Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 87 - Most Lives Are Not Smooth Sailing

『 TL – Divinity 』

『 PR – Vein 』

After finishing his trifle and leaving the dessert shop, Daniel began his sightseeing in earnest.

He visited the tourist attractions of the port city of Tentarbachem, tried the famous grilled squid with butter, bought some fresh oysters, and strolled leisurely through the streets.

Just as he was fully enjoying his peaceful life, a man in a tailcoat suddenly approached him.

"Are you Mr. Liberad?"

Daniel looked at him curiously, and the middle-aged man placed his hand on his chest and said politely,

"I'm Van Buresh, the butler serving Lady Lef. I heard you were invited to dinner at her mansion, so I came to pick you up. Is that correct?"

"Ah, yes, it is."

As Daniel confirmed, Van Buresh smiled and took out a blindfold.

"Would you mind wearing this?"

"A blindfold?"

"Yes. Lady Lef's mansion has high security, so access is strictly limited to authorized personnel. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Daniel was dumbfounded, but he decided to just accept it, as there were many eccentric people among the nobles.

He nodded, took off his sunglasses, and put on the blindfold. Then, Van Buresh took his hand.

"Please follow me."

Having no reason to refuse, Daniel followed Van Buresh.

Soon, he heard a car door open.

"Please get in."

Daniel nodded and got into the backseat. The car started moving with a quiet engine noise.

About thirty minutes later, Daniel, who had been leaning back in the seat and trying to figure out the car's route, tensed up.

'They're driving in circles. To disorient me.'

Why were they so obsessed with security?

He started to feel uneasy, and it was more than just curiosity.

But he couldn't just get out of the car as he pleased.

He decided to endure and see how long they would keep driving, and then the car finally stopped somewhere.

He heard a metal gate open, and then the car entered and slowly came to a stop.

After a brief wait, the car door opened, and someone took his hand.

"I'll guide you to the dining hall."

Judging from the voice, it was Van Buresh.

They didn't even want to show him the mansion itself.

Although he found it ridiculous, Daniel silently followed Van Buresh.

After entering the mansion and walking down a long hallway, Van Buresh finally stopped in front of a door.

He adjusted his clothes and knocked on the door.

"Lady Lef, I've brought the gentleman you met at the bar."

"Alright, open the door."

With permission granted, Van Buresh opened the door and lightly pushed Daniel inside.

"Please enter and remove your blindfold."

As instructed, Daniel walked into the room and removed the blindfold.

Before him was a long dining table laden with a feast.

Candles flickered softly in ornate candelabras, and Lef, dressed in a black dress with a red brooch at her neck, was sitting at the head of the table.

The strange thing was that despite it being dinner time, no one else was present besides Lef.

Lef seemed happy to see Daniel again and waved her hand in greeting.

"Liberad! I thought the food was going to get cold! Come here quickly."

Daniel, feeling a bit bewildered, approached Lef.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing around before looking at Lef.

"This is unexpected. I thought I would be having dinner with your family."

At the mention of "family," Lef's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"I'm also surprised. I didn't know you were interested in my family. It's not like we're getting married or anything. Why would you want to meet them?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Just continue with your story. That's why I invited you here today. If I like your story, I'll give you as much money as you want."

Her attempt to change the subject was clearly suspicious.

Daniel frowned, thinking he couldn't let this slide.

"I find this rather unpleasant. I came here as a guest, invited by you. But not only did you have your butler blindfold me, you're also forcing me to tell you my story."

"...So?"

"If you truly consider me a guest, shouldn't you at least tell me who you are and what your family does?"

As Daniel took a firm stance, Lef looked slightly apologetic, as if her conscience was pricked.

It was true that she had acted arrogantly despite inviting him as a guest.

After a moment of contemplation, Lef sighed softly.

"Alright, it shouldn't be a problem to reveal my identity to you. Even if you go around telling people who I am, no one would believe an illegal immigrant like you anyway."

At the word "illegal immigrant," a realization dawned on Daniel.

'She investigated me.'

That's why she had postponed the dinner invitation instead of having him come on the same day.

