Unexpected Luck
Unexpected Luck
Ten days later, in the western part of the Empire.
The port city of Lost Bellemont.
"Is the ship ready?"
A man in a deep hood nodded in answer to Hamtal, the leader of the secret society Black Bird.
"Yes. I've finished talking with the captain of the trading ship. Since the immigration inspection isn't strict, he said he could take about thirty people under false identities as long as we prepare the bribes for the officials."
"Thirty, huh. That's fewer than expected, so let's take only the elite."
"Understood."
Without another word, the man turned his head and looked at the shore.
Perhaps because the weather was clear today, warm sunlight illuminated the entire sea brilliantly.
The man, who had been admiring the various ships anchored on the sea, spoke.
'Do you think Lieutenant Colonel Daniel has arrived in Bellanos by now?'
Hamtal shook his head at the question.
"He departed last night, so he should have entered Bellanos territorial waters by now. Considering the distance from Lost Bellemont to Bellanos is short, he will arrive soon."
"I see. But nothing will go wrong until he arrives, will it?"
Perhaps unable to give a definite answer this time, Hamtal remained silent.
'Something felt uneasy.......'
Having heard that Daniel was being dispatched to Bellanos as a diplomatic envoy, Hamtal had arrived a few days earlier and was now assessing the situation.
It was because he worried there might be a group seeking to assassinate Daniel once he left the capital.
Fortunately, there were no signs of an assassination attempt on Daniel here, but after checking the ship Daniel was scheduled to board, Hamtal was overcome with an inexplicable sense of unease.
'There was definitely no escort.'
Bellanos was close, so it was customary not to attach an escort when sending a diplomatic vessel, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was too lax for the Empire's hero to be aboard.
'As if inviting an attack.......'
Hamtal shook his head as he continued his thoughts.
Even he thought it was a severe logical leap.
But that didn't dilute the anxiety that had taken root in his heart.
'If it were up to me, I would want to guard Lieutenant Colonel Daniel personally, but.......'
A diplomatic vessel was set up so that only government personnel or those invited by the government could board it.
If there had been a little more time to prepare, he would have disguised his identity and boarded, but he had only learned a few days before that Daniel had been appointed diplomatic envoy, so Hamtal had no choice but to step back.
'Still.......'
It was fortunate, at least, that he was able to make a deal with the captain of a trading ship heading to Bellanos, even if belatedly.
The trading ship was departing today, so they would be able to catch up with Daniel Steiner relatively quickly.
Then they would just have to escort Daniel Steiner as they had done in the southern part of the Empire.
'So please.......'
Hamtal hoped that nothing would go wrong with the diplomatic vessel Daniel had boarded.
*
Meanwhile, Daniel was on the deck, holding the railing and savoring the sea breeze.
Feeling the cool, salty wind brush past his face naturally brought a smile to his lips.
He was in such a good mood that he wanted to greet the dolphins swimming alongside the ship.
'The weather was nice. The wind was nice. No adjutant. Everything was perfect today.'
To think that simply not having an adjutant who was after his life could give him such great psychological stability.
Moreover, there was no Selvia with her inscrutable intentions and no emperor keeping him in check here.
There weren't even the noisy nobles or the perpetually dissatisfied politicians.
From Daniel's perspective, it was nothing short of paradise on earth.
'I didn't know how long I would be staying in Bellanos, but I intended to enjoy the peace to my heart's content while I was there.'
Although he had been dispatched as a diplomatic envoy, work usually didn't start on the day of arrival.
After the official welcome, the Bellanos government would give one or two days to recover from the journey, so he could do plenty of sightseeing.
'First, maybe I would visit a famous dessert shop? I had heard Bellanos was famous for trifle.'
Trifle, made by layering custard and fruit and finishing with cream, was one of the desserts Daniel had personally wanted to try.
'There were shops in the Empire that imitated trifle, but the authentic taste would be different.'
Daniel, who was savoring the sea view and licking his lips, suddenly froze.
Because he saw something rising close to the surface in an area a short distance from the ship.
