I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

My intuition was telling me that something big would happen today regarding Lucie.

I won’t boast, but my intuition is usually quite accurate.

So, I spent the workday being wary of Lucie, alert at all times, but contrary to my expectations, Lucie simply went about her duties as usual, without any peculiarities.

“It’s quitting time, Captain.”

In the personal office, after organizing the documents, Lucie turned to me and spoke.

‘…Quitting time already?’

Shifting my gaze from Lucie to the wall clock, it was indeed 6 PM.

After a momentary pause, I cleared my throat and rose from my seat.

“Very well, let’s go.”

Putting a few documents into my briefcase, I left the office with Lucie following closely behind.

We descended the central stairs and exited the General Staff Headquarters entrance.

“Excuse me, Captain.”

Turning to see what it was, Lucie extended an umbrella towards me.

“This is the umbrella you lent me previously. Thanks to it, I was able to avoid getting rained on. I had intended to return it sooner, but you’ve been so busy that I didn’t have the opportunity.”

Ah, I had lent her an umbrella.

“I’m glad you made good use of it.”

As I accepted the umbrella, Lucie looked up at me and blinked her ruby eyes.

“And congratulations on receiving the Order of the Imperial Phoenix. Considering the favor bestowed upon you by the high command, a promotion to Major should only be a matter of time.”

…What was that? A threat?

Unable to discern her intention, I fell silent. Lucie then bowed her head slightly.

“Well, I have a prior engagement, so I’ll take my leave first.”

With those words, Lucie walked away.

Was my intuition mistaken? Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Gazing blankly at Lucie’s retreating figure, I opened my briefcase and placed the umbrella inside.

‘Well, no news is good news, I suppose.’

After closing the bag, I glanced up at the cloudless sky.

‘Summer must be approaching.’

It was already 6 PM, yet the sun hadn’t set, indicating the lengthening days.

The gentle breeze carried a pleasant warmth.

Taking a deep, refreshing breath, I started walking at a leisurely pace.

‘Maybe I should check out that new dessert shop that opened on the outskirts of the capital.’

After being embroiled in all sorts of incidents lately, I too needed some healing and relaxation.

“Boss. It seems we’ll be able to distribute our goods on Raven 23rd Street as well. I offered a larger bribe to the patrolling officers there, and they’ve agreed to turn a blind eye for the time being.”

Inside a room with a whirring old ventilation fan, the mafia boss Nickel smiled in satisfaction.

“See? Didn’t I tell you? If they refuse the bribe, just offer more money, and they’ll come around. Let’s gradually expand our routes and establish a network.”

As Nickel placed a cigar in his mouth, a subordinate hurried over and lit it for him with a lighter.

After a few puffs, Nickel exhaled a plume of smoke, prompting the subordinate to step back.

Tapping the ash from the burning cigar into an ashtray, Nickel spoke.

“Today, we have a meeting with the customs inspector. Have everyone dress formally and prepare. That greedy bastard needs a little extra buttering up to make opium smuggling easier than it currently is.”
“Yes! Understood!”

As the subordinate responded with vigor, Nickel waved his hand dismissively.

The subordinate then opened the door and exited.

Watching him leave, Nickel took a few more drags from his cigar before heaving his bulky frame to his feet.

Pushing aside the creaking chair, he stood before a full-length mirror and adjusted his attire.

His hands, adorned with various luxury brands, sported several gold rings.

Gazing with satisfaction at his body draped in expensive items, Nickel wore a greedy smile.

‘So easy. Who would have thought it would be this easy…?’

Originally a spy for the Allied Nations, the opium trade had begun as a means of procuring local funds.

However, as the operation grew in scale, with Nickel now commanding around 30 subordinates, his loyalty to his home country waned, replaced by a growing lust for wealth.

Thus, he betrayed his nation and organization.

Living a life of luxury and affluence as an opium dealer in the Empire was far more comfortable and prosperous than risking his life gathering intelligence.

It had been over a year since he had ignored his home country’s communications, yet he felt no pangs of conscience.

‘After all, my home country treated me as expendable…’

He no longer had any reason to follow them.

Having rationalized his actions, Nickel was about to turn and leave to meet the customs inspector when:

Click!

The chilling sensation of a suppressed weapon pressed against the back of his head.

Before he could comprehend the situation, the space behind him in the mirror’s reflection began to distort.

‘Optical camouflage…!’

An advanced technique using mana to reflect and refract light, rendering the user transparent.

As such, even within the Empire and the Allied Nations, only a handful could utilize optical camouflage.

So, who was the one disengaging their optical camouflage right now? Sweating nervously, Nickel waited as a woman with ruby eyes gradually materialized before him.

