I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Thanks to Colonel Hartmann’s consideration, I returned directly to my accommodation to rest and went to work at the General Staff Headquarters the next morning.

The clear weather with not a cloud in sight and the cool breeze lifted my spirits, but as soon as I stepped inside the headquarters, all that positivity vanished.

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

Those of lower rank were always rigid and saluted me, while my superiors avoided eye contact and hastily returned the salute even when I initiated it.

Wondering what on earth was going on, I stopped by the break room for some coffee and came to understand the situation.

The personnel officers were gathered and discussing me.

“Did you hear? Captain Daniel Steiner. He pretended to be on leave while carrying out a mission for Her Highness the Princess.”

“I heard he even visited Duke Belvar’s residence alongside Colonel Hartmann, who is in charge of the Princess’s security.”

“With him becoming a war hero, he must be thinking of entering politics now. Anyway, let’s not give him any trouble. We can’t afford to be caught in the crossfire. And…”

The Colonel from the personnel planning department froze up when he spotted me and abruptly lost his train of thought.

The Colonel, clearly surprised, suddenly gave me an awkward smile.

Then he whispered something to his colleagues.

Noticing the Colonel’s odd behavior, the officers engaged in conversation glanced my way and cleared their throats uncomfortably.

The lowest-ranking among them, a Major, finally spoke up.

“G-Good morning, Captain Daniel.”

After sipping my coffee, I replied.

“Yes. Good morning. The weather is quite good for chatting about others.”

At my words, everyone began looking around nervously, quickly discarding their coffee and hurrying off.

“Now that I think about it, I have some urgent matters to attend to…”

“Oh, I must also see the department head right away.”

One by one, they made excuses and filed out of the break room.

Letting out a sigh, I quietly observed their departure.

Given the strange rumors circulating in the General Staff Headquarters, it seemed I had unwittingly established myself as ‘Her Highness the Princess’s closest aide.’

That said, I couldn’t exactly blame those spreading the rumors.

“I’d probably think the same if I were in their shoes.”

Looking purely at the situation, it would be odd for anyone not to see me as the Princess’s closest aide.

However, from my standpoint, having no intention of being that at all, it was quite the headache.

“How did I end up in this situation…?”

I had just intended to enjoy some time off in my hometown, but after unintentionally helping capture the Prince’s private organization there, things had spiraled out of control.

“What does His Majesty the Emperor think of me…?”

During my previous audience with the Emperor, he clearly stated, “A soldier must maintain political neutrality,” yet I had been making distinctly political moves.

“There’s no way he thinks well of me.”

It’s common knowledge that incurring the Emperor’s displeasure brings nothing good.

While worry filled my mind, I knew it was bad practice to dwell on issues that hadn’t even happened yet.

After finishing my coffee, I crumpled the paper cup and tossed it into the nearby trash bin.

With my briefcase in hand, I left the break room and climbed the stairs toward my office.

Upon opening the office door, I spotted Lucy working at her desk, just like usual.

Noticing my presence, Lucy looked up, immediately rose from her seat, and saluted.

“Captain! You came in early today.”

“Couldn’t sleep for some reason. By the way, you needn’t worry about the Security Bureau for now.”

“…Did you resolve it?”

Nodding, I started to walk toward my desk but paused.

On my desk was a beautifully wrapped box tied with a ribbon.

Feeling puzzled, I approached and tapped the box.

“What’s this? It looks quite suspicious.”

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

“Really? You can find this at dessert shops? It’s Southern cuisine, so it shouldn’t be that common around here.”

Lucy hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I made it myself.”

“…You made it?”

Lucy nodded with a blank expression.

As a result, I couldn’t help but sweat.

‘Assassination?’

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

‘There’s no way they’d try to kill me here… in the General Staff Headquarters… especially in a space for just the two of us.’

Killing me here would make it far too easy to identify the culprit.

Lucy certainly wouldn’t have missed that, so it was hard to believe this dish was intended for assassination.

‘So it means she made the dessert for me out of pure goodwill.’

Unsure of the reason, I stood still for a moment before coming to a slight realization.

‘Could she think I protected her from the Security Bureau?’

In reality, she was just acting for her survival, but it seemed I had somehow planted a weird misconception in her mind.

Not feeling the need to explain, I simply nodded blandly and untied the ribbon on the box.

As the ribbon came undone, the box opened like a blooming flower, revealing a delectable-looking apple strudel inside.

“It looks delicious.”

Picking up the utensils included in the box, I cut a piece of the apple strudel and placed it in my mouth.

