I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 297

Chapter 297: A Blatant Objective (3)

Even Arina had to admit, it was a valid excuse.

A fire had broken out in his room.

He had been injured while escaping the flames. What more could she say?

If it hadn't been Carsein, but her other siblings, or even her mother, she wouldn’t have hesitated to argue that they needed time to recover, both physically and mentally.

Yes, she could understand that much.

And as Flora had confirmed, he had been injured, so it wasn’t a lie.

But it was time for him to return.

Half a month had passed.

More than enough time for even severe burns to heal.

And this wasn't just any duchy event, it was the Founding Festival, a celebration of the Empire’s founding.

As several vassals had pointed out, his absence was unacceptable.

That's why she had brought it up.

“…Sister, did you really have to say that in front of the vassals?”

“I… I don’t know. The Imperial Family hasn't even found the culprit yet. It’s still an open case. They should be understanding.”

Flora,

And Claire,

And even…

“Arina, you should show some concern for your brother.”

…their mother,

Had sided with Carsein, criticizing Arina for her lack of empathy.

‘Hah… Whatever.’

She was used to this.

It had happened before.

She had even been scolded by their mother because of Carsein.

It wasn’t worth getting upset over.

She needed to focus on her duties, on the preparations for the Founding Festival.

As she walked down the hallway, she overheard a conversation, and her footsteps faltered.

“Did you hear what Young Master Carsein said?”

-Clench.

Everywhere she went, it was Carsein, Carsein, Carsein.

It was starting to annoy her.

Arina tried to ignore it and quicken her pace, but she stopped again.

“Hmm? Young Master Carsein suggested we bring protective gear?”

“That’s right. I asked him if he had any plans for the Founding Festival, hoping for some insight… and that’s what he said.”

“Are you sure? He recommended protective gear?”

“Hey, are you doubting me? I’m telling you, it’s true!”

Arina’s ears perked up. He insisted it was true. It wasn't a joke.

She clicked her tongue.

‘Hah. Protective gear at the Founding Festival?’

That was ridiculous.

She could understand him being wary, considering that anti-Imperial factions might try to cause trouble during the festival.

But that was it.

To assume that something major would happen was absurd.

And the Founding Festival wasn't some children's event.

It was an Imperial celebration, the entire Empire’s attention focused on it.

They would have taken every precaution. Why would he tell the vassals to bring protective gear?

‘Whatever. It’s too late now. I’ll just have to deal with it myself if something happens.’

***

Shortly after returning to the Duchy, the Bagrand family received a letter from the Imperial Palace.

And its contents,

Were familiar to me.

“I’m afraid I have some… disappointing news. You won’t have much time to enjoy yourselves during the Founding Festival.”

“What do you mean, Mother?”

“The Imperial Family has requested that the Bagrand Duchy take charge of this year’s Founding Festival.”

“Hmm… so we just have to do our usual duties? It’s not like we won’t have any time to enjoy ourselves.”

“I agree, Mother. If we work efficiently, we’ll still have time for the festivities.”

Flora, excited about the festival, nodded eagerly, agreeing with her sisters.

“…Perhaps you should read this.”

Isabella handed them the letter.

What was going on?

Confused, the two sisters took the letter and began to read. Flora, too, brought a chair and joined them, peering over their shoulders.

Well, I didn't need to read it.

The sisters’ eyes widened in surprise.

“The Bagrand Duchy is solely responsible for this year’s Founding Festival…? What?!”

“The Imperial Family usually divides the responsibilities among several houses…”

“W-we’re solely responsible? From the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony?”

“I don’t understand. While the Bagrand Duchy is highly regarded, there’s no reason for them to give us sole responsibility. The other nobles will be furious…”

“…There’s a reason. I suspected as much.”

Isabella’s calm tone indicated that she had anticipated this.

“As you know, awards are presented during the Founding Festival. And usually, those awards are given to several outstanding families, who are then assigned responsibilities for the festival.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“This year… the Bagrand Duchy’s influence is… too great.”

Right. That was the hidden meaning behind the Founding Festival.

The Imperial Family couldn’t afford to be seen as favoring a single house. They wanted to prevent the concentration of power, maintaining a balance between the various factions.

But this year, the gap was too wide.

And that gap existed because Carsein, who had always been a liability, had performed exceptionally well.

He had revived Lusmire and Shatrain, and had dominated both the symposium and the martial arts tournament. What more could they say? With Carsein's improved performance, the Imperial Family had no reason to assign tasks to other houses.

No other family could compare to the Bagrands.

And that overwhelming influence was largely due to Carsein, the player character.

‘So relying on free time and waiting was a trap.’

Whether it was due to the game’s background setting, or the developer’s intention to force the player to progress the story.

I had to return to the Duchy.

“This is unexpected. We’ve never been given sole responsibility before…”

“There’s going to be a lot of work. We’ll have to be diligent.”

“Yes, I’m afraid you won’t have much time to enjoy the festival, Flora.”

“Okay…”

And…

It was time for me to make a decision.

-Ding!

▶ Choices have appeared. ◀

I had avoided the trap.

And I understood why it was a trap, thanks to the episode’s context.

So, how to clear this episode?

I had to answer that question.

‘Now that they’re gone, I can say it.’

