I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 224

Chapter 224: The Source of the Contamination (6)

I'm bewildered.

No, beyond bewildered, I'm irritated.

A brightly glowing object… there's only one thing it could be.

A Memorial, a window into Carsein's past.

The status window clearly stated it was a Memorial.

But why?

Why was I seeing this house again? The one I had left behind?

-Rustle.

“…!”

A presence. I turned sharply, my senses on high alert.

Just three steps away, a man was walking towards me.

A chilling gaze. I recognized it instantly.

Yes. I remembered this.

A dark, foggy night.

A night shrouded in an oppressive darkness.

A night when my family, excluding me, was laughing and chatting happily inside the house.

And outside, a shadowy figure lurked.

A man, a knife glinting in his hand.

I had recognized him immediately. And I knew what was about to happen.

-Step, step.

His gaze, chilling and intense, met mine. I braced myself for an attack, but the man simply walked straight ahead.

As if I wasn't even there.

As if I were invisible.

He continued walking, one step at a time, coming closer and closer.

And then, our bodies passed through each other. He didn’t stop, didn't even acknowledge my presence. He simply continued walking, his destination unknown.

Right. This wasn't Carsein's memory. It was mine.

“And then…”

My gaze shifted towards the house.

There, my past self was silently approaching, having just finished my part-time job.

A man walking toward the house with a kitchen knife in hand.

And my past self, who happened to discover this situation.

Faintly, the memories of that time began coming back.

***

-Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

The laughter and chatter from inside the living room stopped abruptly.

“Who’s that? Did either of you order anything?”

“I didn’t.”

“Me neither. Big Sister?”

“What about you, Mom?”

Their mother shook her head.

None of them had ordered anything, had expected a visitor.

“I didn’t order anything either. Who could it be, at this hour?”

The second sister, tilting her head curiously, opened the door.

-Click.

“…? Hello?”

She opened the door, but there was no one there.

Only silence.

The doorbell had definitely rung. But there was no one outside. Her brow furrowed in annoyance.

“Seriously? Who would ding-dong ditch at this hour?”

Muttering under her breath, she closed the door and turned away.

But… was it really just a prank?

Out of sight, a fierce struggle was taking place.

-Grasp.

“Ugh! Let go!”

“Oof!”

Min-hyeok had ambushed the man, knocking the knife from his hand and pinning him against the wall. But the man was stronger than he looked.

He reeked of alcohol, his senses dulled, but his strength was still considerable. And Min-hyeok couldn't risk making too much noise, so he couldn’t knock him out completely.

“Haa… Haa… Who… who are you?! What the hell are you doing?!”

The man grabbed his knife and glared at Min-hyeok, his eyes finally focusing. Recognition dawned.

“You… You’re… that girl’s little brother? Seriously? I can’t believe I’m being attacked by a pathetic little…”

Yes. The man was a senior from his school.

One year older than Min-hyeok.

And there was a reason for this attack.

“Min-hyeok, you little punk. I’m here to see your sister, so get lost.”

“Young-jun. You really think she’ll accept your confession after this?”

“What?”

“You got rejected, remember? At school.”

“I wasn’t rejected! What do you know?!”

“You were so obviously rejected. And you think showing up drunk at her house will change anything?”

Young-jun gritted his teeth.

“Eun-hye is just shy! She’s embarrassed! That’s why she didn’t answer! Now move!”

“…Ha.”

A knife and a pathetic excuse. Like hell he would move.

The man was clearly not in his right mind. If he entered the house in this state, who knew what he would do?

Min-hyeok had been mistreated by that family countless times.

But he didn't want to see them get hurt, not like this.

He got into a fighting stance.

He was unarmed, facing a man with a knife.

A cold sweat trickled down his back.

But Min-hyeok calmly assessed the situation.

“Ha… Haha… You think you can interfere with my love life? You’re insane!”

The man was drunk, his senses dulled, his movements clumsy.

His balance was off, his vision blurry.

‘If I can just disarm him…’

Young-jun lunged, the knife aimed at Min-hyeok’s throat.

“You little… You need to disappear. Eun-hye wants you gone anyway. You’re nothing but a nuisance to their family. It wouldn't be so bad if you just… disappeared. Right? In fact, Eun-hye might even be happy if I… took care of you… Heh… Hehehe…”

Crazy bastard.

Chilling. Utterly chilling.

“Die!”

His eyes bloodshot, Young-jun charged.

He was clearly out of his mind, fixated on killing Min-hyeok.

But his movements were sloppy and predictable. His strength, concentrated in his arm, left him vulnerable.

There was an opening.

-Dodge! Duck!

Min-hyeok dodged two attacks, waiting for his chance. And then, with lightning speed, he moved.

-Slash!

The blade grazed his cheek, drawing blood.

And in that instant…

Min-hyeok disarmed him, twisting his arm and sending him sprawling to the ground.

