I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander
Chapter 216

Mansion of the House of Count Khaledra.

Temporary Operations Command Post.

“Urgent report! The enemy has completely seized Central Plaza! Our forces continue to retreat! We can’t hold out much longer!”

“You’re telling me we’re being pushed back this easily? We’ve got forces equivalent to a full division, and we’re losing because of one man—Daniel Steiner?!”

“Face reality! The enemy’s encirclement is tightening! If they press forward like this, the remaining troops in the city won’t last long!”

While the staff officers, gripped by despair, argued among themselves, Khaledra showed little interest.

He simply stood at the window, looking down at the city as it echoed with blasts and eruptions.

The chief of staff approached Khaledra.

His arm wrapped in a plaster cast, the chief of staff gave Khaledra a respectful nod.

“Your Excellency. The situation is dire. You should escape before the enemy breaks through to this location. I’ve already ordered a vehicle to be prepared within a safe range of the front. You won’t have to worry about being caught by Daniel Steiner.”

Ordinarily, Khaledra would’ve met such a suggestion with a glare like sharpened steel—but not today.

Khaledra was not a fool who would insist on fighting on a battlefield where defeat was guaranteed.

The enemy shelling was drawing closer.

Khaledra, still staring out the window, spoke without turning his head.

“What of the reinforcements?”

“Two battalions were reportedly dispatched from Ravengrad, but the situation turned unfavorable. According to the report, the transport train was derailed by enemy light tanks during movement. Moreover, the rail network has sustained damage, making further support unlikely.”

Khaledra clenched his teeth and shut his eyes.

He had suspected that Daniel Steiner’s decision to conceal his forces to the north was somehow tied to the rail network—but having that suspicion confirmed only deepened his frustration.

No matter how many possibilities he considered, there was no chance of victory on this battlefield.

Opening his eyes slowly, Khaledra let out a bitter breath and spoke as if in disbelief.

“What do you think, Chief of Staff? Is Daniel Steiner truly a devil?”

The chief of staff, unsure of Khaledra’s intent, could only remain silent.

A few more distant shell bursts echoed before Khaledra continued.

“To my eyes, he’s human. This overwhelming assault—there’s anger in it. That’s the only way I can explain it.”

There was emotion behind Daniel Steiner’s tactics.

He was not, as rumor had it, some maniac who found joy in annihilating the Allied Forces.

“Even Daniel Steiner dies if he’s shot, and he bleeds if he’s cut. As long as he’s wearing human skin, he can never be free from death.”

Khaledra’s grip tightened around his cane.

“Then why is it...?”

From the sinking of the diplomatic vessel to this very moment, Daniel Steiner had repeatedly escaped the deathtraps Khaledra had laid, turning each one into a counteroffensive.

As if he were a demon risen from hell itself.

Khaledra had seen many battlefield commanders attack the Allied Nations before—but none were as unpredictable as Daniel Steiner.

And in war, unpredictability was synonymous with fear.

Grinding his teeth, Khaledra turned to the chief of staff standing beside him.

“...Lucy Emilia? She should have arrived at the mansion by now.”

The chief of staff hesitated, then finally opened his mouth, his expression troubled.

“They say a critical error occurred during the memory erasure process. According to the doctor, it’s a phenomenon they’ve never seen before. Resolving the issue will take significant time.”

In other words, Lucy could not be moved.

Khaledra groaned, a sharp headache stabbing through him, and muttered to himself.

“Daniel Steiner... you really are trying to shatter the very foundation of the Allied Nations.”

If Daniel Steiner had secured Lucy Emilia and captured Fenbark, the aftershocks would ripple far beyond this city.

Emotionally, Khaledra wanted to resist to the end—to somehow eliminate Daniel Steiner with his own hands. But no decision made under the sway of emotion could be sound.

Accepting defeat, Khaledra turned away, planning for what came next.

“Organize a small unit and issue the retreat order.”

It was a command he never wished to speak aloud—but with all paths blocked, there were no other choices left.

“From this moment forward...”

He took a step, then finished the sentence after a brief pause.

“We abandon Fenbark.”

****

Meanwhile, inside the lab, the doctor and the research team were moving frantically.

“Confirmed—excessive neural response! Her memories... her memories are being restored!”

“Sensory feedback circuit stable! Aligning waveform! Neural sync ratio is rising normally!”

“This is insane! I didn’t think it was even possible...!”

As the researchers raised their voices, the doctor adjusted his glasses and let out a dry laugh.

“Truly insane...”

According to the data on the control panel, not only were Lucy Emilia’s memories being restored, but her consciousness was also resurfacing.

