Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 25
The Hearts of Subordinate and Superior Beat as One

My intuition was telling me.

That something big was going to happen today regarding Lucy.

It wasn’t meant to be a boast, but my intuition was usually right.

So I spent the day being extra cautious of Lucy, but contrary to my expectations, she just worked silently as usual.

“It’s closing time, Captain.”

Lucy, having organized the documents in my private office, looked at me and said.

‘…Is it closing time already?’

I looked away from Lucy and glanced at the wall clock; it was 6 p.m.

After a moment of stunned silence, I cleared my throat and stood up.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I put a few documents in my briefcase and left the office, with Lucy following behind.

As we went down the central staircase and exited the General Staff Headquarters,

“Um, Captain.”

Wondering what it was, I turned to see Lucy holding out an umbrella.

“This is the umbrella I borrowed from you before. Thanks to you, I was able to stay out of the rain. I was going to return it a bit earlier, but you were so busy that I couldn’t find the right opportunity.”

Ah, the umbrella I lent her.

“I’m glad you were able to use it.”

As I took the umbrella, Lucy looked up at me and blinked her red eyes.

“And congratulations on receiving the Gugseon Medal. Considering the favor you’ve gained from the higher-ups, it’s only a matter of time before you’re promoted to Major.”

…What? Was that a threat?

Frozen, unable to understand her intentions, I watched as Lucy bowed her head.

“Then I have a prior engagement, so I’ll be going now.”

Saying that, she walked ahead.

Was my intuition wrong? Nothing happened after all.

Staring blankly at Lucy’s retreating figure, I opened my briefcase and put the umbrella inside.

‘Well, no news is good news.’

Closing my briefcase, I looked up at the sky; it was clear without a single cloud.

‘Is it summer already?’

It seemed so, considering it was 6 p.m., and the sun hadn’t set yet.

The gentle breeze felt quite warm.

Taking a pleasant deep breath, I started walking.

‘I heard there’s a new dessert shop on the outskirts of the capital. Should I go check it out?’

I wanted to treat myself once in a while after being caught up in all sorts of incidents lately.

***

“Boss, it seems we can now distribute our goods on Raven 23rd Street as well. I gave the cops patrolling there a bigger bribe than before, and they said they’ll turn a blind eye for the time being.”

In a room with an old, whirring fan, Mafia boss Nickel chuckled with satisfaction.

“See? What did I tell you? If they refuse a bribe, just offer them more money. Let’s expand our network gradually like this and build a cell-based organization.”

As Nickel put a cigar in his mouth, a subordinate rushed over and lit it with a lighter.

After a few puffs, Nickel exhaled a cloud of smoke, and the subordinate stepped back.

Tapping the ash from the burning cigar into an ashtray, Nickel said,

“I have a meeting with the customs inspector today, so tell everyone to get ready in suits. We need to grease that sly bastard’s palms to make smuggling opium easier.”

“Yes sir! Understood!”

The subordinate replied energetically, and Nickel waved his hand dismissively.

The subordinate opened the door and went out.

Watching him leave, Nickel took a few more puffs of his cigar and then heaved his bulky body up.

Pushing the creaking chair back, he stood in front of the full-length mirror and adjusted his clothes.

Several gold rings adorned his fingers, which were covered in expensive accessories.

Looking at his luxuriously adorned body with satisfaction, Nickel gave a greedy smile.

‘This is easy. I didn’t know it would be this easy…!’

Nickel was originally an Allied spy.

The opium trade was a business he started solely to raise funds locally.

However, as the scale of his operation grew, and he now commanded about 30 men, Nickel’s greed for money outweighed his loyalty to his home country.

So, he betrayed both his nation and his organization.

Living a life of wealth and luxury by dealing opium in the Empire was far more comfortable and prosperous than risking his life for espionage.

It had been over a year since he last contacted his home country, but he felt no remorse.

‘In the first place, my home country treated me like an expendable pawn…’

There was no reason to be loyal anymore.

Just as Nickel, having justified his actions, was about to turn around to meet the customs inspector,

Click—

A cold, metallic object pressed against the back of his head.

Wondering what it was, he saw the space behind him in the mirror distort.

‘Optical camouflage…!’

It was a high-level technique that used mana to reflect and refract light, making the user appear invisible.

Therefore, only a handful of people could use optical camouflage, both in the Empire and the Allied Nations.

