Chapter 46 – How

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Before the executive meeting.

I went to find Daphne.

Both to let her know that Meursault was participating and to ask about the dating sim.

“Meursault is participating?”

As expected, Daphne also wore a surprised expression.

“He had never gone out to a subjugation battle directly even once in the past ten years… seeing that he had a change of heart after Haydam came. He is not someone who acts so emotionally, though.”

Although she was surprised, it was a calmer reaction than my expectation.

I thought she would oppose her favorite character going out to such a dangerous task, considering she used a nickname like ‘Meursault’s Wife’.

“Is it alright? Even if Meursault goes to the subjugation battle.”

“If it is what Meursault wanted. And if… Meursault gained courage upon seeing Haydam…”

Saying so, Daphne held the teacup tightly with both hands.

“If Meursault returns from the subjugation battle… I am thinking of confessing my feelings too.”

“…That sounds like Meursault’s death flag… never mind.”

Seeing Daphne’s face turn serious the moment I brought up the word death flag, I quickly changed my words.

“I will do something about Meursault somehow. On that note, by any chance, could you help me as a player?”

“As a player?”

“Because I don’t know well yet what kind of power Lady Daphne possesses.”

At my words, Daphne laughed softly.

“Just because one is a player doesn’t mean they have great power. Although I do have an appearance buff item… with that, at most, raising favorability is all there is.”

“Is that so?”

‘But Luna Moon…’

As if reading my thoughts, Daphne continued to speak.

“Since Luna Moon was such an extraordinary person, it’s understandable that Haydam would misunderstand. But it is true. Except for gaining the favor of other people, there are no functions needed for a dating sim.”

Conversely, it meant Daphne had survived until now without other abilities.

If only she had some special ability, I would be relieved, but thinking that coming all the way to this position was her own ability, Daphne’s existence felt even more burdensome.

Even if she was lying… it meant she didn’t trust me.

Perhaps because my expression worsened, Daphne showed an apologetic face.

“I am sorry. For not being of much help… although I have healing abilities, they aren’t abilities that would help Haydam.”

It seemed she did have a healing ability like Luna Moon.

Was it not that she purposely tried to hide it from me, but just that she didn’t say it first because she thought it wouldn’t be helpful?

“Ah, what this is like—”

“I know that too.”

As Daphne was trying to explain about the healing ability, I spoke first.

“Because I also inherited that ability from my mother.”

At those words, Daphne looked at me in surprise.

“Th-that was something that could be inherited too?”

Anyway, the fact that I had healing abilities was something that would eventually get caught sooner or later.

Since Daphne, who possessed the same ability, would notice immediately upon learning that my injury healed quickly.

In that case, it was better for me to strike first.

Before Daphne could harbor any doubts about my ability, I threw a line heavily loaded with emotion while harboring a gentle smile on my lips.

“Every time I use that ability, I always feel like Mother is watching over me by my side.”

Sure enough, Daphne had a touched face.

“Ah…! It must indeed be so. It must be the legacy Luna Moon left behind for Haydam!”

Whether Daphne also came to trust even more that I was Luna Moon’s son, her gaze looking at me became even more affectionate.

‘I think you, who endured for ten years with just one appearance buff item, are more amazing.’

Right at the moment when I even felt awe toward Daphne, who had lived inside the game with a body that couldn’t even feel taste for ten years.

Suddenly with a serious face, Daphne said.

“You must miss your mother.”

“Of course… Because there is no child who doesn’t miss their mother.”

At my answer, Daphne showed an expression as if she had decided on something.

“Actually… I am preparing a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Anton told me not long ago that not even a single photo of Luna Moon remains.”

‘Anton did?’

It didn’t seem likely that Anton leaked such words to Daphne for no reason.

Rather than Daphne preparing it alone, if it was a gift decided with Anton involved, it didn’t seem like it would be a gift with a very good intention.

“Although he told me to keep it a secret until the executive meeting… seeing Haydam longing for Luna Moon, I wanted to tell you right away.”

She was telling me even though he told her to keep it a secret?

It was a relief that Daphne was a player at times like this.

Since her heart seemed to lean more toward me, who knew she was a player, than Anton, whom she had been with for ten years.

Anton probably couldn’t have thought that she would look after me, the son of her rival in love, more than himself who had been with her for ten years.

“We are working on a portrait of Luna Moon. So that Haydam can look at it whenever you miss Luna Moon.”

‘Luna Moon’s… portrait?’

Come to think of it, gifting a portrait of the mother to a young child who lost his mother was a notion that wasn’t strange.

But seeing that they specifically chose a portrait of Luna Moon…

‘He is doubting me.’

Actually, the fact that my existence was suspicious could be known immediately just by inquiring in the slums around the grave.

Because I was literally a child who fell from the sky.

Anton seemed to want to show the portrait of Luna Moon and check if I was truly Luna Moon’s child.

It seemed I had to go visit Luna Moon’s grave.

* * *

When I told Daphne that I wanted to go to my mother’s grave after a long time, Daphne readily lent me a car and a driver.

Borrowing and riding Daphne’s car, I arrived at the slums where Luna Moon’s grave was, told the driver to wait outside the slums, and then I replaced my title with the ‘Extra’s Mask’ title which made my impression blurry.

