Early Morning

Lucy entered the tent at dawn.

“Captain Daniel Steiner. I have urgent news—”

She halted mid-sentence as her eyes fell on Daniel, who was lying on a cot near the edge of the tent.

His blanket was haphazardly draped over him, and his exhausted state was apparent.

It made sense. While the other soldiers and officers had taken the opportunity to rest upon reaching the forward outpost, Daniel had been dragged to the operations command center at the division commander’s orders and had only just returned.

‘That means…’

Right now, Daniel Steiner was completely defenseless.

After confirming the absence of anyone else in the tent, Lucy stepped closer.

She gazed down at him as he slept.

The Gukseon Medal pinned to the left side of his uniform glimmered faintly.

‘Daniel Steiner.’

The man in front of her had been building up a terrifying string of victories lately.

Even within the Allied Nations, interest in him was growing steadily.

Yet, no orders had come down to assassinate him.

Her mission from the Allied Nations remained simple: monitor Daniel Steiner closely and report his every move.

But when would he stop being a surveillance target and become an assassination target instead?

If the order came to kill him, Lucy would obey without hesitation.

Or at least, that was what she told herself.

Would she really be able to act without doubt?

Putting aside his dedication to the Empire, Daniel Steiner was an undeniably decent man.

He had shared his rations with her, lent her an umbrella, and even invited her to a dessert shop, claiming it was to share a hobby.

There was also the time she had disguised herself as a doctor—he had prevented the Security Bureau police from cornering her and getting her exposed.

She couldn’t deny she owed him.

And that small debt made her waver, no matter how slightly, under the burden of being a spy.

‘What if…’

What if they had met as ordinary people instead of a spy for the Allied Nations and an officer of the Empire?

Caught up in useless daydreams, Lucy shook her head firmly.

It was a foolish, unproductive thought.

She couldn’t afford to waver—not after the favor the Allied Nations had granted her.

No matter how good a man Daniel Steiner seemed, he was still an Imperial officer.

And those who strengthened the Empire were enemies of the Allied Nations—and enemies of her own personal grudge.

Memories of the past resurfaced, and Lucy clenched her fists before letting out a slow breath.

Feeling sorry for herself was pointless.

‘How pathetic.’

She didn’t need to overthink this. All she had to do was perform her duties as Daniel Steiner’s loyal adjutant until the next orders arrived.

Resolving herself, Lucy gave a small nod and turned to leave.

She was just about to step outside when she paused.

For some reason, the way Daniel’s blanket was carelessly draped over him bothered her.

Maybe it was her obsessive streak, or maybe it was something else entirely.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lucy leaned down and straightened the blanket, tucking it neatly over his chest.

Then, brushing her hands off lightly, she murmured,

“Sleep well.”

With that, she turned and left the tent.

It was only after Lucy had fully exited that Daniel’s eyes slowly opened.

Confirming that the tent was empty, he sat up abruptly, his breath coming out in short bursts.

‘…What the hell was that?’

The truth was, Daniel had already woken up earlier.

When he sensed someone approaching, he had barely cracked his eyes open to see Lucy standing over him. Terrified, he’d decided to keep pretending to sleep.

No real reason—he was just scared.

‘I’m still alive, right?’

Daniel ran his hand over his neck and sighed in relief when he found no injuries.

As he sat there regaining his composure, his senses snapped to attention.

The sound of two jeeps pulling up outside was quickly followed by the heavy footsteps of soldiers approaching.

‘What now?’

Before he could make sense of the situation, four soldiers entered the tent and split to either side.

Then a stocky figure stepped inside—Brigadier General Heinrich Schmidt.

“Oh. You’re already awake.”

Daniel jumped to his feet and saluted immediately.

“Brigadier General! To what do I owe the honor, sir?”

Heinrich chuckled as he returned the salute.

“Congratulations, Captain Steiner.”

“…Congratulations? For what, sir?”

“Your theory was spot on. We just received a report from the reconnaissance battalion a few hours ago—they’ve found the Kingdom’s underground tunnel network.”

The news hit Daniel like a hammer.

‘They found the tunnels? The very same day I suggested the theory?’

It wasn’t logically impossible, but the odds were nearly zero.

And yet, the Kingdom had indeed been using underground tunnels for supply runs, and the reconnaissance battalion had uncovered the network in a single night.

