Chapter 93 - The Meeting with the Prime Minister
『 TL – Divinity 』
『 PR – Vein 』
After revealing his identity, Daniel was escorted to the embassy under the strict protection of the Magic Mobile Brigade.
It was a silent pressure, telling him to return to his original duties now that his safety was secured.
Entering the embassy, which felt like a prison, Daniel reluctantly prepared for his meeting with the Prime Minister of Bellanos.
He had been working for three days with the Deputy Chief of Mission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, drafting a proposal for Bellanos, when,
Knock, knock—
The sound of knocking echoed through the silent office, interrupting the rustling of papers.
Daniel looked up and glanced around.
"...Deputy Chief of Mission, did we have any guests scheduled for this hour?"
The Deputy Chief of Mission, taking off his glasses, shook his head with a flustered expression.
"I haven't heard of any."
"Then who could it be...?"
Just as he was about to guess who the visitor might be, another knock came.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel? It's me!"
Judging from the voice, it was Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann, the chief bodyguard of the Imperial Guard.
Relieved, Daniel said towards the door,
"Come in."
Hartmann, with permission granted, opened the door and entered the office.
He was holding a red scroll in his hand.
Seeing this, Daniel stood up, breaking out in a cold sweat.
'An imperial edict...!'
It was a scroll containing the Emperor's orders.
He had seen it before when he received the medal from Hartmann, so he was certain.
As Daniel stood up, the diplomats and the Deputy Chief of Mission in the embassy also rose to their feet.
"This..."
Hartmann, seeing them, raised his hand and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I didn't mean to cause a disturbance. I apologize. I should have contacted you beforehand."
"Not at all, sir. There's no need to be considerate of a mere staff officer like myself when it comes to His Majesty's orders."
Outwardly, he was the picture of a model soldier.
Hartmann, observing Daniel closely, nodded.
"Then let's get straight to the point. I shall deliver His Majesty's orders."
Daniel nodded and knelt on one knee in front of Hartmann.
The Deputy Chief of Mission and the diplomats also knelt to show their respect, and Hartmann untied the golden string that bound the imperial edict.
Clearing his throat, Hartmann unfolded the scroll and declared,
"Hear me, Daniel Steiner! As I understand it, you miraculously survived the sinking of the ship and regained consciousness on one of Bellanos' coasts. Then why didn't you report this to the esteemed Imperial family in a timely manner?"
Something felt strange.
As Daniel grew anxious, Hartmann continued,
"You claim to have hidden your identity out of fear of the enemy in Bellanos, but that's an absurd excuse. How could someone afraid of the enemy operate in secret and steal classified information? You know your actions are full of contradictions."
As expected, they were suspicious of him.
Realizing that the situation was getting serious, Daniel let out a low groan.
"Therefore, I intended to punish you and have you repatriated immediately, but my daughter, who is currently acting as regent, desperately pleaded for you, so I changed my mind."
Sylvia? Daniel was surprised.
"Daniel Steiner, if the classified information you obtained is truly valuable, I trust that you will achieve good results in this diplomatic meeting. If you do so, according to the Empire's fundamental principle of reward and punishment, I will reward you instead of punishing you."
In short, it was a veiled threat, telling him not to make any personal deals with the Prime Minister of Bellanos using the classified information and instead contribute to the Empire.
It wasn't a particularly disadvantageous condition for Daniel, who had no intention of making any personal deals.
'The problem is...'
...what if he failed to achieve results?
Considering the Emperor's personality, he was clearly wary of anyone who could potentially become a political enemy to him or his daughter.
'He must see me as a thorn in his side.'
Even though it wasn't intentional, Daniel had achieved a level of merit that was excessive for a mere officer.
The Emperor must think that he was a threat to the Imperial authority.
Therefore, if he failed to achieve results, the Emperor would surely use it as an excuse to harass him constantly.
'Do they think I'll just take it?'
There was a limit to suspicion and testing.
'Before, he suspected me of having a private army that didn't even exist...'
Thinking that it was going too far, Daniel made up his mind.
He had to successfully conclude this diplomatic meeting and avoid giving them any reason to find fault with him.
"...I understand what you mean, Your Majesty."
Since there were many people watching, Daniel bowed his head deeply.
"I will not bring dishonor to His Majesty."
Satisfied with his response, Hartmann closed the imperial edict.
"I'll convey your message to His Majesty. I wish you the best in your mission."
"Yes, sir. I'll do my best."
After hearing Daniel's reply, Hartmann turned and left.
Daniel slowly stood up.
The Deputy Chief of Mission also stood up and dusted off his trousers.
"It seems His Majesty is upset. But it's a relief that he's willing to make allowances..."
The Deputy Chief of Mission, walking towards Daniel, trailed off.
Daniel's eyes, fixed on Hartmann's retreating figure, were unsettling.
