I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 351

Chapter 351: Family (21)

I felt as if I had been struck in the head.

‘My relationship with my family deteriorated… because of someone else’s intentions?'

No. That was impossible.

“Harnie, I was a beggar living in the slums.”

From the very beginning, the game established that Carsein had a terrible relationship with his family.

“I was an outsider, taken in. I was lucky enough to catch Isabella’s eye, the Duchess of Bagrand, and enter a powerful noble family. Of course, there would be resentment. You taught me that noble society is like that.”

Even the tutorial was designed to make things difficult for me. And that was just the beginning.

“A commoner adopted into one of the most prominent noble families in the Empire. Of course… no, even if it wasn’t the Bagrands, no noble family would welcome me with open arms. No one would be happy to have a complete stranger, a commoner no less, suddenly become part of their family.”

The behind-the-scenes stories, the Memorials, the sub-episodes… they all painted a clear picture of Carsein's situation.

An uncultured commoner.

An adopted child.

A complete stranger.

There were countless other labels, but the family’s gaze was never kind.

They didn't treat me like family. Their eyes were filled with contempt and disgust. Indifference was the norm, and some even resorted to outright bullying.

Even the people around them fueled the negativity, accusing me of tarnishing the Bagrand name.

Yes, that was Carsein’s reality.

From the very beginning, he was destined to be ostracized.

That was necessary for the game's story to progress.

It was a crucial element, setting the stage for the conflicts and challenges he would face.

He was destined to be hated. His relationship with his family was destined to be strained.

“This might sound strange, but… someone else’s intentions? Does that even matter?”

Would anything have changed even without their interference?

The family was already broken.

I knew, because I had experienced the same thing in my past life.

It wasn't the result of someone deliberately interfering.

And…

Even if I took a step back, or a hundred steps back…

“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t change what I went through. They were the ones who chose to believe those intentions and turn against me.”

The relentless bullying.

The hellish experience of being trapped within the Duchy, treated worse than a slum dweller.

These memories, etched into my body and mind, would never disappear.

“Now that I’ve left the Duchy, it’s no longer my concern. Whatever happened in the past… I won’t dwell on it anymore.”

Harnie’s mouth fell open slightly.

Then, she muttered to herself, as if she had realized something.

“Ah… right. I forgot. I’m such an idiot. Why did I only realize this now?”

“Harnie?”

“You’re right. Even if there was outside interference, it doesn’t change the fact that your family neglected you, hurt you… I was being sentimental.”

“…”

“There’s no point in dwelling on this. Why did I even bring it up? And it doesn’t even apply to you. Whatever Rossel’s message was about, it has nothing to do with escaping this hell.”

She was right. Even if someone had deliberately worsened my relationship with my family, it was irrelevant.

Her words were perfectly logical. I needed to escape this place as soon as possible.

But… something felt off.

“Let’s get out of here. We have everything we need.”

-Ding!

▶ Acquired all four jades. ◀

▶ The location of the final jade has been revealed. ◀

With her urging, I was now one step away from obtaining the final jade.

But… why?

I felt as if I had missed something. Or rather, as if something was being hidden from me.

***

-Scoff.

Arina’s face contorted in a grimace as she received the report.

“Explain again. What did Carsein do?”

Her eyes, blazing with fury, bored into the soldier kneeling before her.

The soldier reported without hesitation.

“Young Master Carsein appears to have conspired with the Theresia Marquisate.”

“…Hah. So, you’re saying the Theresia Marquisate is helping Carsein, who’s currently a fugitive? I haven’t received any such reports.”

Arina’s voice was sharp. If something like that had happened, she would have been informed immediately.

“Besides, it’s impossible. Carsein is accused of treason. If the Theresia Marquisate helped him, their entire family would be suspected of treason as well.”

If they were wasting her time for some petty reward, they would pay dearly.

But the soldier didn't flinch.

“What if it’s a different scenario?”

“Hmm?”

“What if it wasn’t treason, but a different conspiracy? From the past.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“We found this at the Theresia Marquisate.”

The soldier presented Arina with the documents he had collected.

“…Is this… Carsein’s handwriting?”

“Yes. According to our investigation, all of these documents are in the Young Master’s handwriting.”

-Snatch.

Arina snatched the remaining documents from the soldier.

As she read through them, her hands trembled.

“…That little rat.”

Carsein’s name was all over the reports.

Considering the severity of his past actions, the punishment wouldn't be light.

He had wreaked havoc within the Duchy.

He had deceived and manipulated the servants.

He had used the commoners who followed him as shields to escape.

