LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 26 - Father, I
Chapter 26. Father, I
Hayden, the commander, was standing behind us without us noticing.
Meursault, with his expressionless face, followed him and stared at me.
‘He looks like he’s asking what trouble I’ve caused this time.’
The frozen officers were at a loss for words, so the commander, with a slight upward curl of his lips, asked again.
“What if I know?”
“Your Excellency…!”
Only then did the Hayden faction officers snap out of it and hurriedly raised their hands in salute, but the commander dismissed it with a gesture.
“Just answer. I already know my son climbed over the wall to meet Daphne… but there seems to be more trouble if I know?”
With a smile that seemed amused, the commander’s remaining gaze stayed on me briefly before landing on Josef.
“What could be more troublesome than entering your stepmother’s residence without permission?”
“Well, that’s…”
Josef’s face showed he couldn’t decide whether to tell the truth or lie to get out of the situation.
Even if he lies now, if Daphne tells the truth later, it would only bring more trouble.
Well, there’s no point in harassing the pro-Hayden officers here, so I decided to step in.
“Your Excellency.”
When I called him that, the commander looked at me with wide eyes, probably because I addressed him as Your Excellency instead of father.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“…Father. Don’t misunderstand. The method was a bit rough, but…”
Meursault muttered something that sounded like “a bit?” as if he couldn’t believe it, so I shot him a quick glance before continuing.
“All I did was have a brief conversation with Daphne.”
“If it was just a conversation, why do these guys look so nervous?”
“Maybe because they’re worried we talked about mother.”
When I said that, Meursault’s expression changed, but the commander remained unphased.
“Hmm…”
The commander, as if considering something, glanced towards Daphne’s residence and said monotonously.
“I can get the details from Daphne.”
“Yes, there’s no problem.”
The commander stared at me for a moment after I answered.
“…Even if it was just a conversation, it’s not completely without problems. You did climb over the wall.”
“I admit it was my fault to enter without Daphne’s permission.”
“But there’s no problem?”
“That’s because Daphne forgave me.”
At my words, Meursault frowned, and the commander, still expressionless, added as if informing me of a simple fact.
“You’re wrong, Hayden. Everything in this zone requires my permission. Even entering my wife’s residence needs my permission. If you understand, nod your head.”
In other words, I could do anything as long as I got permission first.
Even as his son, I had to obey him.
The commander had no problem with me going hunting with Meursault or touring the lab, but he was sensitive about this.
It seemed issues concerning Daphne were important to him too.
Today’s incident was a warning that I had crossed the line.
I didn’t expect to get away without any scolding after climbing over someone’s wall, so I nodded obediently.
Then I said,
“Then… since my business is done, may I be excused to my room?”
When I asked this instead of apologizing or reflecting, the officers behind me sighed, and Meursault rubbed his forehead, but the commander chuckled.
I used to wonder why he was so lenient with me.
After learning that Luna Moon was a player, I understood.
I was also a player, so my actions must have reminded him of Luna Moon.
“Alright. You may go.”
With the commander’s permission, I cheerfully bid farewell and turned to leave, but Meursault muttered softly, almost like ventriloquism.
“You’ll have to explain this properly later.”
I mouthed ‘anytime’ and walked away.
* * *
Meursault, clearly disturbed by me touching his precious Daphne, came to see me right after cleaning up the mess.
But I had been waiting for him, prepared to say what I needed to say.
“Daphne and father are going to divorce.”
Meursault, with a trembling voice, asked back.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Father and Daphne are going to divorce. To be exact, I’m helping them do it.”
“You’re helping Daphne…?”
Meursault repeated my words like a broken machine.
Well, there was no choice.
“Daphne wants to divorce the commander, and I want that too. So, they’re going to separate soon.”
“Daphne… wants a divorce…”
Is this guy really the top intellect in this zone?
“And I’m only telling you this…”
I trailed off, and Meursault swallowed dryly, staring at me.
“Daphne is also looking for someone to remarry. She asked me to find a good person for her.”
“That… that’s…!”
I smiled brightly, staring at Meursault’s trembling pupils.
“Yeah, Meursault. Daphne trusts me completely. So… you’re going to be a ‘good person’ for me, right?”
“Of course…!”
Watching Meursault nod vigorously, I smiled with satisfaction.
Daphne had been infatuated with Meursault from the start, even choosing a nickname like ‘Meursault’s wife.’
Bringing them together wouldn’t be difficult.
I could tell Meursault that Daphne likes him, but… it wouldn’t be proper to convey Daphne’s feelings on her behalf if she hadn’t confessed herself.
I had to give a subtle hint instead.
I was really a kind player.
* * *
I left the development of combat rations in the lab to Meursault, who became a ‘good person’ thanks to Daphne, and planned to go hunting with Taejong.
BangguseokYeoBo trained for combat daily, so he would be fine, but I needed real experience to perform well in subjugation battles, despite being a conqueror of all zones.
Taejong wouldn’t participate in the upcoming subjugation battle, but fighting monsters regularly would help him take on the tank role in the future.
Taejong needed to grow bigger to participate in the subjugation.
His physical strength was his only notable trait since his shooting and healing skills were average.
But seeing how he was already a head taller than me and BangguseokYeoBo, Taejong might be taller than most adults by the time he’s fifteen.
The problem was…
“We can’t?”
The commander hadn’t granted us permission to hunt.
“Why not?”
In response to my question, the commander, without taking his eyes off the documents, briefly replied.
“Because it’s dangerous.”
Did he think we didn’t know it was dangerous?
“What if Meursault accompanies us?”
“Hayden.”
