I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 231

Chapter 231: I Wanted To ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■ (1)

“How… how could this have happened?” 

The Waglu faction nobles still struggled to grasp the reality of their situation.

“I was certain it was over for him the moment he was stuck with Shatrain, the territory with the worst possible evaluation…!”

“Shatrain relies on agriculture. He wouldn't be able to improve his ranking without revitalizing the soil. I was convinced he’d fail spectacularly…!”

“Bribing the villagers and inciting conflict amongst them worked perfectly. It shouldn't have made a difference even if he was given the same territory twice!”

“We even manipulated Map to accelerate the premiumization process and cripple Shatrain… How… How could things turn out like this…!”

They had envisioned this symposium as Carsein’s grave.

They believed that, burdened with Shatrain again, he would be unable to mend his relationship with the villagers, and there was no way that foolish commoner could possibly know how to revive a failing agricultural territory.

They had meticulously laid their traps.

Even if he’d managed to achieve high scores in the previous reports and even secured the Pesselus Privilege, it wouldn’t mean anything without tangible results.

All they needed to do was sabotage his final evaluation, and it would be over.

Yet, he had defied all expectations and succeeded.

Despite his past failures in managing the territory, he had resolved the conflict with the villagers.

He'd identified and purged the spies among them, gathered evidence, and condemned them to their deserved punishment.

He'd purified the soil, pinpointed the underlying issues plaguing Shatrain, and stabilized the market prices of Shatrain strawberries and grapes.

Even this much was unbelievable. Utterly impossible.

“But how in the world did he figure out the fertilizer?!”

No matter how they racked their brains, they couldn't fathom his methods of discovery or deduction.

Like some alien force had invaded and rewired their minds, the Waglu nobles were escorted away, their thoughts a jumbled mess.

Clank!

“In.”

The guard gestured towards the cell, its entrance a grim maw of iron bars.

The metallic clang resonated as the reality of their predicament finally crashed down. They would no longer be addressed by their prestigious family names, but as common criminals.

Count Retelvik scowled.

“Is there some mistake? Prison?”

“Where else do you think troublemakers like yourselves belong?”

“This is absurd. The fertilizer hasn’t even been found yet. Why are we being treated like convicts and thrown in here?”

“Well, the evidence is damning, and more is on its way,”

"Now get inside, unless you want to be dragged in by force."

Count Retelvik ground his teeth at the guard's blatant disrespect.

The threat, the humiliation of being forcibly dragged into a cell, was almost unbearable.

But he had no choice.

How could he possibly refute the evidence?

Carsein had laid bare their scheme for all to see. Their only hope now was a lighter sentence if the fertilizer remained undiscovered.

Suddenly, a hissing cloud of smoke filled the air.

“Ugh…?! What’s…!”

“Kh! What trickery…!”

-Thud!

Silence descended.

Two of the guards, who had been coughing and clutching their mouths, crumpled to the ground, their bodies pierced through the abdomen.

From the corpses of the guards, now still and silent, sharp green tendrils retracted, dripping with blood.

The nobles' heads whipped around, their eyes wide with shock.

Only one person possessed this kind of magic. The one who had engineered it.

“C-Count Retelvik,” one of the nobles stammered.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?!” another shrieked.

“Of course I do,”

Of course he does? The nobles exchanged identical looks of disbelief.

“Count, have you gone mad?!”

“If you do this, we'll be charged with defying a direct Imperial decree!”

“This won’t reduce our sentence, it’ll increase it!”

-Thwack!

Count Retelvik slammed his staff down, his eyes blazing.

“So you’d rather accept your fate? A fate that will undoubtedly end in execution?”

“W-what?”

“Execution? If all we’re guilty of is exploiting the territory, we won’t be executed!”

“Besides, there’s no chance they’ll find the hidden fertilizer. Once the black market is closed, there will be no way to trace it!”

“Fools. Do you truly believe the fertilizer will remain hidden forever?”

