I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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I swallowed hard and adjusted the position of my uniform tie.

‘For now…’

It would be best to act as naturally as possible.

I cleared my throat and walked towards Lucy.

“I didn’t expect to meet anyone in a place like this, so I was a bit surprised. By the way, you have blood on your coat. Did something happen here?”

Lucy paused for a moment before speaking nonchalantly.

“There was a commotion.”

“…a commotion, you say?”

“Yes. To elaborate, I’m an emergency medicine specialist and surgeon working at the Central Hospital. While walking home after my shift, I encountered a robbery and ended up applying emergency first aid to a civilian who was bleeding, which is how my coat got bloodied.”

Her calm and matter-of-fact tone was astonishingly composed. Not even 30 seconds had passed before she delivered a plausible excuse in swift succession—I was left in awe.

‘Is she truly a spy?’

As I approached, it was her turn to ask a question.

“May I ask what brings you here, Officer?”

Unlike Lucy, I had no need to lie.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I heard a new dessert shop opened on the outskirts, and while taking a shortcut, I got lost.”

“…a dessert shop, you say?”

When Lucy asked back with disbelief, I felt a strange embarrassment. Given her reaction, it seemed that in this era, it wasn’t commonplace for a man to visit a dessert shop alone.

However, I couldn’t give up what I liked just because of others’ opinions.

“Is there a problem with that?”

After hesitating for a moment, Lucy shook her head.

“No, no. I was just a bit surprised. It’s known that Captain Daniel Steiner, who’s famous for having neither blood nor tears, eats something that children might like, like junk food.”

Now that stung a bit.

“Please choose your words carefully. Dessert is not junk food.”

“…I apologize. By the way, if you’re lost, I can take you there.”

Guiding me? I was hesitant, but as long as we were together only until we left the alleyway, it didn’t matter.

“It wouldn’t be virtuous for an officer to refuse a citizen’s kindness. I’ll gladly accept your help. As you likely know, I’m Captain Daniel Steiner of the General Staff Headquarters.”

“I’m Surg. Myrin Seabrith from the Central Hospital.”

After a brief handshake with Lucy, we walked down the alleyway.

I took a half step back to get a better look at her. I could tell she thought tossing her coat would raise suspicion, as she flipped it inside out to hide the blood and kept it slung over her arm.

She was carrying a shoulder bag that looked suspiciously like it contained a gun and other assassination tools.

‘…I have to make sure she never opens that bag.’

The moment it opens, anything could happen.

Lucy Emilia’s strength surpassed imagination for a mere spy. Although she might not realize it yet, if she utilized all of her abilities, she could wipe out a small battalion single-handedly.

That’s why I wanted to avoid any contact with her as much as possible; now she not only entered my service as an aide but was also pretending to be a doctor in front of me, which was quite the headache.

One fortunate thing was Lucy would also feel uncomfortable being with me, so once out of the alleyway, we could part ways neatly.

“There we go.”

Stepping out of the alley with Lucy, I found a street where a tram was passing.

Had it really turned to evening already? All the streetlights were lit up.

As the cool breeze mixed with the chatter of passersby, I was enjoying the street scenery when I suddenly halted, about to part ways with Lucy.

“Oh! Captain Daniel? Is that really you, Captain?”

A police officer walking along the sidewalk recognized me, which didn’t feel great given I was disguised alongside Lucy.

‘And there’s more…’

That blue police uniform was something only security bureau members were allowed to wear.

If he was from the security bureau, that meant he was one of those ‘secret police’ or ‘ideology police’ individuals.

Only trained for counter-intelligence.

Lucy seemed to realize this too, adopting a somewhat tense demeanor.

Of course, the officer, unaware of our situation, smiled and extended his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I’m Chief Inspector Katman Schultz of the security bureau.”

Since he was extending his hand for a handshake, I couldn’t ignore him and smiled as I shook his hand.

“I’m Captain Daniel Steiner from the General Staff Headquarters. It’s not every day one meets a security bureau officer on the street.”

“Haha. This is not my usual jurisdiction, but I just made a reservation at a restaurant nearby. Coincidentally, it coincided with my shift ending, so here I am in my uniform.”

After we shook hands, Katman snapped his fingers as if a great idea occurred to him.

“Since we’ve met like this, how about we grab a meal together? Of course, I’ll cover the check. If it’s alright with you, I’d love to invite the captain’s friend as well.”