“Aaargh!”

-Thud.

He pinned the man down, wrenching the knife from his grasp.

“Ugh… Let… Let go of me!”

Young-jun struggled, thrashing wildly, the alcohol numbing the pain. But just as Min-hyeok was starting to tire, the sound of sirens echoed through the night.

“What’s that? Sirens?”

“Sounds like something’s happening outside.”

“Eek! I’m scared!”

“Don’t worry, just stay close to Big Sister.”

The sirens faded away.

The laughter and chatter from inside the house resumed.

And a short while later…

Min-hyeok entered the house.

“Hey, why are you so la— What happened to your face?”

Min-hyeok tried to slip past her, but his second sister, Eun-hye, grabbed his arm.

“Why are you covered in bandages?”

Min-hyeok shrugged her off.

“Mind your own business.”

“What?! I’m just worried—”

-Slam.

“Ugh… What a jerk.”

“Just leave him alone. Why do you even bother?”

“…”

At her older sister’s words, Eun-hye clicked her tongue and turned away.

But…

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Her gaze kept returning to Min-hyeok's room.

Later, when the police contacted them, informing them about the nature of Min-hyeok’s injuries…

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

***

▶ Hidden Memorial has ended. ◀

…That was a Memorial?

Seriously?

It was just a replay of a painful memory from my past.

A memory I had tried to forget, a memory that would have faded with time.

And they called that a Memorial?

“Ha… Damn it. I got played.”

This game was messing with me.

They had promised valuable information, a crucial clue that would help me expose the Waglu faction… and all I got was this?

I waited impatiently for the timer to end.

And then, the status window displayed another message.

-Ding!

▶ Special reward granted for completing the Hidden Memorial: A secret of this world revealed! ◀

A secret… of this world?

【 The fate of another person in this world will be determined by your choices. 】

“…What?”

What was that supposed to mean?

The fate of another person? Determined by my choices?

Were they saying that someone would die if I made the wrong choice?

“Explain yourself! What does that even mean?!”

I shouted at the status window, but there was no response.

▶ This scene is a Hidden Memorial. ◀

▶ Collect more Hidden Memorials for additional information. ◀

▶ Gather information related to the Wederos Kingdom. ◀

▶ Memorial effect deactivated. Timer starting. ◀

10…

9…

The unsettling message made my blood run cold.

Someone’s life, hanging in the balance, dependent on my choices?

Even for a game, this was disturbing.

“Damn it, what the hell…!”

I gritted my teeth, my frustration growing, but the timer was ticking down.

I couldn't waste time dwelling on this cryptic message.

“…Gather information related to the Wederos Kingdom…”

That was my only lead.

I had to investigate this unknown kingdom, a place I had never encountered in the game, despite countless retries.

Maybe then, I would understand.

The secret of this world.

The connection between my life and someone else's.

The answers, I hoped, lay hidden within the history of the Wederos Kingdom.

▶ Timer ended. ◀

▶ Time resumes. ◀

“Harnie, do you mind if we leave now?”

“What? I don’t mind, but…”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

“W-Wait! Kyaaa!”

***

The Wederos Kingdom was still a mystery.

The first clue had appeared in Lusmire.

An old man, intrigued by the ring, had summoned Delphina and activated some kind of magic.

His reaction had hinted at a connection to the Wederos Kingdom.

And then, there was Pollux’s strange question.

-So you’re from the Wederos Kingdom?

-…What?

-You couldn’t wear that ring if you weren’t. But you’re wearing it without any side effects.

A special ring, and its side effects.

I was wearing the ring without any problems.

Was it a game setting? Or was there some hidden backstory? I didn't know.

But this ring was the only clue I had.

-I don’t know much about the Wederos Kingdom…

A kingdom, not a tribe. That was all Harnie knew.

But there was someone else who might know more about the West.

“Talfon.”

“…Carsein? Back so soon?”

“Sorry to interrupt, but could you take a look at this?”

I held out my hand, showing him the ring.

“This is…!”

“Pollux said this ring has side effects. And that only someone from the Wederos Kingdom can wear it without any problems.”

“So Pollux…”

“And this sword, too.”

“…Yes. That sword can only be wielded by someone from the Wederos Kingdom.”

But I had already confirmed it.

This sword was perfectly suited to me.

▶ The Silver Dagger of the Wederos Kingdom grows stronger as the player levels up! ◀

That message alone was enough proof.

“Tell me about the Wederos Kingdom. And tell me why these items react to me.”

“…I suppose it’s time.”

Talfon was silent for a moment, and then, after closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he opened them and sat down. He had used his sense of smell to confirm that no one else was nearby.

“Before I answer that, let me ask you a question, Carsein. Where are you from?”

“What are you talking about? I’m—”

“You’re not from the Bagrand Duchy. And you’re not from this world, either.”

“…!!”

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