I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 348

Chapter 348: Family (18)

I had seen Karn Bagrand’s notes and gleaned a certain amount of information from them.

Based on that information, I interpreted Rossel Bagrand’s message as follows:

『That demon is disguised as a human. Don’t be fooled by his act. He has deceived the nobles of the Empire, the aristocracy, even the Imperial Family and the entire Pesselus Empire. He waits, hidden behind an invisible mask.』

The first line stated that the demon was disguised as a human. He had deliberately played the fool, deceiving everyone, infiltrating not only the nobility but the entire Empire, hiding behind an invisible mask. This implied he was living openly within the Empire.

『He had everything a person could want. Status, wealth, power. He lacked nothing. And yet, he became a demon. And he plotted to bring the world to its knees. That is the true nature of Project Yggdrasil, the plan to cultivate the World Tree, which feeds on human souls.』

The second line implied he was a noble.

While other examples were omitted, the fact that Rossel Bagrand, a Duke, knew about him meant he was likely someone of significant standing. The phrase “lacked nothing” further reinforced this.

Yet, humans were creatures of desire, always yearning for more.

Hence, Project Yggdrasil. Even with everything he could want, he wasn't satisfied. He craved more. He planned to cultivate the World Tree, which fed on human souls, and bring the world under his control.

『Project Yggdrasil requires five treasures. That is why we had to scatter and hide them. But… that alone won’t be enough to stop him.』

The third line was straightforward.

Rossel and Karn had somehow learned that five treasures were required for the project, and they had hidden them throughout the Empire.

But they were certain this wouldn't be enough.

『Because that demon… said the most important ingredient is the frozen soul of a man who has turned his back on the world.』

The most important ingredient was the frozen soul of a man who had turned his back on the world.

The more I read, the more disturbing it became.

It was almost absurd.

It made me think Karn's choice had been absolutely right.

Even if they had uncovered this information, everyone would have dismissed it as unrealistic.

Commoners, despite their inability to use magic, would have scoffed, calling it a child's tale or a poorly written story. Those in the shadows would have simply laughed.

The nobles, of course, would have rejoiced at the Bagrand family's misfortune. Even the vassals, despite Karn being the Duke's son, would have dismissed it as a delusion.

Even the loyal servants and knights would have likely attributed it to a bad dream, focusing on comforting the young master.

Perhaps the Bagrand family, his immediate family, would have listened, but… would they have believed this outlandish story?

It was unlikely they would have taken precautions. Instead, the story would have likely spread, causing further problems.

It felt too elaborate for a simple behind-the-scenes story.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with me.

It was just a backstory, a piece of lore. All I had to do was collect the five treasures and escape.

Clearing this game was just about collecting treasures.

That's what I had thought.

But…

I couldn't dismiss it so easily.

-Ding!

The familiar notification sound rang in my right ear.

It shouldn’t have been triggered here.

Because of Isabella's magic, I wasn’t even considered a threat in this place.

So why?

Why was the status window reacting?

That question brought the last sentence back to my mind.

『Because that demon… said the most important ingredient is the frozen soul of a man who has turned his back on the world.』

“…”

I felt uneasy.

A chill ran down my spine.

The hairs on my arms stood on end.

It was an absurd thought, but… certain words stood out.

I forced a chuckle.

‘No way.’

It couldn’t be.

There was no way this could be related to me.

I was just a player, trapped in a game. There was no way it could be connected to…

-Ding!

The status window notification rang again, making my blood run cold.

Not once, but twice.

This was a judgment upon me.

Filled with dread, I turned my head.

My eyes darted across the status window, my heart pounding in my chest.

And then…

My eyes widened in disbelief.

“…Ha. Fuck.”

“Carsein? What’s wrong?”

“This is… this is absurd… this can’t be…”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

The contents of the status window were unbelievable.

“This is ridiculous! How can they connect things like this?!”

“Carsein, what is it? What do you see?”

Harnie tried to calm me down, but I couldn’t.

