I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: CHAPTER 2 - EPISODE V (5)

The Eastern Nobles' Conference.

This conference hall, commonly referred to as the Symposium, was divided into sections.

It might have been a conference on the surface, but it was essentially a test, a way for the Imperial Family to assess the abilities of the young nobles. And for the nobles, who obsessed over their status and rankings, it was the perfect opportunity to flaunt their power and influence.

The seating arrangement was a clear indication of their status.

The previous year's achievements, presented and meticulously scored, along with various regulations, bonus points, and penalties, were compiled into a report card for each noble family.

This score determined their ranking, and this ranking, in turn, determined their seating arrangement at the next symposium.

A simple seating chart.

It was a tool, a way for the nobles to establish their hierarchy, to showcase their family’s prestige and influence.

And in this regard, the Bagrand Duchy had never failed to secure the highest position. The conference hall was divided into six tiers, with the central area reserved for the most esteemed families. And the Bagrands had never been relegated to a lower tier.

But…

Carsein was currently seated on the lowest tier.

The area reserved for those who had achieved little to nothing at the previous symposium.

A place unbefitting a member of the Bagrand Duchy.

"He kept Mother waiting, and now he's late? And he can't even find his own seat?!”

She wanted to drag him back to their table, to reprimand him for his carelessness.

But she couldn't.

Not here, not now.

This was a gathering of nobles, the most influential families in the Empire. She had to maintain her composure, to uphold the Duchy’s dignity.

She suppressed her anger, her voice laced with a forced calmness, and called out to him.

“Carsein! That’s not your seat! Come up here!”

They couldn't all sit together, since someone had already taken the empty seat, but she couldn’t allow him to remain on the lowest tier.

He would be punished, of course, for disrespecting their mother and arriving late. He had to learn his lesson.

But the details of the symposium, the new rules, the strategies required to achieve a high score…

That was his responsibility.

But…

Carsein ignored her, his gaze fixed on the stage. He settled into his seat, his legs crossed, his chin resting on his hand, as if challenging her authority.

“What is he doing? Why is he sitting there?”

“Hey, Carsein! That’s not your seat! Come up here!”

Flora and Claire's voices, laced with panic and frustration, reached him, but he didn't budge.

“Haa… He’s going to ruin the Duchy’s reputation again…”

This boy, when would he learn?

Arina, unable to contain her anger any longer, stood up.

“Claire, stay here and guard our seats. I’m going to drag him back here, even if I have to…”

“Sister, wait! Look!”

“What?”

Claire pointed towards a servant, a young man who was approaching them, his face pale, his expression frantic.

Arina’s gut told her what this meant.

A servant, panicked and out of breath, in a room filled with nobles…

Carsein had caused trouble. Again.

“…How much time do we have left?”

“About a minute…”

“Haa, I’ll be back soon.”

She had to go, even though the situation made her stomach churn.

And as expected, the servant’s words confirmed her fears.

“L-Lady Arina… there’s been… an incident. Young Master Carsein… he… he punched some nobles…”

Arina’s eyes widened, her anger flaring.

She dismissed the servant with a curt nod, her voice barely a whisper, her eyes blazing with fury.

“That boy… I’ll… I’ll drag him out of this conference hall!”

“Sister, you can’t! The symposium is about to begin!”

“S-Sister?”

A fight? Here? Now? In front of all these nobles?

He hadn't changed at all.

He wasn't worthy of participating in this symposium, he never was.

But…

“…!”

─Her Highness, Princess Arsienne, is entering!

The announcement, the arrival of the Imperial Princess, stopped her in her tracks.

Claire had said they had one minute left.

It seemed she was late.

All eyes turned towards Arsienne as she entered the hall.

But she couldn't let Carsein ruin their family’s reputation, not like this.

She would wait.

There would be a break after Arsienne’s opening speech.

And then, she would remove him. She would declare him unfit to participate, to represent the Bagrand Duchy.

