Chapter 70

Chapter 70
Before visiting Anton, I needed to understand Bones’s mindset if I was going to get involved with Lieutenant General Max’s situation at all. Consequently, I walked over to the Commander’s Residence first.

Bones and Lucas—who were key witnesses to this entire mess—had been placed there for their own protection. Witness protection was only part of the reason; the veteran officers who had worked alongside the sacrificed members of Team 2 were extremely angry, meaning sending the pair to the standard officers’ quarters might have led to harassment or worse. Apparently, the choice to house them at the Commander’s Residence was due to Yosef’s firm insistence, based on his remark that no more young officers should have to lose their lives.

What a cunning scoundrel.

Bones had already requested an audience with Lieutenant General Max to question him directly, but the two had been denied entry. The official rationale was that Max might use the meeting to pressure Bones into maintaining silence.

And yet, here these two were…

“Why are protected witnesses not locked away in their rooms instead of sparring with my servant?”

I crossed my arms and posed the question. Lucas, already covered in sweat, began sweating profusely from anxiety as he replied.

“W-well… we were informed that we could move around freely during our stay at the Commander’s Residence… When we mentioned wanting to follow Lord Haydam’s daily routine, things just ended up like this.”

“But do you actually put yourselves through this grueling routine every single day?”

And why on earth was Bones walking around shirtless in someone else’s mansion?

“Do you really think Taejeong put you through those drills just to treat you like pack animals?”

“Taejeong—is that the servant’s name?”

“Who the hell is that kid anyway? He performs better than most active officers. Don’t tell me he is some secret weapon you are training up, Lord Haydam.”

The absurd remarks coming out of his mouth showed that Bones still had not fully recovered from the trauma of that day. He was trying way too hard to act cheerful.

I could understand, at least to some degree, why he refused to stay shut inside a room and chose instead to train alongside Taejeong.

“Taejeong is scheduled to enter the military academy this season, all thanks to the two of you backing Platon’s graduation speech.”

“So that was why you provoked Platon—to get that kid into the academy. And that Darling Outsider fellow too—”

“Enough with the casual chit-chat.”

He looked ready to pivot away the second I brought up Max, so I cut him off and asked directly.

“Have you prepared yourself?”

Bones’s expression soured instantly.

“Prepared for what?”

“For the moment it turns out your father truly did abandon you.”

His green eyes trembled violently. Naturally, I knew Max had not actually done it. Yet given what Anton and I were about to set into motion, Bones needed to harden his resolve, or things would quickly spiral out of control.

“…If he abandoned me, then he abandoned me. What on earth do I need to prepare for? Damn it.”

He had been trying so hard to keep up a calm facade before his temper finally flared up.

“In your case, I believe you certainly do. Lucas mentioned that earning your father’s approval was your entire existence—that being cast aside would essentially kill you.”

“Lucas, you little jerk…!”

Bones whirled around as if intending to grab Lucas by the collar, but Lucas—anticipating exactly what I was about to say—had already slipped away.

“Damnable fast little rat, running his mouth everywhere…!”

“Bones.”

I addressed his back while he fumed.

“If your father genuinely abandoned you, are you planning to perish?”

Bones hesitated briefly before replying in a quiet tone.

“…Not anymore.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’ve come to realize my father isn’t everything.”

When I narrowed my gaze as though missing his point, Bones blushed down to the tips of his ears and snapped irritably.

“Damn it… I finally understand that my life actually holds value. I’m breathing right now because those senior comrades let me escape, because someone sprinted all the way over to shake me awake, because a certain guy screamed that he was going to pull me out alive. Even if that exact same guy turned around and spilled every half-Delirious thing I said to Lord Haydam—completely lacking in loyalty.”

Holding onto a grudge, I see.

“I truly wish we could have recovered the bodies of those seniors…”

Right—several of the senior officers from Team 2 had held the frontline so Bones and Lucas could escape. The one saving grace was that Bones did not seem to be blaming himself for their deaths.

Were it not for his adoptive father, his temperament would likely be as sharp as a blade.

“If Lieutenant General Max was truly behind this… then he has to face the consequences. No—I will ensure he pays for it.”

Bones looked as though he had firmly steeled his mind. This was sufficient; I could proceed without fretting over him.

Still, Yosef… the more I reflect on it, the more infuriating that bastard becomes.

To advance his own career, he had shoved officers who were willing to shield their juniors straight into the jaws of death without a second thought.

All for the sake of rank.

Yosef had acted out of a hunger for power. Once Anton announced his retirement, Yosef was anticipated to step down as well. With a heavyweight like Anton gone, Yosef’s personal influence would naturally expand. He recognized it was time for his departure, yet he had no desire to leave. He remained the Commander’s closest confidant and had no intention of turning against him. Yet simply to deflect suspicion, he was expected to surrender his power? That must have felt profoundly unfair to him.

