Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 50
Corps Commander Karlpeter Is Perplexed

『 Translator – Divinity 』

As soon as the negotiations ended, Daniel returned to headquarters and reported to the Corps Commander, as was customary.

During the report, the Corps Commander asked Daniel if the negotiations had gone well, and Daniel replied that he had done his best, but it was too early to predict the outcome.

After spending a day at the hotel provided by the Corps, Daniel woke up early in the morning and headed to the hotel restaurant.

He had come down for breakfast, and it seemed that the quality of the hotel food wasn’t bad, as the restaurant was bustling with people despite the early hour.

Looking around at those eating and chatting, most of them were field officers.

There were a few non-commissioned officers and company-grade officers, but not many.

Only key personnel within the Corps were allowed to stay at the hotel.

He could hear occasional praises for the food.

‘Well, compared to field rations, even the lowest-grade hotel food would taste heavenly…’

It was quite a luxury to be able to eat hotel food on the battlefield.

After offering silent condolences to the soldiers struggling outside, Daniel filled his plate with some food from the buffet and walked towards an empty table.

Sergeant Glendy and Lieutenant McCael, who were already eating, turned their heads at the sound of his approach.

Upon seeing Daniel, they both hurriedly stood up.

“Major Daniel, you’re here!”

“Good morning, sir!”

Daniel flinched at their enthusiastic greeting and turned around.

Both of them were looking at him with admiration, which was quite burdensome.

Feeling awkward, Daniel deliberately placed his plate a bit away from them.

“…Good morning. But why are you both so excited?”

As Daniel took off his winter coat and asked, Sergeant Glendy was the first to speak.

“We’re enjoying a hotel breakfast on the battlefield, even though we were originally assigned to a lower unit of the Corps! It’s all thanks to Major Daniel.”

“I agree with the Sergeant. Thanks to you, Major, we were able to gain achievements, and most of all, we’re honored to be able to dedicate ourselves to the Empire.”

Daniel felt a pang of guilt as he listened to their excited chatter.

‘It won’t be an honor. You’ll probably be facing a military tribunal…’

Daniel was preoccupied with the thought of escaping the Empire with the Kingdom’s help.

If he, the company commander, defected to the enemy, his subordinates would be suspected of treason, subjected to various investigations, and ultimately stand trial.

He could almost see their happy smiles twisting into despair, but Daniel, unable to reveal his true intentions, simply nodded and sat down.

As Daniel took his seat, Sergeant Glendy and Lieutenant McCael also sat down and continued their meal.

Daniel also ate while planning his escape from the Empire in his mind.

‘The Kingdom will try to contact me somehow soon.’

The easiest way would be to use their intelligence agents, but they might hesitate to act, thinking that the headquarters’ security was too tight.

‘Then I’ll have to wait until the 3rd Corps launches a full-scale attack.’

When the Corps launched a full-scale attack, the defenses on the front lines would weaken to some extent.

All available personnel within the headquarters would be deployed for the attack.

Moreover, with shells flying and tanks constantly moving, it was safe to say that hardly anyone would be in their right mind.

It would be a piece of cake to sneak someone out in that chaos.

‘When that happens…’

All I had to do was pretend to participate in the war, join the vanguard, and then contact a Kingdom agent and defect.

If I succeeded in entering the Kingdom, everything would be smooth sailing from there.

‘The Kingdom is just a stepping stone for my final defection.’

The goal of this plan was to use the remaining undisclosed secrets as bait, make a deal with someone from the Allied Nations within the Kingdom, and then secretly escape.

‘Once I arrive in the Allied Nations through a safe route, I’ll meet with their higher-ups…’

…and propose a deal based on the information I have about the Empire.

All Daniel wanted in exchange for the information was permanent residency, a new identity, protection, and some money, so there was no need to worry about the deal falling through.

‘Let’s see, should I seek residency in Edria?’

Edria was a key member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council with significant authority.

Currently, it was the safest country from the ravages of war.

‘Caledra, who practically rules Edria, is a quick-witted and calculating person.’

