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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Politician's Rudeness
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Can a politician be this rude?
Daniel, who had spent the entire afternoon joyfully playing with the children, decided to leave the monastery as evening approached.
During this, Hierony, the abbess, and the children tried to persuade him to stay the night, but Daniel adamantly refused.
His reason was that he had already arranged separate lodging, and also had somewhere specific to visit that day.
Hierony, who had a rough idea of where he was headed, no longer pressed Daniel to stay.
The place Daniel arrived at after leaving the monastery was 'Jack's Restaurant'.
Located in the town's center, Jack's Restaurant had a shabby exterior, but inside, it was always bustling with customers, a testament to its thriving business.
'A place of memories. It truly feels like I've come home.'
As a child, Daniel had been indebted to Jack's Restaurant a few times.
During his rebellious teenage years, whenever he ran away from the stifling life at the monastery, Jack, the restaurant owner, had always welcomed him with a smile.
Lost in nostalgia, Daniel gazed up at the wooden sign, so shabby it was almost crude, for a while before finally stepping inside.
Opening the restaurant door, he saw waitstaff busily serving food.
"Yes! Coming right up!"
"Sausage and pretzels? Got it! Please wait a moment!"
"Fried potatoes and a beer here!"
Even after all this time, the place was as lively as ever.
To avoid disturbing the staff, Daniel quietly made his way to an empty table and took a seat.
He removed the uniform cap from his head and placed it on the table, prompting a waitstaff member to approach with a notepad.
"Hello! Welcome to Jack's Restaurant! It's been a while since an officer like yourself has visited our establishment…"
The waitstaff, who had been serving as usual, gaped in astonishment upon seeing Daniel's face.
Blinking a few times as if unable to believe it, the waitstaff suddenly raised their voice.
"Brother! Is that really you!? Oh my goodness! I'm not dreaming, am I?"
This waitstaff member, notable for her freckles, was named Nemerim.
She was also a younger sibling figure with whom he had shared a long history at the monastery.
At Nemerim's excited fuss, Daniel smiled and began to speak.
"It's been a long time. I heard you left the monastery to be independent, so I came to visit. It seems I don't need to worry about you after all. You've matured incredibly in two years."
Nemerim, delighted, burst into giggles.
"You too, Brother. Your impression has become a bit sharper, a little more… decadent, perhaps? Ah! In a good way, of course! Anyway, it's really great to see you again. I wish Uncle Jack were here too."
"He's not around now?"
"No. He's already left for the day. He's been leaving early lately, probably because he and his wife are getting along so well. Something about having a fourth child."
"A fourth? At his age?"
Daniel, bewildered, countered, and Nemerim giggled, covering her mouth.
"They say love knows no age, don't they? I think it's a little romantic, actually."
"Well, I can't exactly argue with that…"
"Right? And also… Oh, where's my head? You must be hungry, let's get your stomach filled first, shall we? What would you like to order? No, wait. Let me guess!"
Nemerim, pondering while stroking her chin, snapped her fingers.
"Sausage and beer! Right? Remember how you used to sneak sausages from Uncle Jack and get caught? And that time you saw the adults drinking beer and asked for just a sip out of curiosity?"
"Why are you still bringing up things from so long ago?"
"Hahaha! Seeing you embarrassed, it's definitely the Brother I knew. So, sausage and beer it is?"
Daniel nodded, and Nemerim told him to wait a moment before heading to the kitchen.
Daniel, thinking she was as lively as ever, let out a quiet laugh to himself.
'...Hm?'
A middle-aged man in a dark brown coat was approaching.
At first, he thought the man might be looking for an empty table, but that wasn't the case.
The man kept walking, his gaze fixed on Daniel.
Soon, the man sat down opposite Daniel.
This naturally left Daniel flustered.
'What is this?'
His bewilderment intensified at the man who had sat down opposite him without even asking if the seat was taken.
Just as he wondered what was going on, the man glanced around and began to speak.
"Major Daniel Steiner. This setting is inconvenient, so I'll be direct. What was your intention behind those words you delivered to us at the monastery today?"
The man was Morten Blackmore, leader of 'Dawn's Horizon', a secret organization under the Prince.
Of course, Daniel had no way of knowing that.
'Monastery today? If it's someone I spoke to at the monastery….'
Aside from Hierony the abbess and the children, the only other person was a council member from the city council.
'Is he from the city council? Did he take offense to me asking to take good care of the monastery?'
Considering how flustered Hierony was, they must have been discussing the budget related to donations.
'He seems to think I'm pressuring the city council.'
It was such an absurd misunderstanding that Daniel let out a low chuckle.
"It seems there was a communication issue. I was merely hoping for cooperation. There were no other intentions."
At the word 'cooperation,' Morten's eyebrow twitched.
Though he called it 'cooperation,' it was no different from saying, 'Betray the Prince and join me.'
"Are you calling that a reasonable suggestion? Do you honestly think that's possible?"
