Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 74
You Think You’ve Been Using Daniel?
『 Translator – Divinity 』

The entire Empire was enthusiastic about Daniel Steiner’s all-out war speech, but the person himself felt miserable.

“………”

Daniel sat in the break room of the General Staff Headquarters, staring out the window with a paper cup of coffee in his hand.

He could see citizens holding signs beyond the entrance of the headquarters.

The signs had propaganda slogans like “We Want an All-Out War!” or cheers like “Hero of the Empire! Daniel Steiner!”

They were citizens who had been moved by the speech they heard on the radio and had gathered to see Daniel in person.

There were even reporters with cameras among them, making him sigh.

‘It seems I won’t be able to leave work early today either…’

The moment he left the headquarters, he would be bombarded with unwanted praise and questions.

This wasn’t just a prediction; it was based on experience.

A few days ago, he had tried to ignore them and leave, but it caused a commotion.

The thought of being surrounded by the crowd that gathered because of the commotion and bombarded with questions for almost two hours still made him shudder.

‘I understand why idols hate sasaeng fans* now.’

[TL/N: Sasaeng or Sasaeng fans is the South Korean term for an obsessive fan who invades the privacy of Korean idols, drama actors, or other public figures in the entertainment industry. One of the most notable activities associated with sasaeng fans is stalking.]

With a disgruntled look, Daniel lifted his paper cup and took a sip of coffee.

Just as he was thinking about how to handle the situation from now on,

“Oh! Look who it is!”

Daniel turned his head slightly at the voice coming from behind him.

It was Colonel Ernst, the Chief of Operations Staff.

Ernst approached Daniel with a friendly smile.

“Well, if it isn’t our hero, Daniel Steiner. I was worried because you’ve been cooped up in your office all day since you came back, but seeing your face…”

Ernst paused as he looked at Daniel to greet him.

The dark circles under Daniel’s eyes seemed to have gotten even darker.

“…You don’t look well. Are you not sleeping these days?”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“What’s bothering you? From my perspective, it seems like you have a bright future ahead of you. Even the higher-ups are praising your all-out war speech.”

Ernst didn’t know that this was one of Daniel’s concerns.

The impact of the all-out war speech was far greater than Daniel had imagined.

It wasn’t simply a matter of the Empire’s citizens cheering; the speech had a positive effect on the war effort across society.

With even foreign reporters covering the story, Daniel felt like he was going to die.

If the difficulty of defecting before the speech was like passing through the eye of a needle, after the speech, it was like trying to pass through a concrete wall.

In short, it had become nearly impossible.

‘Then my only options are…’

Either to make the Empire a hegemonic power or to have my identity changed through a reliable broker and escape to another country.

However, both options had extremely low chances of success.

Although the all-out war speech had accelerated preparations for the world war, the Empire had to face three enemy nations, all of them major powers.

Moreover, they formed a geographical encirclement, forcing the Empire to fight a war on three fronts with its hands tied.

‘Unless the Empire miraculously achieves consecutive victories…’

The outcome wouldn’t be much different from losing the war and becoming a war criminal nation.

Then what about changing my identity through a reliable broker and escaping to another country? That was even more absurd.

‘As long as they know I’m alive, both the Empire and the Allied Nations will try to find me.’

Unless I could fake my own death, it was practically impossible.

‘Is there really no way…’

Daniel, struggling to find a way out of this bleak future, shook his head.

It wasn’t right to be lost in thought with his superior officer next to him.

“As you said, Colonel, it seems like a smooth path has opened up for me. However, I think the bridge supporting that path was built poorly, making it quite dangerous.”

Ernst paused at Daniel’s words.

‘Poorly built? Is he saying that the Empire’s leadership is incompetent?’

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Ernst decided to test the waters.

“Perhaps… are you thinking of finding and eliminating the cause of the poor construction?”

To Daniel, those words sounded strangely like, “Will you find another way to escape the Empire?”

‘Ernst must have said that, thinking I’m anxious about my rapid promotion…’

Daniel chuckled softly, finding it oddly fitting.

“Yes, I’ll eliminate it if I can.”

Ernst’s shoulders trembled.

He was terrified by Daniel’s nonchalant remarks about the incompetence of the Empire’s leadership and his intention to find and eliminate them.

‘This is not a joke. Daniel might actually do it.’