▶ Acquired information within the tomb of Rossel Bagrand. ◀

▶ Rewards granted for unlocking and clearing the Hidden Episode. ◀

▶ The reward is information related to bad endings. ◀

Bad End. #44

[Carsein, his heart frozen, became a vengeful spirit, seeking retribution against his family. He became a murderer, and the Bagrand Duchy was drenched in blood. His revenge seemingly complete… his cold, human soul was deemed worthy of becoming the demonic World Tree.]

Bad End. #444

[The bloodline of the Bagrand Duchy was fertile ground for the demonic World Tree. The primordial seed, consuming the Duchess and her three daughters, grew in size, becoming unstoppable. Finally, consuming even the cold soul of the adopted son of the Bagrand family, the seed transformed into the demonic tree.]

…

…

▶ Providing information regarding the unlocked bad endings. ◀

[The frozen soul of a man who has turned his back on the world refers to your soul. Beware of becoming the demonic World Tree.]

This was impossible.

An absurd development.

It couldn’t be explained away as a simple backstory.

Even for a game, even for a world where illogical things happened…

This was too much.

…Fine. I could accept that much.

If the system was somehow influencing things to this extent.

But this was truly absurd.

Bad End. #4444

[The dimensional portal connecting the two worlds opened. A world without magic, powered by electricity. Carsein stepped into that world. But when he returned to his original world, it was Carsein who stood there, not Kim Min-hyeok… and after realizing everything, he took his own life within half a day.]

This was a bad ending for the game.

A bad ending for the protagonist, Carsein.

There was no reason for my name, not Carsein’s, to be there.

Why?

Why was my name there?

Why was there a bad ending where I, not Carsein, died?

And there was another line that caught my eye.

It said that only Carsein’s body returned to reality, not Kim Min-hyeok’s soul.

This couldn’t be dismissed as a typo.

It was clearly referring to me.

But… that meant my arrival in this world was predetermined.

It meant that this was my bad ending, Kim Min-hyeok’s, not Carsein’s.

And if that was true… I couldn't leave. It meant I couldn't return to reality, even if I opened the dimensional portal.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Telling me, someone whose sole purpose was to return to reality, that I couldn’t?

‘No. This… this is just a mistake.’

Something was wrong.

This message, this damn status window, had to be wrong.

-Whoosh!

As if to contradict my words, one of Rossel Bagrand’s notes burst into flames and disappeared.

…Was it telling me I was wrong?

Like hell.

I would never accept this.

“Let’s move, Harnie.”

“What? But what about that…?”

“There were four sarcophagi in the tomb. We might find other notes.”

I would prove it.

I would find something, anything, to prove it, and I would return to my world.

I would prove it, somehow.

I would find something, anything, to refute this.

That this world had nothing to do with me.

-Ding!

‘…Ha. I almost forgot.’

Right. There was this, too.

The bright light that appeared every now and then.

▶ Hidden Memorial effect activated. ◀

It would probably show me something nonsensical again.

A scene from my memories that I couldn’t quite recall.

That’s what I thought.

Until I realized whose memories these were.

***

It had been snowing for a while.

But winter was still cold.

This winter felt particularly cold.

…No. To be precise, it was my heart that felt cold.

That’s why winter break felt so strange.

I could rest as much as I wanted. I didn’t have to go to school, so I wouldn't be bullied. I could use the library as an excuse to leave the house, avoiding the stress from my half-siblings and my father. I could even earn some money with my part-time job. It was a good time.

But there was a downside to not going to school.

I couldn't see her, the girl who had shared her umbrella with me during the summer.

The girl who had approached me first, suggesting we work on the group project together, the girl who had offered to study with me for the exams.

No matter how great the advantages of winter break were, they couldn't outweigh this disadvantage.

So, I found myself wishing for time to pass quickly.

Even though winter break was stress-free, not being able to see her was harder.

And then…

One day, while I was working my part-time job…

“I heard you’re hiring.”

She appeared.

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