The old man sighed, his gaze sweeping over the other nobles with contempt.

“Has there ever been a single instance where we could predict the actions of that commoner, who has systematically destroyed everything we've worked for?”

“W-well…”

“It was a mistake from the beginning, allowing him to reconcile with the villagers after he ruined their territory. It’s preposterous that he was permitted to investigate and manage the soil. And the spies we planted were all exposed by those Lilpet Tribe.”

Count Retelvik’s voice rose in a crescendo of frustration.

“That commoner has exploited every possible variable to sabotage our efforts! It’s merely a matter of time before the fertilizer is discovered! Do you intend to sit idly in prison and await your inevitable doom?!”

Discovery was inevitable.

He still couldn’t comprehend the workings of that commoner’s mind, but he was certain Carsein had made preparations.

‘He definitely left with those Western dogs earlier.’

He couldn’t fathom how Carsein had managed to overcome the measures against the Lilpet Tribe's sense of smell, but they couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

As the smoke dissipated, Count Retelvik searched the pockets of the fallen guards and retrieved the key to the room where the other guards were stationed.

“We’re moving. Follow me.”

“C-Count, do you have some sort of plan?”

“If we leave here, we’ll be directly defying Imperial orders! We’re trapped…!”

Retelvik levelled his staff at the hesitant nobles.

“Would you rather die at the hands of the Imperial Family, or at mine?”

“C-Count!”

“There’s no time for arguments. Follow me. Unless you wish to share their fate.”

Fear gripping their hearts, the Waglu nobles trailed after Count Retelvik. They were horrified by his threat, by his insane proposition to choose between defying him and defying the Imperial Family, yet a part of them understood.

‘Yes… We can’t simply remain here and wait.’

‘We’re finished the moment the Imperial Family discovers the fertilizer.’

‘And even if they don't… he will come for us.’

‘If even the Count has resorted to using the power he’s been secretly honing, it means we must use everything at our disposal.’

‘We must find some means of escape. And if that’s the case…!’

As they reached the private room where the other guards were stationed, their fear gave way to a grim determination.

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“If we have any hope of salvaging this plan, we must eliminate Carsein. Now.”

“We don’t know what he’s planning, but we have to act swiftly and silence him.”

“We should try to avoid leaving any loose ends, but the situation demands we at least eliminate him. That is what He desires!”

A predatory smile spread across Count Retelvik’s face.

Yes. Finally.

This was what they should have done all along.

They should have taken action, done something, anything, to ensure their survival.

Though it was undeniably late, they still had one last card to play. Now, with the bulk of the Imperial knights deployed elsewhere, this was their opportunity.

“Good. We'll use that, and eliminate him—”

-Crash!

The door to the private room exploded inwards.

Amidst a whirlwind of vibrant pink hair, Claire’s icy gaze locked onto them.

“You bastards. You dare touch my brother?”

“T-That’s…!”

“Claire Bagrand!”

“I don’t care about the charges or the trial.”

A magic circle, radiating palpable power, shimmered into existence.

Claire, her magic fueled by a furious rage, engulfed the room, trapping the Waglu faction within.

“You’ll pay a heavy price for threatening my brother, you fucking pieces of shit.”

Her chilling vow was punctuated by the roar of an explosion.

***

The symposium had concluded.

Some were filled with despair, others with elation. Some made resolutions for the future, while others looked back with regret.

The young nobles, their reactions to the grueling trials as varied as their personalities, resembled nothing so much as students after a difficult exam.

“Tsk. Why does this feel so familiar?” I thought. These were memories I preferred to keep buried.

-Tap.

“Huh?”

“Truly… even more impressive than I imagined.”

Harnie, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, pressed a cold drink against my cheek, a playful smile gracing her lips.

“I knew you had something planned, but I never expected this.”

“You flatter me,” I replied.

“Flattery? Did you not see the looks on their faces? They were utterly dumbfounded.”

