I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 221

Chapter 221: The Source of the Contamination (3)

-Bang, bang, bang!

The soldiers’ footsteps echoed loudly through the hallway.

The sounds of doors being flung open and rooms being searched grew closer, and then, a loud banging on this door.

-Bang, bang!

“Excuse me! We’re searching for an intruder! Open the door!”

Harnie responded in a voice unlike any I had ever heard before.

“Are you insane? Interrupting my… private time… for such a trivial matter?”

Wow. A true noble’s bearing was truly something else.

I couldn't help but be impressed.

“J-Just open the door! We’ll be quick!”

“How dare a mere soldier interrupt a noble lady’s… activities… Hmph.”

“B-But…”

“Silence. And get out of here. If I see any of you when I open this door, you’ll regret it. My patience is wearing thin.”

Her threatening tone painted a clear picture of the guards’ panicked expressions.

That should be enough to get them to leave.

Or so I thought.

“Hey, you in there.”

“Yeah?”

“Move aside.”

…Move aside?

I heard muffled voices outside, and then, a loud crash.

-Bang!

“…!”

“What… What are you doing?!”

“This is your last warning. Open the door, or we’ll break it down.”

Harnie’s voice, laced with urgency, echoed from the other side of the door.

“I’m already irritated because of your incompetence in catching the intruder, and now you’re bothering me? Do you want to die?”

“We have to apprehend the intruder. We can’t risk you being an accomplice.”

They weren’t giving up.

‘Is there a place to hide?’

There was. A small opening, a narrow passage above the door. This place hadn't been designated as a safe zone for nothing.

If I could slip through that opening, I could escape without causing a scene. I didn't know where it led, but… I had to try.

-Bang! Bang!

“This is your last chance. We’re coming in.”

I had to hurry.

But…

As I was about to jump, Harnie suddenly pushed me down.

Onto the soft bed.

This wasn't the time… What was she doing?

“…I’m sorry, Carsein.”

“W-What…?!”

“Just… bear with it for a moment!”

“Bear with it…? What are you…?”

-Rustle.

My vision was suddenly obscured.

-Rip. Tear.

And then, my clothes were being torn off.

By Harnie.

“Harnie? What are you…”

“You refuse to open the door, so we have no choice but to suspect you’re hiding something.”

“…!”

“…!”

-Crash!

Before I could ask for an explanation, a deep voice boomed from the other side of the door, followed by an even louder crash.

“We can’t wait any longer. We’re breaking the door down. Forgive our intrusion.”

-Crash! Bang!

The locked door shuddered violently, and then splintered, bursting open.

And at that moment, the buttons on my shirt went flying.

“How dare you interrupt my fun. You’ll regret this.”

…What? I couldn't see anything behind the curtains.

What was going on?

***

As Harnie’s voice, laced with warning, echoed from inside the room, the soldiers hesitated.

“Uh… um…”

“Ahem… hmm…”

They averted their gazes, unable to meet each other’s eyes.

They had caught a glimpse of the scene through the gaps in the lace curtains.

The sound of ripping fabric, of something rolling across the floor.

A discarded shirt.

A blindfolded man, his hands tied, lying on the bed.

And on top of him, a masked woman.

The chaotic state of the room, the suggestive tableau…

…painted a vivid picture of what had transpired.

‘Things are getting heated. This is the black market, after all.’

‘Nothing surprises me here.’

‘They sell drugs, potions for training slaves, even hallucinogens… This is nothing.’

‘The man’s not moving. They must have drugged him.’

‘If she bought him as a slave, she’s probably training him. If they’re both nobles… it’s either an affair, or some kind of fetish.’

This location, while unconventional, was actually quite fitting for such a scene. This was the black market, after all.

And so, the guards reached a unanimous conclusion.

‘…An intruder? Here?’

There was no intruder.

This was just… a noblewoman, training her newly acquired slave.

“You dare break down my door… I’ll report this to your superiors.”

The woman’s chilling threat made the guards flinch.

And then, their gazes, filled with resentment, shifted towards one person.

‘This is all his fault!’

‘He knew what goes on in here! And he still called it an intrusion?’

‘If we’re accused of breaking into a noble’s room… I don’t even want to think about the consequences.’

‘There’s only one way out of this…’

They were about to be punished for their mistake.

And they knew what they had to do.

-Grab!

“Ugh?! Wh-What are you…?”

“I apologize. This idiot is our captain. We’ll report him to the higher-ups and have him punished.”

“What?! You dare attack your superior?! You…!”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

“Know your place!”

“Ugh?! You… you…!”

Insubordination.

A blatant act of mutiny unfolded before their eyes.

The captain, beaten senseless by his own men, collapsed to the floor.

The guards, having quickly taken care of their captain, exchanged nods.

“We apologize! Our foolish captain acted on his own and interrupted your… activities.”

“Please, tell us how you wish to be compensated for this intrusion.”

One scapegoat was enough.

***

“We’ll be taking our leave now!”

The guards, dragging their unconscious captain, bowed their heads and quickly disappeared.

