I Mistook The Genre And Became A Tyrant

✦  Chapter 4 – Being a Son Isn’t Always Easy ✦

「Translator – Creator」

Beep beep beep—

The alarm sounded, and I glanced at my phone. 5 AM. No time to enjoy even a moment’s rest before heading straight to work. Today, after finishing at the construction site, I had to go directly to my night shift delivering packages.

“Come on! Everyone who works the night shift at Seongsan Logistics! Get in! Get in!”

Vroom—

As I got into the shuttle bus with people who all seemed to have a lot of things going on, the world outside the window started to look cynical.

City lights. Money. Hospital bills. My youth…

That day, as always, I returned home utterly exhausted, greeted by the early morning dew.

As I washed my body with cold water and lay down on the blanket in my small one-room apartment, I suddenly noticed my bag and thought about the things inside it.

Rattle rattle rattle—

I emptied the contents of my bag, and various odds and ends fell to the floor because I had done it so roughly. Medicine bags. Doctor’s notes. A game cartridge I wanted when I was a kid.

“Where did I put that Nymptendo DS…?”

「The game will start momentarily.」

“I’m a bit excited.”

I guess because it was an old console, the loading took a while, so I looked at the words written on the back of the chip cover in the meantime.

「Become the strongest adventurer in the mystical and magical continent of 《Hel World》!」

「Build affinity with various characters through free choices, receive treasures as gifts, or embark on quests.」

「Tame 1052 species of “Hel” creatures inhabiting every location!」

《Hel World》, which I had only repeatedly played through the tutorial at a friend’s house, was a game about traveling across a vast continent, learning various magic spells, and capturing and raising monsters called ‘Hels’.

That’s all I knew about it. If there was anything else, it was that these ‘Hels’ were incredibly cute and cool.

“It’s my first playthrough, so let’s just dive in.”

My heart pounded as if I was stepping into an unknown world. I also felt like I was back to the days when I would throw tantrums because I wanted to play this game.

If I could really go back to those days, I could do anything.

「The game will start shortly.」

That was my last memory of the 21st century.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself as a naked and starving 7-year-old orphan in a strange world.

After 3 months of drifting.

I was just struggling to survive, and before I knew it, I was a pickpocket in a muddy slum city, barely making ends meet. It was a squalid life.

I wanted to live a better life somehow and thought I should aim for something ‘big’.

That’s when I spotted a man with a coin purse that looked promisingly heavy on his waist.

My movements were quicker than ever before.

“Little one, I saw you steal my coin purse, only to distribute the money to orphans under the bridge? How trivial.”

The middle-aged gentleman, wielding a sword like a cane, found me and beat me severely. I thought I might actually die.

“Look at this. Are these truly the eyes of a child just a bit older than my daughter? War sickens children first. However, I won’t forgive the crime of stealing my money.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No? Death doesn’t solve anything. You’ll have to live and pay me back. I’ll warn you now, it will be so agonizing you might wish for death instead. So, what’s your name?”

“…………”

“You don’t have one? Then I’ll give you one. From today onwards, your name is Daniel. By the way, I am Nimrod Dantalian. I should mention that I’m a ill-tempered person, so it would be best for you to obey well.”

From that day on, I became Nimrod Dantalian’s errand boy.

As I spent time with him, I learned that Nimrod was a man who worked as a so-called ‘fixer’ or ‘contractor’, handling jobs for various noble families.

He was also a ruthless instructor.

He trained me ruthlessly, as if seeking revenge for my theft of his purse, and as a result, my body was covered in wounds every day.

“Daniel, didn’t I tell you to slaughter all the hens in the chicken coop before nightfall? There’s always hesitation in your sword. Are you afraid to cut down a living creature?”

“…But I’ve raised these creatures since they were chicks, even naming them.”

“You must become a demon. You have to kill before you are killed! This is a world where you can’t survive otherwise. Harden your heart and think only of bringing down your enemies! Otherwise, you will die!”

“……………..”

“Don’t eat or sleep until you’ve slaughtered all these chickens and stripped their meat. If you’re hungry, kill one of these chickens and eat it.”

Four years had passed since I was picked up by Nimrod, and I was 11 years old when I went to my first battlefield.

Even to myself, I showed remarkable results, defeating the enemy kingdom’s general.

I also chased after the defeated soldiers who were fleeing without their general to completely wipe them out. However, Nimrod quickly stopped me.

“Daniel, that’s enough! Any further fighting is unnecessary!”

“But if they run away like this, they will sharpen their blades of revenge against us! If they sharpen their blades with resentment and hatred, they will aim at our hearts!”

“What?”

“Their children may also harbor resentment towards us and become a great stumbling block and obstacle. It’s better to chase them down and nip them in the bud before they get a chance to strike! We must kill them before they kill us!”

Nimrod’s expression changed as if he’d been stabbed in the heart. He seemed to be in deep thought for a while, and then he approached me and took the sword from my hand.

“…I was wrong. You shouldn’t become a demon. We are human. We must continue to be so, as we have been until now. You will not wield a sword from this day forward.”

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

After being forbidden to wield a sword, I devoted myself to studying instead of sword training, and enjoyed walks, hunting, and fishing with Nimrod.

“Daniel, are you still training these days? I heard you’ve been hitting a straw dummy every night until dawn without sleep.”

“It’s just strength training. I’m not holding a sword as promised.”

“Just training? The calluses on your palms are worn away, and you call it just training? You stubborn boy. What are you trying to become by training and tempering yourself like that? A sword master?”

“No. You told me to become human before becoming a demon.”

