Chapter 91 - Sometimes, Surrender Brings Peace
『 TL – Divinity 』
『 PR – Vein 』
The main hall of the Imperial Palace was bustling from early morning.
Princess Sylvia had summoned the Foreign Ministry officials and key members of the General Staff Headquarters to receive a report on the search operation.
Since Sylvia hadn't arrived at the hall yet, they were chatting in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere.
"Did you hear? There was a protest at Dawn Square yesterday."
"The one demanding a strong condemnation of the Allied Nations for attacking the diplomatic vessel carrying the Empire's hero? I heard it was a large-scale protest."
"It's a biased perspective, but it's true that the Allied Nations are suspicious..."
The Foreign Ministry officials stopped talking mid-sentence.
The doors to the main hall were swinging open.
"Her Highness the Princess is entering!"
Following the announcement from the Imperial Guard, Sylvia walked into the hall.
The red cape, symbolizing the heir to the throne, fluttered with each step she took.
She walked to the head of the table and sat down, then parted her lips slightly.
"Let the meeting commence. Everyone, be seated."
With her permission, the Foreign Ministry officials and the General Staff Headquarters personnel took their seats.
After confirming that everyone was seated, Sylvia turned her gaze to Jobenth, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"Foreign Minister, please begin your report."
Jobenth nodded.
"Your Highness, the latest news is that the Bellanos government has sent a telegram informing us that they have found the culprit who opened their territorial waters to the terrorists."
"They found him?"
"Yes. They say the culprit was Colonel Edvol, commander of the 12th Naval District Defense. He claims to have been bribed by the Allied Nations, but there's one troublesome aspect..."
Jobenth paused for a moment, then continued,
"There's no evidence that he received a bribe from the Allied Nations. There are no communication records, and his bank account is clean, so we can't trace anything at this point."
"A planned crime, then. What was the response from the Allied Nations?"
"They remained silent, but recently, the King of Edria, a permanent member of the Security Council, expressed his regret at a public event. He said that the terrorist attack on a civilian vessel deserves condemnation."
Sylvia's eyes narrowed at the report.
'The King of Edria is just a puppet of Count Caledra.'
Therefore, it was safe to assume that Caledra was using the King to say what he wanted to say.
'Expressing regret?'
It seemed like he was trying to wash his hands of the after cutting off the tail.
Although Sylvia was furious at the disgusting behavior of the Allied Nations, she couldn't officially condemn them without concrete evidence.
"What about the submarine? Did you find its whereabouts?"
Sylvia asked with a glimmer of hope, but Jobenth only shook his head.
"The intelligence agency is doing its best, but its whereabouts are unknown. It wasn't a submarine that departed from the Allied Nations, so it's difficult to track, and it seems they cut off communication to avoid being intercepted."
Sylvia's head throbbed at their meticulousness.
She let out a short sigh, acknowledging that there was nothing she could do.
"Tell them to continue investigating until they find a clue. Then..."
Sylvia looked at Cedric, the Deputy Chief of Operations, who was attending in place of the Chief of Staff, and continued,
"I'd like to hear the report from the General Staff Headquarters."
She was asking if they had found Daniel.
Cedric bowed his head respectfully and said,
"According to the report, they found a man who looks identical to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner."
"Really?"
"Yes. However, the man denied being Daniel Steiner. There are various opinions about the reason, but..."
His eyes blinked.
"Assuming that the man is indeed Daniel Steiner, it seems to stem from his distrust of the junior officer. He must have considered the possibility that the junior officer might be a spy or an enemy disguised as an Imperial soldier."
"Indeed..."
He must be paranoid, being alone in a foreign country.
Sylvia, feeling sorry for Daniel, sighed.
Cedric, observing her, said,
"If he doesn't trust the junior officer, then it would be best to send someone with a reliable identity to confirm. Coincidentally, Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, who commands the Magic Mobile Brigade, is also in Bellanos conducting a search operation, so why don't we send him? They know each other, so they'll be able to recognize each other."
It wasn't a bad suggestion, so Sylvia nodded.
"Do that. But what do you mean by 'various opinions' about Daniel Steiner hiding his identity?"
"Ah, it's unlikely, but there was a brief discussion within the General Staff Headquarters about the possibility that Daniel Steiner might be suffering from amnesia due to the aftereffects of the incident."
