Chapter 51

Chapter 51
Before his private meeting with Darling Outsider, Anton realized he had missed a crucial detail. He had assumed a boy carrying a silly moniker like Darling would spill secrets without any trouble. It was not entirely that he looked down on the child for his age, but rather because the young soldier had already gained notoriety across the unit for casually dropping Heydam’s name to invent tall tales that blended fact and fiction. Yet here the boy sat before him, putting on an unconvincing act of amnesia that left him utterly speechless.

Children of this era at age ten were genuinely alarming. Heydam was a unique case, and the little kid sitting across from him was entirely another. Neither of them gave him even the tiniest opening to exploit. It was highly probable that Heydam had rigorously trained him to keep his mouth shut regarding anything from the past. The only bright spot was that Darling Outsider’s reaction to the photograph Anton presented differed noticeably from his previous demeanor.

The individual captured in the photograph was Luna Moon. If he genuinely resided with Heydam in the Slums, recognizing Luna Moon’s face should have been second nature. Anton had handed over her image while falsely claiming she was his secret daughter, completely convinced it would provoke some kind of response. It was a daring gamble to present Heydam’s deceased mother as his own concealed offspring simply to extract an authentic story out of Darling.

“What is wrong? Do you happen to recognize her?”

Darling furrowed his brow at the snapshot, leading Anton to momentarily hope he had identified Luna Moon and felt unnerved by it. However, the reply that followed proved rather disappointing.

“That is not it. This is not a photograph, it is a painting.”

Darling pointed out the framing visible around the portrait within the image. Naturally, no actual photographs of Luna Moon remained; what Anton had provided was merely a picture of the portrait he had previously given to Heydam.

“Is that really the most critical detail right now?”

“Then what is? Either way, your daughter is quite striking.”

He wondered if Darling recognized Luna Moon and was merely feigning ignorance. Yet the boy’s face displayed not a single trace of hesitation upon hearing that the woman sharing Luna Moon’s likeness was Anton’s child. That level of blank indifference was impossible to fake unless one was truly looking at a complete stranger for the very first time.

This left only one logical conclusion. After a prolonged silence, Anton finally spoke.

“You truly have not known Lord Heydam for very long, have you.”

“Huh? So you actually believe me?”

“Yes. I have chosen to believe it. I refuse to imagine there is another child out there resembling Lord Heydam.”

“…? Ah, alright.”

Darling appeared entirely clueless, yet he nodded along as though everything made complete sense. If he was acting, the kid was far more terrifying than Heydam himself. Anton concluded that pursuing the conversation any further was entirely useless.

“We will leave it at that. I will escort you back to the barracks before it grows too late.”

“Ah, there is no need. The barracks where I am staying sit quite close to the abandoned cathedral anyway, so I can easily walk.”

Anton, who had been on the verge of offering an escort all the way to the entrance, narrowed his eyes at Darling.

“How could you possibly know that location?”

“Pardon? Know… what?”

“Where this place is situated.”

Anton had purposely navigated through the Slums and shielded Darling’s vision while bringing him to the classified spot. This precaution had nothing to do with hiding things from Heydam, who would have instantly figured out who took the boy anyway. Instead, Anton kept the rendezvous hidden to prevent other officers from the pro-Daphne faction from spotting them, as they remained unaware that he secretly had one foot planted in Heydam’s camp.

Naturally, Darling Outsider should not have possessed any knowledge of their exact coordinates. Darling scratched the back of his head while muttering under his breath.

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

Anton grimaced as a critical realization struck him.

“Hold on. If you are familiar with this place, then Lord Heydam must also…”

There was zero possibility that Heydam remained ignorant of something this boy understood. Anton was halfway out of his seat when the heavily bolted door burst wide open. A small foot that had clearly kicked it open appeared first, followed by its rightful owner.

Heydam Goodman stepped inside. His gaze immediately locked onto Darling Outsider, scanning the boy up and down with his trademark expressionless stare.

“You look well enough.”

Confusion washed over Anton’s features upon Heydam’s arrival. While he knew discovery was inevitable and had never intended a permanent cover-up, he never imagined Heydam would have intimate knowledge of this specific hideout either. This underground sanctuary beneath the abandoned cathedral had once served as the former commander’s bunker. Only the former commander and his most direct subordinates knew of its existence, keeping it entirely hidden even from Daphne.

He suddenly recalled that Heydam had somehow known the name of the newborn puppy next door, sending a cold shiver down his spine. When the boy previously claimed he knew everything about them, it had not been an empty bluff after all.

