Mod7 Translations

I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 364

Added 2025-04-22 07:53:03 +0000 UTC

Chapter 364: Project Yggdrasil (4)

‘I knew it…’

The moment Harnie brought up the topic she had hesitated to mention at the tomb, Carsein tensed.

It was understandable.

This was a sensitive topic for him.

The possibility that his strained relationship with his family was orchestrated by someone else…

The notes from the tomb and Harnie’s own experiences supported this theory.

But whether Carsein could accept it… was a different matter.

He had endured years of suffering within that house.

He had been isolated, alone, even within his own family.

He had been hurt the most by the people who were supposed to be closest to him.

He had suppressed his emotions, his hatred, unable to trust anyone.

As he had said himself, the Bagrands’ sins wouldn't disappear.

The years of pain and loneliness had left deep scars, wounds inflicted by his own family.

That was why he was broken.

Unable to trust, unable to feel…

Consumed by the belief that the world would never accept him, he had embraced the monster of logic.

Because of his family.

Because of the Bagrands, he had fallen into the abyss.

That was why she hadn't wanted to mention it.

That was why she had kept it hidden, even as he was about to leave for his own world.

But…

‘I have to tell him.’

Even if it meant touching a nerve.

She had to bring it up.

“I heard… Lady Flora was confined to the Shiren Villa, on Acting Duchess Arina’s orders.”

Those words were enough for Carsein to understand what she was trying to say.

The status window’s message.

The person they had to protect at the Shiren Villa.

And Flora’s confinement.

The three clues pointed to a single course of action.

Go to the Shiren Villa and protect Flora.

…It was a cruel request, considering Carsein’s past.

That's why she had to tell him.

“I know, Carsein. I know how much you’ve suffered, how lonely and hurt you were. I know how deep your resentment towards your family runs.”

Having experienced something similar, Harnie could empathize with him.

“The Bagrand Duchy… they put you through hell… yes, there’s no denying that. And it was their fault for treating you like an outsider, pushing you away. Those wounds won’t disappear.”

She understood why he was so broken, why he had become an emotionless doll.

“I saw it firsthand. I won’t deny it. I was there, witnessing the pain they inflicted upon you, the way they broke you. But… think about it, Carsein. Even now, after all this time, do they still see you the same way?”

Their past was undeniably cruel.

But what about the present?

He knew the answer.

“Before we entered the tomb, it was Duchess Isabella who pretended to be lost in madness, infusing the last note with her mana and giving it to you. That’s why we survived.”

If it wasn’t for Isabella, they would have been captured.

“Before we even reached the Duchy, you were blocked by your Kelbia allergy. It was Lady Flora who cleared the path, providing you with the antidote, allowing you to reach the manor. That’s why you haven’t been affected by the allergy.”

If it wasn’t for Flora’s antidote, Carsein, vulnerable to the Kelbia allergy, would have been lost, wandering aimlessly until he collapsed and was captured.

“And while Acting Duchess Arina’s attitude hasn’t changed… you know that Lady Claire helped you directly…”

Claire had helped him escape.

She had defied Arina, creating a path for him, holding back the soldiers.

Without Claire, he wouldn't have escaped the manor, nor would he have had the funds to survive this long.

He knew all of this.

“It’s different, Carsein. Things have changed. I’ve met your family, and I’ve pleaded with them to help you. Your relationship with them… it was improving. Slowly, but surely.”

“…”

“And that’s why someone intervened, trying to destroy that relationship. They wanted to push you to the edge, to completely sever your ties with your family. That’s the only way they could eliminate you. The only way they could destroy the Bagrands.”

“…”

Carsein remained silent.

Cold, indifferent, unresponsive.

She didn’t even know if he was listening.

‘No, he can’t turn against the Bagrands. He can’t.’

Harnie’s desperation grew.

“The third book from the study. Remember?”

The memoirs of Sir Royban. A book dismissed as nonsense, a work of fiction.

“It’s real. Arkshus Felscrime is a real person. Because… because… it was a real incident that happened within the Theresia Marquisate.”

“…”

“Arkshus Felscrime… he uses every possible method to destroy families, to tear them apart. He’s a master of disguise, impossible to identify, impossible to track. That’s why… that’s why…!”

He remained impassive, his expression unchanged. He simply stared at her.

Harnie’s anxiety intensified.

“It’s all planned, Carsein. A carefully orchestrated scheme. They’re trying to use you to destroy the Bagrand Duchy. Because… because my mother…!”

As she was about to reveal a painful memory, hoping to convince him…

Carsein gently embraced her.

“You don’t have to say anymore.”

“…What?”

Harnie’s voice was filled with confusion.

“Eleven years ago, there was an attempted murder within the Theresia Marquisate. A woman, driven to madness, attacked the Marquis and his son. Only the Marquis was injured.”

“…!”

“But Royban’s memoirs… they hinted at something else. They suggested that there was outside interference, that a criminal, impossible to capture, was responsible.”

“Could it be…”

Harnie’s eyes widened.

She finally understood what he was trying to say.

Carsein released her, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“You don’t have to relive those painful memories.”

There was a sense of calm in his smile.

‘…I see.’

She understood why he had been so silent.

He had known all along.

He had already reached his own conclusions.

The cold, calculating man she knew was gone.

There was no coldness in his eyes, only a gentle smile.

The desire for revenge had faded.

The hatred towards his family had subsided.

The warmth of emotion had replaced the coldness of logic.

“Let’s go. To the Shiren Villa.”

There was no trace of vengeance in his eyes, only concern for his family.

***

The Duchy had branded me a criminal, a traitor to the Empire.

Those who had been waiting for an opportunity to strike, fueled by the Bagrands’ decree, were now hunting me.

Noble society wouldn't protect me.

Not with Arina in power.

Yes, this was likely a carefully orchestrated plan.

A plan years in the making.

And to achieve their goal, they must have prepared meticulously from the very beginning.

I had laid out the events chronologically, like a timeline.

The main episodes, the characters’ actions, the choices presented, the restrictions imposed upon me…

The incidents triggered by the episodes, the beneficiaries of those incidents… it was all connected.

If I had simply viewed them as isolated episodes, I wouldn't have seen it.

If I had just interpreted them as part of a larger narrative, I wouldn't have understood.

It would have seemed aimless, without a central figure pulling the strings.

But if I considered the possibility that everything was connected…

That my actions had been predetermined…

That all of this was part of a larger plan…

Then it became a single, terrifying scheme, woven together with meticulous precision. A scheme fueled by a boundless ambition, a desire to acquire more and more, never satisfied with what one already possessed.

Yes, a plan without a beneficiary was nonsensical.

There had to be someone pulling the strings, someone profiting from all of this.

‘Just like that bastard who ruined my life and took over my company.’

Then what about this world?

This world that mirrored my reality so perfectly?

It was entirely possible.

If someone had orchestrated everything, manipulating the sole survivor of the Wederos Kingdom, turning him into a vengeful spirit to destroy the Bagrands…

The mastermind behind this plan was a monster.

It had taken me an entire day of analysis, countless reviews of the seemingly nonsensical conclusions, to finally understand.

The incidents throughout the Empire, they were all connected.

The entire Pesselus Empire was dancing in the palm of his hand.

Everything was a piece of Project Yggdrasil, contributing to its inevitable completion.

The realization made me break out in a cold sweat.

This wasn't an ordinary person.

He was a psychopathic genius.

Project Yggdrasil, his plan… it was almost foolproof.

I had a vague idea of who Belian Theresia was, the one who had orchestrated Project Yggdrasil.

But he had made one mistake.

A 100% success rate? That was only in theory.