Chapter 43 – How Do You Know

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“I do not know if everyone has heard, but…”

The leader of the pro-Daphne faction, Anton, said as he sat the pro-Daphne executives around a round table.

“They say the executives are banned from participating in this subjugation battle.”

At those words, the executives buzzed.

“Surely, are they trying to exclude us?”

“That is not it. Because not only us but Luna Moon’s watchdogs were also banned from participating.”

At the words that the pro-Hayden executives were also banned from participating, the pro-Daphne executives looked at each other’s faces with bewildered expressions.

“Then, all the executives…?”

“Why on earth is it banned? Although it’s true we have nothing to do, we aren’t interfering either.”

“They say this subjugation battle will move with a select few elite.”

“A select few elite…?”

Anton clicked his tongue and said.

“It must be that Haydam, that child, was involved. Since he did such conspicuous things wanting to go out to the subjugation battle.”

“…”

The executives here also just couldn’t speak because they were walking on eggshells around Anton, but the story of Haydam defeating Anton’s son Plato in the training simulation was already famous beyond the military academy and throughout the entire Cola Zone.

An extremely conspicuous child.

They thought he would have political purposes.

But to think that it would be blocking the executives’ participation in the subjugation battle.

“Why did they bother to ban our participation? For us, it doesn’t matter if we don’t go, and it doesn’t matter if we go, does it?”

“If the pro-commander executives are banned from participating in the same way, we don’t particularly have a justification to protest.”

“That is why he is clever, that child.”

Anton continued in a calm tone.

“Just as you said, we have no justification to protest. Even if we argue now that we must participate in the subjugation battle, wouldn’t we only make ourselves look ridiculous? Since it’s true we did nothing in the rear all this time.”

“Mmm…”

“But then, even if we accept the ban on participation without any protest, we still look ridiculous. The young one is truly insidious.”

Because Anton was smiling as he said that, he somehow also looked as if he was enjoying Haydam’s provocation.

One of the executives, watching Anton’s reaction, asked cautiously.

“Um… then what do you plan to do…?”

“I’m thinking of touching something else, not the subjugation battle.”

“Something else?”

“Luna Moon’s grave.”

“Pardon?!”

“Lord Anton?!”

The executives were startled for a moment and raised their voices at the same time.

Because it was certain that even if it was Anton, Commander Hayden would not forgive him if he touched Luna Moon’s grave.

Anton said with one corner of his mouth raised, as if the reactions of those executives were funny.

“Do you think I brought this up to dig up a dead woman’s grave?”

“Th-then…?”

“That woman’s grave, when I looked into it, it was one that was made a long time ago. When I asked the elderly in the slums, they said it has been in that spot for nearly ten years.”

“Ten years?”

One executive, who felt something strange at those words, asked back.

“Can that be? Isn’t Lord Haydam’s age ten right now?”

“That is exactly it.”

Anton placed both hands on the table, locked his fingers, and said.

“Haydam, that child, always said he heard stories from Luna Moon. But if Luna Moon’s death was ten years ago… isn’t something strange?”

“Are you saying Lord Haydam might be a fake?”

For a moment, tension flowed among the executives, but one executive said as if he couldn’t accept it.

“No, but… don’t the pro-commander executives unanimously say that the child resembles Luna Moon? Besides… even in my eyes, he resembles the Commander.”

The other executives also poured out their worries.

“Even if Lord Haydam is a fake, can you prove it? We can’t even confirm the exact year the grave was made, can we?”

“Above all, Lord Haydam has already completed his self-proof. If we bring up the talk that Lord Haydam is suspicious right now, we will be shot just like Lieutenant General Bartom.”

As if the sight of that day when Lieutenant General Bartom was shot dead by Meursault was unfolding before their eyes again, the executives shuddered.

“How about we do it this way?”

As if Anton already had something in mind, he said toward the other executives.

“If that child is a fake, he wouldn’t know Luna Moon’s face. Since Luna Moon already became white bones ten years ago, and no photos remain either.”

“That is true. The Commander was very regretful about that point.”

“Therefore, I plan to show that child a portrait of Luna Moon and observe his reaction.”

At those words, the executives’ expressions became puzzled.

“Do you mean a portrait of Luna Moon? You just said no photos remain…”

“You aren’t planning to ask the Commander or other executives, are you? If we step forward and suggest making a portrait of Luna Moon, Daphne’s honor…”

“Isn’t there that very Lady Daphne?”

“…!”

If it was Daphne, she would definitely know Luna Moon’s face.

Since they competed over Commander Hayden.

“But would Lady Daphne… really join in this matter? Seeing how she told us not to be hostile even though that child left such abusive words, she seemed to like that child quite a bit, so there’s no way she would tolerate trapping him with a portrait of Luna Moon.”

“Tsk. Is a woman bound to be weak to a child after all?”

“H-hey, watch your mouth.”

The executive who had mumbled without thinking noticed Anton’s fierce gaze staring at him, and bowed his head in surprise.

“Seeing you speak so carelessly, you must have gone senile too.”

“I-I am sorry.”

“But it is true that Lady Daphne is favorable to that child…”

Anton had watched Daphne since she was very young.

Daphne, the only daughter of the previous commander, was a child just as greedy as the previous commander.

It meant she didn’t have a personality that could be favorable to a child just because she was a woman.

She must surely have something to receive from Haydam.

