There were no signs of riots or protests in Nordia.
More than that, it was completely peaceful.
Looking out the window of the office, I could even see a few citizens smiling and chatting with the garrison soldiers on patrol.
‘…Shouldn’t they be scared of us?’
It had already been fifteen days since I was appointed as the interim garrison commander.
And yet, not even a hint of trouble had occurred, leaving feeling sowhat deflated.
I shifted my gaze away from the scenery outside and examined the file I held in my hand.
It was the “Garrison Satisfaction Survey” that Lucy had handed this morning.
《Garrison Satisfaction Survey Statistics》
Sample Group: 100 citizens surveyed from each district of the city.
Respondents: Approximately 5,700 people.
Question: What do you think of the garrison’s urban planning?
• Frequency Analysis
Doing very well – 2,365 (41.5%)
Doing well – 1,254 (22%)
Unsure (need to observe further) – 684 (12%)
Disappointing – 855 (15%)
Very disappointing – 542 (9.5%)
Note: All surveys were conducted by local collaborators, not garrison soldiers, to ensure objectivity.
The first ti I saw it, I thought I must have misread it.
After all, the statistics showed that 63.5% of the city’s population supported the garrison.
It was also an indicator that violent protests or riots were unlikely to occur.
‘I wonder what the General Staff Headquarters will think when they read this report…’
I let out a sigh, but there was no denying the reality presented by the data.
Turning away from the window, I tossed the file onto my desk and slumped into my chair.
Half-resigned, I leaned back against the chair’s backrest and looked over at Lucy.
Just like when we were at the General Staff Headquarters, Lucy was seated at a desk in the corner of the office, buried in paperwork.
Seeing how focused she was, with no attention spared for , I felt a small sense of relief.
‘And besides…’
It had already been fifteen days since my promotion and appointnt as interim commander, yet no assassination attempts had been made. That likely ant the Allied Nations hadn’t given any orders yet.
Given how little had gone according to plan, this was a rare piece of good news.
Still, I kept my guard up, watching as Lucy finished her paperwork and stretched briefly.
Raising her arms and letting out a soft groan, Lucy lowered her arms with a sigh.
She stared blankly ahead with sleepy eyes, then turned to look at , perhaps sensing my gaze.
Our eyes t unintentionally.
While I broke into a nervous sweat, Lucy blinked her red eyes a couple of tis.
“...Major? Did you need sothing?”
What excuse could I give? After a quick ntal scramble, I replied as casually as I could.
“Did you finish your work?”
“Yes. I still have a few docunts to handle this afternoon, but it’s not much.”
“That’s good. Make sure to get plenty of rest once you’re done. You’ve worked hard supporting lately.”
“I have worked hard. Unlike you, Major, I spent most of my ti moving around in the field.”
She’s not even trying to deny it.
“Anyway, it looks like you’ll have so ti to rest today too, Major.”
“Ah, right. I was actually thinking of visiting Nordia’s famous dessert shop today…”
As soon as I said it, I realized my mistake.
Lucy’s eyes lit up with a sparkle.
Co to think of it, she really enjoyed parfaits back at the capital.
That look—she was definitely waiting for to invite her along.
After a brief silence, I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“…If you’re interested, would you like to co with ?”
“Desserts aren’t really to my taste, but if you’re inviting , Major, I suppose I can’t refuse.”
Huh? Seriously?
She ate that parfait so enthusiastically before, and now she’s pretending otherwise? How shaless.
Raising an eyebrow, I said,
“Then I’ll just go alone. I wouldn’t want to interrupt my adjutant’s break.”
Lucy’s fingertips twitched slightly.
Her expression remained as impassive as ever, but her actions betrayed a hint of disappointnt.
Still, I had no intention of offering again.
Feigning indifference about desserts was practically an insult to them.
“But if my adjutant were to admit that she likes desserts, then that would be a different story.”
Lucy’s eyes wavered slightly, as if she were debating her next move.
In the end, however, she chose her pride, secretly clenching her fist.
“…I don’t like them.”
So that’s how she wants to play it.
Feeling a sudden surge of stubbornness, I decided to show off.
“The dessert I’m going to have today is an éclair. Have you heard of choux pastry dough? It’s made with water, butter, flour, and eggs as the base ingredients. When baked, it puffs up lightly.”
“……”
“When it cos out of the oven, it already slls delicious. The savory flavor fills your mouth. But if it stopped there, it would just be bread, not dessert. The essence lies elsewhere.”
I leaned slightly toward Lucy.
“Once the choux pastry is baked, it’s filled with rich vanilla cream. Then, it’s topped with a thick chocolate glaze. Can you imagine how that tastes?”
Lucy swallowed audibly.
At that reaction, I snapped my fingers.
“Sounds amazing, right? The smooth cream and the savory dough blend perfectly, dancing on your taste buds. And with chocolate on top? Even an atheist would praise the heavens after tasting it.”
