Chapter 71 – Father (3)

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Rumble…

Josef looked up at the sky where the thunderstorm gathered.

For the past few days, the sky had been unusual.

Looking only at the clouds, it would not have been strange if a blizzard struck at any moment, but the falling snow was closer to hail.

At times, the clouds gathered in one spot to an eerie degree, and then it would suddenly clear up before turning overcast again.

‘The meteorological observatory also says they don’t know the exact cause…’

Whimsical weather was by no means a good sign.

For humanity had already once faced the end of the world called the ice age.

‘Even the matter of Lieutenant General Max has not been resolved, and now even the weather makes me anxious.’

It was the thirteenth day since Lieutenant General Max had been detained on suspicion of contracting the murder of his adopted son, Bones.

Still, the disposition for Lieutenant General Max had not been decided.

What was the reason the punishment was being delayed despite the testimonies of the Commander, Plato, and the leader of Team 2?

‘Surely he hasn’t noticed something…’

If it was evidence, not a single speck of dust had been left behind.

Since he had only spoken verbally with the bastard colonel who was the leader of Team 2, only the colonel knew that he was involved in this matter.

And that bastard colonel had already been disposed of, disguised as a suicide.

‘I heard he sold out Lieutenant General Max’s name even while hanging from a cliff? I really raised a dog wonderfully well.’

He was such a loyal dog, but his work had not been satisfactory.

Of all things, Bones, Lieutenant General Max’s adopted son, had returned alive.

The original plan was to murder Bones during the chaotic subjugation battle and disguise it as self-defense.

Bones had a foul temper and easily flared up, so he should have revolted against his superior, pointed his gun in a fit of rage, and died from defensive fire… or so it should have been.

Whether it was due to the unexpected situation where Team 1, where the Commander was, was ambushed by large-class monsters during the search.

Normally, they should have gotten rid of him inconspicuously while about a hundred people moved together after finishing the search, but because what had been organized into ten teams was reorganized into five teams, it became impossible to dispose of him without others knowing.

The bastard colonel, who had received the order to dispose of Bones before the subjugation battle ended, must have judged in his own way that he should put Bones in the reorganized Team 2, take him to a place out of others’ sight, and dispose of him.

Since it would have been difficult to handle it alone with ten team members, he must have recruited a few guys, and seeing that Bones and Lucas were alive, it seemed the officers he couldn’t recruit had interfered.

‘Bones… that bastard is tenacious too.’

Even though that guy Bones must have heard from the Team 2 leader that Lieutenant General Max tried to kill him, he was still keeping his mouth shut.

He was a fellow who followed Lieutenant General Max exceptionally well, so even if Lieutenant General Max tried to kill him, he probably didn’t want to sell out his father.

Even though he knew him to be the father who abandoned him, choosing silence instead of accusing him was truly tenacious.

Just as he had raised a dog like the colonel, that fellow Max must have also brought a proper dog into his house.

‘Fortunately, His Excellency, Lord Haydam, and Anton’s bastard son heard the colonel’s testimony.’

If only the Commander and Haydam had heard it, there would have been great backlash from the pro-Daphne faction, but because Anton’s son, Plato, also testified with them, no one in either faction doubted it.

This was because everyone knew that even if Plato acted like a lunatic, he was not a guy who would bend his beliefs and give a false testimony.

It was a situation where the only evidence was the testimony that it was an act ordered by Lieutenant General Max.

‘But it is strange.’

Because what Josef had ordered was to kill Bones under the guise of self-defense, not to directly frame Lieutenant General Max.

Although it was something committed with the intention of pulling down Lieutenant General Max, what Josef wanted was a picture where Lieutenant General Max, enraged by Bones’s death, would shoot the bastard colonel to death.

He had never imagined that seven valuable officers would die because of this.

Getting rid of the colonel by disguising it as suicide was also, to some extent, because he was offensive.

‘Even if things went wrong and got caught, I strictly instructed him to push it as Bones committing a mutiny…’

If a colonel of the pro-Haydam faction, not even the pro-Daphne faction, moved solely due to Lieutenant General Max’s blackmail, there was no way the Commander and Haydam, those two, wouldn’t find it strange.

There was not even any benefit for Lieutenant General Max in killing Bones.

Even so, why did that bastard colonel make a false confession that he tried to kill Bones under Lieutenant General Max’s blackmail?

Was it a situation where he had no choice but to confess like that?

‘At any rate, since he has already testified like that, there is nothing I can do.’

As long as no other evidence came out—no, even if other evidence did come out, the Commander would never suspect him, but.

Nonetheless, the fact that they still had not punished Lieutenant General Max made Josef anxious.

At this rate, did it not seem as if the Commander had no intention of punishing Lieutenant General Max?

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

“Come in.”

“General.”

The adjutant stepped inside, approached closely, and whispered in his ear.

“Lord Haydam has come to visit.”

“Lord Haydam?”

It was Haydam, who had never once sought him out first.

For him to come looking for him at this of all times.

If the successor of the zone had visited, he should naturally have rejoiced, saying that an opportunity had come, but to Josef, he felt like a grim reaper.

Partly because he had a guilty conscience, but that angel-like face, which had smiled brightly after wiping off the blood of Lieutenant General Bartom that had splattered on his face with an indifferent expression, remained as a sort of trauma in Josef’s mind.

‘No.’

If it was the grim reaper anyway, there was no point in agonizing over it.

It was not as if he could kick him out just because he was unwelcome, and they did say that if you were going to be beaten, it was better to get it over with quickly.

For no matter how Lord Haydam was, he would not summarily execute him, a top confidant of His Excellency.

