I Was Mistaken for a Great General of War

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Daniel Steiner felt cold sweat bead on his forehead as he looked at Berthelm.

It was clear that Berthelm harbored strong doubts about him.

But from Daniel’s perspective, who truly knew nothing, it was nothing short of unjust.

How could he escape from this nonsensical situation?

In a brief moment of mental calculations, Daniel suddenly knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty! I have no idea what your intentions are with these words…!”

The person he faced was the Emperor who controlled this Empire.

Killing a man on a whim was as easy as pie for him.

Sticking to a denial too firmly could put Daniel’s life at risk.

“Of course, I can fully understand why you might suspect me based on the circumstances. If I were in your position, I would suspect myself too. However, I assure you that I do not have any secret organization.”

Berthelm let out a low chuckle at Daniel’s excuse.

With a gesture, he called a nearby guard who had been frozen in place and brought a bullet closer.

Berthelm received the bullet, smoothly loading it one by one.

“So there’s no secret organization, huh?”

Once all the bullets were loaded, Berthelm raised the firearm to finish the preparation.

“How strange. Then what do you say about the armed group that barged in before you captured the Dawn? According to the testimonies of those attacked, they were all well-trained.”

“Your Majesty, I must humbly report that I truly do not know anything about that.”

“You don’t know, huh? So you’re saying that I’m lost in suspicion and spewing nonsense?”

Berthelm spoke in a calm tone, yet the implication behind it was menacing.

Thanks to that, Daniel was left dreadfully lowering his head.

“It’s a misunderstanding! How could I say such things to Your Majesty? I’m merely stating that I don’t know what I don’t know. If… just if…”

Swallowing dryly, Daniel continued.

“If Your Majesty believes there’s a secret organization or a military faction under my command, I will humbly accept it, even if it’s not true.”

“Humbly accept, you say? How do you intend to do that?”

“Simply say the word for me to step down from the military, and I’ll return to being an ordinary citizen. I also won’t get involved in any political matters happening in the Empire.”

Daniel truly meant what he said, but to Berthelm, it sounded like a threat.

It felt as though he was coercing Berthelm to think about whether it would be “beneficial for him” to pressure and slander the Empire’s war hero without any evidence.

An emperor might superficially appear to stand above law and order, but no one is less bound by law and order than the emperor himself.

If the emperor doesn’t follow the law, the law loses credibility, and when that happens, higher officials would tend to exploit the loopholes in the law to follow the emperor’s lead.

That would quickly spiral into a malignant practice, and malignant practices transform into the downfall of the state.

‘So…’

Daniel was practically asking the emperor, “Will you destroy the solemn laws of the Empire, established by your predecessors, with your own hands?”

‘I see how this cunning brat has baked the Duke Belvar.’

It was clear he wasn’t an ordinary character, but this extent?

Perhaps needing time to think, Berthelm maintained silence while looking down at Daniel.

“Daniel Steiner. Lift your head.”

As Daniel raised his head, Berthelm spoke again.

“Can you swear that there isn’t a single lie in what you just said?”

“Yes.”

It was an immediate response.

“Under the watchful eyes of the heavens, I sincerely declare to Your Majesty the Emperor that there is no secret organization or military faction under my command.”

Berthelm, who had been staring intently at Daniel’s face, nodded as if he had no other option.

“If you say so, I won’t press further. You may rise.”

As Daniel nodded and stood up, Berthelm withdrew his hand and flicked his fingers.

It was a gesture to fire the disc.

Simultaneously, Berthelm threw a loaded double-barrel shotgun towards Daniel.

As Daniel caught the shotgun in confusion, Berthelm ordered,

“Fire.”

No sooner had he said it than the sound of gunfire echoed as two discs flew into the air simultaneously.

Almost instinctively, Daniel settled into position, eyes on the discs soaring high.

But he didn’t shoot immediately; instead, he calculated their trajectory.

Just before the two discs, flying at different speeds, overlapped, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

With the explosion of gunpowder, the shot pellets exploded both discs at once.

Berthelm marveled at the scene, never expecting Daniel to succeed, while Daniel blinked in astonishment before lowering the shotgun.

Watching the shattered discs fall to the ground, Berthelm turned to Daniel.

“Impressive shooting skills. Are you going to brush it off as mere luck?”