The person who was now deactivating their optical camouflage, who could they be? As Nickel waited with bated breath, a woman with crimson eyes slowly came into view.

“…!”

Nickel’s heart pounded in his chest.

He had heard rumors. About the “Crimson-Eyed Reaper” who executed traitors of their homeland.

But wasn’t that just an urban legend? As Nickel’s eyes widened in shock, Lucy slowly parted her lips.

“Nickel Meyer, your country gave you countless opportunities. Yet you repeatedly refused them.”

Her chilling voice sent shivers down his spine.

Nickel’s eyes darted around, and he stammered,

“W-Wait! It’s beneficial for the Allied Nations to keep me alive! I’m spreading opium throughout the Empire! Even if I betrayed you, I’m not doing anything that benefits the Empire!”

“That’s no excuse.”

“Please! T-Then let’s make a deal. I’ll give you all the money I’ve earned—”

Lucy pulled the trigger.

*Thwip*—

A small, muffled gunshot echoed, followed by a splatter of blood.

Nickel’s bulky body swayed for a moment, then collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

“…”

Lucy stared coldly at the fallen Nickel, then dusted off her hands and opened the window.

It was a three-story drop, but it wasn’t a problem for Lucy.

She jumped out like a cat, landing gracefully on the ground, and slipped into a nearby alley.

Dodging beggars, Lucy navigated through the maze of alleyways until she finally found one that was deserted.

All she had to do now was change her clothes here, and the mission would be complete.

Relieved, Lucy took out a pair of sunglasses from her coat pocket and put them on.

Her red eyes would attract attention, so it was best to conceal them.

Then, adjusting her wig, Lucy took off her bloodstained coat and turned her head, only to freeze in her tracks.

She had made eye contact with an Imperial soldier emerging from the alley.

At first, she was merely annoyed at the thought of more trouble, but after getting a good look at the soldier’s appearance, Lucy was surprised.

‘…Daniel Steiner?’

The soldier with black hair and sharp, wolf-like eyes was none other than Daniel Steiner.

A crack appeared in Lucy’s usually expressionless facade.

‘This is dangerous.’

Who was Daniel Steiner? A man who had not only achieved numerous merits but was also an expert at uncovering and interrogating spies.

Moreover, he was skilled in combat.

She had heard about Daniel’s feats: instantly killing Colonel Jeremy on the Northern Front and single-handedly defeating seven soldiers.

And it was Daniel Steiner who had turned eight Allied agents into a pile of corpses while rescuing the princess.

‘Of course…’

If neural acceleration was the only skill Daniel could use, she could easily subdue him.

However, he was a thorough, calculating, cold-headed, and cunning man.

There was a chance he might be hiding other skills besides neural acceleration.

Moreover, even if she succeeded in killing Daniel here, she wouldn’t be able to escape the Empire’s investigation.

If he were just an ordinary soldier, it would be a different story, but Daniel was an elite among elites, awarded the Gugseon Medal by the Emperor himself, and a candidate for early promotion.

If such a person were found dead in an alley, a large-scale investigation would ensue, and Lucy would likely be arrested in the process.

‘In that case…’

The best course of action was to somehow smooth things over.

Fortunately, Lucy was currently wearing a wig and sunglasses.

If she could deceive Daniel by pretending to be someone else, she might be able to escape alive.

The worst-case scenario would be if Daniel had been tracking her from the beginning and deliberately entered the alley, but she decided not to act rashly until she was sure.

So, as Lucy racked her brain for a solution,

Daniel was thinking along similar lines.

‘I was just trying to find that dessert shop and got lost…’

Turning into the alley, he came face to face with Lucy, whose coat was stained with blood. It was the worst possible scenario.

…There was a reason why he was sure that woman was Lucy.

He had entered the alley just before Lucy put on her sunglasses and caught a glimpse of her flashing red eyes.

‘It seems she ran into me while carrying out an intelligence operation.’

This was troublesome. If he let on that he had recognized her as a spy, he might end up with a bullet between his eyes.

But that was unlikely.

Unless she was a fool, Lucy would try to get out of this situation.

After all, she was wearing a wig and sunglasses.

This led to the assumption that she would pretend to be someone else.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

Trying their best to calm their nerves, the two stared at each other in silence.

At that moment, both of them were thinking the same thing.

‘I need to deceive Daniel completely.’

‘I need to play along convincingly.’

Ironically, their thoughts were aligned in this strange situation.

—————

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