Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 83 - A Christmas That Will Never Come

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The woman who had grabbed Daniel's hand introduced herself as Lef.

She didn't tell him anything else about herself, but Daniel wasn't particularly curious, so he didn't pry.

After exchanging names, the two headed to a nearby general store. This was because Daniel, after hearing that the gambling game Lef had played was a type of poker, suggested buying a deck of cards.

Lef, who had followed Daniel on a whim, ended up paying for two decks of cards before returning to the bar.

"...Hey."

Lef, confused, looked up at Daniel.

"Why did you buy playing cards? And two decks, no less."

"Didn't you say they were cheating? If we want to beat them, we can't do it with ordinary methods."

Daniel opened the box of playing cards, took out the deck, and selected a few cards.

He put the remaining cards back in the box and handed it to Lef.

"Please keep this. It's a token of good luck."

As Lef received the cards with a puzzled look, Daniel slipped the cards he had selected up his sleeve.

While Lef was still confused, Daniel grabbed the doorknob of the bar and opened it.

The noisy interior of the bar came into view.

Smelling the faint scent of alcohol and the savory aroma of various snacks, Daniel walked inside.

Lef followed him, and the people in the bar started to look at Daniel one by one.

They were wary of the stranger who had just entered with the woman who had been kicked out for causing a scene.

Daniel, observing them from behind his sunglasses, was approached by the bar owner.

"What brings you here? If you're some mercenary hired by that lady..."

"I'll have a glass of rum. Ah, if you have tequila, I'll take that."

The bar owner was speechless as Daniel calmly ordered a drink.

Daniel looked at him and gave a friendly smile.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just came to have a drink and gamble."

So she had hired a professional. The bar owner finally understood and shouted towards the crowd,

"Framcol! This gentleman wants to play a game!"

Framcol, who was leaning against the wall at a corner table with a pile of chips in front of him, looked up.

He was a skinny man who glanced at Daniel and gave a thin smile.

"Suckers are always welcome. Come here."

With permission granted, Daniel approached and pulled out a chair to sit down.

The bar owner also followed Daniel and took a seat at the table.

"First..."

The bar owner said,

"As you might have heard, the gambling in our establishment is mainly poker. And there's no limit on the betting amount. Nod your head if you understand."

Daniel nodded, and the bar owner placed a thick pouch from his waist onto the table with a thud.

Glancing inside, Daniel saw that it was filled with old chips.

"Decide how much you want to gamble. I'll exchange it for chips."

"Ah, the lady behind me will pay for that."

Lef, who had been addressed, flinched slightly.

She knew this was coming, but she couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable when it actually happened.

"...How much do you need?"

"Bet as much as you trust me."

How could she trust someone she had just met? Although Lef was dumbfounded, she had come this far and decided to see it through, opening her wallet.

"Alright, I'll bet it all."

Lef took out all the bills from her leather wallet and handed them to the bar owner.

The bar owner was taken aback by the large sum but quickly regained his composure.

He rummaged through his pouch and took out dozens of chips, placing them on Daniel's table.

"Here you go."

Daniel nodded and reached into his pocket.

"Ah, but may I ask for a favor?"

"What is it?"

Daniel took out the box of playing cards from his pocket and handed it to the bar owner.

"The lady wants to ensure a fair game. It seems she suspects foul play. I don't really believe it, but just in case, could you please replace the cards?"

The bar owner had no reason to refuse, so he received the box.

He opened it, checked the cards, and nodded.

"It seems you bought it from the shop next door. I've confirmed that they're not marked cards, so let's use these. Framcol, any objections?"

Framcol shrugged playfully at the bar owner's question.

Seeing this, Daniel realized that the scam Lef was talking about wasn't related to "marked cards."

If they had been using marked cards for poker, they would have tried to prevent the cards from being replaced.

'Then what kind of scam is it?'

There was no need to rush. He could figure it out from now on.

"Then let's begin."