“……”
“Of course, no matter how much I explain, you won’t really understand until you taste it yourself. But I can’t force you. After all, you’re soone who ‘doesn’t like desserts,’ aren’t you?”
I prodded her one last ti, and her lips twitched slightly.
I thought I was about to see her surrender when—
Ring ring—
The telephone in the office rang, interrupting the mont between us.
Wondering who it was, I picked up the receiver.
“This is the interim garrison commander speaking.”
A nervous voice ca through the receiver.
—“Commander! This is Lieutenant McCall! I’m calling to report sothing strange we found while patrolling the ruined munitions factory.”
Sothing strange? My curiosity piqued, I pressed for details.
“Explain in more detail.”
—“Yes, sir! We discovered what appears to be an underground base built beneath the factory. It seems to be so sort of research facility, but… you’ll need to see it in person to understand the layout.”
An enemy research facility?
Why would they hide sothing like that?
Frowning, I nodded to myself.
“I’ll co check it out personally. Stop the search and wait for at the entrance.”
After hearing McCall’s acknowledgnt, I hung up the phone.
When I stood up, Lucy pretended to be busy with her work, her lips pressed tightly together.
It looked like she had been about to admit defeat but missed the timing and decided to stick with her pride instead.
I stared at her for a mont before walking toward the door.
“They say the éclairs are made by a master baker… must be delicious.”
I caught Lucy clenching her teeth.
Enjoying her reaction, I stepped out the door—but after counting to three, I turned back and re-entered the office, standing in front of her.
“This is your last chance. Are you really not coming to the dessert shop?”
Lucy seed to struggle internally for a mont. Then she half-closed her eyes and looked down.
“…I’d like to.”
“What was that? Speak properly.”
After taking a short breath, Lucy finally parted her lips.
“…I want to go.”
Only then did I nod in satisfaction.
“You should’ve been honest from the start. I’ll tell you the location, so let’s go together after work.”
“…Understood.”
Lucy’s voice was small, and her face had turned slightly red.
She really was fun to tease.
But I reminded myself not to push too far.
—Because that could actually get killed.
And I wasn’t joking.
*****
Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
Operations Deputy Chief’s Office.
Knock, knock—
At the sound of knocking, Cedric Bendel put down the docunt he had been reading and looked up.
“Co in.”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a warm deanor entered.
It was Colonel Ernst Bark, the head of the Operations Staff Departnt.
Ernst walked to the center of the room and saluted.
Although Ernst usually maintained friendly relations with his superiors and often skipped formalities, he found it impossible to do so in front of the Operations Deputy Chief.
Sothing about those crow-like eyes staring at him sent a chill down his spine.
“Deputy Chief, I’m here to make a report.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve visited my office. What’s the matter?”
“Ah, I wanted to speak with you about Major Daniel Steiner.”
Daniel Steiner. Cedric had already heard about his remarkable performance in the north.
After all, it was Cedric himself who had appointed Daniel as the interim garrison commander.
However, assigning a newly promoted major to such a critical position may have been a mistake.
‘Ruling is always more difficult than conquering.’
That’s why Ernst had likely co to report incidents or accidents that had occurred in Nordia.
“Did sothing happen in Nordia? A civilian uprising or violent unrest, perhaps?”
“…No, sir. According to the telegram, the majority of Nordia’s citizens are satisfied with the garrison’s urban planning. Intelligence even suggests that so residents claim life has improved compared to before the occupation.”
Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise.
It wasn’t often that Ernst saw Cedric this taken aback.
“They’ve… stabilized public order?”
And in just fifteen days since appointing him as interim garrison commander?
Stunned by such an unexpected achievent, Cedric remained silent for a mont before letting out a dry laugh.
“Well, it seems I’ve underestimated Daniel Steiner.”
No matter how talented soone was, prolonged ti on the battlefield inevitably wore them down.
Cedric had assud Daniel Steiner was experiencing the sa hardships.
Yet, considering his stellar performance, it seed Daniel was far from exhausted—if anything, he was thriving.
‘He’s acting as if the frontlines are his own backyard.’
Raising his evaluation of Daniel Steiner by another level, Cedric spoke.
“We need to quickly select a permanent garrison commander and dispatch them to Nordia.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Ernst blinked in confusion.
“Deputy Chief? Is there really a need to rush? Major Daniel Steiner is seamlessly integrating the occupied territory into Imperial control…”
“You’re too short-sighted. Do you really think Daniel Steiner will be satisfied with a re garrison commander position?”
Cedric’s hollow, dark eyes grew even colder.
“He’s looking much higher. He’s waiting for the Empire to entrust him with a mission of far greater importance.”
Watching the sweat form on Ernst’s forehead, Cedric’s lips curled into a chilling smile.
“And I intend to grant him that wish.”
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