‘I wanted to give you a chance, Carsein. I wanted to believe you had changed. But you threw it all away.’

She glared at him, her eyes cold and unforgiving.

***

▶ You have triggered a trap! You will be falsely accused! ◀

▶ Arina’s Affinity has decreased! ◀

[ Current Affinity: 39% ]

▶ Warning! Your participation in the Eastern Nobles’ Conference is at risk! ◀

‘I did it.’

This message meant Arina had received the report of the incident.

It usually just resulted in a drop in affinity, but…

▶ You have triggered another trap! ◀

▶ The accusations against you have intensified, triggering a choice! ◀

▶ Warning! You could be expelled from the conference hall! ◀

This message, this escalation, meant I had triggered a second trap.

Another trigger, another hidden mechanic.

I had deliberately activated both, to create this scenario.

I had discovered these traps during a previous playthrough, while exploring a hidden area.

▶ Hidden Episode: Authority in Your Hands activated! ◀

▶ This Hidden Episode is classified as a sub-episode and will lead to the main episode upon completion. Other episodes, regardless of type, cannot be activated until this episode is cleared. ◀

▶ Complete the following objectives! ◀

The moment I entered that hidden area, I had been locked into a chain of events, an unscripted episode that I couldn’t control.

I had initially assumed it was a death flag, and I had tried to avoid it, to exploit loopholes in the system, but…

As the episode unfolded, I noticed the similarities between my actions and Carsein’s memories from the Memorial.

[ Insult the noble children from the Waglu faction, the ones you encountered during the Spring Outing episode, in a Restricted Zone with a limited danger level. ] ☑

Carsein, in the past, had fought those same nobles. The method, a physical altercation, was different, but the location, the participants…

It was the same.

[ After lowering your reputation within that area by insulting them, throw a glass bottle filled with flowers at a noblewoman who’s mocking you from behind the group. ] ☑

There had been a noblewoman, a manipulator, who had orchestrated that fight. And Carsein, seeing through her facade, had thrown a vase at her.

[ Arina needs time to receive the report. Exceed the time limit and enter the conference hall to lower your reputation to -30. ] ☑

The 35-minute countdown wasn’t the actual start time of the symposium. Carsein, in the past, had arrived two minutes late.

And it had taken some time for Arina to receive the report from the servant.

[ Take a seat on the lowest tier, not with the Bagrand Duchy. ] ☑

He had ignored the seating chart, the hierarchy of the Empire’s noble families, and chosen a seat on the lowest tier.

Arina’s voice, filled with fury, demanding he return to his rightful place…

The scene from the Memorial was playing out, beat for beat.

Was this truly just a penalty?

Was this just a warning, a trigger for a death flag?

Had Carsein acted recklessly, foolishly, provoking those nobles?

Was this Memorial just a reminder of his past mistakes?

No, I didn’t think so.

I had done the same in my previous life.

I had deliberately disrupted presentations, challenged authority, proven my worth.

Just like Carsein.

I knew what it felt like, to be underestimated, to be judged based on appearances, on social standing.

He had made the right decision.

He wanted to prove himself at this symposium.

Not as a member of the Bagrand Duchy, not as someone defined by his family name.

He wanted to be judged as Carsein, as an individual.

…And to escape their control.

“Tsk.”

The eerie similarities, the uncanny resemblance to my own past, made me shudder.

But there was one final condition.

[ Right before the symposium begins… ───── ]

─Her Highness, Princess Arsienne, is entering!

That announcement…

I had found the missing piece.

“…You’re really something else…”

Arsienne, her brow furrowed, walked past me, her gaze lingering for a moment.

And then…

[ Right before the symposium begins, ensure you’re seen by Arsienne as she enters the hall. ]☑

I met her gaze, just like Carsein had in the past, completing the Hidden Episode’s final objective.

-Ding!

▶ Hidden Episode: Authority in Your Hands cleared. ◀

▶ You have separated from the Bagrand Duchy. ◀

So that was it.

The Carsein from the Memorial had broken free from the Duchy’s control.

