I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 223

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Colonel Sampe, who had been leading the Allied provisional division, raised the white flag after much deliberation.

It was a decision made out of necessity.

With all communication with headquarters severed, they hadn’t been able to drive back Daniel Steiner’s brigade, and now the Empire’s Magitek Mobile Brigade was surging toward them—there was no chance of victory.

To make matters worse, Daniel Steiner had threatened to slaughter every last commanding officer if they didn’t surrender, leaving Sampe effectively with no way out.

Once the ceasefire was confirmed, Daniel deployed his forces, disarmed all the Allied soldiers, and gathered them in one location.

Following protocol, Daniel granted the surrendered Allied soldiers the rights of prisoners of war and designated several additional temporary holding facilities in Fenbark.

It was only after ordering the prisoners’ transport to those locations that Daniel was able to rest.

Though rest, in his case, only meant sipping the coffee Lucy had brewed for him while watching the Allied troops being loaded onto military transport trucks.

“Brigadier General. Congratulations on the victory. I suppose we can now say Fenbark has been completely secured,” Lucy said.

Daniel nodded at her words.

“It was a grueling campaign. Just when I thought it might end easily, everything started getting tangled.”

“I think it’s incredible. You managed to untangle all of it, Brigadier General.”

“I was just lucky.”

At Daniel’s lighthearted remark, Lucy gave a faint smile.

Because she knew full well that this wasn’t something that could be accomplished by luck alone.

Even so, she decided not to point that out.

Because she knew Daniel didn’t want her to.

Enjoying a moment of silence, Daniel quietly lifted his cup.

The warm scent of coffee tickled the tip of his nose.

Staring down into the coffee, Daniel suddenly opened his mouth.

“Come to think of it—where’s Frien? I heard she played quite the role on the battlefield.”

“If you mean Lieutenant Frien, I believe she’s currently dedicating herself to treating the wounded.”

“Is that so? Well, I suppose there must be more injured than just those from 3rd Company. If you happen to run into her later, be sure to tell her I’m deeply grateful.”

Having said that, Daniel raised his cup and took a sip.

Lucy, watching his profile from the side, couldn’t help but glance at him.

The dark circles under his eyes seemed to have deepened from lack of sleep, stirring concern in her heart.

She was just thinking it would be nice if he could rest a little.

“When I think about it...” Daniel suddenly chuckled.

“I just remembered—did you make that doll yourself? It didn’t seem like something the mansion servants would’ve made.”

Doll? What doll?

Unable to understand what he was talking about, Lucy tilted her head slightly in confusion. Daniel gave her a teasing grin.

“On the last day I spent in your memory world, I happened to see ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) our young lady clinging tightly to a doll that looked just like me.”

Ah.

Only then did Lucy realize what Daniel was talking about, and her eyes widened.

She had definitely hidden it the moment Daniel barged through the door, but it seemed he’d spotted it anyway.

Flustered, Lucy couldn’t manage a single word. Daniel, suppressing a laugh, continued.

“To think our young lady was thinking about me that much—I’m truly touched. But if it was such a well-made doll, wouldn’t it have been fine to show it off to me?”

Of course it wouldn’t have been.

If he ever found out that she hugged a “Daniel Steiner Doll” every night before bed while whining and muttering to herself, she wouldn’t be able to show her face ever again.

“It was just...”

Face turning red, Lucy muttered in a barely audible voice.

“A childish impulse from when I was younger.”

“Is that so?”

Daniel nodded as if to say he understood, which only deepened Lucy’s shame.

Watching her sideways glance and squirm, Daniel couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing.

“My apologies. I didn’t think my adjutant would be this embarrassed. But don’t worry—anyone’s bound to have one or two shameful secrets from that age. I’m no exception.”

“...Are you saying you, too, have an embarrassing past, Brigadier General?”

“Of course.”

Draining the last of his coffee, Daniel recalled a memory from long ago.

“When I was a kid, I believed that if you swallowed fruit seeds, they would grow inside your body. So the day I accidentally swallowed a grape seed, I cried all day long. Do you know what I said to the head of the monastery back then?”

As Lucy blinked, clearly not knowing, Daniel glanced around as if checking for eavesdroppers and whispered quietly.

“I said this: ‘Headmaster! I’m going to turn into a grape tomorrow! Please, save me!’

Hearing that, Lucy let out a laugh before she even realized it.

Even if it had happened when he was just a child, it was still so out of character compared to the usual image of Daniel.

Composing herself, Lucy looked at him, a bit surprised.

“So even you had a time when your thoughts were innocent, Brigadier General.”

“Childhood is the only time in life when innocent thoughts aren’t criticized. More importantly, now that we’ve shared each other’s childhood secrets... shouldn’t we make sure to keep quiet about them? It’d be troublesome if anyone else found out.”

At his playful remark, Lucy gave a nod.

“Understood. I’ll keep it to myself.”

Pleased with her answer, Daniel gave a quiet chuckle and turned his gaze forward.

