Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 86 - Who Opened the Territorial Waters?

『 TL – Divinity 』

『 PR – Vein 』

Early morning.

The faint light of dawn filtered through the window of the inn room.

Daniel, who had been sleeping soundly, stirred in his bed.

He reflexively opened his eyes and turned his head towards the window, then chuckled.

'It's morning. I was planning to sleep in until noon...'

Even though he had deliberately gone to bed late, he woke up early, as if he couldn't shake off his habits as a staff officer.

'Well, after a year of living as an officer at the General Staff Headquarters, my habits wouldn't change overnight.'

Scoffing at himself, he sat up and ran a hand over his face.

His body felt a bit stiff, but his fatigue seemed to have disappeared, which wasn't bad.

'Let's see, today is...'

He slowly recalled his schedule in his still-hazy mind and nodded.

'It's the day I visit Lef's mansion.'

That eccentric young lady had succeeded in inviting him to her mansion with the lure of money.

The problem was that she hadn't told him the location of her mansion.

So he had asked how he was supposed to find a mansion when he didn't even know where it was.

Lef had replied, "I'll send someone to you when the time comes," and then left the cocktail bar.

'Perhaps I should have asked her what she does and where she's from.'

Although, considering her cautious attitude, she probably wouldn't have answered even if he had asked.

'Well, anyway...'

There was no reason to refuse her dinner invitation, as she was going to become his financial source.

'...She said it was a dinner invitation.'

It was still early morning, which meant he had plenty of time.

It wouldn't be bad to laze around in the inn since he was on vacation, but since he was in Bellanos, he wanted to try some authentic local desserts.

Thinking it was time to head out, Daniel got out of bed and put on his slippers.

He walked over to the wardrobe and opened it.

Inside the wardrobe, new clothes were neatly hung on hangers.

A tweed jacket, vest, and trousers.

They were dark gray, and the vest had a subtle check pattern that added a touch of class.

He had bought them with his own money after receiving the dinner invitation from Lef.

'That woman is most likely a noble...'

He had bought these somewhat expensive clothes to maintain a certain level of decorum.

It might seem excessive to others, but it was an important matter for Daniel.

'If it's a dinner invitation, her family will probably be there as well.'

It was highly likely that it wasn't Lef herself, but her parents, who would be providing the money.

In that case, it was Lef's parents, not Lef herself, that he needed to win over.

It was only natural that the more he impressed them, the more money they would give him.

In that sense, Daniel had purchased expensive clothes even if it meant spending his own money.

Nobles were generally sensitive to how others dressed.

There was a reason why the monastery made the children wear their best clothes whenever the council members and nobles who sponsored them visited.

There were other things to be mindful of, such as his gait, speech, manners, and table etiquette, but they weren't difficult for Daniel.

'I was always the one in charge of receiving the nobles at the monastery.'

Since he knew what the nobles liked and disliked, it wouldn't be difficult to impress them.

'Let's do this. For my new identity and my bakery.'

Having made up his mind, Daniel entered the bathroom, washed up, and changed his clothes.

After fixing his hair in the mirror, he put on his sunglasses and left the inn.

The warm sunlight that greeted him made it hard to believe that winter was approaching.

Thinking that it was a beautiful day, Daniel headed to the famous dessert shop in Bellanos, as he had originally planned.

He navigated through the crowd, entered the dessert shop, and sat down at a table. A waiter approached him.

The waiter, captivated by Daniel's aura as he sat by the window, said,

"May I take your order?"

Daniel looked at the waiter and nodded.

"Can I have a trifle, please? And a coffee with that."

"One trifle and a coffee... Alright."

The waiter smiled at Daniel and turned to leave.

After placing his order, Daniel looked out the window leisurely.

Since the dessert shop was on the second floor, he had a good view of the outside. A large merchant ship was approaching on the vast sea, its horn blaring.

He could see a flock of seagulls flying up in response to the horn.

The idyllic scenery brought a sense of peace to his heart.

'Yes, this is the life...'

For Daniel, escaping from the life where he constantly feared death and being able to enjoy peace was the ultimate luxury.

He hummed a tune in a good mood, and the waiter returned.

"Your trifle and coffee, sir."

The waiter placed the trifle and coffee on the table.

Daniel was about to thank him when he paused.

There were three almond cookies on the side.

"Hmm? Did I order almond cookies as well?"

"Ah, those are complimentary."

"Complimentary? Thank you. There are many kind people in Bellanos."

Daniel smiled, and the waiter blushed slightly.

"T-Then please enjoy your meal."

The waiter hurriedly bowed his head and left.

Daniel was a bit puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it.

The important thing was the trifle.

He picked up a fork, gently cut a piece of the trifle topped with strawberries, and put it in his mouth.

A refreshing, sweet, and soft flavor filled his mouth.

With a satisfied smile, he unconsciously spoke,

"Adjutant, this is a good place. You should try it..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

He had inadvertently looked for Lucy, even though there was no one across from him.

Daniel chuckled at his own absurdity.

'To think I'm looking for the spy who tried to kill me, even after escaping...'

This was why habits were scary.

'But still...'

He felt that it would have been more enjoyable to eat this with Lucy.

She would have been beside herself with excitement.

He could almost imagine her trying to suppress her amazement because she didn't want to admit that it was delicious.

It would have been fun to watch her.

But even so, he didn't want to return to the Empire.

'I should be content with this peace.'

Daniel cleared his thoughts and took another bite of the trifle.

For some reason, it didn't taste as good as the first bite.

═ ⋆★⋆ ═

The merchant ship arrived at the port of Tentarbachem in Bellanos, confirmed its docking location, and dropped anchor.

Then, using mooring lines, they secured the ship to the pier and installed the boarding ramp.

Once the ramp was secured, the crew started moving cargo off the ship.

Among them were members of the secret organization, the Black Swan.

Thirty men in black suits disembarked onto Tentarbachem.

They all moved in unison, as if by prior agreement, and the merchants and touts at the port didn't dare approach them.

Their eyes, filled with a fierce anger, were intimidating.

People could only speculate about who they were and why they had come to Tentarbachem.

Rumors spread that they were part of a mafia, but Hamtal, the leader of the Black Swan, paid no attention.

The Black Swan members were dressed in conspicuous black suits to mourn the death of Daniel Steiner.

'Daniel Steiner is dead. Here...'

The prophet, who was a symbol of the fight against racial discrimination, had been martyred in Bellanos.

Although the Black Swan members understood this intellectually, they couldn't accept it emotionally.

Their inability to accept it turned into rage, and they were obsessed with finding the culprit responsible for Daniel Steiner's death, no matter the cost.

"Leader."

One of the subordinates approached Hamtal, who was leading them.

"Should we focus on finding the culprit, as you instructed?"

Hamtal nodded at his subordinate's question.

"Bellanos is a corrupt place, from the nobles to the politicians and the military. If we bribe them, they'll easily tell us who ordered the opening of the territorial waters. Follow the trail and gather clues."

"Understood. But what if someone refuses to cooperate..."

"Make them cooperate."

The subordinate nodded silently at his chilling words.

He knew what it meant to "make them cooperate."

As the subordinate retreated to relay the orders, Hamtal looked straight ahead and gritted his teeth.

'I don't know who you are. But you'll regret killing our prophet. We will find you, and...'

He clenched his fists so tightly that his leather gloves creaked.

'...we will bring you to justice!'