-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Giving Up Is Easier
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Conference Hall of the Imperial Palace was bustling from early morning.
Princess Selvia had summoned key personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Staff Headquarters to receive reports on the search operation, which was why the hall was so busy.
As Princess Selvia had not yet entered the Grand Conference Hall, they were conversing in a relatively light atmosphere.
"Did you hear? A protest reportedly broke out yesterday in Dawn Square."
"You mean the one calling for a strong condemnation of the Allied Nations for attacking the diplomatic vessel carrying the Empire's hero? I heard it was a massive demonstration."
"While it might be a biased perspective, it's true the Allied Nations are under suspicion…"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel ceased their conversation and fell silent.
The doors to the Grand Conference Hall were opening wide.
"Her Imperial Highness the Princess is entering!"
Immediately after the Imperial Guard soldier's announcement, Selvia stepped into the Grand Conference Hall.
The crimson cloak, symbolizing her status as heir to the throne, billowed with Selvia's every step.
Selvia walked directly to the head of the table, took her seat, and then parted her delicate lips.
"The meeting will now commence. Everyone, please be seated."
With permission granted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel and General Staff Headquarters staff began to take their seats, one by one.
Once everyone was seated, Selvia turned her gaze to Yovenf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please present your report first."
Yovenf nodded.
"Your Highness. To begin with the most recent intelligence, the Bellanos government has sent a dispatch stating they've identified the individual who opened their territorial waters to the terrorists."
"They found them?"
"Yes. The culprit is reported to be Colonel Edvol, commander of the Bellanos Navy's 12th District Defense Command. He claims to have received bribes from the Allied Nations, but there's one troubling detail…"
Yovenf paused for a moment before continuing.
"It is said there's no evidence remaining that he received bribes from the Allied Nations. Not only are there no communication records whatsoever, but his account records are also perfectly clean, leading us to conclude that tracking is currently impossible."
"A calculated crime, then. What has been the Allied Nations' response?"
"They maintained silence, but recently, the King of Edria, a permanent member of the Security Council, expressed his regrets in an official statement. He declared that acts of terrorism targeting vessels carrying civilians are utterly deserving of condemnation."
Selvia's eyes narrowed into slits as she listened to the report.
'The King of Edria is nothing more than Count Kaledra's puppet.'
Therefore, it's clear Kaledra simply used the King as a mouthpiece to say what he desired.
'Expressed regret?'
It looked like nothing more than cutting off their tails and denying all responsibility.
Selvia ground her teeth at the Allied Nations' repugnant behavior, but without concrete evidence, she couldn't officially condemn them.
"And the submarine? Have its whereabouts been discovered?"
She asked, clinging to a sliver of hope, but Yovenf merely shook his head.
"The intelligence department is dedicating considerable effort, but its whereabouts remain unknown. It's difficult to track, not least because it wasn't a submarine that departed from the Allied Nations to begin with. It appears they cut off all communication to evade interception."
Their meticulous actions were enough to give her a throbbing headache.
Selvia sighed briefly, accepting that there were no immediate solutions.
"Instruct them to continue their investigation until a new lead emerges. Now then…"
Selvia turned to Cedric, the Deputy Chief of Operations, who was attending in place of the Chief of Staff, and continued.
"I would like to hear the General Staff Headquarters' report."
She was asking if Daniel had been found.
Cedric inclined his head in deference, then began to speak.
"According to the report, a man bearing a striking resemblance to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner has been discovered."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. However, the man denied being Daniel Steiner. While opinions are divided on his reasons…"
His pupils, with their wide whites, blinked.
"Assuming the man is indeed Daniel Steiner, it appears to stem from a distrust of junior officers. He would have calculated the probability of a junior officer being a spy or an enemy disguised as an Imperial soldier."
"Indeed…"
Isolated and alone in a foreign land, he would inevitably fall prey to paranoia.
Selvia, feeling pity for Daniel, let out a soft sigh of regret.
Cedric, observing Selvia, spoke.
"If he distrusts junior officers, I believe it would be prudent to send someone of confirmed identity to verify. Coincidentally, Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, who commands the Arcane Mobile Army, is also conducting search operations in Bellanos; you should dispatch him. They are acquainted and will surely recognize each other."
It was not a bad suggestion, so Selvia nodded.
"Have that done. But earlier, you mentioned opinions were divided regarding Daniel Steiner's reasons for concealing his identity. What did you mean by that?"
"Ah. It's a low-probability theory, but the notion that Daniel Steiner might be suffering from amnesia due to the aftermath of the incident was briefly discussed within the General Staff Headquarters."
"Amnesia?"
Selvia, blinking blankly, soon let out a hollow laugh.
'If he had amnesia, he wouldn't have immediately changed his clothes and hidden his uniform after the shipwreck.'
