Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Meanwhile, inside the officers’ conference hall, the meeting that had been halted following the demise of Lieutenant General Bartom finally got back underway. The primary focus of the day’s agenda centered on selecting someone to occupy the vacant seat left behind by the late lieutenant general. Despite being framed as a formal gathering, the promotion had already been predetermined. Instead of making an issue out of Bartom’s passing, the commander had already consented to award the vacancy to a representative from the pro-Daphne faction. Because of this, the commander himself announced he would skip the assembly, and the officers belonging to the pro-Hayden faction chose not to show up either.

While the pro-Daphne members gathered together and gossiped about how Bartom’s son had been transferred to work as a military policeman at the research institute, someone carefully brought up an entirely different topic.

“By the way… has anyone caught sight of it?”
“Caught sight of what?”
“That medium-class monster the boy hauled in.”

Anton, who served as the leader of the pro-Daphne faction, offered a slight frown, but the remaining officers displayed immediate interest by leaning forward and chiming in one after another.

“If you possess eyes, it would be nearly impossible to miss. He dragged that creature right past the commander’s line of vision in broad daylight.”
“A child of only ten years old, pushing himself so desperately for attention… I found it somewhat concerning.”
“I was well aware that His Excellency could be cold-hearted, but it never crossed my mind that he would force his own flesh and blood into such a perilous stunt.”

At those words, another officer wrinkled his brow in apparent disagreement.

“Do you truly believe His Excellency commanded him to do it?”
“Are you implying then that a ten-year-old child independently elected to hunt a medium-class monster and gather other children his age for a feast?”
“I have to agree that it could not possibly have originated from the boy himself. Much like the situation with Lieutenant General Bartom, His Excellency must be manipulating the child to execute some hidden plot. One only needs to observe how Major General Meursault shadows his every step.”
“Ha. You folks speak as though you do not realize what kind of man Meursault is. That stubborn fool lacks the temperament to move unless the commander explicitly orders him to do so.”
“Furthermore, I do not believe the boy is an ordinary child either. When Bartom perished, he did not even flinch. That level of composure is not something easily taught to anyone.”

At that point, Anton, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange, finally broke his silence.

“Regardless of whether the idea came from the boy or not, the underlying fact remains that everything he does serves to keep Lady Daphne in check. Even if he harbors no conscious intent to restrict her, his actions still pose a direct threat to us.”

The other officers nodded in unison.

“Your assessment is completely accurate.”
“So how shall we proceed? I would prefer to speak with him directly, but Meursault remains glued to the boy’s side under the guise of house arrest.”
“Has Lady Daphne offered any remarks on the matter?”
“I am unable to get through to Lady Daphne either.”
“What?!”
“She declined to meet with the boy, claiming she felt unwell… could she genuinely be sick?”
“That is impossible!”

As the officers raised their voices in surprise, Anton motioned for them to quiet down and pressed on.

“That is not the case at all. If she were genuinely ill, she would have emerged to handle the situation with even greater aggression. She is likely taking time to think. Contemplating how best to deal with the boy.”
“Ah…”
“Therefore, none of you are permitted to make any rash moves. Leave that insolent Meursault alone, and leave Bartom’s son alone as well.”
“Even so, what about the situation surrounding Lieutenant General Bartom…”
“Have you already forgotten why we convened today? We came here to fill Bartom’s empty seat. His Excellency himself proposed that we fill the position with one of our own people rather than someone loyal to him. Is there anyone in this room who fails to grasp the implication behind that?”

The officers assembled in the hall had all risen to their current ranks by surviving ruthless political struggles. The commander had handed over the seat as if making a concession, but the true message carried the exact weight of telling them to accept the gift and stay silent. Bringing up the Bartom incident once more was out of the question.

“Never speak of Lieutenant General Bartom ever again, as though the man never existed. Keep your heads down for the time being. Do not interfere with what he wants.”
“What the boy wants?”
“From what I have observed, that child intends to participate in the upcoming subjugation campaign.”

A murmur rippled through the gathered officers.

“The subjugation campaign?”
“Why else would he flaunt his hunting prowess so openly? He is trying to prove his capability to join the expedition.”
“But for goodness sake, why would he ever wish to take part in a subjugation?”
“The underlying reason is irrelevant. If participation is something the boy desires, our only task is to ensure he is prevented from going.”
“I believe stepping in is premature as well. Not simply because we must keep him checked… he is far too young. The subjugation occurs on an annual basis; no one would blame him for waiting until he grows older.”
“I remain uncertain of the motive myself. Why he appears so desperate, almost as though he is racing against a strict deadline…”

Anton was still muttering to himself when the doors to the conference hall swung wide open and the pro-Hayden officers sauntered inside.

“What kind of scheming were you lot engaged in that caused everyone to shut their mouths the instant we walked through the door?”

Several officers bristled at the remark, but Anton stepped forward to field the question with a steady voice.

“We were discussing Young Master Haydam. His hunting abilities are quite remarkable.”
“Ah, you mean that hippo-pig hunter?”

At the mention of the hippo-pig, the pro-Hayden officers easily shifted into a casual conversation.

“Does the way he carries himself not remind you completely of Luna Moon?”
“What are you even talking about? Her marksmanship was never that exceptional.”
“No, I am referring to his fondness for hippo-pig meat. I always considered it far too greasy, but she used to insist on eating it at least once every week.”
“Ah, that is right. The aroma was wonderful. I certainly miss it.”
“I eagerly anticipate the day we embark on a subjugation campaign alongside the boy. If His Excellency grants permission, there is a great deal we could teach him—”
“What is that supposed to imply?”
“Are you speaking with a sound mind? To even entertain the thought of sending such a young child out on a subjugation…”

Once Anton opened the floor, the other officers—who had just been instructed to prevent Haydam from joining the campaign—piled on with their complaints.