“We can just tell Lady Daphne that we want to give his mother’s portrait as a gift for Lord Haydam. On the outside, we also need to make it look like we are gifting it for that purpose.”

“Oh, indeed. If we do that, we won’t offend the Commander’s mood nor Lady Daphne’s mood.”

“Moreover, if Lady Daphne steps forward first to gift the portrait, her relationship with the Commander will improve as well.”

Anton, showing a brief nod at the other executive’s words, said.

“Once the portrait is ready, I will call that child to the executive meeting. And I will say we prepared a gift and show it to him. The moment he sees that portrait, everything will be revealed. A child’s gaze looking at his mother is not something that can be acted.”

At the executive meeting, the commander is also present.

He will notice that Haydam’s reaction is strange even more sharply than themselves.

“If that child is indeed Luna Moon’s son, he would recognize his mother’s face at once…”

The following voice soon turned into a sharp murmur and flowed out.

“If he doesn’t recognize it. He will have to pay the price for pretending to be a bastard.”

* * *

I didn’t know why, but.

At the military academy, it was established that I fought one-on-one with a Furry Crocodile and won, and that I participated in the training simulation for the honor of Team A’s cadets while hiding the wound bitten by the Furry Crocodile.

‘Plato… did you not only say that my injury wasn’t fully healed yet?’

Except for the threat that a birth myth might arise sometime soon that I beat a Furry Crocodile to death with my bare hands at the age of ten and fought eight-to-one against cadets and won, life at the military academy was peaceful.

Since it was a repetition of days of listening to classes at the military academy during the day and establishing plans for the subjugation battle with Meursault at night, there was nothing special.

Before I knew it, a month passed and I came to have a meal meeting with kids my age again.

Since it was even attached to the grand name of a charity party now, the kids who came here were also in neat suits instead of military uniforms or servant attire.

CornerHoney, who swept back his blonde hair and became pointlessly handsome, said with a face full of complaints.

“What’s the use of all this party food when we can’t even taste it? Just make it pig slop.”

When will this guy ever have a nice attitude?

Taejeong, who grew much taller in the meantime, said maturely.

“Efficiency is more important than taste for us, after all. That Star Candy from last time, I tested it and it’s extremely excellent.”

“Ah, I tested it too.”

Because of the intrusion of the Unicorn Zone player, I had returned without being able to test the new combat ration, Star Candy.

It seemed they had tested it on their own with the Star Candies distributed to each of them as they returned.

“I couldn’t make a huge wound because I was scared, but… I feel like as long as you don’t die, it can save you? The healing speed was extremely fast.”

Hmm. If I ask them to get seriously injured to test it properly, they would object, right?

“You’re making a very ominous expression again.”

“What kind of expression is that?”

“The expression of dopamine circulating completely.”

Oh dear.

“So… real Dopamine Addict. What on earth is that guy from back then?”

“I don’t know either.”

“What?”

Whether my answer was quite absurd, CornerHoney’s face crumpled heavily.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I literally mean I don’t know. All I know is that he is the Unicorn Zone player, and unlike the other guys, he has the appearance of an adult. Why he is running around acting like me, why he came to find me. There is nothing to know.”

“No… then are you saying that crazy bastard might pop up again next time?”

CornerHoney seemed anxious that that guy might find him again.

Seeing how he said he would look forward to the day I come to his zone when we parted, he probably won’t be coming to find me first anymore.

Compared to CornerHoney, Taejeong gave a more productive answer.

“If he comes again next time, I will train so that I won’t just take it quietly like now.”

When I made a proud expression at those words, CornerHoney grumbled.

“That side is even wrapped in a magnetic field shield, so what training? Are you going to do bullet-dodging training or something?”

“Shouldn’t Second Older Brother do something like that at least? The one that person was targeting was Second Older Brother.”

“Ugh.”

Taejeong… even though he looks gentle, he is a guy who says what needs to be said.

“First of all, trying to figure out that guy’s identity is a waste of time. Because there’s no way to find out right now.”

“Then we just have to remain uncomfortable like this?”

“We have no choice but to go to Unicorn Zone in person later to find out. In any case, the fact that he is a player doesn’t change.”

It wasn’t that I wasn’t anxious about his existence either.

But it was also true that there was nothing I could do right now.

Anyway, except for the fact that he has an adult appearance, he is a player just like us.

Isn’t there one adult player in our zone too?

Thinking simply, there was nothing disadvantageous for us.

‘Come to think of it, it’s about time to tell them about Daphne.’

“Speaking of players, Daphne was a player.”

“What?”

“Pardon?”

At my words, both CornerHoney and Taejeong showed surprised expressions.

“Daphne is a player? Not Luna Moon?”

“Luna Moon was also a player.”

“What? Is that real?”

“Were they not simple NPCs?”

Mmm. How should I explain this?

First, I should tell them about how the game those two possessed and the game we possessed are different.

“Within the Safe Zone we possessed, they were indeed NPCs. Those two possessed through a different game from ours.”

“A different game…?”

“In my opinion, it seems there were multiple pathways to possess this world.”

CornerHoney made his usual ‘my head hurts’ expression, and Taejeong asked cautiously.

“If it was a different game… what game did those people possess?”

“A dating sim.”

“A dating sim…?”

Taejeong’s expression became subtle, but unexpected words came from CornerHoney.

“No way, a Middle-Aged Men Dating Simulation Game?”

What?

How does this bastard know?