Chapter 26

Chapter 26
Commander Hayden had already materialized behind us, though I completely missed his approach. Meursault trailed closely behind him, wearing his signature impassive expression as he fixed me with a piercing gaze that essentially translated to demanding what trouble I had managed to stir up this time.

The nearby officers stood paralyzed and mute until the commander lifted the corner of his lips into an asymmetrical smirk and broke the silence.

“And suppose I do know?”

“Y-Your Excellency…!”

Only then did the loyal followers of Commander Hayden snap out of their stupor, saluting in unison. With an easy flick of his wrist, the commander dismissed their formality.

“Just answer my question. I am already well aware that my son scaled the perimeter wall to visit Daphne. What fascinates me is that there appears to be an even more uncomfortable truth waiting for me to uncover.”

His singular, vibrant eye sparkled with amusement as it lingered on me before shifting toward Yosef.

“What could possibly surpass the awkwardness of vaulting the wall surrounding your stepmother’s estate?”

“Th-that is…”

Yosef’s expression became a battleground of indecision as he weighed the merits of confessing versus fabricating an alibi. He undoubtedly realized that even if he managed to weave a convincing falsehood, Daphne would instantly shatter it the moment she spoke the truth. Recognizing that torturing the commander’s officers any further served no purpose, I stepped forward.

“Your Excellency.”

The commander widened his eyes in surprise, likely caught off guard because I addressed him by his title rather than as Father. I paused for a fraction of a second before restarting.

“…Father. Please do not misunderstand. My approach was admittedly rough, but…”

Right beside me, Meursault muttered a disbelieving “A little?” under his breath, prompting me to shoot him a sharp, side-long glare.

“All I did was have a brief conversation with Lady Daphne.”

“You merely spoke, yet these men look like they are ready to jump out of their skin. Care to explain why?”

“Probably because our conversation touched upon Mother, which has them feeling anxious.”

Meursault’s facial expression shifted instantly at those words, but the commander remained entirely impassible.

“Hmm…”

He seemed to weigh the situation internally for a moment before casting a glance in the direction of Daphne’s residence and speaking in an even tone.

“I can easily gather the details straight from Daphne.”

“Yes. That works for me.”

The commander scrutinized me intently for a long, quiet second.

“…Even if your interaction was limited to talking, it is not entirely without fault. You did, after all, climb the wall.”

“Entering without securing Lady Daphne’s permission was entirely my mistake.”

“And yet you claim there is no issue here?”

“Because Lady Daphne has already forgiven me.”

Meursault’s brow twitched in frustration. Without changing his expression, the commander offered a simple clarification, as though instructing someone on basic principles.

“Incorrect, Haydam. Everything within this sector falls under my direct jurisdiction. Even scaling the perimeter wall of my wife’s estate would be a non-issue had you secured my authorization beforehand. Nod if you understand.”

The underlying message was clear: do whatever you desire, provided you obtain clearance prior to creating chaos. It also served as a subtle reminder that even as his son, I was expected to submit to his authority. He had never voiced a single objection when I went hunting alongside Meursault or explored the research facility. The fact that he displayed such sensitivity now indicated that Daphne held significant personal importance to him as well. Today’s reprimand functioned primarily as a warning that I had overstepped a boundary.

Anticipating that vaulting someone’s barrier would inevitably draw a lecture, I simply nodded in agreement. Following that, I spoke up.

“In that case… my business here is concluded. Do I have permission to return to my quarters?”

Rather than offering an apology or showing remorse, I immediately requested dismissal. The officers behind us groaned audibly, while Meursault looked as though he was mentally calculating why the commander remained so lenient with me. Knowing that I was aware Luna Moon had been a player made his indulgence logical; I was a player as well, meaning every trivial action I took inevitably evoked memories of her.

“Very well. You are dismissed.”

With permission secured, I offered a cheerful goodbye and turned away. Meursault’s voice trailed after me, his lips barely moving as though he were a ventriloquist.

“You will give me a proper explanation for this later.”

I mouthed the word Anytime and continued walking.

—

Meursault must have been profoundly shaken by the thought of anyone interfering with his precious Daphne. The moment he finished tying up the loose ends of the incident, he came straight to find me. This was precisely what I had anticipated, and I delivered my rehearsed line without hesitation.

“Lady Daphne and Father are getting a divorce.”

Meursault’s voice trembled as he echoed the words back to me.

“Wh-what… what are you talking about?”

“Lady Daphne and Father are getting a divorce. To be more precise, I have agreed to assist them in separating.”

“You… agreed to help Lady Daphne…?”

Meursault simply repeated my statements like a malfunctioning machine. There was no helping it.

