Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 61
Daniel Steiner Goes to War (Against His Will)!
『 Translator – Divinity 』

Immediately after apprehending Morten’s subordinates who were operating in the basement of the shopping mall,

Daniel informed the General Staff Headquarters of his intention to return to the capital, cutting his vacation short.

The General Staff Headquarters, respecting Daniel’s wishes, arranged for a return train, and two days later, Daniel was ready to leave his hometown.

“Daniel? Didn’t you say you were going to stay here for a month?”

At the entrance of the monastery, Hierony, the head priest, looked at Daniel with concern as he came to say goodbye.

He felt sorry for Daniel, who was returning to the capital without properly enjoying his vacation.

Daniel also wanted to spend more time leisurely in his hometown, but since he had captured the rebels, he had to return quickly.

‘The prince’s faction must be thinking of me as a key member of the princess’s faction by now…’

Even though it wasn’t his intention, the fact that he had taken the lead in apprehending Morten’s subordinates was enough to arouse suspicion from the prince’s faction.

Staying on vacation leisurely while under suspicion was no different from advertising, “Come and kill me.”

“I apologize. Something came up in the capital.”

Of course, there was no need to tell the head priest, who was like a mentor to him, about the situation.

Smiling as if it were nothing, Daniel took out an envelope filled with money from his pocket and handed it to him.

“Please accept this. It’s my salary with a little extra from the reward money.”

Hierony’s eyes widened as he checked the thickness of the envelope.

“Daniel! It’s a blessing from God that you even visited the monastery during your vacation, and now you’re giving us this much money! I can’t accept this! Please use it for yourself.”

“Head Priest, donating this money to the monastery is the same as using it for myself.”

Daniel spoke gently, but Hierony firmly refused.

“The monastery can sufficiently provide for the children even without your help, so please use this for yourself. I don’t want to take money from you when you’re already struggling.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll burn this money since it’s unnecessary.”

“Daniel, don’t do anything reckless…”

Hierony trailed off.

Daniel had casually taken out a lighter from his officer’s coat and lit it.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he held the envelope over the flame.

“Head Priest, you know that I’m a man of my word. If you don’t take this envelope right now, I’ll burn it.”

Hierony gulped.

Just as he was wondering if Daniel would really burn all that money, Daniel’s hand slowly moved downwards.

As the corner of the envelope started to burn, Hierony reached out in a panic.

He hurriedly snatched the envelope and exclaimed in surprise,

“Daniel! Are you going to trample on the goodwill of the people who gave you this money!?”

“I was planning to, but since you took it, that won’t be happening.”

“What are you… Ah.”

Hierony finally realized that he had been tricked by Daniel and looked dumbfounded.

Seeing his expression, Daniel chuckled softly.

Hierony, snapping out of his daze at the sound of Daniel’s laughter, frowned.

“…Daniel, do you find it amusing to play such a nasty prank?”

“I apologize, but I had no choice. If I hadn’t played this prank, you wouldn’t have accepted the money.”

“Honestly, you haven’t changed a bit…”

Sighing softly, Hierony nodded in resignation.

“Alright, if this is truly your wish, I’ll use it for the children.”

“That’s what I wanted. Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Already? I wish you could come in and have a cup of tea…”

“I’d love to, but it’s almost time for my train. As you can see, the taxi driver is already waiting.”

As Daniel said, Hierony turned his head and saw an Asian man in suspenders leaning against a car.

The Asian man, making eye contact with Hierony, tipped his fedora and greeted him politely.

Hierony, looking somewhat puzzled, said,

“An Asian driver, you say? But I’ve never seen him around here before…”

Was he a recent hire? Hierony blinked in confusion, then nodded.

“Anyway, since you’re pressed for time, I shouldn’t hold you back any longer. Daniel, we’ll be praying for you here, so come visit us anytime if things get difficult.”

“Yes, I will.”

Daniel smiled and bid farewell, then turned around.

Immediately, the smile disappeared from his face.

He walked slowly and got into the backseat of the taxi, then said to the driver,

“Please take me to the nearest train station.”

After hearing the driver’s acknowledgement, Daniel leaned back in his seat.

He was thinking about what might be happening in the capital right now.

‘The one who will react swiftly to the news of Morten’s capture would be Duke Belvar.’

Duke Belvar was the head of a long-standing family in the Empire and also the Minister of the Imperial Household.

Valuing the traditions of the Imperial family, Duke Belvar firmly believed that the prince was the rightful heir to the throne.

