Did It, But Didn't
Did It, But Didn't
While Namelias watched her with open suspicion, Lucy let out a dry cough.
Staying silent any longer would have exposed her true feelings.
"I'm truly fine. More importantly — were you on your way to the command post?"
As Lucy discreetly withdrew her hand and spoke, Daniel nodded.
"Yeah. I need to prepare for the upcoming battle, and there are reports I have to receive. Where were you headed, Adjutant?"
"Ah. As I mentioned yesterday, I was on my way to speak with the city's religious leaders for the civil affairs operation."
"To gauge social trends and request their cooperation, then. Quelling discontent within the city is also important work. Keep at it. I'll call for you if necessary."
Daniel patted Lucy lightly on the shoulder and moved on.
Lucy watched his retreating figure and felt the weight of Namelias's gaze.
When she turned to see what the matter was, Namelias sighed with a frustrated expression.
"Young lady, be honest with me. You like Brigadier General Daniel Steiner, don't you?"
Startled, Lucy shot a glance toward Daniel.
She had been restless with worry that he might have overheard. Relief soon followed.
The distance between them had already grown quite wide.
At this distance, there was no way he would have heard.
Letting out a quiet breath, Lucy parted her lips with half-closed eyes.
"Yes. I like him."
It went beyond liking; she was in love with him.
To the point where she wanted to do the things lovers do with Daniel.
'If possible....'
She wanted to go on a trip with him.
In spring, she wanted to visit a place full of blooming tulips and make memories just for the two of them. In summer, she wanted to talk late into the night on a beach with a cool breeze.
In autumn, she wanted to walk a path of colorful fall foliage holding his hand tightly, and in winter, she wanted to chatter away in a snowy field while they built a snowman.
Things that might be ordinary daily life for someone else would become precious, irreplaceable memories for Lucy.
But she knew these were not wishes she could voice simply because she desired them.
Peace would not come as long as the war continued.
"Then what about Brigadier General Daniel Steiner?"
Her musings were shattered by Namelias's voice.
As Lucy blinked, not understanding what had been meant, Namelias leaned in and whispered.
"Does the Brigadier General also like you, young lady?"
"That's...."
Lucy couldn't answer right away. She sank into thought.
Daniel had devoted himself to her — both in reality and in her memories.
But was it right to arbitrarily conclude that he had done it because he 'liked' her?
There was no logical flaw in seeing it as simply looking out for a subordinate, or acting out of sympathy.
"...I don't know. I'm not sure."
It was only natural not to know. She had never asked him directly.
Namelias, who had been gazing intently at Lucy, flashed a sly smile.
"Alright. In that case, I think it would be a good idea to confirm the Brigadier General's feelings. I happen to have a few methods I've used before, and I'll especially share them only with you, young lady. Would you like to hear them?"
Indeed.
When it came to romance, Namelias was Lucy's senior.
After hesitating a moment, curiosity got the better of her and Lucy finally nodded.
"Yes. I'd like to hear them."
She figured just a little would be okay.
*
When Daniel entered the command post, the staff officers who had been exchanging opinions rose from their seats all at once.
"Brigade Commander."
"You've returned."
Acknowledging their salutes with a nod, Daniel moved to the head of the command table set up inside the post.
After studying the operational map, he turned his gaze toward Pelf, the intelligence staff officer.
"The enemy provisional division still hasn't managed to cross the river, I take it?"
"That is correct. The aftermath of destroying the floodgates not only collapsed the bridge but also swelled the river, rendering them unable to cross at present. However, since the water level is receding now, we assess they will advance on Penbark in the near future."
"Though the enemy forces are numerous, we can handle them without difficulty."
The operations staff officer interjected.
"When the floodgates were destroyed, the enemy tank battalion crossing the bridge reportedly suffered severe damage. Drowning casualties alone reached 500 men, and 30 tanks were submerged. It is tantamount to the enemy losing a significant portion of their effective strength."
Even so, a considerable gap in troop numbers remained, but it was not a point of concern.
"Intelligence Staff Officer. Have you made contact with the Magitek Armored Brigade?"
Pelf nodded.
"Yes. I have confirmed that communications are functioning normally. They said they would be able to join us at the scheduled time. Also, Brigadier General Heinrich requested I relay a message to you, Brigade Commander."
"Hm? What message?"
"That is...."
Pelf, who had been needlessly gauging the room, cleared his throat and then shouted in a booming voice.
"Wolf of the Empire! Well done mauling the enemy commander! Now we shall watch your back, so fret not and run wild! I long to meet you soon and speak of old times! Let us see one another on the battlefield!"
Having fluently mimicked the general's voice, Pelf cleared his throat again.
"...he asked me to tell you that."
"Was doing the impersonation also a request from Brigadier General Heinrich?"
