Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 18
I Don’t Want to Get Close to You

Why did I end up sharing an office with an enemy spy?

I wanted to inform the Chief of Operations Staff that this woman was a spy, but without evidence, I would only sound like a madman.

So, for now, I had no choice but to act natural.

Taking a deep breath to calm my chaotic mind, I opened the office door.

Then, I shrugged at Lucy, who was looking at me strangely.

“Did you hear that? The door hinge sounds odd. I’ll have to call a repairman soon.”

I opened and closed the door simply to check the condition of the hinge.

Having come up with a plausible excuse on the spot, I walked to my desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

“So, what’s your name?”

As I placed the bag of pastries on the desk and settled in, Lucy saluted smartly.

“Second Lieutenant Lucy Emilia, reporting for duty as the adjutant to the Operations Staff Officer of the General Staff Headquarters, sir. I am honored to be assigned as the adjutant to the busy Operations Staff Officer. I am prepared to faithfully carry out my duties to ensure that this honor is not tarnished.”

It was a flawless report for duty.

More importantly, she was using her real name.

Well, considering that only a handful of people within the Allied Nations knew her real name, she probably thought there was no need to use an alias.

Whatever the reason, the owner of this beautiful appearance standing before me was an Allied spy.

Of course, her spying activities within the Empire didn’t bother me much.

I wasn’t exactly patriotic towards the Empire.

The problem was that the person who would become the Empire’s nightmare was my adjutant and a spy.

I wasn’t patient enough to have a ticking time bomb as my adjutant.

‘So, I have to get rid of her.’

I had to somehow make the higher-ups deem Lucy Emilia unfit to be the adjutant to the Operations Staff Officer.

‘Then I need to create a justification…’

As I tapped my desk with a serious expression, a light bulb went off in my head.

‘Wait a minute. Come to think of it, I saw a human rights group preparing an anti-war protest in front of the General Staff Headquarters when I went out.’

If I used this well, I might be able to separate Lucy from me.

Smiling inwardly, I returned Lucy’s salute.

Then, looking at Lucy, who had assumed the at-ease position, I said in a somewhat stern tone,

“Good. Second Lieutenant Lucy Emilia, did you just say you would faithfully carry out your assigned duties?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s a bold statement. Then, to see if your abilities are suitable for my adjutant, I’ll give you a task. Go outside and suppress the protesters.”

Perhaps flustered, Lucy hesitated for a moment before answering.

“…The protesters, sir?”

“Yes. To be precise, they are criminals holding an illegal protest without reporting to the Imperial authorities. Initially, we ignored them because their numbers were small, but I hear they’ve become quite active recently.”

“I’m aware of that, but isn’t that the responsibility of the military police?”

“Protests happening in front of the General Staff Headquarters are also our responsibility. According to the Wartime Public Security Act, Imperial officers have the authority to punish disruptive forces within their jurisdiction.”

Lucy nodded as if she understood.

“You’re absolutely right, sir. I’ll follow your orders.”

“Good. Then go and carry out your mission. Report back to me when you’ve completed it.”

“Yes, sir. But may I ask for one thing?”

“What is your request?”

Lucy raised her hand and pointed her index finger at me.

“Bread.”

…What? Was that a threat to shoot me?

I tensed up at her cryptic gesture, but Lucy blinked and continued.

“Didn’t you say you would share the bread when you came in? If you’ll allow it, Captain, I’d like to take one.”

Ah, she meant the pastries.

“Sure, take one.”

I gently pushed the bag of pastries on the desk toward her, and Lucy stepped closer and took out a croissant.

Then, she bowed her head slightly and turned to leave the office.

Seeing this, I exhaled softly and leaned back in my chair.

As the tension subsided, I felt my body relax.

‘For now…’

I had laid the foundation for creating a justification.

Even I thought it was an impossible task to suppress the protesters alone.

How could she possibly subdue those angry citizens by herself?

So, I would wait here comfortably, and when Lucy returned after failing the mission, I would use that as an excuse to deem her unfit.

Of course, the matter wouldn’t be resolved immediately, but it was important to slowly build up the reasons.

Relieved that things were going according to plan, I took out some documents from my drawer and began reviewing them.

I couldn’t just relax and wait for Lucy to return.

Just as I was reviewing a few documents,

Bang!

My shoulders flinched at the sound of gunshots coming from outside.

A terrorist attack? No, if it were gunshots from a terrorist attack, they wouldn’t sound so sporadic.

Besides, the direction of the gunshots sounded close.

As if they were coming from right in front of the General Staff Headquarters—

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out, paralyzing my thoughts.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Did Lucy fire the gun?

Reaching that conclusion, I jumped up from my seat.

This wasn’t the time to be reviewing documents in my office.

***

“You apprehended all five protest leaders. Good work.”