With that, the suspicion that there might be an intruder hiding in the room was dispelled.

The status window confirmed it.

▶ Trap deactivated. ◀

▶ Pursuit ended. ◀

I waited, holding my breath, until the sound of their retreating footsteps faded away. And then, as the mana-enhanced hearing in my ears confirmed their departure, I quickly untied the ropes binding my hands and sat up.

Harnie, who had been holding her breath as well, let out a sigh of relief.

“My fiancée is quite skilled at intimidation, isn’t she?”

“We almost got caught! This isn’t the time for jokes!”

But I had to ask.

“…So, why did you blindfold me, tie my hands, and… what was that all about?”

“That’s because… Kyaaa!”

-Glare!

Harnie’s gaze, sharp as daggers, pierced through me.

She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my bare chest, and then quickly turned away, her face flushed.

“P-Put on your shirt! Now!”

“But… you’re the one who ripped it off…”

“It was an emergency! Here!”

She tossed me a new shirt, her face still averted.

I shrugged and put on the shirt.

“You know why I did it. Why are you even asking?”

“What?”

“You… you know… why.”

“…I don’t.”

“What?”

“I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know. Why I was lying on the bed, why my shirt was ripped, why I was blindfolded, and why you were on top of me. I don’t know any of it.”

“…”

After I finished buttoning my shirt, I repeated my question, and Harnie hesitated, her gaze darting around the room.

“What else was I supposed to do?! We had to pretend we were… doing something… so they wouldn’t suspect us…”

“Doing something?”

“Honestly, you…”

What was she talking about?

Just tell me!

Harnie’s face flushed crimson, and she mumbled,

“We’re… adults… in a locked room… together… What do you think they would assume?”

Huh…?

“And this is the black market! They sell drugs, slaves… Nobles come here for… illicit activities… So I had to… you know…”

…Okay.

I think I understand.

“So you wanted them to think we were… intimate… so they would leave us alone?”

“…Yes! See, you knew all along! You were just teasing me!”

Her indignant outburst confirmed my suspicions. I had understood correctly.

But… why go to such lengths?

“We could have just created a diversion. If I had hidden, they wouldn’t have suspected anything, no matter what you were doing.”

“What?”

“If I had simply disappeared, they would have assumed you were asleep. Or you could have just told them you hadn't seen any intruders and sent them away. That would have been much easier.”

Harnie stared at me blankly.

It took a moment for her to process his words.

“Th-Then why didn’t you say so?! I wouldn’t have had to do… that…”

“Well, you’re the one who pushed me onto the bed.”

“Huh…?”

“I was about to say something, but you pushed me down, tied my hands, blindfolded me, and told me to be quiet! You’re the one who said it would be over quickly!”

Harnie’s eyes widened again.

She was processing his words, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Anyway, I couldn’t say anything! You were too busy giving an Oscar-worthy performance, ripping my shirt and…”

-Slap!

“Stop! Don’t say another word!”

“Ugh… But it’s true! I—”

“I said, be quiet!”

“Ow!”

Two handprints on my back today.

***

We left the room with the broken door and moved to a different location.

I rubbed my stinging back, and Harnie asked,

“So, why are you really here, Carsein?”

“Shouldn't I be asking you that…?”

-Glare.

“Answer me first. You said you were going to the Bagrand Duchy, so why are you here?”

Ugh. I had no excuse.

I had no choice but to explain everything.

The problems in Shatrain, the suspicion of external interference, Talfon tracking the culprits using the scent from the trap…

“I see. So the source of the contaminated fertilizer is here… and you’re trying to find evidence to present at the symposium.”

“That’s right.”

That simplified things considerably.

She was a smart woman.

“And we’ll discuss your reckless behavior later.”

…Right.

This was going to be a problem.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered hiding anything.”

“What?”

“I’m also looking for evidence to use against the Theresia Marquisate… Maybe I should have come with you…”

So our objectives aligned.

‘I was thinking the same thing.’

Though I hadn't expected this to happen.

-Ding!

▶ Episode XI. The Source of the Contamination is in progress. ◀

▶ You have entered the black market. Find traces of the Waglu faction. ◀

▶ Acquiring more evidence will unlock additional choices. ◀

‘Evidence…’

So, just like in the territory, I had to gather clues and use them to expose the culprits.

In the game, I would have had to collect clues scattered throughout the area, complete Sub-Episodes, solve puzzles in Emergency Missions, and use those accomplishments to unlock choices.

It wouldn't be easy.

I had never taken this route in the game, so I had no prior information.

However…

-Pa-ba-ba-bam. Pam pam pam. Pam-pa-ba-ba-bam!

“That’s the signal for the auction. It’s about to begin. We should move before we attract any more attention.”

I had a source of information.

All I had to do was use my brain.

“Alright, let’s go— ”

-Ding!

▶ Emergency Mission triggered during Episode XI. The Source of the Contamination! ◀

▶ Find traces of the Ancient Kingdom for a potential reward. ◀

“Carsein?”

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

…Traces of the Ancient Kingdom?

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