Chapter 73

Father (5)

“You’re not going to prove his innocence?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Bones tried to spring to his feet, but I pressed down on his leg and said,

“You said that if Lieutenant General Max was responsible, you’d make sure he paid for his crimes. But it seems you’re actually hoping he’s innocent.”

My question struck a nerve. Bones shrank back and obediently sat down again.

“Isn’t Captain Josef the culprit? Isn’t that why you sent me to him...?”

I stared at Bones for a moment before asking,

“Bones, do you trust your father?”

“Of course I do. He’s the man who raised me.”

“Then why did you tell him to abandon you back then?”

The instant I brought up that dark chapter of his past, Bones’s face flushed red.

“Could you please stop bringing that up?”

“You clearly didn’t trust your father then.”

“That was...”

“You respect Lieutenant General Max, but you still think he might abandon you at any moment. You’re not his biological son, and you’re not his only adopted son either.”

Bones did not deny it.

Naturally.

All the effort he had put into earning Lieutenant General Max’s recognition could also be described as a desperate struggle to avoid being discarded.

“...All right. I understand what you’re trying to say.”

Bones stared at me quietly before speaking.

“I don’t actually trust Lieutenant General Max. I merely want him to be innocent because I don’t want to believe that he abandoned me. Are you satisfied now?”

“Yeah. I’m the same.”

“You are?”

“There’s no evidence that either Captain Josef or Lieutenant General Max is the culprit. I suspect Josef, but it’s nothing more than circumstantial suspicion. In other words, there’s still a possibility that Lieutenant General Max is responsible. Even so, there’s only one reason I’m going so far as to stage this entire act and convene an officers’ meeting.”

I raised one finger.

“To find out which of them is more valuable to keep alive.”

“...I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Several of my valuable soldiers died because of this incident.”

“Surely Colonel Samson isn’t included among those ‘valuable soldiers’?”

“Of course he is. If this incident hadn’t happened, he would have continued doing his duty in his proper place.”

Bones still seemed unable to understand what I was getting at, so I continued.

“Between Josef and Max, I want the one who won’t sacrifice any more of my soldiers.”

“And you can determine that... through an officers’ meeting?”

“Yeah. Since ancient times, if you wanted to identify a parent who truly cherished their child, you ordered the child to be cut in half before their eyes.”

“What? That’s insane... Who the hell said something so horrifying?”

“Solomon.”

“Never heard of the bastard. ...Hm?”

Bones thought about it for a moment, then looked at me as realization dawned on him.

“But aren’t I the child who’s supposed to be cut in half this time?”

“You might not know Solomon, but you’re quick on the uptake.”

“You seem like someone who might actually cut me in half, so please tell me what you’re planning.”

“Don’t worry.”

I grinned at Bones.

“When the time comes, you’ll understand why Solomon ordered the child to be cut in half.”

***

Josef entered the officers’ conference room in a state of agitation.

Rumors continued to spread, but he had been unable to identify the soldiers who supposedly saw Colonel Samson before the meeting.

In the end, he had been forced to attend the emergency officers’ meeting for Bones’s testimony without properly confirming whether the rumors were true.

Apart from the alleged sightings of Colonel Samson, Josef had also dragged in the men who had handled the matter that day and subjected them to torture...

No, he had held an honest conversation with them.

They all said they had confirmed his death.

Josef knew.

Their eyes had been telling the truth.

At the very least, those men had witnessed the exact moment Colonel Samson stopped breathing.

All I can do now is hope the rumors of Colonel Samson being alive are nothing more than rumors.

Glancing around the conference room, Josef saw the Commander, the officers, and Bones.

Lord Haydam isn’t here.

The thought had come naturally, but Josef soon realized its significance.

Seven soldiers had been murdered, and a colonel had supposedly taken his own life.

Yet Josef had assumed as a matter of course that Haydam would be present at the hearing concerning such a serious incident.