“That precisely represents the issue. You keep insisting he resembles Luna Moon and letting your hopes run wild. Just how much pressure must that child have endured to venture outside the zone and hunt a monster entirely on his own?”
“The boy himself explicitly stated that he and his mother are separate individuals, yet you continue treating the two of them as one and the same, do you not?”
“This is precisely why you war maniacs are completely hopeless!”
“What did you say? War maniacs? Do you even realize whose blood allows you to sit comfortably inside the safety of the zone and eat your fill?!”

Just as shouting erupted from both factions, a soldier burst frantically through the conference hall doors.

“Th-there is an emergency…!”

The man looked pale and was gasping for air; he belonged to Daphne’s household guard. The expressions of the pro-Daphne officers hardened instantly. Something had happened to Daphne.

The pro-Hayden officers twisted the corners of their mouths into smug smirks, preparing to sneer—until the next words tumbled from the soldier’s lips, causing members of both sides to cry out in shock.

“Y-Young Master Haydam has scaled the wall and broken into Lady Daphne’s private residence!”
“What?!”

—

I had never intended to scale the wall from the very beginning. Getting the officers from both factions—who had been hiding away in their respective corners—to come boiling out into the open was remarkably simple. You merely had to touch a nerve by approaching someone you were strictly warned against visiting. The pro-Daphne faction would come running out of fear that I might undermine her position, while the pro-Hayden faction would rush over out of anxiety that she might try to poison me. All I needed to do was sit back, sip tea courtesy of Daphne’s household supplies, and wait for them to arrive.

The real complication arose when, after making the journey all the way to her estate, Daphne still flat-out refused to grant me an audience.

“Lady Daphne remains indisposed. She requests that you please turn back.”

She still harbors no intention of meeting me? Daphne’s excuse of illness was an obvious fabrication. If she were genuinely sick, she would have taken some form of action—any action at all—to keep me suppressed while managing to conceal her physical condition. Why is she adamantly refusing to see me?

When Daphne initially rejected my visit, I assumed it was because she remained ignorant of my true identity and capabilities. Since then, however, I had put on quite a display: the dramatic scene in the officers’ hall, the successful hunt of a medium-class monster, and the gathering I hosted for the neighborhood children featuring a pork belly feast. If word of those events reached her ears, she should have easily deduced what kind of person I truly was. That realization drove me to pay her a visit in person. There is simply no way she remains clueless about my character… she was never written as that foolish of an NPC.

So why persist in refusing my visit? She is concealing something.

Having arrived at the firm conclusion that Daphne was avoiding me specifically to hide a secret, I decided to bypass the formalities and climbed straight over the perimeter wall of her estate.

“Kyaa! Y-Young Master, you must not do this…!”

Naturally, my actions were far from stealthy, so the mansion staff—who had been watching my sudden stunt with blank expressions of disbelief—panicked and rushed forward to intercept me.

“Young Master! This is Lady Daphne’s private residence! Please stop at once…!”

Even so, none of them dared lay a single finger on me, allowing me to stride straight into the main building with absolute confidence. The reason I chose not to sneak inside was straightforward. Only by creating a massive ruckus would that woman Daphne finally bother to come down and confront me herself.

And as if to validate my judgment, the moment I stepped into the grand lobby, Daphne appeared at the very top of the staircase.

Daphne… is that truly her? For a fleeting second, I found myself doubting whether the NPC I recognized could possibly match the dazzling beauty descending toward me without making a single sound with her footsteps. The silver locks cascading past her waist and the thick, pristine white fur draped over her shoulders certainly matched the NPC I knew, though. She appeared dozens of times more breathtaking than anything rendered within the game. The thought crossed my mind that the game’s graphics engine simply lacked the capacity to capture such beauty and had been forced to nerf her appearance entirely. I even began to comprehend, at least to some degree, why Meursault remained so utterly obsessed with her. The fact that Commander Hayden chose Luna Moon over a woman possessing this level of striking beauty filled me with a strange sense of awe. So the commander had genuinely loved Luna Moon after all.

“Is there a matter of such urgency you must communicate that you felt the need to raise this much of a disturbance?”

Only when Daphne finished descending the stairs and directed her words at me did I snap out of my daze—and realized that my previous reaction was entirely abnormal. This… could it be…

Seizing the sudden moment of mental clarity, I quickly swapped out my equipped title from Luna Moon’s Friend to Regard Gold as Dirt. An unexpected system prompt instantly flashed across my field of vision.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Item effect has been nullified.

Only then was I able to view Daphne with a clear head. Setting her physical beauty aside, she did not look the slightest bit sickly, confirming beyond a doubt that she had been deliberately dodging me all along. I stared up at Daphne—no, stared past her appearance and impulsively pulled up her character information window. Ordinarily, when a player inspects an NPC’s character data, a readout similar to this appears:

STATUS
Name: Meursault
Affinity: 67/100
Affiliated Zone: Cola
Special Notes: Rank – Major General

However, the character window that materialized before my eyes for Daphne looked entirely different from a standard NPC’s profile—and differed from our own player profiles as well.

PLAYER STATUS
Name: Meursault’s Wife
Capture Route: Merry Bad Ending (Hayden)
Affiliated Zone: Cola
Equipped Item: Charming Violet Eyes
*This is a player using a different version of the system; friend requests are unavailable.

A fellow player operating on a completely different version! But… why on earth is her nickname configured like that?