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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Much-Needed Vacation
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I think it's time for a vacation.
A day passed. Early the next morning, I arrived at the General Staff Headquarters and gripped my forehead.
My head throbbed, the alcohol not yet out of my system.
'Did I drink too much yesterday?'
The trouble started when I entered the officers' club and the bartender recognized me.
The bartender, smiling at me, had declared, 'Major Daniel, hero of the Empire, drinks are on the house for you today!' That's why I ended up drinking more than I should have.
'Then, at some point, I fell asleep...'
When I came to, I was in my bed at the barracks.
The problem was that I had no memory of how I'd gotten back to my room.
'I couldn't have walked back on my own. Did someone help me?'
The thought of having inconvenienced someone made me feel terrible.
Frowning, I sighed softly, arrived at my private office, and grasped the doorknob.
When I opened the door, Lucy was already there, as always, impeccably dressed and attending to her duties.
Lucy saw me enter, rose from her seat, and saluted.
"Major Daniel Steiner, you've arrived."
...She didn't usually call me by my full name, did she?
Her demeanor was somehow stiff.
Feeling a bit awkward for a moment, I returned her salute and walked toward my desk.
I set down my briefcase and sat at my desk, and Lucy approached me.
She held the Imperial Daily in her hand.
"Ah. Thank you—"
I reached out to take the newspaper, but for some reason, Lucy didn't loosen her grip.
Wondering why, I looked up, and Lucy was giving me a frosty glare.
"Major Daniel Steiner. Alcohol is a matter of personal preference. I believe one can drink as much as they like, according to their own taste."
"...Right?"
"However, anything in excess is bad for one's health. Especially drinking until one is completely incapacitated, I believe, is not setting a good example as an officer of the Empire."
There wasn't a single thing wrong with what she said, so I couldn't retort.
'More importantly, why is she suddenly lecturing me...'
Could it be that Lucy was the one who took me back to the barracks? Puzzled, I asked a question to sound her out.
"Are you saying I was incapacitated? What happened yesterday?"
Lucy's shoulders trembled slightly.
As an added bonus, she couldn't meet my gaze.
"...Nothing happened."
Lucy, speaking as if playing innocent, let go of the newspaper and returned to her desk.
Seated at her desk, Lucy continued her work as usual, but for some reason, her ears were flushed red.
I looked at her, puzzled, then shrugged once and unfolded the newspaper.
The moment I unfolded the newspaper, my photo was displayed prominently on the largest page.
To be precise, it was a photo taken when I left the Imperial Palace after meeting His Imperial Majesty.
『Major Daniel Steiner, Hero of the Empire! Awarded the Golden Cross Medal after the National Meritorious Service Medal!』
Just reading the headline made my head spin.
Without even looking at the content, I turned the page and looked at other articles.
Having been on the battlefield, I hadn't known how the capital was faring, so I intended to get a general idea now.
As I slowly read through several articles, I suddenly paused at a particular section.
『Editor-in-Chief Tyden Barcaloy Dies of Heart Attack at Home』
Tyden Barcaloy was a journalist I knew well.
He was an editor-in-chief who primarily published articles favorable to the Princess.
His newspaper's editorial policy and political stance were also focused on supporting the Princess.
He could be considered one of the representative figures of the Princess's faction.
'Tyden, dead of a heart attack at home?'
At a time like this? That's preposterous.
It was objectively more likely that the Prince's faction had made a move.
'That means...'
The succession struggle has begun to materialize.
The Princess isn't a fool either, so she will launch a counterattack.
Therefore, it's clear that a bloodbath will now begin beneath the surface.
As long as I remained in the capital, I couldn't escape that bloodbath either.
Muttering to myself, I tapped the desk idly and then folded the newspaper.
How could I fully protect myself amidst the coming waves of this era?
After a brief deliberation, I made my decision.
'I'll run away.'
If I couldn't escape the bloodbath by staying in the capital, then all I had to do was leave the capital.
Conveniently, I had accumulated a lot of commendation leave due to my successive promotions, so there was no problem.
'The maximum period for commendation leave in the Empire is 30 days, so...'
If I take a vacation now and return, the hierarchy will likely have been sorted out.
Moreover, by taking leave, I could also convey the message 'I have absolutely no interest in your succession struggle,' killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, if I unilaterally take leave, Lucy will be burdened with overtime and have to handle all the work, but that can't be helped.
'Besides, it would be strange to make allowances for a spy who's trying to kill me, wouldn't it?'
Having made up my mind, I rose from my seat and walked toward the door.
Just before opening the door and stepping out, a mischievous impulse struck me, and I turned back to look at Lucy.
"Adjutant. I'll apologize in advance."
"...What do you mean by that, sir?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
I gave a benevolent look to Lucy, who had a question mark floating above her head, and exited the office.
Immediately after, I entered the Chief of Staff's office, went into the Deputy Chief of Operations' office, and saluted Ernst.
Ernst returned my salute and, smiling, began to speak.
"Well, if it isn't our Major Daniel. What brings you to the Deputy Chief of Operations' office? I told you that you could handle your work in your private office, didn't I?"
