The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 295



295. Explicit Goal (1)

-Ding!

▶Due to the invalidation of the choices made through Arina, the intimacy lights of all family members have turned blue.◀

▶You have cleared Episode VII. The Duke’s Family Trip.◀

▶Rewards are given.◀

—

—

When I woke up after a night’s sleep.

As expected, the family trip episode had been neatly cleared.

Flora must have delivered the news while avoiding the rain.

There were some minor mistakes in the process of triggering the avoidance to nullify the option of talking with Arina, but the aftermath seemed to have flowed smoothly without major issues.

From here on, I have to proceed as I knew.

If the duke’s knights were dispatched to find me, or if any of my family members set out to look for me, it would be a sign of a catastrophe, not an episode clear.

The way to confirm that is none other than the reward.

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like there are any major deviations on that side either.’

▶ It is recognized that you had an accident due to the avoidance trigger. ◀

▶ Your family does not question your overnight stay. ◀

▶ Considering the accident, you are given free action time. ◀

■ Reward

[ Free Action Time: 10 days ]

▶ Depending on the player’s actions, the free action time may increase or decrease. ◀

The reward was none other than free action time.

A quite convincing reward.

The reason is obvious, as the current Another Plan is heading towards the final 5th stage.

‘I have to manage it well so that the period doesn’t shorten.’

During the hard-earned free action time, I have to gather as much money as possible.

Since I got precious time, I have to move diligently.

Since I have to reach the target amount by racking my brains, it was inevitable that busy work would be done from the morning.

But then.

-Swoosh.

“Huh?”

The moment I tried to get out of the place where I naturally fell asleep, I remembered what I had forgotten.

“…I forgot. I came in here to avoid the rain, didn’t I?”

No wonder.

The bed was unusually small.

My body couldn’t possibly be this heavy.

I don’t have the habit of hugging something while sleeping, so there’s no reason for it to stick.

—

—

I don’t even get to see the sun rise. Usually, I save time by taking short naps.

…And the most unfamiliar thing would be this.

This warm and soft thing pressing closely against my skin was something I never experienced before.

Well, anyway. That’s enough about that.

The problem is what to do here.

“Umm…?”

Oh. While I was pondering, Harnie opened her eyes.

“Did you sleep well?”

She blinked her sleepy eyes twice.

Then her violet pupils quickly widened, and she rubbed her eyes vigorously.

“Ah…”

Looking around, it seems she has regained her senses.

She probably went through the same process as I did.

Why did I come here?

Where is this place, and how did I end up here?

And she must have recalled the time until she fell asleep in this bed.

“The rain has weakened compared to dawn, but it’s still falling. It might be a bit burdensome to go out carelessly. Well, even if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be good to go out now.”

“What?”

“This is a place that’s easy to be misunderstood. Here.”

When I pointed to the floor with my finger, her face turned red.

“You really are…!”

“Oh, oh?!”

“Why do you say things like that! Really!”

Seeing her suddenly wrap my face with the blanket in an outrageous manner, it seems she has indeed come to her senses.

And. Even this spicy hand taste.

Soon, the rain stopped.

As the rain stopped, people started going out one by one, and taking advantage of the lack of attention, we finished the payment and left.

“Since the rain has stopped, I’ll take you home.”

After taking Harnie home, I would soon return to the territory and focus solely on saving money.

But.

—

—

“…”

She stood still in her place, choosing silence instead of a response.

*

A rare moment of free time.

During this nearly 10-day period, the money I can earn will be the most significant in Chapter 3.

That’s because the buildup that started at the beginning of Chapter 3 will explode here.

The two territories established in the previous chapters, the firmly held Noblesse Points, and the management of the traders’ intimacy.

All of this was the foundation for expanding the business and amassing money in an instant.

Seeing the amount exceeding 200 million, at first, one might stick out their tongue and complain that it’s impossible, but if you manage it diligently while performing the episodes, its true value will appear here.

-Ding!

▶The preparation for the transaction is complete.◀

▶Due to sufficient Noblesse Points, the business scale grade increases. The risk decreases, and the obstacles are reduced.◀

▶The intimacy with the transaction target is above a certain level!◀

▶An additional amount is added to the existing transaction reward!◀

As the business scale grows, the transaction volume increases.

With the decrease in risk and reduction of obstacles, plundering and accident events disappear from the transactions.

When the trust of the transaction target is raised and influenced by intimacy, an additional amount is generated, and although it doesn’t appear in the message, this amount can also be increased through continuous transactions.

Additionally, it also has the promotional effect of generating other traders.

‘Of course, this is the real deal.’

▶A hidden trader is revealed by satisfying special conditions.◀

Although it is possible to achieve the amount with just regular transactions, by meeting the tight conditions to gather money a little faster, this appeared.

When you hear “hidden trader,” it might sound complicated, but it’s very simple.

It means you gain significant benefits when trading with these targets.

The minimap unlock and NPC activation unlock are doubly hidden, and if the conditions are not met, it’s impossible to even talk to them, so the rewards were distinctly different from other transactions.

