章 20: Chapter 20
At the Same Time, in the Kingdom of Eldresia.
Director's Office, Kingdom's Central Intelligence Bureau.
"...Is it true that the organizers of the anti-war protests have been captured?"
Before the massive world map adorning the wall, Colonel Octavian Leopold, Director of the Central Intelligence Bureau, spoke without attempting to hide his irritation.
In front of him, Crispin, head of Strategic Analysis, and Phineas, head of Operations Execution, swallowed nervously under his gaze.
Crispin, sensing the tension, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Regrettably, it is true. They couldn't withstand the Empire's military police interrogation and revealed everything."
Phineas, standing beside him, added, "Moreover, the Empire is using this opportunity to label all anti-war proponents as agents of the Allied Nations, intensifying their propaganda."
This effectively meant that the Bureau's plan to ignite a civil uprising using the protests as a catalyst had crumbled.
While a civil uprising would inevitably have been suppressed, the primary objective was to instill anti-war and anti-military sentiments among the Empire's citizens.
Once negative public opinion began accumulating, even the Imperial Court could no longer ignore it.
If that could halt the Empire's offensive, the Kingdom of Eldresia would gain precious time—to rearm its defeated army.
But with the leaders apprehended, everything was now in vain.
Letting out a deep sigh, Octavian frowned as he looked at the department heads before him.
"Who is responsible? Who thwarted our plan?"
"...This person, sir."
Crispin handed over a dossier he had been holding in his left hand.
Receiving the file, Octavian's frown deepened as he looked at the photograph at the top of the document containing the individual's details.
"Not him again...!"
A man with black hair and black eyes.
His gaunt-looking face and wolf-like gaze made him appear ready to sink his teeth into prey at any moment.
[Captain Daniel Steiner, Operations Staff Officer, Imperial General Staff Headquarters]
He was infamous within the Kingdom's leadership for anticipating the ambush on the Tebaita Highlands and for killing Colonel Jeremy, the aide to the retreating divisional commander, in a matter of moments.
He had been marked as a person of interest and listed on the elimination priority roster—a rising star in the Empire's military, a dark horse.
That was Daniel Steiner.
"He interferes in everything. Everything!"
Octavian felt an overwhelming urge to put a bullet between his eyes.
But for now, Daniel Steiner was beyond his reach.
Grinding his teeth, Octavian turned his attention back to Crispin.
"What do our allied nations have to say about this debacle?"
"Well... they are condemning us, claiming that our unauthorized intelligence activities have only bolstered the Empire's unity."
"Condemning us? Did you just say condemning us? Have they lost their minds?"
When they urged the Kingdom to join the alliance, pleading for help, where were their scruples? Now that they no longer need us, they have the audacity to discard us? The sheer absurdity of it all!
"The Kingdom has faithfully carried out its role! The allied nations couldn't have expected us to defeat the Empire's forces outright! Our role was to split the Empire's strength by drawing them north!"
Octavian flung the dossier he was holding onto the desk.
"The ones who failed to fulfill their duties are those fools! What are the allied nations even doing on the Eastern Front? Achieving neither victory nor defeat, just fumbling and wasting time like idiots!"
Faced with Octavian's outburst, Crispin and Phineas could only lower their heads.
Watching his subordinates silently, Octavian exhaled heavily and raised his hand.
Right. This wasn't their fault. After running a hand down his face, Octavian adopted a grim expression.
"...Damn it. There's only one option left. Unleash the hounds on the Imperial Court."
Hearing this, Phineas broke into a cold sweat and raised his head.
"But, sir! Executing that operation will mean the massacre of our agents embedded in the Empire."
"It's only a matter of time anyway. They wouldn't want to be like frogs boiled alive. At the very least, we must break some of the Empire's teeth."
A brief silence passed between them.
Understanding the Director's resolve, Phineas bowed his head, a solemn determination in his eyes.
"Yes, sir. I will inform the agents that the time for decisive action has come."
Could there be another day I dread coming to work as much as today?
Thinking about Lucy coldly demanding summary executions still sent shivers down my spine.
But skipping work wasn't an option, so I dragged my feet as I headed for the General Staff Headquarters.
Before entering the Operations Room, I stopped by my office to prepare and found Lucy already there.
She was eating a croissant but immediately stood and saluted sharply when she noticed me.
"Good morning, Captain Daniel Steiner."
I gave her a half-hearted nod.
"...You're in early. And that's a croissant, I see."
"Yes, sir. I thoroughly enjoyed the ones you bought yesterday, so I picked up a few more for you as well. Feel free to have some if you're hungry."
"No, I'm fine."
Responding as I walked toward my desk, I pulled out my chair and sat down.
However, Lucy didn't return to her seat and instead stared at me.
Puzzled, I asked, "...What is it?"
"I'm waiting for you to assign me tasks, sir."
"That can be done in the Operations Room—"
"The Operations Chief said you could work from your personal office today."
...What? Why? I blinked in confusion, prompting Lucy to elaborate.
