I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Since joining forces with Princess Selvia, the tide of the situation had turned significantly.

Thanks to Daniel’s orders, the squad members who disembarked and spread out joined forces with the reinforcements sent by the special operations team at the forward operating base, literally sweeping away the prince’s army disguised as the allied forces.

Moreover, due to Captain Heinz’s additional support request, reconnaissance helicopters and combat planes from the nearby air force unit came to assist, leaving the prince’s army with no chance of victory.

From the outset, they were a small unit sent for a quick resolution.

It was already a struggle to withstand just the reinforcements from the special operations team, but with the air force joining, defeat was all but guaranteed.

Cornered, the prince’s soldiers chose to take their own lives as if on cue, and the situation came to a close.

And now.

Daniel and his squad were standing at attention in a clearing in the forest, resting on their feet.

In front of the transport helicopter that had landed in the center of the clearing, Selvia blinked her blue eyes, watching them.

‘Indeed. It is said that excellent soldiers follow under great commanders…’

Daniel and his squad were covered in blood.

That meant they had not hesitated to fight against the prince’s soldiers.

Of course, among them, save for Daniel, no one knew that those they fought against were indeed the prince’s soldiers.

“Lieutenant Daniel.”

As Selvia looked around at the squad members, her eyes met Daniel’s.

When she beckoned him to come closer, Daniel strode forward.

“Did you call for me?”

Selvia nodded, tiptoeing to whisper in Daniel’s ear.

“Please keep what you saw and heard today to yourself. It must not get out that my brother is involved in this matter.”

“…Understood. Without evidence, hastily declaring it as the prince’s doing could backfire.”

“Exactly. I’m glad we communicate well.”

The voice whispering in his ear was sweet.

After conveying her message softly, Selvia took a step back.

“Then, I will return to the estate. I’d love to travel to the General Staff Headquarters and discuss more with you, but… the situation has escalated more than expected, so I think I need to hurry back.”

It had certainly escalated. By now, the military leadership in the estate must be in chaos over the news of the princess’s ambush.

Thanks to Captain Heinz’s judgment that the situation was dangerous, he had requested support from the air force.

In any case, if Selvia didn’t hurry back, she would face the ire of not just the current emperor, but also the noble vassals, so there was no choice for her.

Daniel, fully understanding Selvia’s position, bowed his head.

“It was an honor to meet you. I look forward to the day we can meet again.”

With Daniel’s polite words, Selvia offered a faint smile.

“We will meet again soon.”

Her words were meaningful.

While Daniel struggled to find a response, Selvia turned and boarded the transport helicopter.

The Imperial Guard members confirmed her boarding before closing the door briskly.

When one of the guards announced that everyone was on board, the pilot began preparing for takeoff.

The helicopter’s propellers started whirring before soon roaring, pushing the air aside.

Or rather, it would be more intuitive to say it was pushing the ground aside.

As the helicopter took off, scattering the snow piled around the clearing, it headed straight for the estate.

“…”

Inside the helicopter, Selvia sat and looked down at the ground through the window.

She could see Daniel and his squad members saluting the helicopter below.

As she silently watched them, Selvia turned her gaze to one of the Imperial Guard members checking a firearm.

On the shoulder of the guard was embossed the golden wings, symbolizing the chief protection of the Imperial Guard.

Colonel Hartmann Edelstein.

He was the commanding presence on the scene of the Imperial Guard and a well-known killing machine.

The tale of him wielding a sword amidst a hail of gunfire was often recounted when describing Hartmann.

If there was a single entity that this killing machine was afraid of, it would be Selvia von Amberg, who was currently sending her gaze with an indifferent expression.

Usually, Selvia, who was like a granddaughter, seemed utterly cute and beautiful, but when she stared intently as if wanting something, it became chilling.

But he couldn’t just ignore her, so Hartmann lowered the weapon he was cleaning and took off his gas mask.

A bead of cold sweat formed on the wrinkled face of the old man.

“Your Highness the Princess. Do you have something to say to me?”

