I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 132
Tears began to well up in Theobald’s eyes.
He had come to this place after a firm resolution, but the fact that he could not achieve the greater cause was heartbreaking.
Moreover, a sense of fear was rising within him that he could d*e the moment he said something wrong.
‘And…’
The person who should be here does not exist.
Theobald, who was rolling his eyes in a strange sense of alienation, soon realized.
‘I can’t see them.’
Denders and Contim, who had sworn to the cause together and left the textile factory, were nowhere to be found.
Before the operation began, Theobald had ordered that they regroup at Daniel Steiner’s location after separating, in case of any unforeseen tracking.
Even in a surprise attack, it was right to strike from different directions against someone like Daniel Steiner, who knew how to use neural acceleration.
He thought that even if one person failed, the other could continue the cause.
But they were not visible.
As if they had forgotten the promise to regroup, there was no sign of them anywhere.
The implication was clear.
Denders and Contim must have been captured by Daniel Steiner’s private organization before they even arrived here.
‘If they could have subdued Denders and Contim beforehand, I would have been the same. Yet allowing them to roam in the streets means…’
A kind of mercy from Daniel Steiner.
Or it was like a game.
He was just enjoying the fun before killing a rat caught in a cage.
Thinking this made his stomach uncomfortable, and he felt nauseated.
“Ugh, ugh…”
A sob escaped through Theobald’s teeth.
His complexion grew darker, and his expression twisted sadly.
Thinking that everything was over, he felt no need to hide his expression any longer.
Of course, Daniel, who was watching this unfold right in front of him, could only feel shocked.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Daniel couldn’t understand the old man’s sudden transition to a near-tearful expression while talking about his son.
As he observed the old man, Daniel tried to think as rationally as possible.
‘…Could it be that his son is no longer of this world?’
It was possible that encountering someone who reminded him of his son in a restaurant had caused him to suddenly burst into tears.
‘The remark about bringing his son might also have been a self-deprecating joke…’
Thinking this, Daniel looked at Theobald with a hint of pity.
Unsure how to open his mouth, Daniel finally spoke cautiously to confirm the reality.
“Are you thinking about your son?”
His tone was gentle, but Theobald found it chilling.
Swallowing hard while looking at Daniel, Theobald spoke in a voice that barely managed to rise.
“…Do you know my son?”
“I do not. However, I might come to know over time.”
Theobald’s pupils widened with fear.
He was terrified of what intentions Daniel might have in saying such things.
What was certain was that it was not a good direction.
He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
Theobald, gasping for breath like a goldfish out of water, felt the chilling sensation of being watched by his surroundings.
Couples were chatting, but their eyes were fixed on Theobald.
A middle-aged man reading a newspaper, a pedestrian out for a stroll, and an employee returning with an order all maintained their gaze on Theobald.
Everyone in this place was waiting for Theobald’s next words.
That pressure soon became a threat that tightened around Theobald’s neck, whispering ‘He might harm your son.’
“Ah. Ah…”
After a long pause to choose his words, a tear streamed down Theobald’s wide-open eyes.
“I was wrong.”
What wrong? Daniel blinked in confusion, wondering when Theobald continued speaking rapidly.
“I’m sorry. I will never do such a thing again. I shouldn’t have ignored the warning; I was simply foolish. Please! I beg you. I will end everything on my end. I’m asking for a bit of mercy…!”
Having finished his words, Theobald hung his head low, exposing his crown.
It was a pathetic surrender, but Daniel could not comprehend why this man was acting this way.
What was clear was that this man was not in his right mind.
Not wanting to be entangled with a madman, Daniel cleared his throat.
“I think it would be best if you return now.”
Upon hearing Daniel’s words, Theobald’s shoulders trembled.
“…Then what about my son?”
“To be honest, I’m not that interested. I don’t wish to hear about it.”
Thud! Theobald slammed his head against the table.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
The way Theobald desperately expressed his gratitude was frightening to the point that Daniel felt a chill.
Just as he was pondering whether he should call the police, Theobald stood up from his seat.
He looked at Daniel with a blank expression, and suddenly bowed his head.
Then he left without eating, walking somewhere.
As Daniel watched the old man’s retreating figure in confusion, an employee approached him.
“Colonel Daniel Steiner. Here’s a strawberry cake.”