The bar owner declared the start of the poker game and dealt two cards each to Daniel and Framcol.

After the initial betting, the flop, and the turn, it was time for the river.

With all five community cards revealed, Daniel checked his hand.

'Two pairs.'

The odds of getting two pairs in poker were quite low.

It was a hand worth betting on.

So, as Daniel was contemplating his next move, Framcol, without even trying to play mind games, declared,

"Raise."

He was raising the stakes.

After a moment of silence, Daniel called and revealed his hand.

Framcol's hand was three of a kind.

Daniel, with his two pairs, lost, and Framcol laughed and took the chips.

"I thought she brought a pro, but this is disappointing."

Daniel didn't answer and just smiled faintly.

He played five more rounds, but he didn't win a single hand.

This made Lef anxious.

'What are you doing, you idiot...!'

She wasn't sure if he was playing carelessly with someone else's money, but seeing Daniel call even with a one-pair hand made her stomach churn.

On the other hand, Daniel's mind was as calm as still water.

He had figured out how Framcol was cheating.

'He's using a simple trick.'

Framcol had won every round by a narrow margin.

It wasn't uncommon to see someone cheating with sleight of hand in gambling, but to consistently win by a small margin?

This meant that there was someone among the spectators helping Framcol.

'His accomplice must be signaling my hand.'

Framcol was deliberately winning by a small margin to avoid suspicion.

Now that Daniel knew how they were cheating, all he had to do was use it to his advantage.

"You're quite skilled," Daniel said, offering a backhanded compliment, and started the sixth round with Framcol.

He received his cards from the bartender, who was acting as the dealer, and the game progressed to the river.

The five cards in his hand were a no-pair.

It was a trash hand that would normally make him fold.

However, Daniel calmly pushed all his chips to the center of the table.

"All in."

Framcol, as well as the spectators, gasped in surprise.

Lef, watching from behind, was also shocked.

'Are you crazy! What are you doing!?'

Just as she wondered if he had lost his mind, Framcol smirked.

'He's trying to bluff. But unfortunately for you, I can see all your cards.'

He had been planning to lose on purpose out of pity, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. Framcol spoke,

"Call."

Framcol pushed most of his chips to the center of the table.

At that moment, Daniel channeled mana into his central nervous system, activating his neural acceleration.

In the slowed-down time, he reached into his sleeve, swiftly switched his cards, and deactivated the neural acceleration.

Framcol, who hadn't even noticed Daniel switching his cards due to his swift movements, revealed his hand.

"Two pairs. What about you?"

He asked out of courtesy, even though he already knew.

Daniel, fully aware of Framcol's intentions, casually revealed his hand.

"Royal Straight Flush."

Framcol's eyes widened at the highest possible hand in poker.

'What? When did he...?'

Framcol, who hadn't even seen Daniel's hands move, felt like he had seen a ghost.

He stared at the cards in a daze, then looked up with a cold sweat.

Daniel was smiling, as if he had planned this from the beginning.

"What? Is this your first time seeing a Royal Straight Flush?"

Framcol gritted his teeth at Daniel's mockery.

"You son of a bitch...! How did you cheat!?"

"Cheat? Where's the evidence that I cheated?"

"Don't play dumb! You clearly...!"

Framcol, enraged, was about to reveal the hand Daniel originally had, but then he stopped.

He realized that the spectators were glaring at him.

If he revealed Daniel's original hand here, it would be the same as admitting that he had been cheating all along.

As silence fell, Daniel picked up the glass of tequila the bar owner had brought him and took a sip.

His eyes remained fixed on Framcol.

'You must have been cheating others like you're cheating me now, haven't you, Framcol?'

As Daniel had guessed, there were quite a few people here who had lost money to Framcol.

As a result, Framcol's reputation within the bar was practically equivalent to that of trash.

Even now, look.

Some of the spectators had noticed Daniel switching his cards, but they remained silent.