After chewing a few times, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“This is… incredible.”

The fresh and tangy flavor of the apples combined with the warm, fragrant taste of cinnamon made for a delightful experience.

Alongside it, the crunchy texture of walnuts and almonds complemented the sweetness of sugar and raisins that seemed to whisper, “We’re right here!”

Even the pastry was perfectly baked, yielding a nutty flavor that was exceptional.

Having eaten a fair amount of apple strudel so far, I had never tasted anything this good.

“You could start a business! Do you often enjoy cooking?”

It was a purely curious question, but Lucy blinked in surprise as if she didn’t expect to receive a compliment.

After a brief silence, Lucy finally spoke.

“Well, not really. I bought a cookbook yesterday and practiced…”

Lucy suddenly fell silent, as though embarrassed to admit she had spent time practicing to cook for me.

After a moment of struggling for words, Lucy regained her composure and added,

“…It’s a way to repay you for taking care of me yesterday.”

With that, Lucy bowed her head slightly before sitting back down.

Though she resumed her work with a blank expression, she couldn’t hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

‘And on top of that…’

It seemed Lucy had sustained a small injury while practicing her cooking, as there was a bandage on her left index finger.

‘She probably cut herself while slicing the apples.’

To go to the trouble of cooking for her superior was deserving of all the praise in the world.

Truly, she was the exemplary aide-de-camp.

‘The problem is…’

This aide-de-camp was currently gunning for my life.

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

Thinking that made my throat constrict slightly.

‘It seems I’d better deal with the remaining food…’

It would be wise to take it back to my place and handle it there.

*

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace audience chamber.

“What… did you just say?”

The blonde-haired Prince Arno’s eyes widened in disbelief at the absurd news delivered by Felixston, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

Though he wished to deny reality, Felixston repeated what he had said, maintaining a calm demeanor.

“…Duke Belvar has announced that he will withdraw from the Succession Struggle. He is currently banning all external visitors and has locked himself in his room.”

This was a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

For Prince Arno, with the dawn’s light having been apprehended, he needed at the very least Duke Belvar’s support to continue the succession battle.

But to have the Duke suddenly declare withdrawal was utterly absurd.

“Why on earth…”

As Arno muttered, Felixston answered.

“I don’t know the exact circumstances, but it seems he has changed his mind after speaking with Captain Daniel Steiner.”

“…Daniel Steiner? That guy again?”

Arno, who had been laughing in a detached manner, suddenly shouted.

“Why the hell is he constantly getting in my way?! Why?!”

From the first assassination incident in the North to now, Daniel Steiner had been consistently blocking Arno’s path, shattering all his plans.

Now, with the withdrawal of Duke Belvar’s support, it felt like a total ruin of Arno’s future.

His head throbbed.

At the same time, a surge of anger was igniting within him.

“Deputy Director! The fight is not over yet! Immediately! Bring me information to arrest Daniel Steiner! Find proof that he used Privates! You must…!”

Arno’s voice began to fade.

Normally, the Deputy Director would have nodded resolutely but was now hesitating like a fool.

Wondering what was wrong, the Deputy Director bowed his head apologetically.

“Your Highness, we also conducted a personal investigation, but we found no evidence.”

“No evidence?”

“Yes. We suspected Daniel was building a personal faction and launched an extensive investigation, but found nothing.”

Cold sweat trickled down the Deputy Director’s forehead.

“If he could dispatch the Dawn’s Light so easily, it must be a large organization. Thus, it would be normal to have a systematic framework for sending and receiving orders. However, Daniel…”

The Deputy Director bowed his head even lower.

“During his entire time down South, Captain Daniel Steiner did not communicate with anyone from his organization. Moreover, we could find no traces of the organization that attacked the Dawn’s Light.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Your Highness, honestly speaking, it feels like we are chasing a ghost. We have no idea how Captain Daniel Steiner is executing his plans.”

There was some tremor in the Deputy Director’s voice.

As Arno pondered, feeling bewildered, he slumped back down into his chair.

“Just what…”

In short, the very man who could execute plans so meticulously that even the Deputy Director of the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau could not trace them was none other than Daniel Steiner.

With that thought, the anger simmering within him turned into a cold chill.

What had initially been a simmering anger transformed into an unexplainable sense of fear.

“…What is Daniel Steiner, exactly?”

The Prince’s question left the Deputy Director momentarily speechless.

It was because even he could not accurately define Daniel Steiner.

‘He is merely a ghostly figure who spares no means or methods for his own purposes…’

There was no other way to explain a figure who left no trace behind.