I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Chapter 87

Daniel, who had just eaten trifle and exited the dessert shop, officially began his sightseeing adventure.

He strolled leisurely through the port city of Tentarbachem, visiting tourist spots, savoring the city's famous butter-grilled squid, and enjoying fresh oysters he purchased along the way.

As he indulged in such a peaceful life, a man in a tailcoat suddenly approached him.

"Are you Mr. Rivelard?"

Daniel stared at him blankly, wondering who he was. The middle-aged man placed a hand over his chest and spoke politely.

"I am Vanbresh, a butler serving Mr. Leff. I've heard that you were invited to join him for dinner, so I've come to escort you. Are you indeed Mr. Rivelard?"
"Ah, yes, that's me."

When Daniel confirmed, Vanbresh smiled and pulled an eye patch from his pocket.

"I must inconvenience you, but could you please put this on?"
"An eye patch?"
"Yes. Mr. Leff’s estate requires the highest level of security, and access is strictly limited. I ask for your understanding."

Though Daniel found it absurd, he decided to accept it, knowing that eccentric nobles were not uncommon.

Nodding, Daniel removed his sunglasses and put on the eye patch. Vanbresh then took Daniel's hand.

"Please, follow me."

Having no reason to refuse, Daniel followed Vanbresh.

Shortly after, the sound of a car door opening reached his ears.

"Please, get in."

Nodding once more, Daniel climbed into the back seat, and the car started smoothly.

About thirty minutes passed as Daniel leaned back in the seat, trying to discern the car’s route. Gradually, his nerves sharpened.

"They're circling the same area repeatedly—to disorient the passenger’s sense of direction."

Why such meticulous attention to security?

His initial curiosity began morphing into a vague sense of unease.

Still, being in the car left him with little choice but to endure. Deciding to see how long this charade would last, Daniel remained patient until the vehicle finally shifted course.

The sound of iron gates opening followed, and the car entered and came to a slow halt.

After a brief pause, the car door opened, and someone grabbed Daniel’s hand.

"I will escort you to the dining room."

The voice was Vanbresh’s.

Are they so secretive they won't even let me see the mansion?

Daniel found the situation ridiculous enough to chuckle, but he followed Vanbresh without a word.

They entered the mansion, walking down a hallway for some time until Vanbresh stopped before a door.

After straightening his attire, Vanbresh knocked lightly on the door.

"Mr. Leff, I’ve brought the gentleman you met at the tavern."
"Alright, come in already."

With permission granted, Vanbresh opened the door and gave Daniel a gentle push forward.

"Once inside, you may remove the eye patch."

Following Vanbresh’s instructions, Daniel stepped inside and removed the eye patch with his hand.

Before him was a long dining table filled with an array of exquisite dishes.

Softly glowing candles atop ornate candelabras illuminated the scene, where Leff, wearing a black dress and adorned with a red brooch at her neck, sat at the head of the table.

Oddly, despite it being a dinner gathering, no one else was present besides Leff.

Leff, seemingly delighted to see Daniel again, raised her hand in greeting.

"Rivelard! I thought the food would go cold. Come on, hurry over!"

Still a bit bewildered, Daniel approached Leff.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, scanning the surroundings before turning his attention to Leff.

"This is unexpected. I assumed dinner would be with your family, given the occasion," Daniel remarked.

At the mention of family, Leff’s eyebrows twitched faintly.

"Unexpected? I didn’t think you’d bring up my family. What’s the point? It’s not like you and I are getting married. Why would you care about my family?"
"I didn’t mean it like that..."
"Never mind that. Let’s talk about your past instead—that’s why I invited you here. If I like what I hear, I’ll pay you however much you want."

The abrupt shift in conversation seemed suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

Thinking he shouldn’t let it slide, Daniel frowned.

"That’s rather unpleasant. I came here as a guest by invitation, yet you not only blindfolded me with an eye patch but are now forcing me to talk about my past."
"...And?"
"If you truly consider me an equal guest, shouldn’t you at least tell me who you are and what your family does?"

When Daniel pressed firmly, Leff’s expression softened, guilt flashing across her face.

After all, inviting someone as a guest only to treat them so discourteously was indefensible.

After a moment of hesitation, Leff seemed to make up her mind and exhaled a low sigh.

"Fine. Telling you who I am shouldn’t cause any major issues. Even if you were to spread it around, no one would believe a word from an illegal immigrant like you."

