Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 55
Perhaps It Would Be Good to Go on Vacation

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The next day.

I arrived at the General Staff Headquarters early in the morning and raised my hand to my forehead.

My head was pounding due to the lingering effects of alcohol.

‘Did I drink too much yesterday?’

It all started when the bartender at the officers’ club recognized me.

He gave me a smile and said, “Drinks are free for the hero of the Empire, Major Daniel Steiner, today!” which led to me drinking more than I could handle.

‘Then, at some point, I fell asleep…’

And when I woke up, I was in my bed in my quarters.

The problem was that I couldn’t remember how I got back.

‘There’s no way I walked back on my own. Did someone help me?’

I felt terrible, thinking that I must have inconvenienced someone.

Frowning and sighing softly, I arrived at my private office and grabbed the doorknob.

As I opened the door, Lucy, dressed in her usual neat attire, was already there, working.

She looked up as I entered and saluted.

“Major Daniel Steiner, you’ve arrived.”

…I don’t think she used to call me by my full name.

Her demeanor was somewhat stiff.

Feeling awkward for a moment, I returned her salute and walked towards my desk.

I put down my briefcase and sat down, and Lucy approached me.

She was holding a copy of the Imperial Daily.

“Ah, thank…”

I reached for the newspaper, but Lucy didn’t let go.

Wondering what was going on, I looked up and saw her staring at me with a cold expression.

“Major Daniel Steiner, alcohol is a luxury. I believe one can drink as much as they like according to their personal preference.”

“…Is that so?”

“But anything in excess is bad for your health. Especially drinking to the point of unconsciousness is not exemplary behavior for an officer of the Empire.”

I couldn’t refute her, as she was completely correct.

‘But why is she suddenly saying this…?’

Could it be that Lucy was the one who brought me back to my quarters? Curious, I decided to test the waters.

“Are you saying I was unconscious? What happened yesterday?”

Lucy’s shoulders flinched slightly.

She couldn’t meet my eyes.

“…Nothing happened.”

Lucy averted her gaze and replied, then let go of the newspaper and returned to her desk.

Sitting down, she resumed her work as usual, but for some reason, her ears were red.

I looked at her questioningly, then shrugged and unfolded the newspaper.

As soon as I opened it, I saw my picture on the largest section of the front page.

It was a photo taken when I was leaving the Imperial Palace after meeting His Majesty.

『Hero of the Empire, Major Daniel Steiner! Awarded the Golden Cross Medal Following the Gugseon Medal!』

The headline alone made me dizzy.

I flipped the page without reading the article and looked at the other headlines.

I had been away on the battlefield, so I didn’t know what was happening in the capital. I wanted to get a general idea.

As I carefully read through the various articles, I paused at a particular one.

『Taiden Barcaloi, Editor-in-Chief, Dies of Heart Attack at Home』

I knew Taiden Barcaloi.

He was the editor-in-chief who often published articles favorable to the princess.

His editorial policy and political stance were also focused on supporting the princess.

He was one of the prominent figures in the princess’s faction.

‘And Taiden died of a heart attack at home?’

At this time? That’s absurd.

It was objectively more likely that the prince’s faction had a hand in it.

‘That means…’

The succession struggle was becoming more overt.

The princess, who wasn’t a fool, would retaliate.

A bloodbath would surely ensue, even if it was hidden from the public eye.

As long as I stayed in the capital, I wouldn’t be able to avoid getting caught in it.

I groaned and tapped my desk, then folded the newspaper.

How could I protect myself in the coming storm?

After a brief deliberation, I made up my mind.

‘Let’s escape.’

If I couldn’t avoid the conflict while staying in the capital, then I just had to leave the capital.

There was no problem with that, as I had accumulated reward vacations due to my consecutive promotions.

‘The maximum length of a reward vacation in the Empire is 30 days…’

If I went on vacation and came back, the power struggle would have settled down.

Moreover, by going on vacation, I could also convey the message that ‘I have no interest in your succession fight,’ killing two birds with one stone.

Of course, if I went on vacation unilaterally, Lucy would be burdened with overtime work and have to handle all the tasks herself, but that couldn’t be helped.

‘It’s strange to be considerate of a spy who’s trying to kill me.’

Having made my decision, I stood up and walked towards the door.

Just as I was about to open the door and leave, I turned to Lucy playfully.

“Adjutant, I apologize in advance.”

“…What do you mean, Major?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

I gave Lucy, who had a puzzled look on her face, a kind smile and left the office.

Then, I entered the staff room and went straight to the Chief of Operations Staff’s office, saluting Ernst.

Ernst returned the salute with a smile and said,

“Well, if it isn’t Major Daniel. What brings you to my office? I told you that you could work from your private office now.”

“Sir, I didn’t come here to discuss work.”

