The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 283



Chapter 283. The Prophet of Wederos (2)

My mind remained a chaotic mess, still unorganized.

After the event of the monster invasion had concluded, and the aftermath episode wrapped up, nothing had changed even after I was brought here directly.

Perhaps that is why nothing seemed to penetrate my thoughts.

“K-Karsein. ──Huh? ───. ─I need to…!”

The voice of Flora, clutching my sleeve and babbling in distress.

“Hey! Where on earth have you been! ─────! ────?”

The voice of Claire, likely raising her voice in a flurry of nagging.

“Karsein, are you alright? ── ───── ─────.”

The voice of Isabella, fussing over my condition.

None of their voices reached me.

Only a cacophony of noise filled the air.

“Quiet.”

“W-what?”

“Hey, you…”

“I said quiet. Can’t you understand a word I’m saying?”

My head is already pounding.

I barely have enough time to think about what the hell is going on.

But if you all keep whining in the midst of this, I can’t think straight.

So please, just shut up.

Let me be alone for a while.

—Tap, tap.

Where were my thoughts? Where was my voice?

Even I couldn’t tell the difference.

No matter what happened behind me, I just wanted to be alone right now.

And then, at that moment.

Perhaps disturbed by my mood, someone shouted at me.

That voice rang out, clear as day.

“Ha. You really are a worthless piece of work. We’ve been worried sick because you’ve been missing from the hall, and what? You’re complaining about the noise?”

“…”

Arina seized me by the collar.

“Are you only going to come to your senses when you’re surrounded by monsters, about to be their meal? While the other participants are out there cutting down those beasts one by one, you’re just hiding away, relying on others for protection!”

Hiding away, relying on protection?

Me?

“Pfft.”

A laugh escaped me.

Yeah. It wouldn’t be strange to think that way. After all, nothing is known yet.

You wouldn’t know that I shattered the source in the dark vision.

You wouldn’t have considered my position, having to push through those monsters.

You’d only remember that I was rescued alone from a distant place. Isn’t that right?

“Ha. You’re laughing? You arrogant little…!”

“──!”

“───, ───!”

“Let go! That guy needs to be hit to come to his senses! While everyone else is struggling to suppress the monsters, you’re just looking out for yourself…!”

As she clenched her fist and prepared to strike me, other family members rushed in to separate Arina and me.

Ah. That inferiority complex really does help a lot.

I can’t thank you enough, Arina.

Every time I’m lost in confusion, you remind me to get my head straight like this, so how could I not be grateful? Right?

Cold blood enveloped me, clearing the clutter from my mind with a chilling precision.

How foolish I had been.

Why had I been unable to arrive at such a simple answer?

My path had always been laid out before me. To escape this family. To break free from this damned household and claim my independence.

From any angle, there was no clearer solution.

I needed to fulfill the conditions of Another Plan as swiftly as possible, to break away from my family.

I would swiftly dispatch the episodes blocking my way, close the chapter, and continue on my path.

In doing so, the way back to reality would naturally unfold.

Yes. Nothing else mattered.

To escape this house. To escape this game.

All I needed was to return to where I once belonged.

—Thud!

From noble mtl dot com

*

Since that day, time had slipped away.

The chaos from the sudden emergence of monstrous hands at the after-party was but a fleeting moment.

After the royal court announced that there had been no casualties and took appropriate measures, the Empire returned to its mundane routine, vowing to capture the true culprit.

Yet, the daily life of the Duke’s household had not resumed.

“…Is it true that Carseine will be absent again today?”

“Milady, that is…”

“I would prefer the truth, Heron.”

At Arina’s sharp command, Heron reluctantly opened his mouth.

“He left early this morning, claiming he would inspect the territory.”

“…Is that so.”

Isabella let out a deep sigh.

It had already been several occasions where they had attempted to gather the family for a meal.

Yet, each time, one seat remained empty. A conspicuous void that refused to be filled.

“Another territory inspection, is it? Mother, do you not realize how many days this has been?”

“…”

“Do you intend to allow Carseine’s insolence to continue unchecked?”

With Carseine absent not only from meals but also from any family gatherings, Arina’s dissatisfaction grew with each passing day.

“This cannot continue. It’s not just a day or two that Karsein has been like this. Mother. Let’s be clear. Tell him to stop acting on his own.”

“Arina. That child must have his own thoughts, don’t you think?”

“Ha. Thoughts? That fool who can’t even take care of his meals and is just ruining his own body?”

As Arina frowned in discontent, Flora parted her lips, her voice trembling slightly.

“Elder sister. Still, he might not have fully recovered from his injuries. If he was hurt fighting the beasts…”

“If those wounds haven’t healed yet, then he’s simply weak. Flora.”

“Elder sister…”

“For those who have hunted beasts, that level of injury is nothing more than a scratch. If we were to coddle every little thing, what would become of those on the battlefield? Besides, if he knew his place and stayed by your side, it would have sufficed. If he chose to wander off and got hurt alone, then it’s just foolishness—he brought it upon himself.”

With a sharp click of her tongue, Claire sprang to her feet, indignant.

“Sister. Still, he’s managing two territories, after all. We should understand he’s busy, shouldn’t we?”

“No. Just two territories.”

“What?”

“Considering how much work there is in the duke’s household, why should we excuse him for that? Think about the responsibilities you and I carry. It’s not even comparable.”

Claire’s lips quivered.

