I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Turning Point (3)

“It seems like the rumors aren’t affecting him as much anymore.”

“That’s right. Unlike when he skipped the Week 4 report and requested a Rest Week, he’s performing exceptionally well. He hasn't received a single criticism.”

“It’s not just his abilities, though… He’s… changed, somehow.”

“Mmm… yes. He’s… more noticeable now.”

The noblewomen’s cheerful chatter grated on her nerves.

It bothered her.

This wasn't the time or place for such frivolous gossip.

She shouldn’t let it get to her. She had to maintain her composure, to avoid giving the Theresia Marquisate any ammunition against her.

Harnie tried to regain her poker face.

But one of the noblewomen's voices, sharp and piercing, cut through her efforts.

“He doesn’t even have a fiancée, does he? Then whoever catches him first wins.”

What?! He does have a fiancée!

Harnie was about to turn around and retort when she felt herself being pulled back. Into Carsein's arms.

“You won’t catch me.”

Wh-What…? What was he saying?!

Such a bold declaration, in front of everyone… !

Her heart pounded in her chest.

And that pounding, that sudden surge of adrenaline, brought her back to reality.

“Huh…?”

She blinked, her vision clearing.

She wasn't in the conference hall. She was in a carriage.

Right. The Week 5 report meeting had already ended.

Both she and Carsein had completed their reports without any issues.

That meant…

She had been dreaming.

“Ugh… Seriously…”

What a strange dream.

A wave of heat, followed by a surge of embarrassment, washed over her.

“Carsein is…”

…asleep. She had been worried that she might have disturbed him, but thankfully, he was still sleeping soundly, his head resting on her shoulder.

As she watched him sleep, she remembered what had happened after they entered the carriage.

“So I fell asleep as well.”

Harnie sighed.

She had been exhausted after the Week 5 report meeting. And they had visited the Onoph Bridge late at night, so it wasn’t that strange for her to have fallen asleep.

“But it’s unusual. I fell asleep first, not Carsein.”

Carsein usually kept himself busy, even in the carriage.

He was always working, reviewing reports, calculating expenses, comparing crop yields, analyzing the Duchy's support funds… If he wasn't working on documents, he was scribbling calculations in his notebook.

He never wasted a single moment, even during travel.

His constant busyness had always worried her. She wished he would take a break sometimes.

But today, his hands were empty.

He had fallen asleep shortly after they entered the carriage.

Perhaps… he had been tired as well.

Exhausted, both physically and mentally, after meeting with his family.

“…Family.”

It wasn’t just Carsein who had a complicated relationship with his family.

Harnie, too, was trying to sever ties with the Theresia Marquisate.

The opportunity was approaching.

The second stage of her plan to escape their control.

If she could exploit the cracks she had created, she would be able to break free from the Theresia Marquisate by autumn.

But if that happened…

-Lightly.

…her contract with Carsein would end as well.

She would gain her freedom from the Marquisate, but she would also have to part ways with Carsein.

The thought of their separation, of the day their contract ended, of the Oath Orb’s magic fading… it made her chest ache.

…She didn’t want to leave him.

Harnie bit her lip, her mind racing.

“Could I… extend the contract…?”

Carsein had said he didn't want to join her trading company because it might give the Bagrand Duchy a reason to interfere.

The Plesia Trading Company was relatively well-known, but its influence was no match for the Bagrand Duchy.

But what if… it wasn’t just a trading company? What if it was an entire family?

“…Yes. This might work. No, it will work.”

If she didn’t leave the Marquisate, the contract would naturally be extended.

And it would still allow her to achieve her goal, even if it took a little longer.

“That’s it. I won’t escape the Theresia Marquisate, I’ll take control of it. Then everything will be solved.”

Just wait, Carsein.

I’ll help you.

“But first… I have to make sure you’re getting enough sleep.”

Harnie smiled, gently adjusting Carsein’s head on her lap.

***

Late at night.

Arina, putting aside her documents, prepared for bed.

And then…

Carsein’s voice echoed in her mind.

“…”

She had been about to slap him. But he had caught her wrist.

In the past, he would have just taken the blow, his cheek stinging, his lip bleeding. But this time, he had stopped her.

-You thought I would just stand there and take it? You’re wrong, Arina Bagrand.

And then, he had declared, right in front of her,

That he had changed.

-Watch closely. And if I fail, just like you predicted… then you can do whatever you want. Lock me up, make me a servant, strip me of the Bagrand name… I don't care.

Her fingernails dug into her palms, her knuckles turning white.

“How dare he…!”

Watch closely?

Did he really think he could succeed? Didn't he realize that failure was inevitable? That he would be ridiculed by the nobles, and that the Duchy's reputation would be tarnished?

“Sigh. What am I going to do with him…?”

Her head throbbed, a dull ache behind her eyes.

