Why was I stuck sharing an office with a spy from the enemy nation?
I wanted nothing more than to report this woman to the Chief of Operations as a spy, but without evidence, I’d just come off as a lunatic.
For now, I had no choice but to act naturally.
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, then reopened the office door.
When Lucy looked at me strangely, I shrugged.
“Did you hear that? The hinge on this door is making a weird noise. I’ll have to call maintenance soon.”
The whole thing—the repeated opening and closing of the door—was just me inspecting the hinges.
At least, that’s what I told myself as I walked over to my desk and pulled out my chair.
“So, what’s your name?”
Placing the bag of bread on the desk and settling into my seat, I watched as Lucy saluted crisply.
“Second Lieutenant Lucy Emilia, newly assigned as adjutant to the Operations Staff Officer. It’s an honor to serve under such a busy and distinguished officer. I’m fully prepared to fulfill my duties to the best of my ability.”
It was a flawless introduction.
And she used her real name.
Well, considering only a handful of people in the Allied Nations even knew Lucy’s real name, she probably didn’t see the need for a cover identity.
Regardless of her reasoning, the woman standing before me—stunningly elegant and poised—was an enemy spy.
Not that I cared much about spies in the Empire.
I didn’t have any particular loyalty to this place, after all.
The real problem was that the person standing before me, who was destined to become the Empire’s Nightmare, was now my adjutant.
I wasn’t the kind of person who could handle the stress of having a ticking time bomb at my side.
‘I need to get rid of her.’
I had to convince the higher-ups that Lucy Emilia was unfit to be my adjutant—no matter what it took.
‘But first, I need a pretext…’
Tapping my desk with a serious expression, an idea suddenly popped into my head.
‘Wait. Didn’t I see an anti-war protest forming outside headquarters earlier?’
If I played this right, I could use it as an excuse to get Lucy reassigned.
Smiling slightly to myself, I acknowledged Lucy’s salute.
She immediately shifted to parade rest, and I addressed her in a stern voice.
“Alright, Second Lieutenant Lucy Emilia. Did you just say you’re ready to perform your duties faithfully?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bold response. In that case, let’s test whether you’re truly fit for this position. I’m assigning you a mission—go outside and disperse the protesters.”
Lucy hesitated briefly before answering.
“…The protesters, sir?”
“Yes. Specifically, the unlawful assembly in front of headquarters that failed to file for a permit with the Imperial Court. At first, we ignored them because their numbers were small, but lately, their activity has been getting out of hand.”
“I understand, but isn’t that the jurisdiction of the military police?”
“Protests in front of headquarters are our concern as well. According to wartime security law, Imperial officers have the authority to suppress unrest within their jurisdiction.”
Lucy nodded, as if the explanation made sense.
“There’s no issue with your reasoning, sir. I’ll carry out the order.”
“Good. Complete the mission and report back when you’re done.”
“Understood. May I make one request before I leave?”
“What request?”
Lucy raised her hand and pointed at me with her index finger.
“The bread.”
…What? Was this some kind of veiled threat?
Tensing up, I watched her blink once before clarifying.
“When you entered, you mentioned sharing the bread as a snack. If you permit it, I’d like to take one with me.”
Oh. That bread.
“Sure. Go ahead and take one.”
I slid the bag of bread across the desk, and Lucy stepped forward to grab a croissant.
She gave me a brief nod before turning and leaving the office.
As soon as the door closed, I let out a quiet sigh and leaned back in my chair.
Relief washed over me, and I felt my body relax.
‘For now…’
I’d taken the first step toward building a case against her.
Sending her out alone to handle an angry mob was practically a suicide mission.
There was no way she could subdue them by herself.
All I had to do was wait comfortably here until she failed the mission, then use that failure as grounds to have her reassigned.
Of course, it wouldn’t be solved in one go, but laying the groundwork was important.
Feeling a bit more at ease, I pulled some documents out of my drawer and began reviewing them.
I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing until Lucy came back.
I was halfway through a few reports when—
Bang!
The sharp crack of a gunshot rang out from outside.
I flinched, my shoulders tensing instinctively.
A terrorist attack? No—if it were a terrorist attack, there wouldn’t be just one shot.
Besides, the sound was close.
It seemed to have come from right in front of headquarters—
Bang!
Another gunshot shattered my thoughts.
‘No way…’
Had Lucy fired?
The idea hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I shot to my feet.
I couldn’t afford to stay in my office right now.
*****
"You arrested all five ringleaders of the protest. Well done."
Sergeant Bendelin, an interrogator from the military police, stared blankly at the woman in front of him.
