The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 371



371. Yggdrasil Project (11)

“Ugh… the spot where I got hit still throbs…”

I swear, if I looked at my back, there’d be a bright red handprint there.

It’s always like this at the end, isn’t it?

And every time, I have no fucking clue what I did wrong.

It’s hard. Fucking hard.

“…Still, whatever. Getting clocked one knocked me back into it.”

Where the carriage passed.

I shook myself awake here, piecing together what just happened.

▶EX Episode. The True Enemy is Progressing.◀

▶You must impede Bellian Theresa’s Yggdrasil Project.◀

▶All UI and previously acquired information are now provided.◀

▶Always be wary of pursuit events.◀

[Premise: Harnier’s Survival]

▶Clear this episode and rescue them this time.◀

Yeah. There was no other way.

No matter how much I wracked my brain, this was the only conclusion.

Reality and this game aren’t all that different. Practically all of the information’s stored in my memory, it feels like.

So, as much as it stings, I had to pull up the Memorial.

In the Memorial, Jieuni came to my room after I collapsed there.

I pondered, what happened after that?

Ji-eun ended up taking her own life… even if that hadn’t happened, it was a worst-case scenario.

My dead body.

No one around knew my door lock password.

That single person, who broke in alone.

Wouldn’t they be suspected, at the very least, of having a motive for murder?

If so… the moment the investigation starts, everything ends.

What could I possibly prove?

Could I just get off the hook with “we were friends,” or “they used to like me?”

No. There’s no way.

Seo Joo-hwan, that b*stard was probably trying to pin everything on Ji-eun from the start. Just like Har-nie is a wanted fugitive right now.

So there’s no way out.

Even if I came back alive, there’s no plan I could put in place.

If we don’t prepare beforehand, Har-nie and Ji-eun will just be taken down by that b*stard again.

And so, I had to draw the conclusion, with the last thing I wanted to do as the solution.

If anyone could help Har-nie in this situation… it would only be my family.

In Bagrand, the family I hated so much.

Asking them, the last people I wanted to ask, to protect Har-nie.

-Confirmed. The Marquis has sent a carriage, please board.

Marquis Magnuel’s insignia was unmistakable. Upon handing the insignia back to the family messenger, the carriage arrived promptly.

Maybe, if I get on that carriage, at least I can protect myself while being near Claire. And I wouldn’t need to suffer like this.

Our thoughts aligned.

Harnier nodded at me, then headed towards the carriage.

Even as he moved forward, he turned back several times, again and again, his eyes filled with worry.

Even as the carriage was leaving, he kept the window open, never taking his eyes off me.

All I could do was wave back.

To that, Harnier sent me a silent message.

-If you come back hurt, I’ll nag you. Don’t forget it.

Another emphasis on that made me a little troubled.

“…If I come back hurt, I’ll get nagged.”

I chuckled.

“That’s already a given. This job requires quite a bit of pushing myself.”

But, on the other hand, I had another thought.

Wasn’t that why Harnier kept looking back at me? Isn’t that why he sent me those worried looks, again and again?

Because she’s such a smart woman.

Even if she’s a bit of an airhead, she’s not someone who wouldn’t notice these things.

It was reasonable to assume she was already worried.

“Well… I asked her to keep an eye out, so she’ll probably overlook some things, right?”

Getting nagged is a certainty.

But, if I come back hurt, there’s someone who’ll nag me.

…Feels kinda alright, for some reason.

▶Time Remaining

[ 46 min ]

*

-Thud.

“Ouch!”

A woman landed hard on her backside, thumping onto the ground.

“Ugh…”

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

A man offered his hand, apologizing.

The woman laughed it off, took his hand, and got back up.

“It happens. It’s not like this is some other street, it’s 12th Street, after all.”

“Is there something special about 12th Street?”

“Wait, you don’t know about it?”

She questioned him, brushing dirt off her backside.

“Sorry, I’m not from around here.”

“Ah. That explains it. I was wondering.”

Crowded 12th Street.

This place is always chaotic, with so many people moving to and fro.

In a place like this, people bumping into each other and someone falling is commonplace.

“It’s nothing but shops around here, but the people who actually come are all servants from the noble families in this area.”

“Then, you too?”

“Yes. I’m also a maid from a noble house. That’s why I come here to buy what I need.”

Brushing off the last of the dirt, the maid picked up her things and moved.

“Ugh. Why is it so exhausting lately? I thought it would be easy working for a dukedom… Ugh! Why does this kind of thing have to happen when I’m here?”

“…”

Grumbling like that, the maid hurried away, saying she needed to get a grip.

But the maid doesn’t know.

What happened in that time.

The man held the maid’s pass in his hand.

The Bagrand Dukedom’s pass, which she had carefully tucked away in her bosom.

‘Hmm. This will be enough.’

It’s not impossible to force his way in. But there’s no need to cause a commotion.

Rather than wasting time by pointlessly drawing his sword and causing a scene, and ending up further from his goal, it’s better to solve things easily.

And for that, this was necessary.

He had also chosen the right maid from the dukedom.

Not some random maid, but one who definitely carried a pass.

Even if she were a witness, she was a nobody, so there was no need to go to the trouble of getting rid of her.

Now Arksherus had no reason to stay in this street.

He moved through the bustling street, beyond, into a quiet alleyway.

Silently, I passed through the people, arriving at a place.

It was a massive hospital.

‘This is it.’

Target for elimination.

A target to be removed for the Yggdrasil Project.

A target whose budding variables must be cut off in advance within the current Arina System.

It was the hospital where Isabella Bagrand was receiving treatment.

“Here.”

