Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 14
He Is a Trustworthy Man

The tide of the battle turned dramatically after Daniel rejoined Princess Sylvia.

Following Daniel’s orders, the platoon members, who had disembarked and scattered, linked up with the reinforcements sent by the Special Operations Unit from the outpost and utterly decimated the prince’s forces disguised as Allied soldiers.

Moreover, thanks to Captain Heinz’s additional request for support, reconnaissance helicopters and fighter jets from a nearby air squadron joined the fray, leaving the prince’s forces with no chance of victory.

From the beginning, they were a small unit deployed for a swift operation.

They were already struggling to hold their ground against the Special Operations Unit reinforcements, and with the air squadron joining the fight, their defeat was all but guaranteed.

The cornered soldiers of the prince, as if by prior agreement, chose to take their own lives, bringing the situation to an end.

And now,

Daniel and his platoon stood in formation at the forest clearing, at ease.

In front of the transport helicopter that had landed in the center of the clearing, Sylvia blinked her blue eyes as she observed them.

‘Indeed, as they say, excellent soldiers follow a great commander…’

Daniel and his platoon members were covered in blood.

This meant they didn’t hesitate to fight against the prince’s soldiers.

Of course, except for Daniel, none of them knew that those they fought were actually the prince’s men.

“Lieutenant Daniel.”

Sylvia, after looking over the platoon members, made eye contact with Daniel.

She beckoned him closer, and Daniel walked towards her with long strides.

“You called for me?”

Sylvia nodded and, standing on tiptoe, whispered in Daniel’s ear.

“Keep what you saw and heard today to yourself. Others must not know that my brother is involved in this.”

“…I understand. There’s no evidence, so rashly claiming the prince’s involvement could backfire.”

“As expected. I’m glad we understand each other so well.”

Her voice, so close to his ear, was sweet.

After gently conveying her message, Sylvia stepped back.

“Then I’ll return to the capital. I’d love to travel with you to the General Staff Headquarters and chat more, but… things have escalated more than expected, so I need to hurry back.”

Things had indeed escalated. By now, the news of the princess being attacked must have spread like wildfire among the military leaders in the capital.

It was all thanks to Captain Heinz, who, judging the situation to be dangerous, requested support from the air squadron.

In any case, if she didn’t hurry back, she would face criticism not only from the current Emperor but also from the noble retainers, leaving Sylvia with no choice.

Fully understanding Sylvia’s position, Daniel bowed his head.

“It was an honor to meet you. I look forward to the day I can serve you again.”

Sylvia smiled faintly at Daniel’s courteous words.

“We’ll be able to meet again soon.”

It was a meaningful statement.

While Daniel remained speechless, Sylvia turned and boarded the transport helicopter.

After confirming Sylvia’s boarding, the Imperial Guards swiftly climbed aboard and closed the door.

One of the Imperial Guards informed her that everyone had boarded, and the pilot prepared for takeoff.

The helicopter’s propellers began to spin rapidly, and soon it was pushing the air away with a deafening roar.

No, it would be more accurate to say it was pushing the ground away.

The helicopter, scattering the snow piled on the clearing in all directions, took off and flew straight towards the capital.

“…”

Inside the helicopter, Sylvia sat in her seat, gazing down at the ground through the window.

Below, she could see Daniel and his platoon members saluting towards the helicopter.

Sylvia gazed down at them, then turned her head to look at the Imperial Guard who was inspecting his firearm.

Embroidered on the shoulder of the guard, caught in Sylvia’s gaze, was the Gold Wing insignia, symbolizing the chief guard of the Imperial Guard.

Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann Edelstein.

He was the one in charge of the Imperial Guards’ operations and a field officer widely known as a living weapon.

His eccentric feat of wielding a single sword and slaughtering enemies on a battlefield riddled with bullets was one of the anecdotes always mentioned when describing Hartmann.

If there was one being that this living weapon feared, it was Sylvia von Amberg, who was currently gazing at him with an impassive expression.

Usually, Sylvia, who was young enough to be his granddaughter, was simply cute and adorable. However, when she stared at him like this with a clear intent, the unknown purpose of her gaze sent chills down his spine.