Swallowing nervously, he replayed the events from just a few minutes earlier.
The woman, who introduced herself as "Captain Daniel Steiner’s adjutant," had briefly surveyed the riot police standoff with the protesters before drawing a revolver and firing two shots into the air.
The sudden gunfire sent the protesters into a panic. After quickly requesting the riot police’s cooperation, the woman singlehandedly subdued the five ringleaders with astonishing ease.
In truth, the riot police barely did anything aside from assisting with the arrests.
This left not only the riot police but also Sergeant Bendelin too stunned to speak.
“What’s going on here?”
Startled by the voice, Bendelin turned to see Daniel Steiner approaching.
Wearing his officer’s cap pulled low and his coat billowing, Daniel carried an air of authority that sent shivers down Bendelin’s spine.
Determined not to make a poor impression, Bendelin barked out a command.
“Stand at attention!”
The thirty riot police officers in the vicinity snapped to attention immediately.
After scanning the group, Daniel fixed Lucy with an icy stare.
“Explain.”
At the direct order, Lucy saluted sharply and reported.
“Following your orders, I dispersed the violent protesters and fired warning shots in the process. As a result, I successfully broke up the illegal assembly and apprehended the five ringleaders.”
Hearing this, Bendelin nodded as if things suddenly made sense.
“So it was Captain Daniel’s order? Of course. That explains it.”
A newly commissioned second lieutenant couldn’t possibly have acted so decisively on their own.
Meanwhile, Daniel felt like his insides were burning.
‘When did I tell her to fire warning shots?!’
He wanted to protest, but technically, Lucy hadn’t violated wartime security laws.
Instead of scolding her, Daniel extended his hand.
Lucy understood immediately and handed him her revolver.
Opening the cylinder, Daniel confirmed that two rounds had indeed been fired.
Unable to suppress a bitter laugh, he glanced back at Lucy—only to hear her speak again.
“Captain, these individuals violated both civil assembly laws and wartime security laws. They broke three different statutes, including attacking soldiers dispatched for public security without just cause. If you give the order, I’ll execute them on the spot.”
For a moment, Daniel wondered if he’d misheard her.
Didn’t these protesters share Lucy’s anti-war sentiments?
‘She’s talking about killing her own people? Why?’
…No, on second thought, it made sense.
If Lucy wanted to avoid suspicion, siding firmly with the Imperial military was the best way to do it.
‘What a heartless woman. Doesn’t she feel the slightest sympathy for them?’
Daniel wanted to lecture her about morality, but there were too many eyes on them.
Not only were Bendelin and the riot police watching, but curious citizens had gathered to spectate, and journalists with cameras stood just a short distance away.
He had no choice but to maintain the image of a proper Imperial officer.
“No.”
Click.
Daniel closed the revolver’s cylinder and handed it back to Lucy.
“These people aren’t even worth killing. Sergeant Bendelin.”
Snapping to attention, Bendelin replied nervously.
“Yes, Captain Daniel Steiner, sir!”
“Interrogate them and find out the reason behind their protest. Make sure you uncover whatever seditious ideas drove them to defy the Imperial Court and incite the citizens.”
“A-At once, sir!”
Visibly tense, Bendelin began issuing orders to his men, who swiftly moved to restrain and escort the ringleaders.
Watching the scene unfold, Daniel squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Ha…’
His plan to build a case against Lucy had failed spectacularly.
*****
The next morning.
I woke up to my alarm and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, as usual.
I poured boiling water over the coffee grounds and filled my mug before walking to the door to pick up the newspaper.
Returning to the kitchen, I sat down at the table and took a sip of coffee.
The rich, refined flavor brought me a moment of peace.
‘Morning coffee really is the best.’
Satisfied, I opened the newspaper—only to freeze in place.
Staring back at me was a black-and-white photo of myself on the front page.
It showed me kneeling in front of the five detained protesters, revolver in hand, inspecting the cylinder.
To anyone looking at it, I would’ve appeared to be deciding whether or not to execute them.
Cold sweat trickled down my back as I read the headline.
“Captain Daniel Steiner Arrests Illegal Protest Ringleaders!”
The headline was bad enough, but the article itself was even worse.
“…Following interrogations conducted by the military police, it was revealed that three of the five ringleaders were paid by the Allied Nations. With this discovery, suspicions about the Allied Nations’ involvement in organizing anti-war protests have turned into certainty. Sergeant Bendelin specifically credited Captain Daniel Steiner for his invaluable assistance…”
I folded the paper and picked up my mug.
After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I sipped my coffee again.
For some reason, it didn’t taste as good anymore.
This was a disaster…