ALL NOVEL Chapter 45
“Meanwhile, in the United Nations permanent member state of Edria…”
In Count Kaledra’s library…
“This way, please.”
Guided by a servant, Sorten, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Edria, walked slowly.
As he navigated through the labyrinthine library, Sorten soon arrived at the reading room.
Upon entering, Sorten felt a truly bizarre sensation.
Despite being on the third floor of the library, only a meager amount of sunlight streamed in.
It was noon, yet the dimly lit room seemed gloomy. As Sorten surveyed the surroundings, he quickly spotted Count Kaledra.
He was standing at a table, leaning on his cane while flipping through the pages of a book.
His snake-like, pale eyes blinked slowly, giving a strange chill to Sorten.
Kaledra de Northever.
Famous by the nickname “The Blood Count” more than by name, he was the real power in Edria.
Having bribed high-ranking politicians and military leaders with enormous funds, those who accepted his money could hardly escape Kaledra’s influence.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, standing before him, was no exception.
The very position of Minister was arranged by Kaledra himself.
Without even glancing at Sorten, Kaledra spoke.
“What brings you here?”
A chill filled Kaledra’s voice, heightening the tension in the air.
Involuntarily grasping his necktie, Sorten took a deep breath before speaking.
“I’ve come to discuss Lucy Emilia.”
Though Sorten initiated the conversation, he received no immediate response.
However, Kaledra wasn’t remaining silent out of displeasure; he was simply waiting for Sorten to continue.
Noticing this, Sorten awkwardly pressed on.
“…What I want to say is, I’m worried Lucy Emilia has been staying in the enemy nation for too long. If she changes her mind, it could spell significant trouble for the United Nations.”
Kaledra remained silent still.
Sorten gulped and continued.
“I heard that Lucy Emilia is outside the heavily guarded area in the Kingdom of Nordia. It might be wise to order the removal of Captain Daniel Steiner and have her returned.”
“……”
“Look, Captain Daniel Steiner has been making quite the impact, even from where I stand. He’s just a Captain for now, but if he climbs the ranks and commands a sizable force, what do you think will happen?”
He implied that preemptively removing the thorn would be beneficial for the United Nations.
After listening to Sorten’s concerns, Kaledra closed the book with a leisurely hand.
Gently stroking the book’s cover, Kaledra began.
“Lucy will not change her mind. You must know our bond is special. She considers me a father, and I think of her as my daughter.”
“But that’s merely…”
Sorten couldn’t finish his sentence.
Kaledra’s snake-like eyes pierced through him.
Silencing Sorten, Kaledra settled his rage and regained his composure.
“…Furthermore, I will not remove Captain Daniel Steiner. For now, keeping him alive will be in the United Nations’ favor. Though, there are some complications.”
His activities had far exceeded Kaledra’s expectations.
Especially when he heard of Steiner’s brilliant performance in the Nordia invasion operation; both Kaledra and Edria’s military leadership were taken aback.
But for now, they were still on a major course.
“Assassination is the last resort. We must first keep Lucy close to him to gain an advantage.”
“…An advantage, you say?”
“Lucy possesses a remarkably attractive appearance. As long as Captain Steiner does not know her true identity, he cannot help but develop a rational affection for her. We will utilize that.”
Was he really planning to employ a beauties strategy?
‘Well, historically, many great leaders have faced troubles due to romantic entanglements.’
“No matter how rational one may be, once afflicted by love, they tend to rely on emotions.”
Turning an emotional puppet into a pawn is quite easy.
If they could emotionally manipulate the hero of the Empire, Captain Daniel Steiner, he would no longer be a target to fear, but merely a useful chess piece.
As Sorten pondered over this, he nodded.
“I see. In that case, I trust your grace…”
Before Sorten could finish, Kaledra waved him off.
It was a clear sign to leave without further unnecessary words disrupting his reading.
Though it was embarrassing, he dared not protest against Kaledra.
Nodding, Sorten followed the servant’s lead.
Once Sorten had departed, Kaledra quietly murmured while gazing at the bookshelf.
