The Next Morning.

    Arriving at the General Staff Headquarters, Lucy paused with her hand on the doorknob of Daniel Steiner’s private office.

    It was supposed to be an ordinary workday, but since receiving the order to “eliminate Daniel Steiner,” everything felt strangely alien.

    “......”

    Lucy, gripping the doorknob unnecessarily long, finally took a deep breath and opened the door.

    Inside, Daniel was seated at his desk, reading a newspaper.

    It was a sight as ordinary as ever.

    “Oh? Ah.”

    Noticing Lucy’s arrival, Daniel folded the newspaper.

    “You’re here. You’re later than usual today.”

    “Apologies, I couldn’t sleep well last night...”

    “No need to apologize. As long as you’re not late, it’s fine.”

    Daniel folded the newspaper again and placed it on the edge of the desk before opening a drawer.

    “By the way, I have good news for you today.”

    “...Good news?”

    Daniel retrieved a box wrapped in the Imperial flag and placed it on the desk.

    Lucy recognized it instantly.@@@@

    Her gaze locked onto the box, and Daniel tapped it playfully with his fingers.

    “Congratulations. It seems your contributions have been acknowledged during the special promotion review.”

    Lucy remained silent.

    After all, once she killed Daniel today, she would leave the Empire.

    Being promoted to lieutenant wouldn’t make a difference in her plans.

    ‘So, this is how it ends.’

    Misinterpreting Lucy’s blank expression, Daniel smirked to himself.

    ‘She’s trying to act unaffected, but I’m sure she’s cursing me on the inside.’

    Daniel knew all too well the frustration and emptiness of receiving an unwanted promotion.

    Convinced that Lucy was feeling the same, he rose from his seat.

    “I’ll change your insignia myself.”

    Unfolding the flag, Daniel opened the box to reveal the lieutenant’s insignia.

    He walked over to Lucy and carefully replaced her rank insignia with practiced hands.

    Fastening the new insignia on both shoulders of her uniform, Daniel stepped back with a satisfied smile.

    “Congratulations on your promotion to lieutenant. Continue to fulfill your duties as my adjutant.”

    Lucy instinctively began to respond but hesitated.

    Daniel was going to die today.

    There would be no “future” for him.

    “...Adjutant?”

    Finding her silence unusual, Daniel prompted her. Snapping out of her thoughts, Lucy replied, “It’s an honor to be promoted ahead of schedule. I will continue to give my best.”

    Daniel stared at her for a moment before nodding vaguely.

    It felt like she was hiding something, but he decided not to press the matter.

    ***

    That evening, after completing her daily tasks, Lucy began preparing for the assassination.

    She studied the layout of the area surrounding Daniel’s quarters, carefully planning her entry and escape routes.

    She changed into combat attire, inserted ballistic plates, and equipped highly expensive anti-magic bullets to counter any retaliation from Daniel Steiner.

    Once her preparations were complete, Lucy activated her optical camouflage and waited for the dead of night when the streets were deserted.

    Arriving at Daniel’s quarters, Lucy grasped the doorknob and turned it gently, unsurprised to find it locked.

    Kneeling naturally, she pulled a lockpick from her pouch and began working on the lock.

    The experiments had been conducted by the Empire, not the Allied Nations.

    ‘It was Count Kalendra who saved me from the horrors of the Empire’s human experiments.’

    This document had to be a lie.

    And yet, the paper appeared genuinely old. Its surface had grown coarse from prolonged exposure to air over many years.

    It didn’t resemble a hastily fabricated forgery.

    Amidst her confusion, Lucy’s gaze shifted to Daniel.

    How had he come into possession of this document?

    And why, knowing its contents, had Daniel never shown any sign of it?

    The document could have been used to incriminate her as a spy. Yet, Daniel had neither acted suspiciously toward her nor treated her any differently.

    On the contrary...

    He had intervened to protect her when the Security Bureau launched an investigation.

    Recalling that moment, Lucy’s breath trembled.

    ‘Even though he knew I was a spy...’

    Daniel had risked his life to oppose the Security Bureau for her sake.

    Why?

    Lucy couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how much she tried.

    In the midst of her confusion, she gripped her pistol tightly.

    ─ “Lucy. Those who repay kindness with betrayal are no better than beasts. And remember, anything not spoken by me is a lie.”

    The words Count Kalendra had often told her echoed in her mind.

    ‘The contents of this paper are lies.’

    All she had to do was continue serving Count Kalendra and the Allied Nations as she always had.

    Steadying her erratic breathing, Lucy prepared to pull the trigger.

    If she killed Daniel here and returned to the Allied Nations, everything would be over.

    Narrowing her eyes, Lucy placed her finger firmly on the trigger.

    But she couldn’t bring herself to pull it.

    Daniel’s words from the past reverberated in her mind.

    ─ “Just... I thought you looked particularly stunning today.”

    Her finger wouldn’t move.

    ─ “Your skin doesn’t smell unpleasant, Lucy. In fact, it’s almost fragrant. There’s no need to rely on luxuries like perfume.”

    Lucy bit her lower lip hard.

    ─ “Don’t make things difficult for my adjutant.”

    Her breath quickened as her confusion deepened.

    ─ “If possible, I’d like for us to climb to the top together.”

    Silent tears welled up in Lucy’s eyes as she clenched them shut.

    Overwhelmed by emotions she had never experienced before, her hands trembled slightly.

    ‘Even if the contents of the paper are false...’

    Daniel had known she was a spy.

    Yet he had never exposed her and had even risked his life to protect her from the Security Bureau.

    Daniel had shown her kindness.

    And she had been taught that those who betrayed kindness were no better than beasts.

    Lucy was not a beast. She couldn’t bring herself to kill Daniel.

    Caught in an intense internal struggle, Lucy finally lowered her pistol.

    Her head throbbed as if it were about to split.

    Breathing heavily in the silence, Lucy came to a realization.

    ‘Right now...’

    She could never bring herself to kill Daniel Steiner.