He had chosen to stand on his own, to forge his own path.

And Arsienne, witnessing his defiance, his refusal to be controlled, had intervened, protecting him from the wrath of his adoptive family. She had cited his innovative ideas, his proposed reforms, as proof of his capabilities, allowing him to participate in the symposium.

‘And I think the Student Council President helped me back then.’

It was a strange, yet familiar, feeling. A sense of déjà vu mixed with a strange comfort.

▶ Main Episode assigned. Episode title— ◀

“Heh.”

I chuckled, unable to contain my amusement.

Yes, this time would be different.

History wouldn't repeat itself.

▶ Episode V. The Unrepeatable Past activated. ◀

▶ Due to the effects of the Hidden Episode, you cannot use the Bagrand Duchy’s influence. ◀

▶ Due to the effects of the Hidden Episode, you cannot access the Bagrand Duchy’s funds or manpower. ◀

▶ The Bagrand Duchy’s blank checks and promissory notes are unusable. ◀

▶ You have lost your affiliation with the Bagrand Duchy for the duration of the symposium, thanks to Arina’s decision. ◀

It seemed like I had incurred a lot of penalties, but…

They weren't penalties. Not at all.

▶ You will be participating in the symposium as the Lord of Lusmire. ◀

▶ You can only choose Shatrain. ◀

This was exactly what I wanted.

I had planned on choosing Shatrain anyway. And the system had provided me with a way to claim the title of Lord of Lusmire.

If I could revitalize Shatrain, if I could transform this barren, unwanted territory into something valuable…

It would become another source of income, a stepping stone to my freedom.

‘But… what’s this?’

■ Reward

▶ Information granted as a Hidden Episode clear reward. ◀

▶ Warning! Shatrain is in danger! ◀

[ Enemy: 2768 Monsters. ]

***

‘Haa… so that strange entry meant he wanted to participate in the symposium as the Lord of Lusmire?’

Arsienne sighed inwardly as she explained the rules of the symposium, her thoughts drifting back to her encounter with Carsein.

But her sigh was quickly replaced by a smile.

‘No, this might actually be a good thing.’

She hadn't realized it at the time, but how many territories could he possibly choose, with his name deliberately omitting his family name?

No, he probably couldn’t choose any other territory.

If he registered as the Lord of Lusmire, if he chose to be judged as an individual, his name would be placed at the bottom of the list. Even among those on the lowest tier, he would be last.

And that meant…

‘Shatrain.’

With Lusmire off the table, the most undesirable territory, the one every noble would avoid, was Shatrain. It was a territory deemed impossible to revitalize, a land cursed with misfortune.

“And now—”

Arsienne continued her explanation, her thoughts drifting back to a distant memory.

A prophecy.

A seer had warned the Imperial Family of a great calamity that would befall Shatrain.

And knowing the seer’s impeccable track record, they had taken the warning seriously.

But years passed, and the prophecy hadn't come to pass.

The Imperial Family had launched a thorough investigation, but all they found was a prosperous land, its people content, its fields bountiful.

They couldn't warn the people, couldn't tell them to abandon their homes, not without concrete evidence.

And the seer’s accuracy, her undeniable connection to the divine, was well-documented, both by the Grand Temple and the Imperial Family.

They had informed the Bagrand Duchy, the only noble family aware of the prophecy, but…

They had received no response.

Years had passed, but the Bagrands remained silent, offering no explanation, no solutions.

But…

That was before Carsein.

Shatrain, before his arrival, had been a flourishing territory, showing no signs of the predicted calamity. But the blight had started after he had been appointed their temporary lord. Perhaps… he had sensed something, a hidden darkness lurking beneath the surface of that seemingly prosperous land.

‘I believe in you, Carsein. If you could transform Lusmire, a barren wasteland, into a thriving trade hub…’

Perhaps he could unravel the secrets of Shatrain, the mysteries that even the Imperial Family and the Bagrand Duchy couldn’t solve.

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