After spending the entire afternoon playing with the children, Daniel decided to leave the monastery in the evening.

Despite the abbot Hieroni and the children pleading with him to stay the night, Daniel firmly refused.

He had already arranged separate accommodations and mentioned he had another place to visit that evening.

Hieroni, who had a good idea of where Daniel might be headed, didn’t press him further.

 

Daniel’s destination was Jack’s Restaurant, a small establishment located in the center of town.

Its exterior appeared run-down, but the place was always bustling with customers, a sign of its enduring popularity.

‘This place hasn’t changed. It really feels like I’m back home.’

Daniel had fond memories of this place.

Back in his rebellious teenage years, when he had run away from the stifling life at the monastery, Jack—the restaurant’s owner—had always welcomed him with a warm smile.

Lost in nostalgia, Daniel stared at the restaurant’s weathered wooden sign before stepping inside.

 

The interior was as lively as ever.

Servers bustled back and forth, shouting orders as plates clattered and glasses clinked.

“Yes! Coming right up!”
“Sausages and pretzels? Got it! Please wait just a moment!”
“Fried potatoes and a beer over here!”

Even after so many years, the atmosphere remained as vibrant as he remembered.

Careful not to get in the way of the busy staff, Daniel quietly made his way to an empty table and sat down.

After removing his uniform cap and placing it on the table, one of the waitresses approached with a notepad.

“Welcome to Jack’s Restaurant! It’s been a while since we’ve had an officer like—”

She froze mid-sentence when she saw Daniel’s face.

Blinking several times in disbelief, the freckled waitress suddenly shouted.

“Daniel? Daniel, is that you?! Oh my God! I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Her name was Nemelim, a girl Daniel had practically grown up with at the monastery.

Her exaggerated reaction made Daniel smile as he responded.

“It’s been a while. I heard you left the monastery and started living on your own, so I stopped by to check on you. Looks like I had nothing to worry about—you’ve matured a lot in these two years.”

Nemelim let out a bright laugh, her excitement overflowing.

“You’ve changed too! You look sharper... and maybe a little more rugged? But in a good way! I’m so glad to see you again. Too bad Jack’s not here right now.”
“He’s not?”
“No, he left early. Apparently, he and his wife are doing so well that they’re planning on having their fourth child.”
“Their fourth? At his age?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow in disbelief, making Nemelim giggle behind her hand.

“Love doesn’t care about age, you know? Honestly, I think it’s kind of romantic.”
“Well... I guess I can’t argue with that.”
“Right? Anyway, you must be starving. What do you want to order? Actually, no—let me guess!”

Tapping her chin in thought, Nemelim suddenly snapped her fingers.

“Sausages and beer, right? I still remember you sneaking sausages when Jack wasn’t looking—and begging for a sip of beer when you saw the adults drinking.”
“That was years ago. Why are you still bringing that up?”
“Haha! You’re blushing, so I know it’s still you. I’ll bring it right out!”

As Nemelim hurried off to the kitchen, Daniel couldn’t help but smile at her boundless energy.

 

Just as Daniel was starting to relax, he noticed something strange.

A middle-aged man in a dark brown coat was approaching his table.

At first, Daniel thought the man was looking for an empty seat, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t the case.

The man was staring directly at him.

Without asking, the man sat down across from him, catching Daniel off guard.

‘Who the hell is this?’

Daniel’s confusion deepened as the man leaned in, glanced around nervously, and spoke.

“Major Daniel Steiner. I’ll get straight to the point. What was your intention in delivering that message at the monastery today?”

The man was Morten Blackmoor, the leader of Dawn’s Light, the secret organization operating under the prince.

Of course, Daniel had no way of knowing that.

‘The monastery? Who could it be?’

Apart from Hieroni and the children, the only other person Daniel had spoken to was a councilor.

‘One of the councilors? Did they take offense to my comments about supporting the monastery?’

Given the earlier tension about the orphanage budget, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption.

‘They think I pressured the council?’

Finding the misunderstanding absurd, Daniel let out a soft chuckle.

“It seems there’s been a miscommunication. I only meant to encourage cooperation—nothing more.”

Hearing the word cooperation, Morten’s eyebrow twitched.

In his mind, Daniel’s words sounded more like a veiled ultimatum—betray the prince and join me.

“Do you really think that’s possible?!”
“Oh, no need to overreact. It’s far from impossible.”

Morten gritted his teeth.

‘This bastard. He’s mocking us.’

He had hoped for a rational negotiation, but Daniel turned out to be far more arrogant and domineering than expected.

