Chapter 92: Remember the Hero's Resurrection
The next evening.
After finishing her duties for the day, Selvia headed to the art museum located within the Imperial Palace.
She had heard from the staff of the Lord Chamberlain that her father, whose illness had slightly subsided, had gone to the museum to view the portraits of his ancestors.
Hurrying her steps, Selvia entered the museum and saw her father standing silently before a large portrait of his great-grandfather.
“Father!”
As Selvia approached with a bright expression, Emperor Bertham turned his head.
Spotting his daughter, Bertham offered a faint smile.
“Selvia. You must be busy with matters of state. Should you be wasting your time on me?”
“If I considered looking after my father a waste of time, I would never become a wise ruler.”
“How sweet. Your charm seems to grow by the day.”
Bertham chuckled softly and said, “Well, since we're here, let's talk about what's been happening in the world. I hear much has occurred while I was bedridden these past few days.”
Recalling recent events, Selvia nodded without hesitation.
“We managed to avoid the worst. Not only was Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner's survival confirmed, but we were also able to strengthen the Empire's influence over Bellanos as a result.”
“I see. That is good news. But about this Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner...”
Bertham looked down at Selvia with a subtle, knowing gaze.
“According to the reports, he claims to have been gathering intelligence in Bellanos while he was stranded. Have you confirmed the details of this intelligence?”
“Not yet... He said he would report it after his return, due to concerns about communication intercepts.”
“He'll report it after his return, you say. How very meaningful.”
Selvia frowned at his subtly probing tone.
“Father. Are you still suspicious of Lieutenant Colonel Steiner?”
“And you, Selvia, wish for me not to be?”
“Of course, I...”
“Could you say such a thing before your great-grandfather?”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Feeling as though she were being scolded, Selvia fell silent.
Bertham looked down at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the portrait.
“We are the children of a usurper. You know full well how my grandfather seized the throne. He claimed legitimacy for the imperial line, but in the end, it was an act blinded by the pursuit of power.”
“Father...”
“I am afraid. Ever since the day I saw my grandfather's eyes in Daniel Steiner, I have not been able to sleep soundly. Selvia, you do not understand how dangerous a capable subordinate can be.”
Bertham blinked slowly and continued.
“My grandfather always said that the most dangerous moment is when a capable subordinate, trusting in their own abilities, begins to act unilaterally. Selvia, let me ask you this. How many times has Daniel Steiner acted on his own authority?”
When he apprehended the prince's private organization in the southern Empire, and when he altered the content of the all-out war speech to his own liking, Daniel Steiner did not receive permission from his superiors.
This time was no different.
Daniel Steiner acted unilaterally, not informing his superiors of his survival.
He used the pretext that there might be enemies within Bellanos as his shield.
“You think that man is working for the Empire?”
Bertham shook his head and let out a low laugh.
“It is highly likely he gathered that intelligence not for the Empire, but for his own security. Many are mistaken, but I can see it. The one exerting influence in Bellanos right now is not the Empire, but Daniel Steiner himself.”
To Bertham, it seemed clear that Daniel would use the intelligence he gathered to strike some kind of deal with the Prime Minister of Bellanos.
Not for the Empire, but for his own safety.
Afterward, upon returning to the Empire, he would surely present some trivial pieces of information from his collection, claiming they were state secrets.
If that was the case, he had to make the first move before the man could deceive the Imperial Family.
“It seems the time has come for this father to make a sacrifice for you. I will buy Daniel Steiner's hatred, so you must win his heart.”
Just as Selvia tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand what he meant, Bertham glanced to the side and beckoned with his finger.
The Lord Chamberlain, who had been waiting nearby, approached Bertham's side and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty. Is there anything you require?”
Bertham nodded.
“Bring me an imperial decree.”
His troubled eyes narrowed sharply.
“I will deliver a message to Daniel Steiner myself.”
*
At the same time, in the southern Empire, at the Cathedral of the Holy Flame of Glory.
“Brothers and sisters.”
Frien's voice echoed gently through the grand chapel.
The chapel was so packed there wasn't an empty seat, as word of Frien's sermons had spread, drawing people from other regions.