Such an action couldn't be attributed to someone who didn't even know their own identity.
'But what if, by some remote chance, it truly is amnesia...'
Selvia, contemplating the worst-case scenario, gently bit her lip.
'There's no other choice. I'll simply have to care for him for the rest of his life...'
With the justification of honoring a war hero, it wasn't an impossible feat.
Selvia cleared her throat, then looked at Cedric with a somewhat playful smile.
"Just in case, instruct them to convey my following words to Daniel Steiner."
*
Meanwhile, Daniel was preparing to meet his fate in the inn room.
He had accepted that escape from the fleet-led search party was impossible.
'By now, every entrance would be sealed, and they'd be checking identities...'
The option of escape had, in effect, vanished.
'Shouldn't I at least attempt it?'
A flicker of optimistic hope rose, but Daniel's rationality quickly suppressed it.
The moment he was caught attempting to flee, he would be branded a traitor to the Empire without so much as a hearing.
A traitor's fate was execution.
Unless the encirclement was so lax that there was a high probability of escape, he couldn't possibly stake his life on the insane notion of breaking through a fleet-sized cordon.
As he was sighing, despairing over his own life, someone knocked on the door.
"…Who is it?"
Without permission, the door swung wide open.
Daniel was startled by this.
For the person standing beyond the door was Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt, commander of the Arcane Mobile Army.
He was one of the individuals who had distinguished himself greatly during the Nordia Invasion Operation.
If Daniel proposed the operation, it was Heinrich who put it into action.
'They sent even the Arcane Mobile Army, the Empire's elite, for a search operation?'
It was so preposterous that he couldn't even manage a laugh.
As a dumbfounded Daniel stood frozen, Heinrich stepped into the room.
"Daniel Steiner. Your face confirms it; it is indeed you. But why did you lie to the officer who came yesterday, claiming you weren't?"
Daniel did not answer.
To be precise, he was racking his brain for an excuse.
Heinrich, finding this odd, furrowed one eyebrow.
"Are you truly suffering from amnesia? The notion did arise internally that you might be afflicted with it. I don't believe it myself, but…"
At the mention of amnesia, Daniel's hope flared anew.
'This could be an opportunity.'
The position of Chief of Operations within the General Staff Headquarters was one that could only be held by an individual possessing a high level of operational competence.
Therefore, there was no way the General Staff Headquarters would retain an officer suffering from amnesia.
'He would surely be relieved of his duties.'
Moreover, it wouldn't end with simply being removed from the General Staff Headquarters.
Given the Empire's characteristic of not appointing incompetent individuals, it's possible he might be deemed unfit for duty and honorably discharged.
'Good.'
It was the moment Daniel resolved to feign amnesia.
"Daniel Steiner. Even if you are indeed suffering from amnesia, do not fret. Her Imperial Highness the Princess has asserted that a war hero is deserving of proper treatment. Her Highness explicitly stated that if you are afflicted with amnesia, she would personally bring you to the Imperial Palace."
What did that mean? As Daniel stared in bewilderment, Heinrich smiled.
"Her Imperial Highness the Princess mentioned she would keep you by her side 'for life.' Isn't that an immense honor?"
Daniel's eyes widened in alarm, and he screamed internally.
'No...!'
Daniel, determined to prevent that at all costs, feigned composure and let out a low chuckle.
Daniel's insides were burning, but he rose from his seat as naturally as possible.
"It seems the time has come to reveal my identity."
Daniel took a discreet deep breath, then looked at Heinrich and spoke clearly and precisely.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, Chief of Operations attached to the General Staff Headquarters and currently undertaking diplomatic envoy duties in Bellanos under Her Imperial Highness's direct command, greets Your Excellency."
Daniel, fixing Heinrich with a sharp gaze, rendered a crisp salute.
Heinrich, witnessing this, secretly admired him and returned the salute.
"As expected. It was true you were operating covertly here, concealing your identity. Can you tell me what scheme you were orchestrating for the Empire?"
There was no plan for the Empire.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
He was merely accumulating funds to escape the Empire.
Yet, if he were to tell the truth, he might face execution.
Daniel, his mind racing for a brief moment, slowly took a step.
"I am eager to share, but…"
Daniel, approaching the window, gazed out at the distant sea.
"The information I have uncovered here is not of a nature that can be easily divulged."
It implied the information was, at the very least, classified.
In other words, Daniel Steiner had gathered such intelligence while stranded.
'An ordinary person would be preoccupied with merely protecting their own well-being...'
Heinrich, observing Daniel's retreating back, found himself involuntarily filled with awe.
'I shouldn't disregard him merely because of his youth. He truly is a genius strategist, isn't he?'
Honestly, it was enough to inspire genuine respect.