I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 192

Chapter 192: One Step Away (8)

Two days had passed since Carsein had cultivated the strawberries and grapes and delivered them to the guards.

And those two days had also passed for the villagers.

They had hastily expanded their fields, but the harvest wasn’t promising, and their worries turned into reality when they reviewed the accounts.

“We’re in the red…”

“Again?”

The villagers’ faces hardened.

“We bought all that expensive fertilizer, and we’re still losing money…?”

“So the blight is back?”

“What about food? We’ll have to buy it from other territories.”

They had used all their funds, including the Duchy’s support, to purchase fertilizer, hoping to cover their expenses with the profits from the harvest.

But the unexpected deficit meant that many families were now facing starvation.

“A blight?! No! That’s not the problem!”

Map, the village enforcer, stood up, his fists clenched, denying the possibility.

“We’re only using two-thirds of Shatrain’s land! We can’t cultivate the other third! How can we expect a good harvest with so little land?!”

The villagers nodded in agreement.

“He’s right. If we had more land, the harvest would be bigger. It’s a problem with the farmland.”

“And that’s not all. We converted the fields that used to grow other crops into strawberry and grape fields. We might not have noticed it at first, but there will be problems.”

“That would significantly impact the harvest!”

“It’s like we lost a third of our land!”

The deficit was blamed on the poor harvest, the poor harvest was blamed on the lack of land, and the blame ultimately landed on Carsein, the one who had taken control of one-third of their fields.

“So the reason for this deficit is obvious, isn’t it?”

“If we had managed that land ourselves, the harvest would have been bigger. We wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“We might not even be in the red. If we had used all our land, we could have easily covered the costs.”

“It’s all because of that incompetent lord!”

As the villagers blamed Carsein, Map seized the opportunity.

“Shouldn’t we formally protest this?”

“Protest?”

“Let’s demand compensation for the food.”

“W-What?”

“We’ve identified the cause of the deficit. We had to compromise when he took our land, but this deficit is Carsein’s fault!”

The villagers nodded in agreement.

“He’s right. We shouldn’t have to starve.”

“Why should we suffer because of his mistakes?”

“Even during the off-season, it wasn’t this bad. We should protest!”

“Let’s go! We’ll demand compensation for our losses!”

““Yeah!””

Led by Map, the villagers marched towards Carsein’s lodgings, ready to confront him.

***

“Hmm.”

I tapped my chin, looking at the status windows filled with UI elements.

“This can’t be adjusted.”

The timing for using Dyke’s Agent skill had been perfect.

He had followed my instructions and waited two days before acting. There weren't any other events triggered, and his Agent rank hadn’t decreased. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But even though I had accelerated the timeline, I hadn’t anticipated this.

▶ Detected a missed mandatory event. ◀

▶ Main Episode: Shatrain’s Agent has been postponed. ◀

▶ Episode VII changed to Flora’s Birthday. ◀

▶ Episode VII. Flora’s Birthday is in progress. ◀

▶ You must travel to the birthday party and spend the day there. ◀

I had experienced several instances of the main episode changing abruptly after meeting hidden conditions, but even in the game, there were times when the storyline shifted drastically.

That was the case with the main event of Week 3 in the 21st Eastern Nobles' Conference.

It was when Flora’s birthday approached.

“Sigh… I have to leave now?”

The key to conquering Shatrain was identifying and proving its problems.

In other words, utilizing the Clue and Proof event effectively was crucial.

Carsein, initially powerless, had to gradually gain authority and influence through these events.

But now, I was facing a dilemma.

“Damn it. There’s no way to avoid this episode.”

If I didn't attend Flora's birthday party, the affinity of all my family members would drop by 30%. And if I didn't bring the required gifts, their affinity would be permanently fixed at -10%, regardless of any other actions I took. It would be a disaster.

Furthermore, Flora’s birthday coincided with the debutante season for prominent nobles, which meant I would be facing the scrutiny of the entire nobility.

That's why I couldn't refuse. Not only would my family’s affinity plummet, but even the Duchy staff and everyone who heard about it would turn their backs on me.

Any choice I made after that would lead to a bad ending.

That’s why Flora’s Birthday was a mandatory episode in Week 3.

The solution was simple. Since I couldn't trigger the Clue and Proof event right now, I had to prioritize the main episode, Flora’s Birthday.

“I’ve already prepared for the Clue and Proof event. The most important thing right now is the food shortage.”

I could always point out the flaws in their farming methods by showing them the strawberries and grapes I had cultivated.

But first, I had to address the food shortage caused by their decision to convert all available land into strawberry and grape fields.

“This… This is the perfect task for him.”

I might be wrong.

If the villagers had managed their resources properly, they might not be facing a food shortage.

If that was the case, I would lose a valuable bargaining chip. But even then, it wasn't a crucial element. I could always use the Clue and Proof event to address the flaws in their farming methods later.

