Mod7 Translations

I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 46

Added 2024-07-23 02:11:01 +0000 UTC

Chapter 46: A Faded Gift (5)

He felt a sense of relief as Heron left, though the metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth.

He went to the bathroom and rinsed his mouth, spitting out the bloody water.

“Tsk. That Arina, she really hit me hard.”

He understood why Claire had been so insistent about him getting treatment. His mouth was throbbing, the taste of blood overwhelming.

He had seen dried blood on his chin when he first looked in the mirror.

After rinsing several times, the water finally cleared.

He would have to be careful when eating for a while.

“It’s just a scratch. It doesn’t even hurt.”

He would probably have mouth sores in the morning.

But it didn’t matter. It wasn't as if a slap could kill him.

The status window confirmed that his plan had worked, the dangerous death flag deactivated.

And he had successfully trapped Flora. It would be a huge advantage.

Not only had he survived, but the game was progressing according to his plan. It was a good sign.

—Splash.

“Ha.”

He splashed cold water on his face, then mentally reviewed the events of Episode V.

Before the start of Episode V, Carsein was showered with attention from his family, thanks to the outcome of Episode IV.

They felt guilty for forgetting his birthday, for not letting him enjoy the festival, and for suspecting him even though he hadn't caused any trouble.

They wanted to give him something, to make amends.

They were even willing to lift his house arrest.

He had accepted their “gifts” the first time he played this episode. He had thought it was a good thing.

And then, he died.

The game, which had seemed manageable, delivered a cruel death sentence.

So why had he died this time?

He had to know.

The usual pattern was to receive rewards for clearing the previous episode, but then he would be expelled from the duchy and die shortly after.

The bad ending was always the same.

He would be taken somewhere, buried alive, and left to die.

Only one person’s words remained…

[My family! They’re my family!]

He had a hunch who had said those words.

—It’s obviously Flora.

It was clear in the game.

But he hadn’t been able to figure out why it was happening. He had tried to avoid this bad ending, but it always appeared, and he couldn't find any clues to explain it.

But when he analyzed the words and used his real-life experience, Carsein found a way to survive.

It wasn’t about affinity.

It wasn’t about the branching paths or any specific triggers.

It was information he gleaned from Flora’s character.

Episode IV might have seemed like a triumph for Carsein, building affinity with his family, but…

There was one outlier.

Flora.

Isabella and his two older sisters were on good terms with him, showering him with attention, but Flora wasn’t.

It was the same in reality.

‘The other two might listen to reason, but that little brat… she’s full of confirmation bias.’

And there was a phrase she always used.

—Do you really think you can become part of our family?

Connecting this line with Flora’s declaration about her family during the bad ending in Episode V leads to an intriguing conclusion.

Yes.

Flora, the most pampered member of the family, was afraid of Carsein taking her place.

The family’s attention.

The gifts.

The affection.

They were all dangerous for Carsein.

The clue was in Episode IV itself.

The rewards were actually traps.

The game was subtly foreshadowing his death, suggesting that he had to reject all of the rewards to survive.

‘It took me a while to realize… She wanted all the attention for herself.’

He understood. He had experienced this with his younger sister, who always demanded attention.

He had to make someone hate him.

Like he had done now.

Anyway, to summarize:

First, that little brat, like most youngest children, craved attention.

Second, Episode V had a built-in death trigger that couldn't be avoided, so he had to make someone hate him.

Third, he had triggered that death trigger by angering Arina, and he had successfully trapped Emma, giving him more freedom.

And lastly…

—Knock, knock.

“Open the door, Carsein. It’s Flora.”

—Ding!

▶Flora has come to see Carsein for some reason!◀
▶Resolve the situation with Flora!◀

[Success: You will be granted access to the training grounds, and both Emma and Flora will be neutralized!]
[Failure: You will be confined to the mansion for three days while they search for the culprit!]
[Additional rewards may be granted based on your performance.]

The status window announced the next stage of the episode, the conversation with Flora.

This was the final hurdle before he could access the training grounds. He had to deal with Flora, who was now obligated to visit him, according to the game’s storyline.

He already had a plan.

But he had to be careful.

▶Warning!◀
▶There are penalties for the conversation with Flora:◀
[1. You cannot involve any other characters in this incident.]
[2. You cannot avoid the conversation with Flora.]

‘That’s why this is so difficult.’

This penalty prevented the player from using other characters to expose Flora’s lies.

And they couldn’t avoid the conversation.

The player would die if they disobeyed the penalty, triggering a warning message.

One penalty restricted his actions, the other prevented him from escaping.

This was why the game was so difficult.

There would be even more variables in real life.

But he wasn’t nervous.

He was confident.

Because Flora was exactly like his younger sister from his past life.

—Click.

“…!”

Flora flinched, startled by the sudden opening of the door.

Her blue eyes, wide with fear, betrayed her anxiety.

—Ding!

[1. What do you want? Are you here to pick a fight?]
[2. (Remain silent and wait.)]
[3. Confess! You did it, didn’t you? You stupid girl.]
[4. Just tell me what you want and get out. I have to move to the annex.]

‘Here comes the choice bomb.’

He sneered at her.

“Here to stir up more trouble?”

“W-What? I’m not here to…!”

—Ding!

[1. You’re saying you weren’t going to cause trouble before? So you’re confessing?]
[2. Then what are you here for?]
[3. (Glance at the hallway) Keep your voice down.]
[4. Fine, tell me what you want. Come in.]

“Then what are you here for?”

Option 2 was a bit roundabout. Option 4 would have ended the conversation faster, but he needed to be cautious.

He had used a different item this time, so there might be new choices.

