I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

---

Meanwhile, the Mafia organization members fell into a state of utter chaos after confirming that their boss, Nickel, was dead.

After experiencing a commotion, they soon began a serious discussion on ‘who’ had killed the boss.

In the midst of this, one member claimed to be a witness.

The witness’s name was Baldron Mekarana.

Baldron had seen a woman leap from the third floor while he was smoking by the open second-floor window.

At first, he thought he must have seen wrong, but when he heard that the boss was found dead inside, he became convinced that the woman was the assassin.

Baldron relayed this fact to the members, and in their rage, they united with the intent to find the woman and exact revenge for their boss.

And now.

Baldron squinted as he peered through a foldable telescope at the fifth-floor window of a restaurant.

“Brown hair, wearing a white knit. She’s got a brown coat draped over her lap and a modest-looking shoulder bag beside her chair. She’s wearing black flats and is quite tall for a woman…”

Aside from the fact that she was wearing sunglasses, her appearance perfectly matched that of the woman who killed the boss.

After searching the nearby streets, they had finally succeeded in locating the woman who assassinated their boss.

“That damned witch…”

Baldron lowered the telescope and ground his teeth together.

How dare she kill the boss and then dine luxuriously at a restaurant? It was utterly unacceptable.

It felt like she was mocking his entire organization.

Struggling to calm his boiling rage, Baldron folded the telescope and took out his walkie-talkie.

Staring at the woman slicing steak on the restaurant’s fifth floor, Baldron pressed the transmission button.

“I’ve found the woman who killed the boss. Her location is Das Aventrihit Restaurant on Raven Street No. 22. It seems she will finish her meal soon, so I want all members to regroup here.”

*

As she finished her meal and stepped out of the restaurant, Katman bowed his head.

“I’ve made a terrible mistake, Miss. Words can’t express my regret. I will offer my sincerest apologies once again.”

While Lucy remained silent, Daniel responded on her behalf.

“There’s no need to apologize again. Master Mailyn understands perfectly. Isn’t that right, Master Mailyn?”

Upon Daniel’s hint, Lucy reluctantly nodded.

Seeing this, Daniel smiled and began to speak.

“Well then, we shall take our leave.”

“Ah. Very well. It was an honor to converse with you, Captain.”

“I too count it as a great gain in my life to speak with you, Lieutenant, who always dedicates yourself to the Empire. Farewell.”

With a slight bow, Daniel turned to leave with Lucy.

After walking a short distance, Daniel glanced back, and Katman, having stroked his chin a few times, turned to walk in the opposite direction.

Finally feeling relieved, Daniel let out a sigh of relief.

“You can speak now.”

Reclaiming her freedom of speech, Lucy paused for a moment before saying,

“…You thought I was a fool, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t that I thought you were a fool. I treated you like someone with aphasia. And I told you, I merely came to rescue you from the security police.”

There was no denying that.

Without Daniel’s help, Lucy would have faced Katman’s suspicions head-on.

Though her pride was hurt by having to rely on an enemy, she had to acknowledge it.

“I will repay this debt someday.”

At Lucy’s softly whispered words, Daniel broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it.

Was her promise to ‘repay’ in the sense of ‘I will help you’ or ‘I will kill you’? He couldn’t tell.

It was impossible to gauge Lucy’s true intentions, so Daniel awkwardly nodded.

“…I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s really no need to repay it. Instead, how about we part ways now?”

If they waited any longer, the dessert shop would close.

Although Daniel was eager to enjoy some dessert, Lucy shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

What was that supposed to mean? Feeling strangely uneasy, Daniel blinked quietly as Lucy glanced around with her eyes.

“Listen while we walk. We’re being followed. There are those watching us not only from behind but also across the street and a block ahead.”

Being followed? Instinctively, Daniel narrowed his eyes and scanned the passersby on the street.

Just as Lucy said, some individuals in suits were exhibiting suspicious behavior.

Some had their hands tucked into their pockets, seemingly ready to pull out guns at any moment.

Though their movements were clumsy for spies, they were clearly organized. It was obvious they belonged to some sort of faction.

If members of a faction were carrying guns, there could only be one answer.

“They’re Mafia organization members.”

It was evident they were targeting Lucy, causing Daniel to feel a headache coming on as he frowned.

“…Miss? What on earth did you do to have Mafia members tailing you?”

But Lucy did not answer.

With her sharp eyes quickly assessing the situation, she just held onto Daniel’s hand tightly.

Her grip was cold yet gentle.

“Captain, I’m going to dart into the alleyway that’s twenty paces ahead. Since you’re with me, you will also become a target of theirs, so if you want to live, you need to follow me.”

It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to save Daniel.

