Professor Layton And The Bereft Monocle

Chapter 4: 'Who Are The Traitors?'

Randall and Luke had finally arrived back to the throne room and burst inside.
Luke: "Are we really just going to remove the banner? What if they try and get us?"
Randall: "I don't care what their pathetic guards try and do to us! Those two men are going to pay!"
Without hesitation, Randall sped up the stairs to the banners, while Luke downstairs, waiting for the others.
Henry: "Master Randall!"
Desmond: "Ascot, you idiot! Not now!"
Randall: "SHUT UP!"
Randall looked at banner in disgust, then placed his hand to remove it.
Before he even had the chance of touching it, something had grabbed his wrist tightly - Edward.
Randall: "Gh-! You-!"
Edward: "My, my, Mr. Ascot... You're supposed to be resting! What are you doing up? Thirsty? Hungry?"
Randall: "You know exactly why I'm here, you brat! I've had enough of this nonsense! Who is the Dejected Miracle?!"
Edward smiled, letting Randall put his hand back down.
Edward: "Mr. Ascot... I know you're trying to get rid of the banner. Didn't your parents tell you that it's rude touching other people's things?"
Randall: "Stop avoiding the question! Who is he?!"
Dejected Miracle: "Edward, my charm, what on earth is going on-?"
Suddenly, the Dejected Miracle had entered the room from the balcony with a glass of red wine in his hand and his fluffy cat purring and rubbing himself against his legs.
Dejected Miracle: "Ascot... Don't tell you were trying to remove the banner, were you?"
Randall: "Of course I was! Reveal yourself! Who are you?!"
Dejected Miracle: "Isn't it obvious who I am?"
Randall: "Actually, I think I know... I just really hope I'm wrong."
It was obvious that the Dejected Miracle was smiling, as Randall could hear him faintly chuckling.
Dejected Miracle: "Go on... Tell me. Who am I?"
Desmond: "I will be the one to explain that."
Dejected Miracle: "Hm? Ah, Professor Sycamore! Of course you would! Very well, then! Come forth!"
Desmond: "Quit playing games. I know exactly who you are."
Dejected Miracle: "Ooohoohoo~! So confident! I wish I was like that!"
Desmond started walking up the stairs, only to realise the others were following him from behind - Apart from Leon. He was beside him the whole time, protecting his son from the masked man.
Desmond: "B-Bronev-?!"
Leon: "Just shut it and continue walking. I'm only protecting you because I'm worried they'll try and attack you, so that way we'll never be able to get the answers we want. Nothing more."
Desmond smiled warmly, then continued up the stairs.
Randall: "Please, Sycamore... Don't tell me it's who I think it is!"
Desmond: "It is indeed, Ascot. Unfortunately, it's the person who has done so much for everyone in the world. Honestly, I'm not sure why they're doing this."
Dejected Miracle: "Do it... Say my name loud and clear! Let everyone in Britain know what monster they've turned me into!"
Henry: "Everyone in Britain?"
Dejected Miracle: "Why, of course, Mr. Ledore... After all, this wonderful moment simply must be filmed!"
The Dejected Miracle pointed at a camera, giggling maliciously.
Angela: "Y-You've put us on television?!"
Dejected Miracle: "Of course! In fact, we're on air!"
Randall: "WHAT?! THIS ENTIRE TIME WE'VE SPENT IN THE CASTLE WE'VE BEEN FILMED?!"
Dejected Miracle: "Indeed, Ascot! Look, look!"
He started waving towards the camera closest to him.
Dejected Miracle: "Inspector Chelmey! Inspector Clamp Grosky! You know exactly where I currently am! Come on! Isn't my number up?! I'm all yours!"
He started laughing hysterically, folding his arms in laughter.
Angela: "He's insane..."
Desmond: "Enough of this nonsense! This 'fun' that you're having is over!"
Dejected Miracle: "Oh, really~? How's that?"
Desmond: "Because... You truly are..."
Without hesitation, Desmond looked at him and smiled.
Desmond: "Professor Hershel Layton, what do you have to say for yourself?"
The Dejected Miracle gasped, taking a step back.
Dejected Miracle: "Wh-What-?"
A few seconds had passed, and it didn't take long until the man started laughing hysterically, as if he had just heard an extremely funny joke.
Dejected Miracle: "YOU think I'm Layton?! How RIDICULOUS!"
His French accent started getting stronger, making it a lot more difficult to make out what he was even saying.
Dejected Miracle: "YOU are PATHETIC, Sycamore! And the rest of your precious Bronev Family is PATHETIC!"
Desmond: "Insult me and my family all you want, but it won't change the truth. After all, you ARE part of it."