Sergeant Wendelin, the military police interrogator, stared blankly at the woman in front of him.

Swallowing hard, Wendelin recalled what had happened just a few minutes ago.

The woman, who introduced herself as “Captain Daniel Steiner’s adjutant,” glanced at the riot police confronting the protesters, then took out her revolver and fired two shots into the air.

As the sudden gunshots startled the protesters and threw them into disarray, the woman asked the riot police for assistance and then, with practiced movements, subdued the five protest leaders.

In fact, the riot police did little more than assist with the arrests.

Just as the riot police and Sergeant Wendelin were too stunned to speak,

“What’s all the commotion?”

Startled, Wendelin turned towards the source of the voice and saw Daniel Steiner approaching.

There was an air of authority in the way he walked, his uniform cap pulled low and his officer’s coat billowing behind him.

Wendelin, mindful of not displeasing Daniel, looked around and shouted,

“What are you doing! Attention!”

At Wendelin’s shout, the thirty riot police officers stationed nearby snapped to attention.

Daniel approached, scanning them with his eyes, and then fixed Lucy with a cold stare.

“Explain the situation.”

At his direct order, Lucy saluted and reported,

“As per the Operations Staff Officer’s order, I fired warning shots while suppressing the violent protesters. As a result, I dispersed the citizens engaging in illegal protests and apprehended five ringleaders.”

Wendelin, listening from the side, finally nodded in understanding.

‘It was Captain Daniel’s order? Of course it was.’

There was no way a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant would act so boldly.

On the other hand, Daniel felt like he was burning up inside.

‘When did I order her to fire warning shots?’

He wanted to ask, but according to the Wartime Public Security Act, Lucy had done nothing wrong.

So, instead of reprimanding Lucy, Daniel extended his hand.

Immediately understanding, Lucy took out her revolver from its holster and placed it in Daniel’s hand.

Daniel opened the cylinder to check, and indeed, two chambers were empty.

As he chuckled in disbelief, Lucy spoke,

“Captain, these people are rioters who violated both the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Wartime Public Security Act. They violated the Wartime Public Security Act three times, including ‘attacking military personnel dispatched for peacekeeping without justifiable cause.’ If you give the order, I will execute them on the spot.”

Daniel stared at Lucy, wondering if he had misheard.

Weren’t the leaders of the anti-war protest on the same side as them?

‘She wants to kill her own teammates? Why?’

…No, thinking rationally, it was possible that she was siding with the Empire to avoid suspicion.

‘This heartless woman! Doesn’t she feel any pity for these people?’

I wanted to give her a moral lecture, but there were too many eyes watching.

Besides Wendelin and the riot police, many citizens had come to watch, and there were even reporters taking pictures nearby.

Here, I had no choice but to act like a proper Imperial officer.

“No.”

Click, clack.

Daniel closed the cylinder of the revolver and handed it back to Lucy.

“They’re not worth killing. Sergeant Wendelin.”

Wendelin, startled at being called, responded,

“Yes! Captain Daniel Steiner!”

“Interrogate them and find out why they led the protest. You must uncover what kind of rebellious ideology they hold that led them to insult the Imperial family and incite the citizens.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Wendelin, visibly nervous, gave various orders to the soldiers.

The soldiers moved in unison and started to pull the protest leaders to their feet.

Daniel, quietly observing this scene, closed his eyes.

‘Sigh…’

His attempt to build a case had failed spectacularly.

***

The next morning.

Waking up to the alarm, I walked to the kitchen to make coffee as usual.

I took out the coffee powder from the shelf, brewed the coffee, and poured it into a mug.

Then, I casually walked to the front door, picked up the newspaper that had been dropped through the mail slot, and returned to the kitchen.

Sitting down at the table, I took a sip of coffee from my mug.

The refined yet classic flavor delighted my palate.

‘As expected, morning coffee is delicious.’

Feeling satisfied, I unfolded the newspaper and froze on the spot.

My picture was printed on the front page in black and white.

It was a scene of me holding a revolver and checking the cylinder in front of five kneeling protest leaders.

Anyone who saw it would think I was contemplating whether to kill them or not.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, I looked at the headline and gasped.

【Captain Daniel Steiner Apprehends Illegal Protest Leaders!】

The headline was one thing, but the content was even more absurd.

『…As a result of the military police’s interrogation of the protest leaders, it was revealed that three of them were paid by the Allied Nations. This confirms the suspicion that the cornered Allied Nations are instigating anti-war protests. In relation to this, Sergeant Wendelin mentioned that Captain Daniel Steiner was of great assistance…』

Reading this far, I folded the newspaper and picked up my mug.

I tried to calm down and took a deep breath before drinking my coffee, but for some reason, it no longer tasted good.

This was truly dizzying…

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