"It was."
It was so absurd a hollow laugh nearly escaped him.
Still, it wasn't all that bad.
'If the Magitek Armored Brigade helps, we can suppress those bastards easily. Then we'll put the final period on the occupation of Penbark, and the mission can be considered complete. Once that happens....'
He could return to the Imperial Capital.
It meant he could spend time not on a bloody battlefield but in the safe and prosperous capital.
'Once I return to the capital this time, I'll tell His Majesty the Emperor. That I will never go out to the battlefield again.'
He was utterly sick of battlefields now.
Things had worked out and he had ended up victorious, but in the opposite scenario, a complete catastrophe would have occurred.
That didn't mean his intention to bring down Count Kaledra had disappeared, of course.
He simply wanted to serve in the safe rear, not fight on the front lines.
'I've really done my share, haven't I? The Chief of the General Staff won't be able to refuse my request either.'
No matter how much the Chief of the General Staff had staked her life on the Empire's victory, she wouldn't refuse the request of a soldier who had racked up countless merits in a single stroke and drive him straight back to the battlefield.
'Alright. I'm retiring from the battlefield after this fight. To make it certain....'
Just as he was forming a concrete plan in his head, the sound of knocking rang out.
─ Brigade Commander. This is Medical Officer First Lieutenant Frien. Mayor Kaimboreht says he has an urgent matter to convey, so I've come with him.
Already? As Daniel told them to enter, the door opened and Frien and Kaimboreht stepped inside.
Unlike Kaimboreht, whose face was white as a sheet as he gasped for breath, Frien wore a benevolent smile.
Of course, from the perspective of the staff officers who knew what Frien had done, they did not judge that smile to be 'benevolent' in the slightest.
Kaimboreht, who had been scanning the command post, spotted Daniel and fell to his knees.
"I'll confess everything! I'll talk, so please — tell this madman to stop!"
At Kaimboreht's pleading, Daniel gestured toward Frien.
Approaching Daniel, Frien blinked her eyes innocently.
"What is the matter? Do you have something you're curious about, perhaps?"
"I knew he would end up like that, but it happened faster than I expected. Didn't this 'confession' you mentioned start this morning?"
"Ah. Actually, I adopted a new method of repentance this time around. Thanks to the daily development of my healing magic, methods I couldn't use in the past have become possible now."
"...Methods you couldn't use in the past?"
"Brigade Commander. Are you aware that the greatest pain a person can feel is cautery pain?"
Daniel decided not to ask any further.
Curiosity killed the cat, after all.
Feeling an odd sense of dread toward Frien, Daniel looked down at Kaimboreht.
"Are you saying you will admit that Count Kaledra carried out human experimentation in Penbark?"
"I will admit it — because it is the truth! However...."
Even through his fear, Kaimboreht looked up at Daniel.
"...I will also not forget the fact that the Imperial Army committed torture against a civilian."
"Torture."
Letting out a low laugh, Daniel approached Kaimboreht.
"Can you prove the fact that we tortured you?"
"What do you...."
"I am asking if you can prove it."
Kaimboreht could not easily answer.
It was true that he had been scorched by fire by Frien.
But those traces remained nowhere on his body.
Healing magic had never been all-powerful. Even when applied, it was common for wound recovery to be slow or for scars to linger.
However, Frien's healing ability was so exceptional it could restore the body to its original state.
There were no traces of burns, so even if he claimed to have been tortured, there was no way to prove it.
"Or do you have any witnesses?"
Again, Kaimboreht could not answer.
There had never been any witnesses from the start.
Only then, realizing he could not escape Daniel Steiner, did Kaimboreht's hands begin to tremble.
Before this trembling man, Daniel Steiner knelt down on one knee.
For a moment, their gazes met.
Daniel's cold stare made Kaimboreht flinch.
"Kaimboreht. If you have any conscience, do not lie. Even if you are a civilian — when hundreds of orphans lost their lives in that research facility, you stood by and watched. Can a bastard like you truly be called a civilian uninvolved in the war?"
As Daniel's voice dropped to a growl, Kaimboreht's gaze fell of its own accord.
"If I had my way, I'd slit your throat right here and now. I'm holding back because you still have at least a grain of rice's worth of utility. So do not test my patience. This is the only warning you will get."
Having said that, Daniel rose from his spot.
Regaining his smile, he looked down at the trembling Kaimboreht and spoke.
"Now then. Let me ask again. Mayor Kaimboreht. Is it a fact that you were tortured by the Imperial Army?"
A sob crept into Kaimboreht's breath.
"It is not. I am merely... of my own volition...."
Shutting his eyes tight, Kaimboreht bowed his head toward Daniel.
"...confessing the evil deeds of Count Kaledra."
To submit and yield.
That was the only way to survive Daniel Steiner.