“So you’re training to become human, is that it? You’re amusing. Have you thought about my proposal? About becoming my adopted son. Becoming Phoebe’s older brother. Though I haven’t said it, I think of you as a son.”

Nimrod wasn’t exactly a family man, to be honest. However, since I had never had a father in my previous life, I found it strange that I had a father. It felt like I had a sturdy roof over my head.

“I hate you! I’ll never call you brother! You’re the thief who stole my dad’s purse!”

Of course, Nimrod’s daughter Phoebe wasn’t too fond of me. She would protest in small ways, like removing the ham from my sandwiches. Nevertheless, I was truly happy to have a family and felt peace and happiness for the first time in this world.

But such happiness didn’t last long.

A great war broke out among the 70 royal families, conscription officers roamed every village, and Nimrod was dying from a serious illness.

It was a disease that gradually weakened muscle function. Starting from the fingertips, it would progress to the arms and legs, and eventually weaken vital organs including the heart.

“Father, eat this! I made you some porridge!”

“Phoebe, I can still hold a fork and knife on my own.”

Nimrod had aged like an old man in just a few years. He struggled even to sit up in bed and seemed to be in pain with every breath. I knew this disease well.

Acquired muscular dystrophy syndrome.

Nimrod’s symptoms were identical to my mother’s.

I didn’t think this was mere coincidence, and in Nimrod, with whom I shared no blood, I saw an overlap with my biological mother — the family I had left behind in another world.

“Daniel, I know this disease. I don’t have much time left to live. There is a rare medicine that can cure this illness. If I could meet the Amon family, one of the 12 Zodiac families… But they…”

A cure for muscular dystrophy syndrome? This was astounding news.

I was about to write a letter to contact the Amon family, but there was a problem.

The war between the kings had spread its flames like wildfire across the entire continent. The Dantalian family was also caught up in this conflagration.

「Swordmaster Nimrod Dantalian. Faithfully fulfill your contract with our Sabnack royal family. Fulfill your duty by bringing us the head of Swordmaster Kassel.」

A letter arrived from the family Nimrod had long been contracted with. They were asking him to defeat the Swordmaster of an enemy kingdom.

Could a man who couldn’t even hold a fork defeat a Swordmaster, someone considered superhuman? Moreover, Swordmaster Kassel was known for his cruelty, a monster called the Demon of the Battlefield.

“Where is my daughter Phoebe? Quickly, bring my sword, my daughter!”

“But Father! You’re not feeling well! If you go to the battlefield now, you’ll die!”

“So what? A contract is absolute. Our Dantalian family has always lived on trust. If I fail to keep my promise now, no one will ever hire us again.”

“But…!”

“Enough! If you won’t listen to me, then leave! This is an order from the head of the family, not just your father!”

14-year-old Phoebe left the room with tears welling up in her eyes. Nimrod clicked his tongue as he watched her go.

“The problem is I’ve been too soft on her, raising her without a mother. So, Daniel, if you have something to say, say it now.”

I looked at the old man. His once steel-like muscles were gone, along with his sharp aura. To me, he overlapped with both a man and my mother, and my long-standing guilt and longing mixed together, compelling me to speak.

“Nimrod, give me a chance. Let me go to the battlefield in your place and defeat Swordmaster Kassel.”

“You? Well, your skills are good. I’ve heard that there is no one among the Dantalian mercenaries who can beat you now. Is that the result of training so hard that you spit blood every night?”

“I can fulfill the contract.”

“No. Daniel, you have a fatal flaw that prevents you from becoming a mercenary, soldier, or killer.”

“Is it because I can’t sense mana? Are you going to say again that those without mana can’t reach the pinnacle?”

“No, your weakness is your face. Your face is too delicate. No one will be afraid of you when they see you. You may be good at being wrapped in a woman’s skirt, but not on the battlefield.”

This continent, perhaps due to its harsh environment, had many regions that revered masculinity. Because of this, I was always teased with nicknames like “girly” or “softie” due to my appearance being far from manly.

“Daniel, imagine someone as girly-looking as you roaming the battlefield. No enemy will fear you; they’ll laugh instead. Like an unfunny joke. *cough*“

“……………..”

As the old man paused to cough, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

My face was fair, and unlike the men of the North, not a single beard hair grew on it. I considered this fortunate.

“If my face is the problem, then the solution is simple.”

Swoosh-

I drew the sword that was lying nearby. Just as I was about to scar my face with it, the old man firmly grasped my wrist.

Grip—

“Daniel, stop. Didn’t I tell you not to hold a sword?”

“………”

“You’ve been this way since I found you. Once you set your mind on something, you never back down. Back then, you starved yourself rather than kill the hens you’d raised from chicks.”

“……………”

“…I’ve lost. You bastard. You’re still not fully human.”

Nimrod rummaged through a box with trembling hands. And he pulled out what appeared to be a very old helmet.

“Wear this helmet. Cover your face. It will hide your delicate features. From now on, you must never show your face on the battlefield. It would be good to use a different name as well.”

“A different name?”

“You’ll have to do many unsavory things. You’ll see things you’d rather not. You might be resented more than anyone. So you must hide your identity. It will be your shield.”

As the old man suggested, I donned the helmet; to never show my soft face to anyone.

— Swordmaster Kassel has fallen!

— Is that him? The one who only takes down enemy leaders!

— He’s a demon. That one’s a real demon! There must be a devil’s face under that armor!

I, who roamed the battlefield as a symbol of fear and terror, defeated the leaders endlessly until there were no more leaders to defeat.

As a result, I became the Emperor who ended the long war of kings, and now I stood before Nimrod’s gravestone once again as Daniel of Dantalian.

“I have kept my promise to you.”

— End of Chapter —

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