At first, he wondered if it was a whale, but whales didn't stay so still.
Sensing something odd, Daniel carefully examined the shadow below the surface and broke out in a cold sweat.
'No way.......'
Because he had started to think that it might be an enemy submarine.
'If my speculation wasn't just a delusion.......'
A submarine floating near the surface was equivalent to preparing to fire torpedoes.
Because the torpedo launch systems of this era had technical limitations, you could only attack an enemy ship after rising close to the surface.
'But.......'
Attack a diplomatic vessel heading to a neutral country? Daniel, frozen by the sheer absurdity, let go of the railing and hurriedly turned back.
Because if that was a submarine, he had to inform the captain.
As Daniel hurried toward the captain's quarters, he suddenly heard a dull 'Kung!' sound.
Immediately after, the ship shook, and Daniel's body swayed.
The moment his suspicion became certainty, a loud alarm began blaring inside the ship.
Wiiiiiiing─
As the emergency siren began to sound, the people who had been enjoying the sea on the deck screamed in panic.
Some were so terrified they didn't know what to do.
Daniel, letting out a groan, approached them first.
"It's an enemy attack! But please, calm down first! Children and women, hold onto the railing and hold on as long as you can! Men, follow me to the life jackets and lifeboats......."
Before he could finish speaking, another torpedo struck the ship.
Kwang!
An explosion incomparable to the previous one erupted, and flames shot up.
Amid the violent shaking of the ship, Daniel lost his balance and fell backward.
In the blink of an eye, Daniel was flung over the railing and stared blankly, mouth agape.
'Ah.'
What Daniel saw as he fell into the sea was the ship slowly tilting amidst the flames.
The next moment.
Pungdeong!
Daniel's body was swept away by the ocean current.
*
A few hours later.
On a deserted shore, waves washed ashore and gently broke.
Daniel, who had been lying at the boundary of sand and the repeating tide, slowly opened his eyes.
Regaining consciousness, Daniel vomited seawater before he could even focus his eyes.
Struggling to lift his upper body with one arm, Daniel hung his head over the white sand and repeatedly coughed and retched.
After emptying his stomach over several minutes, Daniel looked around once with a dazed expression.
Other than machine parts and metal fragments washed ashore, there was no one else.
Holding his throbbing head, Daniel lifted his gaze and looked a little farther this time.
He saw an abandoned fishing boat and a hut.
When he broadened his view a bit more, a landscape of buildings smaller than a fingernail, clustered tightly together in the distance, spread out before him.
'......It wasn't an uninhabited island.'
It seemed he had been carried by the waves and arrived in Bellanos.
Relieved by that fact, Daniel suddenly clenched his fist.
'You crazy son of a bitch......! You attacked a diplomatic vessel just to get me?'
In Daniel's mind, the one who had orchestrated this was clearly Count Kaledra.
Because he was infamous for using any means necessary to achieve his goals.
Considering there had even been an assassination attempt on Lucy recently, it was easy to deduce that this incident was also Kaledra's doing.
Daniel, clenching his teeth in fury, forced himself to stand up.
'I would make you regret not killing me. You would not get a second chance.'
Narrowing his eyes sharply, Daniel raised a hand and pushed his hair back.
After that, Daniel took off his officer's coat, which had become soaked and heavy, and trudged forward.
Since he knew this was Bellanos, his purpose and direction were clear.
'I would go to the city hall in a nearby town, reveal that I was a diplomatic envoy, and borrow their communications. The Empire probably didn't know I was alive right now, so I had to inform them directly. That would make it easier to request support.......'
A crack appeared in Daniel's scowling expression.
'......The Empire didn't know I was alive?'
Logically speaking, it would not be easy to conclude that there was a survivor from a ship that had been hit by two torpedoes and sunk.
His thoughts reaching that point, Daniel stopped walking across the sandy beach.
Standing still in place, Daniel's face momentarily went blank.
Sswaaa─
On the white sandy beach where the cool sound of waves could be heard, Daniel felt his heart pounding with a subtle realization.
'Wait. This.......'
Had he just succeeded in escaping the Empire?