Dejected Miracle: "ME?! I'M PART OF THAT DISGUSTING FAMILY?! I DON'T HAVE A DROP OF YOUR DIRTY BLOOD INSIDE OF ME! I'M ROYALTY, YOU PEASANT!"
Desmond: "No. You're not. You're a Bronev, just like me. And I know you don't like it - I don't either. Our last name is now feared because of our father, after all. But you and I come from that family. Always did, always will."
The Dejected Miracle growled at him, clenching his fists tightly and almost ripping his red gloves apart.
Dejected Miracle: "Shut up...! Stop these lies...!"
Desmond: "I know it's hard to be the son of a man who has made our lives so difficult, but it's not the end of the world, brother."
Dejected Miracle: "No, shut up...!"
Desmond: "Yes, I suppose I'm wrong... Theodore Bronev. THAT'S your real name."
Randall: "Huh?! Theodore?!"
Desmond looked at Randall with a sad smile.
Desmond: "Yes... Hershel is my name, not my brother's. His name is really Theodore. I had to pretend like I was Theodore before he got adopted so he couldn't stay on his own. He was too young to take care of himself, and I couldn't let him stay around artifacts and books without my supervision."
Angela: "Wait... So Hershel's name is actually Theodore?!"
Desmond: "It is, yes. But please, continue to call him Hershel if he wishes so. I don't want him to feel uncomfortable with changing his name now that he is old enough to make his own decisions."
Dejected Miracle: "Theodore, huh...? Layton's real name is 'Theodore'? What is he? A cat?"
Desmond: "No. That's his name."
He smiled at him warmly and chuckled.
Desmond: "I personally think it's a cute name. Why don't you like it, 'Theodore'?"
Dejected Miracle: "MY NAME IS NOT THEODORE! STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Desmond: "THEN WHAT IS YOUR NAME, 'DEJECTED MIRACLE'?!"
The Dejected Miracle stood nervously still, not knowing what to say.
Leon: "And there you have it. My own youngest son has caused all of this chaos for his own selfish needs."
Randall: "No, Sycamore, Bronev! You're both wrong! Y-You must be wrong! Hershel would never do anything like this!"
Desmond: "Are you sure about that? Because he's indeed very capable of setting up this kind of plan."
Randall: "P-Prove it! This can't be true!"
Desmond: "Fine. Since you refuse to believe the horrible truth..."
Without anyone stopping him, Professor Sycamore ripped off the huge banner, which revealed indeed - Hershel Layton on it.
Dejected Miracle: "H... Huh...?"
Everyone gasped, apart from Edward, which had smiled maliciously at the beautiful sight of their horrified faces.
Flora: "Papa Hershel, no...!"
Flora was coming up the stairs in tears, already realising what was going on.
Luke: "Flora! You're back!"
Flora: "I-I already felt better so I decided I should join you all... But this...! I wasn't expecting this at all...!"
She looked at the Dejected Miracle, who was ready to start breaking down.
Flora: "Papa Hershel... Why have you been hiding all of this from me?!"
Dejected Miracle: "I-I... F-Flora..."
He clenched his fists in anger, then pointed at Desmond.
Dejected Miracle: "YOU! YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! YOU ALL HAVE! MY LIFE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU, AS WELL AS THAT TARGENT ORGANISATION! I HATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET ANY OF YOU GO!"
His elegant, French accent was gone, replaced by a posh British one.
Randall: "That voice..."
Randall clenched his fist as he looked up at the Dejected Miracle.
Randall: "I can recognise that voice from anywhere!"
Dejected Miracle: "H-Huh?!"
Without hesitation, Randall ran towards the Dejected Miracle and ripped the mask off of him.
He threw it towards the others, staring at the man's completely black face as it slowly faded back to its normal self.
A few seconds later, the man looked up, but covered his face again by holding down his top hat.
Randall: "Enough! Stop trying to hide your face from me!"
Randall had forcefully brought him near him, then removed his top hat and threw it away.
Randall: "There! Now let the world see what kind of disgusting p-...!"
He had lost his train of thought as he was staring at the unknown person's face, feeling like the room was spinning around him.
Angela: "Hershel?! No! You're an imposter! This is a disguise as well!"
The Dejected Miracle was indeed - Hershel Layton himself.
He looked tired and angry, and even had tears in his eyes.
Randall: "Are you... Are you alright, Hershel?! You're crying!"
He gasped as he turned back to Edward.
"Edward...!" he mumbled under his breath furiously. "You're making him do this, aren't you?! You've blackmailed him!"
He turned back to Hershel and patted his shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Hershel, are you being forced to do this?!"
