After dinner, Kartman didn’t head home. Instead, he made his way to the Imperial Security Bureau.

Once inside the building, Kartman entered Division 5—the department responsible for intelligence gathering and espionage operations.

Noticing the footsteps, an analyst looked up and flinched when he saw Kartman, quickly standing from his desk.

“Inspector Kartman! Didn’t you say you were heading home?”
“Ah, well... about that—here, take this first.”

Kartman handed the analyst a cup of coffee.

Coffee? The analyst accepted it with a puzzled look, prompting Kartman to explain.

“I was on my way home when I suddenly got curious about something. You know me—I can’t sleep until I find answers.”

The analyst nodded hesitantly.

Kartman’s reputation for producing results within the Security Bureau was well-known.

“So, could you look into something for me?”
“What kind of investigation?”
“I need a list of military doctors who served on the Eastern Front and suffered eye injuries that resulted in aphasia. Focus on those with brown hair.”

The analyst took a sip of coffee and frowned.

“That’s all? You do realize the Eastern Front is currently operated by multiple field armies, right? There are seventeen corps under their command alone. You want me to check all of them?”
“I know it’s a hassle. That’s why I brought a bribe.”
“Inspector, would you agree to torture in exchange for a single cup of coffee?”

Kartman broke into a nervous sweat.

“Not one cup—one hundred. And for the record, I had no choice but to ask under less-than-ideal circumstances.”

With a sigh, the analyst reluctantly nodded.

“There’s probably a reason you’re asking. But it’s going to take a long time. We’ll also need cooperation from the Central Intelligence Department.”
“No problem. It’s not urgent.”

Shooting Kartman an exasperated look, the analyst sat down and began the search.

Watching him work, Kartman stroked his chin as he reflected on last night’s dinner.

‘I don’t want to suspect Captain Daniel Steiner... but still.’

It wouldn’t hurt to be certain.

*****

The next day.

Before heading to the staff office, Daniel entered his personal office to prepare—and as expected, Lucy was already there.

Naturally, she had taken off her wig and sunglasses.

“You’re here, Captain.”

The same dry, emotionless greeting as always.

It was almost hard to believe this was the same person who had set off explosives and leapt over walls the day before.

Feeling a bit put out, Daniel made his way to his desk and sat down.

“...Nothing unusual happened last night?”

He tried to sound casual as he opened a drawer, but Lucy didn’t even look at him. She was busy reviewing documents.

“I returned to my quarters immediately after work and rested.”
“Is that so? Meanwhile, I ran into a strange woman on my way to a dessert shop and ended up having a rough night.”
“Interesting.”

Her disinterest was so blatant that Daniel couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

He had been dragged around all day, missed out on dessert, and now she was acting like it had nothing to do with her.

Still glaring at Lucy, Daniel took out the day’s documents and began sorting them by importance.

While he was placing them in his bag, Lucy glanced at him and finally spoke.

“...How strange was this woman?”

Was she testing him?

After a brief hesitation, Daniel stood up and replied.

“She wore sunglasses indoors.”
“And?”
“She couldn’t speak properly—probably had aphasia. Her pride was ridiculous too. Even when I tried to help her, she refused multiple times. Honestly, I don’t know how she survives in society. What a tragic woman.”

Lucy fell silent and stared at him. Or rather, she glared.

“...”
“...”

The tension in the room was palpable.

Daniel cleared his throat and turned away, pretending to focus on his papers.

He could almost feel the heat of Lucy’s sharp gaze drilling into the back of his head.

The atmosphere turned ice-cold. My chances of being assassinated were rising by the second.

Sensing the danger, I cleared my throat and began walking toward the door.

“That’s enough small talk. We should head to the staff office. We can’t afford to be late.”
“...Understood.”

I left the office with Lucy and entered the staff room.

I was about to head straight to my desk when I stopped in my tracks.

The staff members were gathered around the central conference table, chattering excitedly.

“This is impressive.”
“Right? It’s surprisingly well-made for something so rushed.”
“And Personnel sure works fast. The article just came out yesterday…”

What the hell? Curious, I approached them.

“What’s everyone looking at?”