“Daniel Steiner…”
As he recalled the achievements of Steiner, Kaledra shook his head.
There were far too many other factors to consider, apart from Daniel Steiner, at this time.
***
“We’re soon arriving in Nordia.”
At the words of the driver, Colonel Ervin, who had received the position of Garrison Commander, let out a sigh.
His aide cast him a puzzled glance.
“Your Excellency, is something the matter?”
In response to the aide’s question, Ervin sighed deeply again.
“I’ll ask once—going to the Garrison Commander position, do you think I should be at ease?”
“…But the General Staff’s reports indicate that civilian life seems stable, doesn’t it?”
“Who do you think provided those reports to the General Staff?”
“That would be Captain Daniel Steiner… Ah. I see.”
The aide nodded, as if understanding.
Often, officers blinded by results manipulated statistics and reported falsely to the headquarters.
But could Captain Daniel Steiner really be one to submit false reports?
As the aide pondered, military vehicles full of battalion personnel neatly entered Nordia.
As the scenery of Nordia began to come into view outside the window, Ervin turned his head to gaze ahead.
‘It’s only been a month since Daniel Steiner took the position of Temporary Garrison Commander.’
Had he really managed to stabilize civilian life and secure the support of the garrison in just a month?
‘That’s absurd!’
Ervin hailed from the Eastern Front.
Having experienced numerous advances and retreats while capturing and then losing many territories, he knew well that there were rarely civilians friendly to garrisons in all those occupied regions.
Most either feared or despised the occupying forces.
No matter how much they called him the hero of the Empire, Captain Daniel Steiner could not escape this rule.
Thus, the citizens of Nordia would undoubtedly not look favorably upon him leading troops into the city.
In the worst-case scenario, a riot might break out the moment he stepped out of the car, which made Ervin keep his tension high.
Fidgeting with his gun sheath, his aide, who had been observing outside, spoke up.
“Your Excellency? The citizens are throwing something.”
“Throwing refuse is common, so don’t worry. If we restrain them, it would give the impression that the garrison is oppressing the citizens, so be cautious not to react.”
“Excuse me? Ah, no! They’re throwing flower petals.”
…Huh? Flower petals?
Ervin turned his gaze out the window, stunned.
Just as the aide said, the citizens of Nordia were throwing petals from baskets.
Seeing their beaming smiles, it appeared they were welcoming the garrison with enthusiasm.
Ervin, having never seen such a scene before, could only stand there bewildered.
‘This is like…’
Did it not look as if they were greeting allies rather than an occupying force?
As he stood there blinking in confusion, the vehicle carrying Ervin came to a stop in front of the headquarters building.
Stepping out of the car, Ervin took another look around, only to be surprised once more.
There stood a statue of His Majesty the Emperor right in front of the headquarters.
Though it appeared hastily made and rather crude in form, that wasn’t the crux of the issue.
Citizens were voluntarily placing flowers at the base of the statue one by one.
Struggling to comprehend, Ervin caught a passing child and asked.
“Hey, kid. I’m curious—who put up that statue?”
The child stared at Ervin blankly before responding.
“A man with a very dark face suggested it. The adults all agreed. Originally, they wanted to make a statue of Daniel Steiner, but he insisted absolutely against it, so they switched to the Emperor instead.”
So… citizens had voluntarily pooled their money and built this statue of His Majesty, rather than it being a command issued?
Ervin was at a complete loss for words, utterly dumbfounded when the front door of the headquarters swung open.
“Ah! Colonel Ervin! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Turning his head, it was Captain Daniel Steiner.
He approached, wearing an officer’s winter coat, accompanied by several senior officers.
Ervin, gazing at him with a mix of admiration, spoke.
“Captain Steiner? I’ve seen many occupied territories, but never have I encountered citizens of an enemy nation welcoming garrison troops like this. What on earth did you do?”
Standing before Ervin, Daniel glanced back at the statue with a serene, almost resigned smile.
“Well…”
Daniel’s smile bore a hint of resignation.
“I don’t really know how this ended up happening…”