After Daniel joined Princess Selvia, the tide of the battle turned significantly.
Thanks to the platoon members who disembarked and scattered upon Daniel’s orders, they joined forces with reinforcements sent by the special task force at the forward operating base, literally sweeping away the Prince’s army disguised as Allied soldiers.
Moreover, due to an additional support request made by Captain Heinz, reconnaissance helicopters and fighter jets from the nearby air squadron joined the fray, leaving the Prince’s army with no chance of victory.
Initially, they were a small unit deployed for a quick and decisive operation.
It was already difficult to hold out with just the reinforcements from the special task force, and with the air squadron joining, defeat was practically confirmed.
Cornered, the Prince’s soldiers opted for self-destruction as if it had been promised, bringing the situation to a close.
And now.
Daniel and his platoon stood at attention in the clearing of the forest, assuming a resting position.
In front of the transport helicopter that had landed in the center of the clearing, Selvia blinked her blue eyes and looked at them.
“Indeed. It is said that excellent soldiers follow a great commander…”
Daniel and his platoon members were all covered in blood.
This indicated that they had not hesitated to fight the Prince’s soldiers.
Of course, if we exclude Daniel, no one would know that the beings they fought against were the Prince’s soldiers.
“Lieutenant Daniel.”
As Selvia scanned the platoon members, her eyes met Daniel’s.
She gestured for him to come closer, and Daniel swiftly approached.
“Did you call for me?”
Selvia nodded and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in Daniel’s ear.
“Please refrain from discussing what you saw and heard today. It must not be known to others that my brother is involved in this matter.”
“…Understood. Since there is no evidence, hastily declaring it the Prince’s doing could result in backlash.”
“Indeed. I’m glad we can communicate so well.”
The sweet tone of her voice was directly next to Daniel’s ear.
Having delivered her message softly, Selvia took a step back.
“Well then, I will return to capital. I would like to share more conversations with you, traveling all the way to the staff headquarters, but… the situation has escalated more than expected, so I must hurry back.”
It has indeed escalated. By now, news of the Princess’s ambush would have spread like wildfire among the military leadership of the capital.
Thanks to Captain Heinz’s decision to request support from the air squadron after assessing the situation as dangerous.
In any case, failing to hurry back means not only the current Emperor but also the disdain of the noble vassals could befall Selvia, leaving her with no choice.
Understanding Selvia’s position fully, Daniel lowered his head.
“It was an honor to meet you. I look forward to the day we can meet again.”
At Daniel’s courteous words, Selvia offered a faint smile.
“We will meet again soon.”
It was a significant statement.
While Daniel could not react to her words, Selvia turned and boarded the transport helicopter.
Once it was confirmed that Selvia had boarded, the Imperial Guards boarded in an orderly manner and closed the door.
When one of the Imperial Guards signaled that everyone was on board, the pilot began to prepare for takeoff.
The helicopter’s propellers started to spin rapidly and soon produced a loud noise as it pushed against the air.
Or rather, it would be more intuitive to say it pushed against the ground.
The helicopter took off, scattering the snow piled up in the clearing in all directions as it flew straight towards the System.
“…”
Inside the helicopter, Selvia sat in her seat, looking down at the ground through the window.
Below, she could see Daniel and his platoon members saluting the helicopter.
As she quietly looked down at them, Selvia turned her gaze towards the Imperial Guard who was checking his firearm.
On the shoulder of the Imperial Guard, there was an emblem representing the elite protection squad, the Golden Wings.
Lieutenant Colonel Hartmann Edelstein.
He was the one overseeing the elite protection unit on site and had gained notoriety as a weapon of murder.
The tale of him wielding a sword and slaughtering enemies on a battlefield where bullets were flying is one of the anecdotes that often comes up when discussing someone like Hartmann.
If there was one entity that this deadly weapon truly feared, it would be Selvia von Amberg, who was now sending her gaze with an expressionless face.
Typically, Selvia, who was like a granddaughter to him, seemed utterly cute and lovely, but when she stared like that, wishing for something, it sent chills down his spine, not knowing her intentions.
Yet, it wasn’t possible to continue ignoring her, so Hartmann put down the weapon he was cleaning and removed his gas mask.