"Amnesia?"
Sylvia blinked her eyes blankly, then chuckled.
'If he had amnesia, he wouldn't have changed his clothes and hidden his uniform right after being stranded.'
It wasn't something someone who didn't know who they were would do.
'But what if, by any chance, he really does have amnesia...?'
Sylvia bit her lip, considering the worst-case scenario.
'It can't be helped. I'll have to take care of him for the rest of his life...'
It wouldn't be impossible, under the pretense of treating a war hero.
Sylvia cleared her throat and looked at Cedric with a playful smile.
"Just in case, tell Daniel Steiner what I'm about to say."
═ ⋆★⋆ ═
Meanwhile, Daniel was in his hotel room, preparing for his demise.
He had accepted that he couldn't escape from the troops conducting the large-scale search operation.
'By now, they must have blocked off all the exits and are checking everyone's identity...'
The option of escape was practically gone.
'But shouldn't I at least try?'
A spark of optimistic hope flickered within him, but his rationality quickly extinguished it.
If he was caught trying to escape, he would be labeled a traitor to the Empire without a chance to explain himself.
The punishment for treason was death.
He couldn't gamble his life on the insane idea of breaking through a fleet-scale encirclement, especially when the chances of escape were so low.
Just as he was sighing with despair, he heard a knock on the door.
"...Who is it?"
The door swung open without him even giving permission.
Daniel flinched in surprise.
Standing in the doorway was Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, the commander of the Magic Mobile Brigade.
He was one of the key figures in the Nordia invasion operation.
Daniel had proposed the strategy, and Heinrich had executed it.
'They even sent the Empire's elite Magic Mobile Brigade for the search operation?'
It was so absurd that he couldn't even laugh.
As Daniel stood frozen in shock, Heinrich entered the room.
"Daniel Steiner, seeing your face, it's definitely you. But why did you lie to the officer who came yesterday and say you weren't him?"
Daniel didn't answer.
More precisely, he was racking his brain for an excuse.
Heinrich, finding this strange, frowned.
"Are you truly suffering from amnesia? There were talks within the headquarters that you might have amnesia. I didn't believe it, but..."
At the mention of amnesia, hope flickered within Daniel again.
'This could be an opportunity.'
The position of Operations Staff Officer at the General Staff Headquarters required a high level of competence.
Therefore, they wouldn't keep an officer with amnesia in that position.
'I'll surely be dismissed.'
And it wouldn't end with just being dismissed from the General Staff Headquarters.
Due to the Empire's policy of not employing incompetent individuals, he might be deemed unfit for duty and discharged.
'Alright.'
This was the moment Daniel decided to feign amnesia.
"Daniel Steiner, even if you have amnesia, don't worry. Her Highness declared that a war hero deserves proper treatment. She ordered us to bring you to the Imperial Palace if you have amnesia."
What was that supposed to mean? As Daniel looked at him with confusion, Heinrich smiled.
"Her Highness said she would keep you by her side 'for life.' Isn't that a great honor?"
Daniel's eyes widened in surprise, and he screamed inwardly.
'No...!'
He had to prevent this somehow. Daniel feigned composure and chuckled softly.
Although he was burning up inside, he stood up as naturally as possible.
"It seems it's time for me to reveal my identity."
Taking a deep breath, Daniel looked at Heinrich and said clearly,
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff Officer of the General Staff Headquarters, currently on a diplomatic mission in Bellanos under the orders of Her Highness, reporting for duty, sir."
Daniel gave Heinrich a sharp look and a proper salute.
Heinrich, inwardly impressed, returned the salute.
"Indeed. It's true that you were here, hiding your identity and operating in secret. Could you tell me what kind of plan you were devising for the Empire?"
There was no plan for the Empire.
Quite the opposite, actually.
He was simply gathering funds to escape the Empire.
But if he told the truth, he might be executed.
Daniel thought quickly and slowly started walking.
"I'd love to tell you, but..."
He walked towards the window and looked out at the distant sea.
"The information I've gathered here isn't something I can easily divulge."
It meant that the information was classified.
In other words, Daniel Steiner had gathered such information while stranded.
'An ordinary person would be preoccupied with their own safety...'
Heinrich, watching Daniel's back, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
'I shouldn't underestimate him because of his age. He truly is a genius strategist.'
To be honest, he felt respect towards Daniel.