I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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My heart started racing, and my breath became erratic.

I forced a calm expression, but the corners of my mouth twitched slightly.

“Calm down! Think of an excuse!”

If I couldn’t answer like this, Daniel’s suspicion might turn into certainty.

In a fleeting moment, Alistair, running countless simulations in his mind, finally found his voice.

“Ah, I see. I had no idea such a thing happened. When I went, they were selling perfectly fine, so I didn’t know about any incident.”

This was the answer Alistair had deduced after much thought.

Given that Daniel had gone straight to the General Staff Headquarters after graduating from the military academy, he concluded that he likely didn’t visit Jack’s restaurant last year.

It was a classic case of using a gap in information for deception.

“Hmm. I had no idea there was such an incident…”

Daniel leisurely tapped on the banquet table.

That small gesture and delicate sound instilled anxiety in the already tense Alistair.

Alistair could feel Daniel’s suspicion weighing heavily on him.

On the other hand, Daniel seemed unconcerned.

“…Did they resume selling from last year?”

It was a delicious dessert, so the owner might not have given up on it.

After all, if an allergic customer mistakenly ordered it, it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault.

Nodding along with that thought, Daniel looked at Alistair.

“It seems they’ve started selling apple strudel again. Of course, I’ll have to ask Jack’s restaurant to know for sure. Oh, and one more thing…”

Just as Daniel was about to ask a question, the classical music performed by the band filled the banquet hall.

At the same time, everyone in the hall started clapping, causing both of their gazes to naturally turn that way.

From the third floor of the banquet hall, the royal family descended slowly, holding onto the stair railing.

This meant that the main event Philip had mentioned was about to begin.

As a military officer of the Empire, Daniel was obliged to show respect to the royals, so he could no longer continue their conversation.

“Oh dear. Time’s up. I suppose we should end our chat here.”

With a smile, Daniel picked up his uniform hat from the table and stood up.

“I hope you have a great time.”

Daniel nodded once, placing his hat against his side as he walked towards the crowd.

Thanks to that, Alistair felt a sense of relief.

“Thank goodness. If I’d been questioned a bit longer, I might have been caught…”

Feeling relieved at that fact, Alistair turned to look back at Daniel and froze.

He noticed Daniel talking to a figure who appeared to be the Head of the Operations Staff, occasionally glancing back at him.

“Damn…!”

It was clear that Daniel hadn’t dropped his suspicion.

He was undoubtedly telling the Head of the Operations Staff that “that person is suspicious.”

With a worried frown, Alistair quickly rose from his seat and walked towards the bathroom.

Upon entering the bathroom, Alistair confirmed that no one was around and lifted his wrist, pressing the transmission button of a miniature radio disguised as a watch.

“Speaker, respond! This is the photo studio!”

After a moment, the radio replied.

— What’s going on? Is it time to report the list?

Alistair shook his head.

“No! I’m under suspicion right now! They’ve likely increased the security. So, cancel the crazy dog operation immediately! Disperse the agents to the old city! We need to go to Plan B!”

— You’re under suspicion? The identity disguise was perfect. Your disguise should be unrecognizable even to the Imperial Army.

“The situation turned bad. The one suspecting me is none other than Daniel Steiner.”

Daniel Steiner. The weight that name carried was considerable.

The radio responded after a brief pause.

— Understood. I’ll withdraw the existing operation and switch to Plan B. I’ll inform all agents. Good luck.

The transmission cut off.

As Alistair stared down at his watch, he pressed his forehead.

“Damn. I have no choice but to go to Plan B…”

Unlike the original operation, Plan B comes with exponentially higher chances of failure.

Even if the operation succeeds, the agents would be massacred, effectively giving the Empire justification for launching an expansion war.

But there was no alternative.

With Daniel Steiner suspecting me, the original plan wouldn’t work anyway.

Sweeping his face with a hand, Alistair clasped his hands in reverence and muttered.

“Oh God…”

Please protect us.

—

“Heading to the bathroom, huh? That new friend of yours.”

“Yeah. It seemed urgent.”

I shrugged my shoulders, watching Alistair enter the restroom.

Ernst, seeing me, let out a hearty laugh.

“Let’s stop talking about your local friend for now and focus on the ball.”

“…The ball?”

“Oh, I remember now. It’s your first time at the royal banquet, right? Usually, when the banquet grows lively, the royals come out to dance. It’s a tradition that’s been upheld for ages.”

I wondered what dancing had to do with tradition but didn’t want to question the customs of the royal family.

Nodding vaguely, I turned my gaze towards the central hall, where the royals were preparing to dance, and the first thing I saw was Selvia, dressed in a deep purple evening gown.

The dress had a daring scoop back, and the necklace and earrings with a hint of blue distracted from its flirtatiousness, giving it a vintage feel.

Honestly, Selvia looked very different from the one I met in the north.

Perhaps it was the light makeup that made me quickly realize why Selvia’s vibe felt different from usual.

‘She doesn’t seem to like this place.’

Selvia wasn’t smiling.

The playful or triumphant smile she had shown in the north was absent.

Thinking about it from her perspective, it was understandable.

If I had to dance in front of people who were watching me against my will after being decked out in all the royal splendor, I would dislike it too.

However, regardless of Selvia’s feelings, the lights in the banquet hall dimmed further, and the music announcing the dance began to play.

As the performance started, the royals began to dance with their partners, each wearing a smile.