Turning his head, Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the slice of strawberry cake the employee was holding.
“…Did I ever order a strawberry cake?”
“It’s on the house. Since you came to visit, this is the least we can do.”
There was no reason for Daniel to refuse, so he accepted the cake.
“Thank you. I will enjoy it.”
As the employee smiled and walked away, Daniel picked up his fork and stabbed into the strawberry on the cake.
As he put it in his mouth, he gazed at the spot where the old man had just been.
‘What a strange person…’
A strange person.
There were no other impressions beyond that.
From Daniel’s perspective, this was merely someone he was seeing for the first time.
*
Having exited the restaurant, Theobald rushed toward the textile factory.
He was determined to inform others that everything was Daniel Steiner’s plot.
He thought that to minimize damage, he needed to let them know as quickly as possible, but as soon as he entered the textile factory, he stopped in his tracks.
The machines that should have been clattering now stood silent.
Of course, it was true that Theobald had told them to prepare to dispose of the documents and flee, but at the very least, they should have pretended to be working to avoid external surveillance.
However, the textile factory now seemed completely deserted.
As Theobald stared at the scene in confusion, he slowly made his way forward.
Only when he reached the far end of the factory did Theobald understand the entire situation.
Crackle—
Sparks flew from a makeshift fire set on the floor.
In front of the fire sat a black businessman he had seen before.
He had a briefcase full of cash placed at his feet.
On either side of him stood a group of men wearing gas masks, holding rifles at the ready.
It was all over.
In his newfound sense of helplessness, Theobald turned his head slowly.
He discovered that the fabric dyeing machine had been pushed aside.
The only passage that led from the textile factory to the underground bunker had already been known by Hamtal.
After a moment of dazed realization, Theobald slowly turned his head toward Hamtal.
“How…”
Hamtal pulled stacks of cash from the open briefcase and tossed them into the fire.
Flames danced as sparks scattered chaotically.
“You failed to manage your subordinates properly.”
In the silence, the money burned.
As Theobald watched the scene of cash turning to ashes, he finally spoke.
“…Is the betrayer Reben?”
Hamtal did not answer.
He merely continued to take stacks of cash from the briefcase and toss them into the fire.
“Are Denders and Contim safe? What about the others?”
Again, there was no response.
Hamtal, with his hands interlocked, stared at the burning money before slowly opening his mouth.
“I gave you a chance. This opportunity was regarding the survival of the organization.”
With each flicker of the flames, Hamtal’s shadow wavered.
“But you ignored my advice. You didn’t accept this money. Not only that, you tried to k*ll Daniel Steiner.”
“…”
“Perhaps you and I could have formed a good relationship. We could have become solid partners without raising our voices against one another, promoting mutual benefit.”
A faint smile appeared on Hamtal’s lips.
“But now it’s all over. Like the stacks of cash burning like kindling.”
Enemies cannot use money that they have refused.
Because it leads to corruption.
To Theobald, that felt like a ritual taken before killing an enemy.
“Are you going to k*ll me?”
“Quite blunt for a last word.”
His voice was void and echoed emptily in the air.
Thinking he could not escape d*ath, Theobald let out a hollow laugh.
“…You will never understand what it means to d*e for your country, even if you live your whole life. It was an unreasonable demand from the beginning to betray your country and partner with you.”
Hamtal quietly nodded.
“That’s not incorrect. But don’t you also not understand why we are doing this? You’ve likely never lived a life as a slave just because your skin color is different.”
Hamtal threw a stack of cash into the fire.
“If the United Nations supports your organization, then the one who supports ours is Daniel Steiner. There’s not much difference between us in the sense that we act for our beliefs. But…”
The flames grow slightly larger than before.
“I was the strong one, and you were the weak one.”
Hamtal, who revealed that simple truth, quietly parted his lips.
“Farewell. It was a pleasure conversing with you.”
Theobald’s eyes widened.
In the next moment, one of the Black Crow members raised a pistol and pulled the trigger.
Bang—
Right after the gunshot, Theobald collapsed.
He could not understand what was so unjust about it, even in d*ath, his eyes remained wide open.
Reflected in Theobald’s eyes, Hamtal took out another stack of cash from the briefcase and tossed it into the fire.
Whoosh—
This was the fare for Theobald, the last stack of cash remaining in the briefcase.