Chapter 51 – Truth

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Actually.

There was something Anton had overlooked before his private meeting with Darling Outsider.

He had mistakenly believed that the kid with the ridiculous name of Darling would open his mouth easily.

It was not so much because he looked down on him for being young, but because the boy soldier was already famous in the unit for selling out Haydam’s name, so it could not be seen as Anton’s mistake.

From what he had heard, even at the mere mention of the letter ‘H’ in Haydam, the kid would excitedly ramble on about adventure stories with Haydam that no one knew were real or made up.

Yet, before Anton, he was acting like an absurd amnesia patient, which was truly dumbfounding.

‘Ten-year-olds these days are truly scary…’

Both Haydam and the kid in front of him.

They were not showing any openings at all.

Perhaps Haydam had strictly told him to keep his mouth shut regarding his past, but…

If there was any silver lining, it was that Darling Outsider, upon seeing the photo he presented, was clearly showing a different reaction than before.

The person in the photo was none other than Luna Moon.

‘If he stayed with Haydam in the slums, he should know Luna Moon’s face.’

Since he had shown such a photo of Luna Moon and claimed she was his hidden daughter, he had thought some kind of reaction would come.

Anton had made a bold move by introducing Haydam’s deceased mother as his hidden daughter to draw a truthful story out of Darling.

“What is it? Is it perhaps a familiar face?”

He had hoped that Darling frowned upon looking at the photo because he recognized Luna Moon’s face and felt displeasure.

The reaction from Darling Outsider that followed was rather disappointing.

“No, it’s just that this isn’t a photo, it’s a portrait?”

Saying so, Darling pointed at the frame of the portrait captured in the photo.

Of course, since no photos of Luna Moon remained, what he had handed to Darling was a photo taken of the portrait gifted to Haydam.

“Isn’t that not what is important right now?”

“Then what is important? Anyway, your daughter is beautiful.”

As Darling returned the photo to him casually, Anton began to get confused.

‘Does he really know nothing about Haydam’s past?’

He wondered if he was pretending not to know after recognizing Luna Moon, but…

Darling Outsider’s face showed no sign of discomfort at having a woman with Luna Moon’s face introduced as his daughter.

Unless it was truly someone he was seeing for the first time, that indifferent expression could not be acted.

If so, there was only one conclusion to be drawn.

After a long silence, Anton spoke.

“You really haven’t known Lord Haydam for very long.”

“Eh? Are you finally believing me?”

“Yes. I intend to believe so. Because I don’t want to think there is another child like Lord Haydam.”

“…? Yes, well.”

Darling wore a face that did not understand at all, but he nodded his head to pretend he understood.

If that was acting, he would be a child scarier than Lord Haydam.

Anton judged that further conversation would be meaningless.

“Let us end the conversation here. I will have you taken back to the barracks before it gets late.”

“Ah, no. The barracks I stay in aren’t far from the abandoned cathedral anyway, so I can just walk.”

“…”

Anton, who was about to say he would see him out to the entrance, stared at Darling with sharp eyes.

“By the way, how do you know?”

“Eh? Know… what?”

“Where this place is.”

Anton had deliberately brought Darling to the secret location through the slums while even blindfolding him.

It was not to hide it from Haydam.

Haydam would have immediately noticed that he took him, and the reason Anton hid his meeting with Darling was to avoid catching the eyes of other pro-Daphne executives.

They still did not know that Anton had one foot in Haydam’s camp, and they must not know.

So, naturally, Darling Outsider also shouldn’t know exactly where this place was.

Darling was heard scratching the back of his head and muttering.

“Uh, was I not supposed to act like I knew?”

“What do you mean by…”

Anton, who was frowning, soon realized a significant fact.

“Wait, if you know this place, then Lord Haydam also—”

There was no way Haydam wouldn’t know what this kid knew.

The moment Anton hurriedly stood up from his seat, the tightly closed door opened roughly.

A small foot that had likely kicked the door open appeared first, followed by the owner of that foot.

Haydam Goodman walked inside.

The first place Haydam’s gaze landed was on Darling Outsider.

He swept his gaze up and down Darling with his characteristic nonchalant expression.

“You look fine.”

At Haydam’s appearance, embarrassment washed over Anton’s face.

