I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Broken Wings (5)

Splash.

Radiel splashed cold water on her face, trying to wake herself up.

It was cold, but she didn’t feel it.

Not after yesterday's events.

Not after remembering her past failures.

But she had to remember.

She had to force herself to relive those painful memories.

Drip. Drip.

Tears mixed with the cold water in the basin.

It still pained her to remember.

But it was time to act.

“This time… I won’t be late. I promise, young master.”

Yes, she couldn’t be late.

—Tell Mark yourself.

That was Carsein’s request, the one he had made last night.

Splash.

She rinsed her face again, washing away the tears.

It was time to leave the past behind.

—Knock, knock.

“Radiel? What’s going on?”

Radiel’s arm was still weak, the muscles unresponsive. She could no longer wield her Zweihander.

She could still use her other hand to write reports, but Mark had insisted on taking over her duties.

He was working in her office now.

“I need to talk to you, Mark.”

“…Is this about the young master?”

“Yes.”

He seemed to understand.

But she had to be careful.

—Make sure he understands, but don’t let him act rashly. He has a temper, so he’ll want to do something as soon as he finds out.

She had to prevent Mark from acting on his anger.

“I’ve decided to let it go. All I need to do is protect the young master during his training.”

It would have been impossible before, but it was possible now.

She had faced the truth, and she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

“It wasn’t the young master who injured me that day, Mark. It was Theo Ramstear.”

“…What?”

“Theo Ramstear received a request to expel Carsein from the duchy. And the one who ordered it… was Head Maid Emma.”

“Expel him? Head Maid Emma? Wait, what…?”

Mark was confused, and she delivered the final blow.

“This is the letter he sent me that day. I couldn’t show it to you before. I was afraid you would do something reckless.”

A folded piece of paper.

The letter, read countless times, passed from Radiel’s hand to Mark’s.

“This is…”

Mark’s eyes trembled as he read the letter.

It told the story of a boy who had been crushed by a cruel conspiracy.

He could have soared.

If it weren't for their interference.

He had the potential to become a great knight, to leave his mark on the empire.

But his wings…

They had been broken by a vile plot.

Radiel watched him read the letter, then told him the truth.

***

“He should be here by now… Why isn’t he here?”

Carsein was always on time.

He should have already arrived.

He was enjoying the training, growing stronger every day, sparring with Mark, improving his skills…

Maybe he was just running late today.

She waited, leaning on her Zweihander like a walking stick.

But after an hour, she decided to act.

‘They say he’s treated poorly at the mansion. If that’s the case…’

He might be suffering in silence.

She had to rescue him from his loneliness.

She went to the mansion and asked the maids, but they didn't know anything.

Or rather… they didn’t want to tell her.

She was about to give up, when two figures approached her.

“You’re Captain Radiel, aren't you? We saw you asking the maids.”

“Yes, but…”

The old butler and the skilled physician.

They knew where Carsein was.

“I believe Young Master Carsein has already left for the training grounds.”

“He usually goes through the main gate, but… He went through the back this time.”

“What?!”

The back? There’s nothing but the forest back there!

“…You weren't aware either, were you? This… This could be dangerous.”

“It’s a disaster! Go, quickly! We’ll inform the Duchess! Take this horse!”

“Thank you, Heron! Thank you, Shaiden!”

Shaiden offered her his horse, and Radiel rushed back to the training grounds.

She couldn’t ride through the dense forest, but she found tracks.

“A torch…! It’s the young master!”

She followed the trail, the signs of his presence clear, his movements familiar, the techniques he had learned from her evident in the trampled undergrowth.

And then…

“Die, you filthy peasant!!”

She saw him, on the verge of being stabbed by Theo Ramstear.

Her mind raced.

She was approaching from the side.

She could draw her sword and attack, but it would be too late.

The Zweihander wasn't meant for quick strikes.

She could try to disarm Theo, but that would be too slow.

His sword would reach Carsein before she could intervene.

What if she threw her sword?

No, even with mana, the Zweihander was too heavy…

Everything was too slow.

Nothing she could do would be fast enough.

Her trusty sword, the one she had always treated with care… It felt like a heavy shackle, binding her feet.

‘…Yes, faster.’

She had to run faster.

There was only one option.

She dropped her sword and ran, her speed increasing with each step, her body propelled by a desperate surge of adrenaline.

She wouldn’t stop.

She would throw herself in front of Carsein, taking the blow for him.

—Slash!

…
…

“So… you took the sword for him?”

“Yes.”

Mark staggered, his hands clutching his head.

He was speechless, his shock evident.

But she wasn’t finished yet.

She had to tell him what happened afterwards.

“That letter—”

…
…

Days later.

She woke up in a hospital bed, the white ceiling blurring into view.

“What are you talking about? The young master's… banned from the training grounds?”

