Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 73
Rise, O Empire!
『 Translator – Divinity 』

Ironically, in that space filled with enthusiastic cheers and applause, Daniel felt a sense of dread.

‘I clearly intended to provoke the pacifists with this speech…’

But when he came to his senses, he realized he had swayed the pacifists and turned them into war supporters.

Of course, not all the pacifists agreed with the content of his speech. Some had simply been swept up in the atmosphere and stood up, but they were still glaring at him with displeasure.

The problem was that their numbers were small enough to be described as “a few.”

Wondering where he went wrong, Daniel retraced the content of his speech and let out a low groan.

‘Damn it, I got too caught up in playing the war maniac…’

The problem was that he got carried away when he heard the cheers of the crowd during his speech.

And he also put too much faith in the statistics. Since the pacifists were the majority, he thought they would definitely oppose his radical speech calling for all-out war.

‘But…’

Instead of opposing it, they had thrown away their anti-war signs and stood up.

The result was the scene unfolding before his eyes.

─ Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner!

Ten thousand citizens standing and chanting his name was almost surreal.

However, this was reality, a phenomenon he had created.

Unable to deny it, he gritted his teeth and gripped the podium.

As he was receiving praise from the citizens, Hans, the public relations officer from the Ministry of Public Information, who was backstage, cheered.

“Yes! This… this is a speech that will go down in history!”

The excited Hans looked at his subordinate.

“Contact the press office chief right now! Tell them to publish this speech as an article and spread it throughout the Empire! So that even the citizens who couldn’t hear it on the radio can learn about Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s speech!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

The subordinate immediately picked up the phone.

Other staff members were also noisily typing on the telex machine installed backstage to report to the higher-ups.

Although everyone was busy with their tasks and keeping their mouths shut, the excitement in the air was palpable.

Daniel’s speech had stirred up national pride, even exciting the Ministry of Public Information, who had planned everything.

Hans also couldn’t hide his excitement and clenched his fists.

‘Lieutenant Colonel Daniel didn’t read the speech we prepared…’

But he had made the speech a success beyond their expectations, so they would be able to avoid Sylvia’s reprimand.

If they were lucky, they might even receive a commendation from the higher-ups.

Just as Hans was feeling relieved, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

He turned around and saw Daniel descending the stairs from the stage.

Even though Daniel had left the stage, the audience was still chanting his name.

As if he were a symbol of their will to fight against the Allied Nations.

‘But…’

Daniel wasn’t expressing any emotion despite the successful speech.

Usually, speakers who succeeded in their speeches would be happy or thrilled, but Daniel was simply looking at the Ministry of Public Information staff gathered backstage with an impassive expression.

Hans felt a sense of awe towards Daniel.

He couldn’t help but feel like he was looking at a stoic who had transcended human limitations.

His melancholic eyes seemed to be looking towards the future, not dwelling on the present.

This made it difficult for Hans to even approach him.

On the other hand, Daniel was simply lost in thought about what he had done.

‘This is crazy…’

He couldn’t figure out how to handle the situation from now on.

Just as Daniel was blinking his eyes in a daze, Hans cautiously approached him.

“Um, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?”

Daniel turned to him with a sharp look, and Hans flinched and gave an awkward smile.

“Ah, it seems you didn’t like the speech we prepared. If you had told us beforehand, we would have revised it. It’s entirely the Ministry of Public Information’s fault.”

Daniel sighed softly at Hans’s words.

“…I’m tired and want to go back to my quarters.”

“Ah, yes! Of course, sir! We have a car waiting for you outside, so you can go right away!”

Daniel nodded and slowly walked away.

One of the staff members approached Hans and said,

“That’s incredible. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone frown after successfully delivering a speech. What’s the reason?”

“How can we possibly understand the ego of a genius? But one thing is certain…”

Hans looked at Daniel’s retreating figure and smiled with admiration.

“As long as he’s alive, the Empire will never fall.”

***

Two weeks later, at the Ministry of Public Information.

Minister Schiller Dines’ office.

Knock, knock—

Schiller looked up from the documents he was reviewing.

Seeing that the wall clock above the door was pointing to noon, he had a good idea who was knocking.

It was Hans, the public relations officer.

He had told Hans to gather the data and come to his office for a report at noon.

“Come in.”

As soon as Schiller finished speaking, the door opened.

Hans entered, his arms overflowing with documents. He walked over with a groan and placed the pile on Schiller’s desk with a thud.

“…What is all this?”

Hans, wiping the sweat from his forehead, answered the bewildered Schiller,

“This is all the data on the changes in the Empire following Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s speech. You asked me to compile it, sir. Would you like to see the most important statistics first?”

Hans pulled out a statistical document from the pile and handed it to him.

Schiller received the document, looked at the statistics, and his eyes widened.

────────────

《Public Opinion Survey on War: For or Against》

Sample: 1,000 citizens from major cities in the Empire

Respondents: Approximately 18,000

Question: What are your thoughts on the war the Empire is currently waging?

• Frequency Analysis

1. The war must continue – 14,166 (78.7%)
2. The war must stop – 2,376 (13.2%)
3. Don’t know / No answer – 1,458 (8.1%)

────────────

More than half of the pacifists had changed their minds and now supported the war.

Those advocating for peace were now a minority.

Just two weeks.

This was the change that had occurred in the two weeks since Daniel Steiner’s speech.

Schiller, dumbfounded by the tremendous response, looked up.

“Is this real? Did this many people really change their minds?”

“Yes, sir. Those who were moved by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s all-out war speech are changing their stance. Even now, the percentage of those supporting the war is increasing in real-time. And…”

Hans took out several documents and handed them to Schiller.

“As you can see from these documents, the number of military applicants has exploded since Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s speech. The training centers can’t handle this many people at once, so they’re postponing enlistment dates until the year after next.”

“Amazing…”

“Furthermore, military production has increased dramatically. We’ll have to wait and see, but at the current rate, it’s expected to show an increase of about 43% compared to last month.”

Schiller blinked his eyes and asked,

“Military production? Why?”

“The factory workers volunteered to work overtime even though we couldn’t pay them extra. It’s a miracle brought about by patriotism. Also, thanks to the support from various companies for the military industry…”

Hans took out another document and handed it to Schiller.

“We’ve secured enough funds to build two more large-scale military factories. Thanks to this, we won’t have a situation where the increased number of recruits outpaces the production of essential military supplies.”

“…What about the war bonds? How many have been sold?”

“The war bonds…”

Hans paused for a moment, then said excitedly,

“They’re selling incredibly well! Not just among the citizens, but even corporations are buying them! In just two weeks, we’ve already sold 27 billion worth of bonds!”

27 billion was three times the initial target of 8.5 billion.

They had sold three times their goal in just two weeks.

‘This incredible achievement is all thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s speech…’

Schiller, momentarily dumbfounded, chuckled.

“Perhaps… we are standing at a historical crossroads.”

After Daniel’s all-out war speech, the Empire was stirring vigorously.

It was as if it was breaking out of its shell to spread its wings and fly towards the world.

Amidst the numerous documents, Schiller could see it.

The future where the Empire would once again become a great nation.

Feeling the flames of hope burning within him, Schiller clenched his fists.

‘Indeed, perhaps Daniel Steiner can make it happen…’

A new era, a great empire that would reign forever!