Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 40
The Leader of the Secret Society Is Confused

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Ten days later.

I was patrolling the outskirts of the city with my officers and soldiers under the pretense of city patrol.

The reason for patrolling the outskirts specifically? I thought I would be able to hear the citizens’ complaints and dissatisfaction more clearly in the outskirts than in the central area where the garrison was stationed.

But there were none.

Despite straining my ears as I walked, I couldn’t hear any complaints about the garrison.

Occasionally, some of the citizens who recognized me would make strange expressions and bow their heads as they passed by.

‘Hmm, it seems…’

They were probably refraining from speaking ill of the garrison out of fear of being caught.

Or perhaps rumors of the acting garrison commander patrolling the city had already spread.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for them to not react to my tyranny.

Understanding the situation, I nodded and looked at Lucy.

“Adjutant, what’s the public opinion of the garrison among the citizens of Nordia? You’ve been out and about more than I have, stuck at my desk for the past ten days, so I believe you have a better grasp of the situation.”

Lucy thought for a moment, then said,

“There are some complaints, but overall, the atmosphere is one of acceptance towards the garrison’s occupation of the city.”

“…Acceptance? Towards the garrison?”

“Yes. Thanks to your appropriate measures, not only have the city’s public services been quickly restored, but the paralyzed administrative system is also gradually recovering. Moreover, there have been reports that the crime rate has decreased compared to before the occupation.”

I understood the part about public services being restored and the crime rate decreasing, as I was the one who ordered the strengthening of patrols and the urgent revitalization of public services.

But the fact that the citizens were accepting of the garrison was a different matter.

Usually, in the early stages of occupation, it was common for citizens to be filled with anger.

‘And in a normal city, they should be protesting against the tax rates I set and the forced military service.’

Was there something I was overlooking? Just as I was about to ask Lucy about it,

“This is too much! The daily wage is even lower than yesterday!”

A young man’s loud cry naturally drew my attention.

In front of the watchtower reconstruction site, a man who appeared to be a middle manager and a black man were in a confrontation.

The middle manager frowned with annoyance and crossed his arms.

“Hey, be grateful that we’re even employing you. Or do you want to lose even that meager wage?”

“I’m grateful for the employment, but this is unacceptable! If you take half of my wages, how is my family supposed to survive…?”

The atmosphere seemed tense.

Wanting to understand the situation, I walked towards them.

“If you want to feed your family, work overtime. Why are you giving me a hard time…?”

The middle manager, who had been talking to the man, heard my footsteps and turned his head.

Seeing me with armed soldiers and military officers, he hurriedly lowered his head.

“C-Commander! W-Why are you in such a humble place…?”

“I don’t consider this place humble. My hometown was far worse. But what’s going on that you’re arguing with a worker?”

“Ah, well… this guy keeps complaining about not being paid his wages properly.”

The middle manager glared at the man, and I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

“The garrison appointed you as a middle manager to ensure the workers are paid their wages properly. Why aren’t you paying them in full? Is this man slacking off?”

“Sir? No, that’s not it. He’s a diligent worker.”

“Then why aren’t you paying him properly?”

“You know, Commander. This man is black.”

What? He said it so casually that I thought I had misheard.

After a moment of silence, I asked to make sure I heard correctly.

“You didn’t pay him properly because he’s black?”

“Yes, indeed. It’s absurd that the son of a slave is acting like a free citizen. As you know, people of color have always been third-class citizens in the Kingdom…”

I raised my hand to stop the middle manager mid-sentence.

There was no need to hear any more.

“How dare you utter such disgusting words. Are you invoking Kingdom law while serving in the Imperial military? Or are you trying to defy His Majesty, who forbids discrimination based on social status and race?”

The middle manager’s eyes widened.

The middle manager, who had been gaping in disbelief, suddenly started trembling and clasped his hands together.

“No! That’s not what I meant at all! I, I just…”

“Shut your filthy mouth. Not only did you disobey my order to pay the wages properly, but you also insulted the solemn law established by His Majesty. Soldier, arrest this man.”

“Yes, sir!” the two soldiers replied energetically and rushed forward, kicking the middle manager in the back of his knees.

“Oof!”

The middle manager was forced to kneel, and a soldier twisted his arms behind his back.

Then, he took out a rope and tied the manager’s wrists together.

“Commander! Ugh! I-I didn’t mean to…!”

The middle manager pleaded desperately, but I didn’t even spare him a glance.

Letting out a soft sigh, I looked at the black man standing next to him, sweating profusely.

“You.”

The black man quickly snapped to attention.

He seemed terrified, thinking he would be arrested as well.

Seeing him like this, even though he had done nothing wrong, showed how much discrimination he had faced.

“From now on, you’re the middle manager of this area.”

“…Sir? C-Commander, I can’t possibly take such a high position.”

“Why not?”

