Daniel's chilling words seemed to tighten around Campbell’s throat like a noose.
He knew that the correct answer was to deny it, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.
How could he lie in front of a madman who had pulled the trigger of a live revolver?
"I, I..."
Campbell’s words faltered, his eyes trembling, but Daniel did not rush him.
He decided to wait until the fear growing in Campbell’s heart bore fruit.
‘The human imagination is limitless.’
What would happen if Campbell realized that the man across the table was the one pulling the trigger on a revolver with live ammunition?
What if, on top of that, Campbell was engulfed by the fear that this man might kill him?
‘He’d start thinking in the worst possible direction.’
The more someone had to lose, the more they tended to think negatively about the threat they faced.
‘And...’
Daniel Steiner had already made sure to push Campbell into that negative thought process.
It wasn’t a coincidence that he had sent armed soldiers to take Campbell’s wife and child.
As Daniel had predicted, Campbell was now thinking about his family.
‘Could it be that my family...?’
Once Campbell realized that Daniel’s threats weren’t just empty words, the worry for his family overwhelmed him.
‘Damian.’
Thinking of his son’s smiling face, Campbell managed to calm his breathing and looked at Daniel.
"If I tell the truth... will my family’s safety be guaranteed?"
Daniel raised his hand to silence Campbell and pressed the pause button on the tape recorder.
He couldn’t afford to let any strange words slip into the recording.
"Are you talking about the safety of your family?"
Campbell nodded slightly at Daniel’s question.
Daniel, feeling that he was almost there, smiled faintly.
"If you cooperate with me, I’ll take full responsibility and ensure your family’s safety. So, I would like you to tell me everything you know."
"..."
"Also, I will request mitigation from Princess Selvia regarding your confession. Afterward, we will consider parole. Then, you’ll only have to spend a few years in prison and then be released."
Campbell let out a deep breath, opening his mouth, but no words came out.
The remnants of hesitation still lingered in his mind.
"Daniel Steiner... Even if I cooperate with you..."
Fear started to creep into Campbell’s eyes.
But this wasn’t fear directed at Daniel.
"...My superiors will never leave me alone. Eliminating traitors is how they operate. In the end, whether I die here or by their hands, it’ll be the same."
This was an answer Daniel hadn’t quite anticipated.
He hadn’t known that the people Campbell answered to treated human lives as disposable.
‘Come to think of it…’
Daniel recalled reading stories about politicians or low-ranking nobles falling victim to bandit attacks or becoming targets for the mafia, not escaping death.
If those deaths were truly orders from Campbell’s “superiors,” it would make sense.
‘This is troublesome.’
It wouldn’t be easy to persuade someone who belonged to a group that demanded excessive loyalty at the cost of their life.
‘In that case...’
The best option would be to offer him a hope that changing sides would ensure his survival.
"Assuming you tell the truth, I will ensure your family is well protected. So, what you should be worried about is your own life..."
Daniel, tapping the table with his hand, nodded slowly.
"Very well. I’ll make special arrangements to ensure you don’t meet an untimely death in prison. I’ll also have you exempted from forced labor, so you can live comfortably in your cell."
"...That’s not what I’m talking about."
"Even if you guarantee my safety in prison, after I get out, I’ll still be killed by them."
"Out of prison? If you confess, your sentence will be reduced, but even at the shortest, you’ll still have to serve more than eight years for violating the confidentiality laws and leaking military secrets."
Campbell, unable to follow the flow of conversation, furrowed his brow.
"I’m not asking about how long I’ll serve. Whether I serve for a few years or not, the moment I get out of prison, I’ll still..."
Campbell stopped mid-sentence, his mouth clamping shut.
That’s because Daniel was smiling from the shadows.
"Do you know how long it took me to rise to the rank of lieutenant colonel? I, a poor orphan, now speaking on equal footing with you, a nobleman and party leader. Think about that for a moment."
Slowly raising his hand, as if caught in a trap, Daniel extended his index finger.
"One year. It hasn’t even been a full year. So..."
His finger curled into a fist.
"Do you know what kind of person I will be eight years from now?"
In eight years, what Campbell would have to fear was not the group of nobles but
.
Daniel Steiner almost seemed to be saying this to him.
The eerie atmosphere, drawing attention to his gaze, made it impossible for Campbell to rebut.
Swallowing dryly, Campbell nodded after much inner conflict.
He realized that the only way to survive was to align himself with Daniel Steiner.
"...I will speak. I’ll tell you everything I know."
****
An hour had passed, and after hearing Campbell’s full testimony, Daniel stepped outside the house.
