I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

At the same time, Liberal Social Party Headquarters.
Party Leader’s Private Office.

“…Daniel Steiner turned the Kingdom of Velmore’s surprise attack to his advantage and achieved victory? And not only did he win, but he also captured the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Velmore as a prisoner?”

In response to the question from Campbell, the leader of the Liberal Social Party, Platt, an informant of Baron Hendliem who had come disguised as a petitioner, nodded.

“I hear that prisoner exchange negotiations with the Kingdom of Velmore are underway, using the captured Crown Prince.”

Hearing this unbelievable news, Campbell angrily slammed his desk.

“These stupid fools! Not only did they fail in their surprise attack despite knowing Daniel Steiner’s location, but they even got captured?!”

While Campbell was raging, the informant Platt spoke without blinking an eye.

“It can’t be seen simply as a mistake by the Kingdom of Velmore. There are indications that Daniel Steiner noticed the Kingdom of Velmore’s surprise attack plan in advance and acted accordingly.”
“What? How on earth did Daniel Steiner know about that?”
“We’re currently investigating that as well. The most likely hypothesis is that there’s a traitor among us who’s sided with Daniel Steiner, but…”

Platt’s empty eyes met Campbell’s.

Thinking he was being suspected, Campbell hastily opened his mouth.

“If you’re suspecting me, stop it! I’ve lived my entire life swearing loyalty to His Lordship the Baron. Do you think it makes sense that someone like me would side with Daniel Steiner, an orphan?”

Seeing Campbell breaking out in a cold sweat, Platt had no choice but to withdraw his suspicion.

It wasn’t that Campbell’s protest had worked.

He just thought that someone who gets scared by such simple suspicion wouldn’t dare to betray them.

“I apologize for suspecting you. Then, I’ll now explain the purpose of my visit here.”
“…Purpose?”
“Baron Hendliem said, ‘Tell Campbell, the leader of the Liberal Social Party, to refrain from external activities for the time being and stop political and military movements.'”

In other words, it meant to lay low like a dead mouse for the time being.

Not understanding this, Campbell cautiously asked a question.

“Is there really a need to go that far? No matter how much military merit Daniel Steiner has achieved, isn’t he still just an ordinary officer?”
“We can’t call someone who has the trust of Her Highness the Imperial Princess and is called the Hero of the Empire just an ordinary officer. It would be better to be cautious, just in case.”

Hearing this, Campbell inwardly agreed as it wasn’t wrong.

After a moment of silence, Campbell swallowed and looked at Platt.

“But is it really okay? If Daniel Steiner somehow finds out who leaked the information to the kingdom, I…”
“There’s no need to worry.”

Platt’s answer was firm.

“No matter how excellent a negotiator Daniel Steiner is, he won’t be able to extract your name, Party Leader Campbell, from Major General Magref. There’s absolutely no reason for Major General Magref to tell Daniel Steiner your name.”

Usually, it takes a long time and astronomical amounts of money to bribe a person from an enemy country or to cultivate and plant a spy in an enemy country.

But Campbell was the one who had provided confidential information from within the Empire without any conditions.

So, it would be normal judgment to keep him hidden and use him more.

Therefore, it was the prevailing theory that Major General Magref wouldn’t have sold Campbell’s name to Daniel Steiner.

Campbell also couldn’t deny Platt’s opinion, so he was able to feel relieved inwardly.

“That’s a relief then. So I just need to use illness as an excuse and lay low for a while?”
“That’s right. Even if Daniel Steiner suspects you, don’t worry. Daniel Steiner doesn’t have the authority to investigate you.”

Campbell, letting out a low sigh, nodded.

“I understand. All of this is…”

As Campbell was about to say goodbye, Platt clenched his fist and placed it on his chest.

The two men, narrowing their eyes seriously, opened their mouths almost simultaneously.

“For the greater cause.”

Eliminating Daniel Steiner, who was trying to disrupt the legitimacy of the Imperial family and swallow up the Empire.

That was the greater cause these people were pursuing.

“Why are you doing this to me! What did I do wrong, you bastards!”

Daniel, who had been drinking whiskey alone in an office at the brigade headquarters, suddenly shouted.

The situation had gone beyond being absurd and was starting to make him angry.

Daniel, slightly trembling the hand holding the whiskey glass, recalled the past.