"Sir. I haven't come to discuss work-related matters."
"Hmm? Ah. So you wish to discuss your promotion, then? If it's about that, it's already being discussed by the higher-ups. Don't worry, there will be good news."
"That's not it either."
Then why on earth did you come? Ernst wore a bewildered expression.
After a slight pause, I spoke.
"Sir. I wish to take leave."
Ernst nodded as if he understood.
"Leave, you say. Yes. Even you must need a rest. How long do you intend to take?"
"One month."
Ernst's eyes widened.
He must have been expecting about a week, so the sudden mention of a whole month caught him off guard.
"...One month? Are you serious?"
"Yes. I understand that long-term leave is possible by using commendation leave."
"You're not wrong. You're not wrong, but... Hmm. Alright. If you wish to use it, I'm not in a position to object. I'll inform the higher-ups."
I had wondered what I would do if he tried to stop me, so this was a relief.
As I exhaled a sigh of relief, Ernst looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression.
"But you're applying for quite a long leave. Have you decided where you'll rest?"
A place to rest, huh.
I hadn't specifically decided on one, but there was a place I wished to visit.
"I intend to go to my hometown."
Pianmari Village, in the Barony of Betargen, Southern Empire.
It was my birthplace, and the home of my esteemed mentor, the Abbot.
***
The Barony of Betargen, Southern Empire.
Headquarters of 'Dawn's Light,' the Prince's secret organization.
Clack-clack—
In the dim lighting of the underground, the mechanical, repetitive clicking of a telex machine, transmitting and receiving messages, echoed.
This was one of the methods used by Dawn's Light's leadership to issue commands to the armed groups they had scattered throughout the capital like a decentralized network.
Morton Blackmoor, the leader overseeing them, known as the organization's Supreme Strategist, watched his intelligence officers with sunken eyes.
For if any of them were secretly colluding with Princess's faction, the organization would crumble from within.
Though it was unlikely, it wasn't wrong to be suspicious in such a critical period.
After scrutinizing the intelligence officers for a while, Morton clenched his fist.
'I must get the Prince onto the throne, no matter what it takes.'
Having chosen to side with the Prince, Morton had no other option.
Because the moment the Princess, and not the Prince, ascended to the throne, Morton and the entire organization would be purged.
The assassination of Editor-in-Chief Tyden Barcaloy, who had been vocally siding with the Princess, had been carried out for a similar reason.
'We cannot allow public opinion to favor the Princess.'
Public opinion is the will of the citizens, and the will of the citizens inevitably reaches the Emperor's ears, as he will ultimately choose the successor.
The current Emperor was an anomaly, known as a progressive monarch, who had implemented a series of unconventional policies.
As someone deeply concerned with the welfare of his people, he surely wouldn't be able to ignore public opinion when choosing a successor.
Thus, Morton was doing his utmost to incite the citizens and silence the opposing voices.
Because this was the best way to place the incompetent Prince on the throne.
'So far, there have been no problems...'
But the Princess isn't a fool, so she will gradually begin her counterattack.
Just as he was pondering what cards the Princess held, one of the intelligence officers gasped and stood up.
Puzzled by this, Morton frowned.
"What is it?"
The intelligence officer re-read the message he had received, then turned to Morton.
"Supreme Strategist. It appears... Daniel Steiner has applied for leave. And for an unusually long period of one month."
"He can apply for leave. Why is that an issue?"
"The place Daniel Steiner applied to visit for his leave is..."
The intelligence officer swallowed hard and said, his voice trembling.
"...It's the Barony of Betargen in the Southern Empire, right where we are."
For a moment, all the hands tapping on the telex machines stopped.
Morton, too, held his breath, his eyes trembling.
'Could it be... that he's siding with the Princess and coming to annihilate us?'
As Morton muttered to himself, a heavy atmosphere pressed down on the headquarters.
The terror evoked by the name Daniel Steiner was considerable.
After maintaining silence for a while, Morton finally managed to speak.
"The Barony of Betargen is Daniel Steiner's hometown. It's possible he's simply come to enjoy his vacation. Even if not, he wouldn't have pinpointed our location yet. If he had, he wouldn't have taken a month's leave."
Morton, feigning composure, looked around at the intelligence officers and spoke.
"From now on, we will monitor Daniel Steiner's every move. Should he indeed be targeting us, we must be ready to respond at any moment. Understood!"
"Yes, sir!" The intelligence officers replied vigorously and began tapping on their typewriters again.
Morton had succeeded in encouraging his intelligence officers, but he himself couldn't calm his trembling hands.
Who was Daniel Steiner? A calculating, cold-blooded man, utterly devoid of mercy, even called 'Satan's spawn' by the Kingdom's Foreign Minister.
And he's merely coming to his hometown to enjoy a vacation? That's preposterous, by any logical standard.
It was more accurate to assume that Daniel had discovered the presence of Dawn's Light headquarters here.
'If Daniel Steiner truly is targeting us...'
It's possible we'll be crushed before we even dare to confront him.
Morton, struggling to suppress an inexplicable fear, clenched his fist tightly.
'Oh, God.'
Please, grant us the strength to prevail against this devil.