Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 28
A Journalist’s Spirit that Transcends Time

After dining with Daniel, Cartman headed to the Imperial Security Agency instead of going home.

Entering the building, he went to Department 5, which was in charge of intelligence gathering and espionage within the Security Bureau.

The intelligence analyst, who turned his head at the sound of footsteps, was startled to see Cartman and quickly stood up.

“Inspector Cartman! Didn’t you say you were leaving for the day?”

“Ah, about that… Here, take this first.”

Cartman handed the analyst a cup of coffee.

Why coffee? As the analyst received the coffee with a puzzled look, Cartman explained,

“On my way home, a question suddenly popped into my head, so I turned back. You know how it is, once I get curious about something, I can’t sleep until I find out.”

The analyst nodded slowly.

Everyone knew how actively Cartman was producing results within the Security Bureau.

“So, could you do some research for me?”

“What kind of research, sir?”

“I’m curious how many military doctors who served on the Eastern Front have eye injuries and aphasia. I’d like you to narrow it down to those with brown hair.”

The analyst took a sip of his coffee and asked with a puzzled expression,

“Is that all? As you know, Inspector, the Eastern Front currently consists of numerous field armies. There are 17 corps under those field armies. You want me to investigate all of them?”

“I know it will be difficult. That’s why I brought a bribe.”

“Would you go through torture if I offered you a cup of coffee?”

Cartman broke out in a sweat.

“I’ll buy you a hundred cups, not just one. In my defense, I was in a situation where it was difficult to obtain information otherwise.”

The analyst sighed and nodded reluctantly.

“If it’s information that the Inspector wants, there must be a reason. However, it will take a long time since I have to conduct a thorough investigation. I’ll need cooperation from the Central Intelligence Agency as well.”

“No problem. It’s not urgent.”

The analyst glared at Cartman with a look of annoyance and sat down to begin his work.

Cartman watched him, stroking his chin as he recalled the dinner conversation.

‘I don’t want to doubt Captain Daniel Steiner, but…’

There was no harm in being sure.

***

The next day.

Before heading to the staff office, I entered my private office to prepare for the day, and as expected, Lucy was already there.

Naturally, she wasn’t wearing her wig or sunglasses.

“You’ve arrived, Captain.”

As always, her greeting was monotonous and devoid of emotion.

It was hard to believe she was the same person who set off a bomb and escaped over a wall yesterday.

I looked at Lucy with a perplexed expression and walked to my desk, taking a seat.

“…Anything happen yesterday?”

I asked casually while opening my desk drawer, but Lucy just continued reviewing documents without even looking at me.

“I returned to my quarters immediately after work and rested.”

“I see. I had a bit of trouble because I ran into a strange woman on my way to the dessert shop.”

“Is that so?”

Her indifferent and dismissive attitude was absurd.

It was because of her that I was caught up in all sorts of trouble and couldn’t even enjoy my dessert.

I glared at Lucy and took out the documents for today’s review from my drawer, sorting them.

After organizing the documents by importance and putting them in my briefcase, Lucy glanced at me and said,

“…Just how strange was this woman?”

Was she testing me? I hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said,

“She was wearing sunglasses indoors.”

“Anything else?”

“She couldn’t speak properly, as if she had aphasia. And she was incredibly stubborn, refusing my help several times. I wonder how she manages in society. A truly unfortunate woman.”

Lucy closed her mouth and stared at me. No, it was more accurate to say she glared at me.

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere turned cold. The probability of being assassinated was rising in real-time.

Feeling a sense of crisis, I cleared my throat and walked towards the door.

“Let’s end the small talk here and head to the staff office. We can’t be late.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Leaving the office, I entered the staff room with Lucy.

I was about to walk to my desk when I paused.

The staff members were gathered around the central conference table, murmuring amongst themselves.

“This is a masterpiece.”

“Indeed. It’s well-made considering it was done in a hurry.”

“But the personnel department works incredibly fast. It hasn’t even been a day since the article came out…”

What were they talking about? Curious, I approached them.

“What are you all looking at?”

Captain Dengel, the Operations Support Officer, was the first to turn around.