Captain Dengel, the operations support officer, was the first to turn around.

“Oh! Captain Daniel! The star of the poster is here!”
“Poster? What poster…”

I froze the moment I saw it.

It was a poster featuring me.

I was staring straight ahead, frowning, and pointing as if addressing the viewer.

Beneath the image, in bold letters, was the slogan: ‘Your Country Needs You!’

‘What the hell? Am I Uncle Sam now?’

Speechless, I clicked my tongue.

“Who made this? And why? That pose—I only did it to stop the reporters from taking pictures! How the hell did they turn that into a recruitment poster? This is ridiculous—”
“Captain, this was ordered directly by the Personnel Chief.”
“...My apologies. It’s brilliant. Absolutely perfect.”

I quickly adjusted my attitude, nodding in agreement.

Dengel chuckled at my reaction.

“Captain Daniel, I heard you’re already on the early promotion list. Are you sure you’re not working too hard? I never expected you to keep racking up achievements even after work hours.”

Another staff member chimed in.

“Captain Dengel, I doubt Captain Daniel is doing this for a promotion. He’s practically the embodiment of Imperial ideals—of course he’s working tirelessly to make the Empire even greater.”
“Ah, you’re right. I misspoke. Compared to Captain Daniel, my salaryman mindset is far too shallow.”

I wanted to scream that it was all because of a sunglasses-wearing lunatic who blew up a gang, but with Lucy standing right there, I couldn’t say a word.

Not that anyone would’ve believed me even if I did.

“You flatter me,” I said, feigning humility before making my escape.

I headed to my desk, pulled out a chair, and turned to Lucy.

“Lieutenant, do you have today’s paper?”
“Yes. Here you go.”

Taking the newspaper she handed me, I skimmed the front page to see what kind of nonsense the reporters had written—and why Personnel had turned me into a propaganda tool.

Sure enough, my photo dominated the front page.

‘Captain Daniel Steiner Strikes Again! Mafia Organization Destroyed!’

I felt a headache coming on.

Suppressing a groan, I read further.

‘Following his heroic act of saving Her Highness from a terrorist attack, Captain Daniel Steiner has once again made headlines with his incredible accomplishments. According to reliable sources, Captain Daniel single-handedly carried out a secret operation to eliminate the mafia organization plaguing the capital.’

I clenched my teeth and kept reading.

‘After his triumph, Captain Daniel humbly told the gathered citizens, “This wasn’t my doing alone. It was the result of everyone working together for the Empire.” His words left the crowd cheering in admiration.’

I felt my temples throbbing.

They had twisted my words and fabricated details to make me look like some patriotic saint.

Unable to read any more, I folded the newspaper and tossed it onto the corner of my desk.

Lucy, who had been watching me, spoke up.

“Thanks to you, Captain, several corrupt officials connected to the mafia have also been arrested. Most of them were accepting bribes to facilitate the mafia’s opium smuggling.”
“...Was that in the paper too?”

Lucy nodded, making me feel even more uneasy.

‘This is bad. If the higher-ups start getting ideas because of this…’

As if summoned by my thoughts, the door to the staff office burst open, and Ernst walked in.

“Daniel! Captain Daniel! Are you here!?”

He looked so excited that I wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard him.

But ignoring him wasn’t an option, so I stood and saluted.

“Ah! There you are!”

Ernst returned my salute and strode toward me.

“Captain Daniel! Congratulations! I just came from a meeting, and the Deputy Chief of Operations wants to see you when you have time. You know what that means, right?”

The Deputy Chief of Operations was the second most powerful person in the General Staff, just below the Chief himself.

Why the hell would someone like that want to meet me?

Unease crept down my spine.

“Captain Daniel.”

Lucy’s voice drew my attention.

She was smiling—rare for her—and said,

“It looks like you’re moving up the chain of command. Congratulations.”

She was probably just playing the role of a ‘loyal adjutant,’ but to me, that smile felt mocking.

“...Thanks,” I muttered, my voice dripping with reluctance.

I turned to the window, hoping to escape the suffocating tension.

Unlike my grim mood, the sunlight streaming through the glass bathed everything in beauty.

It was shaping up to be a hellish summer.