I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 300

Chapter 300: Before He Leaves (1)

After the assassin elimination and target protection episode ended,

There was nothing left to do.

The main episodes of Chapter 3 were mostly about hindering the Another Plan.

And even those weren't particularly threatening. All I had to do was accumulate the necessary funds for my escape.

However, there was one more thing I had to deal with.

While I had successfully cleared the episode, I had also been injured and hospitalized, and now I had to face the consequences.

But then,

▶ Your overall performance evaluation for the Founding Festival is Rank B. ◀

My evaluation was surprisingly high.

I had been absent for a considerable amount of time.

I had been hospitalized without even informing the knights.

I had been negligent in my duties.

And I should have been reprimanded for several things.

The vassals should have been furious about my unnecessary request for protective gear, and they should have filed a complaint through the Bagrand Duchy.

I should have incurred multiple penalties, resulting in substantial fines.

But…

“While you were unconscious, monsters actually appeared at the Founding Festival.”

According to Camilla, there had been a monster attack.

Not just one or two, but a large number, as if they had been waiting for this opportunity.

But what a coincidence.

My deployment plan, with knights stationed at every intersection, had been perfectly suited for defending against such an attack.

Thanks to that, the damage had been minimal. And the vassals, instead of criticizing me, had praised my foresight.

“Several members of the Bagrand vassal families were targeted, but they said your foresight saved their lives.”

…I hadn't intended for it to be used that way. I had simply told them to bring protective gear, just in case.

It wasn’t a calculated move, but a lucky guess.

But ironically, that lucky guess had a price.

An unexpected price.

▶ Hidden route unlocked. ◀

▶ Due to the successful elimination of the assassin and the monster attack, the main episode will restart. ◀

▶ Episode IX: The Founding Festival, Restarted will begin. ◀

▶ Start Date: 3 days from now. ◀

“…Restarting the episode?”

I wasn’t mistaken.

The episode wasn’t being modified or replaced. It wasn’t even branching into a different episode.

It was a “restart.”

The notification clearly stated that the same episode would begin again, with a different number.

“This can’t be good. I’ve never seen, heard, or experienced anything like this before.”

I had to think.

The episode would begin, regardless.

While a “restart” was unusual…

There was a clue.

▶ Start Date: 3 days from now. ◀

“It’s not starting now, but three days from now?”

That was strange.

Three days had already passed since the Founding Festival.

There was no reason to delay the episode.

But what if I considered the dates?

Three days had passed since the festival. And the episode would begin in three more days.

Exactly one week from the original date.

This wasn’t a restart.

It was a postponement.

Then why had the episode been postponed?

I had to find the answer to that question.

I wrote down the possibilities, organizing my thoughts.

[1. A new route has become available.]

“This is the most common scenario.”

The most likely reason for a main episode to be postponed.

The availability of a new route.

Episodes, both main and sub, and even events and emergency missions, could be postponed if a new branch became available.

But that wasn’t the case here.

“When a new route becomes available, there are usually choices involved. The changes are triggered by my actions.”

I had been diligently following the main episode's storyline, and my instruction to the vassals about bringing protective gear was simply an independent action during a skipped scene.

In other words, it wasn’t related to the episode’s postponement.

Then, the next possibility.

[2. The clear conditions for the main episode have changed.]

“…This is the most annoying scenario.”

There had been instances where the contents of a main episode were altered. Hidden episodes could overlap, creating new objectives.

The episodes with Flora and Claire were prime examples.

A change in the clear conditions was a valid reason for an episode postponement.

But there was a contradiction.

“I already know the clear conditions. I’ve identified the threat to Isabella, and the system has acknowledged it.”

The clear condition for the “A Blatant Objective” episode was to protect Isabella, and I had even received a Memorial confirming it.

The system had acknowledged my actions, so this couldn't be the reason for the postponement.

“…Then there’s only one possibility left.”

[3. A mandatory part of the episode has been missed.]

This was the rarest scenario, but it did happen occasionally.

While there were no issues with clearing the main episode itself, if a mandatory scene was missed, the game would often force a replay to include it.

The birthday presents for the three sisters were a prime example.

If I didn't mention them, either through dialogue, actions, or choices, an error message would appear, and the episode would be postponed.

So, there was a mandatory scene I had missed in this Founding Festival episode.

“…But what could it be?”

I had eliminated the assassin.

And despite the unexpected monster attack, I had dealt with that as well.

I had even received my overall performance evaluation. What else could there be?

-Thud.

“Hah… There’s no point in overthinking this.”

It didn't matter. The important thing was that the episode wasn't being restarted.

And unlike a chained episode, a postponed episode wouldn't repeat the events I had already completed. I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of identifying and protecting the target again.

That was enough.

“Whatever I missed, I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

For now, I just had to wait and accumulate wealth.

▶ You have chosen <Territory> as your method of acquiring funds for <Another Plan>. ◀

▶ Stage 5 requirement: The required amount of funds has increased. ◀

▶ Acquire 276,600,000 Pesel. ◀

[Progress: 70%]

It wouldn’t be long now.

***

Three days later,

The Founding Festival resumed.

The Imperial Family, realizing that the Bagrand Duchy had been overburdened, had rescinded their request for sole responsibility, dividing the tasks among other families.

Thanks to that, I had very little to do.

There were no assassins, and with the workload shared, I had a lot of free time.

“Mother, Mother! Does this mean we can play now?”

“Yes.”

“Hee hee! I’m so excited!”

The reduced workload wasn’t just a relief for me, but for Isabella and my two sisters as well. And because of that, the Bagrand family found themselves together, enjoying the festivities.

“I finished my tasks early, what about you, sister?”

“I finished quickly as well, since Flora wanted to play.”

“Hmm. Then we can all enjoy ourselves together, right? Carsein?”

“…”

I was spending time with my family.

I hadn’t done this in my previous playthroughs.

I had been too busy searching for the assassination target to spend time with my family.

So, this felt strange.

‘…Could this be why the episode was postponed?’

It seemed like a stretch.

For a mandatory scene in an episode to be about spending time with my family, when there weren’t even any events or emergency missions…

It didn't make sense.

…Or so I had thought.

But there hadn’t been a single choice, as if this was the correct path.

‘Hah… This is ridiculous, but whatever. At least it’s safe.’

Spending some time with my family wasn’t so bad. It was something I had done in my past life as well.

I had wasted countless hours with that wretched family before I left. This was no different.

I would simply play along, hiding my true intentions.

I would give them what they wanted, maintaining my facade.

Hours passed, and the Founding Festival was nearing its end.

As I descended from the podium, having received an award, Harnie was waiting for me, a bright smile on her face.

“It’s a festival. Shouldn’t you spend some time with your fiancée, instead of just your family?”

Flora immediately pouted at her words.

Claire patted her head reassuringly, and Arina simply nodded, remaining silent.

Time with my fiancée.

Whether it was coincidence or luck,

“May I go?”

“Yes. Go and enjoy yourself.”

I had been granted permission to leave my family.

***

After that day, Harnie had been troubled.

Since learning that Carsein had to return to his world, she had been struggling with the knowledge that she shouldn’t be with him.

He wasn’t from this world.

He didn’t belong here.

He had to return to his own world.

And that knowledge tormented her. She would have to let him go, eventually.

But she couldn’t bear to dwell on that thought.

So, she had reached a decision.

“…Harnie?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t we… a bit too close?”

“What do you mean? Besides, we need to… experience these things, don’t we?”

Before he left,

She would cherish every moment they had together, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

-Ding!

▶ This message will not be displayed to the player. ◀

▶ Harnie Theresia’s synchronization rate has reached 95%. ◀

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