Count Kaledra Is Wary
Count Kaledra Is Wary
Returning to his hotel room after finishing breakfast and his daily duties, Daniel hummed a little tune to himself.
He was in a good mood for many reasons, thinking he could finally escape his life of constant peril in the Empire.
'Of course, I won't have to see Lucy, who's been after my life, and I won't have to worry about ending up on death row at a war crimes tribunal.'
On top of that, the risk of dying a random, pointless death from a stray bullet on the battlefield would vanish. It was three birds with one stone.
A gentle smile spread across his face as Daniel opened the kitchen refrigerator and took out the Roquefort cheese and some ice.
The Roquefort—also known as blue cheese—gave off its intense, characteristic aroma.
'Nice. It's aged well.'
This was the cheese the citizens had pooled their money to buy and present to Daniel as a gift when he left Nordia.
It was an expensive cheese, so he had been saving it, but since he was leaving the Empire soon anyway, there was no need to hesitate any longer.
After placing the cheese on the table, Daniel took out a bottle of ration whiskey and a glass from the shelf.
Having set the glass on the table as well, Daniel added a small amount of ice and poured the whiskey lightly.
The whiskey's color, resembling a sunset, filled the glass about halfway.
It felt a bit wasteful to eat such expensive cheese with ration whiskey, but on the battlefield, this was luxury of the highest order, so he had no complaints.
Setting the whiskey bottle aside, Daniel lifted his glass and moved toward the window.
He wanted to gaze at the view outside while taking a sip.
'But what should I do first once I succeed in defecting? Should I paint? I always wanted to be an artist.......'
Daniel, who had been mulling it over, shook his head.
'Unless you become top-tier, art doesn't make any money. Then how about baking? I helped the director back in my hometown make bread a few times. I was praised quite a bit back then for having talent.......'
Daniel, who had been walking while planning his new life, stood by the window and looked out at the square below.
The square visible from the hotel was, as usual, bustling with countless soldiers coming and going.
The one thing different from usual, however, was that the soldiers moving under the glow of the streetlights seemed to be overflowing with vitality today.
'......Did something happen?'
Puzzled, he kept watching, and what appeared to be low-ranking soldiers began running here and there, relaying messages.
Upon hearing the soldiers' words, officers and senior enlisted men exchanged a few words before soon bursting into cheers.
Then a few soldiers pointed at the 7th floor of the hotel where Daniel was staying and snapped to a salute.
The salute offered by one or two began to spread like a contagion.
Every single one of them smiled and saluted Daniel, and several junior officers followed the soldiers' actions.
Daniel, suddenly receiving salutes from hundreds of soldiers gathered in the square, broke out in a cold sweat.
'What?'
He couldn't understand it.
No, to be precise, he didn't want to understand.
To quell an unknown dread, Daniel lifted his glass of whiskey and took a sip.
'No way. It can't be.......'
Just as he was forcing himself to calm down and desperately trying to deny reality.
Tok-tok─
A voice was heard from outside along with a polite knock.
"Major Daniel Steiner! Are you in? It's the Corps Commander's aide!"
Why was it that a foreboding feeling was never wrong?
Daniel wiped his face with one hand, set his glass of whiskey on a nearby table, and walked to the door.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to find Lieutenant Colonel Kalpren standing there.
"......Lieutenant Colonel Kalpren. What brings you here at this hour?"
At Daniel's question, Kalpren offered a benevolent smile.
"I came to deliver good news. The Kingdom has accepted your proposal!"
"Excuse me? By my proposal, you mean......."
"Not only did they agree to accept all of the Empire's existing negotiation terms, but they even offered to cede Begenheim in addition to Nordia! It is truly a monumental feat, nothing short of astonishing!"
Kalpren let out a hearty laugh, but Daniel was merely bewildered.
'......Why?'
Why were these guys—who in the game had broken off all three rounds of negotiations and launched a desperate resistance—now waving the white flag like frightened dogs?
'They surrendered even after I told them all the Class 2 secrets in a way favorable to them?'
Racking his brain over this incomprehensible situation, Daniel unconsciously clenched his fist.