As the Deputy Chief of Mission remained silent, Daniel turned his gaze towards him.
"Deputy Chief of Mission, we need to drastically revise the proposal."
"Sir? I believe the current proposal is the most appropriate... Should we lower our demands?"
"No. Raise them."
The Deputy Chief of Mission flinched at the unexpected words.
He didn't think Bellanos would accept it.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up.
"Are you sure about this, sir?"
"We have to. I'll..."
Daniel exhaled softly and narrowed his eyes.
"I'll take responsibility."
═ ⋆★⋆ ═
The day of the meeting, reception room of the Prime Minister's official residence.
'The Prime Minister is right in front of me.'
Daniel, standing in front of the reception room door, adjusted his tie nervously.
His grip on his briefcase tightened.
'I've finished investigating the Prime Minister.'
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' information, although he wasn't politically astute, he was a warm and gentle person.
Considering his reputation for being kind to children, he would surely want to be a good father to his daughter as well.
In that sense, Daniel had a good card up his sleeve.
'I know about the illegitimate child the Prime Minister is hiding.'
However, he didn't want to use this to threaten the Prime Minister.
'But...'
Right now, the person Daniel needed to be wary of wasn't the Prime Minister, but the Emperor of the Empire.
If he failed to achieve results in this meeting, he would be in a difficult position.
If the meeting failed, the Emperor would use any excuse to put him on a leash.
Therefore, Daniel had to lead this meeting to success, no matter what.
And to do so, he needed to be a bit ruthless.
'I apologize. But this is the only way for me to survive.'
Daniel, inwardly apologizing to the Prime Minister, took a deep breath and opened the door.
There, he saw Lowell, the Prime Minister of Bellanos, sitting on the sofa, sipping whiskey.
Lowell, next to whom the aides in suits were standing at ease with holsters on their hips, had been watching Daniel closely.
'Drinking whiskey before the meeting even starts...'
It seemed like he was desperate to appear relaxed and in control.
Although it was probably a tactic to gain the upper hand in the conversation, to Daniel, it just seemed like a bluff by someone terrified.
As Daniel approached, Lowell put down his whiskey glass and stood up.
"Oh, welcome. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner. I heard you've been through a lot."
"Those terrorists caused quite a stir."
They exchanged a handshake with smiles on their faces.
However, neither of them was genuinely happy.
"It was clearly our mistake not to properly guard our territorial waters. I apologize. I have a few favorable proposals for the Empire regarding this matter..."
"That's appreciated, but we'd like to make our proposals first. It seems like it would be easier to reach an agreement that way."
"Well, suit yourself."
After the handshake, Daniel withdrew his hand and added,
"Ah, but before we officially begin the meeting, to ease the tension, may I tell you about something I experienced?"
"What kind of story?"
"About a lovely young lady I met while stranded."
At the word "lady," Lowell's expression faltered.
However, as if he had expected this, he quickly regained his composure.
"It seems like a personal story. For both of us. So it would be better to have the others leave, wouldn't it?"
"Of course."
Lowell nodded and gestured to his aides.
They bowed their heads to Lowell and left the reception room in an orderly fashion.
After confirming that there were no listeners, Lowell exhaled a shaky breath and glared at Daniel.
"Listen, I know what you're thinking. But this is a negotiation between the Empire and Bellanos. Don't bring personal matters into this. Do you understand?"
Daniel didn't answer and just smiled.
The empty silence made Lowell anxious.
Sometimes, silence was more powerful than any words, and Daniel was using that to his advantage.
As the silence continued, Lowell, unable to bear it any longer, finally decided to back down.
"Alright, let's do this. It would be better to discuss matters regarding my daughter separately after the meeting is over. That way, we can find a compromise, can't we?"
Daniel was still smiling.
Was his initial relaxed demeanor a facade after all?
Now that he knew the other party was desperate, there was no need for hesitation.
"It seems you're mistaken about something, Prime Minister. This is about the child of the leader of a nation. We can't ignore international relations."
"Daniel Steiner!"
Lowell, unable to contain his anger, shouted,
"Do you think you're so important just because you're a war hero?! You're just a staff officer, a mere ambassador! And the person in front of you is the Prime Minister of Bellanos! Do you think this is the place to act arrogantly!?"
Lowell was trying to intimidate Daniel, but he had chosen the wrong opponent.
Daniel simply smiled, as if he had heard a funny joke.
Then, he waved his hand dismissively.
"It seems you're misunderstanding something. An ambassador isn't a position to be belittled with the word 'mere.' An ambassador essentially represents the Empire when meeting with the leader of another nation."
Daniel stopped smiling and stared intently at Lowell.
A terrifying silence fell between them.
Lowell's eyes wavered under the pressure.
"Therefore, in this meeting..."
Daniel, after staring at him for a long moment, said with a serious expression,
"I am the Empire."