It seemed he was not the only one.

Several officers had been glancing around as though searching for someone, only to compose themselves after seemingly realizing the same thing.

So this is the influence of a child who returned to his rightful place after ten years. This is far beyond normal.

It seemed inevitable that the child would one day swallow up Josef’s entire sphere of influence.

Perhaps the reason Josef had risked everything to frame Lieutenant General Max and protect his position was because he felt pressured by Haydam’s ever-growing influence.

Still, we’re in the same boat now...

However, Josef’s relief did not last long.

He had just begun to relax, thinking that supporting Bones would allow him to gain a foothold within Haydam’s growing sphere of influence.

Then former Captain Anton stormed into the officers’ conference room and dropped a bombshell.

“Based on Colonel Samson’s testimony, I hereby accuse Second Lieutenant Bones.”

“What do you mean?”

It was the worst possible development, one Josef had never even imagined.

Nevertheless, he maintained as much composure as possible as he rose from his seat.

“You’re accusing Second Lieutenant Bones based on Colonel Samson’s testimony...? Colonel Samson took his own life, did he not?”

Anton gave Josef an inscrutable smile.

It was the kind of smile that seemed to ask whether Josef had heard the rumors.

“Colonel Samson is under my protection.”

Josef felt his heart drop.

Then the rumors were true?

Even so, he tilted his head as though he had no idea what Anton meant.

“Under your protection? Are you saying Colonel Samson is alive? Even if he is, why would you, a mere civilian and former captain, be keeping one of our soldiers in custody?”

“His Excellency entrusted Colonel Samson to me.”

His Excellency did?!

Judging from the Commander’s unchanged expression as he sat in the center of the conference room, Anton was not lying.

No, if Anton had not received the Commander’s permission in the first place, he would never have been given the chance to burst into the conference room and speak.

At most, I thought the Commander had merely turned a blind eye to Anton hiding Colonel Samson. But if he personally entrusted the colonel to him...

Josef’s heart began pounding rapidly.

If so much had occurred without his knowledge, then the situation had already spiraled beyond his control.

In that case, this is no longer the time to support Bones.

Abandoning Bones now would mean betraying Haydam’s trust.

However, Colonel Samson was alive.

Unless Josef coordinated his story with the colonel, Samson might change his mind and mention Josef’s name.

If Josef continued insisting that Lieutenant General Max was the culprit, it would amount to accusing Samson of giving false testimony.

Still, if he abruptly changed his position here, he would draw suspicion.

Josef feigned confusion and spoke.

“What exactly did Colonel Samson say for you to accuse Second Lieutenant Bones?”

“Colonel Samson gave the following testimony. Second Lieutenant Bones stubbornly pursued an achievement and accidentally killed one of his teammates. He then attempted to silence the witnesses by murdering them. Colonel Samson claimed he fell into the crevasse while fleeing from Second Lieutenant Bones.”

Except for the complete omission of Second Lieutenant Lucas, it was nearly identical to the true testimony Josef had heard from Haydam.

Thank goodness Lord Haydam isn’t here.

Had Haydam been present, Josef doubted he could have pretended to hear this for the first time.

Maintaining his bewildered act, he said,

“What are you talking about...? Didn’t Colonel Samson clearly testify that Lieutenant General Max had commissioned the murders?”

“Lord Haydam discovered Second Lieutenant Bones while he was fleeing and rescued him from a monster attack. Bones allegedly told Lord Haydam that Lieutenant General Max had ordered his death, and that Colonel Samson had killed the other team members to silence them. Since Colonel Samson’s account and Second Lieutenant Bones’s account contradicted each other, His Excellency decided to announce false testimony and observe what happened. In the meantime, we also confirmed that there had been no contact whatsoever between Lieutenant General Max and Colonel Samson.”

That was only natural.

Lieutenant General Max truly had nothing to do with the incident.

Since there was no evidence proving he was guilty, they searched for evidence proving his innocence.