The absurdity of it all left Daniel momentarily dazed, but Heinrich waved him over.

“We’ll talk more on the way. Time is of the essence.”

“…Understood, sir.”

Still unable to fully process the situation, Daniel followed Heinrich out of the tent.

*****

18 Kilometers North

Daniel followed Heinrich to a forest clearing, 18 kilometers north of where the enemy’s supply battalion had been discovered.

The first thing he noticed after stepping out of the jeep was the soldiers of the Magic Mobile Corps Brigade.

Fully geared except for their backpacks, they stood motionless among the trees—like an army of iron statues.

Their intimidating presence sent a chill down his spine until Heinrich placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“There it is—the Kingdom’s underground tunnel you mentioned.”

Following Heinrich’s gaze, Daniel spotted a massive iron gate, wide open.

“We sent reconnaissance scouts to check it out. Turns out, this tunnel connects directly to the city. Incredible, isn’t it? If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve known it was there.”

Heinrich let out a hearty laugh, but Daniel was too stunned to respond.

He opened his mouth, about to object, when the distant thunder of artillery fire echoed from the division headquarters.

“It’s started.”

Heinrich removed his hand and turned to address the brigade’s soldiers.

“I just heard the goddess of victory call for us to charge! And I know you all heard it too! Didn’t you?!”

A faint smile spread across the soldiers’ faces.

It was terrifying.

“The Kingdom army joined hands with the vile Allied Nations to invade our lands and humiliate our fallen comrades! Remember their screams! Their suffering! Their shame!”

Stepping forward, Heinrich’s voice rose to a thunderous roar.

“Today, we will repay them a hundredfold! Rip open the bloated bellies of those gluttons who drank the blood of our brothers! Forward, elite soldiers of the Empire!”

The brigade erupted into deafening cheers and immediately began marching toward the underground tunnel.

Forming perfect lines, the soldiers advanced into the tunnel with mechanical precision—a testament to their rigorous training.

Watching the scene unfold, Daniel approached Heinrich.

“This is a diversionary attack. While the division advances on the front lines with artillery fire to draw the enemy’s attention, the tunnel will let us strike directly at the city…”

“A decisive victory,” Heinrich finished for him. “The Kingdom army has been hiding because they know they’d lose in a frontal battle. Once they realize Imperial forces have infiltrated the city, they’ll be paralyzed with fear.”

Daniel had to admit—the city’s fall was now only a matter of time.

It wasn’t the outcome he had envisioned, but as he watched the soldiers disappear into the tunnel, he felt a surprising sense of relief.

‘They won’t send a staff officer into the heart of enemy territory…’

Survival came first.

As long as he lived, he could figure out his next move.

Heinrich, however, seemed to notice Daniel’s gaze lingering on the soldiers and chuckled.

“Envious, aren’t you? A devoted officer like you must be itching to crush the enemy yourself. I was the same when I was your age.”

Not even close—but Daniel decided to play along.

“Of course, sir. But as a staff officer, I believe it’s just as important to protect our rear lines. I’ll have to leave the glory of the front line to the soldiers.”

“A commendable mindset. But if you wish, you don’t have to sit back and watch.” Heinrich’s smile turned sly. “In fact, you won’t have a choice.”

Wait—what?

Something about the conversation felt off, and Daniel gave Heinrich a wary look.

Beaming, Heinrich delivered the news as if it were a gift.

“The division commander ordered your entire headquarters unit to assist the Magic Mobile Corps in the city assault.”

“…Excuse me? With all due respect, sir, my company would be more of a hindrance than a help.”

“The division commander thought the same at first. But after speaking with you, he changed his mind completely.”

Heinrich leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone.

“Off the record, he called you a ‘bloodthirsty wolf.’”

Daniel’s jaw dropped.

“…I beg your pardon?”

“He said to let you loose and see how much damage you could do.”

“…You’re sure he meant me?”

“Absolutely. The division commander doesn’t hand out compliments lightly. Consider this an opportunity to prove yourself.”

Daniel was speechless.

How the hell had he earned a reputation like that?

But orders were orders, and there was no point in resisting.

Suppressing a sigh, Daniel turned to Heinrich.

“Sir… did he really call me a bloodthirsty wolf?”

“Haha! You like the nickname, huh? It was half a joke, but yes, he said it.”

Daniel groaned internally.

One thing was now abundantly clear—his life was spiraling further out of control.