Chapter 71

Chapter 71
Yosef gazed up toward the heavens, where a heavy thunderstorm seemed to be brewing. Recently, the weather had been entirely erratic, shifting from conditions that felt fit for a severe winter blizzard to light sleet, while the clouds persistently gathered densely in isolated spots before abruptly scattering again. Even the local meteorology division confessed they were unable to pinpoint a clear reason for the anomalies. Unpredictable weather conditions had historically signaled trouble, especially for a civilization that had already narrowly survived a catastrophic ice age. Coupled with the unresolved predicament surrounding Lieutenant General Max, the unsettling atmosphere outside added a heavy layer of tension to the situation.

Thirteen full days had elapsed since Lieutenant General Max was placed under arrest under allegations of orchestrating the assassination of his adopted son, Bones. Despite the passing time, authorities had yet to reach a final verdict or hand down any official disciplinary measures. Even after taking into account the formal testimonies delivered by the Commander, Platon, and the leader of Team 2, the punishment continued to face unexplained delays. Could it be that someone had managed to uncover a trace of evidence?

Yosef was confident that he had left no incriminating traces behind. His communications regarding the matter had been strictly verbal, shared exclusively with the colonel who commanded Team 2, ensuring that only that single individual possessed direct knowledge of his involvement. Furthermore, that colonel had already been eliminated, with his demise made to look like a self-inflicted act. Rumors even circulated that the colonel was still attempting to leverage Lieutenant General Max’s name right up until his final moments, proving to be a remarkably obedient yet ultimately flawed asset.

The primary complication stemmed from the fact that Bones had managed to survive the ordeal. The initial strategy called for Bones to perish quietly amid the confusion of the military subjugation campaign, with his death framed as a justified casualty of self-defense. Given Bones’s volatile and aggressive temperament, the narrative was supposed to be that he had drawn a weapon on a superior officer during a moment of rage and was consequently shot down. However, complications arose when the primary search party led by the Commander was ambushed by large-class monsters. Instead of discreetly handling Bones while the various squads traveled together as originally planned, the reorganization of the ten original teams into five made it impossible to isolate him without drawing immediate attention from surrounding personnel.

The colonel tasked with the elimination must have taken matters into his own hands by assigning Bones to the restructured Team 2, moving him away from prying eyes to finish the assignment. Because handling the task alone with ten members present proved impractical, the colonel likely enlisted a few assistants, but the intervention of officers whom he failed to properly sway ultimately allowed Bones and Lucas to pull through. Bones possessed an infuriating level of resilience. Even after learning directly from the Team 2 leader that Lieutenant General Max sought his elimination, Bones stubbornly chose to remain silent. His profound loyalty ran so deep that he refused to betray his adoptive father, choosing instead to endure the silence rather than condemn the parent he believed had cast him aside.

Just as Yosef had utilized the Team 2 colonel as his instrument, Lieutenant General Max had clearly brought a similarly staunch loyalist into his own household. Fortunately, the testimonies provided by His Excellency Lord Haydam and the son of Anton successfully corroborated the colonel’s statements. If the Commander and Haydam alone had been privy to the information, the pro-Daphne faction would have mounted fierce opposition, but because Platon, Anton’s son, also stepped forward, neither political camp could easily cast doubt. Everyone in the ranks understood that Platon, despite his eccentricities, would never compromise his core principles to deliver a false statement. The only solid piece of evidence pointing toward Lieutenant General Max remained the testimony asserting that the plot was carried out under his direct commands.

Yet, certain details did not align logically. Yosef’s original directive had specified framing the incident as self-defense rather than directly exposing Lieutenant General Max’s involvement from the outset. While the ultimate objective was indeed to bring Max down, Yosef had envisioned a scenario where Max, consumed by grief and fury over Bones’s demise, would retaliate against the colonel in person. He had never anticipated that seven valuable officers would lose their lives in the chaos, and orchestrating the colonel’s demise as a staged suicide had partly been driven by pure frustration. He had drilled into the colonel’s head that any failure should be pinned squarely on Bones committing insubordination.

