I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 134

There was no reason to feel good about receiving gratitude for something he hadn't done.

Just as Daniel was wondering what on earth Otto was talking about, Otto reached into his pocket.

In his hand were several photographs.

"You used quite a humane method, considering you were dealing with enemy spies."

The photos showed people lying with their eyes closed as if they had fallen asleep.

Nearby electronic devices and scattered documents were also captured in the images.

Just as Daniel was wondering what this was about, Otto added:

"From what I can see, it looks like chloroform was dispersed in gas form, and then the entrance was blocked until they lost consciousness. Is my assumption correct?"

Daniel looked up and stared at Otto.

He thought Otto might be joking, but Otto's eyes were filled with seriousness.

Thinking he should clear up the misunderstanding, Daniel chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I don't understand. I have nothing to do with that incident."

"Is that so? Hmm."

Otto, clicking his tongue as if puzzled, put the photos down on the table and picked up a briefcase that was beside the sofa.

Opening the briefcase, Otto rummaged through it and pulled out a single photo.

"Then do you perhaps know this person? It's his appearance before removing his disguise, so you should remember."

The photo showed a person presumed to be an old man lying with a bullet lodged in his forehead.

His eyes were closed.

As Daniel examined the old man in the photo, he nodded in surprise.

It was someone he had actually seen before.

"This is an old man I briefly talked with at a place called Beer Paradise. Are you saying this person was an Allied Nations spy?"

Otto, who had been quietly observing Daniel while maintaining his smile, nodded.

"That's right. Upon investigation, we found that he returned to his hideout after talking with Colonel Daniel Steiner. Immediately after, he met with some group and had a bullet seed planted in his head. Besides that, what I've discovered is..."

Otto gestured as if asking to wait a moment, then pulled out several documents from his briefcase.

They were records of testimonies from enemy spies who had regained consciousness.

Otto handed them to Daniel and said:

"As you can see, they strangely refuse to say who attacked them. They all tremble in fear and are reluctant to speak. It seems you silenced them by killing a few inside the bunker..."

Otto shrugged once.

"I had one question. If you killed them all, you could have silenced them completely, so why bother keeping some alive? Perhaps the person who ordered this respected the value of information that could be obtained by keeping enemy spies alive rather than killing them."

If all discovered spies were killed, it wouldn't be such a significant loss for the Allied Nations.

Losing spies would be a painful loss, but their death would also mean that any information they could disclose would disappear with them.

However, if spies were not killed but made to disclose information through persuasion or torture, the Allied Nations would inevitably suffer astronomical damage.

Daniel Steiner, who had fought numerous battles against the Allied Nations, would know this simple truth well.

Moreover, Daniel Steiner operates a private organization that can easily crush a single branch.

It was a fact known to anyone who wasn't a fool that Daniel Steiner had used his private organization when arresting members of the Prince's faction in the past.

On the day the Palentia branch was crushed, this Daniel Steiner had some sort of conversation with their leader, Theobalt, at a restaurant.

After compiling all the information, Otto, as the Director of the Security Bureau, couldn't help but think that the person behind all this was Daniel Steiner.

So he had come here in person, hoping Daniel would tell him the truth, at least to him. But Daniel, who had absolutely no connection with the enemy spy organization, was simply at a loss.

"I don't even know that old man's name. I really just had a meal, that's all."

"Just had a meal, you say..."

Otto, who had been observing Daniel, nodded as if he had no choice.

"If that's Colonel Daniel Steiner's wish, I won't pry any further. However, there's one thing I'd like you to know. The Security Bureau truly wants to express its gratitude for this matter."

"...I don't think there's anything to thank me for."

"Yes, and that's precisely what we're grateful for. Because Colonel Daniel Steiner has remained silent, the Security Bureau can exclusively claim the achievement of completely wiping out the enemy spies' hideout."

Otto laughed and gathered up the photos and documents spread out on the table.

"There are many people who offer money hoping for cooperation from the Security Bureau. Not a few people come forward offering power. However, very few people hand over achievements in this manner."

Otto, having neatly organized the documents, put them back into his briefcase.

"As Colonel Daniel Steiner knows, it's no exaggeration to say that the Empire is currently in the eye of a storm. You can feel that something bad is about to happen."

Otto, having put even the photos back in his pocket, straightened his clothes once.

