I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Broken Wings (4)

At that moment, the three knights shared the same thought.

Eliminate him.

He couldn't return to the duchy.

If he survived… the consequences would be disastrous.

They had to… break him.

—Shing!

Two more swords were drawn.

“Don’t blame us. You drew your sword first.”

“This is your fault, you bastard.”

—Clang! Clang!

Two more swords attacked.

He might have been able to handle Theo alone… but three against one?

Carsein was tiring.

He knew the techniques, but his body was weak.

He had accidentally unlocked a new power, but he didn’t know how to control it.

And they were bigger, stronger.

But the boy from the slums was cunning.

He knew how to defeat stronger opponents.

He knew how to use the skills he had honed through years of hardship.

He had trained diligently, his body drenched in sweat, and now he used his experience to disarm two of his attackers.

One, blinded by sand thrown in his face, stumbled and was knocked unconscious.

The other, his sword stuck in a tree, was struck in the neck and collapsed.

Only Theo Ramstear remained, a worthy opponent in one-to-one combat.

“Cough, cough…!”

But Carsein’s body was failing him.

It was a miracle he had lasted this long, with his weak, untrained body.

He collapsed to the ground.

“Die, you filthy peasant!!”

Theo, enraged, his eyes bloodshot from the blows he had received, pressed his blade against Carsein’s throat.

This is it, he thought.

He’s going to die.

—Splash!

A spray of blood splattered across Carsein’s body.

“Young… Master…”

“R-Radiel…?”

“Don’t… move… You’ll be… okay… I’ll… I’ll…”

Radiel.

She had taken the blow for him.

But she couldn’t finish her sentence. She collapsed, her arms wrapped around him.

***

He felt the sharp pain of the blade slicing through flesh.

But whose flesh?

“C-Captain…!”

He had stabbed Radiel.

Not Carsein.

It was done.

He had injured Radiel. There was no going back.

If this got out, he would lose his position as a knight. He would be expelled from his family, branded with this disgrace.

But…

‘Radiel… She’s not moving…’

And Carsein…

He was unconscious.

He had been exhausted from fighting three opponents, even with Radiel’s intervention.

They were both unconscious.

A cruel smile spread across Theo’s face.

He had been cornered, but this… This was a golden opportunity.

“Yes, you… You attacked Captain Radiel.”

—Splash!

More blood spilled.

The commotion in the forest grew louder.

Two trails of blood, slowly drying in the fading light…

People started to wonder where Radiel and Carsein had gone.

A search party was dispatched.

“S-Seniors…”

“Theo? Blood…!”

“What happened? What happened here?!”

Theo, hiding his smirk, clutched his injured arm.

His testimony revealed the events in the forest.

The extinguished torch.

The signs of a struggle.

The bloodstains.

And…

“I don’t know what happened, but… she tried to stop him… but Young Master Carsein… He stabbed Captain Radiel.”

His lie condemned Carsein.

The next day…

A trial was held at the training grounds.

Carsein protested.

He claimed he had acted in self-defense, that Theo and the others had tried to expel him, that it was all Theo’s fault.

He had woken up to a trial, accused of a crime he didn't commit.

But he was at a disadvantage.

“The blood on your sword matches both Radiel’s and Theo’s. The bloodstains found at the scene are identical. Do you still maintain your innocence?”

“The testimonies of the other two trainees also corroborate Theo’s story. They were both unconscious, about to be attacked, but Theo protected them, even at the cost of his own arm.”

His sword, which should have been clean, was covered in Radiel and Theo’s blood. And the other two knights had corroborated Theo’s lie.

The evidence was overwhelming, the narrative perfectly constructed.

He was about to be condemned.

His only hope was Radiel’s testimony, but…

She was still unconscious, her injuries severe.

“How could I possibly defeat three knights?! It’s impossible!”

It was a valid point.

Even the judges were skeptical.

They were starting to doubt the verdict.

But then…

“It is possible. The young master can imbue his sword with mana, can’t he?”

“…What?”

“What are you talking about, Theo Ramstear?”

“Imbuing a sword with mana is not a skill that just anyone can learn.”

Theo nodded, agreeing with their assessment.

“None of the three trainees, including myself, could imbue our swords with mana. We’re still learning. But the young master… he can do it. That’s why he was able to overpower us.”

“Hmm.”

“If that’s true…”

“It’s possible. His level is much higher.”

It had been an accident, but his ability to use mana became another piece of evidence against him.

The tide turned in Theo’s favor.

Carsein, desperate, demanded to know who had ordered his expulsion.

But…

“Just admit it already! Don’t you know Theo would never lie?”

“F-Flora… You…!”

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

Flora’s intervention sealed his fate.

The trial might have been overturned if they had investigated the duchy’s records.

But Flora’s testimony, her insistence that Theo was a good person, silenced the doubts.

And so…

“Carsein, you are banned from the training grounds, effective immediately. The ban is indefinite. And the knights are to be instructed to refuse you entry.”

Arina, acting on behalf of Isabella, delivered the verdict.

Unjustly, cruelly…

Carsein lost everything.

—Whoosh!

[The Memorial has ended.]

The scene from the Memorial ended. He was back in the training room, facing Radiel and Mark.

“…”

It was a tragic story.

He had been a nobody, ostracized, and then he found purpose, a way to escape the hell of the duchy…

And it had been snatched away from him.

Gone, forever.

It reminded him of his past…

—Slap!

‘This isn’t the time to be dwelling on my past. This happened, and it’s my reality now.’

