I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 295

Chapter 295: A Blatant Objective (1)

-Ding!

▶ All family affinity lights have turned blue due to the deactivation of Arina’s choices. ◀

▶ Episode VII: The Bagrand Family Trip cleared. ◀

▶ Reward granted. ◀

When I woke up the next morning,

As expected, the Family Trip episode had been cleared.

Flora must have relayed the information while we were sheltering from the rain.

While there had been a minor hiccup in triggering the evasion trigger to nullify the conversation with Arina, the aftermath had been handled smoothly.

From here on out, I had to follow the game’s storyline.

If the Bagrand knights were searching for me, or if any of my family members were looking for me, it wouldn't be an episode clear, but a disaster.

And the way to confirm that was the reward.

‘Well, it seems there weren’t any major deviations.’

▶ You are now perceived to have been involved in an accident. ◀

▶ Your family will not question your absence. ◀

▶ Free time granted due to the accident. ◀

■ Reward

[Free Time: 10 days]

▶ Free time may increase or decrease depending on the player's actions. ◀

The reward was free time.

It was a reasonable reward.

After all, the Another Plan was nearing its final stage.

‘I need to make the most of this time.’

I had to use this free time to accumulate as much wealth as possible.

It was a precious opportunity, and I had to be diligent.

I had to maximize my earnings to reach the target amount, which meant a busy schedule from the very start.

But…

-Slide.

“Ah.”

As I was about to get out of bed, I remembered something.

“…Right. I came here to get out of the rain.”

That’s why…

The bed felt smaller than usual.

And my body felt heavier.

I didn’t usually cuddle while sleeping, so there was no reason for me to be clinging to something.

And I rarely woke up to sunlight. I usually slept in short bursts to save time.

…And the most unusual thing was,

This warmth, this softness, pressed against my skin.

Well, whatever.

The question was, what should I do now?

“Hmm…?”

Just as I was pondering this, Harnie’s eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning.”

She blinked sleepily.

Then, her violet eyes widened as she rubbed them.

“Ah…”

She looked around, as if trying to reorient herself.

She was probably going through the same thought process as I was.

Why was she here?

Where was this place, and how had she gotten here?

And the events that had led to her falling asleep in this bed.

“The rain has let up, but it’s still drizzling. It might be best to wait a little longer. Well, even if it wasn’t raining, it wouldn't be wise to leave just yet.”

“What?”

“This place… it could easily lead to misunderstandings.”

I gestured towards the bed, and her face flushed crimson.

“Honestly, you…!”

“Ow! Ow?!”

“Why would you say that?!”

Her sudden outburst, burying my face in the blanket, and the familiar sting of her hand against my skin, indicated that she had returned to her usual self.

The rain eventually stopped.

And as people began to emerge from their rooms, we paid and left discreetly.

“Now that the rain has stopped, I’ll escort you back.”

After escorting Harnie back to her lodgings, I would return to my territories and focus on making money.

But…

“…”

Instead of answering, she simply stood there, silent.

***

The free time I had earned was precious.

During these ten days, the amount of money I could earn would significantly impact my progress in Chapter 3.

After all, this was where the groundwork I had laid in the previous chapters would pay off.

The two territories I had developed, the Noblesse Points I had accumulated, the relationships I had cultivated with various merchants…

It was all part of my plan to rapidly expand my businesses and amass a fortune.

While the target amount of over 200 million Pesel might seem daunting, impossible even, if I carefully managed my resources and completed the episodes, I could achieve it.

-Ding!

▶ Preparations for the transaction are complete. ◀

▶ Due to sufficient Noblesse Points, the scale of the business has increased. Risk decreased. Obstacles reduced. ◀

▶ Affinity with the target is above a certain level! ◀

▶ Bonus amount added to the transaction reward! ◀

The scale of my businesses had increased, leading to larger transactions.

And with reduced risk and fewer obstacles, the chances of theft or accidents during transactions had decreased significantly.

By increasing the trust of my business partners and maintaining high affinity, I could earn bonus amounts, and while it wasn't explicitly stated in the messages, those bonuses could be further increased through continued transactions.

And as an added bonus, it also attracted new business partners.

‘Well, that’s the main point, anyway.’

▶ Special conditions met. Hidden merchant revealed. ◀

While I could reach the target amount through regular transactions, I had fulfilled several difficult conditions to unlock these special merchants, to accelerate the process.

While they were called “hidden merchants,” the concept was simple.

Transactions with them yielded significantly higher profits.

Their locations and even their existence were hidden, locked behind multiple conditions, and speaking to them was impossible unless those conditions were met. The rewards they offered were far greater than those of ordinary merchants.

‘If I had just blindly followed the episodes, I would have missed all of this.’