Apparently, she herself had been so shocked she'd covered her mouth with both hands.

Harnie’s playful smile faded as her voice took on a serious tone.

“…This time, your family didn’t say anything, did they?”

“Is that what you came to ask?”

“I need to be sure, don’t I?” She pouted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Well, I suppose I could tell her.

And I had a question of my own, anyway.

“Nothing like you’re imagining happened. I left before they could confront me.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“You were in just as precarious a position as I was, Harnie. You could’ve been reprimanded by your family, too.”

Harnie hesitated for a moment, then cleared her throat.

“Neither the Marquis nor Belian said a word to me. I think they intended to use this as an excuse to break the engagement, but after seeing my results, and especially yours, they couldn't.”

“I see.”

That seemed to have worked out well enough.

“S-so, I’m asking again,” she stammered.

“Yes?”

“Is there… truly nothing you want from me? This is… rather significant…”

She avoided my gaze as she spoke, but I truly had nothing in mind.

“Nothing comes to mind,” I replied.

“...Is that so?”

I almost said, Then choose whatever you like, but Harnie stepped back, putting distance between us.

“Then I’ll need to make preparations… so… give me some time.”

Preparations? I had no idea what she intended to give me, but I decided to put it out of my mind for now.

I still wasn’t used to this sort of thing.

“And don’t you dare forget! Understood?”

…She was still reminding me not to forget, even as we walked back to the carriage.

I hoped it wasn’t anything too extravagant.

***

The symposium was over.

The post-symposium family interactions were over.

Finally, after my conversation with Harnie ended, I had some time to myself.

Entering my room, I collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion clinging to me like a shroud.

“…It’s finally over.”

Chapter 2 traditionally ended with a final act of desperation from the antagonists.

Even in the game, there was always some incident after the symposium results were announced.

But this time, I had seen it with my own eyes.

Neither of the conditions for a bad ending had been met.

It was truly over.

The long and arduous Chapter 2 had finally come to a close.

I closed my eyes, savoring the brief respite, the taste of freedom…

Or rather, I intended to, until…

Knock, knock.

“Carsein?”

Flora. Of course.

This game wouldn’t let me off so easily.

Just when I thought it was over, there was always something.

“I told you I was tired. What do you want?”

“I-it won’t take long! And I’m alone…”

True to her word, she was by herself this time.

I was about to invite her in, rolling my eyes, when she held out a small vial.

“I… I brought this for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a Kelbia allergy reliever. I… I made it myself!”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Flora flinched, her shoulders hunching slightly.

“It’s customary to give a gift to the winner after the symposium. So… I thought… someone might try to give you Kelbia fruit…”

Well, that was unexpected.

A gift-giving custom? This wasn’t in the original game.

‘…That’s actually useful information.’

In other words, I could have potentially received a bunch of gifts, and among them, Kelbia fruit.

-Ding!

▶ You can receive Flora’s First Place Symposium Gift. ◀

▶ Accepting the gift will increase your affinity. Will you accept? ◀

‘Tsk. Did she really need a system message for this?’

Since it would increase my affinity, I might as well accept. The last thing I needed was a decrease in affinity and another unnecessary complication.

But…

Why did she keep glancing into my room?

“…Is Claire not here with you?”

“Seriously? It would be strange if Claire came looking for me. I saw the family earlier, there’s no reason for her to come to my room.”

Flora’s eyes widened.

“You really didn’t see Claire?”

***

As the smoke cleared and the interior of the room became visible, Claire stared in stunned disbelief.

“What? How…!”

That massive inferno had definitely engulfed the entire room.

With that much firepower, it should have been more than enough to subdue everyone inside.

Yet…

They were still standing.

Shielded by something.

“Hmph. Too late. We'll just have to eliminate this bitch first.”

That…

What was that thing…?

“L-Lady Claire…”

Something that seemed to be a grotesque fusion of human and plant, called out Claire’s name.

Next Chapter

Index

Previous Chapter