Consequently, he framed Max, the lieutenant general who was the most logical candidate for promotion to full general. Should Max’s position become vacant, the entire command staff would plunge into disarray, leaving only Yosef capable of restoring order. He chose to shatter the balance so completely that no one could ever oust him from his office—expanding his reach until he became an unmovable fixture.

What he never anticipated was that the trap he laid would almost cost both me and the Commander our lives.

Well… frankly, this turns out better in the end.

Had I not been dragged into the affair, the Commander would have likely turned a blind eye for Yosef’s sake. He was not the type to penalize Yosef merely to rescue Max. However, because I nearly perished in the incident, I now possessed every justification to interfere. Meursault should have relayed my message by now, and yet no directive had been issued by the Commander to stop me. In my book, that silence constituted explicit permission.

Fight fire with fire. Another slippery eel to snare the one called Yosef.

“Haaaah……”

Anton’s sigh was long and heavy. Observing a man who seemed to have aged an extra decade since our last encounter, I almost developed some empathy for why Meursault had felt pity for him.

“My one and only son nearly loses his life the exact moment he becomes an officer……”

“I was the one who rescued him, you might remember.”

He completely ignored my remark and continued his lamentation.

“And the second the boy returns unharmed, none other than Lord Haydam—the very person who snatched my son away—appears to sound me out, questioning whether I knew my dear friend Lieutenant General Max is the sort of shameless scoundrel who would order a hit on his own adoptive son.”

“Anton. Did retirement turn your brain into a free-for-all?”

“Lord Haydam is the one who came back from the grave and decided to drop all formal etiquette. Though I must admit, this casual conversational tone feels rather more comfortable for me.”

“Cut the avoidance and give me an answer.”

Anton sighed once more, interlaced his fingers, and spoke.

“Lieutenant General Max is… not that kind of individual.”

“Not that kind of individual? Then who is?”

Rather than answering, he simply glared at me.

“Did you genuinely expect me to claim Max is that sort of person? Why did you even bother coming here?”

“I am well aware that Max is not that sort of person either. That is precisely why I sought you out, Anton.”

His expression grew even more skeptical.

“What are you trying to insinuate?”

“Suspect Yosef.”

Anton’s expression shifted. Judging by his look, he had already concluded that Yosef was the genuine culprit as well. Even so, he refrained from immediately agreeing.

“You do realize Yosef is His Excellency’s most trusted aide.”

“I am aware. And I also know that even after you stepped down from the general’s post, Yosef continues clinging tightly to his.”

“Yosef is not foolish enough to orchestrate something like this.”

“In your own estimation, Anton—between Lieutenant General Max and General Yosef, who strikes you as more foolish?”

Anton frowned, fell silent for a brief moment, and then responded.

“You came here because you want something from me.”

“Incorrect, Anton.”

I crossed my legs and leaned back against the sofa cushions.

“I am here to assist you in getting what you desire.”

“And you suppose you know what that is?”

“Max is your friend. You have no desire to see him lined up against a wall and executed by firing squad.”

“Bartom.”

Anton fixed me with an inscrutable stare.

“Bartom already perished in precisely that manner, did he not?”

Bringing up ancient history?

I had already settled the Bartom business with the Commander. He did not appear to be dredging up the past merely to take jabs at me…

Was he questioning why I bothered coming to him when I could simply dispose of Max the exact same way I dealt with Bartom?

I had never once displayed goodwill toward Anton, so naturally, he would question my underlying motives. He likely assumed that if I pretended to champion Max now, it was merely a setup to betray him later.

Even so, Anton possessed virtually no alternative path to maneuver the situation the way I intended. From the perspective of a retired Anton, Max stood as a critical pillar—with Bartom already gone, losing Max as well would shake the pro-Daphne faction down to its foundations. Anton, who was attempting to maintain influence in both the pro-Daphne camp and my own faction, could not afford such a loss. Furthermore, he certainly did not want his friend’s legacy recorded in history as the shameless scoundrel responsible for the deaths of seven soldiers.

“Earlier, you stated that I stole your son.”

“Ahem……”

“Consider this payment for the son I took. Helping Max.”

“What are you talking about—”

“Which means the assistance you offer me this time serves as compensation for the son I saved.”

Anton stared at me blankly for a second, then lowered his voice.

“Do you fully grasp the gravity of what you are proposing right now?”

“I do. I am proposing that we frame Yosef—the Commander’s closest aide—as the culprit instead of Max.”

“Why on earth would we do that? Has His Excellency granted authorization?”

“He told me I was not permitted to handle it personally.”

Only then did Anton seem to comprehend the real reason behind my visit.

“Do not tell me you intend to use my hands to execute this. I am unlike Meursault. I do not shoot people simply because someone issues an order.”

“…Is execution the only thing that ever crosses either of your minds—yours or Meursault’s?”

“Then… what precisely do you plan to have me do?”

“What you need to do, Anton, involves no killing whatsoever. If anything, it is the exact opposite.”

“The opposite?”

He tilted his head as if genuinely unable to follow my logic. I looked right at him and stated,

“Starting from this moment onward, you are going to bring a dead man back to life.”