Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 66
My Growing Notoriety

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The next morning, after returning to my quarters and resting thanks to Hartmann’s consideration, I went to work at the General Staff Headquarters.

The clear sky without a single cloud and the cool breeze put me in a good mood, but it vanished as soon as I entered the headquarters building.

Everyone I encountered in the hallway treated me like a ghost.

Those of lower rank would stiffen and salute, and even the higher-ranking officers wouldn’t meet my eyes when I saluted them, quickly returning the salute and hurrying away.

Wondering why they were acting like this, I stopped by the break room for a cup of coffee and learned the reason.

The personnel officers were gathered there, talking about me.

“Did you hear? About Operations Staff Officer Daniel Steiner. I heard he went on vacation as a pretense to carry out a mission for Her Highness.”

“I heard he even visited Duke Belvar’s mansion? With Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann, the princess’s chief bodyguard.”

“He’s become a war hero, so now he’s entering politics. Anyway, let’s not get on Daniel Steiner’s bad side. We don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. And…”

The Lieutenant Colonel from the personnel planning department, who had been speaking, trailed off as he noticed me.

He froze in surprise, then gave me an awkward smile.

Then, he whispered something to his colleagues.

At the Lieutenant Colonel’s strange behavior, the officers who had been chatting glanced at me and coughed unnaturally.

The Major, the lowest-ranking among them, spoke to me.

“G-Good morning, Major Daniel.”

I took a sip of coffee and said,

“Yes, good morning. It’s a lovely day for gossiping, isn’t it?”

At my words, they all started to fidget, then dumped their coffee and hurriedly left the break room.

“Come to think of it, I have an urgent task to attend to…”

“Ah, I also have to meet with the department head, so I should get going.”

They each made an excuse and left the break room in a line.

Watching them, I sighed softly.

Judging from the strange rumors spreading through the General Staff Headquarters, it seemed that I had become known as a “close associate of Her Highness.”

But I couldn’t blame those who spread the rumors.

‘If I were them, I would think the same.’

Considering the circumstances, it would be strange not to think of me as the princess’s close associate.

However, it was a headache for me, who had no intention of being involved in any of this.

‘How did things turn out this way…’

I had simply gone to my hometown to enjoy my vacation, but after unintentionally capturing the prince’s secret organization there, things had spiraled out of control.

‘What would His Majesty think of me now…’

I had declared that “a soldier must maintain political neutrality” when I met with His Majesty, yet I was making undeniably political moves.

‘He surely won’t see me favorably.’

Even a child would know that it wasn’t good to earn the Emperor’s disapproval.

Although I was worried, it wasn’t a good habit to dwell on things that hadn’t happened yet.

I finished my coffee, crumpled the paper cup, and threw it in the nearby trash can.

Then, I left the break room with my briefcase and climbed the stairs to my private office.

Opening the door, I saw Lucy working as usual.

She looked up, sensing my presence, and immediately stood up to salute.

“Major, you’re here early today.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came in early. By the way, you don’t have to worry about the Security Bureau anymore.”

“…Did you resolve the issue?”

I nodded and was about to walk to my desk when I paused.

There was a box on my desk, carefully wrapped with a ribbon.

Feeling curious, I approached and tapped the box.

“What’s this? This is a very suspicious box.”

“It’s apple strudel. I thought you might like it, so I brought it.”

“Hmm? Did they sell this at the dessert shop? It’s a southern dish, so I don’t think it’s commonly found here.”

Lucy hesitated for a moment, then said,

“I made it myself.”

“…You made it?”

Lucy nodded with an impassive expression.

I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

‘Is this an assassination attempt?’

I felt a chill for a moment, but then I regained my composure.

‘She wouldn’t try to kill me at the General Staff Headquarters… and especially not when we’re alone in my office.’

If she killed me here, it would be too easy to identify the culprit.

Lucy must also know this, so it was unlikely that this was poisoned food.

‘Then she made this dessert for me out of pure goodwill?’

Unable to understand her intentions, I stood there for a moment, then had a sudden realization.

‘Don’t tell me she thinks she owes me a favor for protecting her from the Security Bureau?’

Actually, I had only acted that way to save myself, but it seemed like she had gotten the wrong idea.

There was no need to explain myself, so I simply nodded and untied the ribbon on the box.

The box opened like a blooming flower, revealing a beautifully baked apple strudel.

“It looks delicious.”

I picked up the cutlery provided and cut a small piece of the apple strudel, putting it in my mouth.

