NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 74
The entire Empire was buzzing with excitement over Captain Daniel Steiner’s Total War Speech, but the man of the hour was feeling anything but thrilled.
“……”
In the General Staff Headquarters’ lounge, Daniel stared out the window, clutching a paper cup filled with coffee.
In the distance, he could see citizens standing at the entrance of the headquarters, holding placards.
Some signs read things like “We want Total War!” and “Hero of the Empire! Daniel Steiner!”
These citizens had gathered, moved by the speech they heard on the radio, eager to catch a glimpse of Daniel.
And mixed in with the crowd were journalists armed with cameras, making it hard for him not to sigh.
‘Guess it’s going to be tough to leave early today…’
The moment he stepped out of the headquarters, he could already predict he’d be bombarded with questions and unsolicited praises.
Just to clarify, this was not just a hunch; it was based on experience.
A few days ago, he had tried to ignore the crowd and gotten swept up in a two-hour interrogation by a throng of questions.
Thinking back to that chaotic day still made Daniel’s teeth clench.
‘Now I get why idols can’t stand their obsessive fans.’
With a reluctant look, Daniel took a sip of his coffee.
It was just then, as he contemplated his next move, that a voice called out from behind him.
“Oh! Look who it is!”
Daniel turned his head slightly to see it was Colonel Ernst, the Head of Operations Staff.
Ernst approached with a friendly smile.
“Isn’t this our hero, Captain Daniel Steiner? I was worried since you’ve been holed up in your office lately, but it’s good to see you here…”
He paused as he noticed something.
Daniel’s dark circles appeared darker than usual.
“…You don’t seem alright. Trouble sleeping?”
“Just been worrying about various issues.”
“What kind of issues? From what I can see, the road ahead looks pretty solid for you. Everyone in the upper management is singing your praises after that speech.”
Ernst was unaware that this praise was a part of Daniel’s worries.
The impact of the Total War Speech was beyond anything Daniel had imagined.
It wasn’t just the citizens cheering; it was catalyzing positive effects on the war effort across various sectors of society.
Even foreign correspondents were covering it daily, making Daniel feel like he was stuck in a nightmare.
Before the speech, escaping the country was like threading a needle; post-speech, it felt like trying to get through a concrete wall.
In short, the situation was nearly impossible.
‘So, my options now are…’
To either make the Empire a hegemonic power or wash my identity clean through a trustworthy broker and flee abroad.
But both options were looking not-so-viable.
True, the preparation for a world war had sped up thanks to the speech, but the Empire was up against three major powers that were all juggernauts.
To make matters worse, they formed a geographical encirclement, leaving the Empire in a predicament where it had to guard all three fronts.
‘Unless the Empire somehow pulls off a miraculous series of victories…’
The outcome of becoming a defeated nation didn’t seem like it would change much.
Now, about laundering my identity through a trusted broker and escaping? That’s an even crazier idea.
‘Once they realize I’m still alive, both my own Empire and the United Nations will start searching for me.’
Unless he could fake his own death, it felt nearly impossible.
‘Isn’t there a way out of this mess…?’
As he wrestled with thoughts of his grim future, Daniel shook his head.
He thought it wouldn’t be right to get lost in thought while his superior was standing right next to him.
Daniel’s remark made Ernst pause.
‘Substandard construction? Is he implying the Empire’s leadership is incompetent?’
Beads of cold sweat formed on Ernst as he opened his mouth to gauge Daniel’s thoughts.
“Are you… planning to find and eliminate the cause of that substandard construction?”
To Daniel, Ernst’s words strangely sounded like an invitation to “find another way out of the Empire.”
‘Ernst probably thinks this is just a nervous concern about rapid promotions, but…’
Daniel chuckled lightly, thinking it was odd how they connected on this level.
“Yes. If possible, I would consider eliminating it.”
Ernst flinched at the response.
It wasn’t just the calm acknowledgment of the Empire’s leadership incompetence; it was Daniel suggesting he might actually go find and eliminate them, which sounded pretty chilling.
‘He’s not joking. Daniel might genuinely go through with this.’
Swallowing hard, Ernst spoke in a subdued voice.
“Captain Daniel? Do you think I’m incompetent?”
