Two Birds, One Stone
Two Birds, One Stone
The silence lengthened.
Of the three who sensed danger, Mayor Kendrapor was the first to speak.
"You seem to know something. Were the Republican troops hiding in the factory complex your allies?"
Regulten swallowed hard and nodded.
"That's right. I'm not sure how Daniel Steiner found out about us, but...."
He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been dragged into something unnecessary.
Kendrapor, his face creased with mounting stress, shot to his feet.
"Then we shouldn't be sitting around! Anyone can see Daniel Steiner is looking for you! You'd better run, even now!"
Regulten and Meromrat, snapping back to their senses at Kendrapor's words, rose from their seats.
Just as they turned to leave the office, the steward intervened.
"Mr. Mayor. I'm afraid that will be difficult."
"...Difficult? Why?"
"With the news of General Daniel's arrival, the Imperial troops surrounding the mansion have begun restricting access. For the time being, no one will be able to leave or enter this mansion."
For Regulten and Meromrat, the news hit like a bolt from the blue.
They had disguised themselves as facility repairmen to infiltrate the mansion because they couldn't evade the Imperial soldiers' surveillance network.
But if the Imperial troops were restricting access, there was no opening to slip through.
Trapped like rats in a cage, Regulten and Meromrat broke into a cold sweat, and Mayor Kendrapor let out a sigh.
"It can't be helped. I'll hide you for now."
Finding a thread of hope, Regulten looked back at Kendrapor.
"Hide us? What do you mean?"
"I haven't told a soul except those I trust, but there is a secret space in this mansion's office. Steward?"
The steward nodded and walked over to the bookcase against the wall.
Grabbing the corner of the bookcase, the steward began to push with all his might.
Then, the bookcase began to slide, revealing a hidden room.
As Regulten and Meromrat stared in surprise, Kendrapor pointed to the room.
"If you hide in there, Daniel Steiner won't be able to find you. I'll handle him appropriately and send him away, so wait inside until then."
"......Understood. It seems there's no other way right now."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor!"
The two Republic officers entered the secret room as directed.
Once they had entered, the steward moved the bookcase back to its original position.
Thinking he had put out the immediate fire, Kendrapor let out a low sigh and looked at the steward.
"Steward, go downstairs and keep an eye on the situation. We must not do anything to upset Daniel Steiner."
"Yes! Understood!"
The steward answered energetically and left the office.
Watching him go, Kendrapor walked to the window and peered at the situation outside.
In the distance, he could see military vehicles, including light tanks, approaching in a line.
As the procession neared the mansion, the Imperial soldiers guarding the entrance opened the iron gate.
Through the open gate, the jeep carrying Daniel Steiner drove in.
Soldiers poured out of the transport vehicles that followed and moved toward the mansion.
Disembarking after them, Daniel Steiner adjusted his uniform and made his way to the mansion.
Then, as if sensing a gaze, he looked up.
In that instant, Kendrapor's eyes met Daniel Steiner's.
His hawk-like, sharp gaze sent a chill down Kendrapor's spine.
Daniel Steiner took off his service cap and offered a greeting, but Kendrapor only swallowed a groan and stepped back.
'Damn it. The way the troops are barging in, they must know the identities of the Republic officers I spoke with.'
It was a misunderstanding.
Daniel Steiner had merely sent the soldiers in to secure the area.
Since they had just discovered a Republican resistance force in the factory complex, there was no harm in being careful.
Kendrapor, who couldn't have known this, was fidgeting restlessly when the sound of boots began to echo from the hallway.
As he listened, he also heard the laughter of a young child.
Knowing who that young child was, Kendrapor couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat.
'Leira?'
The child was none other than Kendrapor's cherished youngest daughter.
Just as he began to tremble with irrational anxiety, the door opened.
Through the open door, Daniel Steiner and his daughter Leira appeared.
Behind them, two soldiers and the liaison officer Rimshel followed like shadows.
"Father!"
Leira smiled brightly and approached Kendrapor.
"This soldier here said he wanted to see you, so I showed him the way! He said you had important things to discuss!"
Having heard his daughter's words, Kendrapor gave Daniel a meaningful look.
Seeing Daniel smile, Kendrapor gently stroked Leira's head.
"How admirable of you to guide him. But as our daughter says, that soldier and I have urgent matters to discuss. So...."
"You want me to leave, right? Okay! I understand. I'll go play downstairs!"
Leira answered with a laugh, bowed her head to Daniel, and left the office.
After confirming Leira had left, Daniel gestured with his hand, and a soldier closed the door.
Then, Daniel faced Kendrapor.
"I believe this is the first time we've met since we occupied this city. Mr. Mayor. Have you been well?"
"......There have been no particular incidents."
"That's a relief. More importantly, may we speak comfortably?"
Kendrapor nodded and pointed to the desk in the office.
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you for your consideration. However......."
Daniel, who had been walking toward the chair, stopped short.
"There are two chairs in front of the desk. May I ask why that is?"
While Daniel had asked out of pure curiosity, Kendrapor felt his heart drop.
He thought Daniel was suspicious of him.
After running through countless scenarios in his mind, Kendrapor forced an awkward smile.
"Ah. Well, as mayor, there are times when I receive civil complaints from couples."
"I didn't know the mayor personally handled civil complaints. Usually, aren't such matters delegated to others?"
"You're not wrong, but there are exceptions. Usually, the city clerk handles complaints, but in urgent cases, I sometimes speak with the complainants myself."
"I see."
After hearing Kendrapor's explanation, Daniel did not press further and sat in the chair.
Inwardly relieved, Kendrapor pulled out a chair and sat down as well.
