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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Take My Hand
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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Take My Hand.
The day of the negotiations.
A plain located halfway between the Imperial Legion Headquarters and the Kingdom's capital.
Inside the large military tent set up there, an elderly man wearing glasses entered.
His name was Ivan Alexey.
He had come to this place as the Kingdom's Minister of Foreign Affairs and the chief negotiator for these talks.
Ivan, adjusting his attire, slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Aside from the negotiation table set up in the center of the tent, not even the usual soldiers were visible.
This was thanks to the opposing chief negotiator's request to have a frank discussion with just the two of them.
As Ivan slowly walked towards the negotiation table, the opposite entrance of the tent opened, and a young man entered. He carried a briefcase in his hand.
Ivan quickly scanned the man's appearance.
Black hair and black eyes.
Though lean, his tall stature masked any inherent frailty.
Furthermore, his sharp, wolf-like eyes held a power that could intimidate others.
Ivan knew this man.
'Daniel Steiner.'
He was hailed as the primary contributor to the Nordia invasion and a hero of the Empire.
'But even so, to appoint someone who is merely a Major as chief negotiator…'
Were they already treating the Kingdom as a defeated nation and aiming for coercive diplomacy?
As Ivan frowned in displeasure, Daniel casually took off his winter coat.
Daniel brushed off the snowflakes clinging to his coat and let out a dry chuckle.
"The north isn't exactly a pleasant place to live, is it? To have snow in midsummer…"
Daniel clicked his tongue, finished brushing off the snow, and approached the negotiation table.
With a pleasant smile, Daniel extended a hand towards Ivan.
"As you may know, I am Major Daniel Steiner. I've been appointed chief negotiator for these talks, serving as a special envoy."
"...Ivan Alexey, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom."
The two clasped hands, shook once, and then sat down at the negotiation table.
Daniel placed his uniform cap and winter coat on the edge of the table and spoke.
"I heard the negotiations broke down twice. I can roughly guess why, but may I ask for the reason?"
His friendly demeanor suggested he had come merely for a conversation rather than to discuss grave national matters.
It was a stark contrast to the rigid attitudes of those who had previously come to negotiate.
Ivan, thinking this was no easy opponent, replied without lowering his guard.
"Because the Empire's demands are absurd."
Not only did the Empire demand the cession of Nordia, a strategic stronghold, but it also demanded that the currency unit be changed to the Imperial Yuan and imposed military expenditure limits.
If it had ended there, Ivan might have accepted.
However, the Empire not only set exorbitant war reparations but also discussed large-scale punishments for the pro-war ministers and military high command, holding them accountable for the war.
If the positions of ministers and military high command were largely vacated, the empty seats would inevitably be filled by those friendly to the Empire.
This was, in effect, a declaration that they intended to turn the Kingdom into a vassal state and a puppet nation of the Empire.
That was why Ivan had refused to accept the Empire's proposal and was advocating for a desperate, last-stand resistance.
Daniel knew this well too, so he didn't press the issue further.
He merely opened the briefcase he had brought and searched for a document.
"I see. I am well aware of the difficulties the Minister of Foreign Affairs must be facing. That is why I have come here, to alleviate those difficulties. To get straight to the point, I wish to join hands with you, Minister."
Daniel took out the document and set his briefcase down.
"You might be wondering what a man treated as a hero of the Empire is talking about. But that's a misunderstanding. I'm not particularly devoted to the Empire."
"…"
"In fact, I often worry about the Kingdom and find myself thinking from your side. If you don't mind, you could even consider me an honorary citizen of the Kingdom."
Ivan remained silent at the frivolous remark.
He couldn't fathom Daniel's true intentions behind such words.
Daniel, who had been steadily observing Ivan, handed over the document he held.
"Perhaps it's best if I show you my sincerity first. I'd like you to read this once. It was difficult to acquire."
Curious, Ivan took the document Daniel offered.
As Ivan read through the document with a meaningful gaze, his eyebrows twitched.
"This is…"
"Confidential Level 2 information from the Empire's Third Legion."
Daniel's words were true.
The document was densely filled with details about the Empire's troop strength and operational plans.
He couldn't even suspect it was fake.
Ivan, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, already knew about some of the operations mentioned in the document, having heard them through the Allied intelligence agency.
'But…'
Seeing this, it became clear that the information the Allied intelligence agency had uncovered was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Furthermore, the troop strength was double what the Allied nations had identified and reported.
This could only mean one thing.
'Even if we know, we can't stop it…!'
The moment these operations were put into effect, the Kingdom would face inevitable ruin.
