What Did I Do Wrong?
What Did I Do Wrong?
The special promotion ceremony took place three days later in the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace.
Amidst the gathering of the Empire's most distinguished figures, Selvia, seated upon the imperial throne, raised her hand.
At that, Chief of the General Staff Arman, who stood beside the throne, stepped forward and unfurled the imperial edict.
"Hear ye, all! These are the words of His Majesty the Emperor!"
As Arman's commanding voice resounded through the audience chamber, all heads bowed.
Arman, who had been surveying them with a solemn gaze, raised his voice once more.
"Do you, gathered officers, remember? The people, exhausted by the long war with the Allied Nations, had abandoned hope and advocated for peace! Though they were but a fraction, they were still my people and anxieties I was obliged to bear!"
Arman's voice rose slightly higher.
"Then who was it that alleviated those anxieties? It is no exaggeration to say it was thanks to you, who remained here and pledged loyalty to me! It was because of you that we overcame the national crisis and united the people as one!"
Selvia's gaze turned toward Daniel, who had his head bowed among the crowd.
"Therefore, I intend to bestow rewards upon you in accordance with the Empire's foundational principle: reward merit, punish failure! The first among you to receive an award shall be Brigadier General Daniel Steiner, who fought tenaciously under adverse conditions to successfully capture Penbark and further exposed the vile dishonor of the Allied Nations!"
As everyone nodded in understanding, Arman closed the edict and cast his gaze upon Daniel.
"Brigadier General Daniel Steiner. His Majesty the Emperor holds your achievements in high esteem and wishes to bestow the reward personally, so come forward."
Though he had expected this, receiving the attention of all present remained burdensome.
Daniel, who had swallowed a covert sigh, stepped out to the center where a red carpet was laid and went down on one knee.
Selvia, who had been watching Daniel, rose from the imperial throne and descended the steps.
Behind Selvia, the Chief of the Inner Court Office followed, carrying a rank insignia box.
Selvia walked directly up to Daniel and parted her lips slightly.
"Rise from your place, Brigadier General Daniel Steiner."
Daniel nodded and slowly rose to his feet.
"Your Majesty the Emperor."
At the words Daniel spoke with courtesy and respect, Selvia smiled brightly.
"Do not be nervous. It is merely a formality, after all."
Selvia, who whispered so softly that only Daniel could hear, extended her hand to the side.
Thereupon, the Chief of the Inner Court Office nodded, opened the box, and placed the Major General's insignia, composed of two stars, onto Selvia's hand.
Having received the insignia, Selvia spoke somewhat solemnly before all who watched.
"Brigadier General Daniel Steiner. I, in the name of the Empire, commend the loyalty, bravery, and honor you have demonstrated. You must remember that this special promotion is not purely my will, but the desire of all Imperial citizens. Know that this weight is never light."
Daniel placed a hand over his heart and replied.
"Of course. Your Majesty the Emperor."
Selvia nodded and raised her hands to replace Daniel's rank insignia.
Selvia gazed with satisfaction at Daniel, who now bore two stars on his shoulders, and spoke.
"Major General Daniel Steiner. Leaning upon the faith you have shown, I command you to continue devoting yourself in service to the Empire."
"As long as death does not break my conviction, I swear to serve Your Majesty the Emperor and the Empire to the very end."
"Those words I shall remember, and all here shall remember."
No sooner had Selvia's words ended than applause erupted from all directions.
Amid the loud applause honoring both Daniel Steiner and Selvia, Selvia spoke softly to Daniel.
"See you later."
Daniel, who could not refuse, nodded and stepped back.
Seeing Daniel return to his original position, the Chief of the General Staff once again unfurled the imperial edict and raised his voice.
"Next, there shall be special promotions for those personnel who rendered distinguished service in the capture of Penbark! Those whose names are called shall come forward and receive the grace of His Majesty the Emperor!"
The Chief of the General Staff then began calling out names.
One by one, those called out walked to the carpeted center and knelt before Selvia.
Most were staff officers of the brigade, but Lucy and Frien were also included.
Both had rendered meritorious service in capturing Penbark, so it was a natural outcome.
As he watched Selvia change their insignia, someone tapped him on the waist.
Daniel turned reflexively and saw a woman with long, flowing black hair.
He saw a mischievous smile hanging below sharp eyes.
"......Ref?"
The woman was Ref, the daughter of the Bellanos Cabinet Minister.
Wondering what business she had here, Daniel stared blankly at her, and Ref let out a low laugh.
"What. Why are you so surprised? This is the Empire... meaning it's a gathering where His Majesty the Emperor has summoned all those they consider allies, right? So naturally, I was invited too."
It was Ref who had actively agreed to Bellanos entering an alliance with the Empire, so Selvia had invited her as a gesture of gratitude.
There was also the aim of maintaining friendly relations between the two nations.
However, from Daniel's perspective, this impish girl only added to his worries.
"...If you're planning to make things difficult for me again, it would be best to stop."
"Huh? Are you still upset about what happened before? Don't worry. I won't play any pranks like that this time. We've traded one blow each, so aren't we even now?"
"That's fortunate then, but it seems like you have a separate purpose for coming here..."
