I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 121
The next morning.
In the worship hall of the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church.
"In the Old Testament, God also commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is one of God's guidances that we can find in our lives..."
While Senior Pastor Bellaf was delivering the sermon, Freyen and Daniel, seated in the pews, were quietly conversing.
"Are you really planning to deal with those ungrateful, shameless people?"
Freyen asked.
Daniel chuckled and nodded.
"Yes. It's important to extinguish even the smallest flame early. It would be too late to regret after they've become a forest fire."
"But your plan is too dangerous, Lieutenant Colonel. What if they turn into a mob..."
"A mob, you say."
A thin smile appeared on Daniel's lips.
"Lieutenant Freyen. They are not a mob. They're merely sheep being led by the shepherd's instigation. No matter how many sheep gather, they can't bite a wolf."
Daniel's expression remained calm despite knowing that an anti-war protest group was approaching.
Freyen, who had been staring at Daniel's profile, couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked:
"... Do you have some kind of plan?"
"If I didn't have a plan, I wouldn't be sitting here."
After a brief pause, Daniel continued:
"Listen carefully, Freyen. What sheep fear most is the wolf's blood. Because they don't know what an injured wolf might do to them."
"Blood, you say?"
"I've planted my man in the protest group. When the protest starts to get violent, he will throw a brick at my head."
Thanks to Daniel casually stating such a shocking fact, Freyen's mouth fell slightly open.
Freyen glanced around nervously and whispered to Daniel:
"A brick? You could get seriously hurt, Lieutenant Colonel."
"Don't worry. It's a brick with reduced clay ratio and increased sand ratio. Also, due to the lower firing temperature, it's a fake brick that breaks easily."
"Lieutenant Colonel. Even if it's fake, it's not safe. You'll definitely get hurt."
"I hope so."
Hope so? Unable to understand, Freyen was at a loss for words.
Glancing sideways at Freyen, Daniel made a meaningful remark:
"Didn't I just say? The thing sheep fear most is the wolf's blood."
Meanwhile, in front of the entrance to the Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church, about a thousand people were chanting slogans while holding picket signs.
"Glory of the Holy Fire Grand Church, stop idolizing warmongers!"
"We don't want war! Only murderers want war!"
"Daniel Steiner, who denies peace, step down!"
Different voices resounded high into the sky with a single purpose.
"Those who deny peace!"
"Are only murderers!"
As some time passed, several individuals were leading the protest, repeatedly chanting slogans.
Perhaps in response to their voices.
The church doors opened, and Daniel Steiner and Freyen appeared from inside.
Their approach, with the coat tails of their officer uniforms fluttering, somehow felt intimidating.
However, unwilling to back down, the protesters raised their voices once again.
"It's the warmonger!"
"The murderer is coming!"
"Get out now!"
The agitated protesters began taking rotten vegetables and fruits from the baskets they had brought and throwing them.
They were showing maximum defiance without causing physical harm to the other party.
However, there was no way the fruits thrown haphazardly would hit Daniel's body.
Daniel slowly walked through the shower of fruits.
Thud─
In the midst of it, a tomato grazed his body, but it couldn't stop Daniel's advance.
After approaching to within about ten paces of the protesters, Daniel stopped.
Although rotten fruits were still being thrown, their frequency had noticeably decreased.
Seeing this, Daniel put on a troubled expression and raised both hands.
"Protesters, I didn't come here to fight with you. I only want to clear up misunderstandings and find common ground through dialogue-"
"To hell with your common ground!"
A middle-aged man at the front of the protest group stepped forward.
"My son died in the war! My son, who was supposed to inherit the family business when he grew up, became a corpse in the war!"
As if in agreement with the man's cry, voices of support could be heard from here and there.
"Get out of here, you devil!"
"You're leading everyone to their deaths!"
They started throwing fruits again.
Now that the distance was closer, more fruits were hitting Daniel's body.
As fruits burst and spread a sour smell, Daniel desperately raised his hands.
"Citizens! Please calm down! I didn't come here to fight with you!"
At that moment, a brick flew from within the protest group.
Daniel saw the brick coming but didn't dodge.
There was no need to dodge.
Getting hit by the brick was part of the scenario.
Crack─
The brick, flying in an arc, struck Daniel's forehead and passed by.