However, if Daniel died, the Empire would investigate the circumstances, and then Lucy, who was with Daniel on the day of his death, would undoubtedly end up caught in the Empire’s investigation.

That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs, which was why she wouldn’t let go of his hand.

“Wait! Miss! If you have a plan, we should discuss it together!”

When they reached the twenty paces, Lucy suddenly pivoted and planted her feet on the ground.

Daniel had no choice but to run along, pulled by Lucy’s hand.

“Damn it! They’re running away!”

“That damned witch caught on! After her!”

“Kill her!”

Shouts erupted from behind, followed by gunfire.

Whoosh! A stray bullet whizzed past Daniel’s ear, cutting through the air.

Daniel instinctively ducked his head, hastening his pace while glaring at Lucy.

‘…What kind of grudge did I get into? Did I kill the Mafia boss or something?’

Though he was bewildered, this was hardly the time to be idly pondering.

“Turn left!”

Following Lucy’s command, Daniel rounded the corner of the alleyway.

After they ran about halfway down the alley, Lucy abruptly hid behind an industrial garbage bin.

Daniel, bewildered, had no choice but to crouch down next to her and catch his breath.

“…Why are we hiding all of a sudden? Do you plan to take on all the organization members here?”

Nodding, Lucy pulled out a detonator with a red button from her shoulder bag.

She had set up bombs on the inside walls of the alleyway in case they were pursued by members of the organization, and now she was planning to use them.

‘Wow, she was well-prepared…’

Daniel understood vaguely what Lucy was planning and held his breath as he waited.

“They’ve turned into a dead-end! After them!”

“Shoot on sight! Kill that bastard next to her too!”

The shouts from the organization members rang out as they flooded into the alley.

However, Lucy and Daniel were invisible to their eyes.

Unaware that Lucy and Daniel were hiding behind the garbage bin, the members moved inward, puzzled.

“What’s going on? I’m sure we saw them enter.”

“Did they jump over the wall? There’s no way they cleared that height, right?”

“Shit. Have you checked behind the garbage bin?”

Just as the members’ voices drew closer,

Lucy pressed the button on the detonator without hesitation.

In the instant that followed—

KABOOM─!

A thunderous explosion erupted, tearing through the wall and blasting flames outward.

The ground shook with such force that Daniel instinctively shut his eyes tight.

“Ugh. Damn…”

Ringing in his ears, Daniel took deep breaths for a moment before slowly opening his eyes.

Regaining his wits, he clenched his teeth and stood up.

As he looked back at the site of the explosion, he could see Mafia members lying amidst the fallen bricks, bleeding and groaning.

Almost thirty organization members were sprawled out, moaning in pain.

“Hah…”

In disbelief, Daniel stared at the scene when new footsteps echoed from beyond the alley.

Thinking it might be stragglers, he instinctively reached for his holster, but the footsteps were light and quick.

“Did you hear that explosion!?”

“What happened? Did a pipe burst or something?”

“I don’t know, but let’s check it out! It could be a scoop!”

It was clear that reporters rushed toward any spot where an incident occurred.

Relaxing a bit at last, Daniel lowered his hand from his holster.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on over there…?”

As he spoke, he searched for Lucy, but she was nowhere to be found.

Had she jumped over the wall and escaped at the moment of the explosion? That height?

As Daniel let out a dejected sigh, the reporters flooded in.

Simultaneously, the reporters froze stiff.

With nearly thirty people sprawled in the alley, bleeding, and one person in a military officer’s uniform standing there unharmed, it was an intimidating sight.

While the reporters were dumbfounded trying to figure out what was happening, one looked down and widened his eyes.

“Wait… aren’t these Nickel’s subordinates?”

Each of the fallen bore a hyena tattoo on their neck.

This meant they were members of Mafia boss Nickel’s organization.

Other reporters soon caught on, raising their heads to confirm Daniel’s identity.

Once they realized who the officer was, smiles spread across the reporters’ faces.

They caught a whiff of a scoop.

“It’s Captain Daniel Steiner!”

“Wh-what? Oh my god! It’s really Captain Daniel!”

As the reporters clamored, citizens who had heard the explosion started to gather as well.

As the citizens arrived in the alley, they held the same expression as the reporters and began to murmur among themselves.

Consequently, sensing a foreboding atmosphere, Daniel raised both his hands.

“Everyone, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding; I didn’t do this—”

“Everyone, gather around! Captain Daniel Steiner has once again devoted himself to the Empire! He has taken down a Mafia organization!”

The reporter’s voice drowned out Daniel’s protest.

Believing the reporter, the citizens erupted into cheers, chanting Daniel’s name.

Then, as applause began to pour in, Daniel half-gave up and shut his eyes.

‘I’m going insane…’

At this point, it was nothing new.