How to Defeat an Emperor (1)
A photograph printed onto parchment using magic. Three people were captured in the image.
The most striking figure was a man with red hair and tanned skin that made him look like a thug, yet he stood there in a sharp suit with a rigid expression. Beside him, a woman sat in a chair with an adorable young boy on her lap, smiling with pure maternal love.
That must be her child.
At a glance, this could only be described as a family portrait. But the boy on the woman’s lap had the distinctive golden hair of the Karlank family and straight, vivid green eyes.
There was no need to think any further. This was a photograph of Nonedon, Cryan, and his mother, Mow.
So Nonedon kept something like this… Something that never appeared in the game.
As expected, even this world had microscopic details that didn’t follow the established setting. From now on, I should probably stop acting like I knew everything.
Still… this might be enough.
The reason Cryan had come searching for Sora was to recover his mother’s mementos, but his true purpose lay elsewhere. He wanted to reclaim the lost memories of his early childhood by finding Sora. And this photograph was clear evidence that could help him recover those very memories.
At the very least, it could serve as a substitute for Sora.
However, the only dilemma I faced after discovering the photo was one thing.
Even if I could show him this instead of Sora…
How on earth am I supposed to explain it?
According to the terms of our contract, I should show it to him without hesitation, but…
Just look at the psychotic scribbles covering the walls. Look at the chaotic state of this room. If he hadn’t gone completely mad in the arena, he looked like the type who would have killed himself long ago. Honestly, it was unsettling.
I knew he had mental issues, but I never imagined his outward appearance would be this severe. Seeing a family photo from back when he was still sane only stirred up a wave of emotional pity.
To be honest, it’s pretty pathetic. He must have been so happy when this photo was taken, but in the end, because of one Bancart, Nonedon had to kill the very sister in the picture…
The shock drove the uncle to insanity. It caused Cryan to lose his memories.
…Could he really endure learning the truth?
Telling him had been something I’d steeled myself for ever since I decided to repay the favor I owed him. But now that I stood inside this room, I found myself hesitating to speak.
If something like this had happened to the young lady, I wouldn’t have been able to reveal the truth so easily.
That thought alone made me waver, but—
“Captain, did you find anything? Wait, is that Sora?”
Jurchen squeezed in beside me and saw the photograph.
Damn it.
“…What the hell? It’s a family photo of Nonedon. Hold on, isn’t that baby Cryan? He looks exactly the same. Were you Nonedon’s son?”
“Hey, wait a second.”
“What did you say? My photo…?”
At those words, Cryan rushed over and snatched the photograph from my hands.
“…Huh?!”
Shock washed over his face. It was the expression of someone watching the entire universe flash behind their eyes, their mind reeling.
“That’s Mother, and this is…”
His gaze lingered on the figure standing beside his mother before it suddenly locked onto me, heavy with sorrow.
“Ugh, did I butt in at a bad time? What’s going on?”
“Haa, damn it all.”
“Uh, um… I don’t know what’s happening, but it looks like I messed up. Sorry, Captain.”
“Reflect on your actions.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Jurchen watched the scene, feeling awkward even though he hadn’t meant any harm. Then Cryan spoke, his voice trembling.
“I thought all these photos disappeared during the blood purge. More importantly… why is this here? In the room of the man who killed my mother…?”
I hesitated, but since things had already come to this, as his guide, I had to do what needed to be done.
“This is the truth. The one you’ve been searching for so desperately.”
“…Haha. Hah.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“So that’s how it was!”
He collapsed heavily into the nearest chair.
“This… is this what caused that sense of déjà vu I felt the moment I stepped into the Bruised City?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why you rejected my request to tell me everything, Yohan.”
He clutched his forehead. Countless thoughts must have been racing through his mind—from the strange sense of déjà vu he felt upon hearing Nonedon’s name, to the sharp reactions he’d had since arriving in this city.
His eyes, glistening as if he might cry at any moment, turned toward me.
“The man who killed my mother, Nonedon Naigerse, was my maternal uncle… So that’s why Yohan said Nonedon had Sora.”
Yet there was no trace of reproach in his voice. Only the shudder of realizing a past he had never known, the lament for the path of destruction his beloved family had been forced to walk. His words carried nothing but sorrow and helpless grief.
“That’s why my heart kept sinking every time I heard Nonedon’s name. Even until now.”
“…I’m sorry we couldn’t find Sora. It doesn’t seem to be here.”
“…But Yohan.”
He looked up at me.
“There must have been a reason my uncle killed my mother.”
It was spoken with absolute conviction.
“My uncle isn’t a bad person. On the contrary, he loved my mother more than my father ever did, and he cherished me more than anyone.”
“I see.”
It seemed Cryan was trying to bury his sorrow beneath reason. This was undoubtedly his desperate attempt to make the best possible judgment based on everything he now knew.
“So answer me, Yohan.”
Even as he suppressed his emotions, his words pressed forward.
“…After seeing this room, what do you think?”
