I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Beads of cold sweat formed on Daniel’s brow as he looked at Bertram.

It was evident that Bertram harbored strong suspicions about him.

Yet from Daniel’s perspective, completely oblivious to the situation, it was nothing but vexation.

How could he extract himself from this preposterous predicament?

After a brief moment of mental calculation, Daniel hastily knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty! Your humble servant cannot fathom your intent behind these words…!”

His counterpart was the Emperor who ruled the Empire with absolute authority.

It was said that casually deciding to take a single life was as simple as drinking cold soup for him.

If Daniel adamantly feigned ignorance, his life could be in jeopardy.

“Of course, under these circumstances, I understand your suspicions about me. If I were in Your Majesty’s position, I would suspect myself as well. However, I have no secret organization under my command.”

At Daniel’s excuse, Bertram let out a low chuckle.

With a gesture from Bertram, the attendant who had been standing nearby approached with ammunition.

After receiving the ammunition, Bertram leisurely reloaded the shotgun, one shell at a time.

“You say you have no secret organization.”

Having loaded all the shells, Bertram raised the barrel to complete the reloading process.

“How peculiar. Then what were those armed groups that intervened before you apprehended Dawn’s Radiance? From what the victims testified, they seemed well-trained.”
“Your Majesty. Though I speak with utmost reverence, I truly have no knowledge of that matter.”
“You claim ignorance. Then are you implying that I have fallen into paranoid delusions and am spouting nonsense?”

Although Bertram spoke in a casual tone, the underlying intent was utterly ruthless.

As a result, Daniel shuddered and lowered his head deeply.

“You misunderstand! How could I ever say such a thing to Your Majesty? I merely state my ignorance on matters unknown to me. If by chance…”

Swallowing hard, Daniel continued.

“If Your Majesty deems that I command a secret organization or private army, even if it is not the truth, I shall humbly accept it.”
“Humbly accept? In what manner?”
“If you simply order me to leave the military, I shall remove my uniform and return to being an ordinary civilian. Furthermore, I shall not involve myself in any political affairs within the Empire.”

While Daniel had spoken sincerely, to Bertram, it sounded like a form of coercion.

Without any evidence, it was as if Daniel, a war hero of the Empire, was pressuring him: ‘Consider whether persecuting and slandering me will benefit you.’

Although the Emperor may appear to stand above law and order at a glance, there is no one who must adhere to law and order more strictly than the Emperor himself.

If the Emperor defies the law, the law’s credibility diminishes, and with diminished credibility, senior officials are bound to follow the Emperor’s lead in exploiting legal loopholes.

This would inevitably spread as a bad practice and transform into a national malady.

‘Hence…’

Daniel was essentially asking the Emperor, ‘Will you undermine the solemn laws of the Empire established by past rulers with your own hands?’

‘I knew this cunning bastard was no ordinary man, but not to this extent.’

Although Bertram had anticipated Daniel’s shrewdness, he did not expect it to be so pronounced.

After a momentary silence, as if needing time to ponder, Bertram looked down at Daniel.

“Daniel Steiner. Raise your head.”

As Daniel lifted his head, Bertram spoke again.

“Can you swear that your current words contain not a shred of falsehood?”
“Yes, I can.”

The response was immediate.

“Under the heavens where God watches over us, I truthfully declare to Your Imperial Majesty that I have neither a secret organization nor a private army under my command.”

After scrutinizing Daniel’s face intently, Bertram nodded as if he had no choice.

“If that is what you say, I shall not press further. You may rise.”

As Daniel nodded and rose to his feet, Bertram withdrew his hand and snapped his fingers.

It was a gesture to release the clay pigeons.

Simultaneously, Bertram tossed the loaded double-barreled shotgun towards Daniel.

As Daniel caught the shotgun with a startled expression, Bertram spoke.

“Shoot.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of release echoed, and two clay pigeons simultaneously soared into the air.

Almost instinctively assuming a firing stance, Daniel could see the clay pigeons high in the sky.

However, instead of shooting immediately, he calculated their trajectories.

Just before the two clay pigeons, traveling at different velocities, converged, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Bang!

With a explosive burst, the scattered shots simultaneously shattered both clay pigeons.

Marveling at the sight, Bertram let out an exclamation of admiration.

Equally astonished at his own success, Daniel blinked dazedly before lowering the shotgun.

Observing the shattered clay pigeon fragments raining down, Bertram turned towards Daniel.

“Remarkable marksmanship. Will you simply attribute it to mere luck as well?”
“Your Majesty, I was merely…”
“Enough. I have no desire to argue. You appear fatigued, so you should return for now. I shall apologize for inconveniencing you with this frivolous game.”

