I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 119
Celvia's mouth opened slightly.
Frozen as if she had heard a shocking truth, Celvia looked around.
After confirming that no one was eavesdropping, Celvia lowered her voice and said:
"Why?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I'm asking because I don't understand why you're putting in so much effort for me."
Daniel felt perplexed by Celvia's question.
'Me?'
Daniel had merely been desperately searching for a breakthrough for his own self-preservation.
However, from Celvia's perspective, all of Daniel's actions were altruistic.
First, Celvia had been saved by Daniel twice.
Additionally, Daniel had been of great help when she was struggling with the issue of imperial succession rights.
That's not all.
This time, when imperial authority was about to be shaken due to conflict among the nobles, Daniel brought information that some of the nobles were acting as collaborators.
Quite timely, just before the coronation.
Thanks to this, Daniel, under orders from the Imperial Family, could conduct an inspection against the nobles using a solid justification, which had a significant impact on raising the authority of the Imperial Family.
So, for Celvia, who was about to become the Emperor, Daniel was as good as an unparalleled loyal subject.
On the other hand, Daniel felt burdened by that gaze because he hadn't done it for Celvia.
Thinking there was no need to reveal the truth deliberately, Daniel gave an awkward smile.
"I judged that supporting Your Highness is the way to serve the Empire."
"The way to serve the Empire..."
Although it was a somewhat vague answer, Celvia didn't mind.
After all, she had once again confirmed that Daniel was moving for her sake.
"I also think that putting Lieutenant Colonel Daniel in a key position is the way to serve the Empire. So, after the coronation, I plan to promote Lieutenant Colonel Daniel in front of all the ministers."
Promoting Daniel to Colonel in front of the high-ranking officials gathered at the coronation was tantamount to declaring that Daniel was now the Emperor's man.
Although Daniel found this extremely burdensome, he couldn't refuse.
Not only did he lack grounds for refusal due to his many accumulated merits, but from a macro perspective, becoming Celvia's close associate would be more advantageous for survival.
"If you do so, I will accept it as the greatest joy of my life."
As Daniel placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, a smile spread across Celvia's lips.
She had been worried about what to do if he refused, so she was pleased that Daniel accepted willingly.
"I'm glad you're satisfied. But..."
Celvia lightly lifted the cup filled with black tea.
"What are your plans going forward?"
She was asking how he would spend his time while delaying the investigation to observe the nobles' reactions.
While Daniel would have liked to leisurely spend time eating desserts, he didn't have that luxury.
"I plan to go down to the southern part of the Empire."
"The south? Are you thinking of visiting your hometown?"
"That's not it. I'm going down to fulfill a promise I made with a subordinate's father."
The subordinate here was Freyen, and his father was the senior pastor of the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church.
Naturally, the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church's financial support for the Melbarton newspaper according to Daniel's wishes wasn't out of pure goodwill.
A few days later, near the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church.
Peace Cradle Orphanage.
Screech─
A luxurious passenger car enters through the orphanage entrance.
As the car, gradually slowing down, comes to a complete stop, the driver's door opens.
The person who came out of the opened door was Freyen, with her light brown hair braided back.
Freyen looked at the orphanage scenery once, then smiled faintly as she opened the back seat door.
"We've arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
Daniel, who had been reading an inspection report, turned to the side, drawn by the voice.
He could see children playing ball in the open space next to the orphanage.
Confirming they had arrived, Daniel tossed the report aside and got out of the car, standing up.
His body felt stiff from the long drive, and he involuntarily frowned at the pouring sunlight.
'So this is the orphanage run by Freyen's father. I can see why he wanted to meet here, given how few people there are except for the children...'
Daniel's thoughts were cut short.
Thud─
A ball that flew from somewhere hit Daniel's abdomen and fell down.
Wondering what it was, he looked down to see a child running over to retrieve the ball.
"I'm sorry. I..."
The child who came close and picked up the ball raised his head to apologize but froze.
"Uh, uh..."
It was because a man in an imperial officer's uniform was looking down at him with a cold gaze.
Under the uniform cap, the emotionless, dry gaze was filled with a sense of fear that was hard for a pure young child to accept.
"Hie, hieek..."
Unable to even scream, the child was just trembling slightly when Daniel knelt on one knee.
The child's face became almost on the verge of tears as his eyes met Daniel's.
Daniel slowly reached out his hand towards the child.