“It doesn’t feel like a ‘room.’ It feels more like a ‘coffin’ where a grieving soul wishes to be buried.”
“Yes. After killing my mother, my uncle must have fallen apart like this. Just like me, he became trapped in obsession and turned into a madman.”
“That seems certain.”
“But would he have ended up like this if I had been there? Would my uncle have fallen apart so completely?”
I could only shake my head. If that had been the case, Nonedon would never have reached this state.
At my denial, Cryan slowly looked around the enormous ‘coffin’ and spoke.
“Then there is only one answer.”
He had finally reached the conclusion he had buried for so long.
“The beginning of all this tragedy is Elder Brother Bancart. Everything will only end when he dies.”
“……”
“He’s the one who killed my mother, shattered our family, locked me away in the Magic Tower, and prevented me from ever meeting my uncle.”
“So you’ve finally realized.”
“No, that’s not it. I’ve always known he was a terrible person. But…”
He swallowed a bitter sigh.
“I was just a fucking, fucking coward. That’s why I never even thought of resisting. I just got scared for the orphanage kids’ sake and did nothing.”
“…Don’t say useless things.”
“Huh?”
But I cut his words off sharply. No matter the situation, some things simply weren’t true.
“What coward? You came here on your own two feet to find the past you’ve been thinking about all this time. So you’ve already done more than enough.”
I openly scolded him. How dare he belittle himself in front of me?
“If you really were the coward you claim to be, you would have just sat back comfortably and asked to be told everything. But you didn’t.”
“…Yohan.”
“Besides, even though this is your homeland, the only memories you have now are from the imperial palace. Just coming down here must have been incredibly difficult.”
The vile stench. The metallic smell of blood in the alleys. The humiliation of swimming through an ocean of trash. Even after boarding the ship, the constant threat from those dog-like creatures.
Yet even surrounded by such horrors, he had desperately tried to follow my orders. All for the sake of regaining his memories.
Had I told him his decompression sickness was cured? To others, these might seem like trivial things, but he had fought through agonizing labor to seize the truth.
Therefore, there was no need for him to belittle himself. At least in my eyes, this guy had made a real effort.
“And now, after learning the entire truth, you’ve even found a clear sense of purpose.”
“Ah…”
“So in my eyes, there’s nothing bad about it. Anyone who makes an effort isn’t a bad person.”
…But at that very moment.
“Captain. Sir.”
“That was short. Is your reflection already over?”
“No. That’s not it. This looks really fucking bad.”
Jurchen, who had been lingering outside the door because he felt he had no place in the conversation, suddenly shouted at us.
“…Haa?”
When I expressed my confusion, he spoke urgently.
“I hear footsteps. That disgusting sound of dress shoes… it’s Nonedon.”
“It can’t be anyone else, right?”
“Nope. That leather sound echoing like a beggar’s sandals can only be him. Plus, this is a private room. Who else would come here?”
Then I felt it too. A dangerous presence. It wasn’t just the footsteps. My instincts screamed that something far from ordinary was approaching.
We must have taken too much time.
Damn it. We’re screwed.
We turned to look at each other, faces pale. Both of them were watching me. I had to make a decision.
Looking around, there was no place where three people could hide, though two might manage.
Should we jump out the window?
No. We were on a ship; there were no windows.
Shit. At this point, the only way is…
But then Cryan spoke to me.
“Yohan. I’ll handle this.”
“W-what are you suddenly saying?! Captain, I think he’s lost his mind!”
Even as Jurchen stammered in panic, Cryan remained composed.
“If he’s truly the uncle I remember, he would never harm me. That’s just how the world works. What uncle in the world would get angry at his nephew for coming into his room?”
“Is that so.”
“So I will stand before him and ask him directly. I came here because of you.”
“Aren’t you afraid of him?”
“What is there to be afraid of? I like him. And I’m certain he liked me just as much. Therefore…”
He declared with solemn resolve.
“I will reunite with him.”
…His suggestion. Come to think of it, there was nothing wrong with it. His assumption that Nonedon wouldn’t hurt him was logically sound. Above all, his stubborn determination to break through head-on was honestly admirable.
This kid really hates taking the easy way, huh.
I quickly gave orders to the others.
“Fine. I respect your decision.”
“Thank you.”
“Everyone except Cryan, hide. Jurchen, into the cabinet. I’ll get behind the bookshelf.”
“Yes, sir!”
Jurchen immediately threw himself into the cabinet. I whispered briefly to Cryan.
“You thought well. For you, it’s probably better to confront Nonedon directly now.”
“I didn’t expect you to trust me like this, Yohan.”
“But remember this. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have to step in. Since I brought you here, my top priority is getting you safely back to Sigmund.”
He nodded.
“So don’t provoke him. You can appeal to his emotions, but avoid bloodshed as much as possible.”
“Yes. That won’t happen.”
With that, I hid behind the bookshelf.
Now, let’s see how this plays out.
Creak— The door opened.
“…It’s noisy.”
It was Nonedon.