I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander
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Chapter 19 Table of contents

At the same time, in the Kingdom of Eldresia.
Central Intelligence Bureau, Director’s Office.

“…Is it true that the ringleaders of the anti-war protest were captured?”

Standing in front of a massive world map hanging on the wall, Colonel Octavian Leopold, the director of the Central Intelligence Bureau, couldn’t hide his irritation.

Crispin, the head of Strategic Analysis, and Phineas, the head of Operations Execution, swallowed nervously as they stood before him.

After gauging the director’s mood, Crispin finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Unfortunately, it’s true. They failed to withstand the Imperial military police’s interrogation and spilled everything.”

Phineas added, “The Empire is now capitalizing on the situation, branding all anti-war advocates as puppets of the Allied Nations and launching a public relations offensive.”

It meant that the intelligence bureau’s plan to spark a civilian uprising through the protests had collapsed.

Of course, the uprising would have been crushed eventually, but its primary purpose was to sow public distrust in the war and the military.

Once negative sentiment started to spread, the Imperial Court wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

If that slowed down the Empire’s offensives, Eldresia could buy time—time to rearm their defeated forces.

But with the ringleaders captured, it had all gone up in smoke.

Octavian let out a long sigh and glared at his subordinates.

“Who was it? Who thwarted our plan?”

“…This man.”

Crispin handed over a folder he’d been holding in his left hand.

Octavian opened the folder and frowned at the photograph stapled to the top of the report.

“Him again…!”

Dark hair. Dark eyes.

His gaunt features and wolf-like gaze gave the impression of a predator ready to strike.

[Captain Daniel Steiner, Imperial Operations Staff Officer]

He was already infamous among Eldresia’s leadership for foiling the ambush in the Tebaita Mountain foothills and killing Colonel Jeremy, the retreating Allied corps commander, in a single moment.

A marked man, Daniel Steiner was listed among high-priority targets for elimination.

A wildcard within the Imperial Army.

“He keeps interfering. Every single time!”

Octavian clenched his teeth.

He wanted nothing more than to put a bullet between Daniel’s eyes, but there was no way to reach him—at least, not yet.

Grinding his teeth, Octavian turned to Crispin.

“What do our allies have to say about this?”

“Well… they’re condemning us for conducting unauthorized intelligence operations that only strengthened the Empire’s unity.”

“Condemning us? Did I hear that right? Are those lunatics out of their minds?!”

They had eagerly invited Eldresia into the Allied Nations when they needed help, and now they were turning their backs the moment it became inconvenient. Unbelievable.

“The kingdom has done its part! The Allied Nations never expected us to win against the Imperial Army anyway. Our role was to tie down Imperial forces in the north!”

Octavian threw the folder onto his desk in frustration.

“They’re the ones who failed to do their job! What have they accomplished on the Eastern Front? They’re wasting time, caught in a cycle of victories and losses!”

Crispin and Phineas remained silent, their heads bowed under Octavian’s furious gaze.

After glaring at them for a moment, Octavian took a deep breath and raised his hand.

No—it wasn’t their fault.

Wiping his face, he spoke with a grim expression.

“…Damn it. There’s only one option left. Unleash the hounds on the Imperial Court.”

Phineas paled and raised his head.

“But, sir! If we execute that operation, the agents we’ve planted in the Empire will be massacred.”

“It’s only a matter of time anyway. None of them want to end up like frogs boiled alive. At the very least, we need to break the Empire’s fangs before it’s too late.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Understanding the director’s intent, Phineas straightened up and nodded resolutely.

“Yes, sir. I’ll inform the agents that the decisive moment has arrived.”

*****

The following morning.

Was there ever a day when I dreaded going to work this much?

Thinking about Lucy’s emotionless request to execute the protesters still sent shivers down my spine.

But skipping work wasn’t an option, so I dragged myself to headquarters.

Before heading to the operations room, I stopped by my office to get organized—only to find Lucy already there.

She was eating a croissant, but the moment she saw me, she stood and saluted crisply.

“Good morning, Captain Daniel Steiner.”

I gave her a half-hearted nod.

“…You’re here early. And is that… a croissant?”

“Yes, sir. The one you bought yesterday was delicious, so I bought a few more. I also picked up some extras for you, sir. Feel free to have one if you’re hungry.”

“No, I’m fine.”

I walked to my desk, sat down, and placed my briefcase on top.

But Lucy remained standing and stared at me expectantly.

Feeling uneasy, I asked,

“…What is it?”

“I’m waiting for you to issue orders, sir.”

“You’ll receive those in the operations room—”

“Chief of Operations said you could work from your personal office today.”

…What? Why?

Before I could process the information, Lucy elaborated.

“He said, ‘Captain Daniel earned another commendation yesterday, and since there’s nothing else to reward him with, at least let him have a relaxing day at work.’”

Chief, please! Being stuck alone in an office with this woman is the furthest thing from relaxing!

Suppressing the urge to scream, I nodded stiffly.

“Fine. Let’s get started, then.”

I pulled out a stack of documents from my briefcase and handed them to Lucy.

“These need to be reviewed. You can start with these.”

“Understood.”

Lucy took the documents without hesitation, returned to her seat, and began reading through them.

Calmly blinking her crimson eyes, she reviewed the papers like a model adjutant.

If I didn’t know she was a spy, I might’ve showered her with praise.

If she were just a regular spy, I might’ve tried to win her over by praising her work.

