I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 202

Five days later.

A famous dessert shop in Fenbark.

“How is it? Did the lemon drizzle cake suit your taste?”

On the outdoor terrace of the shop’s second floor, Lucy, having cleaned her plate thoroughly, nodded while dabbing the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

“It was delicious. Also...”

Lucy turned her head in the direction of the breeze.

The gravel path, faintly imbued with the evening air, glowed softly under the moonlight.

Most of the streetlights were turned off due to wartime administrative measures, but the countless stars adorning the sky lent their brightness to the ground.

From in front of the old fountain in the distant plaza, the faint sound of street musicians playing gently could be heard.

Even ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) though this was unmistakably wartime, and there was no sign of the war ending, for some reason, this place felt incredibly peaceful.

Turning her gaze away from the plaza, Lucy looked at Daniel.

“Thank you for letting me spend time in a place as lovely as this.”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel the reservation for my adjutant was worth it.”

Daniel joked as he picked up a cup of tea.

Just as he was about to take a sip of the black tea—

“...Brigadier General, what kind of life would you want to live once the war is over?”

His hand, mid-tilt, came to a stop.

Daniel was momentarily taken aback, but he soon regained his composure and took a sip of the tea.

After savoring the coolness that lingered in his mouth, he set the cup down with a graceful motion.

“A life after the war... I didn’t expect to be asked that by my adjutant.”

“My apologies. If I was being inappropriate...”

“No. That’s not it. It’s not something I can’t share.”

Daniel wiped his mouth with the handkerchief on the table.

“If Her Majesty permits it, I’d like to retire.”

“...Retire, sir?”

When Lucy asked as though it was unexpected, Daniel nodded.

“Yes. I know there are quite a few who call me a warmonger, but that’s all a misunderstanding. From the past to now, my lifelong goal has always been to live a leisurely life.”

Thinking that should be sufficient as an answer, Daniel folded the handkerchief and set it down.

“And what about you, Adjutant? What do you want to do once the war is over? It feels a bit unfair if only I do the talking.”

“Ah... I...”

What she wanted to do? She hadn’t really given it much thought.

Lucy had lived a life of obedience to the Allied Nations’ commands.

For someone like Lucy, who had long been bound to a life without free will, imagining the future wasn’t an easy thing.

However, having spent time with Daniel Steiner, she was able to harbor at least a small wish.

“...If possible, I’d like to study baking more seriously.”

“You want to learn baking?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Do you have a particular reason for deciding on baking?”

“If I had to give a reason...”

Following Daniel around to various dessert shops, Lucy had seen countless people.

For Lucy, who had always only heard others’ screams and resentment, the sight of people smiling and conversing in dessert shops felt like an entirely foreign world.

Could desserts make people happy?

If so, then Lucy wanted to properly learn how to make desserts.

Because she wanted to see people become happy from eating something she made.

‘And...’

Among those happy people, she hoped Daniel Steiner would be one of them.

Thinking such thoughts, Lucy’s face turned subtly red.

“I think it would suit me.”

Unable to tell the truth, Lucy mumbled evasively, and Daniel nodded in understanding.

“Indeed. You do have a natural talent for cooking. You’d likely be good at baking too. The meals you’ve prepared for me before were exceptional.”

Pretending to recall the flavor of Lucy’s cooking with closed eyes, Daniel suddenly smiled.

“Alright. Then perhaps it’s time I repaid the favor from back then.”

Daniel, opening his eyes softly, playfully reached under the table and pulled something out.

It was a black box, neatly wrapped with a ribbon.

Lucy, not knowing what was inside, blinked blankly.

“Brigadier General... this is...?”

“Upon reviewing your personal records, I saw that today is your birthday. As your direct superior, I couldn’t possibly neglect my adjutant’s birthday. Go ahead, open it.”

It wasn’t actually her birthday.

It was merely the one listed in her records, but Lucy didn’t bother to say so.

Daniel probably wasn’t unaware of that, either.

Receiving her first-ever birthday gift, Lucy nervously accepted the box.

When she opened it, a somewhat rough-looking necklace was revealed.

A polished amber gem served as the central stone.

As Lucy silently gazed down at the necklace, Daniel spoke.