“Lady Daphne wishes to divorce the commander, and I share that exact desire. Consequently, the two of them will be parting ways shortly.”

“Lady Daphne… wants a divorce…”

Could this individual truly be the most brilliant mind in the entire zone? I let the sentence linger in the air. Meursault swallowed heavily, his eyes locked onto mine.

“Lady Daphne is already searching for a second husband. She asked me to help her find a suitable candidate.”

“Th-that is…!”

I flashed a radiant, utterly shameless smile as I watched Meursault’s pupils dilate with nervous tension.

“That is correct, Meursault. Lady Daphne places absolute trust in me. Therefore… you are going to step up and become that ‘suitable person’ for my sake, aren’t you?”

“Of course I will…!”

His head bobbed up and down with intense, violent enthusiasm. I smiled in quiet triumph. Right from the beginning, Daphne had selected the username Meursault’s Wife, revealing that she was already completely smitten with him. Bridging the gap between them would be effortless. While I could simply inform him of Daphne’s hidden feelings, delivering a confession she had never spoken aloud felt improper. Instead, I would have to rely on dropping subtle hints in this manner. See? I truly am a considerate player.

—

I left the development of combat rations at the institute in the capable hands of our newly promoted, enthusiastic NPC, Meursault. Meanwhile, Taejeong and I decided to head out on a hunting trip together. Shut-in Spouse was already undergoing daily combat training, so he would manage perfectly fine on his own. Even though I was the one who had successfully cleared every single zone, surviving without genuine field combat experience would make it impossible to pull my weight during an actual subjugation event. Although Taejeong would not be participating in the upcoming subjugation, preparing to step into the tank role later meant he required consistent practice fighting monsters. For him to ever qualify for a subjugation team in the future, he still needed physical growth.

Even so, he already stood a full head taller than both Shut-in Spouse and myself. By the time he reached fifteen, he would likely tower over most adults.

The real obstacle, however, was something else entirely.

“It is not permitted?”

The commander had flatly refused to authorize a hunting expedition for Taejeong and me.

“For what reason?”

Without even glancing up from the paperwork spread across his desk, he replied curtly.

“Because it is hazardous.”

As if I required a reminder that hunting was dangerous when I submitted the request.

“Would it be acceptable if Meursault joined us?”

“Haydam.”

The commander fixed his single remaining eye on me.

“On the previous occasion, you went hunting without acquiring my permission. The outcome turned out acceptable, so I chose to overlook it. However, I am a soldier, an adult, and your father. I cannot endorse a minor who holds no military status leaving the designated zone.”

“Even though my marksmanship is sufficient to hunt a hippo-boar entirely on my own?”

“Affirmative.”

“What if we exclude Taejeong and limit the party to Meursault and myself?”

“You are not so dense that I am required to repeat myself.”

A sudden, disagreeable realization dawned on me. Following a brief interval of silence, I posed another question.

“Then… what about the upcoming subjugation?”

“Subjugation?”

One of his eyebrows arched upward as though he had intercepted a completely absurd notion.

“Why do you bring that up? That matter has no bearing on you.”

No bearing on me…?

This stubborn man had zero intention of ever dispatching me to the subjugation lines. Who could have predicted that the commander’s soft spot for his child would transform into such a massive complication?

I resolved to voice my intentions explicitly.

“I intend to participate in the upcoming subjugation.”

The commander emitted a brief, dismissive chuckle, clearly refusing to treat my ambitions with gravity.

“I heard about your actions. You traveled to the institute entirely on your own to ensure the young cadet soldiers heading to the frontline would not go hungry. I appreciate that you care for those youngsters, but… your concern is excessive. You are no longer an orphan surviving in the slums.”

“Yet, as a citizen residing within this zone—”

“Haydam. You will be enrolling in the military academy shortly. There is no need to rush; you are free to join a subjugation after you graduate.”

The military academy? The institution that required a grueling six-year program and whose track record yielded no viable path for a proper clear route? The sheer fact that the commander remained utterly oblivious to the impending Second Apocalypse continually proved to be a major hindrance. I—or rather, the two of us—simply lacked that kind of luxury with time. If I were to confess to him right this instant that I was a player akin to Luna Moon and that the Second Apocalypse loomed on the horizon, the probability of him believing me sat practically at zero. His current indulgence existed solely because he operated under the assumption that I was the biological child of Luna Moon. Should I admit to being a player, I would first be forced to justify why I had impersonated the offspring of a deceased woman. That scenario practically guaranteed the exact beheading conclusion that Shut-in Spouse constantly panicked over.