“So the final act of your career before retiring is kidnapping a child?”

Heydam’s voice pulled Anton back to reality.

“…Kidnap? We were merely having a conversation.”

“He appears mostly intact, but for a simple conversation, his state is rather rough.”

Darling Outsider’s garments were completely disheveled, the direct consequence of panicking and attempting a desperate escape the moment he encountered Anton here. Anton clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“It is all a misunderstanding. The second he set eyes on me, he jumped to wild conclusions and caused a massive scene…”

The moment Heydam cast a chilling glance in his direction, Outsider immediately burst into frantic nonsense.

“N-No!! He threatened me! He demanded the truth! I never wanted to come here, he dragged me along!!”

“What did you just utter?”

What an absolute scoundrel!! Anton, who had treated Darling with relative civility, felt too dumbfounded to form words. However, Heydam brushed it aside.

“Do not concern yourself with it. I know better than anyone that he is a pathetic little fool. Seeing him this full of himself means you must have had quite the encounter.”

Finding out that Heydam harbored no suspicions toward him came as a relief, yet it only deepened Anton’s bewilderment regarding why Heydam kept such a creature around. Darling Outsider began muttering bitter complaints nearby, but Heydam ignored him entirely and turned his attention back to Anton.

“So, did you genuinely skip your own son’s graduation ceremony just for this fellow?”

“He certainly would not have cared whether I showed up or not.”

Based on the surrounding silence, I gather he truly did not mind.

“Platon did not seem particularly bothered, yet…”

The revelation that his own son cared little about his presence brought no real shock. Heydam then pressed on.

“You are going to harbor deep regret for today, Anton.”

“Myself?”

“Your son delivered a graduation speech that earned a full standing ovation.”

A standing ovation?

Anton was well aware that Platon commanded a decent following, though most consisted of younger students unfamiliar with Platon’s true nature. His fellow graduating peers viewed him as an eccentric and generally preferred keeping their distance. Why on earth would those graduates reward Platon with a standing ovation?

A sudden wave of anxiety prompted Anton to inquire.

“What… exactly was contained within that speech?”

The instant Heydam responded with a feline grin, Anton knew instinctively that his ominous premonition was entirely correct.

“If you are burning with curiosity, go ask your own son.”

“Lord Heydam! Do not tell me you meddled in my son’s graduation address?”

To the utterly horrified Anton, Heydam offered an infuriating smile.

A few hours prior, during the graduation ceremony itself.

“Respected Lord Heydam, alongside the rest of you ordinary graduates.”

For a graduation address kicking off on such an ominous note, the subsequent content proved relatively conventional.

“The fact that Cadet Lucas left us with the famous declaration that any cadet conceding defeat without attempting a fight has zero business remaining in this academy; the fact that Cadet Bones alone insists he was never fooled by Lord Heydam’s acting; and the reality that, despite possessing numerous exceptional cadets in our ranks, I stand before you as the representative of the graduating class—it is nothing short of an immense honor.”

Well… perhaps it was not entirely conventional after all.

From my seat, I could spot Lucas and Bones sitting in the front row with tightly clenched fists trembling in frustration. Right beside me, the Commander kept one hand pressed firmly over his mouth with his eyes shut tight, either suppressing laughter or struggling with something very similar.

From that point onward, the remainder of the address turned fairly standard.

“Today marks one of the most extraordinary milestones of our existence. It serves as a precious opportunity to commemorate the dedication and effort we have poured forth thus far, while extending our highest hopes and blessings for the path ahead. Up until this juncture, we graduates have…”

The principal, who had been breaking out into cold sweats, finally relaxed into a composed expression as the narrative drifted into safer territory. For quite a lengthy stretch following that, the speech remained thoroughly uneventful. At least for roughly five minutes.

“In this manner, we absorbed countless lessons through the academy and matured as individuals. Yet as every single one of you realizes, opportunities of this caliber are never extended to all.”

This marked the precise inception of the graduation address I truly desired. I darted a glance toward the Commander. He rested his chin against his hand, observing Platon with genuine fascination. What on earth is running through this man’s mind?

Even after receiving word that the apocalypse would descend in a decade, he maintained an uncanny sense of calm. Perhaps it stemmed from the realization that an apocalypse could not be halted through sheer physical effort alone, or perhaps the gravity of the concept had simply failed to sink in yet. Alternatively, he might harbor such absolute confidence in me, the regressor, that he could afford absolute tranquility.