He had to focus on Carsein’s experiences, on the choices that could determine his fate.

He had to stay calm, to analyze the situation.

Radiel’s secret.

Mark’s discovery.

Carsein’s past, Theo’s lie.

And Emma, and someone else…

His plans had gone awry, but his next move was clear.

▶The Memorial’s effects will disappear in 3 seconds!◀
▶Prepare for the episode to resume!◀

3.

2.

1.

The countdown ended, and Radiel and Mark moved.

He turned to Mark, who was approaching him aggressively, and asked,

“I’m asking you as the young master of Bagrand, not as a trainee. What did you hear, Mark?”

Mark stopped and answered,

“I heard… the part about Head Maid Emma.”

“I see. That’s all you needed to hear.”

“Y-Young Master!”

Radiel shook her head, but it was too late.

His blood, cold and calm, told him…

He had to know.

And he wouldn’t hesitate.

Even if it meant shattering Mark’s world.

“Radiel, don’t say a word.”

***

Radiel knew everything.

She knew Carsein’s decision would cause problems.

‘I can testify, but… He doesn’t have…’

He had no evidence.

The blood on his sword matched Radiel’s and Theo’s, and the bloodstains at the scene confirmed it.

Could they really overturn the verdict, with the evidence and the testimonies against him?

‘No, I have to stop him…!’

Mark would be furious. He might even try to expel Carsein on the spot.

But…

“Radiel, don’t say a word.”

Carsein was determined to tell Mark everything.

“I can’t explain everything to you right now.”

“What?”

“You wouldn't believe me. You didn’t even question the verdict during the trial. You might be prejudiced against me.”

“Prejudiced? If I was prejudiced, I would have joined the others in expelling you.”

“You mean… because I injured Radiel? That’s the real prejudice.”

“No! I could have expelled you countless times, but I didn’t. I remembered Radiel’s pleas. She begged me to believe you!”

He had wanted to expel him.

He had wanted to join the others and punish him for injuring their captain.

But he had listened to Radiel.

“I bowed my head because I believed there was a reason. And I asked you not to run away this morning because I still have doubts. Do you still think I’m prejudiced?”

The trial had ended with Carsein’s ban from the training grounds.

He had protested, even drawing his sword, but Mark had subdued him.

Without harming him any further.

‘Yes, you were always like that.’

The Memorial had shown him that Mark was one of Radiel’s most loyal followers.

He must have felt betrayed.

But he had controlled his anger.

He had stayed neutral.

Carsein, realizing that Mark wasn’t prejudiced against him, finally spoke.

“I heard I’ll be sparring with the knights starting tomorrow. Right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. But how did you…?”

“It doesn’t matter how I know. The important thing is… I know who my opponent will be.”

Mark looked at him suspiciously.

“You probably guessed that you’ll be sparring with an apprentice knight. But the opponents are chosen randomly. You couldn’t possibly know.”

“You’re right. You’re the acting captain, so you’re in charge of that. But what if I tell you who my opponent is, right now?”

“Don’t be ridiculous…!”

“Then wait and see. Tomorrow, my opponent will be…”

Bruce.

“And Radiel.”

“Yes, young master.”

“If you’re planning to watch, don’t interfere, no matter what happens.”

“What?! B-But…!”

“I told you, I’ll handle them myself.”

He gave them a final warning, his eyes cold, then walked past Mark, picking up the sword from the ground.

He tossed it to Mark.

“If I’m wrong, use this sword to stab me in the back tomorrow. Same depth as Radiel’s wound.”

“…!”

“Y-Young Master!”

“You can still back out. I’m considered a liar in the training grounds. This is the least I can do, isn’t it?”

Radiel gasped, and Mark looked at him, bewildered.

He challenged them.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m doing this. Why am I taking such a risk?”

It was true.

Both Mark and Radiel wanted to know.

“I’m confident. I’m not the same person I was back then.”

He had already been judged once.

Carsein had cried, protested, and drawn his sword.

He had lashed out, unable to accept the verdict, the false accusations.

He had no evidence, no witnesses.

The only thing he had… was his reputation as a troublemaker, and even worse nicknames.

And…

He had a teacher who knew the truth, who couldn’t be trusted by the family.

But the Carsein standing before them now…

He was confident. He said he was different.

He was acting as though he knew he wouldn’t fail.

They had thought he was being reckless…

But that thought had vanished.

“If you’re right… What are you planning to do?”

“Oh, that? It’s nothing special.”

He smiled faintly.

“I’ll use this key and reveal one of the duchy’s secrets.”

It was the storage room key.

***

The eventful day passed, and a new one arrived.

He had reached day 5 of his probation period.

Thanks to his careful management, he wasn’t lagging behind as much as before.

But he couldn't let his guard down. The smirking faces of his tormentors had changed.

Those who had been mocking him were just prejudiced. But these…

‘They’re ready to pounce.’

They must be getting desperate.

They had been tasked with expelling Carsein within a week.

‘But that’s not going to happen.’

He glanced to the side, and Claire’s pink hair caught his eye.

She was watching him, her eyes sharp.

Who would dare touch him, especially after Arina’s visit yesterday?

One of them had tried to sabotage him earlier, only to be caught red-handed.

And unlike Arina, Claire had been merciless.

They were getting desperate.

They had to report their failure to Emma.

Their anxiety would grow.

They would become more reckless.

And they would eventually cross the line.

‘Just wait. I’ll return the favor, with interest.’