Unable to bear the fear, the child tightly closed his eyes.
Daniel's hand gently rested on top of the child's head.
"No need to apologize. It's my fault for not avoiding the ball."
Despite his appearance, his voice was warm and his touch gentle.
The child, gathering courage to open his eyes, could see Daniel smiling kindly.
Thinking that he might not be a bad person after all, the child hesitated, and Daniel withdrew his hand and showed his empty palm.
"Now, watch carefully."
Daniel clenched his fist, pretended to exert effort, and then opened his hand again.
On his wide-open palm lay a single coin.
Seeing this, the child's eyes widened in wonder.
"Wow! How did you do that!?"
"Well. It seems God created a coin in my hand, telling me to give a gift to you who has a kind heart."
"Really?"
At the child's innocent question, Daniel smiled and held out the coin.
"Of course. Buy yourself some delicious snacks with this."
Finally realizing that Daniel wasn't a bad person, the child accepted the coin and bowed his head.
"Thank you!"
As the child who said this turned and ran away, Daniel stood up with a faint smile.
Lightly dusting off his hands, Daniel turned to look at Freyen but paused.
It was because Freyen was looking at him with shining eyes.
'Let's not ask why...'
Not wanting to hear strange praise again, Daniel cleared his throat.
"Where is your father?"
"Ah. I'll guide you."
Freyen, coming to her senses, led Daniel inside the orphanage.
After moving through the rather large building for an orphanage, they arrived at a reception room.
"I'll wait here."
Daniel nodded at Freyen's words as she opened the door to the reception room, and he stepped inside.
Then, Senior Pastor Bellaf, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up.
Bellaf let out an exclamation as if deeply moved and reached out his hand towards Daniel.
"I am Bellaf, Freyen's father and the senior pastor of the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church."
"Nice to meet you. I am..."
"Aren't you Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, the hero of the Empire! I'd be a spy if I didn't know! I can't express how honored I am to see you in person this close!"
Behind Bellaf's boisterous laughing voice, the sound of the door closing could be heard.
Daniel grasped Bellaf's hand and shook it lightly.
"Since you've listened to my request, it's only natural that I listen to yours, Pastor."
"I'm at a loss for words that you think that way. Ah! Would you like to sit down and enjoy some coffee first? I've brought the finest coffee for you, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
"Let's do that."
The two, having finished their cordial handshake, naturally sat on the sofa.
Bellaf, who had blinked several times as if amazed to see Daniel in person, soon spoke with a smile:
"At first, I thought my daughter was playing a prank. After all, isn't my daughter famous for using black magic? In other words, she's a child close to the shadow of the Empire..."
Bellaf clicked his tongue overtly.
"How could I believe that such a child knew and associated with Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, who is practically the light of the Empire? But now that I see it in person, I realize that my daughter's words weren't a lie."
"It seems you should apologize to Freyen regarding this. Doubt is a sin, after all."
"Huh? Ah. Hahaha! I suppose so. More importantly, has my daughter not caused you any trouble? Not just because of her magic, but she's a child with some personality flaws as well."
"Flaws, you say?"
"I'm not sure if there was a problem with her educational environment, but my daughter tends to think about everything in extremes. It can't be seen as a good sign at all."
Extreme, huh.
Considering Freyen's actions and statements so far, it wasn't particularly wrong.
"Regarding what you just said, I also agree..."
Daniel stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.
He had unconsciously glanced at the door and saw it.
Through the slightly opened door, he saw Freyen looking into the reception room.
Her gaze, filled with ominous and unsettling energy, staring silently in this direction, was chillingly frightening.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but it seemed like black magic was faintly rising.
'...She didn't close the door, but pretended to close it?'
Cold sweat ran down his back involuntarily.
If he were to badmouth Freyen here, he felt he might not be able to preserve his life.
How could one predict what this woman, obsessed with nationalism, might do?
After a brief silence, Daniel modified his answer.
"I disagree. I won't comment on what the pastor thinks about his own daughter, but Freyen is one of the people I care about most and is a more dedicated and capable subordinate than anyone else."
After saying this, Daniel glanced at Freyen's reaction.
Freyen, surprised by Daniel's words, widened her eyes, and then smiled shyly in embarrassment.
It was like the appearance of a girl in love, but to Daniel, it only came across as eerie.
'Still...'
It was fortunate that he seemed to have avoided the worst-case scenario.