I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 181

Chapter 181: The Second Agent (2)

Dyke and Frikt returned.

The other guards, hearing their approaching footsteps, looked up, their gazes filled with anticipation.

But they already knew.

They worked together, lived together, ate together. They knew each other's routines, their habits, their moods.

And their footsteps weren’t the light, energetic steps of success.

They were the heavy, dragging footsteps of failure.

Dyke, sensing their apprehension, spoke, forcing a smile.

“Don’t worry. The year’s not over yet.”

“That’s right. It’s only been a few days. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Frikt, echoing Dyke’s attempt to lift their spirits, chimed in.

But even they couldn't remain optimistic forever.

“This has been going on for months! How much longer are we supposed to wait?!”

“Hey.”

“I never imagined it would be this difficult to get a single bunch of grapes! Has anyone even seen one this year? And the strawberries! We haven't even seen a single leaf!”

One of the guards, unable to contain his frustration, burst out, and silence descended upon the group.

None of them had seen Shatrain’s specialties, not even once.

“We came here for those fruits! We’ve been waiting for months! And for what?! If this is all there is… then… then…!”

-Grab!

Dyke, sensing his colleague’s rising anger, grabbed his arm, preventing him from acting rashly.

“If you resort to thievery, they’ll never trust you again. And what if a noble has already reserved those fruits? You’ll end up in jail!”

“Frikt, but…!”

“Calm down, Frikt. We couldn’t get them during the off-season last year either. The harvest was too small.”

“The harvest will increase during peak season. We’ll be able to get them then. I know it’s urgent, but be patient.”

“…Alright.”

The agitated guard calmed down, his anger subsiding.

They understood his frustration. They were in the same boat.

But if they resorted to thievery, they would be expelled from the village, and they would never be able to obtain Shatrain’s specialties. It was a one-way ticket to ruin.

Dyke and Frikt decided to reiterate their earlier conversation, the conclusion they had reached.

“Don’t be so impatient. Like I said, the harvest will increase during peak season. And this year, it will be even bigger.”

“Even bigger?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Shatrain has expanded the strawberry and grape fields. They’re planning to import other crops.”

“Oh…!”

A glimmer of hope flickered in their eyes.

If the fields were bigger, the harvest would naturally be bigger. And with peak season approaching, there was a chance they would finally be able to obtain the fruits.

“So, be patient. Alright?”

“Let’s go back!”

Dyke and Frikt had successfully calmed their colleagues.

The guards, their spirits lifted, returned to their posts.

The next day, Dyke received a letter.

But the contents of the letter weren’t good.

『 Dyke, your sister ─── 』

His sister’s illness had worsened.

Dyke, who had been reassuring his colleagues, was now the one consumed by anxiety.

After his shift, he slipped away, unnoticed, and headed towards the marketplace.

“Hmm? You’re one of the guards…”

“Strawberries. I’d like to place a reservation.”

-Thud.

He cut the villager off, placing a heavy pouch of coins on the table.

All his savings, every last coin, spilled onto the wooden surface.

But the villager shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not enough. Reservations cost more.”

The demand for Shatrain’s specialties had skyrocketed, and so had the price.

Reservations were required to secure a purchase, and even those had to be made in advance, due to the high demand from the nobility.

That’s why the price of strawberries and grapes had doubled, tripled even.

“…”

“Wait a little longer. If there are any left, I’ll sell them to you first.”

Dyke, his heart heavy, left the marketplace empty-handed.

His hands felt strangely light, despite the weight of his worries.

“No, the price… the price will go down. It has to.”

Peak season was approaching. And they had expanded the fields. The price had to go down. He might even be able to buy them without a reservation.

He clenched his fists, trying to quell his anxiety.

And then…

A man emerged from a nearby alleyway.

“Your sister’s illness is called Helketa I, isn’t it?”

“…!”

“It’s a rare disease. The only cure is a special medicine, made with various ingredients, including Shatrain strawberries. It’s not fatal in its early stages, but if left untreated, the mortality rate increases significantly.”

Dyke’s blood ran cold.

Very few people knew about Helketa I. It was a rare disease, its symptoms and treatment methods largely unknown.

And yet, this man had described it perfectly.

“Who… Who are you…?”

“The price of strawberries won’t go down.”

“What…?”

***

He needed Shatrain strawberries to create the medicine that would cure his sister’s illness.