Of course, earning those rewards wasn’t easy.

They were called “special” for a reason. The slightest mistake could turn them back into ordinary NPCs, and any attempts to manipulate them were futile. If the conditions weren't met, they would simply disappear. It required absolute precision and focus.

Like taking an exam.

So, I had to carefully plan my next moves, strategizing to maximize my profits from these special merchants.

“Ah, if you do that, you’ll be double-taxed.”

“…”

-Scribble, scribble.

“If you change the route and use the designated transit points within the Empire, the transit distance will be divided, so you won’t have to pay overlapping tolls and tariffs. It’s a useful tip. And on routes where you have to take a detour, it’s sometimes cheaper to pay the toll instead of the tariff, due to the cumulative volume and frequency of transactions.”

Someone was meticulously reviewing my plans, correcting my mistakes.

It was a strange, yet familiar, scene.

Her actions,

This situation,

It mirrored my past life.

I hadn’t known everything from the start.

…While I had achieved decent scores on the college entrance exam, it had taken a lot of time and effort.

After all, I hadn’t been able to study properly at school.

My classmates were a constant source of distraction, and the bullies made it impossible to focus.

They would interrupt my note-taking.

They would rip pages from my textbooks.

They would even steal my books and notes.

And even when I managed to escape their harassment, I couldn’t study at home either. I had to work part-time jobs to make ends meet.

I had failed, again and again.

Because I couldn’t even have a single textbook to myself.

And yet, I had managed to pass the exam.

Because of her.

-Here, these are my notes. You’re smart, so you’ll understand this quickly, right?

“Here, I’ve organized everything for you. You’re smart, so you’ll understand this quickly, right?”

She had given me her meticulously organized notes, helping me build a solid foundation.

“Carsein? Carsein? Are you listening?”

“…Yes, I am.”

“Then hurry up and fix it. You’ve been spacing out.”

Harnie, who had stopped at the doorway before returning to Shatrain, had said she didn't need me to escort her back. Instead, she had followed me and offered to help with my work.

So this wasn't just a one-time thing.

She had been here for over a week.

And she was diligently teaching me about the Empire, about taxes, about everything I didn't understand.

…Just like Jieun had once helped me with my studies.

‘And that’s not the only thing that’s strange.’

There was a question I should have asked her a long time ago.

That day, when we had taken shelter from the rain.

How had she known where to find me?

And what was her purpose?

I wanted to ask, but…

‘…Hah’

I still couldn’t bring myself to do it.

It was too complicated.

-Burst!

“My lord, forgive my intrusion, but it’s urgent!”

“Dyke? What’s wrong?”

“It’s…”

Dyke swallowed hard, and his report,

Signaled the beginning of the final mandatory event of Chapter 3.

***

-Kreee!

“Shut up, you noisy bastard!”

-Thwack!

“Report!”

“We’ve managed to contain them, except for one section of the city!”

“We can’t let them breach the city! That area is…!”

“I know! We’ve already dispatched a team!”

Thanks to the frequent monster incursions from Mount Waglu, Lusmire was well-prepared.

No, it wasn’t just because of that.

Their capable lord had provided them with ample resources and equipment, and the young men, trained by the Westerners, had developed effective defense strategies.

They hadn't been pushed back, and had even managed to advance, thanks to their meticulous planning and preparation.

However, even they were struggling this time.

“Why are these monsters so strong?!”

“Damn it, we can hold them off, but… eliminating the source will be difficult…!”

These monsters were different from the ones they had encountered before.

“We’ll have to hold out until reinforcements arrive from Shatrain—”

-Slash! Thud.

“Huh…?”

A wave of relief washed over the villagers.

“Is everyone alright?”

““My lord!””

…

…

…

The monsters were quickly eliminated, and the source, its location quickly identified thanks to the villagers’ quick thinking, was destroyed shortly after.

The damage was minimal.

‘As Dyke said, they were formidable opponents.’

I had a feeling I knew what this meant.

These types of monsters weren’t supposed to spawn in Mount Waglu after the large-scale extermination.

I had triggered and completed the Monster Weakening event, so only low-level monsters, easily dealt with by the villagers, should be appearing.

‘For them to appear now… it’s a sign of another incident.’

I knew.

The final mandatory episode of Chapter 3 was often mistaken for the Family Trip.

It seemed like a compulsory event, essential for managing family affinity and avoiding any negative impact on the Another Plan.

But that wasn’t the true mandatory episode.

-Ding!

▶ Episode VIII: A Blatant Objective has begun. ◀

▶ A monster attack has been predicted for a specific date and time. ◀

▶ However, the location and target are unknown. ◀

This was the real mandatory episode.

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