"What's needed at that time is achievements. If we can just show that the Security Bureau is not incompetent, no matter who becomes the master of the Empire, my head won't roll."

Daniel felt a sense of discomfort from Otto's words.

The coronation should have already ended, so he couldn't understand why the Security Bureau Director would say such things.

"...The only master of the Empire is His Majesty the Emperor."

Otto nodded as if agreeing.

"Yes. That's not wrong. I agree with that as well."

"For someone who agrees, your previous statement seems rather ominous..."

"Of course it should be ominous. This is a gift I'm giving to Colonel Daniel Steiner. If you receive something, shouldn't you give something in return?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I understand. Then I'll express my intentions more clearly."

Otto, pretending to look around cautiously even though he knew no one else was around, leaned forward and whispered quietly.

"Be careful of Duke Belvar. He will move the storm."

At Otto's words, Daniel's eyes narrowed sharply.

'Duke Belvar...'

He was the old fox who had sided with the Prince when the Emperor's children were fighting over succession rights.

'I thought he had acknowledged defeat and withdrawn his support for the Prince. Could that old man be the head of the noble alliance that was pressuring me?'

He had vaguely suspected it, but hearing it from someone else's mouth was a different matter.

Of course, Otto might be lying.

However, it was impossible to dismiss words coming from the mouth of the Security Bureau Director, who was privy to countless pieces of information, as simple lies.

"I'll keep your advice in mind."

Hearing Daniel's response, Otto smiled and closed his briefcase.

"I hope you liked the information I provided. Then I'll be on my way now."

Otto, who had risen from his seat, was about to leave when he added, as if he had just remembered:

"Ah, by the way, do you know someone called Hamtal? An unusual black businessman..."

Hamtal? It seemed like a name he had heard somewhere before, but he didn't know in detail.

"I don't know. But why do you ask?"

"It's nothing much, just that he was a businessman who had agreed to invest in Theobalt's textile factory, the leader of the enemy spies. We investigated if he had any connection to this incident, but he was excluded from the list of suspects due to his perfect alibi. However..."

Otto raised his hand and stroked his chin once.

"Do you know the feeling when an alibi is so perfect that it becomes suspicious?"

"Even if you tell me that..."

"I suppose so. I understand. I hope we can meet again."

Otto extended his hand towards Daniel.

Seeing this, Daniel stood up and shook hands in farewell, and Otto finished with a slight bow of his head before walking out.

As he came out through the entrance of the General Staff Headquarters, an aide who had been waiting nearby approached.

"Director, did the conversation go well?"

At the aide's words, Otto made a strange expression.

"Well. It didn't feel like talking to a person."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He was just like a machine. At least the Daniel Steiner who was responding to my words."

Otto recalled the reception room where he had conversed with Daniel.

Given the circumstances, it was correct that Daniel Steiner had used his private organization to crush the enemy spy organization.

However, Daniel Steiner denied it without the slightest hesitation to Otto's questions.

Denying the truth was easily predictable, but the problem was what came next.

"It was clear he was lying, but I couldn't tell that he was lying."

Otto had dealt with numerous con artists on his way up to the position of Security Bureau Director.

The con artists had told Otto countless lies, but in almost all cases, Otto had seen through the lies.

This is because when people lie, discrepancies occur in their behavior or physiological aspects.

It was normal for breathing and mana to become slightly disturbed as well.

For Otto, who had been adept at detecting others' lies since childhood, recognizing such minor discrepancies was quite easy.

But with Daniel Steiner, he couldn't even sense a sign that he was lying.

As if he was only telling the truth.

"It gives me the chills. The chills..."

Otto shuddered and rubbed his arms.

He was almost at a loss for words at Daniel's appearance, which seemed to deceive even himself.

"Maybe he has sociopathic tendencies. Anyway, aide. After having this conversation, I feel certain, so let's change our work direction a bit."

"In what way, sir?"

"From now on, if Duke Belvar's side requests cooperation, don't hand over more information than necessary. It's also forbidden to move our personnel from now on. On the other hand, if Daniel Steiner requests cooperation, respond even more than that."

At Otto's words, the aide spoke as if somewhat surprised.

"You mean...?"

"Yes. Perhaps the one bringing the storm to the Empire isn't Duke Belvar, but..."

Otto smiled as if finding it interesting.

"It might be Daniel Steiner."