The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 263



263. July 1st (3)

Under the blazing sun, the round stands were filled with cheering spectators.

The arena, filled with the heat of battle and the roar of excitement, was alive with the martial arts tournament in full swing.

In this place, where the only goal is to fight one-on-one with the weapon of your choice and emerge victorious, there exist only winners and losers.

And in that place.

Karsein was also stepping forward.

– Kaaang!

“Ugh…!”

The opponent couldn’t withstand Karsein’s attack and fell.

A sword was immediately aimed at their neck.

It was the moment the outcome was decided.

“Ugh.”

“Seriously. Can anyone fight so poorly in a martial arts tournament?”

—

“Swing it harder, huh? It’s got to be a real fight, with bodies clashing for it to be worth watching!”

“It’s boring!”

Despite having claimed victory, Karsein was met with jeers.

On the surface, they claimed it was boring, but the real reason was obvious.

Their bets on the outcome had been wrong.

The person they wanted to win hadn’t made it.

There were likely many other reasons as well.

But among them, the most likely was that they wanted to see Karsein fall in a disgraceful defeat.

“Uh. Um. The referee announces the result. The winner is Lord Karsein.”

“…”

The referee, with a sullen expression, declared the outcome.

The host, looking reluctant, announced the victor.

And once again, the audience erupted in boos.

In the arena, there was no one on Karsein’s side.

-Thunk.

Karsein sheathed his sword and silently returned to the waiting room.

His expression was utterly vacant.

Even after claiming victory, he felt no joy.

Despite having fairly defeated his opponent, the jeers he received made him feel not just unhappy, but even wronged.

The referee’s sullen expression and the host’s reluctant demeanor began to weigh heavily on him.

But none of that mattered.

He hadn’t entered this tournament with any particular goal in mind.

With the ban on entering the training grounds, he had been unable to wield a sword. He had only participated in the martial arts tournament because it allowed him to hold a sword. There was no greater value to it.

Still, he didn’t want to fall behind when it came to the sword.

The sword he had grasped himself was his only joy, and he wanted to prove that he could hold his own with the sword he had learned from Radiel and Mark.

That was the only wish of a boy who had nothing.

“…Looks like your left arm is cut.”

As Karsein exited the arena, he finally felt the pain in his left arm.

With an injured body, he wouldn’t be able to compete properly.

Some degree of treatment would be necessary.

As he made his way to the waiting room.

A voice echoed from a secluded spot.

He thought about passing by, wondering what significance there was in listening to it…

“I apologize for coming to see you, Your Highness. The reason I’m here is that Lord Carsein has not been eliminated, and there’s a possibility that you two will meet in the next match.”

“…And?”

“Um. That’s why I’m saying this.”

It was undoubtedly Arina’s voice.

The mention of the name Carsein.

That much didn’t matter.

However.

“If the topic of Lord Carsein comes to the surface, Your Highness’s position could become ambiguous. No matter how much he is a foster son, he is still a man.”

“…”

“I believe it’s necessary for Your Highness to properly showcase your skills.”

At the request of Marquis Magnuel, Carsein found himself needing to hear this conversation to the end.

Carsein let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

‘Honestly, that’s ridiculous. How could I possibly threaten Arina’s position, or the position of Duke Bagrand?’

After all, they were the legitimate firstborn daughter and a foster son.

It was one thing to consider their positions within the family, but comparing a strong candidate for the heir to the Bagrand dukedom with someone who was implicitly treated as a commoner was fundamentally flawed.

So Arina wouldn’t be concerned.

Arina was smarter than him. She was the next duke to lead the Bagrand family. She was the very model of nobility.

She wouldn’t accept such a proposal.

She would sharply point out that Marquis Magnuel was greatly mistaken.

‘Right. How… how could I become a duke?’

Swallowing hard, Carsein completely denied the entirety of Marquis Magnuel’s assertion.

But… why was that?

He didn’t hear Arina’s voice readily denying it. The voice that should have sharply pointed out to Marquis Magnuel was delayed for quite some time.

‘No way…’

…Really.

Does she think I would take the heir’s position from her?

With anxiety, Carsein swallowed hard and turned his head.

“Phew. I see. You mean to put on a decent performance, right?”

“Yes. Exactly that.”

“…But if I exert myself too much, it’s clear that he’ll get seriously hurt, so I hope you can understand that. My mother would worry, after all.”

“Of course. I trust the princess will handle it appropriately. Oh dear, I’ve taken up too much time. Let’s get ready.”

“Right.”

The sound of their footsteps fades away.

Karsein, who had been holding his breath to eavesdrop on their conversation, felt his legs give way and sank to the ground.

“Ha, haha…”

Karsein laughed hollowly.

He never imagined that the end of that conversation would turn out like this.

“Is that… what you wanted?”

-…I won’t care about the results. Just please don’t cause any trouble and focus on the match.

-Anyway, no one is expecting anything from you, right? Me~rong!

