Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 62
I Didn’t Mean to Help

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Imperial General Staff Headquarters.

Daniel Steiner’s private office.

Rustle—

In Daniel’s empty office, Lucy was working.

As usual, she was reviewing documents and organizing them by importance when she looked up.

‘Footsteps…’

She could hear footsteps approaching from the hallway.

‘Is it Daniel?’

Today was the day Daniel was supposed to return from his vacation.

Lucy felt happy at the thought of not having to work overtime anymore once Daniel was back.

She listened with anticipation, then shook her head.

‘No.’

It wasn’t Daniel’s footsteps.

Judging from the sound, the stride and the weight of each step were different.

‘Then who could it be…?’

Just as she wondered if it was Ernst, the Chief of Operations Staff, the office door opened.

Without even a knock, a man in a navy blue police uniform slowly entered.

Lucy’s hand twitched at the sight.

She knew this middle-aged man.

‘Cartman Schulz…’

He was a Chief Inspector from the Security Bureau.

She couldn’t forget him, as they had dined together at a restaurant while she was in disguise.

“Hmm?”

Cartman looked at the empty desk with a puzzled expression, then turned his head.

Making eye contact with Lucy, he paused for a moment, then gave an awkward smile.

“Ah, are you Major Steiner’s adjutant?”

Lucy hesitated to answer.

It could be disastrous if Cartman, a Security Bureau officer, became suspicious of her.

‘But back then…’

She had not only disguised her appearance with a wig and sunglasses but also concealed her voice.

Thinking that a short conversation should be fine, Lucy stood up and spoke calmly,

“Yes, what brings the Security Bureau to the General Staff Headquarters?”

“Well, there are various reasons, but simply put…”

Cartman scratched his head, then suddenly stared at Lucy.

“We’re here to uncover a spy.”

A moment of silence hung between them.

The suspicion in Cartman’s sleepy eyes was chilling.

However, being suspected was nothing new to Lucy.

Without a flicker of emotion, she responded to Cartman’s words.

“Are you saying there’s a spy in the General Staff Headquarters?”

Cartman chuckled at Lucy’s question.

Usually, people would say something like, “Are you suspecting me?” and trap themselves, but Lucy cleverly diverted Cartman’s suspicion to the entire headquarters.

Realizing that she wasn’t an easy opponent, Cartman shrugged.

“Well, this is awkward. I don’t want to suspect those who work hard for the Empire at the General Staff Headquarters either. But I’ve been investigating, and I’ve found some suspicious circumstances surrounding Major Daniel.”

“Suspicious circumstances?”

“Yes. I once had the pleasure of dining with Major Daniel at a restaurant. But there was a woman with him at the time.”

She was a peculiar person. Cartman pretended to be lost in thought, stroking his chin, then snapped his fingers.

“Ah! I heard she was a military doctor on the Eastern Front who suffered an eye injury from enemy soldiers. I couldn’t see her eyes because she was wearing sunglasses, but she was a beautiful woman with brown hair.”

Cartman looked at Lucy and smiled slyly.

“She was close to my ideal type. So I did some digging. I wondered how many military doctors on the Eastern Front had suffered eye injuries from enemy soldiers.”

Cartman’s smile disappeared as he raised his hand and spread his fingers.

“Five. There were five relatively young military doctors who were still alive despite suffering eye injuries. And then I thought, how many of them have brown hair?”

Cartman folded three of his fingers.

“Two. There were only two with brown hair. So, who among those brown-haired military doctors with eye injuries had aphasia and couldn’t speak at all?”

Cartman clenched his fist.

“There were none. Unfortunately.”

Staring intently at Lucy, Cartman lowered his hand.

“Isn’t it strange? The military doctor Major Daniel mentioned doesn’t exist? That means he lied. But why would he lie?”

Cartman tilted his head, then raised his eyes.

“Could it be that the woman back then was a spy, and he was hiding her from me, a Security Bureau officer?”

It was an accurate guess, but Lucy didn’t even blink.

Instead, she frowned with a displeased expression.

“Are you trying to accuse my superior officer, Major Daniel, of colluding with a spy?”

