I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

It was likely her first time being separated from the Imperial Guards, yet she maintained her composure, making me want to commend her admirable demeanor.

However, the current situation was too precarious to engage in leisurely chitchat.

By now, the enemies’ footsteps were audible without even straining our ears, indicating their proximity.

“Your Highness. The assailants will be upon us any moment now.”

Celvia nodded as she looked towards the door.

“Yes, I’m aware.”
“In that case, could you fire two shots towards the ceiling when they open the door?”
“…The ceiling?”

Not at the enemy? Celvia regarded me with a puzzled expression, but I remained quite serious.

“It doesn’t have to be the ceiling. The purpose is to create gunshots.”
“Why would we… No, never mind. I understand.”

Seemingly recognizing the urgency of the situation, Celvia didn’t question my suggestion.

Thud, thud, thud!

At that moment, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed, followed by the creaking of the door’s hinges.

“Here we go.”

Realizing the door had opened, Celvia fired two shots towards the ceiling as per my instructions.

In the dark living room, flashes of light accompanied the deafening gunshots.

Thanks to this, the footsteps of the agents attempting to enter hastily retreated.

Silence ensued.

They were likely pressed against the corridor walls, discussing through hand signals how to handle this situation.

‘More precisely, they’re likely discussing how to kill us.’

Having caused a commotion at the banquet hall, the assailants would be unable to escape the Empire.

In other words, their mission was not to kidnap the Princess, but to eliminate her.

However, from the agents’ perspective, they were unaware of the Princess’s precise location.

They had likely recoiled in confusion upon being greeted by gunshots the moment they opened the door.

Behind the sofa? The bookshelf? Under the desk? Or perhaps from another room entirely? All sorts of speculations were undoubtedly swirling.

In such situations of uncertainty, grenades typically make an appearance.

It’s common practice to throw grenades in the directions where the enemy is suspected to be, observing their reactions.

And that was the precise moment I was anticipating.

Swallowing hard, I strained my senses amidst the tense silence.

Click!

The unmistakable sound of a grenade’s safety pin being pulled sent a chill down my spine.

Immediately accelerating my nerves, I rose from my position, revolver in hand.

Beyond the door, an agent appeared to be throwing a grenade in our direction in slow motion.

Failure was not an option. Holding my breath, I carefully took aim at the grenade and squeezed the trigger.

As the gunpowder ignited and the bullet left the barrel, time resumed its normal flow.

Bang!

The bullet struck the grenade, causing it to explode, sending shrapnel flying in all directions.

“Argh!”
“Ugh!”

The agents struck by the shrapnel broke their silence with agonizing screams.

Having just ended my nerve acceleration, I felt nauseous, but I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

“Your Highness.”
“Understood!”

Together with Celvia, we emerged into the corridor, where a still-breathing agent drew a pistol from his chest.

Before I could act, Celvia fired first.

Bang!

The agent, with a bullet lodged in his forehead, uttered a final grunt as he obediently lowered his head.

Relieved, I surveyed the surroundings to find the other agents lying motionless, their bodies sprawled.

We had swiftly dispatched eight agents in an instant, but we couldn’t let our guard down.

“Your Highness. The other agents will likely converge upon hearing the gunshots. There’s no way they would have deployed a mere eight for a mission like this.”
“Then we must escape this place as soon as possible…”

No, it was too late. Footsteps were already echoing from the central staircase.

Upstairs! The Imperial Princess is upstairs!

Gather everyone! Shoot on sight!

The top floor of the hotel! Don’t let them escape!

My breathing grew ragged with tension. Regrettably, the only person I could trust now was Celvia.

“This way!”

Seizing Celvia’s wrist, I dashed towards the end of the corridor without hesitation.

Even as she followed in bewilderment, Celvia cried out.

“Daniel! That’s a dead end!”
“It’s not a dead end! The wall is made of glass, isn’t it?”
“What are you…?”

Realizing my intention, Celvia’s eyes widened in alarm.

“You’re not suggesting we jump through that, are you?”
“Yes! The stairs and elevators have likely been occupied by the assailants, so this is our only option!”
“That’s absurd…! Suicide can never be the solution!”

Exasperated, I turned to face Celvia.

“Can’t Your Highness use spatial transportation magic?”
“How did you… No! It’s not perfect! I can only use it within a limited range!”
“I see! How fortunate that this is the top floor of the hotel!”

Whether the situation was outrageous or I had gone mad, I couldn’t help but laugh.

As I ran, raising my revolver, I unhesitatingly pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three bullets struck the reinforced glass, creating cracks.

Simultaneously, the agents from the central staircase shouted.

“Over there!”
“Open fire! We have orders to kill them!”

Leaping off the ground, I hurled myself at the glass wall.

Crash! The glass shattered into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

Holding Celvia’s hand, she too gracefully took flight amidst the shards.

However, our airborne state was fleeting.

“Urgh!”

Unable to defy gravity, we soon began plummeting towards the ground.

With the wind whipping our hair and uniforms, the hem of Celvia’s dress fluttered like a flag – a pure white.

“Your Highness!”

At my urgent call, Celvia, who had been dazed, took a deep breath and nodded.

Observing the rapidly approaching old town scenery in real-time, Celvia recited a brief incantation.

Immediately, Celvia and I were enveloped in a brilliant white light.

When I opened my eyes, Celvia and I were still airborne.

However, the ground was approaching rapidly.