Theo Ramstear should have been the one who was banned, punished for attempted murder.

But…

“The trial concluded that Young Master Carsein had tried to kill the captain and the trainees with a mana-infused sword.”

“They found traces of his mana on the sword, but the bloodstains were undeniable.”

“The bloodstains at the scene only matched yours and Theo’s. They analyzed it, and it was a perfect match.”

“And besides—”

The knights explained the details of the trial.

She learned what had happened while she was unconscious.

Even if she testified that Carsein hadn't attacked her, that Theo Ramstear was the real culprit… it wouldn’t be enough to overturn the verdict.

They had manipulated the evidence.

They had destroyed their own tracks and planted false evidence against Carsein.

They had turned the knights against him.

Everyone believed the lie.

Carsein Bagrand was a traitor, a monster who had attacked his teacher and his comrades.

“…I understand. Leave me alone.”

She needed time to think.

To formulate a plan, to find a way to reverse this injustice.

She dismissed them.

But someone entered the room.

“I told you all to leave!”

“…I can’t, not when it concerns the health of my patients, and not when my master has summoned me.”

“Shaiden…?”

“And it’s not good for your health to raise your voice.”

Shaiden sat down by her bed, his voice calm and steady. Radiel snapped, her usual composure gone.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for a checkup.”

“I understand.”

“Then please…!”

“Shh… Take this.”

“What?”

“It’s a letter. From the young master.”

“…!”

Shaiden nodded, and Radiel opened the letter.

[Hello, Radiel. I’m sorry to greet you like this.]
[I hope you’re not in too much pain… I know you took that blow for me…]
[I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.]

The rest of the letter… It was heartbreaking.

Carsein had become a liar in the eyes of the duchy.

He was punished even for raising his voice at a maid.

No one believed him.

No one listened to him.

Everything he said was dismissed as a lie, a fabrication.

Even those who tried to help him ended up being branded as his victims.

Even if they had doubts, their prejudices remained.

His past attempts to defend himself, to prove his innocence, had failed.

And then…

The last paragraph shattered her heart.

[I can’t write any more, Emma might be watching. I’ll keep this short.]
[Even if you try to help… I don’t think it will work.]
[If I try to explain, to prove my innocence… I’ll just become a traitor who deceived his own teacher.]
[So please, don’t do anything. Emma might try to harm you again.]
[One of the maids was expelled because she tried to help me… You’re a knight, Radiel. You can’t be expelled.]
[It’s better if I’m seen as the villain, the one who lashes out.]
[It would hurt me more to hear that you were expelled, Radiel.]
[I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. If you can’t do anything… just forget about me, even if you have to hate me.]
[I… I don’t think I can hold a sword anymore. Thank you for everything, Radiel.]
[I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.]

“…”

“That’s why I couldn’t help him, why I couldn’t tell you the truth.”

Radiel finished her story.

Mark, his face pale with shock, was speechless.

‘If they are’nt lying… If Radiel and the young master are telling the truth…’

He finally understood the things that had confused him. But he wasn’t relieved.

He felt suffocated, his heart heavy with anger and regret.

It wasn’t just a matter of prejudice.

He had been powerless, ignorant.

And he had committed a grave sin.

Suppressed freedom.

False accusations.

A manipulated narrative.

And…

—Don’t you believe him? Don’t you know Theo would never lie?

—It’s already strange that the duchy would order his expulsion. And Theo would accept such a request? Don’t frame him! You idiot!

His denied rights.

That young lady’s words during the trial had shattered the boy’s last chance to soar.

—Ding!

▶You have convinced Mark Redelstein!◀
▶Both characters’ affinity levels have been synchronized!◀
[Mark Redelstein, Radiel Gruppein]
[Affinity: 65%]

***

It was Carsein’s fourth day at the training grounds.

Mother, and then Sister Arina had visited him.

But she hadn’t seemed happy.

Claire had asked why, and she had answered…

“…I tried to give him some useful items, but he hated it.”

She had given him things he needed for his training, and he had rejected them?

“Carsein is officially a trainee now. He’s being tested, and he has to earn his place as an apprentice knight.”

“What? You mean…!”

Arina’s explanation made her understand.

He had been accused of injuring Captain Radiel, so his reputation was already tarnished, and now he was a trainee, not a young master.

He was being accused of cheating, just because Arina had given him some things.

“Ha… I didn’t realize it would be this bad. I was angry, so I ended up saying some hurtful things… He said it would be better if I didn't help him at all.”

He had almost fallen victim to their schemes.

He had told her that she was making things worse, that it would be better if she left him alone.

“I understand.”

But Claire heard a different message.

‘So… they’re picking on him?’

How dare they harass her brother?

‘If I catch them. I’ll crush them.’

She was furious.