“Lord Haydam has arrived, so why are you asking me? Tell him to enter and bring some tea.”

“Well…”

The adjutant hesitated, then spoke in an even smaller voice.

“Second Lieutenant Bones has come with him.”

“Second Lieutenant Bones?”

“…What should we do?”

Why did Lord Haydam bring along even the fellow who should be under protection at the Commander’s residence to visit him?

Josef, who was about to fall into deep thought again, realized this was not the time.

Because the grim reaper was not only terrifying but also had a bad temper, and there was no telling what would happen if he kept him waiting outside the door for long.

“…Bring them in together. I will prepare the tea, so you step out.”

“Yes, General.”

A moment after the adjutant left, Haydam, smiling brightly, and Bones, with a haggard face, entered the office.

Confirming Haydam’s clear face, Josef was inwardly surprised.

‘They call it the miracle of the crevasse, and indeed he doesn’t have a single scratch.’

How was he so perfectly fine even after falling from that cliff?

In those eyes still looking at him, not a shred of respect for a fellow human could be seen, causing even a momentary spike of fear.

‘How is that the look of someone viewing a fellow human? Who would see this child as a ten-year-old raised in the slums? Even a monster’s cub could not emit such a fierce aura…’

It felt as if he could understand the feelings of Anton, who had quickly decided to retire and pulled his feet out of the military.

‘No, that’s not it.’

That fellow Anton was merely a coward who ran away for fear that his son would go wrong.

Dreaming of acting as the Commander’s closest confidant for now, and as Haydam’s advisor in the near future.

Josef welcomed the two with a good-natured smile plastered on his face.

“It has been a while, Lord Haydam. Hearing the news of the subjugation battle, this old man was so shocked. I am glad you are safe like this.”

“I did not know you cared about me so much. Since you didn’t visit even once, I thought you had forgotten again. Since you are getting on in years, it must be confusing whether His Excellency had a child or not?”

His words were full of thorns, but based on his past observations, if he got caught up in Haydam’s pace, it wouldn’t just be the thorns in the words that were the problem—he might not even be able to gather his own bones, so Josef chuckled, pretending not to understand the meaning.

“I heard the newly appointed officers were staying in your room, so I refrained, thinking it might be uncomfortable if I visited. I heard you took good care of Lord Haydam while you were hospitalized?”

Naturally turning the conversation to Bones, Josef offered them seats, saying they shouldn’t just stand around.

“Please, sit comfortably.”

“Thank you, General.”

While Second Lieutenant Bones sat down immediately.

Haydam, as if thinking about something, just stared at him, and only sat down when it seemed Josef was about to part his lips and offer a seat once more.

“I will. For now.”

—accompanied by those ominous words.

Josef struggled not to show agitation, walked toward the refreshment supplies set aside in one corner and put on water for tea.

“So, what brings you to visit this old man? I believed Second Lieutenant Bones was refraining from going out due to… the recent unpleasant incident.”

“It’s nothing else, but I wanted Josef to do me a favor.”

Do a favor…?

‘Is Lord Haydam requesting my help right now?’

Josef relaxed his tension a bit and asked while preparing three teacups.

“Do you mean you need my help, Lord Haydam?”

“To be precise, it’s not me, but Second Lieutenant Bones here who needs help.”

“Second Lieutenant Bones?”

“Bones, speak comfortably. You can tell Uncle Josef.”

Because the address ‘Uncle Josef’ sounded quite sweet to his ears, Josef looked at Bones as if he would grant anything.

At this, Bones flinched and hesitated, unable to bring himself to speak readily.

Josef waited patiently for Bones to speak.

Only after the teacups filled with boiling tea water were placed in front of the three did Bones finally open his mouth and speak.

“I want to testify that my adoptive father… Lieutenant General Max tried to kill me.”

Josef raised one eyebrow slightly.

‘He kept his mouth shut all this time, and suddenly he changed his mind?’

Josef glanced at Haydam, but Haydam only wore a faint smile on his lips as if to say they should talk between the two of them from now on.

Turning his gaze back to Bones, Josef asked.

“…Why do you need my help to testify?”

“I want you to accompany me while I testify, General.”

‘Hmm.’

Asking to accompany him meant asking for protection so he could testify safely.

It was not strange for Bones to make such a request to him.

In a situation where Lieutenant General Max might have contracted his murder, there was no way he could ask a pro-Daphne executive to protect him.

And since Josef himself had actively pushed for Bones and Lucas to be protected at the Commander’s residence not long ago, Bones must have assumed he would willingly help.

“There is nothing difficult about that, but if it is such a matter, why…”

As Josef’s gaze directed toward Haydam once more, Bones replied as if he knew what he meant.

“You must be wondering why I did not ask Lord Haydam.”

“Indeed. Even His Excellency knows that you and Lord Haydam share a special relationship, so there is no reason for him not to help, is there?”

“I asked Lord Haydam to speak to His Excellency… but for some reason, His Excellency seemed to think Lieutenant General Max is not the culprit.”

At those words, Josef felt his heart sink.

‘His Excellency thinks Max is not the culprit…?’

He almost panicked, but Josef struggled to maintain his composure and asked in a questioning tone.

“If not Max, then who on earth did such a thing?”

“Well…”

When Bones could not readily answer, Josef swallowed hard in anxiety, not even thinking of putting down the teacup he had raised.

‘Could it be that they came to visit me, even bringing Second Lieutenant Bones, because His Excellency suspects me as the culprit?’

This time, Josef could not wait any longer for an answer and was forced to ask again.

“I asked who it is!”

“It is the person in this room.”

Before he knew it, Josef dropped the teacup he was holding.