I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 74

The entire Empire was enthralled by Daniel Steiner’s total war speech, but the man himself felt nothing short of despair.

“……”

In the staff headquarters lounge, Daniel stood by the window, a paper cup of coffee in hand, staring outside.

Beyond the entrance to the headquarters, he could see citizens holding up signs.

The slogans read, “We want total war!” or “The hero of the Empire! Daniel Steiner!”

They were citizens who had been so moved by the speech they heard on the radio that they came in person, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Among the crowd were journalists with cameras, which prompted a weary sigh from Daniel.

“There goes any chance of leaving early today…”

The moment he stepped out of the building, he would be bombarded with unwanted adoration and endless questions.

And this wasn’t just a prediction—it was based on prior experience.

Just a few days ago, he had tried to ignore the crowd and leave quietly, only for chaos to erupt.

He was surrounded by a throng of people who had gathered upon hearing the commotion and spent nearly two hours enduring relentless questioning.

Even now, the memory of that ordeal sent a shiver down his spine.

“I understand why idols hate stalker fans.”

Daniel took a sip of his coffee with a grim look, pondering how to handle the situation going forward.

It was then that a familiar voice called out from behind him.

“Well, well! Look who it is!”

Turning his head slightly, Daniel saw Colonel Ernst, the Chief of Operations.

Smiling warmly, Ernst approached him.

“Isn’t this our hero, Daniel Steiner? I was starting to worry since you’ve been holed up in your office every day lately. But seeing you now…”

Ernst paused mid-sentence, noticing the dark circles under Daniel’s eyes.

“…You don’t look well. Have you been losing sleep?”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“What kind of worries? From where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve got a clear road ahead. Even the top brass are singing praises about your total war speech.”

Little did Ernst know that this was one of Daniel’s many worries.

The speech’s impact had far exceeded his expectations.

It wasn’t just about the Empire’s citizens cheering; the speech had sparked positive ripple effects across various sectors of society.

Even foreign correspondents were reporting on it daily, much to Daniel’s chagrin.

If the difficulty of defecting before the speech had been like threading a needle, it was now akin to breaking through a concrete wall.

In short, it had become nearly impossible.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

“Which leaves me with two choices…”

Either make the Empire a hegemonic power or find a reliable broker to forge a new identity and flee abroad.

But neither option seemed feasible.

While the speech had accelerated preparations for a world war, the Empire faced three formidable enemies—great powers forming a geographic encirclement.

The Empire would have to wage war under the severely disadvantageous condition of defending three fronts simultaneously.

“Unless the Empire miraculously achieves a series of victories…”

The outcome would remain the same: defeat, leaving the Empire branded as a war criminal state.

As for fleeing abroad with a forged identity? That was an even more far-fetched notion.

“As long as both the Empire and the Allied Nations know I’m alive, they’ll hunt me down.”

Unless he could convincingly fake his death, escape was virtually impossible.

“Is there no way out of this mess…?”

Lost in thought about escaping a bleak future, Daniel shook his head, realizing it was inappropriate to drift off in front of his superior.

“As you said, Colonel, the road ahead seems clear. However, I can’t help but feel that the bridge supporting that road was built with shoddy construction, making it precarious.”

Ernst hesitated at Daniel’s words.

“Shoddy construction? Is he implying the Empire’s leadership is incompetent?”

Sweating nervously, Ernst cautiously probed further.

“Are you planning to identify and eliminate the cause of this… shoddy construction?”

To Daniel, Ernst’s words oddly sounded like, “Are you considering other ways to escape the Empire?”

“Ernst probably thinks I’m just uneasy about my rapid rise, but…”

Finding the conversation strangely resonant, Daniel let out a low chuckle.

“Yes. If possible, I intend to remove it.”

Ernst’s shoulders stiffened.

Not only was Daniel casually criticizing the incompetence of the Empire’s leadership, but he was also openly discussing taking steps to remove it.

“This isn’t just a joke. Daniel might actually go through with it.”

Swallowing nervously, Ernst spoke in a timid voice.

“Lieutenant Colonel Steiner, do you… consider me to be incompetent?”

What was he talking about now?

