Published at 22nd of March 2026 4:48 pm

Chapter 912: The Knives in the Dark

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Maximilian sipped a glass of whiskey as Anne Marie took a shower in his hotel room. He gazed over at the folder she had given him. All the most recent information about Reveil de France’s movements and operations.

He sighed heavily and shook his head before taking another sip.

"Same shit, different decade..."

Nobody knew Reveil de France better than he. His time infiltrating the original organization that had formed from the remnants of the Gallian Militia decades prior had been a highlight of his career.

During the Reich’s internal reconstruction and consolidation of its intelligence assets, Maximilian had found himself as the Director of the Reich Intelligence Service (RDA.)

Even he couldn’t fully recollect the sheer number of covert foreign intelligence operations he had overseen and conducted.

But steering Reveil de France toward outcomes that ultimately served German interests might become the legacy he was remembered for.

If he succeeds in his endeavors, Switzerland will re-enter the German Reich without a shot being fired by either nation’s armies. And if he fails, it will forcibly result in invasion.

Not since the Great War had Maximilian carried such pressure.

It was during that conflict that he orchestrated the German-Arab alliance, redeeming himself and reclaiming the name von Zehntner.

Eventually Annemarie returned from her shower, dressed in far more casual attire. Her makeup was no longer applied, despite this her beauty did not fade in the slightest.

She was just about to say something when a knock resounded on the door. Causing her to reach for her sidearm, which was concealed in her purse. That is until Maximilian calmed her.

"Relax... I ordered room service, there’s a reason we always meet in this hotel."

Annemarie sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping over in relaxation as she peered through the door’s peephole ,and confirmed the identity of the agent delivering the food.

The man showed a ring, which had a very specific design on it. At first glance it wasn’t anything particularly fancy, but for those who knew what to look for they could immediately recognize it.

The man then spoke naturally.

"Room service..."

Annemarie looked back at Maximilian, who approached the door and spoke a challenge code.

"It appears you are mistaken, I did not place an order for room service."

Before Annemarie could question her boss, the hotel employee responded once more, his words were deliberately chosen, but his tone remained natural and unchanged.

"Are you sure about that? I have an order of Hirschfleisch, Kaspressknodel, and Kasspatzln served with an imported Soldatengebräu."

Maximilian looked over at Annemarie with a smug expression. None of those items were on the hotel’s menu for room service or dining.

Especially not the beer, which was a brand personally owned by the Grand Prince of Tyrol that had gained popularity among German soldiers returning home from the Weltkrieg decades ago.

Many in Germany still referred to the original "Eisen lager" by the unofficial nickname of the "soldier’s brew," or Soldatengebräu. But few outside the Reich’s borders knew of this nickname.

To an outside observer, the order seemed like any other. But to Maximilian and Annemarie, it was confirmation that they were dealing with a member of the Reich Intelligence Service.

And once the door was opened, the man pushed the tray inside and walked away without ceremony. Leaving Maximilian and Annemarie to open the tray, there within was a normal meal served by the kitchen staff.

Annemarie was honestly quite astonished by the lengths Maximilian went to in order to satisfy his paranoia.

"You know you’re worse than your brother, right?"

Maximilian simply chuckled as he sat down and began serving up the actual Swiss dish onto a plate. Relaxing back on the bed, he began to eat as he turned on the television, leaving only a simple remark in response to Annemarie’s provocative statement.

"Bruno gets to live quietly and without fear of the knives in the dark because I face them on his behalf. If you knew the amount of men, I’ve ordered dead who were killed by poisoned room service, you wouldn’t be mocking me right now."

Annemarie instantly connected Maximilian’s earlier statement, as well as the ring and challenge code from the hotel staff member, together with the meal.

"Please tell me you didn’t seriously waste so many of the Reich’s resources staffing this hotel entirely with our agents?"

Maximilian scoffed at the absurdity of the statement. Shaking his head while washing down his meal with a taste of his beer.

"Of course not... Just the kitchen staff... A few of the room service attendants, bellhops, the concierge and the manager. I only embedded enough of our staff here to create a safe and subtle environment for our agents in Helvetia."

Helvetia... The name German agents and statesmen overused behind closed doors to refer to the Swiss Confederation. An ancient name, one that invoked ancient lineage and pre-Westphalian legitimacy.

It was the planned name for the federated state when it finally accepted integration into the Germanic Reich. Whether it became a Principality, or grand duchy, and under whose authority was still a topic of debate.

But the very use of it on Swiss soil almost seemed a little too purposeful. And this provoked a response from Annemarie.

"You speak as if we have already won."

Maximilian however seemed utterly disinterested in debating the topic. Instead he continued to eat his dinner while flipping through the channels.

"Belgium is already ready to host a joint referendum with the Dutch. They’re practically begging for reintegration."

"The Dutch pretend to hesitate, but they accept our loans and infrastructure money all the same. Within a year they won’t be able to sustain their economy without us."

"Within the year they will be forced to accept re-integration into the Reich, as they will no longer be able to sustain their own economy without our support now that their colonies are gone."

Annemarie silently contemplated the certainty of Maximilian’s judgement while the man shamelessly continued with his statement between bites of his supper.

"As for Helvetia... You’re here for that same purpose, aren’t you? And I trust your ability to peacefully bring Helvetia back into the fold. Now... are you going to eat? Or continue to pout over the fact I won’t sleep with you?"

Share