"Ugh...!"
As Daniel momentarily staggered, Freyen let out a scream.
Quickly supporting Daniel, Freyen turned to the protesters and cried out as agreed:
"What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?!"
At Freyen's cry, the protesters looked at each other, terrified.
Throwing rotten fruit and throwing a brick were completely different matters.
Everyone knew that inflicting harm on an imperial officer during wartime would result in severe punishment.
Injuring a mere officer was already a serious crime, but now the protesters had injured Daniel Steiner, who was hailed as a hero of the empire.
"Who on earth..."
"Why a brick..."
Thanks to this, the protesters were distrusting each other in a tense atmosphere.
Daniel, who had been quietly observing this scene, raised his hand to touch his forehead where the brick had hit.
His brow furrowed as he felt the pain.
After lowering his hand with a low exhale, his palm was seen covered in blood.
'Good.'
Now the protesters couldn't escape the proposition that they had 'committed violence against an imperial officer.'
Thinking he had completely taken control of the situation, Daniel pushed Freyen aside and raised his head.
"...Citizens."
Unlike just before, the citizens were now forcibly listening to Daniel's words.
"You called me a warmonger and someone who denies peace. That's half right and half wrong. How can you say I deny peace?"
Blood trickled down his forehead.
"I am someone who wants peace more than anyone else. More than anyone here!"
As Daniel shouted, the tension among the protesters intensified.
Daniel looked at each citizen one by one and then frowned.
"If peace is simply the absence of war, then yes! I am someone who denies peace! Is that what you want?"
Daniel raised his hand to point towards the east where the Allied Nations were located.
"I asked if you want to surrender to those Allied Nations and live as their slaves! If that is truly your wish, I will take off my uniform and step down right here! Just as you desire!"
However, not a single person in the protest group could tell Daniel to step down.
Not only were they frightened by the sight of Daniel passionately speaking while bleeding, but even those advocating for anti-war fundamentally did not want to become slaves of the Allied Nations.
"Dear citizens."
Daniel, outwardly calming his anger, lowered his voice as if in distress.
"War is something we engage in to protect the values of peace that we pursue. If going to war to protect ideal peace makes me a warmonger, then I won't object."
After lowering his hand, Daniel continued after a brief silence.
"If condemning me can ease your minds, then I say go ahead. However, you must not deceive yourselves by advocating for a false peace."
Some citizens among those moved by Daniel's words bowed their heads.
However, some were just scared and still didn't like what Daniel was saying.
The man at the front spoke up, representing them:
"False peace? Can you say that to our sons who went to the battlefield and returned as corpses?!"
Daniel turned only his eyes to look at the man.
Though the man felt intimidated by that sharp gaze, he didn't withdraw his words.
Daniel stared at the man for a while before speaking:
"I can say that."
"On what grounds-"
"Do you know how many battles I've been through?"
The man closed his mouth.
"Do you know what those facing death on the battlefield said to me?"
Daniel slowly walked towards the man.
"I've seen countless allied soldiers die. Some died in my arms. Do you think their last words were for anti-war?"
Daniel stopped right in front of the man.
"The soldiers, just before their last breath, all told me, their commander, one thing. To continue this war. To ensure that the empire, victorious over the Allied Nations, would enjoy eternal peace."
"I..."
"Your son probably wasn't much different."
The man's mouth was open, but he couldn't speak.
Because the man didn't know his son's last moments.
If Daniel Steiner was going to the battlefield carrying the last wishes of soldiers like his son, then insulting Daniel Steiner would be no different from trampling on his son's hopes.
The man slowly lowered his head as he recalled his son's face in this moment of realization.
Tears were gradually blurring his vision.
"I'm sorry..."
The man finally couldn't hold back and closed his eyes.
"I'm really sorry..."
As the man began to sob, Daniel exhaled softly.
He embraced the man and gently patted his back.
"It's alright. I understand completely."
Daniel, with his eyes closed like the man, listened to the sounds around him.
The sound of protesters dropping their picket signs one by one.
The murmurs of people reflecting on their actions in joining the protest.
Voices muttering in guilt.
'Among all those sounds...'
The sound of camera shutters clicking could be heard from afar.
It was the moment when a meticulously planned play was successfully coming to an end.