The mention of "illegal immigrant" sparked a faint realization in Daniel.

"They’ve been investigating me."

It explained why the dinner invitation had been delayed for days.

"They must’ve wanted to ensure I wasn’t a risky guest to bring to the estate."

The name "Rivelard" was an alias, so naturally, it wouldn’t appear in Tentarbachem’s registry.

Even if there were a person with the same name, their age and appearance wouldn’t match.

The butler had likely reported to Leff, saying, "He seems to be an illegal immigrant."

As Leff had said, no one would take the word of an illegal immigrant seriously.

"So, they figured it wouldn’t matter if a secret leaked and decided to invite me here."

Leff’s recklessness also likely played a role.

From what Daniel could see, Leff didn’t seem to be a particularly cautious individual.

"There’s a lot to unpack, but to keep it simple..."

Oblivious to Daniel’s inner thoughts, Leff shrugged once.

"I’m an illegitimate child. You could say I’m the bloodline my father most wants to hide."

The word "illegitimate" left Daniel momentarily surprised, but he soon regained his composure.

"Ah, so that’s why..."

The reason behind such meticulous security measures, even for a guest invited to the mansion, became clear in an instant.

"Meeting you was a miracle in itself. My wretched father doesn’t want me wandering outside the estate. But every now and then, I sneak out without his knowledge. That’s how I happened to meet you," Leff said casually, picking up a nearby wine glass.

A sense of unease began to build.

In the midst of the strange tension, Daniel broke the silence.

"May I ask who your father is?"

Leff, taking a sip of wine, set the glass down and replied, "Well, if I had to describe him, he’s a fat rat perched atop this cesspool of a nation."

She chuckled softly, casting a mischievous glance at Daniel.

"Bored Parrem. That’s my father’s name."

Daniel was stunned into silence, his jaw slack.

Bored Parrem.

He was none other than the Prime Minister of Vellanos, the de facto ruler of the neutral nation.

*****

"Damn it. When are the Allied Nations planning to send someone?"

Colonel Edbol, commander of Vellanos Navy’s 12th District Defense Command, gritted his teeth in frustration as he sat in the back seat of a military vehicle.

"They promised me asylum in Adria, one of the permanent member states, if I opened our territorial waters to their submarines...!"

Believing in Kalendra’s proposal, he had granted access to the waters, yet no one from the Allied Nations had arrived.

"I should already be fleeing Vellanos, not wasting precious time!"

The Allied Nations’ delay was gnawing at his nerves.

Reports indicated that the Empire had launched a massive search operation and ordered Vellanos to open its waters while dispatching a fleet.

Once the Empire’s fleet arrived in Vellanos, it would only be a matter of time before Edbol was identified as the culprit.

Desperate for contact from the Allied Nations, he’d waited in vain.

For now, they remained silent, as if the terrorist incident had nothing to do with them.

Sweating, Edbol clenched his fists as the military jeep came to a gradual stop.

"We’ve arrived, Colonel," said the driver.

Edbol looked out the window to see a house with a spacious yard.

Needing to clear his head, he decided to go inside, opened the door, and stepped out.

"I need to pack my things. And my family..."

He needed to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

As he pondered what to prepare first, he opened the front door and froze.

"…Why are the lights off?"

It wasn’t yet time for the housekeeper to leave, so the darkness struck him as odd.

Dismissing his suspicions, he flicked the light switch—and froze in place.

Under the now-illuminated light, a man in a black suit sat calmly.

"Come and have a seat," said Hamtal, wearing a fedora.

Edbol broke into a cold sweat.

This man was clearly not from the Allied Nations.

And the aura Hamtal exuded was so menacing that Edbol instinctively wanted to flee.

I need to get out of here...

The moment Edbol stepped back, panic rising in his chest—

Click.

A cold, hard object pressed against his back.

Realizing it was the muzzle of a gun, Edbol turned his head slightly and saw the soldier who had escorted him glaring at him menacingly.

It was a member of Black Swan, disguised as a soldier.

"When... when did they...?"

As the realization of his predicament caused his breathing to quicken, Hamtal nonchalantly removed his fedora and placed it on the table.

"In case you misunderstand..."

Turning his sharp gaze toward Edbol, Hamtal’s eyes narrowed.

"My invitation wasn’t a request. It was an order."

The icy tone of his voice made Edbol realize there was no resisting them.