I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Two days later, Kingdom of Velmore
2nd Armored Division Headquarters, Division Commander’s Office.

Knock knock─

Hearing the knock, Division Commander Count Magref put away the report he was reading.

He took off his reading glasses and spoke.

“Come in.”

As permission was granted, the office door opened and a man with a neat appearance entered.

It was Magref’s aide.

“Your Excellency!”

The aide, unusually flustered, quickly blurted out.

“Urgent news! His Highness the Crown Prince has been defeated by Daniel Steiner’s troops and taken hostage!”

Magref’s hand, which was folding his glasses, stopped at the aide’s words.

He couldn’t understand.

“…What on earth are you talking about? Didn’t His Highness the Crown Prince ambush Daniel Steiner? Leading a battalion of the kingdom’s elite troops, no less.”
“That’s not wrong. But Daniel Steiner had anticipated all of that.”

The aide, gritting his teeth, continued after taking a deep breath.

“According to reports, he had formed an encirclement while waiting for His Highness to enter the outpost. His Highness, knowing nothing, ordered an attack and then…”

Magref raised his hand to stop him.

No further explanation was needed.

“You’re saying Daniel Steiner anticipated the surprise attack?”

It was hard to believe, but given that he had formed an encirclement, it was a reasonable inference.

“No. How on earth…”

Muttering in confusion, Magref soon understood the whole situation.

‘Was the person who informed us of Daniel Steiner’s location actually a double agent? Or perhaps a spy working for Daniel Steiner had infiltrated the kingdom…’

He wasn’t sure which was correct, but it was clear that Daniel Steiner had known all the information in advance and used it.

‘Truly a devilish scheme.’

It was more than understandable why Daniel Steiner was called the Devil of the Empire.

Magref, letting out a low sigh, turned to his aide.

“Assemble a negotiation team immediately.”

Daniel Steiner, having captured the Crown Prince as a prisoner, would surely propose negotiations with the kingdom.

The kingdom couldn’t hand over the Crown Prince to the enemy, so they had no choice but to respond to Daniel’s proposal somehow.

Therefore, it was right to move quickly from now on and devise a negotiation strategy.

The aide, understanding Magref’s intention, regained his composure and answered.

“Understood. I’ll issue the orders quickly. But have you decided who to send as the head of the negotiation team?”

Magref, exhaling softly, nodded.

“I’ll go myself.”
“…You mean you’ll go in person, Division Commander?”
“Yes.”

There was a need to find out how Daniel Steiner was uncovering information about the Kingdom of Velmore.

So he decided to go himself rather than sending some inadequate negotiation expert or government official.

After a brief silence, the aide, understanding Magref’s intention, bowed deeply.

“Understood. I’ll convey that.”

The aide, speaking respectfully, gave a final salute to Magref and left the office.

Left alone, Magref gazed out the window, lost in thought.

‘Daniel Steiner…’

Could a person’s name feel this oppressive?

Magref, unconsciously calming his trembling hand, narrowed his eyes and took a breath.

‘Your Highness. Please endure a little longer.’

I will rescue you from that wicked man.

After capturing Crown Prince Bleff as a prisoner, Daniel conducted another identity verification and then requested support from the rear units.

Not only was the outpost damaged by mortar fire, but even if it hadn’t been damaged, there wasn’t enough space to accommodate all the battalion personnel including the prisoners.

Upon hearing the news that Crown Prince Bleff of the Kingdom of Velmore had been captured, the rear units sent support troops to the outpost without hesitation.

After waiting for a day, dozens of transport vehicles and escort troops arrived at the outpost. Daniel ordered the prisoners to be loaded first, and he boarded last.

Once all personnel were aboard, the transport vehicles headed towards Barheim, a small city near the eastern front.

Upon arriving in Barheim, they were greeted by the brigade commander in charge of the city’s defense.

Whether he wanted to commend the military achievement of capturing the Crown Prince or not is unclear, but the brigade commander treated Daniel’s unit with great hospitality.

Daniel, wanting to rest, didn’t refuse, and after resting for a few days, he politely requested a place to conduct his official duties from the brigade commander.

The brigade commander gladly agreed and provided the largest office in the brigade headquarters.

Thanks to this, Daniel, now able to spend time in the brigade headquarters, summoned two senior officers today.

So now.

In front of Daniel, seated at his desk, stood Freyen with a gentle smile and Lucie holding a file folder with her usual expressionless face.