In the distance, soldiers were loading the prisoners onto trucks.

Watching that scene in silence, Lucy’s eyes gently narrowed.

“War will end someday... won’t it?”

“Of course it will.”

His reply came instantly.

“When that day comes...”

After a brief pause, Daniel murmured softly,

“I think I’ll have to publish a front-page story about your impressive doll-making skills.”

Caught off guard, Lucy’s face flushed bright red.

“Brigadier General! You just said that was supposed to be a secret!”

Flustered and half-exasperated, Lucy raised her voice like she was telling him to knock it off—prompting Daniel to burst into laughter.

She really was a subordinate who was far too fun to tease.

****

Meanwhile, in the Grand Assembly Hall of the Imperial Palace—

In a chamber where the core members of the Empire had gathered, the ministers delivered their reports one by one to Selvia, who sat at the head of the table.

After several exchanges, the final report was presented by Arman, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

At first, Arman spoke at length about the situation on the front line, but at the end, he reported that Daniel Steiner had successfully seized full control of Fenbark.

Naturally, he also laid out the details of how that had happened. As the ministers quietly listened to his explanation, varied emotions surfaced on their faces.

The first to raise a question was Schiller, the Minister of National Propaganda.

“Wait a moment. So, if I’m summarizing your report correctly, you’re saying that an enemy division-level force launched an assault on Fenbark using Etherlium—and that Brigadier General Daniel Steiner was isolated at the time? But he broke through the enemy encirclement and escaped on his own?”

Having sorted out the sequence in his head, Schiller continued in a slightly bewildered tone.

“Then afterward, Brigadier General Steiner rejoined the previously retreated Imperial brigade, moved his forces northward, and lured the enemy westward across the bridge?”

“That’s correct. The General Staff assisted Brigadier General Daniel Steiner in carrying out his plan.”

“I see. And according to you, Brigadier General Daniel Steiner then succeeded in deceiving the enemy, destroyed the floodgates at the right moment, and submerged the enemy’s armored battalion—completely blocking their retreat path.”

Schiller swallowed dryly and looked toward the Chief of Staff.

“Then, having isolated the majority of the enemy forces, Brigadier General Steiner pushed forward into Fenbark once more and recaptured the city. In the process, he forced the enemy command to retreat—a spectacular achievement. That would mean the Allied provisional division was naturally cut off from communication with its command.”

“Your understanding is accurate.”

“And... during the time he spent reoccupying the city, he uncovered evidence that the Allied forces had conducted human experimentation? The very scandal that our National Propaganda Department and Intelligence Bureau have been desperately searching for?”

Arman nodded again, as if confirming it was true.

“Yes. And subsequently, Brigadier General Daniel Steiner forced even the provisional enemy division to surrender, achieving total occupation of Fenbark.”

“Well, this is just...”

Schiller glanced at Empress Selvia and lowered his voice.

“Is this really true? I want to believe it, but it just doesn’t seem possible. How could one man accomplish all of this?”

At Schiller’s words, the other ministers began murmuring amongst themselves, as if in agreement.

Watching the scene in silence, Selvia let out a quiet sigh. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

“Are you all trying to say that the Chief of the General Staff is lying to me right now?”

As Selvia spoke, the ministers immediately lowered their gazes and fell silent.

Looking around at them, Selvia narrowed her eyes.

“The Empire is at a time when unity is more important than ever. And yet, you would belittle the accomplishments of a general fighting at the front lines simply because they’re hard to believe? The facts have already been verified. I’d prefer you stop doubting them.”

With those words, Selvia lightly raised her hand.

“That will be all for today. You may all take your leave.”

At her dismissal, the ministers bowed deeply and began rising from their seats one by one.

As they started exiting the Grand Assembly Hall, the Chief of Staff, Arman, also began organizing the documents he had brought.

He was just about to stand when Selvia spoke.

“Chief of Staff.”

Startled by the sudden call, Arman paused and sat back down.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Only after confirming that all the ministers had left did Selvia open her mouth.

“I understand.”

“...What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”

“The Empire needs a figure who commands the support of both the people and the military. Only then can we increase our odds of winning this war, even by a little. That role was originally meant to be mine, but due to Duke Belvar’s treason, I’ve lost the public’s trust.”

Selvia continued, as if acknowledging the inevitable.

“And so, I too believe it is right to lend my support to Brigadier General Daniel Steiner. I’ll continue to cooperate—there’s no need for you to worry.”

She was saying that even if his achievements were exaggerated, she would pretend to believe them in front of the ministers.

Arman, understanding her meaning, let out a quiet laugh.

“Your Majesty. While it is my duty to lead the Empire to victory, I have no intention of deceiving you.”

“Oh? Then don’t tell me...”

“Yes. Everything Brigadier General Daniel Steiner has accomplished—none of it contains even a grain of falsehood.”

Selvia blinked slowly in disbelief and asked again.

“...Is that really true?”

She hadn’t shown it in front of the ministers, but she, too, had found it difficult to believe.