“Oh! Captain Daniel! The star of the poster is here!”

“Poster? What are you talking about…?”

My eyes fell upon the table, and I froze.

There was a poster with a picture of me, frowning and pointing forward.

Below my picture, the propaganda slogan “Your Country Needs You!” was printed in large letters.

‘What is this, Uncle Sam?’

Dumbfounded, I clicked my tongue.

“Who made this? In the first place, this pose was meant to tell the reporters not to take pictures. How dare they create a conscription poster with it, completely disregarding my intentions…”

“Captain Daniel, this was a direct order from the Head of Personnel.”

“…My apologies. Now that I see it, it’s perfect.”

I quickly switched my stance and nodded in agreement.

Dengel, who was watching me, chuckled and said,

“Captain Daniel, I heard you’re already on the list for early promotion, but aren’t you working too hard to earn merits? I never dreamed you’d be active even after work.”

One of the staff members listening nearby chimed in.

“Captain Dengel, surely Captain Daniel isn’t doing this for a promotion. He’s a model soldier; he’s obviously working hard to make the Empire greater.”

“Ah, my apologies for the slip of the tongue. Well, with my salaryman mindset, Captain Daniel is far above my level.”

I wanted to confess that a crazy woman with sunglasses had set off a bomb, but with Lucy nearby, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.

Besides, I doubted they would believe me even if I did.

“You’re too kind.”

So, I had no choice but to act humble and leave.

Walking to my desk, I pulled out my chair and said,

“Adjutant, do you have today’s newspaper?”

“Yes, sir. Here you go.”

I took the newspaper from Lucy and sat down.

I wanted to see what the article said that made the Head of Personnel choose me as a propaganda soldier.

As I unfolded the newspaper, I saw the picture I had just seen, plastered on the front page, as expected.

【Captain Daniel Steiner Does it Again! Single-handedly Takes Down a Mafia Organization!】

The headline itself made me dizzy.

Letting out a low groan, I skimmed through the content.

『Captain Daniel Steiner, who saved Her Highness from a terrorist attack, is making headlines once again for his heroic actions. According to reliable sources, Captain Daniel carried out a secret mission alone to eliminate a mafia organization plaguing the capital.』

As expected, it was full of fabrications.

I held back my frustration and continued reading.

『…After such heroic deeds, Captain Daniel Steiner said to the gathered citizens, “This wasn’t just my doing. It’s the result of all of us working hard in our respective positions for the Empire.” The citizens couldn’t help but be moved by Captain Daniel’s words.』

My head throbbed.

They had twisted my words and added things I never said, deceptively presenting it as the truth.

Unable to read any further, I folded the newspaper and threw it onto the corner of my desk.

Seeing this, Lucy spoke up.

“I heard that thanks to Captain Daniel, corrupt officials associated with the mafia were also caught. Most of them accepted bribes and helped the mafia smuggle opium.”

“…Was that in the newspaper too?”

Lucy nodded.

This didn’t feel good.

‘It would be troublesome if the higher-ups misunderstand this…’

Just as I thought that, the door to the staff room burst open, and Ernst entered.

“Daniel! Captain Daniel! Are you here!?”

Seeing him looking for me with an excited face, I didn’t want to answer.

But I couldn’t just ignore him, so I stood up and saluted.

“Ah, there you are!”

Ernst returned my salute and approached me.

“Captain Daniel! You should be happy. I just came from a meeting, and the Deputy Chief of Operations said he wants to see you when he has time. You know what that means, right?”

The Deputy Chief of Operations was the second most powerful person in the General Staff Headquarters after the Chief of Staff.

Why would such a person want to see me? A sense of unease washed over me.

“Captain Daniel.”

Just then, Lucy spoke with a rare smile.

“It seems you’ll be joining the Deputy Chief’s line soon. Congratulations.”

Lucy was only smiling to play the role of a “loyal adjutant,” but to me, her smile seemed somewhat mocking.

“…Thank you.”

I replied with a sullen expression and turned my gaze towards the window.

Contrary to my gloomy mood, the bright sunlight beautifully illuminated everything.

It was a harsh summer.

—————

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