'......Could there have been an information gap?'
If the Kingdom Army hadn't been properly aware of the Imperial Corps' troop strength and capabilities, then informing them of the secrets might have been interpreted as a kind of coercion.
But for an information gap to occur, it would require not only deliberately crippling the Kingdom's intelligence agency but also spreading false information to create a smokescreen.
At the very least, the Empire had never done such a thing.
Although they did succeed in seizing control of the Kingdom's communication network, they had not spread any false information.
The Empire had wanted the Kingdom to be scared into accepting the peace talks in the first place.
There was no need to deliberately spread false information and give the Kingdom a reason to break off negotiations.
'In that case.......'
It meant the Allied Nations were manipulating the Kingdom from behind.
They hadn't simply desired the Kingdom's defeat; they had pulled strings to make them hold out as long as possible against the Empire's attack, causing as much bloodshed and death as they could.
'Damn.'
To think the Allied Nations were controlling the Kingdom so systematically.
Realizing his plan had gone awry, Daniel's eyes were filled with deep worry.
Seeing that, Kalpren couldn't help but be inwardly surprised.
'I just told him he achieved a major feat, yet he remains astonishingly composed.'
Seeing Daniel's demeanor made Kalpren feel ashamed of himself.
'Indeed, even though the Kingdom surrendered, the Empire is still at war with the Allied Nations. An officer who must lead soldiers shouldn't be frivolously rejoicing; that wouldn't set a proper example for the military.......'
This was indeed Daniel Steiner, the one they called the hero of the Empire.
Letting out a single dry cough, Kalpren spoke with considerably more solemnity.
"It was a splendid performance of duty, Major Daniel Steiner. Since the mission is complete, I will make arrangements so you can return to the Imperial Capital."
"......Thank you."
"Gratitude is what we should be expressing. Ah, and one more thing, His Majesty the Emperor has expressed a desire to see you."
Daniel looked at Kalpren with a flustered expression.
"Are you saying His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Yes. Wasn't it thanks to you that the war with the Kingdom, which could easily have dragged on into a protracted conflict, was ended early? His Majesty is likely very pleased as well."
Kalpren had meant it as congratulations on the path to advancement that had opened for him, but Daniel was merely troubled.
He was worried that catching the Emperor's eye might drag him into the succession struggle that was about to erupt.
But it was a position where he couldn't reveal his true feelings, so Daniel offered an awkward smile.
"Then it would truly be an honor."
"You look good when you smile. Alright. You must have had a hard time, so do get some good rest today."
"Yes. Understood."
Giving a single nod, Kalpren slowly walked away.
After watching Kalpren descend via the hotel stairs, Daniel closed the door.
Daniel stood frozen for a moment while gripping the doorknob, then suddenly screamed.
"Whhhy!"
Turning his body, Daniel walked toward the table as he shouted.
"Why are you doing this to me!? Why can't I ever be happy!"
Venting his aimless rage, Daniel grabbed the bottle of whiskey.
He was about to hurl it just like that, but he forcibly regained his composure and set the bottle down.
'I should drink the alcohol.'
He couldn't take out his anger on a precious bottle of liquor.
Letting out a low sigh, Daniel sat down on a chair and drained the remaining whiskey from his glass.
The liquor felt bitter.
'I was definitely happy just moments ago.......'
Forced, half-compelled, to bury his dreams of becoming an artist and a baker deep in his heart, Daniel picked up the whiskey bottle and poured himself another glass.
He felt like he would have to drink a lot today no matter what.
*
At the same time, in Edria, a Permanent Member State of the International Union.
"Count Kaledra! What is the meaning of this!?"
Kaledra stormed into the palace's audience chamber with his private soldiers.
Kaledra himself had a pistol holstered at his waist.
He was blatantly violating the law that forbade carrying weapons inside the audience chamber.
However, without batting an eye, Kaledra walked toward the king sitting on the throne.
Every time Kaledra strode across the floor, planting his cane down, a dull sound echoed.
To the king, who was groaning while gripping the armrests of the throne tightly, Kaledra gave a slight bow of his head.
