Chapter 49 – Graduation Speech

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Damn, they run the pre-ceremony events for a whole hour.”

Bones, who entered the graduation hall after completing the pre-ceremony events, sat down with a thud in the middle of the very front row of the arranged chairs and grumbled.

“Ha, I’m finally graduating from this tiring school.”

Whether the suit he was forced to wear for the graduation ceremony was uncomfortable, Bones had a harsh expression throughout the pre-ceremony events.

“Fuck, whose idea was it to tell us to wear suits just because it’s graduation?”

Lucas, who was also dressed in a suit, said as he sat next to Bones with a tired face.

“Why don’t you loosen your tie a bit then?”

“No way. Lieutenant General Max is watching.”

“You too, I can’t tell if you’re a delinquent or a model student.”

“I think those are words that should be said to that guy rather than me?”

Lucas also turned his head in the direction Bones was looking with a tilted head.

There, Plato, who was neatly dressed in a suit and looking around as if searching for someone, was visible.

Lucas furrowed his brows and asked.

“From where does that look like a delinquent?”

Soon, when Plato discovered the two and began to approach while showing a delighted expression, Bones and Lucas made a “Ugh” sound at the same time.

Because Plato’s appearance, who had exposed(?) Haydam’s injury to them not long ago and shouted at them to know shame, overlapped.

Although the two were still uncomfortable with Plato after that incident, Plato, the clear-eyed madman, approached and spoke to them as if he didn’t care at all.

“Have you not seen Lord Haydam?”

Bones, who was already throwing fits whenever he heard the name Haydam after the training simulation, leaped from his seat.

“Crazy! Why are you asking us that!”

“He said he would definitely come today, but I don’t see him.”

“What do you mean? Lord Haydam isn’t even a graduate, why would he come here?”

“He said he would come to observe.”

“Is Lord Haydam your parent?”

“Did General Anton come? He wasn’t seen during the pre-ceremony events.”

When Lucas asked so while calming down Bones who was picking a fight, Plato tilted his head slightly to the side and answered briefly.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him.”

At those words, Bones made an absurd expression.

“Searching for Lord Haydam before your own father?”

“Indeed. If it is Father, would he know where Lord Haydam is?”

“What is this guy?”

Bones gave up on the conversation with a fed-up face, and Lucas continued.

“Anyway, we didn’t see Lord Haydam. Even if he comes, wouldn’t he come together with the Commander?”

“Makes sense.”

“But why is Lord Haydam really coming here?”

“To watch my graduation speech.”

“What are you…”

Lucas, whose words ‘What do you think you are’ rose to the tip of his throat, swallowed his words soon.

Although he couldn’t understand why on earth Lord Haydam would come here to watch this guy’s graduation speech.

Since they shared training simulations twice, they might have gotten close like brothers.

…Although seeing what Plato did, he seemed less like a brother and more like a puppy waiting for its master.

‘He must know that Plato is General Anton’s son… does it mean the faction doesn’t matter?’

Since Lucas was a cadet sponsored by a centrist executive who was neither pro-Daphne nor pro-Hayden, he didn’t need to care much about who Haydam was close to, but.

It was inwardly irritating that even that Haydam was looking favorably upon Plato, whom he had never beaten throughout his time at the military academy.

“If Lord Haydam is coming to watch that, shouldn’t you go to the waiting room now? You shouldn’t ruin the graduation speech.”

When he politely conveyed the words to get lost from his sight, Plato checked the time and nodded.

“That’s true. Thanks for the advice, Lucas.”

As Plato said thanks and walked away, Bones began to grumble again.

“See? I told you Plato that bastard is more insidious than me. He even abandons his own father for success.”

“Why speak like that. Since they are close, he can come watch something like a graduation speech.”

At Lucas’s words, which maintained a neutral attitude with effort, Bones snorted.

“Humph, that’s also funny. What graduation speech is he coming to watch? The kid who did an eight-to-one training simulation just because he didn’t want to enter the military academy.”

“What do you mean by that?”

When Lucas looked at him with wide eyes at the first-time story, Bones belatedly covered his mouth with his hand as if he realized his mistake.

“Shoot, I shouldn’t have said this…”

“Are you saying that Lord Haydam did the training simulation because he didn’t want to enter the military academy?”

“It’s not that I heard it directly.”

Bones looked around and then whispered into Lucas’s ear.

“Don’t go telling this to anyone. I also heard it from Lieutenant General Max. When the Commander told Lord Haydam to enter, he said it was a waste of time and that he would prove he is more outstanding than any of the military academy cadets.”

“And that was the training simulation?”

“Yeah. In the end, he proved it. And twice at that.”

When Lucas shut his mouth with a stiff face, Bones pulled his body away and said.

“Well, it feels dirty because it feels like being ignored. But maybe because I saw that kid running wild myself, I wasn’t even angry.”

Bones, having said so, observed Lucas’s expression and giggled.

“Why do you look a bit triggered?”

“I don’t feel very good, indeed. Although it’s true I have nothing to say because I suffered a crushing defeat from him.”

“…This is not something for me to say, though.”

Bones tossed it out casually as if it were no big deal, but it was a voice carrying a bit of hesitation, unlike usual.

“Since we are graduating now, wouldn’t it be better for you to lower your useless pride too?”

At that moment, Lucas intuited what he was trying to say, but pretended not to know and asked back.

“Useless pride?”

“Waging the training simulation this time too. You did it because of pride, didn’t you?”