His actions were truly despicable.

He had even deceived his own family.

But this… this was on a different level. It made his past actions look like child’s play.

“We haven’t been able to confirm the exact dates. However, there’s substantial evidence of the Young Master’s involvement with the Theresia Marquisate. We found a significant amount of his hair, and after careful analysis, we confirmed that the handwritten documents are indeed his. Furthermore, most of the contracts were signed with the Marquis of Theresia, not Young Master Belian or Lady Harnie. And ultimately, they aimed to…”

“Enough.”

Arina cut him off sharply.

Her chilling voice silenced everyone in the room.

“That filthy commoner. I thought he was just acting out, but it was all planned.”

The conspiracy laid out in the documents was meticulous.

Using his adoption into the Bagrand family as a stepping stone, he had planned to establish his position within the Duchy, make a name for himself within the Empire, and then slowly destroy the Bagrands from within.

But an adopted son alone couldn't bring down a powerful family like the Bagrands.

He had to create cracks in the foundation.

He had caused incidents and accidents.

He had disrupted important events, wasting time and preventing consensus.

He had tarnished the Bagrand name.

He had created weaknesses within the Duchy, exploiting every opportunity.

From the territory itself to the Duchess’s declining health, the disunity among the vassals, and the resulting flawed policies…

The cracks widened, creating holes in the once-impregnable fortress.

The perfectly aligned cause and effect.

The exposed schedules that coincided with the incidents.

The leaked information that should have been impossible to obtain… it was all too suspicious.

And this document revealed everything.

He wasn't stupid. He knew that a commoner couldn't remain at the bottom forever.

He wanted to rise above his station.

He wanted to reach the unattainable.

He had been burning with a wicked ambition, plotting to seize control of the Duchy, slowly consuming it from within.

From this point on, Carsein was no longer family, no longer a younger brother. He was an enemy of the Bagrands, someone who had trampled on his mother’s kindness and his family’s affection for his own ambition.

But this was the end of the line.

“Listen up, everyone.”

Arina slammed her sword into the floor, commanding everyone’s attention.

“As the acting head of the Bagrand Duchy, I declare that the name ‘Bagrand’ no longer applies to Carsein.”

Murmurs rippled through the ranks of the Bagrand knights.

‘Wait, stripping him of his name?'

‘Then he won’t have the Duchy’s protection.'

‘That would make him… a wanted criminal…'

As the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, Arina drove the point home.

“From this moment forward, he is a criminal who has betrayed the Bagrands, a heinous villain who has brought chaos to the Empire.”

And now that the plan had been exposed, his next move was obvious.

“The traitor who dared to raise his sword against the Bagrands will be hiding within the Duchy.”

-Slam!

“He is no longer the young master you once served. Do not hesitate to strike him down.”

***

I had found two more jades within Rossel Bagrand’s tomb, leaving only one left.

Once I found it, I could return to reality.

I could escape this hellish world.

Of course, I had to find a way out of the Duchy first.

This tomb was one of the most heavily guarded locations within the manor. It was the resting place of the former Duke, after all.

I had to be careful.

More cautious than ever.

Everything weighed heavily on my mind.

“…Sigh.”

This was driving me crazy.

I couldn’t shake this unsettling feeling.

The Memorials.

The status window revealing the bad endings.

Harnie’s sudden silence.

Nothing made sense.

And yet, the status window continued to taunt me.

▶ EX Episode: Unravel the Secrets of the World. ◀

▶ No information will be provided for this episode. ◀

It was telling me to unravel something.

Was there something else I needed to know?

-Ding!

‘…Hmm?’

A sudden status window notification?

▶ Notoriety level has dropped to -444! ◀

▶ Arina has discovered your location. Soldiers are approaching. ◀

▶ Pursuit event activated. ◀

“Carsein?”

“…Damn it! Harnie, run!”

I didn’t know what had happened, but now that we had been discovered, we had no choice but to run.

-Clang!

As we exited the tomb, a piece of metal flew towards us.

But there were two of them.

A sword swung at me, and another blocking it.

“Gah…! You… you’re a Bagrand knight! Why are you protecting him?!”

One of the Duchy knights shouted at the other, the one who had blocked his attack.

“Young Master! Escape!”

“Sir Carlton…?”

“Argh!”

“Go!”

Carlton charged forward, sword in hand.

Behind him, the other Bagrand knights shouted.

“Young Master!”

“Run!”

“We’ll hold them off!”

The knights who were supposed to be chasing me… I recognized them. The First Knight Division. They were holding off the pursuers.

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