I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Chapter 85

While Lucy was beginning to confront her feelings, Daniel was spending a leisurely evening at a cocktail bar, guided there by his client, Lef.

"I honestly thought you'd lost your mind back then!" Lef exclaimed, unable to conceal his excitement.

"Seeing you go all-in with no pair in hand, I couldn't help but think, 'This lunatic is gambling with my money!' But I was wrong. In the blink of an eye, that garbage hand turned into a royal straight flush!"

Lef burst into laughter, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"And the best part was that conman couldn’t even argue back; he was so scared! The look on his face—it was priceless. Like a decade’s worth of frustration just melted away!"

Pulling out a handkerchief, Lef wiped away his tears of laughter.

"Man, living in this dump of a place, there's not much to laugh about. But thanks to you, I had a good time for the first time in ages. Honestly, when I first met you, I thought you were crazy, but hiring you was the best decision I've made."

Seated beside him, Daniel offered a faint smile.

"I'm glad to hear you're satisfied."

Lef, now gazing at Daniel with a curious expression, narrowed his eyes.

"…But something’s odd. There’s no way someone as skilled as you wouldn’t already be on my radar. You’re not a Tentarbachem local, are you?"
"You’re correct. I’m an outsider."
"I thought so. People with skin as fair as yours around here are either nobles or foreigners. And since you don’t have that stuck-up attitude nobles usually have, I figured you were the latter."

Daniel, anticipating the usual follow-up question about his origins, prepared a fabricated backstory. However, Lef seemed uninterested in such details.

"So, can you tell me a bit about your past?"

Lef wasn’t curious about Daniel's status—he wanted to hear his story.

"I like listening to the pasts of outsiders. Hearing all those varied stories feels like traveling without ever leaving. So, what brought you to this dump of a place?"

The truth, that he had been deployed as a diplomatic envoy to Vellanos and his ship torpedoed, couldn’t be revealed.

Instead, Daniel decided to offer a partial truth—the root cause of why he was here.

"I can’t go into detail, but if I had to simplify it, I’d say I fled because the women back home were terrifying."
"Women?"

Was this some Casanova caught cheating? Lef’s interest was piqued, his eyes sparkling as Daniel replied with self-deprecating humor.

"There were three women. One who wanted to kill me, one who wanted to use me, and one who seemed insane and blindly idolized me. It became suffocating—I couldn’t live there anymore."

"Three of them?!" Lef’s eyes widened in shock.

"…You really are a scoundrel, aren’t you?"

"What? A scoundrel? Were you even listening to me? They wanted to kill or exploit me!"

"Don’t be ridiculous. No woman tries to kill or use a man they don’t care about. That’s just their way of showing affection."

"That’s…"

Daniel started to explain the situation in more detail but stopped himself. Convincing someone who likely learned romance from dime-store novels felt pointless.

As Daniel clicked his tongue in exasperation, the bartender approached with a cocktail.

"Thank you for waiting. Here’s your Bloody Mary."

The slender glass held a cocktail of a strikingly vivid red hue.

The deep color, owing to its tomato base, caught Daniel's gaze.

As he stared at the drink, he couldn’t help but think of Lucy—his adjutant with eyes even more vibrant and beautiful than the cocktail.

She must have heard by now that the ship was sunk…

He wondered how she had reacted to the news.

She’s probably happy, isn’t she?

Surely, she wouldn’t mourn the death of her assassination target.

Maybe she feels a little guilty, but…

If the Allied Nations were behind the attack, then Lucy likely knew in advance.

There’s no way they would’ve carried it out without informing her. If that’s the case…

Had everything, even their plans to share stollen at Christmas, been an act?

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he let out a faint, wry smile.

Watching Daniel’s wistful expression as he stared at the cocktail, Lef’s heart skipped a beat.

The way Daniel looked at the drink, as if reminiscing about a lost lover, only added to Lef’s curiosity.

"What kind of story do you have, I wonder?"

For someone like Lef, who found joy in hearing outsiders’ tales, Daniel was an endless source of intrigue.

"Hey, Rivelard, was it?"

Hearing his alias, Daniel nodded naturally.

"That’s right."
"Good. I’ve taken a liking to you. How about coming to my estate? I’d like to treat you to a meal—and maybe hear more of your story."
"Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline."

Daniel’s response was immediate.

"It’s my policy not to develop personal relationships with clients. Once we leave this bar, we should return to being strangers."
"Didn’t you say you needed money?"

The mention of money made Daniel pause.

It was true that if he wanted to forge a new identity and open a bakery, his current earnings wouldn’t suffice.

Sensing his hesitation, Lef smiled slyly.

"If you accept, I’ll pay you much more than what you’ve earned so far. And I’m not asking you to come right away—I’ll send a formal invitation in a few days. Think about it; you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Would you still turn me down?"
"Naturally, I…"

After a moment of silence, Daniel looked at Lef.

"I’ll accept your invitation."

The offer was simply too lucrative to refuse.

*****

The Next Morning
Southern Empire, Great Cathedral of the Sacred Flame

"Did you hear? The diplomatic vessel was sunk."
"Do you think the Allied Nations did it? Even in wartime, targeting civilians is..."

The congregation gathered in the grand hall murmured about the recent sinking of the diplomatic vessel.

At the front of the assembly, sitting in the first pew, Freen let the chatter of the worshippers pass by like a distant hum.

Or rather, she was in no mental state to pay attention to it at all.

Why?