A year ago, his younger sister had been diagnosed with Helketa I. It required a special medicine, a complex concoction made with rare ingredients.

And the most difficult ingredient to obtain was Shatrain strawberries.

He had gathered all the other ingredients, but the strawberries… they were impossible to find.

The blight had devastated Shatrain’s strawberry fields, and the few remaining fruits were being sold at exorbitant prices.

He had traveled to Shatrain, hoping to secure a supply, and he had even taken a lower-paying job as a guard, just to be closer to the source.

He had to get those strawberries.

But the price was going to increase?

The price of the medicine that would save his sister’s life?

“What… What do you mean?”

“The demand for Shatrain strawberries is constantly increasing. The statistics show that the price has been steadily rising, even though the harvest hasn’t changed. The purchase intervals are getting shorter, the reservations are being made further in advance. It’s undeniable.”

“But…！ They’ve expanded the fields! There will be more strawberries! The price has to go down!”

“It won’t.”

The man, his voice cold and firm, cut him off.

“The main consumers of Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes are the nobles.”

“…!”

“The price has skyrocketed, the quality has declined, the supply has dwindled… and yet, the demand hasn’t changed. That means only the wealthy can afford them. Shatrain strawberries are no longer a fruit for commoners.”

“That’s… impossible…”

Dyke slumped to the ground, his legs giving way.

He had known, hadn’t he? Deep down, he had suspected.

He had been working as a guard in Shatrain for over a year. He had been there longer than any of the other guards, and he had noticed the inconsistencies, the strange patterns.

The reservations.

The exorbitant prices.

The fact that the buyers were always nobles…

It all made sense now.

The man, his voice echoing through the alleyway, had confirmed his fears.

Shatrain’s specialties had become luxury items, premium products for the nobility.

-Clench.

“No… No! That can’t be true!”

But he couldn’t accept it.

He couldn’t give up, not when he was so close.

His sister’s life depended on those strawberries.

“I… I’ve been in Shatrain for a year! I know! The price will go down…!”

He couldn't give up.

Not as a brother.

“I understand your desperation. I can’t truly empathize, since I don’t have any siblings, but…”

-Slide.

The man stepped out of the shadows, removing his hood.

Dyke’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Y-You…!”

Carsein Bagrand.

The temporary lord of Shatrain, the one who had been in charge of the territory during the blight.

He was standing right there.

“I’ll give you a few days. Observe the market, see for yourself if the price goes down. But…”

-Toss!

“Whoa!”

“If you change your mind, come to the location marked on this.”

Carsein tossed him a small notebook and then walked away.

The notebook contained detailed statistics on the price fluctuations of Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes, along with graphs charting their steady rise.

And there was a small, folded piece of paper tucked inside.

He unfolded it, and saw a map.

“Did… Did he really investigate all of this?”

Dyke stared at the alleyway where Carsein had disappeared, his mind reeling.

Carsein.

The one they called a disgrace to the nobility, the one with countless labels, countless accusations.

The one who had caused the blight, the one who had ruined Shatrain.

He had expected Carsein’s research to be superficial, unreliable.

But the data in this notebook was undeniable.

***

-Ding!

▶ Sub-Episode: Agent: Dyke accepted. ◀

▶ Persuade Dyke to become your Agent. ◀

-Ding!

▶ Preceding event detected and completed. ◀

▶ Dyke’s Affinity increased. ◀

[ Current Affinity: -11% ]

‘-11%?’

It had been much lower in the game, when I had first triggered this sub-episode.

‘…That single event, triggered by Ferdi’s skill, has closed a 10% gap.’

Dyke was usually the last Agent I recruited, his recruitment often delayed until the end of Week 3.

It took a significant amount of time and effort to raise his affinity level high enough to unlock the recruitment choice. But now…

The starting point had been significantly advanced.

“Time to get back to work.”

Now that I had confirmed the effectiveness of my strategy, there was much to do.

I needed to prepare, to gather more information, to create a solid foundation for recruiting Dyke.

I needed more data, more detailed statistics.

And in this era, with its limited technology and resources…

It would take time.

I would have to work late into the night, enduring Harnie’s nagging.

‘But I can just sneak out, can’t I?’

She was probably back in her own territory, managing the flowerpots with Shatrain’s soil.

It should be fine. I could work all night without her knowing.

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