I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 193

The venue was engulfed in silence.

The moment you kill me, the Empire’s future will vanish.

That arrogant statement pushed the fear felt from the gunshot to the back of everyone's minds.

Moreover, from the perspective of the crowd, Daniel seemed astonishingly composed for someone who might die at any moment.

As if what he was concerned about was the future of the Empire, not something as trivial as his own life.

That appearance, as if he had transcended the limits of humanity, was more than enough to instill awe.

While the crowd stared blankly up at Daniel Steiner, the man gripped the handgun tightly.

“You think I can’t do it? If I put my mind to it, someone like you...!”

It was the moment the man placed his finger on the trigger.

“You piece of trash!”

A soldier roared, slamming the man’s head with the handle of a revolver.

At the same time, the man let out a scream and collapsed to the floor.

The gun he had dropped hit the ground and rolled away, and a soldier who arrived belatedly hurried to pick it up.

The man, subdued in an instant, groaned in pain, but the officer didn’t pay him any attention.

“How dare you try to attack Brigadier General Daniel!? You worm of a bastard!”

The sharp, metallic voice sounded strangely familiar.

Trying to figure out who it was, Daniel looked at the officer’s appearance and broke into a cold sweat.

‘Frien.’

The officer was none other than Frien.

The moment she heard the gunshot, she had stormed into the venue and subdued the man.

Just as Daniel was marveling at her speed, Frien viciously kicked the man with her military boot.

A dull sound echoed as the man’s back bent like a shrimp, but Frien didn’t stop.

“How dare you! How dare you! Someone like you! To the Brigadier General!”

Her rage-fueled assault continued.

It was only natural that she was furious at the man who had attempted to assassinate Daniel.

But that didn’t mean excessive use of force was appropriate.

Hearing the murmurs rising from the crowd, Daniel opened his mouth.

“There is no need to cause a disturbance here. Take him away.”

No sooner had Daniel finished speaking than Frien, who had been stomping the man, swiftly turned around and snapped a salute.

“Yes, sir! I will take him away and handle him!”

What she meant by “handle” was unclear, but Daniel decided not to ask.

When Daniel nodded, Frien ordered the soldiers to tie up the man.

The man, who had been writhing in pain, was dragged out of the venue, bound in ropes.

Once the commotion subsided, the eyes of the crowd naturally turned back to the platform.

Standing atop the platform, Daniel remained silent, gazing out over the crowd.

On the surface, he appeared to be a stern-hearted young general, but Daniel’s inner thoughts were different.

‘...Is it really over?’

His eyes darted around the venue, anxiously scanning the crowd, wondering if another assailant might be hiding among them.

Only after confirming that there were no other terrorists did Daniel feel a sense of relief, and he was about to step down when he stopped.

The crowd was holding its breath, waiting for him to speak.

Only then did Daniel realize.

The words he had hastily thrown out to buy time had unexpectedly left a significant impression on the crowd.

If he just left now without saying anything, they might stone him to death. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Realizing he couldn’t just maintain silence, Daniel spoke up amidst the stillness the crowd had created.

“Citizens, you must have seen it. You must have thought about it.”

Daniel’s deep, resonant voice filled the venue.

“Why didn’t Daniel Steiner hide? Why didn’t he run away?”

Some of the crowd nodded their heads.

“Why wouldn’t I be afraid? If it were the old me, I would have run away without looking back. Life is precious, after all. You have to be alive to do anything, don’t you?”

A small ripple of laughter spread through the crowd.

Daniel smiled along with them, then suddenly hardened his expression.

“But!”

With that powerful voice, the laughter that had been spreading among the crowd instantly ceased.

“As a Brigadier General, I understand that I cannot beg for my life in the face of threats from ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) insurgents! Fearing death would be an act of deceiving my soldiers’ courage! And furthermore, it would be a betrayal of the people’s expectations!”

Daniel raised his voice.

“The filthy Allied Nations and Republic believe that we are afraid! They hope we will tuck our tails between our legs and flee like frightened dogs! But are we afraid? I ask you, citizens of the Empire! Are we afraid?!”

Everyone in the crowd shouted in unison.

— No!

As if they had completely forgotten that a gunshot had just echoed through this place, the crowd erupted in cheers.