From my specific vantage point—where those events represented nothing more than Phase One of a game—ten years felt agonizingly brief. Yet for a Commander who had spent a lifetime searching for a lost lover and child, it likely provided more than enough time to orchestrate preparations.

While those reflections ran through my mind, Platon pressed forward with his address.

“Only a select, privileged few are ever granted permission to enroll here. Standing upon this podium, I wish to declare that for the ultimate survival of our Cola Area, radical change is mandatory. Moving forward, enrollment should no longer be restricted to the offspring of a handful of officers or those backed by wealthy sponsors; every single eleven-year-old child deserves admission.”

The crowd erupted into murmurs at Platon’s bold proclamation. Naturally, they were thoroughly rattled. A direct demand to surrender their long-held privileges had just tumbled straight from Platon’s lips.

I had carefully embedded this proposal within Platon’s graduation speech for a strategic purpose. Moments when academy graduates, the officers serving simultaneously as their parents and sponsors, and the Commander himself gathered collectively in one place were exceedingly rare. Granted, how many individuals would take a freshly graduated youth seriously regarding a matter of this magnitude? The atmosphere was what I aimed to construct. I needed to forge a climate where the Commander would reluctantly grant authorization right then and there.

Roughly nine years and nine months remained ticking down toward the Second Apocalypse. Even if we rushed eleven-year-olds into the academy immediately, they would barely complete the rigorous six-year curriculum alongside two or three rounds of live combat simulations. Universal admission devoid of discrimination served as an ingenious workaround I engineered because simply warning the inhabitants of this zone that the Second Apocalypse loomed tomorrow would never convince them.

Ensuring a higher survival rate meant churning out a greater volume of elite troops. That was an undeniable fact. It also explained why I planned on deploying only a modest strike force during the upcoming subjugation campaign—not to recklessly throw away lives, but to subject them to intensified training and forge them into an actual asset that mattered.

Admittedly, working through Platon proved far more sluggish than approaching the Commander directly. However, utilizing the final wish of the Three Rewards strategy needed to be reserved strictly for forcing the divorce. Furthermore, employing Platon carried distinct advantages.

Had the Commander—who never graduated from the academy himself—stood up and unilaterally decreed open admissions, the ensuing backlash would have been catastrophic. Delivering the proposition through Platon, the valedictorian, shifted the entire dynamic. Platon also happened to be the son of Anton, the leader of the pro-Daphne faction, meaning the very officers currently reaping the greatest benefits from the admissions framework would find themselves paralyzed, entirely unsure whether to oppose or back him.

Coincidentally, that slippery old fox Anton was absent from the ceremony, presenting a flawless window to back the Commander directly into granting official approval. Should the motion pass, I could conveniently bundle both Shut-in Wife and Taejeong—who would both turn eleven next year—straight into the academy as well.

Though I never coordinated this in advance with the Commander, by now he undoubtedly deduced my exact motives. Platon would utilize his graduation speech to demand mandatory academy admission for all eleven-year-olds. While the privileged classes thrashed about in absolute confusion, the Commander would yield as though he had zero alternative. That constituted the entirety of the grand design.

What still eluded my understanding, however, was why I had been forced to ascend the platform myself for something this straightforward.

Just then, my gaze locked directly with Platon’s.

Instead of facing forward toward the crowd as protocol dictated, he was staring straight at me.

Deeply unnerving.

No sooner had that realization registered than Platon drove his next sentence straight into my chest like a driven spike.

“Certain individuals among you might argue that extending opportunities to everyone will merely dilute the overall standards of this academy. Yet ladies and esteemed gentlemen—just look right here at Lord Heydam.”

Every single pair of eyes within the vast auditorium pivoted instantly toward me.

This absolute bastard… what is he dragging me into this time?

“There is not a single cadet present who remains unaware that Lord Heydam recently secured two consecutive sweeping triumphs during the academy’s combat simulations. However, there remains one crucial detail you are completely unaware of.”

At the revelation that a secret existed, whispers rippled across the hall. Both Bones and Lucas turned their gazes in my direction, their eyes silently demanding to know what nonsense he was babbling about.

“You all appear convinced that Lord Heydam matured under proper educational supervision within the Commander’s private residence, but…”

What ultimately spilled from Platon’s mouth did not fail to deliver a shock.

“Until very recently, Lord Heydam was nothing more than an orphan drifting through the Slums.”

The smile vanished entirely from the face of the Commander—the very same man who had previously gone as far as executing General Bartom with a gunshot solely to bury my true origins.