As a result, most people had no place to sit and were standing at the very back, listening intently to Frien's words.
This was an unprecedented event for the Cathedral of the Holy Flame of Glory, so much so that even Frien's father had taken a step back and was turning a blind eye.
Of course, Frien paid no mind to any of that.
The only things Frien cared about were her faith and Daniel Steiner.
“Today, I have truly joyous news to share with you, my brothers and sisters.”
With her eyes closed, Frien continued in a tone far more serene than in her previous sermons.
“As you all know, the news of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner's survival has crossed the sea from Bellanos and reached the Empire. That's right. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner did not die.”
Frien gently shook her head.
“No. It would be more fitting to say he has returned from death.”
Her voice, soft yet carrying an undeniable weight, captivated the congregation's attention.
“Why do I say he has returned from death? Many of you must be wondering. But if you look at the truth of the matter, you will all agree that my words are correct.”
Frien slowly opened her eyes.
“As you know, those filthy beasts of the Allied Nations sank the ship carrying Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner with two torpedo attacks. The lives of countless people were sacrificed.”
Her gentle gaze gradually sharpened.
“However! In that horrific disaster, only Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner overcame death. What does this mean? Was he merely lucky?”
Gritting her teeth, Frien shouted.
“No!”
Frien raised both hands and gripped the pulpit.
“Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner was fated to leave this world when his ship sank. But everyone here knows that a miracle occurred! Who performed this miracle? What omnipotent being could have possibly spared Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner?”
A few congregants sitting in the front row cried out.
─ God!
Frien smiled at them before turning back to the congregation.
“That's right. God took his lambs, but He spared Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner. This is part of God's great plan, just as long ago, Jesus Christ returned from death according to God's plan!”
A stir went through the congregation at her rather radical statement.
But Frien continued with conviction.
“In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, it is written! ‘But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall gain life!’”
With a giant cross behind her, Frien cried out passionately, like one seeking to deliver a holy creed.
“O you who were sleeping! O you faithful who were not yet enlightened! I dare to ask you! Through the death of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, you have witnessed the atrocities of the Allied Nations! Is that not so!”
Words are contagious.
As Frien began to speak with conviction, the congregants, one by one, began to affirm her words.
“Only when everyone had witnessed the atrocities of the Allied Nations and been enlightened did Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner return from death! Why!? It was for the sake of all the lives lost on that ship, so that in Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, all people might gain life!”
Her thunderous voice, pouring from her lips, made their hearts beat faster.
She had lit the fuse of their excitement; now it was time to set it off.
Frien stretched out her hands benevolently toward the congregation.
“We who have witnessed this miracle must take part in God's plan. Brothers and sisters! Let us pray and act! We must never again lose our saint, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner, to the beasts of the Allied Nations!”
─ Hear, hear!
“In that spirit, I ask you. Who is our enemy?”
─ The Allied Nations!
“Who is the enemy of God?”
─ The Allied Nations!
“Then who, I ask, are those who are less than beasts!”
In response to Frien's question, the congregation began to chant in unison.
─ The beasts are the Allied Nations!
The congregants' chant was loud enough to shake the grand chapel.
Feeling a sense of ecstasy at their cries, Frien lowered her hands and said, “Let us pray to the noble ones who have given us the seed of enlightenment. For God, for Jesus Christ, and for Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner!”
The moment Frien finished speaking, the congregants rose to their feet.
With a kind of madness in their eyes, they chanted one man's name.
─ For Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner!
Following that, cries to execute the beastly bastards of the Allied Nations echoed from all corners.
Watching the scene, Frien felt an overwhelming emotion swell within her.
She was moved to tears to hear the words she had proclaimed alone now pouring from the mouths of others.
‘Indeed. This must be the mission that Lieutenant Colonel Steiner has given me.’
Seeing a fragment of heaven amidst the congregation's shouts and fury, Frien slowly closed her eyes.
‘Worry no more, Lieutenant Colonel Steiner. Whatever choice you make from now on, these people and I will follow you, even unto death.’
Following a saint was the natural duty of a believer.
Holding that sacred resolve in her heart, Frien clasped her hands and prayed.
Hoping that Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner would lead them all well.