How could she fix this? What could she offer to appease the villagers, to stabilize the situation?

The thought of the potential losses made her blood boil.

She was starting to regret not forcing him to give up earlier.

And then, she remembered the feeling of his hand gripping her wrist.

…It had been charged with mana.

He had infused his hand with mana, without even thinking, driven by his emotions.

Did that mean… he had actually grown stronger?

“Hmph. That’s impossible.”

If he had truly improved, he would have already realized that Shatrain was beyond saving, that the villagers’ livelihoods couldn’t be restored.

After five weeks of trying everything, he should have come to the conclusion that Shatrain couldn’t be revitalized.

And yet, he was still clinging to that foolish notion, postponing the inevitable, doubling the penalty he would receive at the final evaluation.

“This might actually be a good thing. This gives me an opportunity to teach him a lesson, since Mother keeps coddling him.”

She would use this incident as an excuse to finally discipline him. She would clean up his mess, just like always.

Arina sighed and laid her head on the pillow.

-Oh, I know. You prefer to discard things quietly, don't you?

“…Tsk!”

It was just another excuse, another delay tactic.

That’s who he was.

***

The next day arrived.

When he woke up, his head was resting on Harnie’s lap, which made him sigh. But that was a minor inconvenience compared to what happened next.

“Please… allow us to help you, Lord Carsein!”

That was the first thing he heard upon returning to Shatrain.

This had never happened before.

They should have been yelling at him, accusing him of lying.

They should have been protesting, complaining about his tyranny, about how he was ruining their territory.

The most extreme among them should have been questioning his every decision, setting traps, throwing things at him, hoping he would give up.

But their attitude had completely changed.

They were kneeling, prostrating themselves before him, their voices filled with desperation, their defiance gone.

-Ding!

▶ You can now issue commands to the Shatrain villagers. ◀

He had successfully gained control of Shatrain, earning the right to issue commands.

However, just like before, several of the territory management UI elements and choices were missing.

It meant he had to manage the territory directly, without relying on the game system’s guidance.

But that wasn’t a problem.

“Thanks to your instructions, Lord Carsein, we’ve been able to space out the crops properly. It’s made our work so much easier! We never thought of doing it this way…”

“The average grade of our crops has improved significantly, both in your fields and ours. And fewer crops are dying.”

“We’ve gathered all of that fertilizer you told us not to use and stored it in a separate warehouse! We can’t get our money back, but… we promise we won’t use it anymore!”

He could gradually improve the situation by implementing changes based on his own knowledge and the information he had gathered.

He would start by adjusting their farming methods and land management techniques, optimizing them based on the data he had collected.

Unlike in the real world, this fantasy setting required a more… experimental approach. He would have to conduct research and tests to find the right solutions.

But he had plenty of time.

And as the days passed, Shatrain slowly began to recover.

High-grade crops, once only found in the fields under his direct control, were now appearing throughout the territory.

But…

Not all problems had been solved.

“Agh!”

“A Mandragora…!”

The strawberry and grape fields were growing as expected, but… something else had appeared.

An abnormally large stem, thicker than any they had ever seen.

Two long branches, like arms, extending from the main stem.

A gaping maw, filled with sharp teeth and a long, flickering tongue, hidden within the petals.

This… was no longer a crop.

-Ding!

▶ Enemy unit detected! ◀

▶ Lv. 30 Red Mandragora ◀

▶ Lv. 32 Purple Mandragora ◀

“Monsters… in the middle of Shatrain?!”

Encountering monsters in this game wasn’t unusual.

He had to hunt them to level up Carsein’s stats.

But monsters appearing in the middle of the village, in the crop fields…?

That was unheard of.

“…This isn’t the time to be surprised.”

▶ Territory development progress will decrease if villagers are harmed. ◀

▶ Eliminate the monsters quickly. ◀

Decreased development progress? I had to deal with this immediately.

“Talfon!”

“Right!”

Thankfully, the monsters weren’t that strong. With my current stats, I could handle them on my own. And even if there were more of them, I had Talfon and the Lilpet Tribe, specialists in monster hunting, as my Agents.

While I couldn't afford to put Carsein in danger, the Wederos Kingdom Swordsmanship skill should be enough to deal with even stronger monsters.

My mana-infused blade sliced through the stems and vines, and after dodging a few predictable attacks, the Mandragoras were quickly dispatched.

-Thud.

Something familiar lay on the ground where the Mandragoras had been.

“Is that…?”

It was the same piece of wood I had found in the field.

“So this… This is what’s left behind when a Mandragora dies?”

“Gasp… Gasp… That… that’s just the remains of a mutated crop… a natural byproduct of its decomposition…”

Brem rushed over, out of breath, and explained.

“But there’s more to it than that. If you’ll excuse me…”

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