The Question of Death
The Question of Death
At the same moment, Daniel was walking the streets of the Imperial Palace with General Arman, Chief of the General Staff.
With almost no one around, the quiet solitude stretched on.
Arman, who had been silent for a while, turned to look at Daniel walking beside him.
"......I apologize. My personal physician insisted I make time for exercise. I'm not entirely certain if walking qualifies as exercise, but surely it's better than sitting still?"
Daniel understood.
Arman must have spent most of his days confined indoors due to his immense responsibilities.
Even aside from health reasons, he must have simply wanted some fresh air.
"You are quite right. You must look after your health, if only for the sake of the Empire."
"Indeed. I should witness the Empire's victory before I die."
Chuckling softly, Arman faced forward.
"The problem is that the Republic bastards have no desire to grant me that wish. As you've likely heard, the Republic is currently amassing supplies for a general offensive. Their scheme is to attack when winter begins."
"......I've heard a winter offensive is in the works."
"You know your affairs well. So the Imperial Army is concentrating its forces in the north, but frankly, defense does not look easy. Countless casualties are certain."
Loneliness seeped into Arman's voice.
"Nevertheless, we must hold the front. It is the only way to prevent even greater losses beforehand. Which brings me to my point......"
Arman turned just his eyes toward Daniel.
"Could I ask you to take charge of the Filoena Highlands?"
Thinking that the inevitable had arrived, Daniel let out a soft groan.
"......The Filoena Highlands, to my knowledge, are a strategic chokepoint."
"Precisely. It is no exaggeration to say that occupying the Filoena Highlands is essential for the Republic bastards to begin their southward advance in earnest."
Compared to surrounding terrain, the Filoena Highlands were broad and flat, easy for tanks to traverse, and the highland line itself stretched more than 10 kilometers in total length.
From the Republic's standpoint, the moment they seized these heights, their southward push into the Empire would become several times easier — it was patently obvious they would fight tooth and nail to attack it.
Daniel could not help but be genuinely bewildered that Arman intended to entrust such a vital point to him.
"Your Excellency, Chief of the General Staff. The Filoena Highlands are guaranteed to become a fierce battleground. The enemy will not easily abandon the highlands; countless battles are certain to unfold there."
"Is that not precisely why I am asking you?"
"Your Excellency? Please, retract those words. There must be generals with far more practical combat experience than myself. I believe entrusting it to them would be more efficient."
Daniel was frantically trying to say, in a roundabout way, that he didn't want to go, but Arman was resolute.
"Search and you will certainly find generals rich in practical combat experience. The Empire has been at war for a very long time, after all. But you are the sole individual who has achieved astonishing victories across countless battlefields."
Daniel opened his mouth to refute him, but no words came out.
He could not deny the many feats he had accomplished so far.
"Furthermore, this is my request, but it is equally for your own sake."
"......For my sake, did you say?"
"Daniel Steiner killed the Crown Prince. Are you aware that the rumor that circulated among political and financial figures is now circulating within the military ranks as well?"
He was not unaware.
He could silence the military police who were on the scene, but he could not restrict the speculation of others.
When Daniel silently affirmed, Arman spoke, his tone conveying regret.
"Only you know the truth of what transpired. Depending on the circumstances, it might well be deeply unjust. But be mindful: the very rumor that you killed Prince Arno could backfire within the capital in an unfavorable direction."
Arman was worried that if Daniel remained stationed in the capital like this, the scandal would spread.
"In my experience, the thing that always covers a scandal is a feat of arms. If you achieve another heroic victory at the Filoena Highlands, who would dare question Prince Arno's death?"
At this, Daniel felt despair.
'If the Chief of the General Staff, Arman, goes this far......'
It was tantamount to saying the matter was already decided.
Seeing how he wove political implications into a gentle threat, it was entirely possible that Cedric's influence had been slipped into this proposal.
A sigh escaped him, but this was not something that would change just because he threw a tantrum here and refused.
"......Your Excellency, Chief of the General Staff, it appears you intend to work me right down to the bone."
At Daniel's sharp-edged tone, Arman smiled with satisfaction.
"If you wish to resent someone, resent yourself. Had you been only moderately competent, would I have paid you any mind?"
This was the first time in his life Daniel genuinely wanted to punch Arman.
*
Even at the very moment Daniel's frontline assignment was confirmed, the ladies' tea time continued.
"......The men we call our ideal types must have their own ideal types as well, wouldn't you agree? From that perspective, I wonder, what would he look at first?"
Of course, it was not a normal tea time.