Next, in a place out of people’s sight, I changed into the clothes I had kept in my inventory and entered the slums.

A street that had become neat enough to make the word slums colorless came into view.

Compared to when I came to dig up the grave last time, it was managed much better, as the commander checked the surrounding facilities as he visited frequently.

I walked around the slums, searching for someone with an appearance unlike a pauper.

Because if Anton had dug up information here, I expected there would be a slum resident whose livelihood had improved by receiving compensation for it.

And as if my expectation wasn’t wrong, although it didn’t show outwardly, I was able to find an old man wearing clothes made of a luxurious texture for a slum resident to wear.

Perhaps that old man had already received enough food, as he didn’t even look at the beef jerky I offered, but after receiving a fragrant handkerchief I was carrying without much thought, he poured out everything he knew.

“People from the military came and asked if I knew a child named ‘Haydam’.”

“Did they come to look into that child?”

“Yes. So when I said I didn’t know, they asked if a child with black hair and black eyes had lived in this village.”

The old man’s gaze turned toward me, but he had a face that didn’t feel anything strange about my hair color or eye color.

I was glad I came in wearing the title that blurred my impression just in case.

It probably looked like slightly dark brown hair in the old man’s eyes.

“Did such a child live here?”

“No. If it was a young child with black hair, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember, so I said I had never seen one in my life.”

“Then what did they say?”

“They asked if I knew about the owner of the nameless grave over on that inside.”

Saying so, the old man clicked his tongue.

“Since the grave’s name itself is the Nameless Grave, how would I know its owner? Although someone who looks like a high-class gentleman has been going in and out frequently recently, I told them I didn’t want to get involved with such a person out of useless curiosity and suffer.”

“Then did they back down easily?”

“No. They were extremely persistent bastards.”

Seeing him stroke his pocket as he said that, it seemed he told them only after pocketing a pretty decent amount of money.

“Since they asked persistently, I remembered that an old man who died not long ago used to run around shouting that the owner of that grave was a benefactor who took care of people when a plague went around this village in the past, so I told them that. But, well, since he was a gentleman older than me, his mind was hazy, so I also said I didn’t know if it was true or not.”

“And after that?”

“They asked something really strange.”

“Something strange?”

“They asked if there were traces of digging at that grave, and if I knew anything.”

At this part, the old man laughed as if it were absurd.

“When they ask if I know about the traces of digging, where would there be an idiot who answers, ‘Yes, I know’? It seems that black-haired kid named Haydam dug up a high person’s grave and is searching…”

Hmm. A wrong but not wrong speculation.

“Ah. Lastly, when I replied that the nameless grave had been in that spot since a very long time ago, the soldiers’ eyes changed and they went back.”

Hmm.

I guess I’ve heard all the stories I need to hear.

“I see. Thank you for telling me. Please just take the beef jerky too.”

“Ah. Well, if you’re giving it.”

I greeted the old man whose mouth was hanging at his ears, deliberately took a long way around to change back to my original clothes in a deserted place, and then headed to Luna Moon’s grave.

Although my business was finished, I had to leave a sighting that I went to Luna Moon’s grave so that they wouldn’t think it was strange that I came here.

Going inside the village, Luna Moon’s grave was no longer a desolate dirt grave.

Seeing a few flowers, which I didn’t know how they were obtained in this snow-covered apocalypse world, placed as a floral tribute in front of the grave, the ring began to heat up again.

‘Come to think of it, this ring felt like an NPC related to Luna Moon.’

I was also pretending to be Luna Moon’s son, but I had been too indifferent all this time.

‘I will come to the grave often in the future.’

I thoughtlessly thought as if talking to the ring, and the ring’s moonstone flashed for a moment as if in reply.

I smirked while looking at the ring and looked at the grave again.

Although the commander had come to manage it, since it was an old grave, the spot where Safety8 and I had dug up and overturned looked suspicious enough for anyone to see that the dirt was soft.

‘Traces of digging the grave… I can just say that that Safety8 guy dug it up to impersonate me.’

Since the commander also saw that guy bring Luna Moon’s dog tag, he won’t doubt my words.

‘An old grave… such a thing cannot prove anything.’

There was no way there would be technology to accurately calculate the year a grave was made in a world ruined by the First Apocalypse.

Therefore, Anton must also be trying to see my reaction by gifting the portrait of Luna Moon, not the grave.

He probably thinks I won’t know Luna Moon’s face.

Indeed, all I know is Luna Moon’s white bones.

But since I found out in advance that they would show a portrait of Luna Moon, I can act appropriately.

‘Even so, the fact that the slum people don’t know a child named Haydam could be suspicious.’

For this, I have no choice but to say Luna Moon raised me in hiding.

I must say that Luna Moon’s death was actually a recent event too.

Although there might be more old people who know that Luna Moon died while treating an infectious disease, since the commander knows that Luna Moon had a healing ability, my claim will actually sound more credible.

Although I entered the executive meeting after completing thorough preparations to face Anton’s trap like this.

The moment I saw the portrait shown by Anton.

I felt that something had gone wrong.

‘…How.’

How could that person’s face be drawn there?

My real mother’s face.