That's how much they wanted to see Framcol lose.

In this hostile atmosphere, if he admitted to cheating by revealing Daniel's original hand, he might even be beaten to death.

Framcol's pupils trembled as he realized he had made a blunder.

"Oh dear, Framcol."

Daniel looked at him with a worried expression.

"If I were you, I'd quietly accept the result. If you don't..."

Daniel leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

With a faint smile, he continued softly,

"You'll be leaving here crippled."

At his chilling words, Framcol, stifling a sob, could only nod in agreement.

✧✦✧✦✧

While Daniel was enjoying his time at the gambling table, Lucy was busy working at the General Staff Headquarters.

After a long day of overtime, Lucy finally finished processing all the documents and organized them.

"Lieutenant Colonel, it's time to leave..."

She spoke almost reflexively, glancing at Daniel's desk, then trailed off.

Daniel wasn't there.

He had been dispatched to Bellanos as a diplomat.

"......"

The office felt empty without Daniel, who always made small talk at the end of the workday.

Lucy blinked her eyes, then shook her head and stood up.

There was no need to dwell on it, as he would be back soon.

As she was about to grab her briefcase and leave the office, she paused.

She could hear footsteps approaching from the hallway.

Just as she was wondering who it was, the office door opened, and Ernst entered.

"Chief of Operations Staff."

Lucy saluted, and Ernst returned it with a weary look.

Sensing his unusually subdued demeanor, Lucy lowered her hand and asked,

"Sir, is something wrong?"

Ernst gritted his teeth at Lucy's question and nodded.

He took a moment to compose himself, then looked at Lucy.

"Lieutenant Lucy, I'll say this only once, so listen carefully. The diplomatic vessel that Lieutenant Colonel Daniel was on..."

Unable to look at Lucy, Ernst lowered his gaze.

"...was sunk in a terrorist attack."

Sunk.

The weight of that word paralyzed Lucy's thoughts.

As if unable to comprehend it, she stood frozen for a moment, then asked,

"Is that... confirmed?"

There was no way Ernst, the Chief of Operations Staff, would lie about something like this.

Her rational mind knew this very well.

Yet, she asked anyway, as if trying to deny reality.

As Ernst nodded with a trembling breath, Lucy's lips parted slightly.

Struggling to find the right words in the heavy silence, she finally bowed her head towards Ernst.

"...I'll be leaving for the day."

Ernst, understanding her feelings, didn't try to stop her.

Leaving the office, Lucy walked down the hallway, the sound of her boots echoing.

Countless memories swirled in her mind, merging and scattering.

Her breath quickened as her thoughts raced.

'Why...?'

Why was the ship carrying Daniel Steiner sunk?

Why didn't she know about it?

Why was she only finding out now?

Asking herself these unanswerable questions, Lucy descended the stairs.

'I have to ask...'

She wanted to contact the intelligence agents operating in the capital and find out what had happened.

Lost in thought, she hurried down the stairs, and her foot slipped.

Her ankle twisted, and she stumbled.

She quickly grabbed the railing and crouched down, trying to regain her balance.

She managed to avoid falling, but her breathing became even more rapid.

Her haste had caused her to make a mistake she would never normally make.

With her eyes half-closed, she exhaled shakily, then slowly closed her eyes.

Amidst the turmoil in her mind, the words Daniel had spoken to her in front of the General Staff Headquarters surfaced.

—We can go together on Christmas if you have time. That is, if you want to.

She could vividly see Daniel's face as he playfully invited her to have stollen together.

But Lucy knew.

That with Daniel dead, Christmas, where they would share stollen together, would never come.

Biting her lower lip unconsciously, Lucy slowly opened her eyes.

Her red eyes, filled with tears, held more anger than sadness.

She had a good idea who was behind the order to sink the diplomatic vessel.

'If it was the Allied Nations who attacked the ship carrying Daniel...'

...she would no longer be able to trust Count Caledra.