I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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The next day.

After work at the General Staff Headquarters, I went straight to the hair salon with Ernst.

Honestly, I didn’t want to go, but Ernst insisted that since he had received an invitation from the royal family, it was only right to at least make a minimal effort in grooming, leaving me no room to refuse.

After getting a slicked-back hairstyle, I arrived at the Royal Banquet Mansion in Ernst’s vehicle.

Can you believe there’s a place called ‘Banquet Mansion’?

I can’t even imagine how much money you need to have a mansion built just for banquets.

As I took in the grand appearance of the mansion, the attendant at the entrance greeted us.

“What a lovely evening, gentlemen. May I have your names, please?”

Before I could even open my mouth, Ernst replied.

“My name is Colonel Ernst Bark. And this handsome young man beside me is…”

“Ah! You must be Captain Daniel Steiner! A well-known figure; there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you!”

“A well-known figure, huh?”

Ernst turned to me with a playful smile.

I suppose it meant I had enough of a status to be invited, but honestly, it felt burdensome.

“Identity confirmed: Colonel Ernst Bark, Head of Operations; Captain Daniel Steiner. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

The attendant stepped aside and bowed respectfully.

“Thank you. Keep up the good work.”

After greeting the attendant, Ernst entered the banquet hall, and I followed closely behind.

Inside the mansion, I noticed waiters bustling about in the small first-floor hall.

“Let’s move along.”

Climbing the stairs covered in red carpet, we entered the Great Hall.

The enormous hall looked to be at least several hundred square meters, filled with numerous people engaging in various conversations.

One peculiar observation was that most of the men, like Ernst and me, were wearing military uniforms.

It seems that serving in the military during the empire’s wartime is seen as a great honor, and everyone is eager to flaunt that.

On the other hand, there were also those dressed in suits or luxurious silk clothing, likely wealthy sponsors or nobility supporting the empire’s army.

As I walked around, scanning the crowd, a senior officer recognized Ernst and approached us.

The scarred man with a wrinkled face was someone I knew well.

Major Heinrich Schmidt, the commander of the First Magic Mobile Army Operations Command.

When I awakened my previous life’s memories, he was one of those I’d encountered, so it was impossible not to recognize him.

“Colonel Ernst! It seems you’ve received an invitation as well! And next to you…”

He was a commander who leads a brigade, and feeling slightly tense, I quickly saluted.

“It’s an honor to see you again, Your Excellency the Commander. I am Captain Daniel Steiner.”

“Oh? I see you’ve climbed the ranks since we last met? Well, considering your achievements, it’s expected. Isn’t that right, aide?”

Captain Philip, who had been standing as a shadow behind Heinrich, nodded.

“Indeed. Captain Daniel Steiner, I feel fortunate that you are a soldier of the empire. If we had met as enemies, it would have been quite a challenge.”

“I appreciate the compliment.”

Truthfully, it was quite an exaggeration.

Most of my achievements were accidental.

However, Heinrich seemed to interpret my modesty as humility and smiled approvingly.

“I’ve felt from the beginning that you are an exceptional talent I would love to have as part of my subordinates. The Imperial Army is soon going to advance north for an expansion war, but… No, it would be better to discuss this later. Colonel Ernst?”

What? Why stop mid-sentence?

In the midst of my unease, Ernst picked up Heinrich’s line.

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“I feel that we should discuss the empire’s future with the Staff Vice Minister, but before that, I’d like to hear your opinions first. If it’s alright, I would like to talk in a quieter location.”

“Of course. If that’s what the Commander desires, I’ll gladly comply.”

The two seemed to have a prior relationship, smiling as they walked away.

Philip also turned back to me before following Heinrich.

“Captain Daniel? This seems to be your first banquet, so just take a look around and fill your time while eating. The main event will start shortly, so you can endure the boredom until then.”

I was quite touched by his concern for me.

Is Captain Philip an angel? Nodding in response, Philip gave me a quick smile before following Heinrich.

Left alone, I began to scan the surroundings.

‘For now…’

It looked good to find a place to sit at one of the many banquet tables and spend some time there.

Everyone was chatting casually, and since I stood awkwardly by myself, I feared I would attract unnecessary attention.

I prefer to avoid excessive attention.

With that thought in mind, I slowly made my way toward the banquet table.

‘Oh.’

By chance, there was an empty seat directly across from someone who was already eating.