He knew he would be caught by Haydam and had no intention of hiding it, but…

‘I never even thought he would know about this place.’

This secret place in the basement of the abandoned cathedral was a place the former commander had used as a bunker.

Only the former commander and his direct subordinates knew of this place.

‘This is a place even Daphne doesn’t know about.’

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as he recalled Haydam knowing even the name of a newborn puppy at his neighbor’s house.

His claim of knowing everything about them was not a bluff.

“Is kidnapping a child the last thing you do before you retire?”

At Haydam’s voice flying into his ears, Anton snapped out of it.

“…Kidnapping? We only shared a conversation.”

“You look finer than I thought. But your state is not quite right for just sharing a conversation.”

Indeed, Darling Outsider’s clothing was a mess because he had gotten scared and tried to escape right after meeting Anton here.

Anton clicked his tongue and spoke.

“It is a misunderstanding. He made a fuss as soon as he saw me, perhaps having some bad thoughts…”

When Haydam’s pitying gaze landed on him, Outsider suddenly started to spout nonsense.

“Ah, no!! He threatened me, telling me to tell the truth! I didn’t want to come but he dragged me here by force!!”

“W-what?”

‘What kind of guy is this!!’

Anton, who had treated Darling relatively kindly in his own way, was so dumbfounded that he was speechless.

However, Haydam said to Anton without the slightest agitation.

“Ah… do not worry. I know best that he is a pathetic guy. Seeing him so high-spirited, you must have treated him quite kindly.”

“…”

It was fortunate that Haydam did not suspect him, but…

It became increasingly incomprehensible why Haydam favored such a guy.

Darling Outsider began to babble something discontentedly beside him, but Haydam lightly ignored him and asked Anton.

“By the way, did you really skip your son’s graduation ceremony just because of this guy?”

“Anyway, wouldn’t that child also not care whether I came or not?”

“…”

“Seeing you keep silent, it seems it really was so.”

“Plato did not particularly feel regretful, but…”

The fact that his son did not feel regretful about him not coming was nothing surprising, but…

Haydam’s words continued.

“You will regret today for a long time, Anton.”

“Me?”

“Because your son’s graduation speech received a standing ovation.”

‘Received a standing ovation?’

He had heard that his son Plato had quite a few followers, but…

Most of those followers were young juniors who did not know Plato’s true nature.

He knew that the graduates in the same grade treated Plato as a weirdo and did not want to associate with him much…

‘Why would those graduates give a standing ovation to Plato?’

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Anton asked.

“By any chance… what was the content of the speech?”

The moment Haydam showed a cat-like smile at that question.

Anton could instinctively know that his bad feeling would not be wrong.

“If you are curious, go ask your son.”

“Lord Haydam! Did you perhaps involve yourself in my son’s graduation speech?”

To Anton, who asked in shock, Haydam smiled mockingly and said.

“That is why you should have come to your son’s graduation ceremony, right?”

* * *

A few hours ago at the graduation ceremony.

“Respected Lord Haydam, and just graduates.”

For a graduation speech that began with an unusual first sentence, the words that followed were ordinary.

“Although there was Cadet Lucas who left a famous saying that cadets who think they will lose without even trying do not deserve to be in this military academy, and Cadet Bones who claimed that only he was not fooled by Lord Haydam’s acting, along with many other outstanding cadets, it is a great honor for me to deliver this speech as the representative of the graduates.”

Hmm… no. I didn’t think it was ordinary.

I could see Lucas and Bones sitting in the front row trembling their fists even from here.

The commander sitting beside me was closing his eyes while covering his mouth with one hand, as if holding back laughter.

Still, the content of the graduation speech that followed was ordinary.

“Today, we have come to face one of the most special moments in our lives. It is a precious moment to congratulate our dedication and efforts so far, and to deliver expectations and blessings for the journey ahead. We graduates have, in the meantime…”

The principal, who had been breaking out in a cold sweat, also returned to a peaceful expression as if relieved by the contents that followed, and a cliché speech continued for a while after that.

For about five minutes.

“—Like this, we were able to learn many things and grow one step further through the military academy. However, you must also know that such an opportunity is not given to everyone.”

From here was the beginning of the graduation speech topic I wanted.

Stepping to peek at the commander’s reaction, he was resting his chin on his hand and looking at Plato with an interested gaze.