“Your Majesty, I merely…”

“Enough. I don’t want to argue. You look tired; I’ll let you go home. I apologize for putting you in an awkward position with my trivial jest.”

The attendant, who had been eavesdropping, approached Daniel, arms stretched out.

When Daniel handed over the shotgun, the attendant stepped back.

For a moment there, he hesitated, wondering if Berthelm really meant for him to leave, until Berthelm waved his hand again.

It was only then that Daniel deeply bowed towards Berthelm.

“It was an honor to meet you, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

With that, Daniel turned and slowly walked away.

As Berthelm quietly watched his figure vanish, the space beside him warped.

The warped space soon took the shape of a man, beginning to show definite colors.

When the optical camouflage was completely disabled, Chief of the Imperial Guard Johannes appeared.

Berthelm opened his mouth without even looking at Johannes.

“He’s more cunning than I thought. I anticipated it, but he didn’t even blink at the mention of rewards.”

As Daniel disappeared from view, Johannes turned his gaze to Berthelm.

“What would you have done if Daniel had been blinded by rewards and confessed about his secret organization, Your Majesty?”

“If he confessed, I would have held a military trial and sentenced him to death.”

According to the Empire’s laws, if an ordinary soldier were to privately harbor soldiers or form a military faction, the instigator could face the death penalty.

If Daniel confessed, that would work as evidence, allowing Berthelm to execute him without any issues.

Of course, public opinion towards an emperor who sentenced a war hero to death would surely sour rapidly, but Berthelm had considered that too.

“I would sentence him to death, but I wouldn’t enforce it. My daughter would surely oppose it vehemently.”

“And so I will remain the emperor unable to carry out a sentence because of Selvia.”

“Surely…”

“When the time comes, I will pass the throne to my daughter. Then Selvia will be the first to grant Daniel immunity and set him free. What do you think Daniel will think then?”

Johannes, lost in thought, nodded as if he had understood.

“He would think he received a favor from Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness would easily win Daniel Steiner’s heart.”

“Also, he could be tightened by the noose using the crime of operating a secret organization. If he shows his teeth, it would mean he could be easily snatched back with a noose.”

Emperor Berthelm arranged all of this so that his daughter Selvia could tame Daniel Steiner.

But Daniel didn’t fall into the trap the emperor had set.

As if he had known everything from the start.

“Did you see that, Chief of the Imperial Guard? Daniel Steiner’s trap shooting?”

“Yes, I did.”

Berthelm bore a subtle smile.

“That kid has done this before. Watching him maintain a steady posture and calculate the discs’ trajectories in an instant indicates he must’ve enjoyed this game several times.”

“But why lie about never having done it before…?”

“Since this is certainly not a gathering for friendship, he must have known from the moment the head of the administration called him that it was a seat made for interrogation. He’d want to leave quickly.”

Daniel must have tried to demonstrate his lack of proficiency in trap shooting to diminish the emperor’s interest.

However, when he was suddenly handed a gun, he instinctively took position in surprise.

Seeing Daniel Steiner like that, Berthelm felt reassured.

“Daniel Steiner’s words were a tapestry of lies from start to finish. But we can’t claim those lies to be lies. Because he’s wiped away all the evidence.”

If the Empire’s intelligence agency couldn’t unearth it, no one else could either.

That fact deepened the lines on Berthelm’s face.

“Truly a meticulous and calculated individual. Deceiving everyone while cloaked in lies yet leaving no gaps. He’s someone even I, as the Emperor, cannot easily touch.”

If Berthelm had the stamina and time, he might have relished such a character’s presence.

If he could just win his heart, they might have dominated the world together.

‘But…’

Berthelm was old and sick, while the upcoming Emperor Selvia was young and inexperienced.

‘Selvia right now could never tame a wolf like Daniel Steiner.’

Berthelm couldn’t even begin to gauge what impact this would have on the Empire.

‘For now, I can only hope that Daniel Steiner’s expressed loyalty to Selvia isn’t falsehood…’

As he gazed at the spot Daniel had vacated, Berthelm turned his head.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the blue sky.

“Chief of the Imperial Guard. Do you think Daniel Steiner will bring spring to the Empire?”

Understanding Berthelm’s implication, Johannes deeply bowed his head.

“I will do my best to ensure he doesn’t bring winter to the Empire.”

Berthelm chuckled softly as he quietly nodded.

Hoping that his loyal dog Johannes would block the wolf’s tyranny.