The attendant who had been listening nearby approached Daniel with outstretched hands.

After Daniel handed over the shotgun, the attendant stepped back.

Momentarily hesitating, unsure if he was truly being dismissed, Daniel bowed deeply towards Bertram when the latter waved his hand.

“It was an honor to be in your presence, Your Imperial Majesty.”

With those words, Daniel turned and slowly walked away.

As Bertram silently observed Daniel’s departing figure, the space beside him distorted.

The distorted space soon took on a human form and began to acquire a distinct color.

As the optical camouflage fully dissipated, the Imperial Guard Captain Johannes revealed himself.

Without looking at Johannes, Bertram spoke.

“He is even more cunning than I had anticipated. Although I expected it, he did not even bat an eye at the mention of a commendation.”

Once Daniel was out of sight, Johannes turned his gaze towards Bertram.

“Your Imperial Majesty. If Daniel had been blinded by the prospect of a commendation and disclosed his secret organization, what did you intend to do?”
“If he had confessed, I would have convened a military tribunal and sentenced him to death.”

According to Imperial law, the ringleader could face the maximum penalty of execution if an individual soldier maintained personal troops or formed a private army.

If Daniel had confessed, his admission would have served as valid evidence, allowing Bertram to sentence him to death without issue.

Of course, in doing so, public opinion towards the Emperor who executed a war hero would rapidly deteriorate, but Bertram had factored that into his calculations as well.

“I would have imposed the death sentence but not carried it out. My daughter would have strongly opposed it, undoubtedly. Thus, I would have remained an Emperor unable to carry out the sentence due to Selvia.”
“Surely not…”
“When the time comes, I shall pass the Imperial throne to my daughter. Then, the first thing Selvia would do is pardon and release Daniel. In that case, what do you think Daniel’s reaction would be?”

After contemplating deeply, Johannes nodded as if he understood.

“He would feel indebted to Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness could easily win Daniel Steiner’s heart.”
“Additionally, using his crime of operating a secret organization as leverage, I could have placed a leash around his neck. A leash to rein him in whenever he bared his fangs.”

Emperor Bertram had orchestrated everything to enable his daughter, Selvia, to tame Daniel Steiner.

However, Daniel did not fall into the trap Bertram had prepared.

It was as if he had known about it all from the very beginning.

“Captain of the Imperial Guards, did you see Daniel Steiner’s trap shooting?”
“Yes, I witnessed it.”

A faint smile graced Bertram’s lips.

“He was not new to trap shooting. Judging by his stable stance and instantaneous calculation of the clay pigeons’ trajectories, he must have enjoyed this game numerous times before.”
“But why did he lie about having never tried it…”
“From the moment he was summoned by the Lord Chamberlain, he must have known this was not a place for mere camaraderie. Realizing it was a place for interrogation, he likely wished to leave quickly.”

Daniel had probably intended to dampen Bertram’s interest by feigning ineptitude at trap shooting.

However, when the shotgun was abruptly thrust into his hands, Daniel instinctively assumed a firing stance in his momentary bewilderment.

Upon witnessing that, Bertram could be certain.

“From beginning to end, Daniel Steiner’s words were nothing but lies. Yet we cannot claim those lies were lies, for he has erased all evidence.”

If the Imperial Intelligence Agency could not uncover any traces, then no one else could.

This realization etched deeper wrinkles onto Bertram’s face.

“He is truly a meticulous and calculated individual. Deceiving everyone, cloaked in falsehoods, yet without a single gap. Even I, the Emperor, cannot easily contend with such a man.”

Had Bertram possessed the physical strength and time, he would have welcomed the emergence of someone like Daniel.

For if he could gain Daniel’s allegiance, they might have conquered the world together.

‘However…’

Bertram was old and ill, while his successor, Selvia, was young and lacking in experience.

‘The current Selvia will never be able to tame the wolf that is Daniel Steiner.’

Bertram could not even begin to fathom the repercussions this might have on the Empire.

‘For now, all I can do is hope that the loyalty Daniel has shown Selvia is not a lie…’

With a worried gaze, Bertram turned to observe the spot where Daniel had departed.

Taking a deep breath, Bertram looked up at the clear blue sky.

“Captain of the Imperial Guards. I wonder if the season Daniel Steiner will bring to the Empire will be spring.”

Understanding Bertram’s meaning, Johannes bowed deeply.

“I shall do my utmost to ensure he does not usher in winter for the Empire.”

With a low chuckle, Bertram nodded quietly.

He could only hope that his loyal hound, Johannes, would curb the wolf’s rampage.