I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 144

Daniel wasn’t the type to bask in fame built on misunderstandings.

In fact, he was ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the kind of man who deeply disliked drawing any more attention than necessary.

Which was why he desperately tried to explain that the incident in the hotel lobby had nothing to do with him.

When one of the officers, clearly in awe, started asking questions to file a report, Daniel adamantly denied everything.

“I told you—I didn’t do it! I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!”

But no one believed him.

From every angle, all the evidence pointed to Daniel Steiner as the one responsible.

Later, when it was revealed that the thirty dead were Allied spies, the mayor of the city personally came to express his gratitude.

Even then, Daniel suppressed his frustration and tried to explain.

“Mr. Mayor, if I really did this, why would I deny it? Yes, I do have Neural Acceleration abilities, but I don’t have the physical strength to take on thirty trained operatives. Please, I beg you—at the very least, understand that I wasn’t the one behind this.”

Daniel had hoped the mayor would take the lead in clearing up the misunderstanding.

Instead, the mayor handed him a plaque of appreciation.

Emblazoned on it, in bold letters: Savior of Erestiom.

Daniel felt like he was going to lose his mind.

So he decided—at the very stage the mayor had prepared for a public address—to reveal the truth once and for all.

“Citizens of Erestiom! You are all mistaken about me! I’m not some brilliant soldier capable of defeating thirty Allied spies!”

At the rally, packed with Erestiom citizens, Daniel did everything he could to convince them he wasn’t the one responsible.

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The next day, the local newspaper’s front page headline read:

"The Humble War Hero: Colonel Daniel Steiner."

The article was filled with praise for the colonel’s modesty, despite his incredible achievements.

Eventually, Daniel gave up trying to clear his name.

When the day finally came to leave the city—

“Colonel Daniel Steiner! On behalf of the city, I thank you once again!”

“What exactly did I do, though...”

“Haha! I hope our citizens can learn a thing or two from your humility!”

“No seriously—what did I do...”

“Understood! I won’t make you any more uncomfortable.”

Daniel shook the mayor’s hand and boarded the train amid the cheers of countless citizens.

A little while later, in the passenger car, Daniel turned away from the window where Erestiom was growing distant.

Freyen had stepped away for a moment, leaving Lucy alone, seated across from him.

When their eyes met, Lucy blinked at him innocently.

“Colonel? Do you have something to say?”

That innocent reaction—somehow—it just rubbed him the wrong way.

Daniel had a strong hunch that it was Lucy who had slaughtered the thirty spies.

But why?

Why would Lucy massacre fellow Allied agents—people from her own side?

Thinking it was dangerous to ask outright, Daniel put on a forced smile and asked casually:

“Lieutenant, would you say you trust me?”

“For the most part, yes.”

“Then do you believe I wasn’t the one who caused the massacre in the hotel lobby?”

“If that’s what you say, then I believe you.”

“Good. Then what were you doing at the time, Lieutenant?”

Her red eyes slowly closed, then opened again.

“As I said before, I was in the hotel lounge.”

“So you had nothing to do with the incident in the lobby?”

“That’s how I would phrase it, yes.”

Her attempt to dodge the question made Daniel even more annoyed.

He tapped his fingers on the table and spoke again.

“Whoever it was, thanks to them I’ve now got a scandal on my hands. It’s already made the local paper, so it’s only a matter of time before it reaches the Capital. Don’t you think?”

“I’d say it’s more a ‘fame’ than a ‘scandal.’”

“...You’re really not going to let me win a single word, huh.”

“I’d say I’m simply stating the facts.”

Look at that unbothered expression.

How could someone shift the blame onto another and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it?

Daniel was shocked—but in some ways, he could understand Lucy’s stance.

The Allied spies were probably here to kill me, after all.

From an objective standpoint, there was only one person at the hotel who made sense as a target: Daniel Steiner.

Whatever the reason, Lucy stopped them.

That thought made him see her in a slightly different light.

Gazing at Lucy, Daniel quietly said:

“...I just wanted to say thank you.”

For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Lucy’s usually expressionless red eyes.

Daniel, receiving no reply, simply watched her in silence, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“I don’t know who did it... but I felt like I ought to say thanks.”

As Lucy hesitated to answer, the train entered a tunnel.

Sunlight vanished, and shadows filled the cabin, broken only by the occasional flash of yellow light from the overhead bulbs.

“......”

“......”

Even in the shadows, Lucy’s crimson eyes gleamed faintly with light.

No, perhaps her blood-colored irises could only shine because of the darkness.

But Daniel didn’t want Lucy to live in that darkness.

He wished she would be just a little more honest with herself—maybe even reveal her true feelings to others now and then.

Thinking that, Daniel couldn’t help but smirk bitterly to himself.