“Citizens! What happened here today will be remembered in history, and witnessed by the entire world! The Empire does not know fear! We will face death without hesitation and burn the enemy nations to the ground!”

The moment Daniel finished speaking, the crowd began waving the flags they had brought and roared in unison.

— The Empire does not know fear!

— Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner! Daniel Steiner!

Amidst the atmosphere that lay somewhere between fervor and madness, Daniel bowed his head lightly.

If he continued the speech any longer, it would spiral out of control, so he decided to end it there.

Turning away from the roaring crowd, Daniel flinched in surprise.

Lucy was staring straight at him with her crimson eyes wide open.

"...Lieutenant? When did you get here?"

"As soon as I heard the gunshot, I came up to the stage. I thought that if Brigadier General Daniel was attacked, I would have to step in and block it. Fortunately, that didn't happen."

"Yes. Lieutenant Frien managed to subdue him just in time."

Lucy nodded slightly, indicating her agreement.

But her expression still carried a hint of suspicion.

Unable to ignore it, Daniel began to walk, speaking as he did so.

"What's on your mind?"

"I just found something a bit odd. Despite carrying a gun into the venue, that man’s actions were incredibly sloppy. It was as if he wasn't here to actually assassinate but to put on a show of attempting an assassination in front of everyone."

Daniel almost said that not everyone was as skilled an assassin as she was but decided against it.

There was no need to engage in unnecessary banter.

"There's no point in overthinking what’s already happened. More importantly, how is the unit the General Staff assigned to me holding up?"

"Yes, sir. Everyone is awaiting Brigadier General Daniel’s orders."

"In that case, things will move quickly."

Since he had unintentionally been the target of an assassination attempt, it was only natural that public interest would explode.

Daniel, whose head was already throbbing at the thought, came up with a solution.

"Pass down the order to expedite preparations for deployment."

Daniel, who was sick of being pestered by reporters and the imperial family, looked straight ahead and said,

"There's no reason to waste time."

****

A few days later, in Fenbark, the former capital of Edria within the Allied Nations.

The office of Defense Commander Colonel Dolbaf.

"Hmm..."

Dolbaf, sitting at his desk and reading a newspaper, stroked his chin indifferently.

"The Republic has joined the war, but the battlefield isn't exactly turning in our favor. It’s a relief compared to when the Allied Nations were facing the Empire alone, though."

Despite the Republic’s declaration of war and aggressive attacks, the Empire was maintaining the frontlines better than expected.

This was partly due to the Empire having caught wind of the Republic’s preparations and rapidly redeploying their forces.

"Well, it’s not that bad."

Because the Imperial forces originally stationed on the Eastern Front had pulled back to the North, Fenbark had become even safer.

Fenbark was a region that, despite its symbolic value as the former capital of Edria, was not strategically advantageous.

"The east and south are mountainous, making it unsuitable as a forward base even if it were captured. There’s a small population, terrible transportation infrastructure, and almost no industrial facilities."

It was a place that was barely worth calling a city, but Dolbaf was relatively content.

As long as he remained the Defense Commander of Fenbark, he wouldn't have to engage in combat unless absolutely necessary.

"Peace in the midst of war... It's not as bad as I thought..."

Dolbaf let out a low chuckle, closed the newspaper, and picked up the sandwich on his desk.

Listening to the birds chirping behind him, he was just about to take a bite when the door slammed open.

The person barging in was his adjutant.

"Verot, you bastard. Who the hell barges into their superior’s office like—"

"That’s not what matters right now!"

Verot’s breathing was strangely ragged.

Frowning in confusion, Dolbaf raised a brow.

"What? Did the central command send a notice that they’re cutting down on our rations?"

"It’s something much more serious! They’re coming right now! A brigade-sized enemy force is headed straight for us!"

Dolbaf broke into a cold sweat at the mention of enemy forces approaching.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Contact central command. Request reinforcements immediately. We just need to hold out until they arrive. But why here of all places? Who the hell is leading them? Who’s the enemy commander?"

"That is..."

Verot hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"It’s Brigadier General Daniel Steiner."

The sandwich Dolbaf had been holding slipped from his hand.

In the heavy silence, Dolbaf’s face turned deathly pale.

It was only after a long moment that Dolbaf clenched his jaw, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Goddamn it...!"

The name alone was enough to make him curse.