Blinking in confusion, Daniel turned to look at Ernst before shaking his head.

“No, Colonel. You’re not incompetent.”

Relieved, Ernst let out a low sigh.

“…Thank you. I’ll do my best to ensure I never become so.”

Finding Ernst’s response odd, Daniel simply nodded.

There was no need to disagree with a superior who was pledging to do their best.

*****

Meanwhile, in the grand dining hall of the Imperial Palace.

The unnecessarily vast and opulent dining room was lined with maids standing at attention along the walls.

Emperor Bertram, seated at the head of the long table, paid no attention to them as he dined with his daughter and wife.

“Selvia, it seems your decision was the right one,” Bertram remarked, his deep voice resonating as he cut into his meat.

“Appointing Daniel as the speaker was an excellent choice. Thanks to him, the Empire is more united than ever. To the point where I don’t even need to intervene.”

A smile crept across Selvia’s lips at her father’s praise.

“I merely put into practice what you taught me, Father. You’ve always said that the key is placing the right person in the right role.”

“Hmm. You say you learned that from me? Then you’ve learned it wrong.”

The smile on Selvia’s face vanished.

Before she could ask what he meant, Bertram continued.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have put Daniel in the role of speaker. An opportunity to address the masses was exactly what Daniel Steiner desired most.”

“…Lieutenant Colonel Daniel wanted that?”

“Yes. Daniel is far more astute than I initially thought. I’m certain he’s already aware that I’ve begun to regard him with caution—something he likely noticed during our recent encounter at the shooting range.”

Bertram chewed his food leisurely before swallowing and taking a sip of red wine.

“He must have felt a sense of impending danger. And what’s the easiest way to escape such danger?”

“That would be…”

“To expand one’s influence across the entire Empire through a speech, making it so even the Emperor cannot touch him. And his plan was a success.”

Selvia frowned as she listened.

“Father, that’s an unreasonable assumption. Daniel isn’t that kind of person.”

Bertram let out a low chuckle.

“Unreasonable, you say. Do you not recall what Daniel said at the end of his speech?”

“At the end of his speech…?”

“He said he was speaking under the protection of the Emperor, as a representative of the nation and its people. As if to imply his words were aligned with the Emperor’s will.”

Bertram placed his cutlery down and looked directly at Selvia.

“Selvia, was Daniel’s speech truly the will of the Emperor? Tell me. Did you command Daniel to deliver such a radical total war speech?”

Selvia remained silent.

She had not instructed Daniel or the Propaganda Department to make such an extreme speech.

The results were successful, and she had pushed the matter aside, but the truth remained: Daniel had disregarded the prepared script and delivered his own speech.

It was borderline insubordination.

“Daniel disobeyed orders. Yet you cannot punish him, can you? Because his speech has brought favorable winds across the Empire. If you were to punish him in this situation, you would turn the people against you.”

Bertram raised a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

“Selvia, you are still young. Politically immature. You believe you are using Daniel, but in truth, he is using you.”

Selvia clenched her fists under the table, her voice strained as she spoke.

“When I proposed the idea to Daniel, he declined. I was the one who insisted. And yet you say I’m the one being used?”

Bertram chuckled softly after finishing his meal.

“The wiser a person is, the less they reveal their true intentions. Why do you think Daniel declined your proposal? Was it because he truly didn’t want the role? No. He knew you would insist regardless.”

“….”

“And why did he decline, knowing you would insist? It was to leave himself an escape route. If things went terribly wrong, he could say, ‘I never wanted this, but Her Highness insisted,’ and absolve himself of responsibility.”

Bertram folded his handkerchief and placed it neatly on the table.

“Selvia, your decision has undoubtedly strengthened the Empire. But at the same time, you’ve empowered a wolf named Daniel Steiner who threatens the authority of the imperial family. Do you understand what that means?”

Selvia remained silent, her face tense.

Bertram narrowed his eyes sharply.

“It means that wolf may one day tear out your throat. Remember this: Daniel Steiner is an unparalleled asset to the Empire, but…”

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, silence lingering as Bertram paused.

He finally spoke with weighty sincerity.

“He is also a dangerous double-edged sword.”