"Your Majesty the King. Please forgive my rudeness. However, the matter was so urgent that I was forced to ignore basic protocol and come here."
"Kaledra! Is that how you speak before His Majesty!?"
One of the ministers present in the audience chamber raised his voice, pointing a finger at Kaledra.
Letting out a deep breath as if irritated, Kaledra turned to face the minister.
His snake-like, sharp eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
"Did I not clearly state that the matter is urgent?"
Don't interrupt.
Because Kaledra spoke this way, the minister could only clench his hands and gulp nervously.
Having silenced the minister, Kaledra looked back up at the king.
"Your Majesty. Your humble servant, with the aid of the Central Intelligence Department, has sought out and exterminated the shameless wretches who plotted treason. It seems Your Majesty should also see their disgusting faces."
When Kaledra gave the signal, a nearby private soldier took a step closer to the king and then opened the lid of the box he was holding.
"......!"
At once, not only the king but also the ministers opened their eyes wide in shock.
Inside the box was a human head.
Specifically, it was the head of the minister who had spent all his days criticizing Kaledra and arguing that royal authority must be strengthened.
He was also the minister who had received the king's secret orders and was preparing to assassinate Kaledra.
Kaledra, turning his gaze toward the head inside the box, placed a hand over his heart and expressed his condolences.
"What a pitiful and foolish person. This man was scheming treason. He was secretly training soldiers behind Your Majesty's back."
Everyone present knew that Kaledra's words were a lie.
But no one challenged Kaledra's words.
After thoroughly enjoying that heavy silence for a moment, Kaledra turned back to the king.
Kaledra then immediately dropped his smile and scowled fiercely.
"From now on, should there be anyone who continues to commit such disgraceful acts!"
Kaledra, who had raised his voice as if scolding, slammed his cane onto the floor with a bang.
Just as everyone was consumed by fear and trembling, Kaledra spoke in a chilling voice.
"......They will all follow the same path. Is that not right, Your Majesty the King?"
At Kaledra's words, the king, who was seated on the throne, felt a chill and slowly nodded his head.
Seeing this, Kaledra drew one foot back and bowed his head.
The hand not holding the cane was elegantly extended to the side, in accordance with the royal court etiquette.
However, Kaledra's eyes alone glared fiercely and coldly at the king.
Finishing his greeting, Kaledra turned his body and walked out without waiting for the king's permission to leave.
With every step he took, the mud on his shoes left marks on the audience chamber floor.
After exiting the audience chamber like that, Kaledra left the palace.
The Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Department, who had been waiting at the palace entrance, approached Kaledra amid the numerous private soldiers following him.
When Kaledra cast his gaze, the Deputy Director bowed his head deeply and spoke.
"Your Excellency. According to intelligence reports, the Kingdom of Eldreshia has accepted the Empire's negotiations."
A crack finally appeared on Kaledra's face, which had been cold from beginning to end.
"......Why."
The Deputy Director hesitated for a moment before answering.
"It is said that the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Eldreshia had a change of heart after holding talks with Major Daniel Steiner. We are unable to ascertain the specific details of what was discussed during the meeting. However......."
Watching Kaledra's expression, the Deputy Director continued.
"The Foreign Minister stated that Major Daniel Steiner told him to 'inform the Allied Nations that you have forced the Kingdom of Eldreshia into submission.'"
Kaledra's hand tightened around the handle of his cane.
'Arrogant.......'
But it was arrogance befitting his capabilities.
Somehow, Daniel reminded Kaledra of his own younger days.
'Daniel Steiner... was he a bigger deal than I thought......?'
Kaledra, who had been mulling over how to deal with him again and again, stepped forward.
"Tell Lucy to accelerate the operation. The man is quick-witted and meticulous. If she can't build trust, even someone like Lucy risks being discovered."
The Deputy Director, answering by bowing his head deeply, stepped back.
Afterward, Kaledra got into the back seat of the sedan he had waiting in advance and took a moment to breathe.
Taking out a handkerchief from his breast pocket, Kaledra wiped the blood off his cheek and murmured quietly.
"Daniel Steiner......."
This man might become an even more vexing opponent than the Emperor of the Empire.