“…!”

At that sight, Nickel’s heart pounded violently.

He had heard rumors of the ‘Red-Eyed Messenger’ who executed traitors to their homeland.

But he had assumed it was merely an urban legend. As Nickel stood there, bewildered, Lucie slowly parted her lips.

“Nickel Mayer. Your homeland has given you countless opportunities. Yet you have repeatedly rejected them.”

Her chilling voice seemed to freeze his body.

Darting his eyes frantically, Nickel spoke with a trembling voice.

“W, wait! Keeping me alive would benefit the Allied Nations! I’m spreading opium throughout the Empire! Even if I betrayed you, I’m not doing anything to benefit the Empire!”
“That is no excuse.”
“Please! Th, then how about this? I’ll give you all the money I’ve amassed, so-”

Lucie pulled the trigger.

Pff!

The suppressed gunshot rang out softly, followed by a spray of blood.

Nickel’s bulky frame swayed momentarily before crashing to the floor with a thud.

“…”

Coldly gazing down at the fallen Nickel, Lucie dusted off her hands and opened the window.

Despite being three stories high, the height posed no issue for Lucie.

Leaping down like a cat, she landed gracefully on the ground and entered a nearby alleyway.

Maneuvering around beggars, Lucie eventually found an empty alley.

If she changed her clothes here and left, the mission would be a success.

Relieved, Lucie retrieved a pair of sunglasses from her coat’s inner pocket and put them on.

Her ruby eyes were bound to draw attention, so it was best to conceal them as much as possible.

After readjusting her wig, Lucie began removing her blood-stained coat when she inadvertently turned her head and froze.

Her gaze had met that of an Imperial soldier emerging from the alleyway.

Initially, she had merely felt inconvenienced by the potential for additional work. However, upon recognizing the soldier’s appearance, Lucie found herself uncharacteristically flustered.

‘…Daniel Steiner?’

The black-haired soldier with a wolf-like, piercing gaze was none other than Daniel Steiner himself.

As a result, Lucie’s impassive expression faltered.

‘Dangerous.’

Who was Daniel Steiner? A man who had not only accumulated numerous merits but had also become proficient in identifying and interrogating spies.

Moreover, he possessed formidable combat abilities.

Lucie was well aware of his feat of instantly slaying Colonel Jeremy on the northern front, as well as his victory against seven soldiers.

And most recently, during the Princess’s rescue, Daniel Steiner had left eight Allied agents as lifeless corpses.

‘Of course…’

If the only technique Daniel knew was nerve acceleration, Lucie could have subdued him without difficulty.

However, her opponent was a thorough, calculating, cold, and insidious individual.

There was a possibility that Daniel could use techniques other than nerve acceleration, yet had chosen not to reveal them.

Furthermore, even if Lucie succeeded in killing Daniel here, she would be unable to evade the Empire’s investigative net.

While an ordinary soldier’s death in an alleyway might not warrant much scrutiny, Daniel was an elite among elites, having received the Order of the Imperial Phoenix from the Emperor himself and being a candidate for early promotion.

If such a person were found dead in an alleyway, a massive investigation would ensue, during which Lucie would likely be apprehended with a high probability.

‘In that case…’

She had no choice but to navigate this situation as smoothly as possible.

Fortunately, Lucie was currently wearing a wig and sunglasses.

If she could pretend to be someone else and deceive Daniel, there might be a chance of returning alive.

The worst-case scenario would be if Daniel had been tracking her from the beginning and entered the alleyway intentionally, but until that became certain, she decided against rash actions.

As Lucie deliberated various possibilities, her mind racing, Daniel was contemplating a similar thought process.

‘I was merely on my way to a dessert shop when I got lost…’

But after turning down this alleyway, he had encountered Lucie, her coat stained with blood. This was the worst possible outcome.

…There was a reason he was certain the woman was Lucie.

He had caught a glimpse of her ruby eyes before she put on her sunglasses upon entering the alleyway.

‘It seems I’ve stumbled upon her during an intelligence operation.’

This was problematic. If he let on that he had recognized her as a spy, a bullet might find its way between his eyes.

However, the likelihood of that was slim.
Unless she was a fool, Lucie would attempt to defuse the situation.

Conveniently, she was wearing a wig and sunglasses, wasn’t she?

That implied Lucie intended to pretend to be someone else.

‘In that case, there’s only one course of action.’

Struggling to calm their minds, the two regarded each other in silence.

At that moment, their thoughts converged in an ironic harmony:

‘I must thoroughly deceive Daniel.’
‘I must play along and be deceived.’

Remarkably, their minds aligned in an unexpected way.