Daniel’s return to the capital was decided swiftly after capturing Morten’s subordinates operating in the underground of the commercial district.

Abandoning his leave, Daniel notified the General Staff of his intent to return immediately.

Respecting his decision, the General Staff arranged a train for his return. Two days later, Daniel had completed preparations to leave his hometown.

“Daniel? Didn’t you say you’d be staying here for at least a month?”

At the entrance of the monastery, Hieroni, the abbot, gazed at Daniel with concern as he came to bid farewell.

It pained him to see Daniel cut his leave short and head back to the capital without even enjoying his break.

Daniel, too, had hoped to spend more time leisurely in his hometown, but after apprehending a traitor, returning quickly was inevitable.

‘The Crown Prince’s faction must already see me as a core member of the Princess’s camp...’

Even if it wasn’t intentional, the fact that he led the capture of Morten’s subordinates was enough to draw suspicion from the Crown Prince’s supporters.

Staying and enjoying his leave now would be no different from painting a target on his back, begging to be killed.

“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up at the capital.”

Of course, there was no need to explain this to Hieroni, who was practically his mentor.

Daniel smiled as if nothing were wrong and pulled an envelope of money from his coat.

“Please take this. I’ve added some of my reward money to my salary.”

Hieroni’s eyes widened as he checked the thickness of the envelope.

“Daniel! Just having you visit the monastery during your leave was a blessing from God, but this much money? I can’t accept it! Please, use it for yourself.”

“Abbot, donating this to the monastery is the same as using it for myself.”

Despite Daniel’s gentle tone, Hieroni firmly refused.

“The monastery is more than capable of feeding the children without your help. I can’t bring myself to take money from you when you’re already working so hard.”

“Oh? Then this money is unnecessary and should be burned.”

“Daniel. Don’t joke about something so ridiculous...”

Hieroni trailed off as Daniel casually pulled a lighter from his coat and sparked a flame.

A thin smile curved Daniel’s lips as he raised the envelope over the fire.

“Abbot, you know I’m someone who follows through on my words. If you don’t take this money right now, I will burn it.”

Hieroni swallowed nervously.

Surely, he wouldn’t actually burn that much money?

But as Daniel’s hand lowered further, the edge of the envelope began to singe.

Panicked, Hieroni lunged forward and snatched the envelope away.

Shouting in alarm, Hieroni scolded, “Daniel! Are you planning to trample on the goodwill of those who gave you this money?!”

“I was. But since you took it, that won’t happen now.”

“W-What… Ah.”

Only then did Hieroni realize he’d been completely outmaneuvered. His face went blank with disbelief.

Seeing this, Daniel chuckled softly.

Snapping out of it at the sound of Daniel’s laughter, Hieroni furrowed his brows.

“...Daniel. Do you find this kind of cruel prank amusing?”

“I’m sorry, but I had no other choice. If I hadn’t resorted to this, you wouldn’t have accepted the money.”

“Honestly. You haven’t changed one bit...”

Hieroni sighed deeply and nodded in resignation.

“Fine. If this is truly your wish, I’ll use it for the children.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear. Then, I’ll take my leave now.”

“So soon? I wish you’d come inside for at least a cup of tea...”

“I’d love to, but I need to catch the train. As you can see, the cab driver is already waiting.”

Following Daniel’s gaze, Hieroni saw a man leaning against a car, wearing suspenders.

The man, an Asian in appearance, removed his fedora and bowed respectfully when their eyes met.

Puzzled, Hieroni remarked, “An Asian cab driver? I don’t think I’ve seen him around here before...”

Was he recently hired? Blinking in uncertainty, Hieroni nodded.

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you any longer if you’re pressed for time. Daniel, we’ll be praying for you here, so don’t hesitate to return if things get too difficult.”

“I will. Thank you.”

With a smile, Daniel turned and walked toward the cab.

The moment he stepped inside, his expression hardened.

Settling into the back seat, he looked toward the driver.

“Take me to the nearest train station.”

Acknowledging the command, the driver started the engine, while Daniel leaned back into his seat.

His mind drifted to the chaos unfolding in the capital.

‘The person who’ll react fastest to Morten’s capture will be Duke Belvar.’

Duke Belvar was the head of one of the Empire’s oldest noble families and the Minister of the Court.

A staunch defender of imperial legitimacy, he firmly believed the Crown Prince was the rightful heir.

