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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Bloodthirsty Wolf (Not)
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Early the next morning.
Lucy entered through the tent's entrance.
"Captain Daniel Steiner. I have something urgent to discuss with you..."
Lucy stopped mid-step, her mouth closing as she moved further into the tent.
Daniel was visible, lying on a field cot at the edge of the tent, apparently asleep.
Seeing him asleep, loosely covered by a blanket, it was clear he was utterly exhausted.
Indeed, while other soldiers and officers had arrived at the outpost and were resting, Daniel had been forcibly summoned to the operations command post by the division commander and had only just returned, so his fatigue must have been extreme.
'That means...'
Daniel Steiner was currently defenseless.
Lucy confirmed no one else was around, then approached Daniel.
She quietly looked down at Daniel, who lay sleeping.
The golden national decoration pinned to the left breast of his uniform gleamed softly.
'Daniel Steiner.'
The man before her was the one who had been accumulating military achievements at an astonishing rate recently.
Thanks to this, interest in Daniel was gradually growing even within the Allied Nations.
However, the Allied Nations had not yet issued an order to assassinate Daniel Steiner.
Lucy's mission from the Allied Nations was merely to report Daniel's every move as a special surveillance target.
Yet, there was no telling when a special surveillance target might turn into an assassination target.
If her homeland ordered Daniel's assassination, Lucy would willingly comply.
But would she truly be able to do so without hesitation?
Aside from his dedication to the Empire, Daniel Steiner was, quite ordinarily, a good man.
He would share food with her, his adjutant, lend her an umbrella, and even suggest they go to a dessert shop together to share a hobby.
He had even prevented her from falling into a dangerous situation by being suspected by security police on the day she was disguised as a doctor.
She couldn't deny that she owed Daniel a debt of gratitude.
This fact subtly shook the yoke of her identity as a spy, a burden born from the Allied Nations' benevolence.
'What if...'
What if they had met not as an Allied Nations spy and an Imperial Army officer, but as an ordinary man and woman with regular jobs?
Lucy, continuing her baseless imagining, shook her head.
It was a useless and unproductive hypothetical.
Considering the favor she had received from the Allied Nations, she shouldn't stray even a step from the essence of being a spy.
Moreover, even if he appeared to be a good man, Daniel Steiner was, first and foremost, an officer of the Empire.
Anyone who benefited the Empire was an enemy of the Allied Nations and a fragment of Lucy's own deep-seated resentment.
Lucy, recalling terrible memories from the past, clenched her fists tightly, then soon exhaled a long sigh.
It was foolish to wallow in such self-pity.
'How stupid.'
There was no need to think too deeply. She just needed to do her best with the given missions and roles, as always.
So, until new orders came from the Allied Nations, she would simply act as "Captain Daniel Steiner's loyal adjutant."
Lucy nodded slightly, as if answering her own thoughts, then turned to leave.
Lucy was about to leave the tent when she paused.
For some reason, the disheveled blanket covering Daniel's body bothered her.
She wasn't sure if it was part of her fastidiousness, but she simply didn't like it.
After a moment of hesitation, Lucy finally bent down and picked up the blanket.
Then, she neatly and smoothly covered Daniel up to his chest with the blanket, before lightly dusting her hands.
"Sleep well,"
Lucy whispered briefly, then turned and exited the tent.
Only after Lucy had completely left did Daniel slowly open his eyes.
Confirming Lucy was no longer inside the tent, Daniel abruptly pushed himself up.
He found himself breathing raggedly.
'...What was that?'
In fact, Daniel had been awake for a little while already.
He had woken up and felt a presence, so he'd cracked his eyes open slightly, only to see Lucy looking down at him, which made him continue pretending to be asleep.
There was no particular reason. He was just scared!
'I'm still alive, right?'
Daniel raised a hand to feel his neck, relieved to find no injury.
As Daniel sat on the cot, catching his breath for a moment, his senses sharpened.
He heard the sound of two jeeps stopping near the tent, followed by the approach of multiple sets of boots.
Just as he wondered what it was this time, four soldiers marched into the tent and split into two groups, standing on either side.
Immediately after, Heinrich, a man of weighty bearing, entered the tent, his imposing figure leading the way.
"Ah. You're awake."
Startled, Daniel immediately stood up and saluted.
"Brigade Commander! What brings you here...!"
Heinrich chuckled heartily, returning the salute as he spoke.
"Congratulations, Captain Daniel."
"...Congratulations? What do you mean?"
"Your prediction has proven true once again. A report came in from the reconnaissance battalion a few hours ago. They found the Kingdom Army's underground tunnel."
For a moment, Daniel felt as if he'd been struck by a hammer.
'They found an underground tunnel? And on the very day I suggested it?'
It wasn't logically impossible, but the probability was infinitesimally low.
Breaking through those low odds, the Kingdom Army was indeed using an underground tunnel for supplies, and the reconnaissance battalion had achieved the feat of finding it overnight.