Why, out of all the people, did Daniel Steiner have to die?

Why?

Why did God not protect Daniel Steiner?

Why?

Why did God deny her even the chance to offer herself in his stead?

As Freen continued to question herself endlessly, her eyes remained hollow.

Her once glossy, light chestnut hair was now dull and disheveled.

Ever since hearing the news of Daniel Steiner’s ship being sunk, she had neither eaten nor slept, instead drowning herself in self-inflicted suffering.

Why?

While Freen wrestled with yet another question, her father, Velaf, the presiding pastor of the cathedral, ascended the pulpit.

Tapping the microphone to test it, Velaf scanned the crowd gathered in the Great Cathedral.

"Brothers and sisters, I offer thanks to God on your behalf for coming here in search of solace during these challenging times. I also extend my gratitude to my daughter, who has brought honor to our Great Cathedral of the Sacred Flame by graduating early from the Officer Academy."

Velaf’s gentle voice echoed throughout the cathedral, but Freen paid it no mind.

Her thoughts were consumed entirely by Daniel Steiner’s death.

"In prayer for the Empire’s ultimate victory, and before we begin today’s formal service, my daughter will share a few words. Freen?"

Freen did not lift her head.

Troubled by her silence, Velaf cleared his throat and called out again.

"Freen Lemiliart!"

Startled by his commanding tone, Freen raised her head to meet her father’s gaze.

Velaf, his displeasure evident, gestured for her to come forward.

It was only then that Freen recalled why she was even there.

Graduates of the Officer Academy were granted a short leave before receiving their assignments.

As an early graduate, Freen had returned home during her leave.

Upon her arrival, Velaf had requested that she deliver a speech before the service, intending to elevate the family’s reputation and the cathedral’s prestige.

"…Yes."

Reluctantly, Freen rose and made her way to the pulpit.

When she reached the top of the steps, Velaf stepped aside to make room for her.

Before her on the podium lay a speech written by Velaf, not her.

Clearly, she was expected to read it verbatim.

Scanning the text, Freen let out a hollow laugh.

The speech was riddled with statements like, "I was born with dark magic and lived a life no different from that of a demon."

It concluded with verbose praise of the church's teachings, claiming they had led her to repentance and salvation.

Don’t make me laugh.

It wasn’t the church’s teachings that had saved her; it was Daniel Steiner.

Her faith was not rooted in the church but in Daniel Steiner himself.

Clenching her lips in anger, Freen picked up the speech and tossed it aside.

As the pages scattered to the floor, Velaf and the congregation stared in stunned silence.

Freen turned her gaze to the startled worshippers and began to speak, her voice steady but filled with intensity.

"…Throughout my life, I’ve experienced countless injustices."

Her voice carried through the hall, amplified by the microphone.

"Simply because I was born with dark magic, I was subjected to endless scorn and mistreatment. Even the clergy, known for their supposed compassion, looked down on me as something vile."
"What nonsense...!"

Velaf, alarmed, moved to silence her, but Freen shot him a piercing glare.

Intimidated by her commanding presence, he hesitated, and Freen lifted her head to face the congregation directly.

"But Lieutenant Colonel Daniel was different! He didn’t shun me because of my dark magic. Instead, he embraced me and called my abilities a blessing!"

Her voice grew more resolute with every word.

"And not just that! Do you remember Acts 10:34? That God’s grace is given equally to all nations and races? Daniel Steiner embodied that teaching by abolishing racial discrimination in Nordia, spreading God’s teachings beyond borders!"

Gripping the pulpit, Freen leaned forward.

"Moreover, in the Northern War, where countless lives could have been lost, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel negotiated a peace treaty, ending the war with the kingdom early. Think of all the lives he saved!"

Tears began to stream down her face as she closed her eyes, her voice trembling with emotion.

"He was a saint. Not just to me, but to everyone. A saint among men, taken from us by the children of Satan. And who are they?"

Several voices from the congregation cried out.

"The Allied Nations!"

Hearing this, Freen opened her eyes.

"Yes. Who else but the Allied Nations could attack our saint? And what should we do about it? Should we simply stand by and watch as they trample over us?"

She shook her head.

"No! Those who stand idly by in the face of evil are no different from the evil itself! We must expose their atrocities and ensure Daniel Steiner’s death, the death of a hero, is not in vain! That is God’s will!"

Nods of agreement and murmurs of support began to ripple through the crowd.

"God does not burden us with trials we cannot bear. Therefore..."

Freen’s grip on the pulpit tightened as she raised her voice.

"It is time to act upon Lieutenant Colonel Daniel’s teachings! I speak to you on behalf of God: the meaning of our saint’s death is clear! It is..."

A fiery determination filled Freen’s once-empty eyes.

"…A holy war!"

The power of her proclamation stirred the congregation, prompting many to rise from their seats.

Already enraged by the Allied Nations, Freen’s words ignited the spark for action.

"Brothers and sisters! Children of God! We will never forget Daniel Steiner’s death! Rise up! Together, we will fight as one!"

Under the towering cross, Freen’s impassioned plea made her appear almost divine to the congregation.

Cheers and applause erupted from all corners of the cathedral.

Among the crowd, the more fervent believers shouted passionately.

"To war!"
"Bring God’s wrath upon the demons of the Allied Nations!"

Amid the union of faith and fury, Freen clasped her hands in prayer.

Though Lieutenant Colonel Daniel has left this world…

I will carry his will forward.