If Morten acted as the Crown Prince’s shadowy left hand, then Duke Belvar was undoubtedly his right hand in the light.

That damned obsession with legitimacy kept him opposing the Princess even when the Crown Prince’s defeat was nearly certain.

That’s why Daniel had only informed the Princess’s inner circle about the incriminating documents seized during Morten’s arrest.

The goal was to mislead Duke Belvar into thinking Morten had burned the documents before his capture and that no evidence remained.

It was all about buying time.

‘I need to keep revealing this information as my last resort.’

Releasing it prematurely would mean losing a valuable bargaining chip.

Worse, it could trigger a backlash, solidifying enemy alliances through public opinion.

‘I have to use this information selectively to sow division from within...’

That was the only way to survive this messy and violent succession struggle.

Daniel exhaled slowly inside the moving cab.

Loosening his tie, he gazed out the window, his face clouded with exhaustion.

‘How did things end up like this...?’

He’d planned to spend his time playing with the monastery children, enjoying meals at Jack’s Restaurant, and taking leisurely walks.

Instead, he found himself reluctantly drawn into the Princess’s camp, scrambling to stay alive.

‘Who the hell wiped out the Crown Prince’s secret organization and dumped the blame on me?’

Unable to make sense of it, Daniel narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

Noticing Daniel’s expression through the rearview mirror, the cab driver smirked faintly.

‘Judging by that satisfied look, it seems our gift suits him well.’

Daniel Steiner was bound to climb even higher.

As the dark prophet leading the black tide.

*****

Meanwhile, at Duke Belvar’s mansion—

“Morten was captured?”

Belvar’s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing the news from the south.

An organization that had operated in complete secrecy for the past three years was dismantled overnight. His shock was understandable.

But this was no time to be reeling.

“What about classified information? Has it been exposed that Dawn’s Light was acting under the Crown Prince’s orders?”

Belvar’s confidant and informant, Basson, shook his head.

“There’s no word of it yet. It seems the investigation is still ongoing.”

“That’s a small relief, at least. But it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. So, who exactly captured Morten?”

“…It was Major Daniel Steiner.”

Daniel Steiner.

The moment he heard that name, Belvar felt lightheaded and clutched his forehead.

“That damned bastard. He’s finally revealing his true colors.”

It wasn’t uncommon for war heroes to use their fame as a springboard into politics.

Belvar had assumed Daniel was aiming to secure his own rise by backing the Princess as Empress.

But Daniel was different from ordinary war heroes.

“He acted as if he had no interest in politics right up until the moment he arrested Morten…”

Daniel had avoided political meetings and refused interviews, maintaining a façade of disinterest.

When he took an extended leave during the most critical point of the succession struggle, even Belvar had wondered if Daniel truly had no political ambitions.

“But it was all a deception…”

To have misled everyone so thoroughly and then apprehended Dawn’s Light—it was clear Daniel had been preparing for this for a long time.

Realizing that he’d been dancing in the palm of Daniel Steiner’s hand made Belvar seethe with rage.

Yet no matter how cunning and meticulous the man was, he had to have a weakness.

“Kartman Schultz…”

Just recently, Kartman Schultz, Chief Inspector of the Security Bureau, had visited Belvar’s estate.

He’d claimed that Daniel Steiner might be colluding with spies.

At the time, Belvar dismissed it as nonsense, given the lack of evidence.

But now, Belvar couldn’t afford to ignore even the faintest glimmer of hope.

“Contact the Security Bureau and tell Kartman Schultz this—The Minister of the Court will personally cover his back, so he’d better find proof that Daniel Steiner is colluding with spies!”

Basson bowed his head and exited the room to carry out the order.

Once his confidant was gone, Belvar furiously hurled the wine glass he had been holding.

Crash!

The shattered glass scattered across the floor, and the red wine spread out like blood.

Glaring at the spill, Belvar clenched his fist tightly.

“Daniel Steiner…! A mere orphan like you dares to manipulate this Empire?”

Belvar didn’t believe Daniel’s ultimate goal was simply to make the Princess Empress.

His instincts screamed otherwise.

There was something darker—something far more sinister—lurking beneath Daniel’s ambitions.

But it was precisely because he couldn’t grasp the depths of Daniel’s plans that Belvar was afraid.

His trembling hand betrayed his fear, but he quickly suppressed it, closing his eyes tightly.

“The Empire my ancestors built and defended…”

He would never hand it over to a mongrel like Daniel Steiner.