This was not good. Should I just say she’s an acquaintance?

No. Doing that would lead to more questions about what she was doing coming out of the alley with me.

Due to their profession, security bureau officers were naturally suspicious of everything.

So to avoid complicating the situation, it was best to pretend she was an acquaintance but decline the meal invitation.

As I searched for a way to decline naturally, I opened my mouth.

“I’m truly grateful for the meal invitation, but I got lost on my way here and am quite tired.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, there’s no need to worry. The restaurant I’m headed to is just up ahead. Do you see it?”

Following Katman’s pointing finger, I noticed the restaurant was literally just a block away.

Realizing I could no longer refuse, I nodded.

“If you’re going that far, I won’t turn it down anymore. Let’s go.”

I caught the anxious look on Lucy’s face as she swallowed hard, but there was no helping it.

This was unavoidable.

*

The restaurant I entered with Katman was an upscale establishment frequented by the upper class.

The tableware, decor, and even the waiters’ attire were all luxuriously stunning.

We were seated by the window, which offered a view of the city, and after placing a simple order, Katman gazed at me with a soft smile.

“It’s still a bit surreal seeing a hero from the news and TV right in front of me.”

“Hero? Not at all.”

“No need to be so modest. It’s true that there are quite a few fans of yours at the security bureau. I’m one of them! Haha. I’ll be sure to brag about meeting you for generations to come!”

As our conversation continued pleasantly, Katman turned his attention to Lucy sitting beside me.

He had a look of curious disbelief.

“…But Captain, why is your friend not taking off her sunglasses? There’s really no need for them indoors, is there?”

He wasn’t wrong. But the moment Lucy took off her sunglasses, her red eyes would be revealed.

I had no idea what would happen next if she determined that we could no longer hide our identities.

“She’s been awfully silent since earlier. It’s really quite rude to keep acting like that in a place like this, you know? If your hands are uncomfortable, I could help you take off your sunglasses…”

Katman reached his hand out towards Lucy’s face.

Lucy seemed to have decided that she couldn’t deceive both the security officer and me at the same time, as her hands moved under the table to attempt to open her shoulder bag.

An instant of tension. Cold sweat trickled down my back as I quickly grabbed Katman’s wrist.

“…Huh? Captain?”

As Katman glanced back at me, I put on an awkward smile.

“Oh dear, I forgot to introduce you. This lady next to me was a military doctor on the Eastern Front. Unfortunately, she suffered an eye injury from enemy fire… You understand, right?”

Upon hearing my words, Katman let out a sorrowful sound.

“Oh my! I had no idea such a terrible thing happened. I’m so sorry. She wears sunglasses to cover the injury, and I almost committed a rudeness! But about her quietness…”

As expected of a security bureau officer; he didn’t easily dismiss his suspicions.

While running some calculations in my head, I spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“She has aphasia due to the shock from that incident. She can’t speak even if she wanted to.”

Katman’s hand dropped as his expression turned apologetic.

“…I see now. I committed a terrible rudeness. I’m truly sorry. It’s my job to be suspicious of others. Well then, to collect my thoughts, I’ll go to the restroom for a moment.”

He slid his chair back and stood, bowing politely to Lucy.

After watching Katman walk towards the restroom, Lucy turned her head to me.

She seemed to be quite confused.

Clearing my throat, I whispered just loud enough for Lucy to hear.

“I know. I know the doctor is innocent. But he’s from the security bureau. Have you heard of the special arrest authority? That means they can arrest you just based on suspicion.”

For now, it was essential to extinguish her doubts about me, such as ‘Does Daniel know my identity?’

“Seeing he’s reached the position of chief inspector, it’s likely he’s caught a number of innocent people. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Once dragged into the security bureau, even an innocent person comes out a spy.’”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m merely trying to help the doctor avoid any unnecessary issues. So, what was your name again, Myrin Seabrith?”

Lucy remained silent.

She seemed to be fuming a bit.

Seeing this, I snapped my fingers as if realizing something.

“Right, she has aphasia. Such an admirable attitude. You need to maintain that persona until we’re away from the security bureau officer, understand?”

Lucy still said nothing. I grew frustrated and banged the table gently.

“Answer me.”

Finally, Lucy let out a soft sigh and nodded her head slightly.

At that moment, she had determined that following my lead was the safest option.