“Pathetic. Thinking like this about a spy from an enemy nation...”

Maybe, just maybe, part of him felt sympathy for her after learning she was a test subject.

Or maybe it was simply the result of spending nearly a year together—some kind of emotional attachment.

Clunk—

The familiar, stubborn sound of the train wheels hitting a rail joint echoed through the cabin.

As if snapped from her own thoughts by the noise, Lucy lowered her gaze.

A faint flush rose in her ears. After a short silence, she finally spoke.

“If the one who helped you heard those words, Colonel...”

Before she could finish, the train exited the tunnel.

Sunlight poured in, revealing a pastoral view of open fields and blooming greenery.

Against that backdrop, Lucy raised her eyes and looked at Daniel.

“I’m sure...”

She hesitated for a moment—then offered a smile that felt genuine.

“I think they’d be happy to hear it.”

Her crimson eyes no longer gleamed in the light.

But the smile that bloomed in place of that glow was more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen.

****

Eastern Front – 7th Magitek Armored Division, Field HQ

“Sir! We’ve received reports that an enemy infantry brigade has joined their armored division. And according to intercepted communications from Intelligence, the enemy is preparing to advance toward this position!”

Inside the command tent, Division Commander Mordon scowled as his staff reported the situation.

This isn’t good. Not at all...

If the enemy’s armored division had really linked up with infantry and planned to push the front line, Mordon couldn’t say for sure whether they could hold the position.

To make matters worse, their previous Chief of Staff had recently collapsed due to a chronic illness.

With time running short, Mordon had no idea how to respond.

Furrowing his brow and fidgeting with his command baton, he snapped irritably,

“When the hell is the new Chief of Staff supposed to arrive? He should’ve been here two days ago!”

A staff officer from Intelligence answered cautiously.

“According to the latest report, sir, his train was delayed by a landslide en route.”

Mordon already knew that.

But he vented anyway—because, deep down, he resented the rising war hero Daniel Steiner and wanted to undercut him however he could.

“Pathetic. I suppose that’s what you get from an orphan.”

Mordon came from an aristocratic family.

So the fact that Daniel Steiner—an orphan—had climbed the ranks to become a full colonel at such a young age, even serving as Chief of Staff on the front lines, rubbed him the wrong way.

No, it wasn’t just dislike—it was visceral, borderline offensive.

Mordon didn’t have his finger on the pulse of every rumor in the capital, but he knew all the big stories.

And many of those “big stories” involved Daniel Steiner.

Arrogant bastard. He’s even made enemies of the nobility without a second thought.

To Mordon, Daniel Steiner was a man who didn’t know his place.

Clicking his tongue openly, Mordon made a comment designed to dig into him.

“Must be nice. While we’re stuck out here in the field, he’s probably lounging in a city somewhere using a landslide as an excuse to take it easy.”

But no one else agreed.

And just when Mordon was beginning to notice the odd silence, the intelligence officer spoke up again.

“Sir... According to recent intel, Colonel Daniel Steiner was caught in an assassination attempt in Erestiom—carried out by Allied spies.”

This was news to Mordon, and he coughed awkwardly.

“Assassination? He didn’t die, did he?”

Whatever his personal feelings, Mordon didn’t want Daniel dead.

They were short on competent staff officers, and right now, they needed every capable mind they could get.

“Well, um...”

The officer hesitated before continuing.

“He reportedly killed all the Allied spies himself. Approximately thirty of them.”

A stunned silence filled the command tent. Mordon and the entire staff blinked, stunned.

The number alone—thirty assassins—was staggering. But that Daniel had supposedly taken them all down was even more shocking.

Still, Mordon tried to rationalize it and dismissed it with forced nonchalance.

“Must’ve been his escort company. I hear they’re quite capable.”

Clearly trying to downplay Daniel’s achievement, but the intelligence officer shook his head.

“No, sir. From what I’ve heard, Colonel Steiner fought them alone. According to the local police inspector, the hotel lobby was soaked in blood—thirty bodies—and Colonel Steiner was the only one left standing.”

The murmurs in the command tent faded into absolute stillness.

A heavy silence settled over the room, filled with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Still gauging Mordon’s expression, the intelligence officer continued in a quieter voice.

“Apparently, Colonel Steiner didn’t suffer a single scratch. Some of the spies are even said to have killed themselves—driven to terror and despair just from facing him.”

Sweat began to bead on Mordon’s forehead as he instinctively raised a hand to rub his neck.

“Well...”

His eyes trembled as he swallowed hard and finally spoke.

“Let’s... not mention those things I said about Colonel Steiner earlier, alright? Please.”

Because in that moment, preserving his pride mattered far less than protecting his own life.