However, one thing that concerned him was that Lucy was also from Edria.

He didn’t know how Lucy, who hated traitors, would react if she found out about his defection.

‘Perhaps another country would be better…’

Lost in thought, Daniel shrugged.

Escaping the Empire was the priority, so he could worry about these minor details later.

Of course, in the worst-case scenario, the Kingdom could take the secrets and pretend they didn’t know him, but he wasn’t worried about that.

‘From the Kingdom’s perspective, I’m a VIP who handed over numerous secrets without any conditions. They’ll think I have considerable value for future use.’

Daniel put a peeled shrimp in his mouth and smiled.

‘Perhaps that Ivan guy, the Foreign Minister, is thinking of me as an angel right now.’

Setting aside his image, it was only natural for them to be eager to take in a staff officer from the enemy who was favorably disposed towards their country.

‘Now it’s all a matter of time.’

Thinking that things were going according to plan, Daniel continued his meal with a satisfied smile.

***

Meanwhile, Corps Commander Karlpeter Krau was working without even having breakfast.

If the negotiations failed, they would have to launch a full-scale attack, so he was reviewing all the planned operations from start to finish.

It was tiring and tedious, but it was the best way to minimize casualties among his soldiers.

‘Of course, it would be best if the peace negotiations were successful…’

But Karlpeter wasn’t expecting them to succeed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to trust Daniel, the officer recommended by Deputy Chief of Staff Cedric, but even Karlpeter thought the Empire’s demands were unreasonable.

Moreover, it was a negotiation that had already failed twice, even with the help of elite military advisors.

The chances of Daniel succeeding were too low to pin their hopes on.

‘With the Kingdom’s firm resolve to fight to the death, we’ll have no choice but to resort to force.’

Although he felt regret thinking about the inevitable sacrifices, it couldn’t be helped.

Lost in his complex emotions, Karlpeter leaned back in his chair.

Knock, knock—

Kralpeter opened his eyes at the sound of knocking.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Lieutenant Colonel Kalfren, his aide, entered.

He wondered if Kalfren had brought him some food, but his hands were empty.

“What is it? I’m busy, so just tell me…”

Kralpeter frowned with annoyance, then closed his mouth.

Kalfren’s expression was filled with shock.

“…Aide?”

He asked what was wrong, but there was no answer.

Finally understanding the situation, Karlpeter sighed softly.

“It seems the Kingdom has sent a telegram refusing the negotiations. It can’t be helped. His Majesty’s orders were to launch a full-scale attack if they didn’t accept after the third warning—”

“That’s not it, sir.”

Kralpeter’s eyebrow twitched.

He found it strange that Kalfren had interrupted him.

“Not that? Don’t tell me…”

Kralpeter’s eyes widened in surprise, a rare sight.

“Did Daniel succeed in the negotiations?”

Kalfren gulped and nodded at Karlpeter’s question.

“Yes, sir. According to the telegram sent from the Kingdom this morning, they’ve agreed to all of the Empire’s demands. They even offered to cede Begenheim in addition to Nordia.”

What? Karlpeter’s jaw dropped.

Not only did they accept the original conditions, but they were also offering to hand over Begenheim, a city bordering the Empire?

‘The Kingdom that insisted on fighting to the death?’

The Kingdom, which had been baring its teeth and growling, was now wagging its tail like a docile dog, and Karlpeter couldn’t understand it.

‘This is no different from them being completely terrified and submitting.’

Dumbfounded, Karlpeter finally regained his composure and looked at Kalfren.

“What exactly happened during the negotiations? Do you know anything?”

“No one heard the conversation, so I don’t know the details. However, Ivan, the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister, recalling the conversation during the negotiations, said…”

Kalfren, gauging Karlpeter’s reaction, continued in a small voice,

“…that it was like talking to the devil incarnate.”

A heavy silence fell between them.

Hearing Kalfren’s words, Karlpeter couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

‘Major Daniel… what exactly did you do there?’

It was the first time he had ever felt fear at his own side’s achievement.