—

In the Eldreshia Kingdom, the spy Alistair was pretending to eat while surveying the surroundings.

It was a royal banquet, so it was evident there were many high-ranking officials gathered.

Alistair’s mission was to report the names of those attending the banquet to other agents.

This would allow them to smoothly execute assassinations when they raided the banquet hall.

For this reason, while keeping an eye out, Alistair snapped to attention at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Clop, clop—

The sound of boots slowly approached and eventually came to a halt.

Swallowing hard, Alistair looked up to see a man with black hair and black eyes staring down at him.

He was someone Alistair knew well.

“Captain Daniel Steiner…”

The one who had defeated Reginald, famed for his silence, in just one day of interrogation.

What on earth is he doing here? Could he have found out? Cold sweat broke out on Alistair as Daniel smiled and began to speak.

“Are you here alone? If you have no company, I’d like to sit across from you…”

If I refuse here, it would only raise suspicion. Alistair nervously nodded.

“Yes. Please, feel free to sit.”

“Thank you. My legs were getting a bit sore anyway.”

With a playful tone, Daniel pulled out a chair and sat down.

Removing his uniform cap and placing it on the table, Daniel exhaled softly as if he finally felt at ease.

“Ah, sorry for the late introduction. My name is…”

“I already know. You’re Captain Daniel Steiner, aren’t you?”

Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You know me?”

“Of course. Anyone who doesn’t know Captain Daniel Steiner in this realm must be a spy.”

“Oh, I didn’t intend to become that famous…”

With a sigh, Daniel noticed what Alistair was eating and exclaimed.

“Is that spätzle? And next to it, a schnitzel! So, you must be from the south?”

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Alistair nodded.

“Yes. I mainly ate spätzle back in my hometown.”

“Ah! You are from the Barony of Betargan. And the region is…”

Just as Alistair was about to speak, Daniel raised his hand to stop him.

“Let me guess. The area known for spätzle must be the Valzhach region of the Barony of Betargan, right? Am I correct?”

After a moment of contemplation, Alistair nodded.

Saying otherwise might just create an awkward atmosphere.

“Oh my! It’s incredible that you’re from the south, but from the Valzhach region! Do you know the village of Pianmari?”

Daniel exclaimed purely from joy at meeting a fellow local, but Alistair felt the strain of Daniel narrowing in on his locality.

His hands began to sweat.

Calming his racing heart, Alistair managed to smile naturally.

“Of course. Pianmari. There’s a famous restaurant nearby, isn’t there?”

Establishing common ground was the best way to dodge suspicion.

Daniel, who was genuinely happy to meet someone from the same area, nodded with a smile.

“Ah, yes! There was a quite famous restaurant called Jack’s. The appearance was so shabby that you wouldn’t think of it as a restaurant. I used to go there often when I lived in the neighborhood; it really brings back memories.”

Daniel snapped his fingers as if he had just remembered something.

“If you know Jack’s restaurant, then it means you must have been there! Honestly, it wouldn’t make sense not to go to Jack’s if you’re from the Valzhach region.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

“Then what was your favorite dish there?”

Finding someone from his hometown who frequently visited the same restaurant naturally created a sense of intimacy.

Daniel’s question was meant to share memories, but Alistair felt psychological pressure mounting.

What if he mentioned a dish that wasn’t on the menu anymore… It was a terrifying thought.

Quickly calculating in his mind, Alistair recalled a dish commonly found in the southern empire.

“I found apple strudel to be the best at Jack’s. I went there last year and still can’t forget that flavor.”

“Aha! Apple strudel!”

Daniel clapped and laughed.

“It really is delicious. I too can’t forget that sweet and smooth flavor. It’s even better when paired with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.”

Alistair felt relieved.

He had mentioned a well-known dessert widely accepted as breakfast in the southern empire.

Just as he thought it would be time to engage in casual conversation and then make an exit, Daniel spoke up.

“However, there seems to be something… strange.”

Strange? What could he mean? Unable to respond, Alistair watched as Daniel stroked his chin and fell into thought.

After a moment, Daniel turned his gaze back to Alistair.

“As far as I know, apple strudel was removed from the menu three years ago at Jack’s. That was after an incident where a guest had an allergic reaction to apples and went into convulsions.”

Innocently curious, Daniel leaned forward.

His jet-black eyes blinked quietly.

“You mentioned having apple strudel last year?”

In an instant, Alistair felt a surge of terror as if all the blood had left his body.