‘Because of that Crown Prince…’

His plan to spend peaceful days at the outpost located in a remote area had been ruined.

It was already ridiculous that they had voluntarily been surrounded during a surprise attack in the middle of training, but when the Crown Prince took out a hidden pistol and aimed it at him after agreeing to surrender, he really thought his heart would stop.

It was fortunate that his temporary measure of pretending to be composed and provoking the Crown Prince to shoot if he dared had worked well; if the act hadn’t worked, he might have become a beehive.

‘Of course, in that case, I would have accelerated my nerves…’

If he had stepped aside to avoid the bullet, the soldiers behind him would have been attacked instead, so even in that case, he would have had unsettling dreams.

‘What a crazy bastard…’

If it wasn’t for the fact that he was the Crown Prince, Daniel might have rushed over and slapped him a few times to make him come to his senses.

Daniel, trying hard to suppress his anger, picked up the glass and took a sip of whiskey.

Looking at the night-fallen street from the window, Daniel let out a low sigh.

‘The Crown Prince isn’t the problem now.’

The name ‘Campbell’ he had heard during the negotiations was making him nervous.

He couldn’t just let it slide that the leader of the Liberal Social Party had sold him out.

Daniel, who had vaguely suspected that the guy was involved with the nobles, walked to his desk.

He wanted to sit down and rest for a moment because of his headache.

Daniel, who put down the whiskey glass on the desk, took out a photo from the inside pocket of his coat.

In the faded black and white photo, a Golden Retriever was smiling with a bright expression.

‘Those were good times…’

He recalled his childhood when he had no worries or concerns and was just happy running around with a puppy.

As Daniel was lost in memories, Lucie arrived at Daniel’s office carrying dessert.

She knocked lightly, but Daniel, half-drunk and lost in memories, didn’t hear.

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?”

Again, there was no answer.

Lucie, blinking her red eyes a few times in puzzlement, gently opened the door.

She saw Daniel sitting in front of his desk, quietly looking at a photo.

Daniel, looking at the photo with eyes full of melancholy, quietly murmured.

“Kelly. I miss you…”

This surprised Lucie, her eyes widening.

It was unfamiliar to see Daniel calling a woman’s name and saying he missed her.

As she watched carefully, Daniel, with eyes full of longing, smiled faintly.

“Everything was happy when I was with you. Are you doing well in heaven?”

Hearing Daniel’s soliloquy, Lucie unconsciously raised her hand to cover her mouth.

This was undoubtedly the behavior of a man longing for a deceased woman.

Lucie, who had unintentionally learned about Daniel’s past, felt a strange sense of empathy amidst the shock.

Lucie also had memories of losing those she considered friends.

Thinking that Daniel must have gone through the same painful experience as herself, pure sympathy bloomed in her heart.

‘Moreover…’

Judging by his expression and tone, Daniel must have lost the woman he loved in some kind of accident.

She couldn’t even imagine how great the pain of losing a loved one to death would be.

Lucie, looking at Daniel with sympathetic eyes, bit her lower lip hard.

Thinking that she shouldn’t disturb Daniel lost in memories, Lucie quietly closed the door and went back the way she came.

She thought it wouldn’t be too late to offer comfort after Daniel had composed his emotions.

Meanwhile, Daniel, unaware that Lucie had come and gone, was recalling his friendship with the dog.

“How much I was scolded by the abbey’s head for insisting on raising you…”

Daniel, letting out a low laugh, put the photo back inside his coat.

Then he grasped the whiskey glass and gently lifted it.

As he slowly swirled the glass, the whiskey churned.

That image was reflected in Daniel’s black eyes.

‘I thought my safety in the system would be guaranteed after the coronation…’

Seeing that he was under attack from politicians, it seemed he had been greatly mistaken.

‘The Emperor wasn’t the problem. It seems the nobles and politicians of the Empire are making judgments and moving independently.’

It was a mistake to think that if he showed disinterest in politics, they would leave him out of political strife.

‘They’re dragging me into a mud fight after all.’

He stopped swirling the glass.

His calmed mind was showing him the path he needed to take.

‘You guys started this first. So…’

Daniel, gripping the glass so tightly that his fingertips turned yellow, narrowed his eyes sharply.

‘I will thoroughly trample you using every means at my disposal.’