Because I Have Allergies
Because I Have Allergies
Having received an indirect death threat through the CCTV, I went to the office and ordered Lucy to cease all work.
After taking Lucy to lunch and showing her the facilities available to officers at General Headquarters, I returned to the office.
I handled most of the afternoon's duties myself.
The reason was simple.
I had the feeling that if I dumped more work on Lucy, she might actually kill me.
There was no way that would happen, but if an overworked, unhinged Lucy pulled the revolver from her waist holster and shot me, wouldn't that be a disaster?
So going forward, I intended to proceed with work in a way that would not provoke Lucy in the slightest.
"Captain."
When all the afternoon's work was done, Lucy finished organizing the documents and looked at me.
"It's time to leave."
Had the time really gone by that fast?
I lifted my head and looked at the wall clock. Just as Lucy had said, the hour hand stood at six.
If it were up to me, I would have hummed a tune and walked right out of General Headquarters, but leaving work together with Lucy was out of the question. Who knew what might happen?
"You may leave first. I'll stay and conduct additional reviews...."
"In that case, I shall also remain and assist you, Captain."
"...That was my intention, but it seems leaving work would be better. Let's go."
I cleared my throat and rose from my seat, draping my officer's coat over my arm and picking up my briefcase.
Lucy also finished preparing to leave and rose from her seat.
When I opened the office door and stepped out into the corridor, Lucy naturally fell into step beside me.
Carrying her briefcase like me and walking along, Lucy abruptly tilted her head with a puzzled look.
"Captain? You look unwell. Is something the matter?"
It's because of you, you crazy bitch!
......Those words rose to the roof of my mouth, but I held them back with superhuman patience.
"My stomach is simply a little unsettled. Nothing to worry about."
Having said that, I maintained silence and walked out of General Headquarters.
I walked all the way to the eaves, then slowly came to a halt.
It was raining. Not a downpour, but a light drizzle falling in fine strands.
Seeing this, Lucy, who had come up beside me, spoke in a troubled tone.
"It's raining. The meteorological bureau said it would be clear all day...."
"How pathetic."
Even meteorological bureaus further in the future occasionally got weather predictions wrong, so it was foolish not to bring an umbrella on the assumption that today's bureau would be correct.
"An officer of the Empire must always be fully prepared to cope with adverse weather."
I took a folding umbrella out of my briefcase.
After a moment of deliberation, I held the umbrella out toward Lucy.
"Take it and go. I do not wish my direct junior to be seen leaving work in the rain like some incompetent fool."
"Pardon? But...."
"Don't make me say it twice."
Maintaining a businesslike relationship while showing the occasional goodwill was the shortcut to extending one's lifespan.
Lucy looked at me as if she found it unexpected, then raised both hands to accept the umbrella.
"I shall gratefully make use of it. But are you truly all right? If I take the umbrella, you will have to walk in the rain."
"I have a spare in the office. I'll just go and fetch it."
In truth, there was no spare.
Still, it was a lie I told because I at least wanted to avoid walking under the same umbrella as a spy.
Lucy looked at me with a meaningful gaze, then soon nodded and opened the umbrella.
"Then I shall see you tomorrow."
Lucy bowed her head slightly and stepped away.
Watching Lucy's retreating figure, I let out a sigh of relief.
'I survived.'
Sharing an office with a spy who might kill me at any moment placed an immense strain on my mental fortitude.
'That aside....'
Now I was stuck having to stay at headquarters until the rain stopped.
I was just considering whether, since I was trapped at headquarters anyway, I should get a head start on tomorrow's work.
A steam-powered vehicle with a long bonnet and slim body pulled in from afar.
It was a vehicle reminiscent of the Doble Model E from an earlier era — one that was treated as outdated even now, having been released at least twenty years prior.
In the first place, with internal combustion engine vehicles having become mainstream, the only people who rode around in something like that were old men or penny-pinchers.
And as far as I knew, the person who possessed both of those traits was the owner of that car.
Kiiiik─
The vehicle pulled all the way up to the building entrance and came to a neat stop.
The person in the driver's seat was, sure enough, my superior, Colonel Ernst.
After getting out of the car, Ernst was about to enter General Headquarters when he spotted me and soon beamed widely.
"Oh! Captain Daniel! As a matter of fact, I was just looking for you — what a marvelous coincidence this is!"
"......You said you were looking for me, sir?"
"Indeed. Did I not mention I was going to speak with someone from the Imperial household? I received an excellent proposal there! You'll be delighted when you hear it as well."
I was already feeling uneasy.
Sweating coldly in secret, I asked in return.
"An excellent proposal, you say?"