“Confirmed. Pass through.”

The security system inside the hospital was exactly as I’d investigated.

Without a pass, no one could enter, and even those whose identities were already confirmed had to show their pass for re-verification.

I’d intentionally bumped into a maid and stolen her pass for that purpose; nothing held me back now.

“Halt.”

Two guards raised their spears, pointing them at me.

“Didn’t you see the sign stating that outsiders aren’t allowed to enter freely?”

“This place is rented out by the Duke’s family, paid for. Even if you’re a patient, we cannot let you through.”

“There are other hospitals nearby. Go there. If you come any closer, be prepared.”

The two guards were adamant, not allowing any outsiders to pass.

Their spears were poised to strike if I took even one more step.

That’s why this pass was such a powerful weapon.

“What’s this. A pass?”

“Why do *you* have this?”

“Why I have it isn’t the important thing, is it?”

Arkshus answered the two guards’ questions calmly.

“Isn’t the fact that I have this, in itself, the policy that I can pass through this place?”

“…”

“…”

Silence. They cannot answer.

Because that was the order handed down from above.

This hospital, ironically, held a great contradiction.

There weren’t many soldiers. Fewer than expected, even for a hospital where Isabella, of Bagrand, was recovering.

It was contradictory that there were so few soldiers stationed in a place where they had to guard someone so important.

But they were efficiently positioned, and it was because of this tight security system that there were so few people.

Inversely, it could be seen as a stronger security system because intruders could be spotted quickly.

And that’s why Arkshus exploited it.

“They don’t ask for ID. Only those with a pass can enter. And even invited outsiders must have this pass to come and go, and even if they are employed by the Bagrand ducal family, even if they just went out to run an errand, they won’t be let back in without a pass. I believe that’s the directive that came from Bagrand.”

Literally, the pass proves everything.

Only those with a pass can enter.

That was how to break through this seemingly flimsy, yet powerful, gate.

“…Judging by how well you know it, it seems you know about the pass.”

“Invited? Or by order of the higher-ups?”

Akshus smiled inwardly at those words.

‘Heh. If things go well, I might get to see an even fiercer fight.’

Family fights are still the best spectacle.

He thought this, but on the outside remained utterly calm. His expression betrayed nothing.

He adds more firewood to the fire.

“Princess Arina sent me ahead.”

“Princess Arina?”

“She sent a courier pigeon to me, as I was closest, so I could follow directly.”

The guards nodded, accepting the explanation.

If Arina had sent him, that measure made sense.

-Click.

“Go in.”

Eventually, the unyielding fortress gave way and opened.

After the door opened.

A moment later, the two guards looked at each other.

“…”

“…”

They glanced behind them, and after confirming they were at a safe distance, they nodded.

‘You saw it too, right?’

“Alright. Let’s move.”

The two sentries flashed a signal, visible to everyone within the hospital, then rapidly vacated their posts.

Heading towards the designated inn, they met the maid waiting for them.

“What happened?”

“…The b*stard just went in.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. And I confirmed the pass he stole from your person too.”

Inside the maid’s uniform, there were faint marks, traces of a knife entering.

It was where the pass should have been.

“…That’s why I’m asking. Was this deliberate? Lady Camilla.”

The woman, clad in the ducal house’s maid uniform, quirked up a smile at the corner of her lips, replying.

“Yes. This entire process is his plan, after all.”

*

A lax security system crumbled with a single pass.

While the hospital’s interior wasn’t investigated, there’s no need to know its structure.

Once it’s proven they’re a guest, there’s only one thing left to do.

To ignite a civil war in Bagrand with Isabella’s death.

‘Ah… Just imagining it sends shivers down my spine.’

Family ties.

Bonds of blood.

To break these connections, which you can’t cut no matter how much you try, is a truly thrilling experience.

Any family would break down like this.

Belief in each other turns to distrust, and trust in each other transforms into resentment. The closest of relationships are swiftly flipped into the most dreadful in the world.

When the time comes to finally see each other’s blood, an unbearable exhilaration erupts from within.

But, those are just minnows.

Even having ruined countless families, this time will be the best.

Because this target is Vagrand. A specially crafted, top-tier piece.

The black blade will be drawn as the cause of the parents’ death.

And that cause will finally have a sword drawn on them directly.

The one who returned from the original world in despair will wander. And what awaits is a false accusation received in a fit of heightened emotion and their sister’s blade.

Even though the blood isn’t mixed, very thick blood will flow.

They will witness a catastrophe where flesh is severed and bone is scraped.

The closest of relationships are destroyed.

The thread of trust that comes from the name of family is severed.

Escaping the belonging of one household, they draw swords on each other and fight.

Isn’t that art?

Ah. I can’t wait to see it.

‘I wonder what kind of scene Vagrand will show?’

Archers opened the door to the room where Isabella was recuperating, filled with anticipation.

Isabella was lying on her side, covered with a blanket.

He had worried a lot about how to kill her, but still, he had to make sure she dies in the most brutal way possible.

The preparations were all complete. First, let’s start simple, right here—

-Thud.

“…What?”

There’s no feeling of a sword piercing through.

This isn’t… the sensation of human flesh tearing.

-Flop!

“A wig… and a mannequin?”

The moment he pulled back the blanket to confirm the truth—

-Shwish!

A man’s sword, having approached without a sound, cleaved a deep gash into Akshus’s shoulder.

“Kgh?!”

“Did you enjoy my gift?”

“You, you b*stard…!”

He barely sensed the killing intent and managed to turn his body, saving his life, but he couldn’t hide his confusion.

“Karsein. How are you here…!”

There was someone who should have left this world a long time ago.