Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 58
Is It Okay for a Politician to Be This Rude?

『 Translator – Divinity 』

After spending a whole day playing with the children, Daniel decided to leave the monastery in the evening.

Hierony, the head priest, and the children tried to persuade him to stay the night, but Daniel firmly refused.

He explained that he had already booked accommodation elsewhere and had somewhere to be today.

Hierony, who could roughly guess where Daniel was going, didn’t try to persuade him further.

So, Daniel left the monastery and arrived at “Jack’s Restaurant.”

Located in the center of town, Jack’s Restaurant had a shabby exterior, but inside, it was bustling with customers, a testament to its popularity.

‘This place brings back memories. It makes me feel like I’m really back in my hometown.’

Daniel owed Jack’s Restaurant a debt of gratitude from his childhood.

During his rebellious teenage years, when he ran away from the stifling life at the monastery, Jack, the owner of the restaurant, always welcomed him with a smile.

Lost in memories, Daniel stared at the shabby, almost crude wooden sign for a while, then walked towards the restaurant.

He opened the door and entered, seeing waiters bustling about, serving food.

“Yes! Coming right up!”

“Sausages and pretzels? Alright! Please wait a moment!”

“One order of fried potatoes and a beer here!”

It was still a lively place, even after all these years.

Daniel walked quietly, trying not to disturb the waiters, and sat down at an empty table.

As he took off his uniform cap and placed it on the table, a waiter approached with an order pad.

“Hello! Welcome to Jack’s Restaurant! It’s been a while since an officer visited our establishment…”

The waiter, who had been greeting him as usual, froze upon seeing Daniel’s face.

He blinked his eyes in disbelief, then suddenly raised his voice.

“Brother! Is that you, Brother!? Oh my goodness! I must be dreaming!”

This waiter, with his characteristic freckles, was Nemerim.

He was also a younger friend who had spent a long time with Daniel at the monastery.

At Nemerim’s enthusiastic greeting, Daniel smiled and said,

“It’s been a while. I heard you left the monastery and became independent, so I came to visit. It seems I don’t have to worry about you anymore. You’ve matured so much in two years.”

Nemerim, happy to see him, giggled.

“You too, Brother. You look a bit sharper and more decadent? Ah! I mean that in a good way! Anyway, it’s so good to see you again. I wish Mr. Jack was here too.”

“Isn’t he here now?”

“No, he’s off work. He’s been leaving early these days, apparently because he’s enjoying his newlywed life. I heard they’re expecting their fourth child.”

“Their fourth? At his age?”

Daniel asked in surprise, and Nemerim giggled, covering his mouth.

“They say love has no age. I think it’s quite romantic.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that…”

“Right? And also… Oh my, look at me. You must be hungry. What do you want to order? No, wait, let me guess!”

Nemerim tapped his chin thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers.

“Sausages and beer! Right? You used to steal sausages from Mr. Jack when you were younger, Brother. And you even begged the adults for a sip of beer because you were curious.”

“Why do you still bring that up after all these years?”

“Ahaha! Seeing you embarrassed like this confirms that you’re the brother I know. So, can I bring you sausages and beer?”

Daniel nodded, and Nemerim told him to wait a moment before heading to the kitchen.

Just as Daniel smiled to himself, thinking that Nemerim was still as energetic as ever,

‘…Huh?’

A middle-aged man in a dark brown coat was approaching.

At first, he thought the man was looking for an empty table, but that wasn’t the case.

The man continued walking towards Daniel, staring at him.

He then sat down across from Daniel.

Daniel couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘What’s this?’

His confusion grew as the man sat down without even asking if he could join him.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, the man spoke, glancing around cautiously,

“Major Daniel Steiner. This might be an uncomfortable situation, so I’ll be straightforward. What was your intention when you said those things to us at the monastery today?”

The man was Morten Blackmoor, the leader of the secret organization “Dawn of the New Day” under the prince’s command.

Of course, Daniel had no idea.

‘At the monastery today? The only person I spoke to at the monastery was…’

Besides the head priest, Hierony, and the children, there was only one councilman from the city council.

‘Is he from the city council? Did he find my request to take care of the monastery offensive?’

Considering how flustered Hierony was, they must have discussed the budget for donations.

‘He must think I’m pressuring the city council.’

It was such an absurd misunderstanding that Daniel chuckled softly.

“It seems there was a miscommunication. I was simply asking for cooperation. I had no other intentions.”

Morten’s eyebrow twitched at the word “cooperation.”

Although he said “cooperation,” it was no different from saying, “Betray the prince and come under my command.”

“Are you serious? Do you really think that’s possible?”

“Oh my, you’re overreacting. It’s not impossible.”

Morten gritted his teeth.