I glanced at the choices and found the answer.

[ 3. I have something to discuss regarding the Founding Festival, Mother. ]

“I have something to discuss regarding the Founding Festival.”

***

Arina, claiming she had a lot of work to do, excused herself and left.

Claire, too, complained of a headache and went to attend to her duties.

Flora, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the festival, trudged off to her room.

But one person remained.

Carsein.

‘He’s usually not interested in the Founding Festival…’

While it was unusual for him to take the initiative, it had been a while since he had offered to help.

Isabella gestured for him to continue, ready to hear what he had to say.

“I would like to be in charge of the security arrangements for the Founding Festival.”

“…Security arrangements?”

“Yes.”

Isabella blinked, surprised.

“Arina and Claire will be busy with the other preparations. But there’s not much I can do. All I know is how to manage territories and wield a sword. This is the only way I can contribute.”

“Carsein, there’s no need for you to do that. I’m fine with you and Flora simply attending the festival.”

“Flora can be excused because she’s young. But I’ll be an adult next year. I don’t want to just sit around and do nothing.”

“…”

Isabella felt a warmth spread through her heart.

It was a parent’s joy, to see their child offer their help.

She was proud of him, impressed by his maturity and willingness to contribute.

But she couldn’t entrust him with such an important task.

“I appreciate the offer, Carsein, but this is… too much responsibility for you.”

Carsein picked up some darts and flags and began placing them on the map.

The darts and flags marked the exact locations she had chosen previously.

“I assume this is the arrangement you had in mind. Considering the large area and the importance of the main ceremonial locations, you likely compared it to previous large-scale festivals. However, this year’s Founding Festival is different. We have to account for the foreign dignitaries, and the events aren’t centered around a single building. Therefore, we need a different approach.”

“What?”

“As you can see, this year’s festival will be centered around the main square, with various zones spread out over a wide area. This is because merchants from all over the Empire will be setting up stalls, even within the inner perimeter. If we use the previous arrangement, the narrow passages will increase the risk of accidents.”

“…”

He was right. The Imperial Family had predicted that the number of attendees would double this year.

And most of them would be merchants.

Isabella had been struggling to find a solution to prevent overcrowding in certain areas.

‘And he… he figured it out.’

Isabella nodded slightly.

“Please, continue.”

Perhaps Carsein had a solution.

***

Having received her approval, I retrieved the flags and rearranged them.

I created a rough layout, using the choices to provide a brief explanation of my strategy.

Isabella, impressed, handed me a document.

That was the reward for solving her problem.

-Ding!

▶ Acquired authority over troop deployment and command through choice selection. ◀

‘Perfect.’

The Founding Festival episode had already revealed its direction.

A monster attack. The status window had clearly stated that it would occur during the festival.

So, it seemed like all I had to do was repel the attack to clear the episode, but…

‘It’s not that simple.’

I considered this,

The most difficult episode of Chapter 3.

A monster attack?

I had that information. But that was all.

I didn’t know who, when, where, what, how, or why.

The attack could come from a distant country.

It could happen on the battlefield.

Or it could be a large-scale terrorist attack during the Founding Festival itself.

In other words, I had almost no information.

That’s why I had failed countless times.

The only clue I had was that it would happen during the Founding Festival, but there was no indication of when.

No matter what I did, something would always go wrong.

I would prepare for one scenario, and something completely different would happen.

And it would repeat, over and over, with each replay.

Just as I was about to give up,

I had found a clue in the original episode description.

▶ However, the location and target are unknown. ◀

The date, the time, the location, those could vary. But the target?

The “who” was usually unspecified.

And that’s how I had found the answer.

The only way to clear this episode was to identify and protect the “target.”

“Sir Carlton.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“On the day of the Founding Festival, distribute this deployment plan to all the knights.”

The end of Chapter 3 was drawing near.

***

▶ All troops and knights have been deployed. ◀

▶ You can make changes through the UI. ◀

[However, please note that there will be a delay before the changes take effect.]

The day of the Founding Festival had arrived.

Carlton had followed my instructions, deploying the troops as I had specified.

I could see the entire venue from my vantage point.

The knights were stationed at strategic locations, their positions optimized for observation.

“Arina would have a fit if she saw this.”

It was a terrible deployment plan, full of openings. Even I thought so.

But it had one advantage.

While it left the soldiers vulnerable, it gave me a clear view of everything.

And by enhancing my vision with mana, I could eliminate any blind spots.

But…

“…I’ve been here for three hours, and nothing has happened?”

Three hours had passed, and there hadn’t been a single incident.

“No, I can’t be impatient.”

The target wouldn’t be revealed so easily.

I had to complete the sub-episodes, or look for subtle clues and prevent any potential incidents to gather information.

I had to be patient.

A single miscalculation could cost me my life.

Just then,

The sound of a horn echoed through the air, signaling the arrival of the Imperial Family.

-Toot.

—Waaaaah!

The Imperial Family appeared, greeted by the cheers of the crowd.

The cheers were deafening, drowning out all other sounds.

And then,

I saw him.

-Dash!

“Ugh?!”

“Going somewhere?”

“Gah!”

▶ You have apprehended a man carrying explosives! ◀

▶ Displaying information about the target you must protect. ◀

[Progress: 7%]

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