He couldn’t ignore her forever, so Hartmann put down the gun he was cleaning and removed his gas mask.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his wrinkled, veteran face.

“Your Highness, do you have something to say to me?”

“Yes. Why didn’t you save Lieutenant Daniel right away?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think I’m a fool, Hartmann? You must have arrived before Lieutenant Daniel even engaged the enemy. Why did you just stand by and watch instead of helping him immediately? Answer me.”

His suspicions were confirmed.

Hartmann, wondering how to explain this, looked around.

He tried to send an SOS signal, but the Imperial Guards were all desperately looking down, pretending to clean their weapons.

He was desperately pretending not to know, just in case things went south.

‘Those damn bastards…’

Glaring at his subordinates for a moment, Hartmann turned to Sylvia and put on his most amiable smile.

“As I recall, Your Highness’s order was to ‘rescue Lieutenant Daniel unharmed.’ Lieutenant Daniel was indeed unharmed, so we can say that we faithfully carried out the order.”

“Are you calling that an excuse?”

“Your Highness, I understand your anger, but we needed time to assess what kind of person you wish to favor. That is also part of our duty.”

He wasn’t doubting Sylvia’s judgment, but as the Imperial Guard, it was crucial to understand the abilities and ideology of anyone approaching the princess.

“To further justify our actions, we did achieve some results.”

Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was a rare individual who could use neural acceleration.

It was said that the ability wasn’t favored in the past because the time one could accelerate their nerves was significantly shorter compared to the immense mana consumption.

With mere seconds, one couldn’t pierce a knight’s armor or break a mage’s barrier.

However, with the advancement of technology and the advent of firearms, the time it took to kill a person had been reduced to mere seconds.

On the modern battlefield, even the most lowly individual could kill someone of the highest status if they could aim properly.

In such a battlefield, gaining even a few extra seconds could provide an immense advantage.

In that sense, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was a highly desirable asset.

If he weren’t part of the General Staff Headquarters, Hartmann would have offered him a position in the Imperial Guard right away.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s combat abilities are exceptional. With a bit of luck, he could have taken down all six soldiers by himself.”

“…”

Sylvia’s expression turned sullen as she narrowed her eyes.

Hartmann, having served the princess for a long time, could tell.

Sylvia was essentially applying silent pressure, saying, “That’s not what I’m asking, is it?”

A wrong answer here could earn him her displeasure.

And earning Sylvia’s displeasure was quite painful for Hartmann.

Despite the difference in their status, Hartmann truly cherished Sylvia like his own granddaughter.

Therefore, he had to tell her any other information he had gathered.

Clearing his throat, Hartmann spoke in a serious tone.

“If Your Highness truly wishes to recruit Lieutenant Daniel Steiner as an ally, there’s no need to test his loyalty.”

What was he talking about all of a sudden? As Sylvia blinked in confusion, Hartmann continued.

“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, in front of the prince’s soldiers, declared that ‘the incompetent prince could never become Emperor.’ He further asserted that ‘it is the princess who will become the Empress.'”

Sylvia’s eyes widened.

Having arrived late at the scene, this was the first time she had heard that Daniel said such a thing.

“…Is that true? Did Lieutenant Daniel really say that?”

“Yes, everyone here heard it.”

The Imperial Guards, who had been cleaning their weapons, nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Sylvia’s lips.

“I see. So Lieutenant Daniel said that…”

Trailing off, Sylvia turned her gaze towards the window and looked down at the ground.

They were already quite far from the clearing, so there was no way he could be seen, yet Sylvia’s eyes unconsciously searched for Daniel.

“Hmm, so he said that…”

She seemed quite pleased with Daniel’s statement, though it was unclear why.

‘Is she happy to recruit a new talent?’

But she seemed more elated than usual for that.

‘Could it be that she sees Lieutenant Daniel as a potential love interest…?’

No, that couldn’t be it. Sylvia was someone who treated the opposite sex like stones because of how much she had been tormented by her brother.

Whatever the reason, seeing Sylvia with an expression befitting her age was a truly heartwarming sight for Hartmann.

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