'She must have wanted to make sure it was safe to invite me to her mansion.'

The name Liberad was an alias, so naturally, it wouldn't be on the registry of the port city of Tentarbachem.

Even if there were people with the same name, their age and appearance wouldn't match.

After confirming this, the butler must have reported to Lef that he was "likely an illegal immigrant."

As Lef had said, no one would take the words of an illegal immigrant seriously.

'So she must have invited me to her mansion, thinking it would be alright even if my secret was revealed.'

And Lef's easy going personality probably played a role as well.

From Daniel's perspective, she wasn't the most cautious person.

"There are many complicated circumstances, but to put it simply..."

Lef, unaware of Daniel's inner thoughts, shrugged.

"I'm an illegitimate child. You can think of me as the bloodline my father wants to hide the most."

Daniel feigned surprise at the word "illegitimate child."

But he quickly regained his composure.

'Ah, so that's why...'

He finally understood why she was so strict about security, even for a guest invited to her mansion.

"It's a miracle that I even met you. My damn father doesn't want me wandering outside the mansion. But I sometimes sneak out. That's when I happened to meet you."

Lef spoke casually and picked up a nearby wine glass.

Daniel started to feel uneasy.

With a sense of apprehension, he asked,

"May I ask who your father is?"

Lef took a sip of wine, put down her glass, and replied,

"Well, he's like a fat rat sitting at the top of this shithole of a country."

She chuckled and looked at Daniel playfully.

"Lowell Tailwis. That's my father's name."

Daniel's jaw dropped, and he stared blankly.

Lowell Tailwis.

He was the Prime Minister of Bellanos, the one who practically ruled the neutral country.

═ ⋆★⋆ ═

'Damn it, when is the Allied Nations going to send someone?'

Colonel Edvol, the commander of the 12th District of the Bellanos Navy, gritted his teeth in the backseat of his military vehicle.

'Didn't they promise to grant me asylum in Edria, a permanent member of the Security Council, if I opened our territorial waters to their submarine…?!'

He had opened their territorial waters, trusting Caledra's offer, but the Allied Nations hadn't sent anyone.

'I should be escaping Bellanos as soon as possible...!'

He was anxious because the Allied Nations were delaying.

Edvol had heard that the Empire had sent a notification to Bellanos, demanding they open their territorial waters for a large-scale search operation, and then dispatched their fleet.

By now, it should be only a matter of time before Edvol was identified as the culprit behind the incident.

He desperately waited for the Allied Nations to contact him, but it was in vain.

Currently, the Allied Nations were simply remaining silent, pretending they had nothing to do with the terrorist attack.

As Edvol clenched his fists, sweating, the military jeep slowly came to a stop.

"We've arrived, Colonel."

He looked out the window and saw a house with a spacious yard.

Thinking he needed to go inside and gather his thoughts, Edvol opened the door and stepped out.

'I should pack my things. And tell my family...'

He had to be ready to escape at any moment.

Just as he opened the front door, wondering what to pack first, he paused.

'...Why are the lights off?'

He found it strange that the lights were off, as it wasn't time for the housekeeper to leave yet.

But without much suspicion, he turned on the lights and froze.

Sitting in the living room, illuminated by the lights, was a black man in a black suit.

"Come and have a seat."

At Hamtal's words, who was wearing a fedora, Edvol broke out in a cold sweat.

He was clearly not someone sent by the Allied Nations.

And the aura Hamtal exuded was menacing, making him reluctant to approach.

'I have to escape...'

Just as Edvol stepped back, feeling a sense of crisis,

Click—

He felt something cold and hard against his back.

Realizing that it was the muzzle of a gun, Edvol turned his head and saw the soldier who had escorted him here staring at him with a threatening gaze.

He was a member of the Black Swan, disguised as a soldier.

'W-When did he...?'

Just as Edvol felt a surge of panic,

Hamtal casually took off his fedora and placed it on the table.

"Just so you know..."

He looked at Edvol and narrowed his eyes.

"That wasn't a request. it was an order."

At his chilling words, Edvol realized that he couldn't resist them.