Chapter 115

I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Daniel's chilling voice felt like it was choking Campbell.

Although he knew the correct answer was to say no, he couldn't bring himself to utter it.

How could he lie in front of a madman who pulls the trigger of a revolver loaded with live ammunition?

"I, I..."

Campbell's voice trailed off as his eyes trembled, but Daniel didn't rush him.

He decided to wait until the fear growing in Campbell's heart bore fruit.

'Human imagination is boundless, after all.'

What would happen if one realizes that the person across the table is a ruthless individual who pulls the trigger of a revolver loaded with live ammunition?

Moreover, if that person is enveloped by the fear that they might be killed?

People with a lot to lose tend to think negatively about threatening situations they face.

'And...'

Daniel Steiner had made preparations in advance for Campbell to expand on that negative thinking.

It wasn't for nothing that he had armed soldiers take Campbell's wife and son away.

As Daniel expected, Campbell was now thinking about his family.

'Surely not my family too...'

Realizing that Daniel Steiner's threats didn't end with just 'words', worry for his family was overwhelming his thoughts.

'Damian.'

Campbell, recalling his son's smiling face, finally calmed his breathing and looked at Daniel.

"If I tell the truth, will my safety be guaranteed? I mean..."

Daniel raised his hand to stop Campbell's words and pressed the pause button on the tape recorder.

It would be troublesome if strange words were mixed into the recording.

"Are you talking about your family's safety?"

Campbell nodded slightly at Daniel's question.

Daniel, thinking Campbell had almost given in, smiled faintly.

"If you cooperate with me, I'll take responsibility and protect your family. So I'd like you to tell me everything you know."

"..."

"Mr. Party Leader. Also, I'll request leniency from Her Highness the Imperial Princess based on your confession of guilt. I'll consider parole later too. Then you'll just need to spend a few years in prison and come out again."

Campbell opened his mouth after a deep breath but didn't make a sound.

Remnants of hesitation remained in his heart.

"Daniel Steiner. Even if I cooperate with you..."

Fear seeped into Campbell's eyes.

However, this wasn't fear directed at Daniel.

"...The higher-ups won't leave me alone. Eliminating traitors is their way, you see. In the end, isn't it the same whether I die here now or die by their hands?"

This was an answer that deviated slightly from Daniel's expectations.

He didn't know that the entities giving orders to Campbell treated human lives like flies.

'Come to think of it...'

He had seen a few articles about politicians or lower-ranking nobles unable to escape death due to attacks by robbers or becoming targets of the mafia.

If all of that was under the orders of the 'higher-ups' Campbell mentioned, it made sense.

'This is troublesome.'

It wasn't easy to persuade someone belonging to a group that demanded excessive loyalty with their lives as collateral.

'Then...'

The best option was to give hope that changing sides could allow them to survive.

"Under the assumption that you tell the truth, I will thoroughly protect your family. Then, what you're worried about is your own life..."

Daniel, who had been tapping the table with his hand resting on it, nodded.

"Alright. I'll take special measures to ensure you don't die an unnatural death in prison. I'll also exempt you from forced labor, so you can spend your time in prison comfortably."

"...That's not what I'm talking about. Even if you guarantee my safety in prison, I'll be killed by them after I'm released."

"Released, you say. Even if your sentence is reduced for confessing, you'll still have to serve at least 8 years for violating the confidentiality law and leaking military secrets."

Campbell, not understanding the flow of the conversation, frowned.

"We're not discussing my prison term now. The fact that I might die the moment I'm released, no matter how many years I serve..."

Campbell stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.

It was because Daniel was smiling from within the shadows.

"Mr. Party Leader. How long do you think it took me to rise to the position of Lieutenant Colonel? Think about the time it took for me, an orphan, to speak on equal terms with you, a party leader of noble origin."

Daniel slowly raised his hand as if being caught in a net and extended his index finger.

"One year. It hasn't even been a full year. Then..."

The index finger bent as he clenched his fist.

"What kind of person do you think I'll be in the world eight years from now?"

Eight years from now, what you should fear is not the group of nobles, but me.

Daniel Steiner seemed to be saying just that.

The eerie atmosphere that drew attention made it impossible to refute.

Campbell, swallowing dryly, nodded after much deliberation.

He thought that taking Daniel Steiner's hand in front of him was the only way to preserve his life.

"...I'll speak. I'll tell you all the truth I know."

After an hour had passed and Daniel had heard all of Campbell's testimony, he came out of the residence.