After a few chews, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration,

“This is… amazing.”

The sweet and refreshing taste of apples was complemented by the warm and fragrant flavor of cinnamon.

Walnuts and almonds added a delightful crunch, and the subtle sweetness of sugar and raisins added another layer of complexity.

Moreover, the pastry was perfectly baked, giving it a wonderful savory flavor.

I had eaten apple strudel many times before, but this was the first time I had tasted something this delicious.

“You could open a bakery with this. Do you usually enjoy baking?”

I asked out of genuine curiosity, but Lucy blinked her eyes blankly, as if she hadn’t expected the compliment.

After a moment of silence, as if choosing her words carefully, she said,

“No, sir. I bought a cookbook yesterday and practiced…”

Lucy stopped mid-sentence.

She seemed embarrassed, as if she had almost said, “I practiced baking for you.”

After a moment of flustered silence, Lucy regained her composure and said,

“…It’s a token of gratitude for your concern for me yesterday.”

Saying that, she bowed her head slightly and sat down.

Then, she started working with her usual expressionless face, but her slightly reddened ears betrayed her emotions.

‘Moreover…’

Perhaps due to trial and error during her baking practice, there was a bandage on her left index finger.

‘She must have cut herself while slicing the apples.’

I wanted to praise her excessively for practicing baking and treating her superior to her creation.

She was truly an exemplary adjutant.

‘The problem is…’

…that this adjutant was trying to kill me.

It was highly likely that she made this to lower my guard.

Thinking about that made my throat tighten.

‘It seems like the rest of this…’

…should be disposed of when I get back to my quarters.

***

Meanwhile, in the audience chamber within the Imperial Palace.

“What… did you just say?”

Prince Arno’s eyes widened.

The news that Pelliston, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Agency, had brought was too absurd.

The prince wanted to deny reality, but Pelliston, sighing, repeated his words.

“…Duke Belvar has withdrawn from the succession struggle. He has confined himself to his mansion and refuses to meet with anyone.”

It was a bolt from the blue.

From Prince Arno’s perspective, with the Dawn of the New Day captured, he needed Belvar’s support to continue the succession struggle.

But for Belvar to suddenly withdraw his support was absurd.

“Why…?”

Arno murmured, and Pelliston answered,

“I don’t know the exact details, but it seems he changed his mind after meeting with Major Daniel Steiner.”

“…Daniel Steiner? That bastard again?”

Arno let out a hollow laugh, then suddenly shouted,

“Why is that bastard constantly interfering with my plans! Why!?”

From the initial assassination attempt in the north to now,

Daniel Steiner had been blocking his path and ruining all his plans.

Now, by taking away Belvar’s support, he had effectively destroyed Arno’s future.

His head throbbed.

And rage burned within him.

“Deputy Director! The fight isn’t over yet! Bring me information to arrest Daniel Steiner right now! Find evidence that he used private soldiers! For me…”

Arno’s voice gradually grew quieter.

The Deputy Director, who would normally have nodded with a determined expression, was awkwardly trying to gauge his mood.

Just as Arno was wondering why, the Deputy Director bowed his head apologetically.

“Your Highness, we’ve also conducted our own investigations, but we couldn’t find any evidence.”

“No evidence?”

“Yes. We launched a large-scale investigation, assuming that Daniel had established a private force, but we couldn’t find anything.”

Beads of sweat formed on the Deputy Director’s forehead.

“To eliminate the Dawn of the New Day in one fell swoop, it must be a large-scale organization. There should be a system for sending and receiving orders. But Daniel…”

The Deputy Director lowered his head even further.

“Major Daniel Steiner did not communicate with anyone in the organization during his entire stay in the south. We couldn’t find any trace of the organization that attacked the Dawn of the New Day either.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Your Highness, to be honest, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re chasing a ghost. We can’t figure out how Major Daniel Steiner is doing things.”

The Deputy Director’s voice was laced with fear.

Arno, who had been dumbfounded, slumped back in his chair.

“What…”

In short, Daniel Steiner was someone who carried out operations so meticulously that even the Deputy Director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency couldn’t find any trace of them.

The anger that had been boiling within him cooled down at this realization.

And the cooled anger transformed into an unknown fear.

“…Just who is this Daniel Steiner?”

The Deputy Director couldn’t readily answer the prince’s question.

He also couldn’t define Daniel Steiner.

‘He’s just… someone who will use any means necessary to achieve his goals…’

There was no other way to describe him than as a ghost-like being who left no trace.