Theoretically, entering someone’s consciousness and unlocking memory suppression might have been within the realm of possibility—but realistically, it was a nearly impossible feat.

If one were to suffer death within the other’s memories, they could be “deleted” in a sense—falling into a coma from which they might never return.

That was why the doctor had warned Daniel Steiner of how dangerous this method was.

But Daniel had saved Lucy Emilia without the slightest regard for his own life.

“He may be a man of the enemy nation, but...”

The desire to rescue his lieutenant, even at such risk, was something noble.

Holding that thought silently, the doctor manipulated the controls to terminate the consciousness sharing state.

Then he powered down Daniel Steiner’s auxiliary chamber.

Now that Lucy’s memories and consciousness had returned, there was no longer any reason to keep Daniel sealed inside the pod.

When he pressed the unlock button, the chamber door slowly opened—and Daniel opened his eyes.

His jet-black pupils blinked a few times as he stepped out of the chamber.

At once, the company commander approached Daniel.

“Brigadier General, sir! Are you all right?”

There was no way he could be.

In the real world, only a few minutes had passed—but in the conscious realm, it must have felt far longer.

His mind would still be foggy, even just walking should have been difficult—but Daniel showed no sign of it.

“How much time has passed?”

Hearing Daniel’s tone, no different from usual, the company commander breathed a sigh of relief and checked the time.

“Exactly three minutes and thirty seconds since you entered the chamber.”

“I see. So the doctor wasn’t lying after all.”

The doctor, catching Daniel’s gaze, tensed slightly, but bowed his head in response.

At that moment, approaching footsteps echoed nearby.

“Welcome back safely, sir.”

Turning his head, Daniel saw the soldier who had taken care of his revolver and coat.

With a brief word of thanks, Daniel accepted the coat and draped it over his shoulders. The company commander then spoke again.

“Brigadier General, sir. May I ask what your next move will be?”

“If we’ve taken the city center, we push through to the enemy’s temporary command post. But before that...”

Holstering his revolver, Daniel turned around.

Following his gaze, the company commander saw Lucy Emilia, still enclosed within the central chamber.

A faint, wistful smile crossed Daniel’s face as he opened his mouth.

“First, I should go greet our lady.”

Our lady?

The company commander was puzzled—but the doctor understood exactly what it meant.

Daniel had likely lived an entire life inside Lucy’s consciousness.

There had no doubt been countless events within that world.

“I’ll open the central chamber.”

With that, the doctor manipulated the controls, and the entrance to the central chamber began to open.

Daniel adjusted his coat as the doors parted completely.

Lucy stood barefoot on the floor, slowly opening her eyes.

The first thing she saw upon awakening from her long sleep—was Daniel Steiner.

Daniel, watching Lucy still struggling to grasp reality, let out a soft chuckle.

“Lieutenant. What are you staring at like that? Don’t look at your superior officer as if you’ve never seen him before.”

At the word “lieutenant,” tears welled up in her eyes before she even realized it.

“Ah... ah...”

She tried to speak, but her parched, cracked voice wouldn’t come out.

Their eyes met—and Lucy took a step forward.

A wave of dizziness struck her at once, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to endure it.

All she could think about was getting closer to Daniel.

Two steps. Three steps.

Then, no longer able to hold back, Lucy broke into a run.

Daniel was briefly startled—but quickly opened his arms and embraced her.

Their bodies pressed tightly together.

Clinging to him, Lucy began to sob like a child begging for affection.

It was only natural.

She’d stood at the brink of Daniel’s death—then miraculously returned to reality.

What she needed—was confirmation.

That Daniel Steiner was truly alive and standing before her.

Lucy...

Holding her tightly, Daniel spoke quietly.

“One day, let’s go see the sea. This time—with no one to get in the way.”

On the verge of tears again, Lucy nodded.

And she tightened her grip on him just a little more.

Lucy had always hated humans.

She believed humans were lifeforms designed to inflict pain on others.

Everyone in the mansion had mocked and neglected her. That belief had formed naturally.

But meeting a single man in the Empire had slowly changed her.

Perhaps humans—could also be beings who brought happiness to others.

That thought had solidified during her time within her childhood memories.

Because Daniel had risked his life to protect her inside that world.

She knew he had tried to sacrifice himself—expecting nothing in return.

Because of him, Lucy could now believe in people.

She no longer had to see life as suffering or wear cynicism like armor.

The man who showed her that the world wasn’t colorless after all—was standing right before her.

That was why Lucy made a vow:

She would never again hide her emotions.

The feelings she had repressed because she was a spy of the Allied Nations—bloomed in that moment like a flower.

Only then did Lucy finally understand.

I...

...I’m in love with Daniel Steiner—

—the only man in this world.

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