Amidst the troops standing at attention, Daniel calmly adjusted his clothes.

'He was following Baron Hendliem's orders, huh...'

The game was getting bigger than expected.

There was no way Baron Hendliem had planned all this alone.

'Perhaps I've declared war on all the nobles in the capital.'

Although it was the worst assumption, if all the nobles in the capital were in cahoots, Daniel would have to continue a difficult fight.

'I just wanted to settle in a peaceful place and spend the rest of my life eating desserts. Why have things become so complicated...'

He wanted to vent his grievances, but there was no time for that now.

"Adjutant."

As Daniel quietly moved his lips, Lucie stepped forward.

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."

Daniel handed the tape to Lucie, who was waiting for orders.

It was a tape containing Campbell's hour-long testimony.

"Take the troops to the General Staff Headquarters and find legally valid evidence among the items seized from Campbell's residence based on the testimony recorded on this tape."

Although it was a bit uncomfortable to entrust the task to a spy from the Allied Nations, there was no need to worry since Ernst would take over command once they arrived at the General Staff Headquarters.

'Even if Lucie were to intercept the tape, which is unlikely...'

He wasn't too worried because he had made another recording using the tape recorder hidden inside his coat for private use.

Of course, contrary to Daniel's concerns, Lucie had no intention of betraying him as she was currently at odds with the Allied Nations.

Lucie, receiving the tape from Daniel, nodded.

"I'll carry out the order. But aren't you returning to the General Staff Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?"

"No. I have somewhere to go with Freyen."

"I understand."

Lucie, not asking for reasons unnecessarily, saluted.

After Daniel returned the salute, Lucie turned around and began commanding the troops.

Seeing the troops boarding military vehicles one by one, Daniel looked to the side.

"Freyen."

Freyen, who had been looking at Daniel with admiring eyes, nodded.

"I parked the passenger car across the street. You can get in right away."

Before coming here, Daniel had instructed Freyen to prepare a passenger car that could be used immediately if possible, and it seemed he had managed to borrow a car and have it waiting.

'Even without a passenger car, we could have walked or used a military vehicle, but...'

That would have attracted people's attention, which was concerning, so this was fortunate.

'But...'

While he could trust and rely on Lucie, Freyen made him somewhat uneasy.

"Freyen. I'm asking just in case, but do you have any experience driving?"

"Of course. I have a driver's license, so don't worry."

His beaming smile didn't inspire confidence, but since he said he could do it, Daniel decided not to stop him.

"Good. Then let's go."

Daniel walked across the street, opened the back door, and got in.

A moment later, Freyen opened the driver's door, sat down, and started the car.

After starting the engine, Freyen gently turned the steering wheel and began driving.

The driving was better than expected, so Daniel was at ease when Freyen looked at him through the center rearview mirror.

"Where should we go?"

"Let's go to 11 Volverfelk Street."

"...Not to the Baron's mansion?"

Since Freyen had also heard Campbell's confession beside them, he knew that Baron Hendliem was the one who had given orders to Campbell.

So Freyen had naturally thought they were leaving separately to make some kind of deal with Baron Hendliem, but when Daniel suddenly gave a strange address, he was puzzled.

"If you fly too close to the fire, your wings will burn."

As Freyen blinked, not understanding what he meant, Daniel added:

"Freyen. Think about it. Rumors that I searched and seized the Liberal Social Party leader's residence will soon spread throughout the capital. What do you think will happen then?"

"...Your name will be plastered all over the media, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?"

"Right. Then who controls the major media in the capital?"

"As far as I know, it's the Imperial Daily newspaper."

"Who sponsors the Imperial Daily newspaper?"

Finally, Freyen had a small realization.

He recalled that the biggest sponsors of the Imperial Daily were the nobles.

"The media will start attacking you, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."

"Correct. There will probably be a flurry of biased reports. They will arbitrarily specify my political leanings and incite conflict to make the public criticize me."

"Then the place we're going now is..."

"The Melbarton newspaper company."

Melbarton was a small, independent newspaper company untouched by the nobles' influence.

Although Freyen understood Daniel's intention, there was still something he didn't understand.

"Why did you choose Melbarton specifically? There must be quite a few medium-sized newspaper companies that would cooperate with you, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?"

Daniel chuckled softly at Freyen's words.

"Second Lieutenant Freyen. The fact that they can cooperate with me means they can also cooperate with the nobles. So what we need now is..."

Daniel looked into the rearview mirror and continued quietly, erasing his smile.

"Media that will absolutely obey me."