The soldiers lined up in formation, standing at attention, while Daniel calmly straightened his attire.
‘So, Baron Hendliem was behind all of this…’
Things were escalating more than expected.
There was no way Baron Hendliem could have planned everything on his own.
‘Perhaps I’ve just declared war on all the aristocrats in the system.’
It was the worst-case scenario, but if all the aristocrats in the system were in cahoots, Daniel would be facing a difficult fight ahead.
‘I just wanted to settle somewhere peaceful and spend my days eating dessert. How did things get this complicated?’
Though Daniel felt a sense of frustration, now was not the time to lament.
"Lieutenant."
Daniel quietly muttered, and Lucy stepped forward.
"Yes, Colonel Daniel."
Daniel handed her the tape.
The tape contained the recording of Campbell’s testimony over the past hour.
"Take the soldiers and move to the headquarters. Based on the testimony recorded on this tape, search through the items seized from Campbell’s residence for any legally binding evidence."
Although it felt a bit uncomfortable to entrust the task to a member of the Allied forces, there was no need to worry, since Ernst would take command once they arrived at the headquarters.
‘Though, even if Lucy were to steal the tape…’
Daniel had secretly recorded another tape using the recorder he had hidden inside his coat, just in case, so he wasn’t overly worried.
Of course, despite his worries, Lucy, who had cut ties with the Allied forces, had no intention of betraying him.
Lucy nodded as she received the tape.
"I’ll carry out the order, Colonel. But, aren’t you returning to the headquarters?"
"Right. I have somewhere to stop by with Freyen."
"I understand."
Without pressing further, Lucy saluted.
As Daniel returned her salute, Lucy turned around and began organizing the troops.
Watching the soldiers board the military vehicles one by one, Daniel turned to the side.
"Freyen."
Freyen, who had been gazing at Daniel with admiration, nodded.
"I’ve parked a car across the road. You can get in right away."
Before arriving here, Daniel had instructed Freyen to prepare a car for immediate use if possible, and it seemed she had managed to rent one.
‘Even without the car, we could’ve walked or used the military vehicles…’
But Daniel was worried about attracting unwanted attention, so the car was a fortunate option.
‘However…’
While he trusted Lucy, there was something slightly unsettling about Freyen.
"Freyen, just in case... have you ever driven before?"
"Of course. I have a driver’s license, so you don’t need to worry."
Though Freyen smiled brightly, her demeanor didn’t inspire much confidence, but since she said she knew how to drive, Daniel decided not to object.
"Alright. Let’s go then."
Daniel walked across the street and opened the back door of the car to get in.
A moment later, Freyen opened the driver’s side door, got in, and started the engine.
After the engine started, Freyen smoothly turned the steering wheel and began driving.
The driving wasn’t as bad as Daniel expected, so he relaxed. Then, Freyen glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"Where should we go?"
"To 11 Bolverfereck."
"...Not to the Baron’s residence?"
Since Freyen had been listening to Campbell’s confession, she knew that it was Baron Hendliem who had given the orders to Campbell.
So, she naturally assumed they were heading to Hendliem’s residence to strike some deal. But when Daniel suddenly gave a strange address, she was puzzled.
"You know what they say... when you fly too close to the fire, your wings get burned."
Freyen blinked, not understanding, and Daniel continued.
"Freyen, think about it. Once the news spreads that I searched the Free Society Party leader’s residence, what do you think will happen?"
"...Daniel, your name will be plastered all over the media, right?"
"Exactly. And who controls the major press in the Empire?"
"As far as I know, it’s the Imperial Daily."
"And who supports the Imperial Daily?"
Finally, Freyen had a realization.
She recalled that the major backers of the Imperial Daily were the aristocrats.
"The press will start attacking you, Colonel Daniel."
"That’s right. They’ll probably launch a campaign of biased reporting. They’ll fabricate my political views and stir up public sentiment, making the people turn against me."
"So, where are we headed now...?"
"To Melverton Newspaper."
Melverton was an independent, small newspaper that hadn’t been tainted by the aristocracy.
Though Freyen understood Daniel’s intentions, there was still something she didn’t fully get.
"Why Melverton? There are mid-sized newspapers that would gladly cooperate with you, Colonel."
Daniel chuckled softly at her words.
"Freyen, you see, a newspaper that can cooperate with me is one that can cooperate with the aristocrats too. But what I need right now..."
Looking at the rearview mirror, Daniel wiped the smile from his face and continued quietly.
"What I need right now is a newspaper that will absolutely obey me."