As his mind reeled, wondering what kind of nonsense this was, Heinrich gestured.
"Let's discuss this on the way. Time is of the essence right now."
"...Understood."
Although he couldn't quite grasp the situation, he couldn't defy a superior's order, so Daniel followed Heinrich.
*
Following Heinrich, they arrived at a clearing in the forest, 18km north of where the enemy supply battalion had been discovered.
As they disembarked from the jeep, the first thing Daniel saw were the soldiers of the Magical Mobile Army Brigade.
Lined up among the trees, motionless and fully equipped except for their packs, they truly looked like an army of iron.
As Daniel stiffened under their imposing presence, Heinrich took hold of his shoulder.
"Right there. That's the Kingdom Army's underground tunnel you spoke of."
Daniel turned his gaze in the direction Heinrich was pointing, to see a large steel door standing open.
"We sent skilled scouts to confirm, and it turns out that underground tunnel connects all the way to the city. Isn't that astonishing? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have even known it existed."
Heinrich burst into hearty laughter, but Daniel remained dazed.
The moment Daniel parted his lips to retort something, the sound of artillery fire, a resounding 'Boom!', began to echo from the direction of the Division Headquarters.
"It has begun."
Heinrich removed his hand from Daniel's shoulder and shouted to the brigade's soldiers.
"I just heard the Goddess of Victory roar, 'Advance!' If you have ears, gentlemen, you must have heard it too! Isn't that so!?"
Smiles touched the corners of the soldiers' mouths at Heinrich's cry.
It was utterly chilling.
"The Kingdom Army, hand-in-hand with the filthy Allied Nations, has invaded our territory and tormented countless comrades! Remember! The screams our comrades had to endure! The pain they had to bear! The humiliation they had to withstand!"
Heinrich stepped forward, veins bulging in his neck as he roared.
"Now, we will return all of that twofold! Burst the bloated bellies of the enemies who greedily drank our comrades' blood! Advance, elites of the Empire!"
The brigade's soldiers let out a unified roar.
Simultaneously, they began to move, one by one, towards the underground tunnel.
Their methodical entry into the tunnel, forming a double-file line, was almost mechanical.
It was also proof of their excellent training.
As Daniel quietly watched them, he approached Heinrich and spoke.
"It's a feint attack, then. By advancing the division's forces on the front line and firing artillery to draw the enemy's attention, then directly striking the city using the underground tunnel..."
"It will be an easy victory. They're scoundrels who've been hiding because it's clear they'd lose in a direct confrontation, so once they realize enemy forces have infiltrated the city, they'll be consumed by fear and fall into a panic."
Indeed, with this, the fall of the city was only a matter of time.
It wasn't the scenario he had hoped for, but watching the soldiers surge in real-time, Daniel felt fortunate to be a staff officer.
'They wouldn't send a staff officer into the thick of enemy lines...'
Preserving his life was naturally a higher priority than escaping the Empire.
After all, he needed to be alive for there to be a next opportunity.
As Daniel watched the soldiers, secretly relieved, Heinrich turned to him and spoke.
"You seem to envy the soldiers, don't you? An officer as dedicated to the Empire as you would naturally want to crush the enemy personally. I, too, was full of such fighting spirit in my youth."
It wasn't true at all, but there was no harm in playing along.
"That's right. However, I believe protecting our forces from the rear as a staff officer is also crucial. Regrettably, the glory of attacking the enemy must be left to the soldiers."
"A good mindset. But if you wish, there's no need to merely stand by. No, perhaps it's more accurate to say you *can't* stand by."
Wait a minute? The conversation flow is strange.
As Daniel looked at him, puzzled, Heinrich offered a subtle smile, as if inviting him to be pleased.
"The Division Commander has ordered your entire headquarters direct unit, including yourself, to assist the Magical Mobile unit in the city assault."
"...Excuse me? But my company would only be a nuisance if we participated."
"The Division Commander initially thought the same as you. But after speaking with you, he completely changed his mind. When it was just the two of us, the Division Commander told me: 'He's a bloodthirsty wolf.'"
Daniel's mouth fell open in a daze. He wondered what kind of nonsense this was.
"He told me to tell you he'd let you sate your hunger, so go ahead and rampage to your heart's content."
"...Are you sure he was talking about me?"
"Yes. It's rare for the Division Commander to show such favor, so take this opportunity to prove yourself."
He couldn't understand what the Division Commander saw in him to say such an absurd thing.
But when superiors give orders, there's no choice but to follow them.
Daniel let out a short groan, then looked at Heinrich and spoke.
"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander. Did the Division Commander truly call me a 'bloodthirsty wolf'?"
"Hm? Haha. It seems you're quite fond of that nickname. It was in jest, but he certainly said it."
Thanks to this, Daniel could once again be certain.
That his life was unraveling in real-time.