"Oh, dear. You're overreacting. It wouldn't be impossible, you know."
Morten gritted his teeth.
'The bastard. He's mocking me.'
He had at least expected to be able to reason with him, but Daniel was far more arrogant and self-righteous than he'd imagined.
Realizing what kind of man Daniel was, Morten abruptly stood up from his seat.
"This was a waste of time. Prepare for war. No matter who our opponent is, we will not back down."
Seeing Morten growl, Daniel unconsciously curled the corners of his lips.
From Daniel's perspective, Morten's words were a wild exaggeration.
"War? Can you even call this war?"
It was said that politicians had a habit of overstating even the simplest things.
To use 'war' as a metaphor for a mere budget issue was utterly absurd.
Waving a dismissive hand, Daniel let out a low laugh and leaned back in his chair.
"If you consider it a bad joke, I can understand…."
This left Morten breaking out in a cold sweat.
He couldn't comprehend Daniel, who treated a declaration of all-out war as a simple joke.
Daniel, having reined in his laughter after a moment, slowly raised his head.
"I'm sorry, but this isn't war."
Daniel looked up at Morten and whispered.
"It's merely a simple negotiation."
Morten involuntarily gasped.
That serpentine voice felt like a form of intimidation assaulting his mind.
Those dark eyes, seeming to see through everything, looked like an abyss.
He felt a fear that if he stayed here any longer, he might be devoured.
Morten took a deep breath and forced himself to move past Daniel.
"I don't know what possessed you to be so rude to me,"
Daniel's voice, chilling, came from behind him.
"I sincerely hope it was the right choice."
He didn't have the courage to look back.
Forcing down a vague sense of unease, Morten gritted his teeth and stubbornly pushed himself to leave the restaurant.
*
At the same time, in the headquarters of Dawn's Horizon, located in the basement of a commercial building.
─ Suspicious individuals are approaching in large numbers! Damn it! Who the hell are these bastards!?
At the voice coming from the tuned radio, the hands of the intelligence agents operating the telex machines froze.
─ They're all masked, so identification is difficult. Wait a minute, that… Shit! They have guns! They're armed forces! These sons of bitches! I told you not to let them get behind us!
The continuous radio calls left everyone dazed, wondering what was happening, but Marvel, who had disguised himself as a wealthy man to monitor Daniel yesterday, clutched his head.
"It's Daniel Steiner…! These are the guys he sent! To wipe us out!"
Despite Marvel's shouts, the intelligence agents still couldn't grasp the situation and merely looked at each other.
That's when it happened.
Bang─
As gunshots rang out from above ground, the intelligence agents each drew their pistols and began burning documents.
"Shit! We've been found out! Burn all the documents!"
"Get the guns! We need to guard the entrance!"
Like trained individuals, they moved quickly, but Marvel merely crawled under a desk, shaking his head.
"It's no use. You idiots…"
These were armed forces under Daniel Steiner's command.
It was clear they could never be countered by conventional means.
As Marvel trembled, more gunshots echoed from above ground.
Then, the steel door leading to the basement burst open with a bang!
Immediately after the loud crash, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the entrance.
A heavy atmosphere, fraught with tension, settled over them.
"When is the Chief Strategist returning?"
"Someone to give orders…"
As everyone exchanged anxious glances, Marvel squeezed his eyes shut and yelled.
"You fools! Don't you get it yet!? Daniel Steiner intended this from the start! He lured the Chief Strategist out to dismantle our chain of command, then wipe us out in one swift strike!"
Unaware of this, Morten, who had gone to meet Daniel, was effectively sticking his head into a crocodile's jaws.
Just as Marvel, everything now clear to him, began to sob softly, three grenades were successively thrown into the basement.
Startled, the intelligence agents hid behind desks, but the grenades didn't explode.
Hiss─
Only the sound of gas hissing was heard.
But while the sound was audible, no visible smoke spread.
One of the intelligence agents, who had been staring blankly, coughed and then slumped to the floor.
Marvel, seeing this, mumbled.
"Colorless with an almond scent… Shit! It's a sleep-paralysis gas! Don't breathe it in… *cough*!"
Marvel, bracing himself with one hand on the floor, covered his nose and mouth with the other and crawled across the floor.
He thought he had to escape through the emergency exit, no matter what.
But the next moment.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump─
The sound of military boots began to echo in quick succession, and then armed forces stormed through the entrance.
Wearing gas masks, they quickly secured the area, then began striking the heads of those still conscious with rifle butts.
The black man leading them quietly gave an order.
"Knock them all unconscious and tie them up. Those who resist may be shot."
His vision grew increasingly blurry.
Marvel, drooling and coughing, soon collapsed to the floor.
"All of this is…"
The voice from inside the gas mask resonated more deeply.
Through his fading consciousness, he saw the black man approaching.
He raised the butt of his rifle towards Marvel.
"…for Daniel Steiner."
The next moment, with a thud, Marvel's consciousness faded to black.