Ref raised her hand and cut off Daniel's words.
"First, later. They said there'll be a banquet after the ceremony, so let's talk there. Okay?"
Well, chattering here and now would only draw disapproving looks from those around them.
There was no particular reason to refuse, so Daniel nodded.
*
Just as Ref said, once the appointment ceremony ended, people flocked to the banquet hall of the Imperial Palace.
Except for those too busy with work to attend, everyone gathered to strengthen their social bonds.
While the orchestra played classical music, numerous high-ranking officials chatted before tables laden with sumptuous delicacies.
Ref and Daniel were no different.
"Ah. Right. You asked why I came here, didn't you?"
Ref had already drunk two glasses of wine as soon as the banquet started.
He found her quite honest in her enjoyment.
"Yes. Surely it isn't because you got bored of Bellanos and came traveling to the Empire again."
"I won't deny that Bellanos is boring, you know? But it's true I'm not here for travel."
Ref plucked a grape from the plate on the table and placed it into her mouth.
"The progress of the Vargov Project has become faster than expected, so I stopped by to confirm."
The Vargov Project meant the atomic bomb... in other words, nuclear development.
'Now that I think about it, Selvia also told me the Vargov Project was proceeding smoothly.'
Recalling the conversation he had with Selvia before, Daniel watched his surroundings and asked.
"How much faster?"
"I can't tell you in exact figures, but what's certain is we'll make it faster than the Allied Nations. If things go well, the atomic bomb development might be completed within half a year."
Half a year. The timing was faster than he had anticipated, so he felt both hope and anxiety.
"If the Allied Nations learn of this fact..."
"Right. They'll exchange opinions with the Republic and then launch a general offensive. They'll judge that the moment the Empire makes the atomic bomb first, there's no chance of winning. This winter will probably be the critical juncture. I heard intelligence that the Republic is scraping together all available supplies."
In other words, if they could repel this general offensive, the Empire would be one step closer to victory.
Ref also knew that, so she glanced at Daniel.
"Look. I'm placing a lot of expectations on you. Now that you've been promoted to Major General, I hope you'll lead more troops and crush the enemy. You have to win for the Empire to win, and that's how my homeland, Bellanos, will be safe."
Startled by Ref's urging, Daniel shook his head.
"Sorry, but find someone else. I shudder at the thought of the battlefield now."
"Hmm? That's unexpected. Seeing you always seeking out the battlefield and brawling, I thought you were a war fanatic..."
As if to indicate she wouldn't dwell on it much, Ref shrugged.
"Anyway, you handle that as you see fit. Shall I tell you my second purpose?"
"Second purpose?"
"My second purpose is to get close to the women with big names in the Empire, including those around you. If the Empire wins the war, won't they be the real power players?"
He felt uneasy for some reason.
"Women with big names in the Empire?"
"You must know them well. Her Majesty the Emperor, Major Lucy, Captain Frien. The Emperor needs no explanation, and your adjutant Lucy is supposedly unmatched in terms of force, right? And Captain Frien, well, there are the miracles she showed on the battlefield, and she also has a massive religious faction within the Empire."
Ref was smacking her lips like someone buying stocks at a bargain.
"If I get close to them now, I'll be able to get a piece of the pie later, won't I? So I suggested to them that we gather separately for tea time after the banquet. If it works out, I'll let you know, too."
What?
"...You suggested having tea time together? And Her Majesty the Emperor, Lucy, and Frien all accepted?"
"Yeah. I peddled your name a bit in the process. Said we had a secret relationship or some degree of closeness. I thought we'd need a common denominator for the conversation to flow well."
Cold sweat trickled down.
"Ref. That is far from a good idea. Especially if you peddled my name."
"What do you mean? If you're jealous, I can arrange a spot for you too..."
A fierce gaze was felt from somewhere, causing Ref to freeze.
Chills running all over her body, Ref turned her head and spotted Lucy, who was glaring at her.
Lucy was flashing a red glare amidst the soldiers praising her martial prowess.
"Uh...."
While Ref was flustered, this time a gaze was felt from another direction.
Startled, Ref looked that way and found herself facing Emperor Selvia, who sat in a luxurious chair surrounded by political and financial figures.
Selvia, seemingly angry, was quietly staring at Ref with her eyes half-lidded.
"......."
Swallowing dryly, Ref looked for Frien, just in case.
Frien was acting coy among the religious figures gathered at the banquet, but sensing the gaze, she turned to Ref and smiled brightly.
However, within that smile, her eyes were not smiling at all.
Ref could sense the killing intent.
Unable to fathom the reason, Ref looked up at Daniel with a terrified face.
"...Hey? Did I do something wrong? Why is everyone acting like that?"
The reason was simple.
It was because when Ref approached the three women to have tea time, she confessed that she had formed a secret relationship with Daniel in Bellanos.
She would have been seen as a new rival in love, or practically an uninvited stone rolling in, so there was no way they would look favorably upon Ref.
Daniel, who had been friendly with such a Ref, was also receiving unfriendly looks.
"That's why...."
At Ref's unintentional trolling, Daniel gritted his teeth.
"I said it wasn't a good idea."