I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 365

Chapter 365: Project Yggdrasil (5)

“Huff… huff…”

Flora’s small body heaved with exertion.

She had tricked the soldiers at the villa and was now running as fast as she could.

“Ugh… I’m so tired…”

She leaned against a tree, hands on her knees, catching her breath.

Just escaping the villa had drained her stamina. She wanted to rest.

And it wouldn’t be unreasonable.

There was no one around.

She could rest for a bit.

Pursuing soldiers? There were none.

It had been a while since she left the villa. It would take them time to find her.

She had put enough distance between them.

And she had deceived the soldiers, delaying their search.

She was so tired… couldn’t she just rest for a bit?

That thought tempted her.

But Flora shook her head and straightened up.

“No. I can’t relax yet.”

She had only escaped the villa.

She was still within the Shiren Villa grounds.

The soldiers could find her at any moment.

They could discover her escape, even if she thought she was safe.

And once they knew she was gone, they would pursue her relentlessly.

No matter how tired she was, she had to keep moving.

Even if her dress was ruined, even if she longed to be back on the sofa, enjoying snacks without a care in the world…

If she stopped now and was caught, everything would be ruined.

If she wanted to save Carsein, she had to keep moving.

“I have to go…!”

Flora forced her weary legs to move, pushing forward.

She ran for what felt like an eternity.

Her dress was torn, her forehead covered in sweat.

Then, she tripped and fell.

She scraped her knees, the pain stinging. She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t make a sound.

‘What was that?'

Blinking back tears, Flora looked back to see what she had tripped on.

And then…

“…What is this?”

Lying on the ground was a discarded sword.

“…”

Why was there a sword here?

The knights at the Shiren Villa carried swords, but… why was it just lying here?

And it wasn’t just the sword.

There was something else, something strange and hard, lying beside it, sliced clean through.

‘Did something happen here…?'

As she was pondering the strange scene…

“Lady Flora! Over here!”

A familiar voice called out to her, hushed but urgent.

Flora’s face lit up.

It was the maid she had instructed to prepare a carriage.

She couldn't escape the Shiren Villa grounds on foot.

Flora looked around and cautiously approached the maid.

“Is anyone around? Did they see you?”

“No, I wasn’t seen.”

“Is anyone suspicious? Is anyone following you?”

“Don’t worry. I pretended to be doing my usual chores, so no one suspected anything. And the task you gave me… it helped dispel any suspicions.”

That was a relief. She had been worried that the maid might be discovered while preparing the carriage, as she had heard the knights’ voices nearby.

She heard voices approaching.

‘Those are…’

Flora quickly hid inside the carriage.

“Good work,” one of the knights said.

“Hmm? You’re… the maid who attends Lady Flora, aren’t you?”

“What are you doing here? You’re not here to pick up Lady Flora, are you?”

“Ah, well…”

Their uniforms weren't those of the Bagrand knights.

It was a relief they hadn't been discovered, but… this was troublesome.

Normally, the Bagrand name would have been enough to get her through, but now, it was a liability.

“You’re running an errand for Lady Flora?”

“Yes! She wanted something from that donut shop she likes! See? I have the box right here!”

“…”

The knights exchanged glances, their expressions suspicious.

-Snatch.

“Hey!”

One of the knights snatched the donut box from the maid’s hands.

“If it’s that important, we’ll deliver it for you.”

“What? Deliver it… for me?”

“Why are you so wary? We’re just offering to help.”

“You said it was an errand. Well, we want to earn Lady Flora’s favor, too.”

“Uh… um…”

“Oh dear, the donuts will get cold. We should hurry.”

“We can deliver it faster on horseback than in a carriage.”

They continued to pressure the maid.

“Haah… I didn’t want to do this.”

-Clink.

A heavy, metallic sound.

The three knights offered the maid money.

“W-what? Why are you doing this?”

“Just keep quiet about us being here, alright?”

“This is a much better reward for your errand, isn’t it?”

“Give us a chance, huh?”

They wanted to take over the errand.

They wanted to earn Flora’s favor.

They continued to persuade her.

The maid stammered, speechless, sweat beading on her forehead.

‘What’s going on…?'

This was strange.

The conversation didn't make sense.

There was no reason for them to be so insistent on delivering a box of donuts. And there was no reason for them to offer her money to keep quiet.

Then, their final words made her blood run cold.

“So, where is Lady Flora now?”

“L-Lady Flora? She’s… at the villa, of course.”

“The Shiren Villa?”