Selvia was no exception, but one thing was different: she maintained a stoic expression throughout.

Of course, that stoicism was quite attractive to me.

I tend to think of myself as a rather rational person, yet my rationality seemed inadequate to overcome the beauty bias.

If someone else had that grumpy expression, I might have told them to lighten up, but with beautiful Selvia looking like that, it seemed like a piece of art.

This is why beauty bias is scary. It’s something to be wary of.

So, with my arms crossed, I watched as the dance ended and the lights brightened.

Immediately, everyone clapped for the royals as if it were a prearranged cue.

Receiving applause from the audience, Selvia glanced around with an expression of annoyance, and then our eyes met.

Selvia’s eyes widened a bit. I realized too late I was about to clap.

— Don’t clap.

The movement of Selvia’s lips stopped my applause.

Thanks to that, I found myself awkwardly frozen while the high-ranking officials approached the royals, each exchanging pleasantries.

Selvia was no exception.

As I gazed blankly at Selvia exchanging smiles with the high-ranking officials, I tilted my head.

‘What did I do wrong?’

Was clapping when our eyes met against royal etiquette?

Curiosity and confusion mingled as Selvia politely excused herself from the high-ranking officials and pushed her way through the crowd towards me.

As Selvia approached, I stepped aside to give her room.

But Selvia was still coming straight toward me.

When Selvia reached close, she looked up at me with a faint smile.

“It’s been a while, Daniel… Should I call you captain now?”

So she really was coming for me. I nodded, feeling a bit bewildered.

“Yes. I’ve been promoted to captain.”

“I see. Well, it’s only natural since you’ve achieved a lot. By the way, I see you changed your hairstyle?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to, but my superior is quite enthusiastic…”

Selvia chuckled softly.

“I should give that enthusiastic superior a reward. It looks good on you. It makes you seem more mature.”

“I was already mature…”

“Age alone doesn’t make you mature, especially when looking at those people.”

Selvia glanced back at the men approaching her.

“They all think the Empire should launch an expansion war. They don’t even bother thinking about what the repercussions could be for the international community.”

Hmm. In fact, such attitudes were typical for the era.

It was a common mindset to consider colonizing cultures deemed less developed than one’s own as a business venture or a form of salvation in modern times.

Selvia was aware, unlike those ignorant folks.

“It’s an unavoidable situation. Since the Empire has the upper hand, advocating for a war is the natural course of action. Not everyone can act wisely, like Her Highness the Princess…”

I stopped speaking abruptly.

The friend from my hometown who had gone to the bathroom was running towards us.

And he did so with a very serious expression.

I wondered what was going on just as he put his hand into his pocket.

Instinctively sensing danger, I withdrew my revolver.

Just as he was about to throw something, I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet hit him right in the head.

However, the unidentified object that left his hand was flying towards us.

“Her Highness the Princess!”

Feeling a rush of panic, I grabbed Selvia’s wrist and pulled her close.

After wrapping my arms around her, I instinctively turned and shut my eyes.

And then.

A blinding light flooded the area.

—

As I managed to catch my breath, I slowly opened my eyes.

My vision was dark. For now, this place was not the banquet hall I had just been in.

With silence surrounding me, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

I needed to be careful not to make noise by moving too quickly.

“Daniel…”

“Quiet.”

After silencing the struggling Selvia, I waited a moment before the interior of my surroundings became visible.

‘A hotel?’

I found myself in a spacious living room adorned with luxurious decor.

Taking a glance over my shoulder, I could see the city sprawled out beneath the glass wall.

That was when I finally grasped the identity of the object thrown by the man.

‘Etherium Conversion Grenade.’

It was a disorienting grenade that literally shifted the position of its target.

Due to its high price and inability to precisely determine the target’s location for conversion, it was rarely demanded.

Though I had heard that it was used on special occasions, I never thought I’d be the one to experience it.

“Um…”

“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Selvia’s hand began to push against me as if trying to pry me away.

Only then did I realize that I was still holding her too tightly.

In my tension, I had belatedly realized my rudeness.

“Oh.”

As I loosened my grip, Selvia took a step back.

Looking at me with a somewhat displeased expression, her ears were inexplicably flushed.

Her breath seemed a bit ragged too.

“I’m sorry.”

When I apologized, Selvia tucked her hair behind her ear and said,

“I understand you were trying to protect me. But please be careful next time. And…”

With a different look in her eyes, Selvia hid behind a nearby sofa.

“They’re coming. I can hear footsteps. Seven, no—wait, eight.”

Footsteps? After hiding next to Selvia, I stopped to listen and indeed heard footsteps nearby.

They seemed to think they didn’t know the exact location but were searching the vicinity.

A sigh escaped me.

“…This has complicated things, but I’ll do my best to protect you.”

“No need for that.”

Selvia lifted the hem of her evening dress.

There, I spotted a gun strapped to her thigh.

Seeing that, I exhaled in defeat.

“Do you always carry a gun?”

“Because you never know when something might happen.”

“Well, it seems the grown-up here is you, not me, Your Highness.”

Selvia, pulling the gun from her thigh, let out a faint smile.

“Let’s just call it both of us.”

“Alright then…”

As the footsteps grew closer, I examined the door and said,

“Let’s protect ourselves, adults.”

With a click—

Selvia confidently responded, having loaded her gun.

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

So this is what iron will means.

Honestly, I couldn’t have felt more reassured.