Ernst, watching Daniel cautiously, gulped and said in a small voice,

“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel? Do you think I’m incompetent?”

What was he talking about all of a sudden? Daniel looked back at Ernst, blinking in confusion, then shook his head.

“No, Colonel. You’re not incompetent.”

Relieved, Ernst let out a sigh.

“…Thank you. I’ll do my best to stay competent.”

Daniel nodded, looking at Ernst with a puzzled expression.

There was no need to contradict his superior when he was trying to be diligent.

***

Meanwhile, in the dining hall of the Imperial Palace.

In the needlessly spacious and grand dining hall, maids were lined up against the wall, waiting to serve.

Emperor Bertram, paying no attention to them, was sitting at a long dining table, having a meal with his daughter and wife.

“Sylvia, it seems your decision was right.”

Bertram, sitting on an ornate chair, cut his meat and spoke in a deep voice.

“Appointing Daniel as the speaker was an excellent choice. Thanks to him, the Empire is more united than ever. I don’t even need to lift a finger.”

Sylvia smiled at her father’s praise.

“I simply put into practice what you taught me, Father. You always said that we need to use people in the right place at the right time.”

“Hmm, you learned from me? Then you learned wrong.”

The smile disappeared from Sylvia’s face.

Just as she was wondering what he meant, Bertram continued,

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have appointed Daniel as the speaker. The opportunity to give a speech in front of a large crowd must have been exactly what he wanted.”

“…Lieutenant Colonel Daniel wanted that?”

“Yes. Daniel is more cunning than I thought. So he must have noticed that I was wary of him back at the shooting range.”

Bertram put a piece of the sliced meat in his mouth and chewed slowly.

After swallowing, he took a sip of red wine and continued,

“He must have thought that the old Emperor might pressure him. He must have felt a sense of crisis. What would be the easiest way to escape that crisis?”

“That would be…”

“To spread his influence throughout the Empire through a speech. To make it so that even the Emperor wouldn’t dare touch him. And his plan was successful.”

Sylvia frowned as she listened.

“Father, that’s an exaggeration. Daniel isn’t that kind of person.”

Bertram chuckled softly.

“An exaggeration? Sylvia, don’t you remember what Daniel said at the end of his speech?”

“At the end of his speech…?”

“He said he would speak on behalf of the nation and its people under the protection of His Majesty. As if to imply that the content of his speech wasn’t much different from His Majesty’s will.”

Bertram put down his cutlery and looked at Sylvia.

“Was Daniel’s speech the will of the Emperor? Tell me, Sylvia. Did you ever order Daniel to give such a speech?”

She couldn’t answer.

The speech Sylvia had requested from the Ministry of Public Information and Daniel wasn’t a radical call for all-out war.

She had forgotten because of the successful outcome, but Daniel had disregarded the content of the prepared speech and delivered his own speech.

It was practically insubordination.

“Daniel disobeyed orders. But you can’t punish him, Sylvia. His all-out war speech has created a favorable atmosphere throughout the Empire. If you punish him now, it would be no different from turning the people against you.”

Bertram took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

“Sylvia, you’re still young. You’re not politically mature yet. You’re being used by Daniel, yet you’re under the illusion that you’re using him.”

Sylvia clenched her fists and spoke with difficulty,

“Daniel refused when I suggested he be the speaker. I was the one who forced him. Are you saying I’m still being used by him?”

Bertram, having finished wiping his mouth, chuckled softly.

“The wiser one is, the less likely they are to reveal their true intentions. Why do you think Daniel refused your offer? Was it because he genuinely didn’t want to do it? No. It’s because he knew you would force him even if he refused.”

“………”

“He knew you would force him, even if he refused. Perhaps he was trying to create a way out for himself, so he could say, ‘I didn’t want to do it, but Your Highness ordered me to,’ if things went wrong.”

Bertram folded his handkerchief and placed it on the table.

“Sylvia, with this decision, you have brought prosperity to the Empire, but at the same time, you have empowered the wolf named Daniel, who threatens the authority of the Imperial family. Do you understand what this means?”

He narrowed his eyes at Sylvia, who remained silent.

“It means that he might bite your head off. So remember this. Daniel Steiner is an invaluable asset to the Empire, but…”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

After a brief pause, Bertram continued with sincerity,

“…He is also a dangerous double-edged sword.”