“Yes. The weather is nice today, so I suggested she go for a walk, but… she’s been stuck in her room, complaining about Lady Arina…”

“Hmm, I see.”

“So, we can go there now?”

“Right. Tell the coachman to come back later. You can use the money to have some fun, right?”

-Clink.

This time, it wasn't the sound of coins clinking.

It was a different metallic sound, a sound Flora wasn't familiar with. And yet… it sounded familiar.

The sound made her knees ache.

Her scraped knees throbbed, sending a warning signal.

Yes.

It was the sound she had heard just moments ago.

The sound of metal against something hard. The sound she had heard when she tripped and fell.

Her injured knees… they were telling her something.

Flora’s eyes widened in horror, and she huddled in the back of the carriage.

‘They… they’re after me…’

It was terrifying.

They were right outside.

She was scared.

Terrified.

Tears threatened to spill as the realization of her impending doom washed over her.

The clinking sound, the sound of the knights drawing their swords… it intensified her fear.

Then…

A loud explosion drowned out the chilling metallic sounds.

“Hey, what was that?!”

“Damn it! This is troublesome!”

“We can’t let her die! Let’s go!”

“Aaaaaah!”

-Splat!

The donut box fell to the ground, and the three knights ran away.

‘What? What happened…?'

As she was wondering what had caused the commotion…

She heard faint thuds.

Thump. Thud.

Thump. Thud.

Thump. Thud.

The sounds were distant, muffled by the carriage walls, but…

Three times.

Three distinct thuds. And Flora’s mind snapped into focus.

“Why are they… oh my!”

-Knock.

“My Lady! Why did you come out?! It’s dangerous! Those men were suspicious! You have to hide!”

Flora didn't hear the maid's words.

“Could it be…?”

She opened the carriage window and saw the villa engulfed in flames.

Black smoke billowed into the sky. Flora couldn’t help but ask,

“Did… did anyone come here?”

“What?”

“Did anyone come here?! To the…”

She stopped abruptly and approached the maid.

Then, she noticed something at her feet.

It wasn’t a heavy sword, or a strange piece of wood.

“Bandages… and medicine? Why are these here…?”

“…Let’s go.”

“What?”

“Let’s go. We have to hurry.”

“Oh, right! Please, get in.”

She had always missed it before.

She hadn’t understood.

She had been foolish, naive, oblivious to reality.

But… this time, she didn’t miss it.

The burning villa.

The three assassins, lying dead on the ground.

The bandages and medicine at her feet.

Seeing those things, tears welled up in Flora’s eyes.

‘Brother Carsein…’

He had saved her.

He had been watching over her, protecting her.

There was no other explanation.

***

Flora quickly left in the carriage.

Seeing the burning villa, she didn’t hesitate.

For now, it was a success.

-Ding!

▶ Episode I: Protection Target I, cleared. ◀

▶ Successfully protected the designated individual at the Shiren Villa. ◀

Flora had escaped safely.

But…

That wasn't the end.

-Ding!

The Shiren Villa was crawling with knights loyal to Belian.

Enemies lurked everywhere.

To disrupt Belian’s plans, he needed more information.

▶ Emergency Mission! ◀

▶ Fake Flora’s death to mislead the enemy. ◀

▶ The camouflage rate will be displayed numerically, based on the remaining time. ◀

▶ The camouflage rate will determine the effectiveness of the misinformation. ◀

An emergency mission to fake Flora’s death.

There were no choices, but there was no option to refuse. Every advantage was crucial.

The conditions were difficult.

The Shiren Villa itself was a dangerous location, and while he had eliminated the assassins, the success of this plan depended on Flora. She had to understand his intentions.

Otherwise, he would be in danger.

If he went after Flora to protect her, he would have to fight the knights, potentially triggering a pursuit event.

It was a risky situation, but…

The risks had been mitigated.

▶ Timer ending. ◀

[5:59]

The time limit was six minutes.

Flora had to return to the carriage within six minutes.

And the camouflage rate would fluctuate depending on how long she took to decide and how quickly she left for her destination.

But…

Only one second had passed.

…She had thought of him immediately.

After seeing the bandages and the medicine.

“…Hah…”

It was a strange feeling.

In many ways.

▶ No time was wasted due to Flora Bagrand’s actions! ◀

▶ The enemy will be convinced of Flora’s death! ◀

▶ Camouflage rate: 100%. ◀

▶ Emergency mission successful. Unlocking Level 8 information. ◀

…

…

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