Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 45
The Most Perfect Occupation in the World

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Meanwhile, in Edria, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Count Caledra’s study.

“This way, sir.”

Following the servant’s guidance, Sorten, the Minister of Home Affairs for Edria, slowly made his way through the study.

Navigating the maze-like complexity of the study, Sorten eventually arrived at the reading room.

Upon entering, he was struck by a peculiar feeling.

Despite being on the third floor of the study, only a minimal amount of sunlight reached this room.

Sorten looked around the dimly lit study and soon found Count Caledra.

He was standing at a standing desk, leaning on his cane and turning the pages of a book.

His pale, narrow eyes, resembling those of a snake, blinked slowly, sending an involuntary shiver down Sorten’s spine.

Caledra de Nortever.

Known more by his nickname, the Blood Count, he was the de facto power in Edria.

Having bribed high-ranking politicians and military leaders with vast sums of money, those who had once received his money couldn’t easily escape his influence.

This included Sorten, the Minister of Home Affairs standing before him.

Even his position as the Minister of Home Affairs was arranged by Caledra.

Without even glancing at Sorten, Caledra spoke,

“What brings you here?”

Caledra’s voice, laced with a chilling air, heightened the tension in the room.

Sorten unconsciously fidgeted with his tie and took a deep breath before speaking.

“I came to talk about Lucy Emilia.”

There was no response to Sorten’s words.

However, Caledra wasn’t silent because he was offended by Sorten’s words.

He was merely waiting for him to continue.

Noticing this, Sorten continued awkwardly,

“…What I mean to say is, I’m worried that Lucy Emilia has been staying in enemy territory for too long. Wouldn’t it be a great loss for the Allied Nations if she were to change her allegiance?”

Caledra still remained silent.

Sorten gulped and continued,

“I heard that Lucy Emilia is in Nordia, in the Kingdom, having left the heavily guarded capital. It would be best to order her to eliminate Daniel Steiner and return at this opportunity.”

“…”

“Look, even I can see that Daniel Steiner is making remarkable contributions in many areas. He’s only a Major now, but what do you think will happen if he continues to be promoted and commands a large-scale force?”

He was implying that it would be beneficial for the Allied Nations to nip him in the bud.

After listening to Sorten’s concerns, Caledra calmly closed the book.

Caledra gently stroked the cover of the book and said,

“Lucy won’t change her allegiance. You know how special the bond between her and me is. She thinks of me as her father. I also consider Lucy as my own daughter.”

“But that’s just…”

Sorten couldn’t continue.

Caledra’s snake-like eyes were fixed on him.

Silencing Sorten, Caledra calmed his anger and regained his composure.

“…Also, we won’t eliminate Daniel Steiner. For now, keeping him alive will benefit the Allied Nations. Although there have been some setbacks.”

Daniel’s achievements far surpassed Caledra’s expectations.

Especially when he heard about Daniel’s success in the Nordia invasion operation, not only Caledra but also the Edrian military leaders were shocked.

But it didn’t deviate from the main plan.

Not yet.

“Assassination is a last resort. First, we need to keep Lucy by his side and take advantage of the situation.”

“…Take advantage? How?”

“Objectively speaking, Lucy has a beautiful appearance. As long as Daniel Steiner doesn’t know her true identity, he will inevitably develop feelings for her. We will use that.”

Was he planning to order a honey trap?

‘Well…’

Historically, there were many cases where even great leaders suffered because of women.

“No matter how rational one is, once they fall into the mental illness called love, they tend to rely on emotions. It’s easy to turn someone who relies on emotions into a puppet.”

If they could emotionally manipulate Daniel Steiner, the hero of the Empire, he would no longer be a threat but a useful pawn.

After pondering for a moment, Sorten nodded.

“I understand. Then I’ll trust you and…”

Before Sorten could finish, Caledra waved his hand dismissively.

It was a gesture telling him to leave and not disturb his reading with unnecessary chatter.

Although his pride was hurt, he couldn’t dare protest against Caledra.

Sorten nodded and followed the servant out of the room.