“Hmm? Ah, then are you here to discuss your promotion? That matter is already being discussed by the higher-ups. Don’t worry; there will be good news.”

“That’s not it either, sir.”

Then why did he come? Ernst looked puzzled.

After a brief pause, I said,

“Sir, I’d like to take a vacation.”

Ernst nodded in understanding.

“A vacation. Yes, even you need a break. How long are you planning to take?”

“A month, sir.”

Ernst’s eyes widened.

He must have been expecting a week or so, and I suddenly asked for a month, so he was surprised.

“…A month? Are you serious?”

“Yes, sir. I believe I can take a long vacation using my reward leave.”

“You’re not wrong. You’re not wrong, but… Hmm, alright. I can’t stop you if you want to take a vacation. I’ll inform the higher-ups.”

I was relieved that he didn’t try to stop me.

As I sighed in relief, Ernst looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

“But you’re asking for quite a long vacation. Have you decided where you’ll be spending it?”

A place to spend my vacation.

I didn’t have a specific place in mind, but there was somewhere I wanted to visit.

“I’m planning to go back to my hometown.”

Fianmari Village, Betargen Barony, in the southern part of the Empire.

My hometown, where the headmistress of the orphanage, my mentor, was.

***

Southern part of the Empire, Betargen Barony.

Headquarters of the secret organization “Dawn of the New Day,” under the prince’s command.

Clack, clack—

In the dimly lit basement, the mechanical, repetitive clicking of the telex machine, sending and receiving messages, echoed.

This was one of the ways the Dawn of the New Day headquarters communicated orders to the armed groups they had scattered throughout the capital like a network.

He was Morten Blackmoor, the Chief of Staff of the organization, overseeing all the members with a stern gaze.

If any of them were colluding with the princess’s faction, the organization would crumble from within.

Although he didn’t expect that to happen, it wasn’t a bad idea to be suspicious in these critical times.

After observing the informants for a while, Morten clenched his fists.

‘I must put the prince on the throne, no matter what it takes.’

Having sided with the prince, Morten had no other choice.

If the princess, not the prince, ascended to the throne, not only Morten but the entire organization would be purged.

The recent assassination of Editor-in-Chief Taiden Barcaloi, who had been vocal in his support for the princess, was also carried out for similar reasons.

‘I can’t allow public opinion to favor the princess.’

Public opinion reflected the will of the people, and the will of the people would inevitably reach the Emperor’s ears, who would ultimately choose his successor.

The current Emperor was an eccentric who had implemented a series of unconventional policies, earning him the title of an enlightened monarch.

He was deeply interested in the welfare of his people, so he wouldn’t be able to ignore public opinion when choosing his successor.

Therefore, Morten was doing his best to manipulate the citizens and silence the opposing voices.

This was the best course of action to put the incompetent prince on the throne.

‘So far, there haven’t been any problems…’

But the princess wasn’t a fool; she would surely launch a counterattack soon.

Just as he was pondering what cards the princess might have up her sleeve, one of the informants jumped up from his seat in a panic.

Morten frowned, puzzled.

“What’s the matter?”

The informant read the message he had received once again and turned to Morten.

“Chief of Staff, it’s… Daniel Steiner has applied for a vacation. And not just any vacation, a whole month.”

“He can apply for a vacation, can’t he? Why are you so alarmed?”

“The place Daniel Steiner plans to visit during his vacation is…”

The informant gulped and said with a trembling voice,

“…the southern part of the Empire, the Betargen Barony, where we are.”

All the hands typing on the telex machines stopped at once.

Morten also held his breath, his eyes widening.

‘Don’t tell me… he’s coming to eliminate us on behalf of the princess?’

As Morten groaned, a heavy silence fell over the headquarters.

The fear evoked by the name Daniel Steiner was significant.

After a long silence, Morten finally spoke,

“The Betargen Barony is Daniel Steiner’s hometown. He might genuinely be coming to enjoy his vacation. Even if he isn’t, he wouldn’t have discovered our location yet. If he had, he wouldn’t have taken a month-long vacation.”

Morten looked around at the informants and said, feigning composure,

“From now on, we will monitor Daniel Steiner’s every move. So that we can respond at any time, even if he’s coming for us. Understood!?”

“Yes, sir!” The informants replied energetically and resumed typing.

Although Morten had succeeded in encouraging his informants, he couldn’t calm his own trembling hands.

Who was Daniel Steiner? A calculating and cold-hearted man who was even called a devil by the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister.

Would he really come to his hometown just to enjoy a vacation? It was nonsensical.

It was more likely that Daniel had discovered the presence of the Dawn of the New Day headquarters here.

‘If Daniel Steiner is really coming for us…’

They might be crushed before they could even put up a fight.

Trying to suppress his fear, Morten clenched his fists.

‘Oh God.’

Please give us the strength to defeat the devil.