"The Chief mentioned, 'Captain Steiner accomplished another great feat yesterday, but there's nothing we can do to properly reward him at the moment, so let him work comfortably today.'"
Chief, please! I'm begging you! Being alone in this office with her is anything but comfortable!
Suppressing the urge to scream, I nodded stiffly.
"Very well. Let's get started, then."
I pulled a stack of documents from my briefcase and handed them to Lucy.
"These need reviewing today. I'll leave them to you."
"Understood."
Taking the stack of documents from me, Lucy returned to her seat and began reviewing them.
Her calm, methodical manner of flipping through pages was nothing short of exemplary.
If I didn't know Lucy was a spy, I might have showered her with praise.
Had she been any other spy, I might have tried to flatter her as a way to build rapport.
'But this is Lucy Emilia.'
For reasons I didn't fully understand, Lucy harbored an intense hatred for traitors.
If I so much as hinted at wanting to defect and tried to befriend her, I'd likely face a very unpleasant end.
...Which made her an incredibly odd choice for intelligence work. Why was she even here?
While the question nagged at me, my plan remained unchanged.
Getting Lucy out of my office was my only means of ensuring safety.
'That means the fastest solution is...'
I needed to report her work as subpar, leading to an official ruling of unsuitability.
Right now, she was reviewing documents. I vividly remembered how overwhelming it had been when I first started as a staff officer, just trying to grasp and organize all the regional military terminologies.
Surely, Lucy would make similar mistakes.
'I'll make sure she feels the full brunt of a superior's wrath.'
Brimming with confidence, I waited while she reviewed the documents, reading a book in the meantime.
After about four hours, Lucy returned with the stack of papers and placed them on my desk.
"I've finished reviewing them, Captain Steiner."
Already? This was an eight-hour task at minimum. She was too fast.
'Ah, so you're just another rookie.'
She must have overlooked something.
Eager to begin pointing out flaws, I took the documents and began to examine them.
And found myself genuinely astonished.
Lucy's document review skills were flawless.
Not only had she meticulously verified the accuracy of information, operational feasibility, resource planning, risk management, and legal and ethical compliance, but she'd also ensured the requests aligned with upper management's expectations.
To top it all off, she'd included numerical analyses of anticipated operational outcomes and created evaluation tables, making it easy for superiors to grasp the requests at a glance.
Honestly, it was perfect.
So perfect that I couldn't find a single issue to point out.
"Hmm..."
Unable to fabricate any faults, I nodded reluctantly.
"Excellent work."
"Thank you, sir. Then, may I—"
"No. There's one more task."
I opened my drawer and pulled out another stack of documents.
"These are classified as Level 2 confidential. Review them and report back."
"But, sir, the current time is..."
"I won't entertain objections. Have them done before I return."
Leaving Lucy alone in the office, I stepped out.
Exiting the office, Daniel headed straight for the Operations Chief's room.
There, he planned to monitor Lucy via the CCTV installed in his office.
The Level 2 confidential documents he'd given her contained sensitive details like troop deployment plans and specific unit movements.
Any spy would be salivating over such information, and Lucy was bound to act suspiciously.
If he could catch her in the act and report it to Ernst, he'd finally rid himself of her.
'Perfect.'
Certain this time his plan would succeed, Daniel entered the Operations Room.
"Oh, Captain Daniel Steiner!"
"Captain, we saw the paper! Another big success yesterday, huh?"
Giving the soldiers and junior officers perfunctory nods, Daniel knocked on the Operations Chief's door.
"Ah, Captain Steiner? Come in."
As Daniel opened the door and stepped inside, he immediately moved to the desk where the Chief's surveillance monitor was located.
"Sir, may I?"
"...What's this about? Why the CCTV footage?"
"I have a personal matter to confirm."
Though puzzled, the Chief allowed it.
Daniel rewound the recording to the moment he handed Lucy the documents and exited the office.
Then, he hit play.
But his triumphant smile quickly faded into a puzzled frown.
Lucy wasn't acting suspiciously.
Instead, she'd simply opened the documents, read through them carefully, and started analyzing them.
'Is she memorizing them? No, she's taking notes, summarizing them efficiently.'
Still, Daniel watched for another two hours.
When Lucy remained calm and focused the entire time, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Not only had she reviewed the documents efficiently, but there was no sign of any covert activity.
If Daniel hadn't been so determined to catch her out, he might have concluded she was simply doing her job remarkably well.
"Captain Steiner, was that all you needed?"
The Operations Chief's voice jolted him back to reality.
"No, sir. Thank you for allowing me to check."
Leaving the Operations Chief's room, Daniel pondered the unexpected results.
'...She's not like any other spy.'
Whether he liked it or not, he had to acknowledge that.
Returning to his office, he found Lucy still reviewing the documents, every bit as diligent as when he'd left.
'She's a genius in both intelligence and administrative tasks. And there's no way I'll win against her.'
Looking at Lucy, who didn't even glance up at him, Daniel felt defeated.
Though he didn't want to admit it, he knew he couldn't keep her under his thumb forever.
Perhaps it was time to rethink his approach.
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