“I thought it would go well with your red eyes, so I bought it. You don’t seem to care much about accessories, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to dress up once in a while.”

Lucy still didn’t say anything.

That silence, for some reason, made Daniel uncomfortable, and he gave a slight cough.

“If it’s something you don’t like, I apologize. Perhaps I should’ve prepared a different gift instead of a necklace.”

As Daniel tried to take the box back with a cautious glance, Lucy hurriedly pulled it into her arms.

‘...She didn’t hate it?’

As Daniel blinked in confusion, Lucy tightened her grip slightly around the box.

“I don’t dislike it. Rather, it’s the opposite.”

She was just so flustered by the situation that she didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

Blushing even more than before, Lucy averted her gaze and murmured softly.

“I will treasure it dearly.”

Though he couldn’t be sure, Daniel felt that Lucy seemed pleased, so he nodded awkwardly.

“I’m glad to hear that. Still, it’s getting late, isn’t it? Shall we head out?”

Lucy would’ve liked to stay just a little longer if she could, but she couldn’t find a proper reason to refuse.

As she gave a small nod, Daniel raised his hand.

A server came over and settled the bill.

Daniel smiled at the server and pulled out his wallet to pay.

The server, accepting the money, gave Daniel a polite nod and stepped back.

Watching this, Lucy quietly opened her mouth.

“...Brigadier General. I will make sure to repay the favor of you celebrating my birthday.”

This time, Daniel was the one caught off guard.

‘Isn’t it only natural to celebrate someone’s birthday? It’s not like we’re strangers — we’ve known each other for over a year.’

But it was unreasonable to expect common sense from someone like Lucy, who had been a test subject.

Not wanting to stir unnecessary trouble, Daniel stood with a smile.

“Then I’ll look forward to the day you repay that favor. But for now...”

Checking the wall clock inside the shop, Daniel continued.

“I have another appointment, so I’ll have to leave first. I ordered one more dessert, so stay and finish it before you go.”

“An appointment, sir?”

“Yes. It’s a rather urgent one. I’m sorry.”

Lucy, looking up at Daniel, shook her head.

“Not at all. I’m grateful you made time for me at all.”

“Thank you for understanding. I’ll be going, then.”

With that, Daniel turned and walked away.

As she watched his retreating figure, Lucy was seized by a strange feeling.

‘What Daniel just said...’

It was because, no matter how she looked at it, it had been a lie.

****

After leaving the shop, Daniel arrived at a forest located on the outskirts of the city.

It was a place so neglected that it didn’t even have a visible path through the woods, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location. But after paying close attention, Daniel was able to spot a shabby cabin nestled within the forest.

‘According to the documents handed over by that businessman, Hamthal...’

There was supposed to be a passage inside the cabin that led to the laboratory where the Lucy Project had been conducted.

Assuming there might be enemies inside, Daniel drew his revolver and slowly approached the cabin.

Fortunately, he didn’t sense any movement coming from within. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Still, it wasn’t a situation where he could afford to let his guard down.

Peeking inside through the gap of the slightly open door, Daniel abruptly pushed it open and raised his revolver.

He kept all his senses sharpened so he could immediately trigger his neural acceleration, but it proved unnecessary.

‘No one.’

The cabin was completely empty.

Only items like shovels and crowbars were hanging on the walls.

‘At a glance, it’s just an ordinary cabin...’

He couldn’t understand where in this place the passage to the laboratory could possibly be hidden.

Deciding to at least search for it, Daniel began pacing around the cabin and soon felt something odd in a particular spot.

There was a slight echo beneath his foot as he stepped on the floor.

Suspecting something, Daniel pulled away the rug that had been covering the area and grabbed the crowbar hanging from the wall.

As he pried up the wooden floorboards, a layer of metal plating beneath was revealed.

‘This is it.’

Though a rusted padlock barred the entrance, it wasn’t much of an obstacle.

Daniel raised the crowbar and struck the padlock several times until it broke apart.

After pushing the lock aside, Daniel knelt down, grabbed the edge of the metal hatch, and pulled it open.

Beneath, a staircase led downward, and along the wall were hastily affixed telephone lines and radio cables.

Believing he had found the path to the laboratory, Daniel quietly steadied his breath.

‘Now...’

It was time to uncover the full truth of the Lucy Project.