‘That bastard is mocking me.’

He had thought they could at least have a proper conversation, but Daniel was far more arrogant and self-righteous than he expected.

Realizing what kind of person Daniel was, Morten abruptly stood up.

“This was a waste of time. Prepare for war. We will not back down, even if it means facing you.”

Seeing Morten growl, Daniel couldn’t help but smirk.

From Daniel’s perspective, Morten’s words were a bit too dramatic.

“War? Can you even call this a war?”

He had heard that politicians had a habit of exaggerating even the most mundane things.

It was absurd that he was using the analogy of “war” for a mere budget issue.

Waving his hand dismissively and chuckling softly, Daniel leaned back in his chair.

“I can understand if you consider it a bad joke, but…”

Morten couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

He couldn’t understand Daniel, who was treating his declaration of an all-out war as a mere joke.

After a moment of laughter, Daniel slowly raised his head.

“I apologize, but this is not a war.”

Looking up at Morten, Daniel whispered,

“It’s just a simple difference of opinion.”

Morten gasped involuntarily.

His snake-like voice, laced with a subtle threat, seemed to pierce his mind.

Those black eyes, seeming to see through everything, felt like an abyss.

He felt a sense of fear, as if he would be devoured if he stayed here any longer.

Just as Morten forced himself to walk past Daniel,

“I don’t know why you’re being so disrespectful to me,”

Daniel’s chilling voice came from behind him.

“But I hope you’ve made the right choice.”

He didn’t have the courage to turn around.

Trying to suppress his unease, Morten gritted his teeth and walked resolutely towards the restaurant exit.

***

Meanwhile, at the Dawn of the New Day headquarters in the basement of the shopping mall.

— A large number of suspicious individuals are approaching! Damn it! Who are those bastards!?

The hands of the informants working on the telex machines froze at the voice coming from the tuned radio.

— They’re all covering their faces, so it’s hard to identify them. Wait a minute, are those… Shit! Those are guns! They’re armed! Those bastards! I told you not to let them get behind us!

Everyone was dumbfounded, wondering what was happening, but Mabel, who had been disguised as a merchant and tasked with monitoring Daniel yesterday, clutched her head.

“It’s Daniel Steiner…! He sent them! To wipe us out!”

Despite Mabel’s cries, the informants were still clueless, just looking at each other.

That’s when it happened.

Bang—

As gunshots rang out from above, the informants each drew their pistols and started burning documents.

“Shit! We’ve been discovered! Incinerate all the documents!”

“Get the guns! We have to defend the entrance!”

They were moving quickly, as trained personnel would, but Mabel crawled under a desk and shook her head.

“It’s over. You idiots…”

These were the armed forces under Daniel Steiner’s command.

There was no way they could fight back with ordinary means.

As Mabel trembled, several more gunshots echoed from above.

Then, the metal door leading to the basement was thrown open with a bang!

After the deafening noise subsided, everyone held their breath and stared at the entrance.

A heavy atmosphere filled with tension settled over the room.

“When is the Chief of Staff coming back?”

“Someone has to give us orders…”

As they looked at each other nervously, Mabel closed her eyes tightly and shouted,

“You idiots! Don’t you get it yet!? This was Daniel Steiner’s plan all along! He lured the Chief of Staff outside to disrupt our chain of command and then attack us all at once!”

Morten, who had gone to meet Daniel without knowing this, had practically stuck his head in an alligator’s mouth.

Just as Mabel, now understanding everything, started to sob quietly, three grenades were thrown into the basement.

The startled informants hid behind their desks, but the grenades didn’t explode.

Pssshhh—

Only the hissing sound of gas escaping could be heard.

But despite the sound, no smoke was visible.

One of the informants, staring blankly at the scene, coughed and then collapsed on the floor.

Seeing this, Mabel murmured,

“Colorless with an almond scent… Shit! It’s sleep-inducing gas! Don’t breathe it in… Cough!”

Mabel covered her nose and mouth with one hand and crawled on the floor, using the other hand for support.

She thought she had to escape through the emergency exit somehow.

But the next moment,

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack—

A succession of heavy footsteps echoed, and armed men stormed through the entrance.

Their faces hidden behind gas masks, they swiftly occupied the room and began striking the heads of those still conscious with the butts of their rifles.

The black man leading them quietly gave the order.

“Subdue and restrain everyone. You may kill anyone who resists.”

Her vision blurred.

Coughing and drooling, Mabel soon collapsed onto the floor.

“All of this is…”

The voice from behind the gas mask sounded deeper.

In her fading consciousness, she saw a black man approaching.

He raised the butt of his rifle towards Mabel.

“…for Daniel Steiner.”

The next moment, with a thud, Mabel’s consciousness faded to black.