A bead of cold sweat formed on the wrinkled face of the old man.
“Your Royal Highness. Do you have something to say to me?”
“I do. Why didn’t you immediately rescue Lieutenant Daniel?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hartmann, do you think I’m a fool? There is no doubt Lieutenant Daniel arrived before engaging the enemy, so why did you not assist him right away and remained passive? Answer me.”
It was as if he feared this moment would come, and it had, indeed.
Hartmann looked around, wondering how to explain this.
Though he had sent an SOS signal his way, the Imperial Guards were all desperately keeping their heads down while cleaning their firearms.
They were trying their best to pretend not to know, fearing they would catch the backlash.
‘Damn them…’
After glaring at his subordinates once, Hartmann turned back to Selvia and tried to show his most amiable smile.
“As far as I know, your command at the time was to ‘rescue Lieutenant Daniel without injury.’ Since Lieutenant Daniel actually suffered no injuries, we believe we have faithfully carried out your order.”
“Are you calling that an excuse?”
“Your Highness, I understand you are angry, but we needed time to assess the capabilities and ideologies of the individual you wish to favor. That is also part of our duty.”
While Hartmann did not doubt Selvia’s discernment, it was crucial for the elite guard to understand what abilities and thoughts the person approaching the Princess possessed.
“To offer a bit more justification, we did achieve some results.”
Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was one of the rare individuals capable of using Neural Acceleration.
While the amount of mana consumed was extremely high, the time one could maintain neural acceleration was remarkably short, making the ability less appreciated in the past.
Just a few seconds were not enough to pierce through a knight’s armor or break a wizard’s barrier.
However, with the advent of technology and firearms, the time it took for a person to kill another changed to seconds.
As long as one could aim correctly, even the most lowly individual could kill someone of the highest noble rank on the modern battlefield.
Thus, if someone could have even a few seconds of their own time within such a battlefield, they would gain an extraordinary advantage.
In that context, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner was an incredibly desirable talent.
Had he not been affiliated with the staff headquarters, Hartmann would have even suggested an immediate transfer to the elite guard.
“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner’s combat capabilities are remarkable. If luck had been on his side, he could have taken down all six soldiers by himself.”
“…”
Selvia’s eyes narrowed slightly with an upset expression.
Hartmann, who had served as the Princess’s aide for a long time, understood.
Right now, Selvia was silently insisting, “That’s not what I’m asking about, is it?”
Responding incorrectly at this moment could lead to earning her ire.
For Hartmann, earning Selvia’s displeasure was quite painful.
Despite the significant difference in status, Hartmann genuinely regarded Selvia with the fondness of a grandfather.
Thus, he had to reveal at least one more piece of information he had learned.
Clearing his throat once, Hartmann spoke in a rather serious tone.
“If Your Highness genuinely wishes to recruit Lieutenant Daniel Steiner to our side, I believe there is no need to test his loyalty.”
What was he talking about all of a sudden? Confused, Selvia blinked her eyes as Hartmann continued.
“Lieutenant Daniel Steiner stated in front of the Prince’s soldiers that ‘a foolish prince can never become an emperor.’ Moreover, he confidently declared that ‘the one who will become emperor is the princess.’”
Selvia’s eyes widened.
Since she arrived late to the scene, it was the first time she had heard that Daniel made such remarks.
“…Is that true? Did Lieutenant Daniel really say such things?”
“Yes. Everyone here heard it.”
The Imperial Guards who were cleaning their firearms nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Selvia’s lips.
“I see. Lieutenant Daniel said that…”
With her words trailing off, Selvia turned her gaze out the window, looking down at the ground.
Now that they were quite far from the clearing, it was unlikely she could see anything, yet her gaze unconsciously searched for Daniel.
“Hmmm. So he said that…”
While it was unclear, it seemed that Daniel’s words delighted her quite a bit.
‘Could it be that she’s happy about the prospect of incorporating a new talent?’
However, she seemed more excited than usual about it.
‘Surely, she doesn’t see Lieutenant Daniel as a romantic interest…’
No. That could not be. Selvia had a stone-like attitude toward romantic feelings, having been tormented by her own brother.
Regardless of the reasons, it was truly a sight to behold for Hartmann, seeing Selvia display an expression suitable for her age.