Hershel: "You weren't supposed to find out yet...!"
Randall: "Find out?! Find out what?! Your identity?!"
Hershel growled as he looked back at his old friend. But really, he just thought of him as a peasant. Randall was nothing in Hershel's eyes, apart from an obstacle in his way.
Hershel: "Why must you always ruin everything for me, Randall?!"
Randall: "I don't want to ruin anything for you, Hershel! But if it means that you're going to do something you'll regret, I'll have no choice but to stop you."
Hershel: "Something... I'll regret?"
Hershel started giggling at what Randall had just said. His laughter got more hysterical by the second.
Hershel: "You really are an idiot... No, no, no... I'm not going to do anything that I'll regret. In fact, I don't even want to hurt anyone. I just want to wipe out mankind, that's all..."
Randall: "Wipe out mankind?!"
Desmond: "And what do you mean by that?! Are you going to kill everyone?!"
Hershel: "You could put it that way."
He started walking and picked up his top hat, then put it on.
Hershel: "Oh well... I was going to have some more fun, but I suppose you beat me in this round... But that doesn't mean you've won, Ascot."
Randall: "Don't you understand that what you're trying to do is impossible?! Hershel, why are you even doing this?!"
Hershel: "I have my reasons. I'm just too bored to explain them. Figure it out yourselves."
Desmond: "Layton, please..."
Hershel: "Hm? Sycamore! My apologies! I forgot that you were even here."
Desmond: "You need to stop! Don't you realise what you're trying to do?!"
Hershel: "Destroy the world, of course! But since you've gotten on my good side, we can compromise."
Desmond: "Compromise? What do you mean?"
Hershel: "Join me, brother!"
Desmond gasped at Hershel's offer. He took a step back and could feel everyone staring at him.
Desmond: "You actually... Want me to join you?"
Hershel: "Of course! I like you, Sycamore. I'm mad at you that you hurt me, but I understand your reasons! It's too bad our idiotic father got obsessed with a stupid legacy."
Leon: "JUST a legacy? That legacy is what turned you into what you are today!"
Hershel chuckled as he nodded.
Hershel: "You are correct, Bronev. Now brother, your final choice... Will you join me?"
Desmond: "I-I..."
Desmond didn't know what to decide. On the one hand, he wanted to apologise to his brother and get revenge on his father, but on the other he knew what the consequences would be.
Hershel: "Come on! Make your decision already! Let's destroy mankind together! It's useless to the rest of the world anyway!"
Leon: "Don't do it, Hershel. Theodore will most likely betray you once he is done playing with you."
Hershel: "Don't listen to him! Are you seriously going to trust THE Targent and not me?!"
Desmond: "In this situation, I must... So..."
Desmond looked up and shook his head.
Desmond: "I will have to decline your offer, brother. I understand that you're mad, but this isn't the right thing to do."
Hershel: "N-No...? No?! Then why did you even bother try to come over to my house to apologise like you had intended on doing?!"
Desmond: "I didn't expect you to turn into a maniac, did I?! What you're doing could destroy the world! You need to stop!"
Randall: "Hershel, please! We can talk about this!"
Hershel: "No, Randall, we can't...  I'm heartbroken, Sycamore, I really am... Such a pity. We could have been together again."
Desmond gasped as he looked back up, but knew he couldn't agree on joining.
Meanwhile, Randall was tearing up in anger. He felt like a spear had gone through his heart. By then, he genuinely understood the pain Hershel must have gone through when he himself had to watch his friends and family go against him over and over again.
Randall: "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"
He grabbed Hershel by his shirt and lifted him slightly up.
Randall: "HOW COULD YOU LIE TO US?! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO HORRIBLE?! MAKE ME UNDERSTAND, HERSHEL, PLEASE!"
Hershel: "You really are an idiot, huh... Well, I suppose I should have expected nothing more from a low-life farmer like you."
Randall: "Low-life farmer-?! Hershel, what are you talking about?! Please, just tell us what's wrong! You don't have to solve your problems through violence and insults!"
Hershel: "You did! All of you did! You've all treated me like a toy... Like a stupid ragdoll...! But I'm not going to let that happen to me ever again!"
Randall: "A toy?! Ragdoll?! You're anything but a toy and ragdoll!"
"Tch..." Hershel looked away. "Well, everyone likes treating me like one. I'm just a little doll in which you all love to play with. You love to use me and hurt me. Just a tool that you like to throw around and once you're done with me, I have to pretend that I'm alright. Then, you all leave me as if nothing even happened. You never even bothered to apologise to me." He chuckled as he looked back at Randall. "Oh well, that's my job, isn't it? I'm just a tool."