If they weren’t facing a food shortage, I would deal with it then.

And when I returned…

A lot had happened.

***

About thirty minutes after Carsein had left in the carriage.

The villagers who had come to lodge a complaint were informed of his absence by the guards.

“He’s not here?”

“That’s correct.”

“Did he say when he would return?”

“We don’t know.”

The villagers were confused.

‘Did he run away?’

‘Or did he make an excuse because he knew we were coming?’

‘Is he trying to avoid us?!’

All sorts of thoughts raced through their minds.

They had come to formally protest, to demand compensation, but without the lord present, their efforts were meaningless.

As they stood there, confused and frustrated, the guards exchanged glances and then returned, carrying baskets and boxes.

“What’s this? Food?”

“Did you prepare this?”

“Of course not.”

Dyke had been worried when he had issued the lockdown order.

Many of the guards had witnessed the villagers secretly purchasing food, so he had been concerned about the potential consequences of restricting their access to supplies.

And after the lockdown, the number of merchants visiting Shatrain had decreased significantly. The blocked roads meant that even the food they usually obtained from outside was now scarce.

But now…

He wondered if Carsein had anticipated even this.

“Young Master Carsein left these for you. He said to give them to you when you arrived.”

Fresh vegetables, cultivated in Shatrain, were being distributed to the villagers.

It was a brilliant solution.

He had maintained the lockdown while simultaneously preventing a food shortage.

It was the perfect strategy.

Dyke, Frikt, and the other guards, their hearts filled with admiration, distributed the food.

They had expected the villagers to be grateful, to acknowledge Carsein’s generosity.

But…

“Hmph. Is he trying to show off?”

“Does he think we’ll be grateful for this?”

“He took our land, and now he’s giving us food? How condescending!”

The villagers, instead of expressing gratitude, were filled with resentment.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Shouldn’t they be happy…?’

‘He solved their food shortage, and they’re angry?’

Dyke and the other guards were confused. They couldn't understand their reaction.

‘Aren’t they being too harsh?’

‘There are lords who openly embezzle funds, and they’re complaining about him giving them food he cultivated himself?’

‘He even bought meat with his own money and added it to the baskets! How can they be so ungrateful?!’

They couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with the villagers.

Dyke, unable to contain his anger, gritted his teeth.

-Shove.

“Hey!”

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“How dare you!”

Dyke shoved his spear towards one of the villagers, and they cried out in alarm.

“Go back. Now.”

“W-What?”

“Take this food and leave. Unless you want to insult us as well.”

Map, the village enforcer, glared at Dyke.

But Dyke’s unwavering gaze made him flinch, and he turned away.

“…Don’t interfere. You’re just a guard. Tsk.”

As the villagers left, the guards vented their frustration.

“What the hell is wrong with them? How can they react like that?”

“They were on the verge of starvation…!”

“He treated them with such generosity, and they’re complaining? Those bastards.”

“I guess they’re too proud now that they’re growing expensive fruits.”

The guards shared the same sentiment.

Carsein was their benefactor.

He had sacrificed his own profits to provide them with Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes.

They were furious at the villagers for insulting him, but they managed to calm themselves down after Dyke intervened.

“Shouldn’t we confront them?”

“I agree!”

“They’re being so arrogant! I can’t stand it!”

Dyke, his jaw clenched, spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s go back.”

“Dyke!”

“Is this really the right thing to do?”

“We have to be patient. We don’t want to cause trouble for Young Master Carsein.”

The guards nodded in agreement.

They were frustrated, but they knew Dyke was right. They had to retreat.

“Frikt, I heard they’re trading with another territory through the northern road.”

“Yeah, they’re trying to bypass the lockdown.”

“Then let’s get our revenge.”

Several hours passed.

The guards tightened security, their vigilance increased.

“Excuse me, but can we see what’s inside?”

“W-What is the meaning of this?”

“You’re a guard, aren’t you? Why are you inspecting our goods?”

“If you refuse, we’ll have to use force.”

“How dare you!”

“We’re guards. It’s our duty to monitor suspicious activity. Is that a problem?”

“We need to know what you’re bringing into the territory. We can’t just ignore it.”

The villagers, their faces grim, reluctantly allowed the guards to inspect their goods.

“This is…”

“These items are suspicious. We’ll confiscate them.”

“What?! How are these suspicious?!”

“They’re… unregistered.”

“All goods from outside the territory must be inspected.”

Dyke, watching the villagers’ twisted expressions, felt a surge of anger.

One step away.

This was his small act of revenge.

And as they carried out their duties, the guards reached a silent agreement.

Shatrain’s Shame… It wasn’t Carsein’s fault. It was the villagers’.

-Ding!

▶ Affinity for Dyke and other guards significantly increased. ◀

[ Dyke ]

[ Current Affinity: 52% ]

▶ Affinity settings changed! ◀

[ The Guard’s Fury ]

[ Current Affinity: 52% ]

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