After confirming that Sorten had left, Caledra looked at the bookshelf and quietly murmured,

“Daniel Steiner…”

He thought about Daniel’s achievements, then shook his head.

There were too many other things to consider besides Daniel Steiner right now.

***

“We will be arriving in Nordia soon.”
At the driver’s words, Colonel Erwin, who had been assigned the position of garrison commander, let out a groan.

His adjutant, seeing this, asked with concern,

“Sir, is something bothering you?”

Erwin sighed softly in response to his adjutant’s question.

“Let me ask you this. Do you think you could be at ease going to a garrison commander position?”

“…But according to the General Staff Headquarters’ data, the public sentiment seems stable, doesn’t it?”

“Who do you think sent that data to the General Staff Headquarters?”

“Well, it would be Major Daniel Steiner… Ah, I see.”

The adjutant nodded in understanding.

There were cases where officers, blinded by their desire for achievements, fabricated statistics and reported them to headquarters.

But would Daniel Steiner really make a false report?

As the adjutant pondered this, the military vehicles carrying the battalion entered Nordia in an orderly fashion.

When the scenery of Nordia came into view outside the window, Erwin turned his head and fixed his gaze forward.

‘It’s only been a month since Daniel Steiner took the position of acting garrison commander.’

To stabilize public sentiment and secure support for the garrison in just one month?

‘That’s absurd!’

Erwin was from the Eastern Front.

He had experienced numerous advances and retreats on the Eastern Front, occupying and losing many regions.

In all those occupied territories, there were no citizens who were favorably disposed towards the garrison.

Most of them either feared or despised the garrison.

Even Daniel Steiner, despite being called the hero of the Empire, couldn’t be free from this rule.

Therefore, it was clear that the citizens of Nordia wouldn’t welcome him as he entered the city with his troops.

In the worst case, a riot might break out as soon as he got out of the car, so Erwin remained tense.

As he fidgeted with his holster, his adjutant, who was looking out the window, spoke up.

“Sir? The citizens are throwing something.”

“It’s common for them to throw filth, so don’t worry. If we stop those people on the spot, it could give the impression that the garrison is suppressing the citizens, so make sure we don’t react.”

“Sir? Ah, no, they’re throwing flower petals.”

…What? Throwing flower petals?

Confused, Erwin turned his gaze out the window and gaped.

As his adjutant said, the citizens of Nordia were throwing flower petals from baskets.

Judging from their smiling faces, they seemed to be enthusiastically welcoming the garrison.

Erwin was dumbfounded by this unprecedented sight.

‘This is like…’

…welcoming allies, not an occupying force.

Just as he was blinking in confusion,

Screech—

The car carrying Erwin stopped in front of the headquarters building.

Erwin got out of the car, looked around, and was once again surprised.

A statue of His Majesty the Emperor had been erected in front of the headquarters.

It seemed to be a hastily made statue, its form quite crude, but that wasn’t the important part.

The citizens were voluntarily placing flowers at the foot of the statue.

Unable to comprehend this, Erwin grabbed a nearby child and asked,

“Excuse me, young man. I’m curious, who erected that statue?”

The child looked up at Erwin blankly and said,

“The man with the dark face suggested it. All the adults agreed. They originally wanted to make a statue of Daniel Steiner, but he refused, so they changed it to the Emperor.”

So… it wasn’t an order from above, but the citizens had voluntarily pooled their money and erected a statue of His Majesty here?

Just as he was dumbfounded and unable to speak, the main gate of the headquarters opened.

“Ah! Colonel Erwin! I’ve been waiting for you.”

He turned his head, and it was Daniel Steiner.

He looked natural as he approached with a few officers, wearing his officer’s winter coat.

Erwin stared blankly at him, then spoke with a hint of respect,

“Major Daniel? I’ve been to many occupied territories, but this is the first time I’ve seen enemy citizens welcome the garrison so warmly. How did you manage this?”

Daniel, standing before Erwin, glanced at the statue and chuckled with a resigned look.

“Well…”

Daniel’s smile was laced with resignation.

“I don’t know either…”

He wasn’t joking; he truly didn’t understand how things had turned out this way.