
There had even been sniper fire restricting their movements, so it was nothing short of a living hell.
'It was a damn lucky thing...'
If the main force had arrived even a little later, or if the enemy bombardment had been more accurate, Daniel might not have been a person of this world right now.
In short, the place furthest from the survival Daniel sought was the battlefield.
Daniel, who wished never to go back to that terrible place, racked his brain and tapped his desk repeatedly.
'No matter how I look at it, Selvia and the military leadership seem to think of me as some kind of omnipotent human.'
Though it had not been his intention, Daniel had successfully completed every single order that had come down from above so far.
On top of that, by leading the 7th Armored Division and eradicating the collaborators who had staged the military rebellion, he had even demonstrated his loyalty to the Imperial Household, so it looked as though there was no escape route left.
'But...'
Whether it was good luck or bad luck he did not know, but in the process of this large-scale roundup of collaborators, a few nobles had succeeded in escaping without being captured.
From an overall perspective, it was a minor mistake.
It was closer to a mistake that could be recovered from with enough time.
'However, what matters in politics is not the gravity of the mistake, but the mistake itself.'
The closer a person appears to perfection, the more likely it is that a single mistake will act as a fatal flaw. That was the way of the world.
'If I have this widely reported...'
It was clear that not only the military leadership, but also Selvia, would have the illusion they held regarding the figure known as Daniel Steiner stripped away, even if only by a little.
Excessive expectations kill people.
Therefore, for Daniel, who craved survival, their expectations were not a blessing, but no different from poison.
If he could dilute that poison using this opportunity, he would not pass it up.
His resolution made, Daniel immediately picked up the telephone receiver and turned the dial.
He was calling Bölm, the man who had risen to the position of editor-in-chief at the Imperial Daily.
After a few rings, a voice came through from the other side.
─ This is Bölm, editor-in-chief of the Imperial Daily. What business do you have in calling?
The voice was thick with arrogance.
Daniel, who had tilted his head in puzzlement, opened his mouth, feeling mildly perplexed.
"This is Emergency Security Chief Daniel Steiner. Am I speaking with Editor-in-Chief Bölm?"
For a moment, a silence seemed to hang in the air, and then the sound of something crashing over with a clatter was heard.
It sounded like a chair, in any case.
─ Co... Colonel Daniel Steiner! What reason do you have to be calling me personally? Is there by chance some part of the recent newspapers that hasn't been to your liking?
Bölm, whose original voice had now returned, was floundering as he spoke on the phone.
Afraid that he had committed some kind of mistake, he was getting cold feet over nothing.
Daniel, who hadn't called to reprimand Bölm, let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
"That's not it. I contacted you because I wanted to discuss an article that will be placed on the front page of the paper being printed tomorrow."
─ Ah. So that was it. If it's a story for tomorrow's front page, I've already drafted one. The title would be something like, 'The Night of Purge Has Passed! Divine Punishment Upon the Collaborators!'
"I see. I respect the Imperial Daily, but would it be possible for you to revise the content or the title of the article?"
─ A revision? Of course, nothing is impossible. Please tell me which part you are dissatisfied with, and I shall provide guidance and correction.
"Thank you for your words. In that case, could you focus on the collaborators that I was unable to arrest? A title like, 'The Emergency Security Chief Who Drew His Sword, But the Collaborators Who Vanished!' would be suitable."
A long silence followed from the other side of the receiver.
It was because he had no way of knowing what Daniel's intention could possibly be.
Bölm, who had been thinking and rethinking for a long while, spoke while reading Daniel's mood.
─ If I have understood correctly, are you asking me to place an article that focuses intensely on your own mistakes, Colonel Daniel, on the front page of the paper?
"Depending on your point of view, that's correct."
─ Colonel? Why on earth are you making such a decision? If you could just explain the reason, I think I could be convinced and proceed with the work.
There was no way he could explain the reason.
After pondering for a moment, Daniel decided to just dodge the question.
"It's because that article is necessary for me."
A longer explanation would only breed unnecessary questions.
─ A task necessary for you, Colonel.
Thinking that Daniel must have some kind of scheme, Bölm nodded on the other side of the receiver.
─ Understood. Then I shall set the article's guidelines in that direction.
Having heard Bölm's confirmation, Daniel conveyed his thanks and put down the receiver.
