Chapter 50 – Kidnapping(?)

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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At that time, while the military academy graduation ceremony was in full swing.

“…”

CornerHoney was sitting opposite Anton with a single tea table between them in an awkward atmosphere.

CornerHoney’s hair and attire were a mess, but.

Anton hadn’t particularly done anything to him.

First, it was large men dressed in black who greeted CornerHoney, who had received his outing pass and headed to the slums.

-Get in. He is waiting for you.

Thinking of course that it was Haydam who called him at those words, CornerHoney had no thoughts even when they put a blindfold on him in the car.

When he actually moved locations, took off the blindfold, and saw Anton sitting on the opposite side, he was startled and made quite a fuss.

Anton, who managed to calm down and seat CornerHoney, who had run away to a corner and brandished a chair like a cat with its fur standing up telling him not to come near, asked with a very tired complexion.

“Why are you that frightened?”

At that question, CornerHoney hesitated a bit and answered in a crawling voice.

“I thought I was going to be tortured…”

“You’ve read too many novels.”

At Anton’s words, CornerHoney showed an embarrassed smile.

‘It’s not novels, but that I played a lot of games. Since this is a background that mainly appears when torturing.’

Come to think of it, this secret location was indeed a place used as a torture chamber only after the player took office as commander.

‘I used to wonder who on earth set up this secret location when I was making the strategy guide, but it was Anton.’

CornerHoney thought that if the first place one saw upon taking off the blindfold was the place where they had tortured NPCs while playing the game, anyone would tremble like him.

“You should have told me you called me just to talk.”

“I did tell you, though.”

“Actually, I am not very good at English.”

Although it was a line where Haydam would have probably given him a hard time, asking, ‘Is that something to brag about?’ Anton actually wore an interested face.

“A fresh answer.”

“Fresh? Where?”

“Since the only person of your age I’ve seen recently is Lord Haydam. Lord Haydam speaks… well, doesn’t he? Unbecoming of his age.”

“He doesn’t just speak well, he speaks like a viper.”

He saw Anton chuckle at those words.

‘Did he really call me just to talk?’

At Anton’s attitude of looking like he really had no intention of harming him, CornerHoney let out a breath of relief inwardly.

General Anton, one of the Cola Zone NPCs.

In fact, CornerHoney knew almost nothing about this NPC.

He only knew him as an NPC who committed suicide following Daphne after the player poisoned her.

‘It seems this mister kidnapped me because of Haydam, but…’

Judging by the fact that he didn’t seem to have intentions to treat him harshly, it seemed he had something he wanted to ask him.

Right as he thought that, Anton suddenly questioned.

“How long have you known Lord Haydam?”

‘How long have I known him…?’

Why is he asking that of all things?

Is there something that changes depending on the period of knowing Haydam?

Should I brag about our friendship, saying we’ve known each other since the slum days?

Or do I have to testify about Haydam’s childhood?

‘Hmm…’

CornerHoney tried to use his brain a bit like Haydam, but soon gave up and decided to answer honestly.

‘It’s no use even if I clumsily imitate Dopamine Addict. I don’t even know how to do psychological warfare.’

Also, answering truthfully seemed like it would quickly end this thin-ice-like one-on-one situation.

Because.

“I’ve known Haydam for about… three months?”

The period of knowing Haydam since possessing the game was strictly a mere three months.

If he said they had known each other since the slum days, there would be many stories he had to make up.

But if he just spoke the truth, there was no need to make up stories for nothing.

And proving it wouldn’t be difficult either.

Naturally, the expression of Anton, who had expected him and Haydam to have known each other since long ago, crumpled.

“Three months…?”

“When I came to enlist, Haydam wrote the application form for me since I didn’t know how to write. We met for the first time then… why?”

“…”

Looking at Anton’s gaze, he seemed not to believe his words.

“Your application form said you were from the slums. If you were from the same slums, wouldn’t you have known Lord Haydam?”

“I just told you. Haydam wrote the document.”

“Are you saying the part about being from the slums was just written arbitrarily by Haydam? Then where is your real origin?”

At Anton’s repeated questions, CornerHoney answered confidently.

“I don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Because I don’t have memories before the age of ten. That’s also why I didn’t know how to write. That’s also why I am still not good at English. Not because I am an idiot.”

“…”

Anton did not look like he believed any single sentence CornerHoney had spat out just now.

Indeed, they were only words that even CornerHoney himself wouldn’t believe.

Having no memories right up until meeting Haydam, no one would believe such a convenient setting.

“But you wrote down a name in the application form besides your origin. Don’t tell me you made up the name too?”

“How did you know? Haydam made that up for me too.”

“…Are you telling me to believe right now that Lord Haydam named a person Darling Outsider?”

“No, isn’t that the part where I should be angry? The one who has to live with that name is me!”