If a senior officer belonging to the pro-Haydam faction had acted merely on threats from Lieutenant General Max, it was inevitable that the Commander and Haydam would view the situation with deep suspicion. Moreover, Max stood to gain nothing by eliminating Bones, raising the perplexing question of why the colonel would explicitly confess to acting under Max’s direct threats. Had he somehow been cornered into a position where no other confession was viable? Regardless of the underlying motives, the testimony had already been formally entered into the record, leaving no room for retraction. As long as no contradictory evidence surfaced—or even if it did—Yosef trusted that the Commander would not suspect him personally. Even so, the prolonged delay in punishing Max left Yosef deeply unsettled, creating the unsettling impression that the Commander might have no intention of penalizing Max at all.

A sharp knock suddenly echoed across the wooden door of his private office.

“Enter.”

“General,” his adjutant murmured quietly after stepping inside, leaning in close to whisper near his ear. “Lord Haydam has arrived to see you.”

“Lord Haydam?”

Haydam had never once sought him out independently in the past. For him to appear at such a delicate juncture felt ominous. While the arrival of the regional successor might normally be cause for optimism, to Yosef, his presence carried the grim weight of an executioner. Part of this dread stemmed from his own hidden guilt, but an even stronger factor was the lingering mental trauma of witnessing Haydam’s angelic expression as he cheerfully wiped the splattered blood of Lieutenant General Batom from his cheek.

Still, brooding over fear would change nothing. He could not simply turn away an unwelcome visitor of such stature, and if a confrontation was inevitable, facing it immediately was the wisest course. Even Lord Haydam would not dare to summarily execute the Commander’s most trusted confidant without due cause.

“Lord Haydam is here and you are hesitating? Invite him inside immediately and have some fresh tea prepared.”

“Well,” the adjutant stammered, lowering his voice to an even fainter whisper. “Second Lieutenant Bones is accompanying him as well.”

“Second Lieutenant Bones?”

“What should I instruct them to do?”

Why would Lord Haydam bring along the very individual supposedly receiving protection at the Commander’s private residence? Yosef momentarily slipped into deep thought before realizing the danger of keeping such a volatile visitor waiting outside for too long. The youthful successor possessed a notoriously fierce temperament, and pushing his patience could easily lead to disaster.

“Escort them both inside. I will handle the tea preparation myself, so you are dismissed.”

“Understood, General.”

Shortly after the adjutant withdrew, the office door opened to reveal a smiling Haydam accompanied by a visibly exhausted Bones. Seeing Haydam’s unblemished expression left Yosef stunned in silence. Stories of the Miracle of the Crevasse were evidently true, as the young man bore not a single scratch from his harrowing ordeal. The gaze Haydam directed toward him held an unnerving lack of conventional human warmth, sending a sudden spike of genuine terror through Yosef’s spine.

Could that truly be classified as a normal human expression? No ordinary child raised in the harsh environment of the slums could possibly project such an intimidating aura, which made Anton’s hasty decision to retire and withdraw from military service suddenly seem entirely rational. Shaking off his apprehension, Yosef quickly rearranged his features into a warm, hospitable smile as he greeted his guests.

“It has been quite some time, Lord Haydam. Hearing the turbulent news regarding the subjugation campaign gave this old man quite a fright. I am immensely relieved to see you looking healthy and unharmed.”

“I had no idea you held such deep concern for my well-being,” Haydam replied smoothly. “Given that you never once visited my hospital room, I honestly assumed you had forgotten all about me. At your advanced age, I suppose keeping track of whether His Excellency even has an offspring becomes a challenging task?”

Though the statement carried a clear, sharp edge, Yosef knew from prior experience that engaging in a verbal spar with Haydam risked far more than mere embarrassment—it could easily jeopardize his physical safety. Choosing to ignore the underlying hostility, Yosef responded with a hearty, good-natured laugh.

“Word reached me that the newly commissioned officers were maintaining a round-the-clock vigil in your hospital room, so I deliberately stayed away to avoid causing any unnecessary discomfort. I trust the staff took excellent care of you throughout your recovery?”