Thinking that things had gone according to plan, Daniel let out a low laugh and leaned his back against his chair, breathing a sigh of relief.
'When the article comes out tomorrow, the illusions everyone has about me will be shattered.'
It would be insufficient to unravel all the layers of piled-up misunderstanding, but thinking it would still be resolved to some degree, Daniel wore a satisfied smile.
*
The following day, late evening.
The entrance to the abandoned station on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
"Judging by the clothes bearing family crests, they were noblemen's private soldiers. All dead, though."
Major Aborian, the guard captain who had arrived at the abandoned station upon receiving a report, furrowed his brow.
The adjutant next to him also wore an equally displeased expression.
"The postmortem lividity is distinct. Judging by the state of decomposition, it looks as though they've been dead for at least a day."
"Indeed. And look at these fellows..."
Aborian used his white-gloved hand to pick up a gun that had fallen nearby and took out the magazine.
"The magazine is completely full. They didn't even fire a single shot."
"Which means..."
"It means they were attacked without warning by bastards who had infiltrated this place beforehand. Their shooting skills are excellent too, since the corpses all died with a bullet to the head."
"Definitely not amateurs. Could they be professionals?"
"Yeah. Considering they shoot better than most soldiers."
Having coughed once due to the stench, Aborian turned to look at the soldiers behind him and spoke.
"You lot, wait here! Keep anyone else from approaching!"
"Yes! Understood!"
Having heard the soldiers' replies, Aborian entered the abandoned station along with his adjutant.
The two, who had been striding through the station relying on their flashlights, let out a wasted breath the moment they entered the signal control room.
"Good heavens..."
"Seems a massacre took place."
Aborian, who had taken a handkerchief from his breast pocket, covered his nose and stepped inside.
He saw nobles sitting around the command table, all dead, each with a single bullet hole in the forehead.
One person seemed to have failed while trying to flee and was lying at the entrance with the back of his head blown out.
Aborian approached the noble sitting in the chair and slowly removed his mask.
There, a blankly gaping mouth and rolled-back eyes were visible.
"...Baron Tekborambol. His recent movements were suspicious, so he was colluding with Duke Belvar after all."
"Baron Tekborambol, isn't he the man operating a glass processing business?"
"Yes. They said his business hasn't been going well lately, so it seems he walked a dangerous path."
The adjutant, who had been looking at Tekborambol with an expression of disbelief, turned his head toward Aborian.
"Captain. Judging by the attire and the patterns embroidered on their clothes, the others here also appear to be noble lords. Which means..."
"It means they're all collaborators. Considering they even held a separate gathering in a remote place like this, they must be the ones who occupied executive positions among Duke Belvar's supporters."
"But they were completely wiped out. Who could have done this?"
Aborian let out a low sigh and spoke.
"There's only one person. It's Colonel Daniel Steiner."
"Pardon? But according to this morning's paper, the collaborators are in a state of disappearance..."
"That's a deceptive article meant to evade responsibility. He's asserting that the mass death of the nobles here has nothing to do with the Central Security Office."
"...Why would he do such a thing?"
"Think, you moron. No matter how much these bastards are collaborators, they can't be easily killed if they're nobles. If they don't resist, you have to arrest them and put them on trial."
In the course of the trial, with the exception of a few whose crimes were severe, most would likely avoid the death penalty.
Because if all of the arrested nobles were executed, it was certain that various social and political ripples would occur.
"So Colonel Daniel used his private organization to cleanly deal with them. He didn't wish to leave them alive and leave behind future troubles."
"Understood. He killed all of them, but Colonel Daniel will not take responsibility. It is because he widely reported that a few collaborators could not be found."
The shooting deaths of these people had nothing to do with me.
How many people could possibly refute Daniel Steiner if he claimed that?
Since nothing had been uncovered about Daniel's private organization, this could be called a perfect crime.
Furthermore, by brazenly killing them, Daniel was effectively sending a warning to everyone.
Do not dare to oppose me.
One got the feeling that such violent intent was drifting throughout the entire space.
"Captain..."
The adjutant, who had swallowed dryly, stared at the nobles who had met death collectively while sitting in their chairs.
"He is a truly frightening man. Colonel Daniel Steiner is..."
At those words, Aborian could not bring himself to argue.
'If...'
If he had decided to cooperate with Duke Belvar in the past, it would have been none other than Aborian himself who would be sitting dead in that chair right now.