‘If you proceed blindly focused only on the episode, you would miss all of this.’

From noble mtl dot com

Of course, receiving the rewards is not easy.

There’s a reason why it’s called special. Even a slight deviation returns the NPC to its original state, artificial actions don’t work, and if the conditions are wrong, it’s immediately out. It required concentration without a single error.

Just like taking an exam.

So, from now on, I had to plan to trade more tightly with those special merchants.

“Ah. If you do it that way, double taxation will occur.”

—

—

“…”

-Ssuk, ssuk ssuk ssuk.

“If you change the route like this and use the designated transit points within the empire, you won’t have to pay overlapping tolls or customs duties because the transit distance is divided. It’s a useful tip, right? Hmm. And on the route where you have no choice but to detour, paying the toll might be a bit cheaper than the customs duty. It’s because the transaction volume and frequency accumulate.”

Next to me, someone was meticulously reviewing the plan and correcting any mistakes.

It might be strange, but a familiar picture is drawn.

That figure.

This situation.

It made reality overlap once again.

I didn’t know everything from the beginning.

…Although I achieved decent scores in the college entrance exam, it took a long time to get there.

That’s because I couldn’t attend classes properly at school.

Other classmates were already troublemakers, and it was impossible to study with others constantly picking fights.

They disrupted my note-taking.

They tore pages from my notebooks.

And if that wasn’t enough, they even stole my books and ran away with my pre-written notes. That was their daily routine.

Even with those countless troublemakers, I couldn’t study comfortably at home either, and it was impossible to manage the time chased by part-time jobs.

Because of that, I made mistakes. Again and again. Countless mistakes.

I couldn’t even look at a single book.

Nevertheless, there was a reason I could take the exam properly back then.

-Here. This is what I wrote down, so study from it. You’re smart, so you’ll understand these principles quickly, right?

“Here. This is what I organized, so study from it. You’re smart, so you’ll understand these principles quickly, right?”

It wasn’t the first time. There was someone who handed me meticulously organized notes to help me build a solid foundation.

“Karsein? Karsein? Are you listening to me?”

“…Yes. I’m listening.”

“Then hurry up and correct it. You’ve been spacing out since earlier.”

Before returning to the Shatren territory, she suddenly stopped and said there was no need to take her back. Instead, she followed me and readily offered to help.

So this wasn’t a one-time thing, nor a matter of a day or two.

She had been living here for over a week.

And she was diligently teaching me, who knew little about the empire or taxes.

…Just like Ji-eun once helped me with my studies.

—

—

‘That’s not the only strange thing.’

I already know.

There is a question I should have asked much earlier.

On the day I avoided the rain.

How did Harunie pinpoint my exact location?

And for what purpose did she come to find me?

I want to ask that question, but…

‘…Sigh.’

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

It’s complicated.

Too complicated.

-Clunk!

“Lord. Please forgive my rudeness as it is an urgent matter.”

“Dyke? What’s the matter?”

“Well…”

The report that came out of Dyke’s mouth after swallowing his saliva was none other than the omen of the final mandatory event of Chapter 3.

*

-Screech!

“You noisy creature! Shut up!”

-Smack!

“What’s the situation?!”

“Except for one side of the city, it seems to be completely blocked!”

“The city must not be breached! That side…!”

“I know! That’s why we’ve already sent a team!”

Thanks to the beasts that had been steadily invading from Mount Wagle, Rusmire was able to quickly prepare for the reappearance of the beasts.

No, actually, that wasn’t the only reason.

The excellent lord had provided sufficient supplies and equipment to prepare for this, and even mobilized young people trained by the Westerners to devise means of self-defense.

Despite the appearance of the beasts, they were not pushed back and were even able to advance because systematic directives were in place.

However, this time, they were struggling greatly.

—

—

“Why on earth are such powerful beasts suddenly…!”

“Damn it, blocking them is fine, but… eliminating the source seems difficult…!”

It was because they were distinctly different from the species they had faced so far.

“We have no choice but to hold out! Just hold on a little longer until reinforcements arrive through Shatren─”

-Slash! Thud.

“Huh…?”

At that moment, a sense of relief spread across the villagers’ faces.

“Is everyone alright?”

““Lord!””

.

.

.

Before long, the beasts were quickly dealt with, and the source was also located thanks to the villagers’ quick response, so it didn’t take long.

The damage was minimal.

‘As Dyke said, these are indeed formidable creatures.’

I can vaguely guess.

Since the large-scale cleanup of Wagle Mountain, such mobs have not appeared.

Due to the execution of the beast weakening event, only beasts that could be handled by the villagers should have appeared.

‘Yet, the appearance of such creatures could be a sign of another incident.’

I already know.

The essential episode in the latter part of Chapter 3 is often mistaken for a family trip.

It seems necessary to participate to manage the family’s intimacy and to ensure it doesn’t affect the other plan.

But the real essential episode is not that one.

-Ding!

▶Episode VIII. The Explicit Target begins.◀

▶A beast attack is predicted on a specific date and time.◀

▶However, the location and target are not disclosed.◀

This was the real essential episode.