He had to gather information first.

Flora hesitated, then mumbled,

“I-It wasn’t me this time.”

“…”

“You… You glared at me! I-I’m not the culprit! I didn’t touch your things!”

She was lying.

She had done it, and now she was afraid of getting caught.

“Y-You really think I would do that? And… I’m here to talk to you nicely.”

“Talk to me nicely?”

“Yes!”

She pulled something out of her pocket.

A familiar object appeared in the status window.

It was an ointment.

“The maids and servants are being investigated because that document was torn. Just tell Big Sister to stop the investigation, and I’ll give you this.”

“Ha.”

She was bribing him with an ointment to stop Claire’s investigation?

Her audacity, her shameless attempt to bargain… It was familiar, and it disgusted him.

—Slap!

He swatted her hand away.

“…!”

The ointment rolled across the floor.

Flora, her hand stinging, stepped back.

“Y-You… I’ll tell my sisters— ”

“Are you kidding me?! You expect me to accept this and forget about everything? Do you think I’m that stupid?!”

“…!”

“You have to take responsibility for your actions, instead of blaming me.”

“Responsibility?”

Flora’s blue eyes trembled.

“You did it, didn’t you? You hate seeing me succeed. You hate seeing your sisters and Mother pay attention to me. You tore that document because you couldn’t stand it.”

“W-What? No! That’s not true!”

He had hit a nerve, and she denied it vehemently.

But a strong denial was a confession.

She didn’t even realize it.

“The maids and servants are being investigated because of you. And Emma is locked up in solitary confinement! It’s all your fault!”

“So what.”

“G-Get her out! You got Camilla out before. Just accept this ointment, and your wounds will heal faster…”

She said Emma was her nanny.

She said Emma would never do such a thing.

And she said she was innocent.

She was trying to bargain, as if it was only natural.

“A-And… don’t tell Mother, okay? She won’t like it!”

The typical lie of a child.

There was nothing redeemable about her.

—Ding!

‘The choices are here.’

He knew how to deal with her.

He had to retaliate.

He had to make her understand the weight of her actions.

What that document meant to him, how he had been denied his rights because of someone else’s actions…

“You must have received a lot of birthday gifts last year, right?”

“What?”

“Claire received a ton of gifts during her coming-of-age ceremony, and Arina got a lot from her business partners last year. Now answer this, what did I get?”

“…”

She seemed confused, then her eyes widened.

“That permit… that was my birthday present. It was a reward I received after enduring that awful surveillance at the festival.”

“…!”

Flora gulped.

He clapped, his tone mocking.

“Good job, Flora. It’s all thanks to you. You made everyone in the duchy suspect me.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

“I’m always the one who gets blamed, no matter what. I’m the troublemaker, the filthy, disgusting peasant. And now, I won’t even receive any gifts because I insulted Arina.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

“But it’s fine. It doesn’t matter if I don’t receive any gifts. I don’t care if I’m always seen as the problem child, the one who’s always messing up. I’m used to being ignored and mistreated, even by the servants. It’s all thanks to you.”

Clap, clap.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m not sad anymore. I’m not even angry anymore. So…”

He slowed his clapping, then his hands fell to his sides.

“Thank you, Flora, for framing me again and again.”

[5. That document… it was my birthday present.]

He ended with that line.

But he added a few more words.

Maybe those were things he had wanted to say to his own younger sister, the one who had tormented him relentlessly.

He was grateful that she had made him realize the true nature of that family.

She had helped him escape that house.

Her relentless bullying, her constant attempts to sabotage him… they had taught him that this kind of pain was nothing compared to the harsh realities of the world.

And he had learned to survive.

It was something he should be thankful for, wasn’t it?

“…”

He offered his sincere gratitude, and Flora froze, her face paling.

She stumbled backwards, bumping into the door.

“Gasp!”

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she fled, slamming the door behind her.

—Ding!

The status window confirmed his success.

▶You have completed the conversation with Flora!◀
▶Reward granted!◀

■Reward
▶Case closed rewards:
[Emma will remain in solitary confinement!]
[You will not encounter Flora for a while.]
[Duration: 3 days]
▶The training grounds danger level has been adjusted.
[Danger level: Danger → Warning]
…
…

▶Additional rewards granted for achieving a high score!
[???]
[High-Grade Ointment ver. 2]

“Tsk. Why is this a reward? That brat just threw it at me.”

He would probably never use it.

He put it in a drawer, next to the original ointment he had received.

***

“Gasp… Gasp…”

—That document… it was his birthday present.

The reward Arina had mentioned… it was that?

‘And he… he…’

—But it’s gone now. It was torn before I could even see it. Someone else destroyed it, making me look bad. And because of that, I’m suspected, I’m slapped…

‘I… I tore it… with my own hands?’

It couldn’t be true.

How could this be possible?

—It’s all thanks to you. You made everyone in the duchy suspect me.

No, it was a lie.

It couldn’t be true. He was just trying to deceive her—

—But it’s fine. It doesn’t matter if I don’t receive any gifts. I don’t care if I’m always seen as the problem child, the one who’s always messing up. I’m used to being ignored and mistreated, even by the servants. It’s all thanks to you.

“…”

It’s fine…?

It doesn’t matter…?

He’s used to it…?

—It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m not sad anymore. I’m not even angry anymore. So…

It doesn’t hurt? He’s not angry? And…

—Thank you, Flora, for framing me again and again.

He’s… thankful?

“…This… This doesn’t make sense. What? What is this…!”

Flora clutched her chest, her heart pounding.

She ran to her room, her fear growing.

But Carsein’s voice echoed in her mind.