I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: The Sword that Cut Skin (2)

-Hah. You’re so dramatic. Is it really that strange that I would leave the Duchy?

Truly,

She was being dramatic.

To barge into the room after hearing just one sentence of the conversation between Carsein and Marquis Magnuel… Even now, she realized it had been rash.

She had jumped to conclusions.

Made a false accusation.

Almost caused a scene.

It was fortunate that she had come to her senses. If things had escalated like they had in Lilpet…

Carsein would have been penalized again, targeted by the vassals. Just thinking about it made her shudder.

Thankfully, she had stopped herself.

But still…

Those words bothered her.

‘Why does the thought of him leaving the Duchy make me feel so uneasy?’

He had given a reasonable explanation for his eventual departure, but a lingering sense of discomfort remained.

Was she missing something?

Lost in thought…

“Claire? Claire.”

“Ah, Mother.”

Isabella was shaking her shoulder.

“I don’t know how many times I called your name.”

She hadn’t been responding, so Isabella had shaken her, hard enough to make her whole body sway, and she had finally reacted.

Isabella gently asked,

“…Did you have a fight with Carsein?”

Claire flinched.

She had met with Carsein, so it was a natural reaction. And their encounter hadn’t been pleasant.

But she immediately denied it.

“No, Mother! We didn’t fight… Why would you think that?”

“You’re not paying attention to him at all. Look.”

Isabella pointed towards the arena.

Carsein had already finished his match.

He had defeated his opponent in just two exchanges. It wasn't unreasonable for Isabella to be concerned.

“A-after only two exchanges! The winner is… Carsein Bagrand!”

—Waaaaah!!!

The arena was filled with cheers and applause.

And who should be the happiest about this?

“He’s competing, and yet you’re not even looking at him, not reacting at all. It’s only natural for me to be worried.”

“…”

Her second daughter, usually so boisterous, was unusually quiet. It wasn't unreasonable for Isabella to suspect a fight.

Claire cleared her throat.

“I did meet with Carsein, but… we didn’t fight.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I just… had something to think about.”

Isabella seemed relieved.

“If you keep spacing out like that, you’ll miss everything, Claire.”

“Mother!”

The atmosphere lightened.

With a playful banter, the conversation shifted back to Carsein’s match, and the tension dissipated.

Just as Claire turned her attention back to the arena, she felt a tug on her sleeve.

Her younger sister, her small hand gripping her sleeve, looked at her with a worried expression.

Right. If Carsein was involved, it was natural for Flora to be concerned as well. He had caused so much trouble in the past.

Worried about the potential repercussions, Flora whispered,

“Did… did something happen to Carsein?”

“No, no. There haven’t been any bad rumors.”

“But… last time…”

“Flora.”

Claire gently stroked her younger sister’s golden hair.

“While I don’t know everything, I can tell you this much. This time, it’s different.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So don’t worry and just enjoy the match, okay?”

“Okay.”

Flora smiled brightly and turned towards the arena.

-Yes. I’m supposed to be leaving the Duchy, anyway.

While those words still bothered her…

Claire decided to put it aside for now.

She couldn’t miss watching her brother compete. She had to see every match.

***

Meanwhile,

Arina was observing the other participants.

She watched their matches, analyzing their styles.

Formulating strategies, planning her approach.

Using the information she gathered to pave her path to victory.

While the other participants were busy with their own preparations, Arina was calmly gathering intelligence.

‘Sir Mexel’s attacks will be tricky. He even defeated someone who reached the quarterfinals last year.’

And there were quite a few new participants this year.

Several members of the Western tribes had entered the tournament, showcasing their impressive skills, adding more unknowns to the mix.

But they weren’t a significant threat.

She could handle them.

Arina, with her years of experience, didn’t see any real rivals.

Just then, a match began.

Arina’s gaze was immediately drawn to a single person.

“…Carsein.”

Her eyes narrowed.

The memory of her birthday party surfaced.

While the hair tie incident itself hadn't been a major issue, the fact that he had disrupted the party, with all the nobles and vassals present, was unacceptable.

And Carsein had made things worse by bringing up the hair tie again, creating a huge commotion.

The vassals’ criticisms, the nobles’ complaints and accusations…

It had taken a considerable effort to calm everyone down. Carsein, single-handedly, had turned her birthday into a disaster.

And his final act, discarding the gift he had given her previously, had been the final straw, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

And it had happened the day before the arena battle.

If she had been matched against him, she would have made him pay dearly for his insolence.

In that sense, Carsein was lucky.

“If he had been matched against me, he would have regretted it.”

Carsein and Arina were on opposite sides of the bracket, so they wouldn't face each other unless they both reached the finals.

Which meant she wouldn’t have a chance to teach him a lesson this time.

Even if he miraculously reached the finals…

“Hmph. Whatever. It’s not worth watching.”

Just looking at his ridiculous stance made her scoff. He was full of openings. He would be eliminated quickly.

Just as Arina was about to turn away…

Carsein’s sword moved, deflecting his opponent’s attack with a swift, elegant motion.

-Clang! Clang!

He effortlessly blocked the attack, then pushed his opponent back, finishing the match with a swift takedown.

“…”

It was a simple, unassuming attack.

No flashy movements, no mana enhancement.

It was easy to read.

And yet, he had won.

Arina chuckled.

“So his skills have improved. Despite his arrogance.”

He was definitely different from last year.

Well, he had spent a considerable amount of time training in the arena. He had received proper instruction, and it seemed he wasn't ready to be eliminated just yet.

“Make it to the finals, Carsein. So I can personally correct that attitude of yours.”

No, it wouldn’t just be a correction.

She would crush him, ensuring he would never again speak so insolently.