Smoothly pivoting the dialogue toward the young officer standing beside him, Yosef motioned for them to take a seat rather than lingering near the entrance. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thank you, General.”

Second Lieutenant Bones promptly accepted the invitation and sat down, whereas Haydam paused for a moment, fixing Yosef with a steady stare before finally taking a seat just as Yosef readied himself to offer a second prompt.

“Indeed. For now, at least,” Haydam remarked with deliberate ambiguity.

Suppressing a surge of unease, Yosef turned his attention toward the side table where a tea set had been arranged, switching on the electric kettle to heat the water. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit? I was under the impression that Second Lieutenant Bones was currently keeping a low profile due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding recent events.”

“There is no grand mystery. I simply require Yosef to assist us with a minor matter.”

Assistance? Did Lord Haydam just ask him for a favor?

Relieving a fraction of his pent-up tension, Yosef arranged three delicate porcelain teacups as he posed his question. “You mean to say Lord Haydam requires my personal assistance?”

“To be precise, the request comes from Second Lieutenant Bones rather than myself.”

“Second Lieutenant Bones?”

“Bones, go ahead and speak freely. You can confide entirely in Uncle Yosef.”

Hearing the affectionate title of “Uncle Yosef” felt surprisingly pleasant, prompting Yosef to turn his full, encouraging attention toward the young officer. Bones, however, visibly flinched and hesitated, struggling to find his voice. Yosef maintained a patient silence while the water reached a rolling boil, pouring the steaming liquid into the cups and placing them before his visitors before Bones finally cleared his throat.

“I wish to formally testify that my adoptive father, Lieutenant General Max, attempted to take my life.”

Yosef raised a single eyebrow in controlled surprise. After maintaining absolute silence throughout the entire investigation, the young man had abruptly altered his stance. A brief glance toward Haydam revealed only a faint, knowing smile, as though encouraging the two of them to navigate the conversation independently. Shifting his focus back to Bones, Yosef pressed gently for clarification.

“And what led you to seek my specific assistance for this testimony?”

“It is my desire to have the General accompany me when I present my statement.”

Accompaniment implied a demand for protection to ensure he could complete his testimony without interference. Such a request was entirely logical under the circumstances; given that Lieutenant General Max was implicated in the assassination attempt, turning to an officer loyal to the pro-Daphne faction for protection was out of the question. Furthermore, Yosef had recently championed the initiative to secure safe quarters for both Bones and Lucas at the Commander’s residence, naturally leading the young soldier to believe Yosef would be a sympathetic ally.

“Ensuring your safety presents no difficulty whatsoever, but I must wonder why you chose…” Yosef trailed off, glancing inquiringly toward Haydam once more.

Anticipating the unspoken question, Bones offered an immediate response. “You are likely wondering why I did not direct this request to Lord Haydam instead.”

“Precisely. Given the well-known closeness of your relationship with Lord Haydam, His Excellency would surely have granted any request he brought forward.”

“An appeal was indeed made to Lord Haydam to intercede with His Excellency, but for reasons unknown, His Excellency appears firmly convinced that Lieutenant General Max is not the guilty party.”

Upon hearing those words, Yosef felt his internal equilibrium completely shatter. His Excellency believed Max was innocent? The realization nearly caused him to panic openly, but he forced his facial muscles to remain rigid, adopting an expression of profound bewilderment.

“If Lieutenant General Max is not the perpetrator, then who on earth could be responsible for such a heinous act?”

“That is…”

When Bones faltered and failed to complete the sentence, Yosef found himself unable to even lower the teacup he had just lifted, his throat instantly running dry with mounting panic. Could the true reason behind Haydam bringing Second Lieutenant Bones to his office be that His Excellency actually suspected Yosef himself of orchestrating the crime?

Unable to endure the suspense for another second, Yosef demanded an immediate answer. “Name the person, I insist!”

“The culprit is someone sitting right here in this room.”

Without even realizing it, Yosef’s fingers loosened completely, sending the porcelain teacup crashing down onto the desk.