He felt like a fool for having believed that if the Kingdom mounted a desperate resistance and withstood the Imperial invasion, the Allied nations, seeing hope, would provide active support.
Ivan, who had been momentarily stunned, gritted his teeth at a shallow realization.
'Those bastards in the Allied nations…! Had they been feeding us false information from the start?!'
It was clear they had intentionally understated the Empire's troop strength and operations to ensure the Kingdom wouldn't lose hope and would continue the war.
'In that case, their promise to send support if we maintained the front lines as much as possible was also…!'
A lie.
From the Allied nations' perspective, the Kingdom was merely a pawn, meant to bleed the Empire and then fall.
Ivan's hands trembled violently as he realized all of this.
Daniel interpreted Ivan's state differently.
'Is he feeling exhilarated?'
In the game, the Kingdom breaks off all three negotiations and insists on a last-stand resistance.
From the Kingdom's perspective, holding the Empire's Level 2 confidential information would naturally be a cause for joy.
Just as Daniel smiled, thinking he could easily join hands with Ivan, Ivan lifted his head and let out a ragged breath.
'Daniel Steiner… does he perhaps know all the internal affairs of the Kingdom?'
Logically, it was clear he had brought the Level 2 confidential information for Ivan to see because he knew the Kingdom was receiving understated reports from the Allied nations.
'He must have judged that closing the information gap would be advantageous for the negotiations…'
Daniel's judgment was excellent.
Even when he thought the Imperial forces were half their true strength, he had advocated for a desperate resistance, but now, facing the truth, fighting was simply impossible.
'This isn't war. It's a unilateral slaughter…'
It felt as though the Kingdom's soldiers, who would be swept away by the Imperial army's attack, were vividly before his eyes.
Their screams approached him, turning into guilt.
But even if he were to join hands with the Empire now, the Kingdom's future remained uncertain.
Was it truly the right thing to make the Kingdom's people live under Imperial rule?
'But rather than a dog's death…'
Ivan, murmuring in his many dilemmas, finally opened his lips with difficulty.
"...Major Daniel. Let me ask you one thing. If I don't take your hand here, what will truly become of the Kingdom?"
Ivan was asking what would happen if he didn't accept the Empire's proposal.
Daniel, on the other hand, was interpreting the question literally.
As their thoughts ran on parallel tracks, Daniel let out a low chuckle.
For some reason, to Ivan, that chilling chuckle sounded like a devil's.
"What a funny question you ask. To inquire what will become of the Kingdom if you don't take my hand. Don't you already know, Minister?"
Daniel, abruptly suppressing his smile, gazed intently at Ivan.
It was as if a wolf were revealing its true nature.
"If you don't take my hand, the Kingdom will…"
Daniel leaned slightly forward and whispered low enough for only Ivan to hear.
"...disappear from the map forever."
Ivan's pupils dilated upon hearing Daniel's words.
As he sweated and his hands trembled, Daniel pulled back and stood up.
"Very well. Do you have anything further to say?"
Even though Daniel had risen, Ivan remained motionless for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
Seeing this, Daniel gave a slight nod, gathered his uniform cap and coat, and walked towards the exit.
Just as Daniel was about to exit the tent, he paused and said, "Ah."
"Minister of Foreign Affairs."
As Ivan remained silent in tension, Daniel spoke with a hint of a smile.
"Please convey my regards to the Allied nations as well."
With those words, Daniel exited the tent.
Only then did Ivan exhale the breath he had been holding and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Hyperventilation set in, blurring his vision.
It felt as if he had just been released from a conversation with the devil's spawn.
As Ivan, freed from the pressure, gasped for breath, his chief secretary entered from the rear entrance.
He had entered, curious as to why the enemy's special envoy had left but Ivan had not.
Spotting Ivan inside the tent, the chief secretary panicked and rushed over.
"Minister of Foreign Affairs!"
Ivan was not in good condition.
The chief secretary knelt on one knee beside the chair and looked up at the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"Are you—are you alright?"
Ivan shook his head at the chief secretary's question.
A single tear streamed from his tightly closed eyes.
"Even His Majesty the King must admit it now. We cannot win…"
Like a child consumed by fear, Ivan muttered in a dying voice.
"We can absolutely never defeat the Empire…"
This left the chief secretary utterly bewildered.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had advocated for a desperate resistance based on his firm convictions, was now steeped in defeatism less than an hour after entering negotiations.
The chief secretary, hesitant, stared blankly at the chair on the opposite side of the negotiation table.
'What on earth did the person sitting in that chair say…?'
Unable to know the content of the conversation, the chief secretary was simply bewildered.