Daniel, sitting in his chair and quietly observing Freyen, opened his mouth while trying to hide his annoyance.

“Second Lieutenant Freyen.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
“I hear that during your free time, you went to pray at a church located here in Barheim. Is the information I have correct?”

Freyen nodded.

“That’s right. Is there a problem?”

Is he really saying that now? Daniel, flabbergasted, clicked his tongue and said,

“If you’re going to pray, just pray. Why are you going around there spouting nonsense about saints and whatnot while using my name?”
“…Nonsense? I only told the truth to the believers.”

Thanks to Freyen blinking his eyes as if he didn’t understand, Daniel felt a headache coming on.

‘Please, just do it moderately…’

It seemed that Freyen’s strange words had some sort of credibility, as some brainwashed believers came to the brigade headquarters causing a commotion, saying they wanted to see the saint, which was no small source of stress.

However, Daniel wasn’t confident in convincing Freyen that his thoughts were wrong.

Daniel, suffering from a headache and pressing his brow, let out a deep sigh.

“Just don’t do it if I tell you not to. If you’re going to pray, just pray and don’t spread strange rumors. Understand?”
“I understand. If that’s what the Battalion Commander wants…”
“Yes. That’s enough, so you can go now.”

Freyen, smiling and bowing his head slightly, left the office.

Confirming this, Daniel turned his gaze to Lucie.

“Adjutant. Didn’t you say you had something to report to me?”

Lucie, blinking her red eyes once, nodded.

“The Kingdom of Velmore has responded to the negotiation proposal. The person in charge of negotiations is Major General Magref, who commands the 2nd Armored Brigade. According to reports, he expressed his intention to come to Barheim in person.”
“What kind of person is Magref?”
“He’s a general from a noble background. He has a cautious personality, and you can consider him someone who values the legitimacy of the royal family like most nobles.”

Hearing Lucie’s words, Daniel fell into thought for a moment.

‘Instead of sending a diplomat or special envoy, the division commander of the enemy’s armored division is coming as the negotiation representative…’

It wasn’t impossible, but something smelled fishy.

‘The Kingdom of Velmore probably thinks I’ve obtained their information through some means.’

So it’s highly likely they judged that to negotiate with Daniel Steiner, they should send someone who has information worthy of him.

‘That’s why they’re sending Major General Magref.’

Magref was likely to be a powerful figure holding all the kingdom’s information.

‘If so, he should also know about the Imperial personnel who informed the Crown Prince of my location.’

When asked previously, the Crown Prince only knew that he had received information from Imperial personnel, but didn’t know exactly who that person was.

But Magref should know exactly who that person is.

From Daniel’s perspective, he needed to find the Empire’s traitor through Magref to ensure his safety.

If he failed to root out the traitor this time, they would leak confidential information again, creating another dangerous situation.

‘How should I…’

How could he make Magref reveal the name of the Empire’s traitor?

He wouldn’t answer even if simply asked to speak on the condition of releasing the Crown Prince.

If he acted like he didn’t know what Daniel was talking about, Daniel wouldn’t be able to probe further.

Stroking his chin and pondering deeply, Daniel felt a brilliant idea flash through his mind.

‘This might…’

This might be able to get a confession from Magref.

Having formulated a plan in his head, Daniel raised his head to look at Lucie.

“Adjutant. Tell them to conduct shooting practice near the negotiation site on the day of negotiations. Also, tell them to carry radios and answer truthfully to my questions.”

Shooting practice? At this unexpected order, Lucie blinked blankly.

“The negotiation site is in the city center. Are you saying to conduct shooting practice in the city center?”
“Yes. Also, regarding the route Magref will take to the negotiation site, tell the brigade commander… No. I think it would be better if I go and tell him this myself. Certainly, this…”

Daniel’s eyes were filled with certainty as he muttered, organizing his thoughts.

Feeling a sense of awe, knowingly or unknowingly, at this sight, Lucie cautiously opened her mouth.

“You have everything planned out, Lieutenant Colonel.”
“No. Rather than a plan, this is more like…”

Daniel sighed softly, as if reluctant but having no choice.

“A damn act. It’s about creating appropriate devices to make the enemy fear me. Even if that’s not the essence.”

Hearing Daniel’s words, Lucie felt puzzled.

‘I’m not sure what he means, but if it results in the enemy fearing Daniel…’

Isn’t that no longer just an act?