What’s going on here? Daniel blinked in confusion, turning back to Ernst and shaking his head.
“No, Colonel. You’re not incompetent.”
A relieved Ernst let out a quiet sigh.
“…Thank you. I’ll do my best not to become incompetent moving forward.”
Daniel nodded at the strange words coming from Ernst.
With a superior working hard, there was no need to flat-out deny it.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace dining hall…
In an unnecessarily vast and grand dining hall, maidservants stood lined up against the walls, waiting on the Emperor.
Unbothered by all this, Emperor Berthelm sat at the long table with his daughter and wife, enjoying his meal.
“Selvia, it seems your decision was indeed the right one.”
Berthelm, seated in a lavish chair, spoke in his deep voice as he sliced his meat.
“Choosing Daniel as the speaker was a brilliant choice. Thanks to him, the Empire is more united than ever. I don’t even need to step in.”
Selvia smiled at her father’s praise.
“I only implemented what I learned from you, Father. Your teaching was to place people in the right positions.”
“Hmm. Learned from me, you say? Sounds like you took the wrong lesson.”
Selvia’s smile faded as she pondered his puzzling statement.
Just as she was trying to understand, Berthelm continued.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have put Daniel in that speaking position. The chance to speak before a large crowd is probably the last thing Daniel Steiner wanted.”
“…Captain Daniel wanted this?”
“Yes. Daniel is smarter than I thought. He must have sensed that I was keeping an eye on him when we were at the shooting range the other day.”
Berthelm casually chewed his meat.
Once he swallowed, he took a sip of red wine and continued.
“He might have thought that the old Emperor could pressure him. He felt a sense of crisis. What would be the easiest way to escape that feeling?”
“That would be…?”
“To spread his influence across the Empire through that speech. No matter how powerful the Emperor is, he wouldn’t dare touch him afterwards. And his plan was indeed successful.”
Listening to this, Selvia scowled.
“Father, that’s an over-the-top assumption. Daniel isn’t that kind of person.”
Berthelm chuckled softly.
“An assumption, you say? Selvia, don’t you remember what Daniel said at the end of that speech?”
“At the end of the speech…?”
“He pledged to represent the nation and its citizens under the protection of His Majesty the Emperor. As if to imply that his speech didn’t stray far from the Emperor’s will.”
Berthelm lowered his utensils and looked at Selvia.
“Is Daniel’s speech in line with the Emperor’s desires? Answer me, Selvia. Did you ever command Daniel to make such a speech?”
She couldn’t respond.
What Selvia had asked of the National Propaganda Department and Daniel wasn’t a radical Total War Speech.
Given that the outcome was so successful, she had overlooked the fact that Daniel had defied the intended content of the speech and taken it upon himself to improvise.
This bordered on disobedience.
“Daniel didn’t follow orders. But Selvia, you cannot punish Daniel. The warm winds blowing through the Empire due to his speech make it impossible. If you were to punish him now, you’d be turning the citizens against you.”
Berthelm wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
“Selvia, you’re still young. Politically immature. You think you’re using Daniel, while in fact, you’re being used by him.”
Selvia clenched her fist in secret and struggled to speak.
“But Daniel outright rejected my proposal to put him in the speaking position! I forced him into it! Are you saying I’m being used?”
Berthelm wiped his mouth clean and chuckled quietly.
“The wiser a person is, the less they reveal their true intentions. Why do you think Daniel rejected your suggestion? Was it really out of dislike? No. He knew you would force him to do it.”
“……”
“Knowing you would force him, why did he still reject the proposal? He wanted to create an escape route in case things went awry, saying, ‘I may not have wanted this, but it was commanded by the Emperor.’”
Berthelm folded the handkerchief and placed it on the table.
“Selvia, your decision has benefited the Empire significantly, but at the same time, it has also inflated the presence of the wolf named Daniel, who poses a threat to the authority of the royal family. Do you understand what that means?”
Berthelm narrowed his eyes sharply at Selvia, who fell silent.
“It means you might end up with your throat ripped out. So keep this in mind. Daniel Steiner is an extraordinary talent for the Empire, but…”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
After a moment of pause, Berthelm spoke earnestly.
“He’s a double-edged sword as dangerous as he is valuable.”