-If you’re just going to get hurt and come back without even using what I gave you, then why participate at all? Are you an idiot?

No one had any expectations.

Not a single family member had even mentioned the position of head of the family.

Yet.

The very candidate from the duke’s house.

Was trying to undermine him for such ridiculous reasons.

-Crack.

“…Yeah. I’m completely useless.”

When he embarrassingly loses the next match.

That would truly be what she wanted.

Forgetting even the pain in his left arm from the previous match, Karsein headed toward the arena.

*

Time passed.

The moment for the next match had arrived.

The announcer confirmed the names of the two participants for the upcoming match and introduced them to the audience.

It was clear who the winner would be, but he thought it would be pure amusement to watch him lose embarrassingly.

“Oh, fate, how could such a fate exist? Truly, it’s an utterly unfortunate match!”

The audience’s attention is drawn to the host’s seemingly regretful reaction. What kind of match could possibly warrant such sorrow? Everyone leaned in, filled with inflated expectations, eager to hear the host’s voice.

“This match is none other than a civil war. And it involves two people who are very close to each other!”

“Oh my. A civil war.”

“Is it a fight between comrades? Or perhaps between allied families?”

The mention of a civil war piqued the audience’s interest.

With a sly smile, the host announced the name of the first participant.

“Following the symposium, riding high on a wave of victories, we have Lady Arina of the Bargrand Duke family!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd smirked.

‘Ah, so that’s what the regret was about?’

‘Heh heh. It makes sense. After all, it’s a civil war.’

‘With a civil war match and a princess as the opponent, it’s all too obvious.’

‘It’s a tragic fate, indeed. Right.’

In this fateful matchmaking, the nobles cheered louder than ever.

As if to meet those expectations.

The host struggled to keep a straight face as he introduced the next participant.

“And facing her is none other than! Ah, what a fate this is! The sole heir of Bargrand, Prince Karsein!”

Karsein appeared just as he always did.

It seemed he hadn’t even treated the wounds he sustained in the previous match.

“Now, this is a regrettable match where family fights against family. Who will be the victor of this match? Let the battle begin!”

The host concluded his passionate speech.

With the sound of a horn, the match commenced. Considering the opponent’s style, he should have rushed in and swung his sword first, but now he stood there with empty eyes.

Seeing Karsein like that, Arina sighed.

“Tsk. To think he’s just standing there with such a foolish expression. He should be rushing in to settle this quickly.”

“…”

“Well, whatever. I’ll handle it myself.”

-Wham!

In an instant, Arina closed the distance and swung her sword, prompting Karsein to reflexively block it.

“Hm. So this much is manageable, huh? I was wondering how much strength to hold back, but it seems this is just right.”

“…”

“I hope you can at least block a few strikes properly, Karsein. You, being a Bargrand, can’t afford to lose face. And I, too, don’t want to hurt you.”

—

Arina, her feet firmly planted, thrusts the ground and twists the axis of her sword.

But that strength seemed merely polished on the surface; it didn’t appear to exert much real power.

Then, a few more exchanges of attacks follow.

It wasn’t a close call or a tense moment; it was a scene of one-sided domination. Anyone could see that.

As they matched strikes time and again, Arina continuously demanded of Karsein.

“Left side. Block it.”

No. It’s not the side.

It’s more accurate to say that it’s about forcing the elbow up to induce a deflection.

-Understand!

“This is the 23rd form of Peselros’ Phantom Sword. Twist the center of your lower body to the side. Then, as the kick comes flying, keep your arms tightly against your thighs.”

That’s wrong. Instead of twisting the center of your lower body to the side, if you push with your shoulder and counterattack, you can immediately seize the opening. Blocking the subsequent kick with the scabbard would be much easier.

“This is the 8th form of Hasaldre’s White Lotus. It’s a rather strong thrusting attack, but with mana infused, it will be hard to withstand. Grip the sword tightly with both hands to block it.”

That’s a perfect mistake. Given that it’s a stiff thrusting attack, if you twist the tip of the sword with your own blade, you can slip it away and catch the opening.

However.

Karsein silently fulfilled Arina’s wishes.

As they exchanged strikes, even while delivering one-sided attacks, when she called for a flimsy counterattack stance, a rather convincing scene would unfold.

Of course, all of this was merely a script woven in Arina’s mind.

“It’s about time to bring this foolish play to an end. Your stamina must be running low; I’ll finish this quickly. Go back and rest, Karsein.”

She didn’t mention the final blow.

But it was all too clear in Karsein’s eyes.

A charge followed by a series of four strikes.

Then, a large rotation of the body to deliver the finishing blow, a swordsmanship that was emblematic of Arina.

If that were to be taken head-on… it would likely mean retirement.

As Arina mentioned, without suffering significant injury.

‘…Finally, it’s over.’

Arina. You said what you wanted was a performance, right?

Then this would be better.

Karsein bit his lip tightly and relaxed his grip on the sword.

“…! You…!”