‘But this woman is Lucy Emilia.’

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Lucy absolutely despised traitors.

If I let slip my plans to defect and tried to befriend her, I’d probably end up dead.

…Honestly, she seemed completely unsuited for espionage. So why was she here?

I didn’t know, but my plan hadn’t changed.

Getting Lucy removed from my office was still my only path to safety.

‘The fastest way is…’

I needed to prove to the higher-ups that Lucy was incompetent and unfit for her position.

Luckily, she was currently reviewing documents.

I remembered how overwhelmed I’d been when I first started, just trying to make sense of the military jargon.

Lucy was bound to make the same mistakes.

I’ll make sure she experiences firsthand just how terrifying a superior officer can be.

Go ahead and look forward to it, Lucy Emilia. I’ll nitpick your work so much that you’ll want to quit voluntarily.

With that devilish thought, I flashed a smirk and picked up a book to pass the time while Lucy reviewed the documents.

Four hours later, Lucy approached my desk and placed the stack of files down.

“I’ve finished reviewing them, Captain Daniel Steiner.”

What? Already?

It was enough paperwork to take at least eight hours. She’d finished far too quickly.

‘As expected. You’re just another rookie.’

There was no way she hadn’t missed something.

I took the files and flipped through them, preparing to point out errors—only to find myself stunned.

Lucy’s review was flawless.

She hadn’t just verified the accuracy of the data—she’d checked feasibility, resource allocation, risk management, and legal and ethical compliance.

She’d even evaluated whether the requests aligned with the higher-ups’ intentions.

To top it off, she’d calculated the projected outcomes of each operation, included numerical assessments, and created summary tables for easy comprehension.

Frankly, it was perfect.

So perfect that I couldn’t find a single flaw to criticize.

Even after going through the other files, it was the same.

“Hm…”

Unable to find fault, I gave a reluctant nod.

“Impressive.”

“Thank you, sir. In that case—”

“Not so fast. There’s one more.”

I opened a drawer and pulled out another stack of files.

“These are classified Level-2 documents. Read through them and report back to me.”

“Sir? But it’s already—”

“I won’t accept any objections. Finish them before I return.”

Without waiting for a response, I left Lucy alone in the office.

*****

I headed straight for the operations room.

There, I planned to monitor Lucy using the CCTV feed installed in my office.

The documents I’d given her contained highly sensitive information—troop deployment plans and unit movements.

If she was a spy, she wouldn’t be able to resist tampering with them.

Once I caught her, I’d report her to Ernst and finally get rid of her.

‘This time, the plan has to work.’

Confident, I entered the operations room.

“Oh? Captain Daniel Steiner!”

“Sir! I saw the newspaper! Another major accomplishment yesterday, I hear.”

I acknowledged the soldiers and junior officers with a few nods before knocking on Ernst’s door.

“Ah, Captain Daniel? Come in.”

When I entered, Ernst was packing up for the day, which caught me off guard.

After exchanging salutes, I asked, “Sir, are you heading home?”

“Yes. It’s a light day, and I have an appointment with a Royal Court official.”

Terrible timing. But I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away, so I spoke with determination.

“Apologies for interrupting, sir, but could you watch the CCTV feed from my office with me?”

“For what reason?”

“You’ll understand when you see it, sir. I know you’re eager to meet with the official, but I’d appreciate just a moment of your time.”

Ernst looked even more confused but eventually sighed.

“You do realize home is more peaceful when my wife isn’t there, right?”

“…?”

Seeing my blank expression, Ernst laughed.

“Don’t tell my wife I said that. Anyway… fine. If it’s that important, let’s take a look.”

He pointed to the monitors displaying feeds from various offices—a security measure to guard against spies.

New recruits wouldn’t even know the cameras existed since they were hidden.

“I don’t know what you’re hoping to show me, but I’ll humor you.”

I nodded and stepped up to the monitors with Ernst.

We focused on the feed showing my office—where Lucy was diligently reviewing the documents.

Twenty minutes passed without any suspicious activity.

Just as I began to think it might be a wasted effort, Lucy put down her pen and stared at my desk.

‘Is she about to steal more classified files?’

I’d seen her check the drawers earlier, so it seemed plausible.

But instead of moving, Lucy simply parted her lips.

Unable to make out what she said, I turned to Ernst.

“Sir, could we rewind and zoom in on that moment?”

“Of course.”

Ernst replayed the footage, zooming in to clarify her words.

“Should I kill him?”

Seeing her mouth those words made my skin crawl. I instinctively covered my mouth to stop myself from shouting.

Meanwhile, Ernst chuckled.

“This is your fault, Daniel. You gave her so much work that she’s venting her frustration. Honestly, that workload would overwhelm any rookie.”

Not knowing Lucy was a spy, Ernst took it as an innocent complaint rather than a death threat.

But I knew better.

Sweating profusely, I forced a nod.

“…I’ll make sure to be more considerate next time.”

For the sake of my survival, I’d just have to handle the work myself from now on.

Ernst, on the other hand, seemed to come to a completely different conclusion.

‘He wanted to show me how hardworking his subordinate is. Who knew Daniel could be so human?’

Pleased by what he saw as a touching display of pride, Ernst gave a satisfied nod.

‘With such dedication to his team, Daniel Steiner is bound to become an excellent leader.’

Unaware of my internal panic, Ernst smiled warmly.

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