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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: He Is Coming
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Four days after the Christmas party.
Deputy Chief of Staff Cedric's office.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner."
Cedric said, glancing through the documents in his hand.
"Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor and Her Royal Highness the Princess, a request for operational support has come in from high command, just as you wished. This time, it's the Eastern Front."
Daniel listened silently to Cedric's words, standing at ease.
"The location is a border area with the Kingdom of Belmore, one of the Allied Nations. It's an environment close to barren land. Furthermore, it's a basin surrounded by mountains, making it strategically and militarily unimportant, which is why only a small company is stationed there."
It was a reconnaissance unit stationed there to detect any potential advance by the Kingdom of Belmore through the mountainous terrain.
Of course, as long as the Kingdom of Belmore was sane, they wouldn't consider advancing through the mountains.
Advancing through rugged mountain ranges was practically a suicide mission.
"You will lead a battalion-sized unit directly under headquarters to this location. Upon arrival, you are to join the stationed company and receive a handover. Your mission will begin after that."
"A mission, you say?"
"It is to rescue an Imperial engineering technician held captive near the border. Specifically, you must rescue Hans Zernmehart. He is one of the technicians who knows the Empire's core secrets."
Understanding the mission, Daniel saluted.
"I will obey the order."
Nodding, Cedric returned the salute.
Just as he was about to dismiss Daniel, Cedric spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah, I should add, there's no need to push yourself to complete the mission. High command prioritizes your survival over Hans Zernmehart's rescue. After all, breaking through the border defenses and rescuing a prisoner with a battalion-sized force is no easy task to begin with."
That was welcome news.
It was as good as saying that even if he failed the mission, he wouldn't be held accountable.
For Daniel, who had been troubled by the possibility of the Emperor using mission failure as an excuse to keep him in check, this was nothing short of a godsend.
"I will bear that in mind. However, I will do my utmost to complete the mission entrusted to me."
"Very well. If you have no objections, you may return."
"Understood."
Daniel replied firmly, turned on his heel, and exited Cedric's office.
As he walked down the corridor, Daniel inwardly cheered.
'Excellent!'
Things were going better than expected.
'I wondered what I'd do if they actually deployed me to the heart of a chaotic battlefield, with shells raining down, just because I asked to be sent to the front line...'
It seemed high command had decided that keeping Daniel Steiner alive would benefit the national interest, so they sent him to the front, but to a relatively less dangerous location.
They even added the comforting words, 'It's fine if you fail the mission,' didn't they?
To put it bluntly, it was no different from telling him to pretend to participate in the war and just go relax abroad.
'Now, under the pretense of carrying out this mission, I'll stay on the front lines...'
He would return to the capital once the current Emperor, Bertheim, abdicated after transferring all authority to Selvia.
'Judging by Selvia's attitude yesterday, she doesn't seem to have any intention of keeping me in check.'
So, if Selvia became Emperor, he felt he could live safely in the capital.
'Of course...'
His ultimate goal wasn't just to live safely in the capital.
Although the Empire had grown stronger than expected by successively subjugating the Kingdom of Eldresia and Bellanos, the best option was still to escape.
The moment the winter ice thawed and spring arrived, the great powers would rush to declare war on the Empire.
According to incoming intelligence, the Federation and the Republic were gradually mobilizing their forces.
He also heard that the number of meetings with Kaledra, the de facto leader of the Allied Nations, had increased.
It was safe to say that a world war was on the verge of breaking out.
The only way to escape the flames of that war, for now, was to flee the Empire.
'However...'
Was it truly right to leave Selvia behind in the flames of war and depart?
Daniel was well aware that Selvia, unlike the Emperor, was favorably disposed towards him.
Furthermore, while Selvia knew how to care for the people, she wasn't adept at politics.
She would surely fall with the collapsing Empire.
Thinking so, his head grew complicated.
As he descended the stairs, racking his brain, he encountered a woman with a familiar appearance.
Disheveled silver bob hair and blood-red eyes.
It was Lucy.
"Adjutant?"
He asked why she had come out of the office, and Lucy blinked her red eyes before replying.
"Ah. An officer from the unit directly under headquarters came to see you, Lieutenant Colonel. I was looking for you to inform you of this."
"...From the headquarters unit?"
He could roughly guess who it was.
Daniel nodded with a reluctant expression and headed to his private office with Lucy.
Standing before the office door, Daniel took a deep breath, then grasped the handle and opened it.
The first thing he saw was a woman with light brown hair that cascaded down past her waist.
On her shoulder, a brand-new-looking Second Lieutenant's insignia was visible.
The woman sensed his presence, turned around, and upon seeing Daniel, her eyes gleamed as she clasped her hands together.
"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner. You cannot possibly know how long I have awaited this moment, Lieutenant Colonel. I am grateful to be able to carry out my mission by the side of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, who is nothing short of a saint, and I swear to God that I will slaughter the beasts of the Allied Nations with my very life—"
Thump!