Cartman, momentarily silenced by Lucy’s firm stance, chuckled and shook his head.

“Of course not. It’s still just my foolish delusion. I sincerely hope it is just a delusion. But there’s no harm in being sure, is there? So, in that sense…”

Cartman rummaged through his pockets and took something out.

It was a sunglasses case.

He opened the case, and inside was a pair of sunglasses identical to the ones Lucy had worn that day.

“Could you try these on? I’m not suspecting you, Lieutenant Lucy, but if the woman I met back then was indeed a spy, she might be working within the General Staff Headquarters.”

He was implying that since he had asked everyone else to try on the sunglasses, she should try them on too.

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

If she put on the sunglasses Cartman was offering, his suspicion would only grow.

She could try to pass it off as a coincidence, but she wouldn’t be able to withstand Cartman’s persistent investigation for long.

But it would also be strange to refuse to try them on.

Caught in a dilemma, Lucy took a deep breath and reached for the sunglasses.

She thought that for now, complying with Cartman’s request was the best course of action, as there was no other way.

That’s when it happened.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Daniel’s voice stopped Lucy’s hand.

She reflexively turned her head and saw Daniel standing at the entrance of the office, looking at her.

Surprised by his unexpected appearance, Lucy simply blinked, forgetting to even salute.

Cartman also turned his head at the voice and saw Daniel.

“Ah, Major Daniel. It’s just that…”

Cartman’s voice trailed off as he spoke casually.

Daniel approached and looked down at him with an intimidating gaze.

The pressure from his tall stature and sharp eyes was significant.

“Explain yourself.”

His voice, laced with a chilling aura, intimidated Cartman.

However, Cartman couldn’t back down now and spoke up.

“Explain myself? I’m simply doing my job. I have access authorization from the higher-ups…”

“Then did you obtain an internal security surveillance warrant?”

Cartman was speechless.

An internal security surveillance warrant was a higher authority than access authorization.

Even the Security Bureau wouldn’t issue a warrant without solid evidence.

Seeing Cartman’s silence, Daniel frowned.

“Did you really barge in here without a warrant? And you’re even harassing my adjutant.”

“Major Daniel, this is a misunderstanding. Besides, this is for the benefit of the nation. So I’m not harassing your adjutant, but—”

“Cartman Schulz.”

Daniel cut him off and bowed his head slightly.

“It seems you don’t understand, so I’ll say it again.”

Their eyes met, and Cartman could see it.

Daniel, growling like a ferocious wolf.

“Get out of here, now.”

A cold sweat ran down Cartman’s back.

Feeling a sense of dread, he nodded and fled the office.

Only after confirming that Cartman had left did Daniel sigh in relief.

‘I knew Duke Belvar would take action, but I didn’t expect him to send someone already.’

It was obvious that Belvar was the one who granted Cartman access to the General Staff Headquarters.

‘Seeing Security Bureau officers wandering around the headquarters…’

It could be interpreted as them desperately searching for evidence.

‘It’s a relief for now. Things would have gotten complicated if Lucy had put on those sunglasses.’

If Lucy were suspected of being a spy, Daniel, her superior, wouldn’t be safe either.

In the worst case, he could be charged with colluding with a spy and executed.

That’s why he desperately chased Cartman away.

However, this was only a temporary solution.

‘Belvar will continue to pressure me. In that case…’

He had to eliminate his will to fight, preventing him from applying any further pressure.

Currently, Daniel had the power and ability to do so.

“Adjutant.”

Having made up his mind, Daniel turned to Lucy.

“I’m going to meet with Her Highness now, so stay here and guard the headquarters. Also, don’t go anywhere near the Security Bureau today. Understood?”

Lucy stared blankly at Daniel, then gave a small nod.

Seeing this, Daniel quickly left the office.

Lucy watched blankly as Daniel left, then let out a long sigh.

‘Why…?’

She couldn’t understand why Daniel would antagonize the Security Bureau officer who was pressuring her.

From Lucy’s perspective, it was as if Daniel had risked his life to save her from being suspected of espionage.

Lost in thought for a moment, Lucy narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest.

“……”

She could feel her heart pounding beneath her fingertips.