When CornerHoney snapped in genuine anger, Anton sat back against the chair’s backrest with an dumbfounded face.

“It seems Lord Haydam doesn’t cherish you for no reason. I wondered what he saw in you to keep you close… I was completely fooled by your acting like a foolish child, indeed.”

“…”

‘It’s not acting, though…’

But since Anton wouldn’t believe it even if he denied it here, CornerHoney remained silent.

“Fine… let’s assume you’ve known Lord Haydam for three months. I hear you are called to him frequently, what do you usually do when called to the commander’s residence?”

Perhaps because he thought CornerHoney was not cooperating, Anton began to overtly probe about what he did with Haydam.

“Are you doing special training? Or does he issue directives?”

“Uh…”

CornerHoney decided to answer this just as it was too.

“We mostly eat stuff.”

“…What do you do?”

“Cookies or… ah, combat rations too. Since he told me to try eating this and that, I ate this and that.”

Since they were busy eating to test abilities whenever they gathered, it wasn’t a lie.

Anton sharply questioned back with a slightly irritated air.

“Are you teasing me?”

“No, but isn’t it not that strange for ten-year-olds to gather and eat snacks?”

“It is strange! For that Lord Haydam to call you just to do something like eat snacks!”

As Anton’s voice raised unbecomingly of him, CornerHoney shrank slightly, but soon steeled his heart and asked Anton.

“Why do you want to know what I do with Haydam to that extent? If Haydam finds out you are doing this, how are you going to handle it?”

“…”

Anton stared at CornerHoney for a moment, then spoke in a calm voice as if he had calmed down a bit.

“They say Lord Haydam is going to make my son his adjutant.”

“…Pardon? Plato?”

When his son’s name came out of CornerHoney’s mouth without even a bit of hesitation, Anton’s eyes narrowed.

“You already know about my son too. It seems you shared indeed many conversations while eating snacks with Lord Haydam?”

“He never told me that Plato would become the adjutant, though. Is he really going to make Plato his adjutant? Did you check properly? If it is Haydam, he is more than capable of scamming with an adjutant position.”

“…Aren’t you Lord Haydam’s friend?”

Anton asked reluctantly at CornerHoney’s words that seemed to distrust Haydam even more than himself.

But CornerHoney was also flustered in his own way right now.

Because he thought the adjutant position would naturally be given to him.

‘If he gives Plato the adjutant position… then what about me?’

In the ears of the serious CornerHoney, Anton’s voice was heard continuously.

“…But in truth, I don’t trust Lord Haydam that much either. That is why I called you. Because I cannot make a judgment on whether my son can trust Lord Haydam.”

“Mmm…”

‘It doesn’t seem like a lie, but…’

At first, he thought Anton was the pro-Daphne leader so he naturally called him to find Haydam’s weakness.

But if Haydam presented the adjutant position to Plato, it seemed Anton would have no reason to be hostile to Haydam either.

“Do you understand now? We are going to be in the same boat. Therefore, please be honest now. How long have you known Lord Haydam? Is he a trustworthy person?”

CornerHoney felt that Anton was asking so from his heart to some extent, but that didn’t mean anything would change.

“Oh, I really have known him for three months, and he is not a very trustworthy bastard.”

At CornerHoney’s answer, Anton’s expression changed coldly in an instant.

“Are you going to continue acting even after I say this much? You are indeed cautious.”

He wasn’t cautious or anything, he just spoke the truth.

While CornerHoney was feeling awkward, Anton said with an unfathomable face.

“If you really cannot trust me… I will tell you one of my secrets.”

“A secret?”

“Actually, I have a hidden daughter.”

“You have a daughter?!”

Even CornerHoney, who was a Safe Zone veteran, was hearing this for the first time.

That Anton had a daughter.

At the thought that suddenly brushed through his head, CornerHoney asked in an astonished voice.

“As expected, was Daphne your daughter?!”

In an instant, Anton’s expression crumpled.

“Daphne?”

“Was Lady Daphne your daughter?”

“I said I would tell you a secret, yet what kind of trashy novel are you writing? You should stop reading novels.”

“…”

Although he was an NPC who was loyal to Daphne even when the previous commander died, and even committed suicide following her when she was poisoned, so the theory that he was actually Daphne’s biological father was popular among players.

But looking at Anton’s expression, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Anton, cleanly ignoring CornerHoney’s trashy story, took out a photo from his chest and offered it.

“There is a photo here, would you like to take a look?”

‘I wonder what this talk of a hidden daughter is all of a sudden… but since it might be a story Dopamine Addict doesn’t know, it’s better to take a look.’

CornerHoney accepted the photo Anton offered.

Looking into the photo, an Asian with black hair who didn’t resemble Anton in the slightest entered his view.

A young woman with a mole under her eye.

“…Huh?”

When CornerHoney received the photo and tilted his head, a faint smile hung on Anton’s lips.