“I do. Why didn’t you retrieve Lieutenant Daniel immediately?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hartmann, do you think I’m a fool? Lieutenant Daniel would have arrived before engaging the enemy, so why didn’t you help him right away and just stood by? Answer me.”

He had a premonition, and indeed, it was as he feared.

Hartmann glanced around.

He had sent out some kind of SOS signal, but the Imperial Guard members were desperately focusing on their weapons, refusing to meet his gaze.

Concerned about getting in trouble, they were pretending not to know.

‘Damn it all…’

After giving his subordinates a glare, Hartmann turned back to Selvia and offered the warmest smile he could muster.

“As I recall, Your Highness’s command at the time was to ‘retrieve Lieutenant Daniel without injury.’ Since Lieutenant Daniel was not actually injured, we can consider that we faithfully executed that command.”

“Are you trying to pass that off as an excuse?”

“Your Highness, while I understand your anger, we needed time to assess who this person is that you wish to favor. That is part of our duty.”

While he did not doubt Selvia’s judgment, for the Imperial Guard, it was important to understand what kind of capabilities and mindset the individuals approaching her possessed.

“To offer a bit more excuse, we had some results regarding this matter.”

Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was a rare individual capable of using the ability to accelerate his nerves.

Despite the extreme consumption of mana, the time he could accelerate his nerves was notably short, so in the past, this ability hadn’t drawn much attention.

A mere few seconds was not enough to pierce the armor of a knight or break through a sorcerer’s barrier.

However, due to technological advancements and the emergence of firearms, the time taken for humans to kill one another shifted to units of seconds.

In modern battlefields, as long as one could aim accurately, even the lowest of low-born could kill the highest noble.

So, gaining even a few seconds of personal time in such a battlefield would provide immense advantage.

In that regard, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was an incredibly desirable talent.

Had he not belonged to the General Staff Headquarters, Hartmann would have even extended him a job offer to work with the Imperial Guard.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s combat abilities are excellent. With just a bit of luck, he could have taken down six soldiers all by himself.”

“……”

Selvia narrowed her eyes, her face sulky.

Having served alongside the princess for an extended period, Hartmann understood.

Right now, Selvia was silently pressuring him with the thought, ‘That’s not what I’m asking about, is it?’

Answering incorrectly here could earn him her ire.

Incurring Selvia’s wrath was quite painful for Hartmann.

Despite their stark differences in social status, he genuinely held Selvia dear, like a granddaughter.

So he was determined to share one more piece of information.

After clearing his throat, Hartmann spoke in a serious tone.

“If Your Highness truly wishes to recruit Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as an ally, there may be no need to test his loyalty.”

Suddenly, what was he talking about? As Selvia blinked in confusion, Hartmann continued.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner declared in front of the prince’s soldiers that ‘a foolish prince can never become an emperor.’ He added, ‘The one who will become the emperor is the princess.’”

Selvia’s eyes widened in surprise.

Having arrived late to the scene, it was the first time she heard that Daniel had said such a thing.

“…Is that true? Did Lieutenant Daniel really say that?”

“Yes. Everyone here heard it.”

The Imperial Guard members, who were tidying their firearms, all nodded in agreement.

Seeing that, a faint smile touched Selvia’s lips.

“I see. Lieutenant Daniel said such a thing…”

Trailing off her words, Selvia turned her gaze out the window to look down at the ground.

Having already distanced themselves quite a bit from the clearing, he wouldn’t be visible anymore, but Selvia’s gaze unconsciously searched for Daniel.

“Hmm. So he said that…”

Without fully understanding, it seemed that Daniel’s words rather pleased her.

‘Could it be that she’s happy to have recruited a new talent?’

Yet, she seemed more flustered than usual.

‘Could it be that she sees Lieutenant Daniel as a romantic interest…?’

No, that couldn’t be. Selvia, having suffered so much at the hands of her brother, would likely dismiss the idea of romantic interests as if it were a stone.

Regardless of the reason, seeing Selvia express an age-appropriate demeanor was indeed a delightful sight for Hartmann.