Unable to listen any longer, Daniel closed the door.
One chilling detail was that even after the door closed, Frien's voice continued to pour out from inside.
It was as if the door was merely a barrier to her sight, as Frien continued to praise Daniel.
Fed up, Daniel turned to Lucy.
"Adjutant."
"Yes, sir."
"Is there any chance for a return?"
Lucy, who had been staring at Daniel, frowned, a rare expression for her.
"Lieutenant Colonel. You shouldn't say such things about a person."
"A person, you say..."
Should he truly consider this woman, who was so deeply immersed in nationalism that she interpreted religion however she pleased, a person?
He was about to say that, looking at her mental state alone, she was something close to a monster, but he held back.
He figured there was no need to say anything unnecessary, as he'd have to live with her for a while, like it or not.
*
Meanwhile, in the basin bordering the Kingdom of Belmore.
Operations Command Center of a Special Warfare Company, under the Airborne Special Forces Brigade.
"Captain."
Captain Bunrad, who had been sleeping sprawled out in the command post, opened his bleary eyes.
Bunrad blinked slowly, then yawned softly and pushed himself upright.
His military uniform was completely disheveled, and his combat boots were untied, but Bunrad didn't care.
This was the kind of place where he could get away with it, after all.
"What is it? What's going on? Did we run out of liquor?"
Bunrad asked with a dazed look, and the Platoon Leader shook his head.
Seeing that, Bunrad scratched his forehead in annoyance.
"Then what is it?"
"Well... I think it's time for us to get to work on our mission."
"Mission? Did you just say mission?"
Bunrad let out a hollow laugh, as if utterly dumbfounded.
"Snap out of it, Sergeant. We've been abandoned here. It's been over a year since we were told to focus on guard duty until new orders came down. And since then, high command hasn't given us a single order."
Bunrad ran a hand through his falling hair, sweeping it back.
"So, it means we just sit here, drink our supply liquor until the war ends. Let's look on the bright side. It's a goddamn place with nothing but mountains, but at least we won't get shot, right?"
Bunrad chuckled, then stopped, a look of puzzlement on his face.
Usually, by now, the Platoon Leader would have joined in, but today, his face was ashen.
"...What's wrong? Don't tell me high command issued new orders?"
The Platoon Leader nodded.
"Yes, sir. It's an order for a battalion-sized unit from headquarters to be dispatched here, and for us to be under the command of their Lieutenant Colonel."
"Lieutenant Colonel? Ha. What difference will a battalion-sized unit make coming here? Are they going to attack the Kingdom of Belmore with less than a thousand men? What kind of nonsense is... Damn it. Why have you been making that face?"
He didn't like the sight of the Platoon Leader trembling like a frightened deer.
As Bunrad glared, as if demanding an explanation, the Platoon Leader took a deep breath and spoke.
"The Lieutenant Colonel who is coming here is none other than..."
"None other than what?"
"...Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner."
The moment he heard the Lieutenant Colonel's name, Bunrad froze on the spot.
No matter how remote this basin was, news from the capital still reached them.
Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff Officer of the General Staff.
It was one of those names that no Imperial soldier could possibly not know.
"Sergeant? I don't like jokes."
He asked just in case, but the Platoon Leader didn't retract his words.
"I heard it clearly. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner is coming here..."
At that, Bunrad raised a trembling hand to his forehead.
"Daniel Steiner... that man. The one who supposedly skinned an Allied Nations soldier alive in front of the Eldresian Kingdom's Foreign Minister..."
Rumors tend to get exaggerated.
Especially in remote areas, stories gain more embellishment.
What began as a simple 'drinking joke' would transform into 'truth' as it was passed on and on.
The Platoon Leader was also one of those who took the exaggerated rumors as truth.
"That's not all. Do you know that when Duke Belvar pressured him, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner stormed his mansion? And then, he shot a private soldier dead with a pistol right in front of Duke Belvar's eyes."
"My God..."
Bunrad's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Bunrad, sweating coldly, raised his head to look at the Platoon Leader.
"If that Daniel Steiner sees our current state..."
"It's a firing squad. It'll definitely be a firing squad."
Terrified, Bunrad let out a single hiccup.
Sobered up, Bunrad quickly stood up and shouted.
"Inform all personnel! Tell them to conduct facility inspection and cleaning immediately! Also, order them to perform weapon maintenance and tidy their uniforms! All technical matters will also be checked!"
"Understood, sir. But what reason should I give them..."
It wasn't just Bunrad who had grown lax over the past year.
The troops, too, were so bogged down by the peace within the war zone that they were playing poker during duty hours.
However, getting them to snap out of it would be quite easy.
Bunrad had just experienced it himself.
"Tell them he's coming. Daniel Steiner is..."
Bunrad, his face drained of color, swallowed hard and said,
"The Empire's Devil is coming here."