"What he would look at first, naturally......"
The first to respond to Frien's topic was Selvia.
"Wouldn't it be wealth and power? A man cannot help but have ambition, and ambition, by its nature, springs from wealth and power. I can satisfy that objective for him."
Should one gain the Emperor's trust, wealth and power follow naturally.
'It is still a distant future, but if Daniel becomes the Prince Consort......'
It was clear they would be able to rule this Empire together.
Selvia was convinced that Daniel also desired this.
Frien, however, found it difficult to fully agree with Selvia's words.
"Her Highness the Princess's words have merit. But when a man looks at a woman, how could he look only at her background? I believe one must view it from an instinctual perspective, not such secondary angles."
"......An instinctual perspective, you say?"
"I would think it is the body she was naturally born with as a woman."
Frien's words struck Selvia's weak point.
It was undeniable that one condition by which a man is drawn to a woman is her figure.
Ref, who had been watching the two spar while sipping black tea beside them, also nodded her head.
'She's not wrong. The term lookism exists for a reason. And besides......'
Ref, having scanned the three with a sidelong glance, wore a subtle smile.
'Frien, was it? I think I see why that woman brought up this topic. As far as I can see, among the three, she has the most voluptuous body.'
Not that Lucy or Selvia had figures to be ashamed of, of course.
'......Anyway, this is fun.'
Wasn't it said that watching a fight is more entertaining than watching a fire?
Observing the war of nerves unfolding between Frien and Selvia, she could not help but find it fascinating.
At first, it felt suffocating, but once her survival was secured, it became purely enjoyable.
'Hm? But......'
Even as Frien and Selvia exchanged verbal blows, Lucy remained aloof.
Mischief stirred within Ref.
Wanting to bring Lucy into the fight and turn it into a three-way battle, Ref set down her cup and spoke.
"Pardon me, Major Lucy?"
Lucy's red eyes turned toward Ref.
As her gaze seemed to ask what the matter was, Ref offered a gentle smile.
"Major Lucy, what do you think a man considers most important when he looks at a woman?"
"Ah. I......"
Blinking as if in thought for a moment, Lucy spoke quietly.
"I think it is memories. Shared between just the two......"
At this, the glaring match between Frien and Selvia came to a halt.
Ref, wondering what she meant, rested her chin on her hand and looked at Lucy.
"Huh. What sort of memories might you be referring to?"
"Various......"
"Seeing as you are evading the question, is it difficult to speak of? Hmm. Then could you at least tell us, as simply as possible?"
As Ref relentlessly pressed the point, Lucy suddenly flushed red.
"I am sorry. It is a past I am too embarrassed to speak of......"
There was no way she could tell them that she had spent a long time, trapped in memories of the past, as a butler and a young lady.
Even if she spoke of it, no one was likely to believe her, either.
Yet these incomprehensible words were more than enough to stimulate Selvia's imagination.
'Various? An embarrassing past? What on earth did she do? Surely the time she declared she would become Kelly's replacement wasn't......'
Selvia's imagination earned a rating deeming it unsuitable for minors.
Her face flaring bright red, Selvia covered her mouth with her hand.
'This shameless woman......!'
She wanted to shower her with abuse right then and there, but the shock was so great that words failed her.
Frien, too, was merely staring at Lucy with a gaze that had grown deeply thoughtful.
"......"
"......"
"......"
In the silence that followed Lucy's remark, the garden gate opened and a man walked in.
It was the root cause of the tea time: Daniel Steiner.
"Forgive the intrusion. I heard everyone had gathered here, so......"
Daniel, who had been speaking casually, could not help but stop in his tracks after a few steps.
The faces of the women seated at the table were flushed for reasons unknown to him.
Just as he was wondering what on earth was happening, Selvia abruptly sprang from her seat.
"It is getting late, so let us adjourn for now. But, Major General Daniel Steiner?"
Taking a deep breath, Selvia asked.
"For whom did you come here?"
Wondering what kind of question that could possibly be, Daniel realized the three women's gazes were far from ordinary and broke out in a cold sweat.
Feeling a chill run down his spine without quite knowing why, Daniel looked at Ref.
'......Ref. What on earth did you do here?'
Rather than calming down, the situation had reached the verge of exploding, making his bewilderment entirely natural.
Yet Ref was merely scratching her cheek, wearing an apologetic expression.
The moment Daniel saw that and swallowed his anger, Selvia spoke again.
"Hurry up and answer me."
After a brief silence, Selvia narrowed her eyes.
"Tell me for whom you came here."