The commander looked at me with his one remaining eye and said.
“Last time, you went hunting without my permission. Since the results were not bad, I let it go. But as a soldier, an adult, and your father, I cannot allow a minor to go outside the zone.”
“Even if my shooting skills are good enough to hunt a ham-pig alone?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it’s just me and Director Meursault?”
“You’re not so slow-witted that I have to repeat myself.”
A sudden ominous thought crossed my mind, so I paused before asking.
“Then… what about the next subjugation battle?”
“Subjugation battle?”
The commander raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
“Why are you asking? It has nothing to do with you.”
Nothing to do with me…?
‘This guy has no intention of letting me participate in the subjugation battle.’
He must know that gaining the support of the zone people requires my participation, yet he says it has nothing to do with me. He didn’t want to send his son, found after ten years, into danger.
I didn’t expect the commander’s doting nature to be a problem.
I expressed my desire to participate in the subjugation battle.
“I want to participate in the next subjugation battle.”
The commander chuckled.
He didn’t seem to be taking me seriously.
“Okay. I heard you. You went to the lab to make sure the boy soldiers for the subjugation wouldn’t go hungry, right? I know you care about them, but… you’re overdoing it. You’re not an orphan from the slums anymore.”
“But as a zone citizen-”
“Hayden. You’re going to the military academy soon. It’s not too late to join the subjugation battle after graduation. There’s no need to rush.”
‘Military academy? The one no one used for strategy because it takes six years to graduate?’
The commander’s ignorance of the Second Apocalypse was always a hurdle.
I, or rather, we don’t have much time.
‘If I tell the commander that I’m also a player like Luna Moon and that the Second Apocalypse will happen…’
There’s almost no chance he’d believe me.
The commander’s leniency was because he believed I was Luna Moon’s son.
If I confessed to being a player, I’d have to convince him I wasn’t impersonating a dead man’s son, leading to the beheading ending BangguseokYeoBo feared.
‘A way to gain the commander’s trust and join the subjugation without going to the military academy…’
I had one wish left from the three-reward strategy, but… I need that for Daphne’s divorce.
I must solve this problem myself.
As I pondered, the commander asked me.
“By the way, I spoke with Daphne.”
“Ah, yes.”
“You promised to help us divorce?”
“Yes, I did. Is there a problem?”
“…”
The commander looked at me, at a loss for words, then shook
his head.
“You’re just like Luna Moon in your audacity. Her teaching methods must have been unique.”
Hmm… It seems like he always compares me to Luna Moon whenever I act insolently.
Luna Moon must have been quite a character too.
The commander stared at me for a moment before asking softly.
“Did Daphne tell you that Luna Moon was a ‘player’?”
“Yes.”
When I answered without hesitation, the commander frowned.
“How could you accept that so easily?”
“Pardon?”
“At first, I didn’t believe Luna Moon. She always told outrageous stories, so I thought it was a joke. It took me a long time to believe her. But you…”
Was it strange that I accepted Luna Moon was a player so easily?
I had an explanation ready.
“I vaguely thought she might be from another world. Watching her.”
“I see… If you were raised by her, it’s not unreasonable to think that.”
She must have been quite an unusual person.
“Then why did you promise to help us divorce?”
“Is it strange that her son would want that?”
“It’s not, but… I didn’t think you’d want it.”
The commander was wrong about that.
Even as Luna Moon’s son, it was better for Daphne and the commander to divorce.
But for now, I had to say this.
“Because Daphne, my mother’s friend, wants it.”
“…”
The commander’s expression momentarily showed bitterness.
His sensitivity about Daphne must be because she was Luna Moon’s friend.
Even so, there was one strange thing.
“I’m curious, why haven’t you divorced yet?”
If he knew Luna Moon was a player, he’d know Daphne was too.
It wouldn’t have been strange to divorce sooner.
But the commander’s answer was unexpectedly simple.
“We needed an heir.”
“For needing an heir, you didn’t seem to care much about having one.”
“I believed you would come. We’re still young, and maybe we would’ve had a child in a few years, but now that you’re here, that letter no longer matters.”
“A letter?”
“Luna Moon’s letter.”
‘Luna Moon’s’ letter?
Could it be that Luna Moon was involved in their marriage too?
“I promised to tell you why I married Daphne instead of Luna Moon. Daphne doesn’t know this, but…”
The commander muttered, “I guess it’s okay to tell now,” before continuing.
“It was Luna Moon who wanted me to marry Daphne.”
“What?”
“Daphne still thinks Luna Moon left because I chose her to become the commander, but it’s slightly different. Luna Moon left as soon as she knew she was pregnant. I don’t know why, but she left a letter asking me to marry Daphne and become the commander.”
“…”
She left a letter asking her lover to marry Daphne?
‘Why?’
She’d die if she didn’t succeed in her strategy…
Could she have wanted to protect Daphne?
‘No. That can’t be it.’
From what I’ve heard from the commander and Daphne, Luna Moon wasn’t that kind.
She didn’t seem like an altruistic person either.
‘Then why…’
I wouldn’t know unless I asked Luna Moon herself.
I suddenly thought of the presence in Luna Moon’s ring.
Maybe this consciousness in the ring was a message Luna Moon left for me.
Though it didn’t seem ready to talk to me yet.
But after hearing this story, I had an idea.
A way to participate in the subjugation and avoid the military academy.
“…You once asked me for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“If you told me everything, I’d tell you everything too.”
The commander nodded, remembering that request.
“Right. I did.”
“I’m ready to tell you everything now. Father, I…”
I slowly opened my mouth to finish my words.
“I am a regressor.”