“All he does is stay locked away, dealing with territory-related matters. What’s so grand about that that he can’t even sit with family at a meal? If he’s experienced enough, shouldn’t he know when to give up and turn back if there’s no progress?”

“…”

“I still don’t understand what Karsein is trying to achieve. If he’s just after a few coins, he could learn by taking over the family affairs instead.”

Arina scolded Karsein, who was not present, in a low voice.

“Honestly, what does that brat know? If it’s about business, there are plenty of examples to learn from. Just learning from the vassals of the duke’s house would provide excellent teachers. Instead of foolishly gathering a few coins through unheard-of ventures and expansions, he should know how to spend his time wisely.”

“Wait! Sister. That’s too exaggerated—”

“Regardless of anything else, family meals are a matter of noble etiquette. I can no longer overlook such blatant disregard for even this simple schedule. With the duke’s agenda already set, what would happen if he displayed the same behavior there?”

“…”

“…”

The two sisters swallowed their silence. It couldn’t be said that Arina was entirely wrong.

The symposium and the martial arts tournament were over.

Most of the individual schedules had concluded.

As both knew well, from here on, there were numerous events that required the entire family to act together, so Karsein could not remain so detached.

—Tap.

Isabella rapped the table, drawing a line in the heated atmosphere.

“Let’s leave it at that. Arina.”

“…Mother.”

“To Karsein… Yes. I shall speak well of it.”

Regardless, a meeting was necessary due to this matter.

As a member of the Duke of Bagrand’s household, Karsein had obligations that must be honored.

If I could gather a bit more while I’m at it, that would be good too.

This time, it could very well be an opportunity to show my true self as a member of the family, to reveal my role as a mother.

Yet…

Isabella suddenly recalled the conversation she had shared with Karsein that day.

Even the visit to the sick was entangled in a past that had gone awry, and thus, the conversation had not concluded in a particularly pleasant manner.

However, an unsettling residue lingered, one that she could not easily erase.

—Mom!

—Mother.

—Mother.

These were familiar titles she had heard from her daughters.

Yet for one person, such words had never been spoken.

‘…How long has it been since that child called me mother?’

—Yes. Duchess.

The only memories that remained were those stiff titles.

‘No. It cannot be. It must be my imagination.’

She shook her head, but…

There was an oddly persistent memory that refused to fade.

—Ding!

[ Isabella Bagrand ]

[ The character is feeling unease through a profound sense of dissonance and déjà vu. ]

*

As if to prove that the time spent in the territory was not in vain, the ventures she had pursued were steadily coming together.

The laws of this place devoured conventional wisdom.

Yet, once one began to deliberately dissect and analyze the ecosystem of this world, gaps appeared where the knowledge of reality could be applied.

If crops were growing at an abnormally rapid pace, this could be leveraged to connect with the livestock industry.

The materials obtained from livestock were deemed exceedingly rare in this complexly intertwined ecosystem. A prime example being the bees, which had proven difficult to cultivate.

If demand is high, then the price to be paid will be equally steep.

I fixated on that aspect, relentlessly expanding my business.

Beekeeping. Textiles. Processing.

What began as simple agriculture had sprawled out like a web, built upon a variety of raw materials.

Thanks to that.

I was able to meet the next condition.

▶＜Another Plan＞’s funding method has been selected as ＜Domain＞.◀

▶Funds have surpassed 10 million Pesel, satisfying the conditions for Level 4.◀

“Finally, Level 4.”

Now, only one thing remains.

The long-awaited Level 5. Once I clear that, the conditions will be fulfilled.

But there is one problem.

-Ding!

▶Isabella is coming to visit.◀

“Ah, I was wondering when she’d show up.”

From the moment I cleared Level 4, the number of interlopers surged rapidly.

Even if I managed to conduct my business and gather funds by any means, the Carseins would not leave me be.

It was the same in the game, but the greatest obstacle at this time was none other than the Duke of Bagrand. In other words, family.

Moreover, that was not all.

▶Episode VI. The Price of the One Who Stands on High is now in progress.◀

It would be a shame to miss an episode.

As expected, since I had chosen money for the Another Plan, an episode that would consume it was set to unfold.

Most likely, upon my return, there would be a segment related to the Duke’s taxes.

Then Arianna would say something like this.

-At the symposium, you claimed to be the lord of Rusmaier, not Carsein Bagrand. Therefore, you alone shall bear the taxes of both domains.

As the script concluded, the amount I would pay from the hard-earned money I had gathered would determine the change in intimacy.

If this were a game, I would have pulled some tricks to pay less and call it even.

“I don’t want to take your money, you see.”

Even if I had to part with some of the money I worked so hard to earn, I did not want their help.

-Ding!

▶Isabella has arrived.◀

▶After meeting with the Duchess, return to the Duke’s residence.◀

Right. Let’s get on with it.

After all, there isn’t much time left.

If I can just clear away these episodes, it’ll be done.

“…”

As I walked toward Isabella, I casually glanced at the status window.

▶Announcing the conditions for ＜Another Plan＞, Stage 5.◀

▶Possess a total of 221.7 million Pesel.◀

▶This amount may fluctuate based on future expenditures.◀

221.7 million, huh.

Such an ambiguous figure. If it’s 200 million, then why not just say that? What’s with the 21.7 million?

…Yet, somehow, it felt familiar.

That was the total sum I owed to the Duke’s household. The fact that it could change based on expenditures seemed to make sense for that reason.

If this were a game, I would have certainly hated it.

But strangely, I found it rather appealing.