I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Daniel Steiner had a blast playing with the kids all day long, but as evening approached, he decided it was time to leave the monastery.

During this process, Hieroni, the Monastery Head, and the kids tried to persuade him to stay and sleep over, but Daniel firmly declined.

He had made separate lodging arrangements and had places to visit today, and that was his reason for leaving.

Hieroni had a pretty good guess as to where he was headed, so he stopped insisting.

Thus, Daniel, upon leaving the monastery, arrived at ‘Jack’s Restaurant.’

Situated in the town’s center, Jack’s Restaurant looked shabby from the outside, but once you peek inside, it was a bustling eatery packed with customers.

‘What a nostalgic place. I can really feel that I’m back in my hometown.’

When he was younger, Daniel had relied on Jack’s Restaurant more than a few times.

During his tumultuous teenage years, when he detested the stifling life at the monastery and ran away, it was always Jack, the owner of the restaurant, who welcomed him with a smile.

Lost in memories, Daniel stared at the worn-out, shabby wooden sign for a while before he moved on.

As he entered the restaurant, he saw the employees bustling around, serving food.

“Yes! Coming right up!”

“Sausage and pretzel? Got it! Just a moment, please!”

“Here are the fried potatoes and a beer!”

It was still a lively place, even after his long absence.

Trying not to interrupt the employees, Daniel quietly walked over and sat at an empty table.

He took off his officer cap and placed it on the table when one of the employees approached him with an order pad.

“Hello! Welcome to Jack’s Restaurant! It’s been a long time since an officer has visited us…”

As the employee usually did while serving, she stopped and stared, gaping at Daniel’s face.

Blinking several times in disbelief, the employee suddenly raised her voice.

“Brother! Is that really you!? No way! I must be dreaming!”

This freckled employee was named Nemelim.

She was also a younger sister with whom he had spent quite a while at the monastery.

Daniel smiled as he opened his mouth in response to Nemelim’s excitement.

“It’s been a while. I came to visit since I heard you had moved out of the monastery, and it seems I don’t have to worry about you anymore. You’ve matured so much in these two years.”

Feeling delighted, Nemelim burst out laughing.

“You too! You’ve become sharper and a bit more decadent, huh? Ah! I mean that in a good way! Anyway, it’s so great to see you again. I wish Uncle Jack was here too.”

“Is he not around?”

“No, he left early. Lately, they’ve been getting along so well—said they’re going to have a fourth child or something.”

“A fourth child? At his age?”

Daniel was taken aback and questioned her, causing Nemelim to cover her mouth and giggle.

“Age doesn’t matter in love, right? I think that’s kind of romantic!”

“Well, I can’t really argue with that…”

“Right? And also… Oh my, what am I doing? I must be starving; let’s fill our bellies first! What do you want to order? No, let me guess!”

Rubbing her chin as she pondered, Nemelim snapped her fingers.

“Sausage with beer! Am I right? Remember when you stole sausages from Uncle Jack? You even asked for a sip of beer out of curiosity while watching the adults!”

“How long ago was that for you to still bring it up?”

“Hahaha! Knowing you’re embarrassed proves you’re still my brother. So, shall I bring you the sausage and beer?”

Nodding, Daniel received her instruction to wait a moment as she walked to the kitchen.

As he quietly chuckled at the energy of this lively girl, he suddenly noticed something.

‘…Hmm?’

A middle-aged man in a dark brown coat was approaching.

At first, Daniel thought he was looking for an empty table, but that wasn’t it.

The man kept walking towards him while staring directly at Daniel.

Eventually, the man sat down opposite him.

Thanks to this, Daniel couldn’t help but feel flustered.

‘What is this?’

His confusion deepened as the man sat directly across without asking if he could join him.

Just when Daniel was about to question his intentions, the man glanced around as if checking for anyone and then spoke up.

“Captain Daniel Steiner. This seat feels too uncomfortable, so I’ll get straight to the point. What was your intention in delivering those words to us today at the monastery?”

The man was Morten Blackmore, the leader of the secret organization ‘Dawn of the New Era’ under the Prince’s command.

Of course, Daniel had no way of knowing that.

‘Today at the monastery? If it’s someone I spoke to there…’

Excluding Hieroni and the kids, there was only one member from the city council who was present.

‘Is he from the city council? Did he take offense to whatever was said about the monastery?’

Considering how flustered Hieroni was, they must have discussed budget-related matters regarding donations.

‘He probably thinks I’m pressuring the city council.’

The misunderstanding was absurd, and Daniel chuckled softly.

“It seems there was some miscommunication. I only wished for cooperation. There was no other intention.”

Morten’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of cooperation.

While the term cooperation was used, it essentially meant, ‘Betray the Prince and come under my command.’

“Is that so? Do you really think that’s a possibility?”

“Oh dear, you’re overreacting. It’s not impossible.”

