Chapter 70

Father (2)

Before going to see Anton, I first headed to the Commander’s residence.

If I intended to interfere in the matter concerning Lieutenant General Max, I needed to know what Bones was thinking first.

The reason I went to the Commander’s residence was that Bones and Lucas, both important witnesses in this case, had been allowed to stay there under witness protection.

Witness protection was one reason, but the atmosphere among the senior officers—who had been comrades of the deceased Team Two members—had also become extremely hostile. If Bones and Lucas had been sent back to the officers’ quarters, someone might have tried to harm them.

Apparently, it was Josef who had strongly insisted that the two of them stay at the Commander’s residence.

He had supposedly said that no more young officers should be sacrificed.

What a sly old fox.

Bones had already requested permission to meet Lieutenant General Max and question him, but the two of them had been forbidden from meeting.

The authorities had concluded that if Lieutenant General Max met Bones, he might pressure him into withholding his testimony.

But these bastards...

“Why are the witnesses under protection not staying inside their rooms? Why are they training with my servant?”

I crossed my arms as I asked.

Lucas, already drenched in sweat, began sweating coldly as well.

“W-well... we were told that we could live freely while staying at the Commander’s residence. When we said we wanted to follow the same schedule as you, Lord Haydam, this happened.”

“Do you seriously train according to such a brutal schedule every day?”

Why was this bastard Bones shirtless in someone else’s mansion?

“You think Taejeong made you train because he wanted to work you to death?”

“Is Taejeong the servant you’re referring to?”

“What exactly is that kid Taejeong? He’s better than most officers. Don’t tell me he’s some secret weapon you’re raising, Lord Haydam.”

Judging by the nonsense he was spouting, Bones still hadn’t recovered from the shock of what had happened.

He’s deliberately pretending to be cheerful.

I could understand why he wasn’t staying cooped up in his room and was instead training with Taejeong.

He probably needed to exhaust his body to keep useless thoughts from entering his head.

Rather than pointing out that he was forcing himself to act cheerful, I replied,

“Taejeong will be entering the military academy this year. It’s thanks to you supporting Plato’s graduation speech.”

“Now that I think about it, you pushed Plato into doing that just so you could get that kid admitted. And that Darling Outsider guy too—”

“That’s enough idle chatter.”

It seemed Bones was deliberately changing the subject because he knew I was about to bring up Lieutenant General Max.

I cut him off and asked,

“Are you prepared?”

Bones gave me a sour look.

“Prepared for what?”

“For the possibility that it turns out your father really abandoned you.”

“......”

At those words, Bones’s green eyes trembled violently.

Of course, I already knew Lieutenant General Max probably hadn’t done such a thing.

However, considering what Anton and I were planning to do afterward, Bones needed to brace himself first.

“...If he abandoned me, then he abandoned me. What preparation do I need for that? Fuck.”

He had tried so hard to pretend he was fine, but his temper had finally surfaced.

“I think you do need it. Lucas told me that earning your father’s acknowledgment was everything to you, and that if he abandoned you, you would rather die.”

“Lucas, you bastard...!”

Bones turned toward Lucas as if he were about to grab him by the collar, but Lucas had already realized what I was going to say and fled the area.

“Damn that blabbermouth! He’s already going around telling people that...!”

“Bones.”

I spoke to Bones’s back while he raged.

“If your father truly abandoned you, are you going to die?”

Bones hesitated for a moment before replying quietly.

“...Not anymore.”

“Not anymore?”

“I realized that Father isn’t everything.”

I furrowed my brow, unable to understand what he meant.

Bones’s ears reddened slightly, and he spat out his answer irritably.

“Damn it... I’m saying I finally understand that my life is precious. I’m alive because those senior officers helped me escape. There was someone who ran all that way just to slap me and tell me to get a grip, and another bastard who screamed that he was going to save me. Even if that disloyal bastard did report every word I said while mentally unstable directly to you.”

He really knew how to hold a grudge.

“I wish... we could have recovered the bodies of our seniors.”

Come to think of it, several senior officers from Team Two had stayed behind to hold the enemy off so Bones and Lucas could escape.

At least Bones didn’t seem to blame himself for their deaths.

Aside from anything involving his adoptive father, his personality really was decisively straightforward.

“If Lieutenant General Max truly did this... then he must pay for his crimes. No, I’ll make sure he does.”

Bones seemed to have fully regained his resolve.

This should be enough for me to proceed without worrying about what would happen afterward.

Still, the more I think about Josef, the more infuriating that bastard becomes.

For the sake of his own advancement, he had unhesitatingly driven officers—men capable of standing in the way of danger for their juniors—to their deaths.

All this for rank.

Josef had done it for power.

Anton had announced his retirement, which meant Josef should also have stepped down.

If someone as influential as Anton vacated his position, Josef’s own influence would inevitably increase.

Josef must have known that it was time for him to retire, but he hadn’t wanted to.

After all, he was indisputably one of the Commander’s closest aides and had no intention of rebelling against him.

He must have felt it was unfair that he had to relinquish his authority merely to avoid arousing the Commander’s suspicion.

That was why he had framed Lieutenant General Max, who was the most likely candidate to be promoted to captain next.