“Even so... there’s no evidence that Second Lieutenant Bones is the culprit either, is there?”

“At the very least, we confirmed that the bullet wound in Colonel Samson’s shoulder was caused by Bones’s firearm. Besides, if Colonel Samson truly had been commissioned to commit murder, how could a newly commissioned officer possibly have survived? Unless Second Lieutenant Bones attacked first, it makes no sense that Bones would be the one to survive that situation.”

Josef knew that Bones and Lucas had genuinely survived the ordeal through their own efforts.

Still, it was obvious that the circumstantial evidence was turning against Bones.

“But why didn’t you reveal that from the beginning? Why wait until now...?”

“Since Second Lieutenant Bones had not testified that Lieutenant General Max was responsible, I thought perhaps he had abandoned his attempt to frame him. So I waited and watched. But then I saw him inciting all of you to convene this officers’ meeting today. Even though I have retired, I cannot simply stand by and watch my old friend, Lieutenant General Max, be betrayed by his own son.”

So this officers’ meeting was never convened for Bones’s testimony.

They had already decided that Bones was the culprit and set a trap for him.

I can’t allow myself to be dragged down with him.

Josef released a long sigh.

Then he glared sharply at Bones, who stood in the witness area.

For some reason, Bones merely stood there with his head lowered.

It was strange that he was not actively denying the accusations, but Josef assumed that Bones had given up after realizing he could not turn the situation around himself.

This might actually be for the best. If he has no intention of defending himself, it’ll be easier to cut ties with him.

Having finished his calculations, Josef shouted at Bones in an attempt to bring the entire matter to a decisive conclusion.

“Bones! I trusted you and intended to protect you until the very end, yet how could you sell out the father who raised you, adopted or not?! As if committing such an unfilial act weren’t enough, you even attempted to deceive both Lord Haydam and me! You insolent—”

“No!”

The sudden shout made Josef turn around.

It was Lieutenant General Max.

Did he just shout ‘no’?

He was finally about to clear his name.

What exactly was he denying?

Josef expected Max to unleash his resentment toward the adopted son who had betrayed him.

Instead, the urgent words that came out of Lieutenant General Max’s mouth completely defied Josef’s expectations.

“Colonel Samson’s testimony is false! I was the one who threatened Colonel Samson and ordered him to kill Second Lieutenant Bones. I gave the order! Colonel Samson is making a false confession now to escape responsibility for his own crimes!”

Josef could not comprehend what was happening.

Wasn’t Lieutenant General Max the one making the false confession?

“Therefore, my son is innocent.”

Josef was horrified by what followed.

Max could have remained silent and walked free, yet the fool was falsely confessing in order to save his adopted son.

Josef glanced toward Bones, wondering whether he would once again try to protect his father.

Strangely, Bones merely stared blankly at Lieutenant General Max, looking as though he had finally realized something.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

A troubling feeling rose within Josef, but he forced it aside.

No... This might actually be even better.

Even if it was a false confession, Max had admitted his crime before everyone.

It would be difficult for him to avoid punishment now.

After all, proving one’s innocence was several times harder than proving one’s guilt.

Even the Commander could not simply ignore a direct confession made in front of him.

Thinking this, Josef looked toward the Commander and immediately sensed that something had gone wrong.

The Commander was staring at Lieutenant General Max as though he had discovered something deeply intriguing.

There was not the slightest hint of displeasure in his gaze.

“So this is the ‘Solomon’ Haydam spoke of.”

Solomon? What the hell is Solomon?

Josef could only stare in bafflement, but Bones nodded as though he understood.

“I understand now as well.”

“It seems we have confirmed everything that needed confirming. We’ll adjourn here. Punishments regarding this incident will be decided at a later date.”

With that, the Commander left the conference room before anyone could ask further questions.

By the time Josef came back to his senses, both Max and Bones had already disappeared from the room.