“That was not just my problem, but—”

“Don’t make me laugh. Anyone who knows anything knows you have an inferiority complex toward Plato.”

“…”

Lucas did not deny nor confirm, but Bones continued as if he didn’t care.

“Lord Haydam is the successor of this zone. Even that freak Plato has General Anton, but… we don’t.”

Lucas also did not fail to know what Bones wanted to say.

Right now, they could at least try to compete within the fence of school.

But the moment they left school and became affiliated with the military, an insurmountable barrier of rank would arise between Plato and themselves.

Because unlike Plato, they were just one of the numerous cadets sponsored by executives.

Perhaps because it was spoken by Bones, who would understand his feelings best since they were in the same position, it didn’t sound offensive.

Lucas smirked and responded.

“Seeing you unable to even loosen your tie because you’re walking on eggshells around your adoptive father, Bones, I guess that seems true too.”

“Hey! It’s not that Lieutenant General Max gave me looks, but because I want to look good…!”

“Shh. It’s starting.”

As soon as he restrained Bones’s voice from raising, the lights turned on inside the dark hall, and the principal went up onto the platform.

Seeing the Commander, Haydam, and Plato go up in turn and sit behind him, Lucas clenched his fists and suddenly thought.

‘Hmm? But why did Lord Haydam go up?’

* * *

“Lord Haydam!”

As soon as I barely arrived right before the start of the graduation ceremony and entered the waiting room, Plato welcomed me first.

“You really came!”

“Plato. Congratulations on your graduation.”

“Did you come to encourage me?”

“Uh… yes.”

Although I came to monitor if Plato does what I ordered well, coming all the way to the waiting room was to greet the commander.

The commander was not visible in the waiting room, as if he hadn’t arrived yet even though the ceremony was about to start.

“Where is my father?”

“Haha, wouldn’t other people be uncomfortable if the Commander is here?”

That’s true too.

He became too comfortable for me, so I sometimes forget that he is a dictator chancellor.

The mental state of Plato speaking that bluntly is also suspicious.

“The Commander will probably arrive right before going up onto the platform.”

“I see… but I don’t see General Anton either?”

“Indeed.”

Indeed??

For someone who welcomed me fiercely as soon as I appeared, his tone sounds like he has not even a shred of interest in his biological father.

“Did he not come? Even though it’s his son’s graduation.”

“I don’t know well. He must be busy. More importantly, Lord Haydam, this is the speech draft I prepared, if you could take a look…”

Hmm. Cruel parents make cruel children, it seems.

But…

‘Was it Anton who called CornerHoney after all?’

Plato would have probably told Anton that I was coming to watch the graduation speech today.

He might have thought that now, while I was away, was the perfect time to meet CornerHoney.

‘Since that guy ran around bragging to seniors that he is close to me, I felt like he would be called over at least once.’

Since I am making his son my adjutant, he wouldn’t have called a child who is my friend to harm him.

Well, since CornerHoney is also a player, he will respond well.

“It’s about to start, aren’t you going up?”

Turning at the familiar voice from behind, the commander, dressed in a white uniform, was looking at us with interest with his single remaining eye.

“Father.”

“Hello, Commander.”

When Plato greeted respectfully, the commander showed a strange smile.

“Greeting me of all things. You’ve grown a lot too.”

…Huh? Then did it mean he originally didn’t greet the commander even when meeting him?

Did Plato take that as praise, as he answered with a proud smile on his lips.

“It is thanks to Lord Haydam.”

Why is that thanks to me.

“My son has good talent. To think he tamed another house’s dog so well.”

“Father.”

“Now, let’s go up before we are late. Don’t you also have to give a speech?”

Right when I was about to say something about mentioning a dog in front of the person himself, the commander slyly laughed and pushed Plato’s back.

Even at the commander’s dog comment just now, Plato had a face that completely didn’t care whether he became a dog or not, since the upcoming graduation speech was important.

‘I think Plato really wouldn’t care, but…’

Showing that kind of attitude in front of a kid who is trying to get along with me must be because Plato is Anton’s son.

It was fully worth suspecting that Anton had intentionally made him approach me.

Although I know Plato feels sincere loyalty to me.

Its just that when the moment of choice comes, since he is human, he won’t be able to easily abandon his own bloodline.

At any rate, the suspicion from the commander was a problem Plato had to solve on his own…

“Where are you going?”

“Pardon?”

Since it was time for the two to go onto the platform for the speech, I was trying to go to the guest seats, but the commander’s voice caught me.

“Well, I…”

“Let’s go up together. Since you will have to come up anyway.”

At those words, I realized.

‘This man knows what I made Plato do.’

I thought that after Plato finished the speech, naturally I, who led this matter, might also be called onto the platform.

Seeing how he tells me to stay up even though he knows all that, it’s a relief since he doesn’t seem to have intentions to block what we are trying to do.

Only Plato spoke with excitement.

“That is a good idea! Lord Haydam, let’s go up together. As you know from looking at the speech draft, it would be good if Lord Haydam is in a place where you can be seen well.”

No, I only held that speech draft in my hand, I didn’t read it, you know?

Thus, I was pushed onto the platform and sat down.

At the end of the principal’s long, long well-wishes, it became Plato’s turn for the graduation speech.

Watching Plato stand in front of the microphone, look around at the gathering once, and slowly part his lips, I just wanted him to do well what I ordered, but.

“Respected Lord Haydam, and just ordinary graduates.”

…This, it is not ordinary from the start.