***

“See? I told you! Carsein Bagrand has improved!”

“Tsk. His opponent was quite skilled, too.”

With Carsein’s victory, the atmosphere in the spectator stands shifted.

Unlike before, there were many who had predicted his victory, and the number of those who cheered for him had increased significantly.

But there were still many who envied and resented him.

“Hmph. Didn’t we see him win with dirty tricks last year? He probably did the same thing this time.”

“Exactly. A lowborn will always be a lowborn.”

“He only has one sponsor. The family must have taken pity on him. Heh heh.”

“It would be hilarious if he beat someone up mid-match again.”

He still had many enemies.

The fact that he was an adopted child, picked up from the slums.

The fact that a commoner of unknown origin had suddenly become a noble.

And the countless scandals and incidents he had been involved in, the constant gossip…

It all made him a target.

It couldn’t be helped. There was no point in responding to such petty remarks. Pollux tried to ignore them.

“Even so, he won in just two exchanges. He completely dominated his opponent.”

“There’s such a thing as luck, you know.”

“Perhaps he just overwhelmed his opponent with brute force.”

“Two exchanges? It looked easy. Even I could do that!”

Their foolish remarks made Pollux chuckle.

‘It… looked easy?’

That was an absurd statement.

Yes, it had been just two exchanges. If there was some easy trick, some shortcut to victory, perhaps one could win by exploiting a moment of carelessness.

Those fools, who had never held a sword, who had never even had a blister on their hands, might think that.

How could he not laugh?

‘In swordsmanship, if someone’s movements look easy, it means they are incredibly refined.’

Clean and precise.

Intuitive and easy to follow.

And the fact that such simple, unassuming movements had completely overwhelmed his opponent meant only one thing.

An overwhelming difference in skill.

Carsein was simply on a different level.

That was why he had been able to defeat his opponent in just two exchanges.

And Pollux, who had personally faced Carsein’s blade, knew this better than anyone.

Those unwavering eyes, the meticulous calculations…

He had a feeling that no one would be able to defeat Carsein in the future.

‘It’s been a while since our last spar. Considering how much he’s improved…’

Well, he couldn't guarantee victory.

While he had definitely won back then, he wasn't so sure now.

“As expected, he’s even more impressive than I imagined. I never thought he would improve this much since our last encounter.”

Talfon, sitting next to Pollux, who was silently mocking the fools who were gossiping, made his presence known.

And the gossiping stopped abruptly.

“Talfon.”

Pollux glared at him, as if asking why he had done that.

Talfon simply grinned.

“Isn’t it amusing, hearing those fools, who don’t even know the difference in their skill levels, spout such nonsense? Carsein diligently practices his swordsmanship every single day. It’s only natural that he would improve.”

“…”

“Don’t you agree?”

“Hey, Talfon.”

The moment he said that, the gossipers, who clearly knew nothing about swordsmanship, let alone the tournament, scurried away.

Pollux sighed, sensing their departure.

“You’re just encouraging them.”

“Hmph. I’m not going to just sit here and listen to those Imperial bastards insult my friend.”

Pollux, to a certain extent, agreed.

“So, Pollux, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“About the outcome of the tournament, of course.”

Pollux glanced at the remaining participants and replied,

“It will likely come down to two.”

“Right? I thought the same. I sensed about six potential candidates.”

Talfon drained his large goblet and asked,

“But there are only two who will truly clash in the finals. You know who I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“…It’s obvious.”

Those who were skilled recognized each other.

In this arena, there were two who stood out.

Carsein, and Arina.

The conversation ended there.

Even though they both knew, even though they could likely predict the outcome of the tournament, neither Talfon nor Pollux spoke.

A strange silence descended.

“Let the next match begin!”

The announcer’s voice broke the silence.

***

-Clang!

“Ugh…! I-I forfeit!”

-Ding!

▶ You have defeated your opponent! ◀

▶ Proceeding to the next round. ◀

-Click.

“I… I lost.”

-Ding!

▶ You have defeated your opponent! ◀

▶ Proceeding to the next round. ◀

-Thud.

“I forfeit. You’re incredible.”

-Ding!

▶ You have defeated your opponent! ◀

▶ Proceeding to the next round. ◀

I had won match after match, my sword clashing against my opponents’.

Victory after victory.

My Noblesse Points steadily increased, and finally, the moment arrived.

“And now, the final match, a civil war within the Bagrand Duchy, will begiiiiiin!!!”

-Ding!

▶ You have reached the finals! ◀

▶ Additional rewards may be granted upon victory. ◀

[Opponent: Arina Bagrand]

The final stage, where only the victors of countless battles remained.

The finals.

‘Hah. Seriously?’

The message on the status window was ironic.

[Arina Bagrand]

[Inferiority Complex: 86%]

It had increased.

The very concept of her having an inferiority complex was absurd, but the fact that it had increased was even more ridiculous.

And as I defeated each opponent, a new message had appeared.

▶ Penalty applied! ◀

[Damage received from Arina increased!]

[Damage received from Arina increased!]

[Damage received from Arina increased!]

…

…

Stacking, stacking, stacking.

And the final value was…

[Damage received from Arina increased by 35%!]

35%.

At this point, I would likely be inflicted with other debuffs as well when facing Arina.

‘She’s really out for blood.’

This reminded me of my older sister.

I almost chuckled at the thought.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already made my decision.’

Perhaps this was the final battle everyone had been waiting for, the match they had all been anticipating.

A rematch of last year’s Bagrand civil war, under the same conditions.

Some were likely hoping for a specific outcome.

Both internally and externally.

And one person,

Was eager to crush me.

So I would crush all their expectations.

“I forfeit.”

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