Having collected himself with a deep breath, Kendrapor spoke first.
"But I am curious, Major General Daniel, why you have come to my mansion leading soldiers. Earlier, when I looked out the window, soldiers were barging into the mansion."
"Ah. That was nothing more than standard procedure."
"Standard procedure?"
Daniel removed his service cap and placed it on the desk.
"I'm not doubting you, Mr. Mayor, but this is wartime. Moreover, this was a Republican city until recently. There could be someone in the mansion targeting me, so wouldn't it be better to secure it ahead of time to prevent any accidents?"
It was a sound, straightforward argument, but to Kendrapor, it somehow seemed directed at the two officers who had visited the mansion today.
"......Was rounding up the Republican stragglers at the factory complex today also a 'measure taken before any accidents occurred'?"
He was asking if the current visit to the mansion was being conducted for the same purpose.
Since it wasn't entirely inaccurate, Daniel nodded.
"Though rounding up the enemy at the factory complex was a coincidence, it does align with your point, Mr. Mayor."
At that, Kendrapor's eyes wavered.
'He definitely came to arrest the Republican officers......!'
As he'd suspected, Daniel Steiner had not simply come to check.
That nonchalance meant he was certain there was an enemy in the mansion.
'Then what should I do.......'
To avoid getting caught up in a dangerous situation, the best course would be to hand over the Republic officers, but he couldn't bring himself to do that.
The officers who came to the mansion were patriots without a doubt.
So there was no way he could simply hand them over.
As Kendrapor quaked in anguish, Daniel spoke up.
"What's the matter?"
A hint of humor played around Daniel's lips.
"As if you were hiding an enemy of the Empire in the mansion."
It was said as a joke, but Kendrapor froze on the spot.
Only the shallow rise and fall of his chest showed he wasn't dead.
Puzzled by his tension, Daniel shrugged.
"It seems my joke went a bit too far. There's no way a wise man like yourself would shelter a Republican soldier in his mansion."
Swallowing hard, Kendrapor forced a smile.
"That's right. There's no way I would do that."
He thought he might be able to gloss over this.
The problem was that he was so tense he didn't even know how to steer the conversation elsewhere.
After that last reply, Kendrapor simply fell silent, sweating for no reason.
Daniel gazed at Kendrapor with an unreadable smile.
Jjegak─
It was so quiet you could hear the second hand of the clock on the wall moving.
Only after a suffocating stretch of time had passed did Daniel open his mouth.
He was trying to break the awkward silence.
"Ah. Come to think of it, was your daughter's name Leira? You have a truly lovely daughter. It makes me want a cute daughter like that someday. From your point of view, she must be the apple of your eye."
Daniel gave a thin smile.
"It would be truly heartbreaking if such a cute daughter were to get hurt. Especially in times like these, when accidents and incidents never cease."
Kendrapor's shoulders jerked.
Because it sounded like Daniel was threatening him with his daughter.
As Kendrapor, seized by fear, stammered, Daniel lightly raised his index finger.
"Ah. But even if she were to get hurt, you needn't worry while I'm stationed here. You may not know this, but my unit has an exceptionally skilled medical officer named Captain Frien. If you leave her to Frien, she'll recover in no time."
Kendrapor's face went pale.
'You're saying you'll send my child to Captain Frien, the one they call the Witch of the Empire?'
Kendrapor was well aware of Frien's notoriety.
He had heard she was a person who tortured people until the words 'kill me' came out of their mouths.
'No. Absolutely not......!'
It already felt as if his daughter's screams were echoing in his ears.
Lowering his head, Kendrapor bit his lip hard.
Seeing Kendrapor's breathing grow increasingly ragged, Daniel was perplexed.
'......Why is he acting like that?'
He had merely made a common, well-wishing remark, so seeing Kendrapor so terrified was bewildering.
Thinking the mayor was a strange man, Daniel drew his chair back, putting distance between them.
"The talk has gone on too long. Well then, I'll be on my way......."
Just as Daniel decided it was time to leave, Kendrapor lifted his bowed head.
"I'll confess! So please, do not touch my children!"
Just as he was thinking what preposterous nonsense this was, Kendrapor pointed at the bookcase.
"In the hidden room beyond that bookcase, there are Republic officers who plotted to kill you, Major General Daniel! They have nothing to do with me, so please arrest them!"
The sudden confession was flustering, but he had to verify it.
Rising from his seat, Daniel signaled the soldiers with his eyes.
Catching his meaning, the soldiers grabbed the bookcase Kendrapor had indicated and pushed.
Then, the bookcase moved, revealing the hidden room.
The moment Republican soldiers were discovered inside, the soldiers immediately leveled their rifles.
"On your knees!"
"Resist and we fire!"
The two, a man and a woman, glared at the mayor, then slowly knelt down as if they had no choice.
Watching them, Daniel let out a groan and shut his eyes tight.
'God damn it....'
He had tried to ruin his reputation, and instead he'd only added another commendation.
Daniel felt nothing but resentment toward the world, but Rimshel, who had been watching from his side, saw it differently.
'How admirable. To think he could so easily extract a confession from the mayor and flush out the enemy remnants.'
On top of that, the mayor, having betrayed the Republic soldiers with his confession, was now forced to cooperate with the Imperial Army.
For a mayor who had betrayed the Republic soldiers, there was no way to survive except by cooperating with the Imperial Army.
'Did Major General Daniel even aim for this?'
Extracting a confession from the mayor without so much as a search was practically a stroke of genius.
It was literally a stratagem that wouldn't be out of place in a textbook.
'I must report this anecdote to the General Staff Headquarters immediately.'
That Daniel Steiner's competence as an occupation zone commander was also outstanding.