The black man hesitated for a moment, then said,

“He’s right. My father was a slave, and even though I’m a free citizen, I’m still the son of a slave. And on top of that, I’m a person of color, so it’s only natural that I face discrimination…”

“You’re not understanding me. I asked who you are.”

The black man blinked his eyes in confusion, then answered cautiously,

“…I’m Darnell.”

“Good. Darnell, I don’t care that you’re a person of color or that your father was a slave. The important thing is that you haven’t been paid your wages properly despite working diligently. I’m here to rectify that.”

I placed my hand on Darnell’s shoulder.

“This is an order. From today onwards, you are the middle manager. Supervise the workers and ensure they are paid their wages properly. And if anyone protests unfairly against you, ask the garrison for help.”

Tears welled up in Darnell’s eyes.

He clenched his jaw, seemingly trying to hide his overwhelming emotions, and bowed his head.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Commander!”

I nodded and turned to leave.

Then, I paused.

The officers and soldiers were looking at me with faint smiles.

Feeling a chill, I quickened my pace.

“Let’s go back. It’s getting cold.”

As I led the way, the officers and soldiers followed behind.

I tried my best to ignore them, but I could hear the officers whispering behind me.

“The Commander is truly flawless. I didn’t know his loyalty to His Majesty was this strong.”

“Would His Majesty have awarded the Order of National Defense to the Commander for no reason? He’s a model soldier. It’s an honor to serve under him.”

It was Sergeant Glendy and Lieutenant McCael.

“Indeed, Major Daniel is like a saint sent by God. Honestly, any other Imperial officer wouldn’t have cared. Don’t you agree, Lieutenant Lucy?”

“Yes, that’s certainly…”

It was Frienne and Lucy.

As Lucy agreed with her, Frienne clasped her hands together, looking excited.

“The things I hate the most are racists and citizens of the Allied Nations. Both are no better than beasts.”

…When would she realize that she wasn’t in her right mind?

***

Meanwhile, at the hideout of the Secret Society Black Swan.

On the third floor of the building disguised as an ordinary grocery store, telex machines and radios for sending and receiving messages were lined up in rows.

As members of the Black Swan went about their business, their leader, Hamtal, sat at his desk, pressing his fingers against his forehead.

‘Daniel Steiner is the leader of the occupying forces that seized the city. He’s naturally a target for elimination. But…’

The citizens were starting to accept the garrison.

Their anger and resentment had subsided after hearing about Daniel Steiner’s plans for the city.

Hamtal felt the same way.

Looking at the policies Daniel was implementing, he couldn’t help but question, ‘Do we really need to eliminate him?’

‘But since he’s the leader of a foreign army…’

There was no telling when he might drop his mask and start oppressing the city’s citizens.

Therefore, it was wise to eliminate him.

With a firm resolve, Hamtal opened his drawer and took out his revolver.

As he opened the cylinder to check the remaining bullets, he heard familiar footsteps approaching.

Looking up, he saw Tarki, who had delivered the information to the council yesterday.

Tarki, who seemed to have rushed over, finally caught his breath and said,

“Hamtal! The garrison has issued a new order to the citizens!”

“…An order? What kind of order?”

If they were planning to oppress the citizens, he couldn’t delay any longer.

As tension filled the air, Tarki spoke,

“From now on, any act of racial discrimination within the city will be punished according to Imperial law.”

Hamtal closed the cylinder of his revolver and paused.

“…Banning racial discrimination?”

“Yes. I also heard that he appointed a black man as a middle manager to oversee the Imperial labor force.”

Upon hearing Tarki’s words, Hamtal involuntarily dropped his revolver.

‘That’s impossible…’

For the past ten years, Hamtal had been trying to eliminate racial discrimination stemming from the nobility in Nordia.

The Black Swan was founded in the first place to oppose racial discrimination.

But Hamtal’s wish hadn’t come true.

In the past, they had succeeded in bribing a politician and getting him elected as mayor, but after becoming mayor, he didn’t keep his promises to the Black Swan and continued his tyrannical rule.

However, Hamtal didn’t give up and continued to fight for freedom and equality.

‘Even though there was no progress…’

Daniel Steiner had achieved the long-cherished goal that seemed out of reach.

Unprecedented emotions flooded his heart, creating turmoil in his mind.

Hamtal frowned, let out a rough breath, and ran a hand over his face.

“Thank you for delivering the news. It seems I need to see for myself what kind of person Daniel Steiner is.”

“…Are you going to reveal your identity?”

“No, I’ll just observe from the sidelines. I need to determine whether the policies he’s implemented are a temporary deception to appease the people or not.”

If it was a temporary deception, he would naturally be a target for elimination.

But if all his actions were sincere, it would be a different story.

‘If it’s the latter, then Daniel Steiner isn’t a conqueror who came to rule the city…’

…but a savior who came to liberate the city from the Kingdom’s oppression.