Before the startled Arina could shout for him to put strength back into his sword.

—

The clang of metal echoed through the arena, and soon a crimson liquid soared high into the air.

– Thud.

The sword that had flown far away lodged itself into the arena wall.

Karsein’s body fell to the sandy ground, deeply cut.

─Waaah!!!

The crowd erupted in cheers at the stunning conclusion.

They cheered without reservation.

But in that moment,

confusion flickered in the blue eyes.

“C-call a doctor! Call a doctor!”

A hair tie came into view.

It was the hair tie that Karsein had once gifted.

But the hair tie, reflecting the sunlight, was now stained with blood and no longer shone.

*

▶ The memorial of the blood-stained hair tie has ended. ◀

▶ Time will return to normal after a 20-second timer. ◀

“Cough. Ha ha ha!”

Having witnessed the memorial, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Ha. So that’s what it meant?”

A chilling sensation enveloped my entire body.

“I wondered why there was such a memorial. Indeed, I was right to feel out of place.”

Lately, hadn’t my family changed a bit?

That thought had crossed my mind, even if just slightly.

But I realized it was a futile delusion.

Simply because I was the adopted son.

Because I was a child picked up from outside.

Because of my mother’s mental illness, I had to become family with a stranger.

Even because there was a man, almost like that stranger, who scolded me.

So I had only thought of it as something to dislike.

But the real reason was not that at all.

Upon reflection, I too have felt a significant weight at times. When I helped with a business project, my name had come up among the employees.

– Don’t you think he’s quite clever? His grades are impressive.

– Especially, he explains things clearly enough to tutor. We have to acknowledge his grades.

– With that mind, wouldn’t it be wise to pass the early business on to him quickly?

At that time, I tried to brush it off as nonsense.

Just then, I heard the voice of the eldest.

– Do you really think this project will work for our company?

Why does he react so strongly?

It’s obvious that I can’t join your company as a full-time employee.

That question lingered in my mind.

Looking at this memorial, it seems that question is finally being answered.

Since that day, the eldest has subtly cast overt glances whenever a situation arose that required him to deal with company matters.

“Right. It’s not that I did something wrong or that there’s a reason to dislike me.”

You’re worried I might take your place.

Just because I’m a man, you think that position might be threatened.

That’s why you disliked me, isn’t it?

I understand now.

I also know what I need to do.

▶ The timer is about to end! ◀

“Ah. Yeah. Sorry for rambling. But, I’m taking this with me.”

– Snap!

A few strands of red hair were forcibly pulled from the hair tie I ripped off.

“Ugh! What are you…!”

“This gift looks so pathetic now. I’ll give you a new one today.”

Just as you wish.

I’ll erase all traces of myself and leave.

From this damned household.

*

As Arina came down from the room she was preparing, Claire was waiting with her arms crossed.

“Why are you so late?”

—

Whatever the case.

I have only one thing to say.

“Isn’t it about to start?”

“Uh? I guess so.”

“Why don’t you go sit down? Things went well with Arina.”

“Really? Well… that’s good then.”

Claire sat down with a dazed expression.

It did go well.

No, it will go even better soon.

Time passed like that.

Most of the guests were filling in.

“Hello, Duchess.”

“Oh, welcome. Lady Harnié.”

“…”

“Flora. You should greet her. She’s the fiancée of Carsein, you know. Right?”

After exchanging some trivial pleasantries, Harnié leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Why didn’t you ask me to go with you? Silly. It’s safer to go with me.”

“It’s not that dangerous, you see. Or rather, I should say this is better.”

“Really?”

“Well, you’ll see.”

Before long, the guest of honor of this birthday party, Arina, made her appearance.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”

Is she truly the eldest daughter of a grand noble destined to inherit Bagland? There was no sign of crumpling or disarray in her speech.

The applause was unified at the beginning and end of her address.

Now all that’s left is a word of praise from the family.

“Our big sister is the best! She’s amazing!”

Well, it’s not strange for this little one to say that.

The gift box is quite large and flashy; I wonder what’s inside…

“Happy birthday, sister.”

Claire presented her gift along with a simple and formal congratulation. It seems this new product has garnered quite a bit of anticipation from people.

—

“Just having a wonderful first daughter makes me happy.”

Isabella, too, offered her congratulations along with a gift from a mother’s perspective. It seems this is connected to the Duke of Bagrand’s family.

‘Is it my turn now? Perfect timing.’

Arina shot a glare, as if she remembered what had happened earlier.

Don’t worry.

You don’t need to glare like that; I’ve prepared the gift you wanted.

“Oh. I made a bit of a mistake. I ended up ruining the gift I brought today with my own hands, didn’t I?”

“Ruined? What do you mean…”

-Drip, drip.

The hair tie decoration broke and fell apart.

The string was already in a state of being unusable.

In that moment, the atmosphere in the party hall turned icy.

It was a well-known fact to anyone present. That hair tie was an accessory Arina always wore.

“You…!”

Arina gritted her teeth.