Pulling Celvia into my embrace, I hit the ground with my shoulder.

“…!”

A throbbing pain shot through my body, but it was bearable.

Even before the pain could subside, I surveyed our surroundings and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding no one else present.

All I could see were broken record players and shattered furniture.

It appeared to be a collection site for discarded household items.

“Ugh…”

Stirring in my arms, Celvia raised her upper body.

She seemed disoriented, likely a side effect of using spatial transportation magic.

However, she soon regained her composure and looked at me.

“…Are you alright?”

Unexpected. I had anticipated her first concern would be whether we had successfully escaped.

“Yes, I’m unharmed.”

Using my hand to brace myself, I rose from the ground.

Looking down at Celvia, still seated on the floor, her appearance was quite disheveled.

Not only was her meticulously styled hair now in disarray, but her exquisite evening gown was stained with dust and blood, leaving it in tatters.

Amidst the disarray, the sapphire earrings and necklace she wore still glistened in the moonlight, creating an ironic contrast.

…Moonlight?

Raising my gaze upwards, I noticed the ceiling had collapsed, leaving a gaping hole.

The stars shone brightly in the unobstructed night sky.

In our haste, had we chosen any available location for shelter?

Impressed by the serendipitous choice, I extended my hand towards Celvia.

“Let’s get up. The floor is cold.”

With a nod, Celvia took my hand and rose to her feet.

To assess her condition, I lightly leaned towards her.

“Are you injured anywhere?”
“No, fortunately, I’m not… Wait.”

Her face flushed, Celvia pushed me away.

Her tightly shut eyes contained a subtle hint of vexation.

“Don’t you sometimes feel you’re getting a bit too close?”
“…I was merely concerned for Your Highness’s safety.”
“I know. I understand, but… Haah. Never mind. More importantly, are we safe now?”
“We should be. The assailants won’t be able to track us down after our spatial transportation.”

Even if they could, the Imperial Guards would undoubtedly arrive first.

Following the aethelium conversion grenade’s detonation, the Imperial Guards would have immediately mobilized, likely already securing the old town area.

Celvia seemed to share this thought, nodding once before distancing herself from me.

An awkward silence then fell between us.

During the urgency of the situation, we had exchanged banter and conversation, but now that the ordeal had been resolved, an inexplicable awkwardness settled between us.

Furthermore, a subconscious thought lingered in my mind: ‘The closer I become to Celvia, the further I may drift from my plans to leave the Empire.’

Initially, as one of the Empire’s most noble figures, I couldn’t bring myself to address the Princess in an overly familiar manner.

To pass the time until the Imperial Guards arrived, Celvia hesitantly broke the silence.

“…Daniel. By any chance, do you know how to dance?”

Dance? I shook my head.

“I’ve only observed from a distance; I’ve never properly danced myself. As you know, being an orphan, I’m unfamiliar with social graces like dancing. But why do you suddenly ask?”
“Just that, rather than idling away the time, it might be better to dance. The banquet still has some time remaining, after all.”

Upon consideration, her words made sense.

The banquet was scheduled to continue until midnight.

“Your Highness. While I would love to oblige, I fear my skills are too lacking…”
“I’ll teach you. It’s not that difficult.”

Well, with her insisting, I could hardly refuse.

“Then I shall accept your instruction.”
“Very well.”

Approaching me, Celvia took my hand.

“Just follow my lead.”

With those words, Celvia raised my hand at an angle and took a step.

Likely accommodating me as a beginner, her pace was quite slow, but even then, I found it challenging to keep up.

After stumbling and faltering a few times, Celvia couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

I felt somewhat embarrassed.

“…I did warn you I couldn’t dance.”
“You’ll improve with practice. Come on, let’s try again.”

Celvia resumed her steps, and I followed her lead.

After repeating these motions several times, I gradually became capable of mimicking Celvia’s movements, albeit clumsily.

An approximation of a dance had taken shape, however inelegant.

As we continued our dance under the moonlight, the sound of a helicopter grew louder in the distance.

“Your Highness. The Imperial Guards are…”
“Don’t stop.”

I had been about to suggest stopping our foolishness, but I paused.

Celvia wore a serene, joyful smile, a stark contrast from her expressionless demeanor during the banquet dance.

For some reason, I didn’t want to disrupt her happiness.

So, I continued my clumsy steps, and the ensuing dance evolved into a waltz, adorning its conclusion with a turn.

After completing the waltz, feeling somewhat bewildered, Celvia released my hand and looked at me.

“Remember this much, at least. You need to know how to dance to avoid being disrespected wherever you go.”

As I struggled to find a suitable response, the helicopter’s rotor sounds grew increasingly louder until they seemed to be directly overhead.

“Your Highness!”

At the sudden exclamation, I raised my head to see an elderly man in his sixties, armed and standing in the helicopter’s doorway.

The elderly man hurriedly retrieved a radio from his shoulder and pressed the transmit button.

“Headquarters! We’re at the old town’s Alten Markt 87th Street waste collection site! Princess Celvia and Captain Daniel have been located! Aside from minor injuries, they are both unharmed! Send immediate support to this location! I repeat! We’re at the old town’s…”

Realizing we had truly survived, I felt the tension dissipate.

Exhaling in relief, Celvia and I naturally locked eyes.

After a momentary pause, we both burst into laughter, without any apparent reason.

It was the tail end of spring.