If Lieutenant General Max’s position became vacant, the command staff would immediately fall into chaos.

And the only person capable of resolving that chaos would be Josef.

Rather than allowing himself to be pushed out, he had chosen to destroy the balance entirely and expand his influence until no one could remove him.

However, even he couldn’t have predicted that the trap he set would place both the Commander’s life and mine in danger.

Well... perhaps this is actually for the best.

Had I not been caught up in the incident, the Commander would probably have overlooked Josef’s wrongdoing.

He wasn’t the sort of person who would punish Josef merely for Lieutenant General Max’s sake.

But because I had almost died in the incident, I had also earned the right to intervene.

By now, Meursault must have conveyed my words to the Commander.

Since no separate order had come forbidding me from acting, I could consider that permission.

Then shall we go?

Set one enemy against another.

It was time to meet another sly old fox who could catch Josef.

***

“Haaaaah...”

Anton’s sigh was long and heavy.

Looking at him, he seemed to have aged another ten years since the last time I saw him.

I could almost understand why Meursault had pitied him.

“My only son nearly dies as soon as he becomes an officer...”

“I was the one who saved him.”

Anton ignored me and continued his lamentation.

“Then, once my son safely returns, Lord Haydam—the person who stole him away from me—comes to test whether I already knew that my dear friend, Lieutenant General Max, was a shameless scoundrel who commissioned the murder of his own adopted son.”

“Anton. Did retiring make you decide you could speak however you wanted?”

“You came back from the dead, Lord Haydam, and now you’ve apparently decided to drop all honorific speech with me. Frankly, I find it more comfortable this way.”

“Stop changing the subject and answer me.”

Anton sighed once more, then clasped his hands together.

“Lieutenant General Max is... not that kind of man.”

“He isn’t that kind of man? Then who is?”

Anton glared at me instead of answering.

“Did you honestly expect me to say that Lieutenant General Max is the kind of man capable of such a thing? Why did you come to see me in the first place?”

“I also know Lieutenant General Max isn’t that kind of person. That’s precisely why I came to you.”

At those words, Anton looked at me with even greater suspicion.

“What are you trying to say?”

When dealing with someone who suspected me this much, it was better to be excessively honest.

I replied calmly,

“I suspect Josef.”

Anton’s expression immediately changed.

Judging by his face, this bastard also believed Josef was the true culprit.

However, instead of hastily agreeing with me, Anton said,

“You are aware that Josef is one of His Excellency’s closest aides, I assume.”

“I am. I’m also aware that even though you stepped down as captain, Josef is still clinging to his position.”

“Josef is not foolish enough to do something like this.”

“Between Lieutenant General Max and Captain Josef, which one do you think is more likely to be that foolish?”

Anton frowned and remained silent for a moment.

Then he said,

“You came because there is something you want from me.”

“No, Anton.”

I crossed my legs and leaned back against the sofa.

“I came because I intend to help you obtain what you want.”

“Do you even know what I want?”

“You called Lieutenant General Max your friend. You don’t want him to be executed by firing squad, do you?”

“Bartom.”

Anton stared at me with an unreadable look.

“Bartom already died that way, didn’t he?”

He’s bringing up the past?

I thought the Commander and I had already concluded our deal regarding Bartom.

It didn’t seem like Anton was suddenly trying to reopen that matter.

Was he asking why I had come all the way to him when I could simply dispose of Lieutenant General Max the same way we had disposed of Bartom?

I had never once treated Anton favorably, so it was understandable that he would suspect my intentions.

He probably thought I might be trying to lure him into defending Lieutenant General Max, only to stab him in the back afterward.

Even so, Anton had no choice but to act as I intended.

From the perspective of a retired Anton, Lieutenant General Max was an important figure who might become the next captain after him.

With Lieutenant General Bartom already dead, if Lieutenant General Max also died, the pro-Daphne faction would be shaken to its very foundations.

Anton, who intended to keep one foot in the pro-Daphne faction and the other on my side, couldn’t possibly welcome such a situation.

Furthermore, he wouldn’t want his friend to be remembered in history as a shameless man responsible for the deaths of seven soldiers.

“You said earlier that I stole your son.”

“Ahem...”

“Consider my help with Lieutenant General Max payment for stealing your son.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Then consider your help this time repayment for me saving that son of yours.”

Anton stared blankly at me for a moment before lowering his voice.

“Do you understand what you are saying?”

“I do. I’m saying we should make Josef, Father’s closest aide, the culprit instead of Lieutenant General Max.”

“Why in the world would you do that? Has His Excellency given permission?”

“He said I wasn’t allowed to handle it personally.”

Only then did Anton seem to understand why I had come to him.

“Don’t tell me you intend to use my hands to deal with him. I am not Meursault. I will not shoot someone dead simply because you order me to.”

“Why do both you and Meursault immediately think of murder?”

“Then... what exactly are you asking me to do?”

“Your job isn’t to kill anyone. In fact, you might say it’s the exact opposite.”

“The opposite...?”

Anton tilted his head, clearly unable to understand.

I looked at him and said,

“From this moment onward, I need you to bring a dead man back to life.”