"You must have heard that the Imperial household is hosting a banquet this time to celebrate the Northern Front Army's victory. Most gratifyingly, the Imperial household has sent invitations to both myself and you."
"Excuse me? No... I can understand you being invited, Colonel, but why am I being invited to the banquet?"
I asked in complete earnest, but Ernst elbowed me lightly in the ribs as if I were joking.
Perhaps because he had received an Imperial invitation, he looked to be in a truly excellent mood.
"My dear fellow, modesty seems to have settled into your bones, hasn't it? Given the number of meritorious deeds you've racked up, how could the Imperial household not invite you? So don't give it another thought and come along."
......This was troublesome. No joke, I genuinely did not want to go.
As far as I knew, if this was a banquet celebrating the Northern Front Army's victory, a terrorist attack was definitely going to take place.
I didn't know exactly what kind of attack would occur.
It had only been recorded as a single line in the game's historical compendium.
In any case, I wanted to stay as far away from unknown danger as possible.
But there was no way a mere captain could refuse an invitation from the Imperial household.
Was there any way out of this? Racking my brain, I looked at Ernst with the desperation of a drowning man clutching at straws.
"Colonel. I'm not sure you'll believe this, but I have an Imperial household ale-ergy. It is an illness whose symptoms worsen severely upon beholding noble and exalted persons. So, might it be possible for me to abstain...?"
Ernst furrowed his brow, a rare sight.
It was a gaze tinged with faint disgust, like an adolescent hearing a dad joke for the first time.
"Captain Daniel."
"Yes, sir."
"I implore you, please stop with the nonsense."
"......Yes, sir."
In this sunken atmosphere, it seemed I could express no further wish to abstain.
Therefore, regrettably, my attendance at the banquet was confirmed.
*
Meanwhile, the Imperial Eisenkrone Palace.
Second floor of the Imperial Library.
"Your Highness, Princess."
Selvia, who had been deciphering ancient documents with several books spread open on the desk, raised her head.
Standing there was an old soldier in a uniform with the golden wing insignia embroidered on his shoulder — Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann Edelstein, the Princess's chief bodyguard.
Having confirmed the identity of the person who called her, Selvia lowered her head and turned the page of the ancient document.
"What is the matter?"
Her tone was cold. It also carried the implication that she was absorbed in interpreting the documents and did not wish to be disturbed.
But this time, Hartmann could not simply let it pass.
"The head lady-in-waiting in charge of attire coordination entreated me. She said she must prepare for the banquet tomorrow, but Your Highness has no interest in adornment and resides exclusively in the library, which places her in a difficult position."
Selvia let out a low sigh.
"Then please convey to the head lady-in-waiting that spending that time studying tactics and strategy is several times more beneficial."
"Your Highness."
"Hartmann. I have not the slightest intention of becoming eye candy for the banquet's attendees. In the first place, merely succeeding in pushing back the Allied forces in the north, and yet we engage in self-congratulation...."
Trailing off, Selvia shook her head as if it were pathetic.
"If it were me, I would have allocated the banquet's funds to national defense. Whatever could Father be thinking?"
A smile formed at the corner of Hartmann's lips.
It was an attitude so humble it was hard to regard it as the thinking of someone born with the blood of a ruler.
However, a personality averse to socializing could bring disadvantages in the long term.
"Your Highness. A banquet is the foundation of social intercourse, and social intercourse is, in turn, politics. Furthermore, a nation, seen broadly, is a gathering of communities. Excessive socializing may turn the people into enemies, but a total absence of socializing may turn the nobility into enemies."
Historically, those who were praised by only one side did not last long.
"To govern both camps and place them beneath one's feet — that is the Emperor. A single leader who commands the world's most powerful military. Do you understand what I am saying?"
It was not wrong, yet she was still reluctant.
As Selvia resisted with silence, Hartmann spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah. Now that I think of it, Captain Daniel Steiner is also said to be attending this banquet. Is he not an acquaintance of Your Highness?"
At the name Daniel Steiner, Selvia's shoulders flinched.
— If I can save you by my death, Miss Journalist, then that is sufficient. A soldier exists, after all, to protect the citizens of their nation.
The words he had spoken to her still could not be erased from her mind.
He was not a bad person to keep around. If possible, she wanted to make him an ally.
Selvia cleared her throat once, then closed the ancient document.
"......Very well. Summon the head lady-in-waiting. A trifling bit of adornment should be acceptable."
She spoke in a flat tone, but Hartmann could see Selvia's ears quietly turning red.
'It seems Your Highness is not particularly adept at concealing your feelings.'
Was the talent known as Daniel Steiner so very much to her liking?
Wearing a subtle smile, Hartmann nodded.