Morten clenched his teeth in anger.

‘This jerk is mocking us.’

He had thought they could at least have a conversation, but Daniel was even more arrogant and self-righteous than he had anticipated.

Realizing what kind of person Daniel was, Morten abruptly stood up.

“It was a waste of time. Prepare for war. No matter how strong you think you are, we will not back down.”

Seeing Morten growl, Daniel couldn’t help but smirk.

From Daniel’s perspective, Morten’s words were overly dramatic.

“War? Can this even be called a war?”

Politicians have a habit of over-dramatizing even the simplest matters.

It’s absurd to call a mere budget discussion a ‘war.’

Waving his hands dismissively and chuckling, Daniel leaned back in his chair.

“If you think of it as a bad joke, I can understand…”

As a result, Morten was left sweating.

He couldn’t fathom why Daniel treated a declaration of war as a simple joke.

For a while, Daniel contained his laughter and slowly raised his head.

“I apologize, but this is not war.”

Looking up at Morten, Daniel whispered.

“It’s merely a simple adjustment of opinions.”

Morten involuntarily drew a sharp breath.

That snake-like voice seemed to attack his mind as a form of intimidation.

Those black eyes, which seemed to see through everything, looked as deep as an abyss.

Feeling a fear that he might be devoured if he stayed here a moment longer, Morten took a deep breath and forced himself to step past Daniel.

“Whatever your reasoning was for treating me with such disrespect, I don’t quite understand.”

From behind, Daniel’s voice sent a chill down his spine.

“I sincerely hope you make the right choice.”

Morten didn’t have the courage to look back.

As he tried to suppress his uneasy feelings, he gritted his teeth and made his way out of the restaurant.

*

At the same time, in the basement of the Dawn of the New Era headquarters.

─ There are suspicious movements approaching in droves! Damn it! What are those bastards!?

The voice coming from the radio made the informants who had been managing the telex stop in their tracks.

─ They’re all covering their faces, so it’s hard to identify. Just a moment, wait… What the hell! It’s guns! They’re armed forces! Those bastards! I told you not to be caught off-guard!

Amid the series of urgent transmissions, everyone was confused, wondering what was happening, but Mabel, who had disguised himself as a wealthy citizen to monitor Daniel yesterday, was holding his head in despair.

“Daniel Steiner…! Those must be the ones he sent to wipe us out!”

Despite Mabel’s cries, the informants merely looked around at each other, confused and unaware of the situation.

Then it happened.

Bang—

As gunfire erupted from above, the informants drew their guns and started burning documents.

“Shit! They’ve discovered us! Incinerate everything!”

“Get the guns! We need to guard the entrance!”

They moved swiftly as trained personnel, but Mabel crawled under a desk, shaking his head.

“This is wrong. You idiots…”

Those are the armed forces of Daniel Steiner.

There’s simply no way to combat them through conventional means.

While Mabel trembled in fear, several more gunshots rang out from above.

Then the steel door leading to the basement slammed open with a bang!

Following the deafening sound, everyone held their breath and stared at the entrance.

A heavy atmosphere filled with tension fell upon them.

“When will the Chief of Staff return?”

“Who’s going to give us orders…”

As they exchanged anxious glances, Mabel squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“You idiots! Don’t you see!? Daniel Steiner planned this all along! He wants to draw the Chief of Staff out and disrupt our command to wipe us out in one blow!”

Unaware of this, Morten had willingly stepped into the crocodile’s jaws by going to meet Daniel.

As everything finally became clear, Mabel let out a low sob when three grenades were thrown into the basement one after another.

Startled, the informants hid behind desks, but the grenades didn’t explode.

Pssh—

All they heard was the sound of gas escaping.

But even though they could hear it, they couldn’t see any smoke spreading.

As one of the informants stood there, stunned, he suddenly coughed and then collapsed to the floor.

Seeing this, Mabel muttered to himself.

“Colorless with an almond aroma… Shit! It’s sleeping gas! Don’t breathe it in… cough!”

With one hand on the ground, Mabel covered his mouth and nose with the other, crawling across the floor.

He thought he had to escape through the emergency exit.

However, the next moment.

Tap tap tap tap—

The sound of heavy boots started echoing, and armed forces stormed through the entrance.

Wearing gas masks, they hastily secured the vicinity and began striking the heads of those who still had consciousness with the stocks of their weapons.

The black man leading them coolly issued commands.

“Knock them all out and bind them. Those who resist can be killed without hesitation.”

His vision started to blur.

As Mabel was coughing and drooling, he soon fell to the ground.

“All of this is…”

The voice from inside the gas mask reverberated thickly.

Amidst his fading consciousness, Mabel saw the black man advancing toward him, raising the stock of his gun.

“…For Daniel Steiner.”

The next moment, with a thud, Mabel’s consciousness faded to black.