‘But what is this person really thinking?’

He looked strangely relaxed despite hearing that the apocalypse would come in ten years.

Was it because the apocalypse was not something that could be blocked by effort anyway?

Or had the story of the apocalypse coming not hit home yet?

Maybe he was relaxed because he trusted me, a regressor, too much.

The remaining time until the Second Apocalypse was ten years.

From my perspective, having only experienced Phase 1 in the game, ten years felt far too short.

But for the commander, who had spent the last ten years searching for his lost lover and child, it would be a long enough time to prepare for the apocalypse.

Even while I was thinking such thoughts, Plato’s speech continued.

“Only children who received the privilege of the minority can enter this place. I would like to take this opportunity to say that it must change now, even for the future of our Cola Zone. In the future, not only the children of a few executives or sponsored children, but every eleven-year-old child must be admitted.”

The audience became noisy upon hearing Plato’s speech.

‘They must be flustered since the claim to give up the privilege came out of Plato’s mouth.’

The reason I purposefully put this agenda in Plato’s graduation speech was…

Because a place where the military academy’s graduates, executives who are parents and sponsors of the graduates, and the commander are all gathered is rare.

Of course, how many people would seriously take such a story from a kid who just graduated from school?

What I was trying to prepare was the ‘atmosphere’.

An atmosphere where the commander reluctantly gave permission had to be created here.

Since about nine years and nine months remained until the Second Apocalypse, even if eleven-year-olds were pushed into the military academy from now on, would they barely graduate from the six-year course and be able to do practical training two or three more times?

Non-discriminatory military academy admission was a method conceived as a second-best plan, thinking that the residents of this zone wouldn’t believe it even if I told them the Second Apocalypse would come right now.

For more people to survive, it was a natural fact that more elite forces were needed.

That was also the reason why I intended to take only a small number of troops to this subjugation battle.

Rather than meaningless loss of troops, to transform them into meaningful forces by conducting additional training.

Of course, if I had requested the commander directly instead of going through Plato, the processing would have been faster, but the last reward of the three reward strategies had to be used when getting them divorced.

There was also something to be gained by using Plato.

If the commander, who was not from the military academy, stepped up directly and said he would admit them without discrimination, the backlash would have been great… but it felt different when Plato, the top graduate, became the speaker.

Also, since Plato was the son of Anton, the head of the pro-Daphne faction, the pro-Daphne executives enjoying the greatest benefits under the current admission system would be confused about whether they should oppose or agree with Plato’s opinion.

Coincidentally, that sly Anton was not present here either, making it a golden opportunity to obtain permission from the commander smoothly.

If this passed, I could also push CornerHoney and Tae-jeong, who would turn eleven next year, into the military academy.

‘Although I didn’t align my words with the commander in advance, he must have noticed by now what I was thinking when I set this up.’

My plan was very simple.

Plato claims mandatory admission to the military academy for all eleven-year-old children in his graduation speech.

A very simple plan where the commander pretends to give in and grants permission while the privileged class, flustered by the sudden situation, wavers.

‘I have absolutely no idea why I had to go up to the platform for this simple matter, though.’

At that moment, my eyes met Plato’s.

To think I would meet eyes with the guy who should be looking straight ahead and delivering the speech.

The guy stopped speaking mid-speech and was looking toward me.

‘A chill runs down my spine.’

No sooner had I thought so than Plato’s words flew and pierced my chest.

“Someone might say that giving opportunities to everyone is a story about degrading the quality of the military academy. But everyone, look at Lord Haydam here.”

The gazes of all those listening to the graduation speech below the platform gathered on me.

What on earth is this guy going to say to drag me into this?

“There is probably no cadet here who does not know the story that Lord Haydam won great victories twice in the training simulation of the military academy recently. However, there is one thing you do not know.”

The inside of the graduation hall buzzed at the statement that there was something they did not know.

Bones and Lucas were also looking over here with eyes that asked what on earth he was talking about.

“You seem to think that Lord Haydam grew up receiving regular education at the commander’s residence, but…”

Words that did not disappoint expectations flowed out of Plato’s mouth.

“Lord Haydam was an orphan who wandered the slums until just a short while ago.”

The smile vanished completely from the commander’s mouth, he who had even shot Lieutenant General Batom to bury my background.