I needed to devise a method to secure a spot in the subjugation without forfeiting the commander’s trust, while simultaneously dodging the academy. I still retained one of the Three Rewards, but I needed to preserve that specific leverage to force the divorce with Daphne. A crisis of this magnitude demanded that I resolve it through my own devices.

While I remained lost in internal deliberation, the commander resumed speaking.

“More importantly, I recently conversed with Daphne.”

“Ah, yes.”

“She claimed you visited her. Did something happen?”

For a brief second, the commander appeared momentarily at a loss for words. Then, he slowly shook his head.

“Even that shameless streak of yours is an exact replica of Luna Moon. Her methods of raising a child must have been… uniquely eccentric.”

Hmm. Unless my imagination was playing tricks on me, every single time I displayed a cheeky attitude, he immediately compared me to Luna Moon. Apparently, that particular player had been quite a handful herself. He observed me in silence for a few moments before lowering his voice to ask a question.

“Did Daphne… happen to inform you that Luna Moon was a player?”

“Yes.”

I responded without a moment’s hesitation. The commander’s brow furrowed deeply.

“How can you process and accept a revelation like that with such ease?”

“Pardon?”

“I… refused to believe her initially. She constantly spouted utterly nonsensical stories, so I naturally assumed it was all an elaborate joke. It required a considerable amount of time before I finally accepted the truth. But you…”

He found it perplexing that I had absorbed the truth without resistance. I already had a prepared response ready.

“I had a vague impression that she originated from another realm. Simply observing Mother made it apparent.”

“Well… considering you were raised directly by her, I suppose it is not entirely surprising.”

She must have been quite the eccentric character.

“So, what prompted you to promise assistance with their divorce?”

“Is it truly strange for me, acting as Mother’s son, to desire that outcome?”

“Not strange, precisely. I merely failed to anticipate that you would be the type to care about such matters.”

He was entirely mistaken on that front. Even from the perspective of Luna Moon’s child, severing ties with Daphne through a divorce represented the far superior option. However, for the moment, I needed to address another pressing matter.

A shadow of bitterness crossed the commander’s features. Evidently, his sensitivity regarding Daphne stemmed directly from the fact that she had shared a close friendship with Luna Moon. Even so, a specific detail still did not add up.

“There is something I have been wondering about for a while. Why have you two not divorced prior to this?”

If he understood that Luna Moon was a player, he logically knew that Daphne possessed the same background. It would not have been unusual for them to have dissolved their marriage years ago. Yet the commander’s explanation was surprisingly straightforward.

“Because I required an heir.”

“For someone who supposedly needed an heir, you certainly did not invest much visible effort into producing one.”

“I operated under the belief that you would eventually surface. Daphne and my youth meant we could potentially have a child of our own in the future. However, now that you are physically here, that letter has lost all meaning.”

“Letter?”

“Luna Moon’s letter.”

Luna Moon’s letter? Was she actively involved in engineering the marriage between Daphne and the commander as well?

“I previously mentioned I would eventually explain the circumstances behind why I married Daphne instead of Luna Moon. Daphne remains unaware of this fact, but…”

He murmured that disclosing it now was acceptable, then continued his explanation.

“The person who actively pushed me to marry Daphne was none other than Luna Moon herself.”

“What?”

“Daphne still clings to the belief that Luna Moon departed because I chose a marriage of political convenience to secure the commander position. The reality is somewhat different. The exact moment Luna Moon discovered she was expecting a child, she packed up and left. I never understood the underlying motivation. The only thing she left behind was a directive instructing me to marry Daphne and claim the commander title.”

She actually penned a letter instructing her own romantic partner to marry Daphne? Could the intention have been to ensure Daphne’s survival? No, that could not possibly be it. Based on everything both the commander and Daphne had recounted over time, Luna Moon had never possessed that kind of tender-hearted nature, nor did she ever exhibit altruistic tendencies. Then for what possible purpose…?

I would never uncover the truth unless I heard it directly from Luna Moon herself. My thoughts drifted toward the dormant consciousness residing inside Luna Moon’s ring. Perhaps that lingering ego served as a final message left behind specifically for me. Yet, that entity still did not appear ready to share any answers.

Even so, after absorbing all of this context, a viable strategy finally materialized in my mind—a definitive way to secure participation in the subjugation while bypassing the academy entirely.

“…Previously, you posed a question to me.”

“Did I?”

“You stated that if you shared everything with me, I should reciprocate by telling you everything as well.”

He nodded slowly, recalling his past proposition.

“Indeed. I did.”

“I am prepared to share the complete truth with you now. Father, I am…”

I parted my lips deliberately and delivered the concluding words.

“a regressor.”