Slamming his hands on the table, Morten stood abruptly.

“This was a waste of time. Prepare for war, Steiner! No matter how powerful you are, we won’t back down!”

Watching Morten’s dramatic exit, Daniel’s lips curled upward.

‘War? He’s calling this a war?’

Politicians loved to exaggerate even the simplest issues.

To Daniel, arguing over budgets hardly qualified as war.

Leaning back in his chair, he waved a hand dismissively.

“If you want to call it that, I suppose I can humor you. But honestly...”

Morten, drenched in cold sweat, froze in place.

Daniel’s casual demeanor made it clear he wasn’t taking the threat seriously.

After letting out a short laugh, Daniel locked eyes with Morten and whispered:

“This isn’t a war.”

Morten felt his breath catch in his throat.

“It’s just a simple negotiation.”

Daniel’s voice was calm, but it slithered like a snake, sinking into Morten’s thoughts and unsettling him to his core.

The cold, calculating look in Daniel’s dark eyes felt like the abyss itself.

For a brief moment, Morten felt as if he might be swallowed whole.

Forcing himself to breathe, Morten stiffly turned and walked away.

As he passed Daniel, he heard the officer’s voice again.

“I don’t know why you chose to approach me like this...”

Morten stopped in his tracks.

“…But I sincerely hope you made the right choice.”

He didn’t dare look back.

Suppressing his rising panic, Morten clenched his jaw and stormed out of the restaurant.

*****

At the same time, deep in the underground headquarters of Dawn’s Light—

— Suspicious individuals are approaching in large numbers! Damn it! Who the hell are these bastards?!

The panicked voice crackled through the radio, freezing the hands of the agents operating the telegraphs.

— They’re covering their faces—identification is impossible. Wait, is that...?! Shit! Guns! They’re armed! Those sons of bitches! I told you not to lead them here!

As the frantic reports poured in, the agents hesitated, too stunned to respond.

But Mabel—the agent who had disguised himself as a councilor to monitor Daniel the previous day—clutched his head in terror.

“Daniel Steiner...! These must be his men! He’s come to wipe us out!”

Despite Mabel’s outburst, the others remained frozen, staring blankly at one another.

Then—

BANG!

The sharp crack of gunfire echoed from above, jolting everyone into action.

“Shit! We’ve been compromised! Burn everything!”
“Grab the guns! Defend the entrance!”

The agents sprang into motion, tossing classified documents into the fire while arming themselves.

Despite the chaos, Mabel crawled under a desk, shaking his head.

“It’s over... You idiots…”

These were Daniel Steiner’s forces.

Fighting them head-on was impossible.

Mabel trembled, his fear growing as another round of gunshots rang out above.

And then—

CRASH!

The iron door leading underground burst open.

A deafening silence followed as everyone turned toward the entrance, holding their breath.

The air grew heavy with tension.

“When’s the Chief Strategist coming back?!”
“We need someone to give orders!”

While the others anxiously exchanged glances, Mabel clenched his eyes shut and shouted.

“You morons! Don’t you get it yet?! This is exactly what Daniel Steiner planned! He lured the Chief Strategist outside to break our chain of command, and now he’s wiping us out!”

Morten had walked straight into the lion’s den—leaving them defenseless.

Realizing how perfectly they’d been set up, Mabel let out a broken sob.

Then—

Clink! Clink! Clink!

Three grenades rolled into the basement.

The agents scrambled behind desks, bracing for the explosions—

But nothing happened.

Instead—

Psssssh—

A soft hissing sound filled the room.

There was no visible smoke, only the faint scent of almonds.

One of the agents coughed and collapsed to the floor.

Mabel’s voice cracked in horror.

“Colorless... almond scent... Shit! It’s a sleep-paralysis gas! Don’t breathe—cough!”

Covering his nose and mouth with one hand, Mabel crawled desperately toward the emergency exit.

He had to get out.

But before he could move—

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of boots echoed down the stairs.

Armed soldiers in gas masks flooded into the room, quickly securing the area.

They struck down the remaining conscious agents with rifle butts, showing no hesitation.

The black man leading them stepped forward and gave a calm order.

“Knock them out and tie them up. Kill anyone who resists.”

Mabel’s vision blurred.

Gasping for air and choking on the gas, he collapsed onto the floor.

“This is all...”

Through his fading consciousness, he saw the black man approaching.

Raising his rifle, the man aimed the stock at Mabel.

“...for Daniel Steiner.”

With a sickening crack, everything went black.