If Morten, working in the shadows for the prince, was the prince’s left hand, then Duke Belvar, openly supporting the prince, could be considered his right hand.

He was a stubborn man who remained opposed to the princess even when the prince’s defeat seemed certain, all for the sake of that damned legitimacy, so it was understandable why he was so inflexible.

Therefore, after capturing Morten and his remnants, Daniel only revealed the discovery of the rebellion documents to the princess and her closest aides.

This was to deceive Duke Belvar into thinking that Morten had burned all the related documents and kept his mouth shut before being captured.

It was a way to buy time.

‘Moreover, revealing this information to the media should be a last resort.’

Recklessly spreading information was no different from losing a valuable negotiation card.

Furthermore, if the information was made public, it could backfire and solidify the enemy’s forces by turning it into a propaganda war.

‘So I need to use this information strategically to create division from within…’

That was the only way to survive this chaotic and violent succession struggle.

Lost in thought in the moving taxi, Daniel suddenly let out a soft sigh.

He loosened his tie and looked out the window, his face clouded with worry.

‘How did things turn out this way?’

He had planned to play with the children at the monastery, enjoy a meal at Jack’s Restaurant, and take a leisurely stroll during his vacation.

But now, he found himself forcibly placed on the princess’s side, struggling to survive.

‘Who in the world wiped out the prince’s secret organization and then passed the responsibility onto me?’

As Daniel narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration, the taxi driver, observing him through the rearview mirror, smiled faintly.

‘Seeing his thrilled expression, it seems he likes our gift.’

Daniel Steiner would rise even higher.

As the prophet leading the Black Swan.

***

Meanwhile, at Duke Belvar’s mansion.

“Morten was captured?”

Belvar’s jaw dropped in astonishment upon hearing the news from the south.

It was natural for him to be shocked that the organization, which had been operating without a trace for the past three years, was suddenly taken down.

However, this wasn’t the time to be surprised.

“What about the confidential information? Was it revealed that the Dawn of the New Day was working for the prince?”

Basson, his confidante and informant, shook his head at Belvar’s question.

“Judging from the lack of news, it seems they’re still investigating.”

“That’s a relief. But it’s only a matter of time before it’s revealed. But who exactly captured Morten?”

“…Major Daniel Steiner.”

Daniel Steiner.

The moment he heard that name, Belvar felt dizzy and pressed his hand to his forehead.

“That damn bastard. He’s finally revealing his true colors.”

It was common for war heroes with high prestige to enter politics.

It seemed that Daniel was also trying to make the princess the Empress for his own advancement.

But Daniel was different from typical war heroes.

‘To think he pretended to be uninterested in politics until right before capturing Morten…’

Daniel had strictly limited his interactions with politicians and refused all interviews.

Recently, he even took a long vacation at a critical time in the succession struggle, so Belvar had wondered if he was truly uninterested in politics.

‘But all of this was a deception tactic…!’

Judging from how he deceived everyone and captured the Dawn of the New Day, he must have been preparing for this for a long time.

The thought of being played by Daniel Steiner filled him with rage.

But even the most cunning and meticulous person had weaknesses.

“Cartman Schulz…”

Actually, Chief Inspector Cartman Schulz from the Security Bureau had visited his mansion recently.

He had claimed that Daniel Steiner was colluding with a spy.

However, after hearing him out, Belvar had dismissed it as a waste of time because there was no solid evidence.

‘But now I have to grasp at straws.’

The situation was urgent, and he couldn’t afford to be picky.

“Contact the Security Bureau and tell Cartman Schulz. I, the Minister of the Imperial Household, will back you, so find evidence that Daniel Steiner is colluding with a spy, no matter what it takes!”

His confidante bowed his head and left the room.

Watching him leave, Belvar angrily threw the wine glass in his hand.

Clang!

The red wine spilled from the shattered glass like blood.

Staring at the sight, Belvar clenched his fists.

‘Daniel Steiner…! You mere orphan, how dare you try to manipulate this Empire!’

Belvar believed that making the princess the Empress wasn’t Daniel’s ultimate goal.

His intuition told him so.

His ulterior motives must be far deeper and darker.

However, unable to gauge the depth of Daniel’s darkness, Belvar was afraid.

His hands trembling, Belvar desperately tried to shake off his fear and closed his eyes tightly.

‘This Empire, protected by our ancestors…’

…will never be handed over to a scoundrel like you.