Do You Dare Touch Us? (4)
I knew he had been quietly helping the newspaper club with various tasks while spearheading the city's reconstruction efforts. But because I knew that, his current behavior left me even more bewildered.
After helping us like that… why was he suddenly brandishing a sword and threatening us?
Nonedon simply spoke with perfect composure.
Hearing Nonedon's voice in this room brought back a flood of memories from when Jurchen, Cryan, and I had snuck in here and gotten caught by him.
"…!!"
Clang—!
So I reflexively drew the sword I was carrying.
"…Huk?!"
Cryan, clearly flustered by the unexpected situation, reflexively hid behind me. I lowered my stance and stared at Nonedon's hand.
The sword he held was plain, heavy, and in some ways excessively refined. It looked hollow inside, yet a brilliant red glow swirled within the blade.
Looking at it, I could be certain.
…This is an object imbued with Steel Command. It's high-grade.
This was a unique sword with a long history, the kind that would be stored in the imperial armory. It was clearly an artifact.
In this world, the probability that an item I recognized existed was higher than the probability that something I didn't know about existed. If I examined its appearance closely, I might be able to guess what kind of item it was and what it was used for… but I didn't have the luxury for that right now.
The most important thing at the moment was to stop Nonedon, who seemed to have relapsed into his madness.
However.
My spirit of resistance turned out to be… utterly useless.
The moment Nonedon saw us, he couldn't hide his laughter. He spread his arms wide, still holding the sword. We could only stand there, helplessly bewildered.
"…U-uncle?"
Just as I had sensed from everyone I met in this city, there was absolutely no hostility in the way this man spoke.
"…Then why the sword?"
I barely managed to force the question out of my throat.
It seemed Nonedon had completely forgotten that he was still holding the drawn sword. Flustered, he sheathed it.
Clang—.
"Uncle. That's not what I meant…."
But making excuses was pointless. No. If someone with Nonedon's monstrous physique stood there holding a sword and it didn't feel threatening, that would be the strange thing.
I finally understood why people always told me, "Sir Yohan, please don't do anything. It's scary." Looking at myself was like looking in a mirror that forced me to confront the truth.
Whoosh—.
He tossed the sheathed sword to me, and I caught it.
"…What is this?"
"You really didn't have to…."
A sword engraved with the Sun's Crest. The moment my eyes were drawn to this beautiful, almost artistic blade, he began explaining its background to me.
"………!"
He paused for a moment, but his meaning was clear.
"Wait, Nonedon. I'm not Cryan's knight. I serve only one person."
And then.
As I examined the overall appearance of the sword I had received, I could finally be certain.
…This is Solaris.
It was the de facto exclusive weapon that Eclipse would obtain as a loot drop after clearing Nonedon's episode. Because this sword was said to only display its true power when wielded by someone who had inherited the blood of the sun. It was a blade containing the essence of celestial magic.
Its role was to serve as a catalyst that would allow Eclipse—who was currently under the mistaken impression that she handled 'fire'—to properly transition into solar magic.
So.
I was extremely flustered.
The portrait of the hero that Mow had seen in her dream… was definitely not Nonedon. And it wasn't me, the person Nonedon had mentioned. It was Eclipse.
This is twisted….
But in the original history, Eclipse would have proudly accepted this. She hadn't done anything during the arena incident, while in this world, I—the one who knew everything—had single-handedly performed a one-man show to change the tragic fate of the crown prince. And so the sword had ended up in my hands instead.
I never imagined things would unfold this way.
Perhaps this was simply the world's law—that the reward for defeating a boss would be given in one form or another no matter what?
Still.
"Thank you, Nonedon."
If he was offering it, I might as well accept. Refusing seemed like it might lead to a fight, judging by his fierce aura.
As for how I would use it…
I'll have to think about that carefully. I have more than enough time.
When I thought that, Nonedon smiled and said,
With that, he took out an on-the-rocks glass from the now-neatly organized shelf… clink. He poured whiskey into it. One glass for himself, and the other two for us.
"Uncle, we can't drink… You know we're students, right?"
"That's not it…."
Cryan stared at the mysterious maple-syrup-colored liquid in front of him, trembling as if unsure whether he should really drink it. But for someone from the North—who worshipped alcohol, tobacco, and meat—life inside Sigmund Academy felt like forced monastic abstinence. After seeing something delicious for the first time in a long while, my eyes practically rolled back in my head.
"Thank you!"
I downed the drink in one gulp.
"…Wow, Yohan. You really are a northerner."
"There's no such thing as a bad person who offers you a drink."
When I drank the whiskey straight, Nonedon burst into hearty laughter.
"It just sort of happened."
Gulp—.
It seemed my attitude had sparked a competitive spirit in Nonedon. He too downed his drink in one go…
"Then allow me to pour you another, Nonedon."
I kept his glass from running dry while lightly elbowing the side of the primly seated Cryan beside me. It was a signal for him to speak if he wasn't going to drink.
Cryan immediately understood my cue and began.
As he spoke, he quietly clenched and unclenched his fist. It was as if the images of those who had died under his iron fists while he was out of his mind were flashing before his eyes. For a moment, Nonedon's gaze grew somber.
"To ease your heart?"
Cryan carefully considered how to persuade this man who was still blaming himself and calling himself a criminal. In the end, he decided that a clear, direct approach would be best for someone like Nonedon, and spoke decisively.
"…Suddenly?"
For a moment, his pupils dilated.
It was uncharacteristic of him to stutter while pointing at himself with his finger; the sight looked quite out of place. But the alcohol that had risen sharply seemed to be helping him speak his honest thoughts.
But after thinking for a moment, Nonedon seemed to reach a conclusion.
"Wait, you two don't mean…"
Like uncle, like nephew.
"Yes. Your guess is correct, Uncle."
Cryan spoke, his green eyes blazing.
I shrugged and added,
"Compared to someone like that, there is no reason you couldn't become chairman, Nonedon. You have connections to the imperial family and outstanding financial ability. The only difference between you and the current chairman is that you can become our ally."
At those words, Cryan looked his uncle straight in the eye and said,
"………."
Nonedon looked up at the ceiling and sank deep into thought for a while.
"We saw it clearly."
Of course we didn't think that. But there was still something that needed to be said. So I spoke.
"The Bruised City already seems to have come back to life."
"No. The system you created is running on its own now."
I gazed out the window Nonedon had opened, at the beautiful scenery of the city blooming anew like a flower in full splendor, and continued.
Nonedon's gaze overlapped with mine.
"Whether you're doing this for self-satisfaction or not, the important thing is that the people here follow you. Even if you step away for a while to lend us your strength, nothing catastrophic will happen."
"And if Cryan is reborn as 'something,' wouldn't that be the greatest gift you could possibly give to his mother?"
When our gazes met, without anyone suggesting it first, we all emptied our final glasses.
As I swallowed the burning liquid, I said to Nonedon,
"Anyway. That is exactly why we came here today. I'm not very familiar with the situation in the capital, but Cryan said he wants to do this."
When I glanced at Cryan—since I didn't want to remain entangled in this—I saw that he had naturally read my look. He gave a somewhat sly smile and said,
And in response to Cryan's earnest voice, Nonedon could only say this.