The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 383



383. The Yggdrasil Project (23)

The Yggdrasil Project.

A scheme to cultivate a demonic World Tree, to bring the Peselos Empire to its knees.

The plan was chillingly meticulous.

Each step a cog in a perfectly constructed mechanism, the results never deviating from expectation. Subsequent plans built upon these results, the entire sequence interwoven with a disturbing thoroughness.

From the trivial to the imperceptible nuances, from dubious policies to seemingly unrelated clues.

Without grasping the entirety, the Yggdrasil Project would never breach the surface.

And a plan brought to light…

It was simply too colossal.

Each sprout, each tendril, untouchable by careless hands.

What had already transpired was irretrievable, any response, an impossibility from the start.

The treant abominations gestating with Yggdrasil’s seed.

The Empire’s climate of animosity towards the Westerners who could sense them.

The vast gulf widening between noble and commoner, and the suspicions, fading evermore.

Vagrand, openly targeted, and the Empire, utterly oblivious.

Where to begin unraveling this, where to raise the first barricade? Despair settled heavy. Brute obstacles stood defiant. Like scattered fragments of some forgotten puzzle, the Yggdrasil project sunk its roots throughout the Empire.

It was as though the problem defied solution.

A problem without precedent, without formula.

But still, it had been solved.

Nothing particularly special, after all. Only reality, layered upon reality.

Seen from eyes granted a second experience, the equation to untangle it could surely be drawn forth.

Humans, gradually saturated by the seed, drifting into eternal slumber. Within those humans, the seed of Yggdrasil, incubating, spreading. And from those humans, the demonic World Tree, Yggdrasil, drawing sustenance to bloom.

Already, major phases of the plan were in motion. Methodically, the growth of Yggdrasil was being impeded, the enemy’s forces dwindled.

If this continued, rendering the entire plan to naught might even be possible.

But, delving deeper, a single, peculiar anomaly surfaced.

The seed had already sprouted, establishing Yggdrasil’s legion.

And yet, this legion…

Why was there no commander to lead it?

That question unlocked the final piece.

“Aha! Well, I’ve been well and truly outdone. Never imagined you’d still be here, though. Carsein.”

It’s him.

Even in this chaos, he’s laughing with a composure that outweighs the military’s losses. It’s him.

To see this through to the end, I must capture him.

“To come all the way to the Marquis’ estate… as if you knew I was here. It seems you were the one interfering with the Yggdrasil Project after all, Carsein.”

“…”

“I wondered why my plans were subtly going astray whenever you were around. Yes, I should have suspected then. But, even now, I can’t help but wonder… so I must ask.”

Bellian smoothly wiped the blood from his cheek.

Then, he drew his sword and pointed it.

“What meaning does that woman have to you that you would remain? This isn’t your home. You have no reason to stay here, and considering the persecution you suffered from your family, you should have returned to your own world long ago. But what lingering attachment could there be… The only thing that comes to mind is…? You loathed this world, and the Duke’s family, didn’t you?”

“…!”

“What? Why so surprised? It’s only to be expected, wouldn’t you say?”

…Expected?

“You only ever gathered money to escape the Duke’s family. You walked a solitary path as if those around you meant nothing. Yes. Seeing that, it’s clear you have no desire for wealth or power. And you don’t possess some fantastical dream. At this point, it’s obvious that you wouldn’t have any attachment in that direction, wouldn’t it?”

It felt as if my very core had been laid bare.

The fact that he had arrived at that conclusion so quickly, despite our short acquaintance, sent chills down my spine.

One could never reach such a deduction through normal thinking.

‘What is this b*stard?’

He’s different.

Different from the others.

From noble mtl dot com

Seeing something…different.

An understanding I couldn’t fathom, not in the slightest.

Unsettling.

That instinct took hold.

That I couldn’t afford to give him, give Velian, any time.

I kicked off the floor, shooting forward. The sword, thrust deep, aimed at Velian’s throat.

“Ah. What’s with you? I was thinking, why the sudden attack?”

Velian, as if bothered by the intrusion, skillfully drew his own sword from his waist and deflected the blow.

A chair topples. A leg, kicked aside, shatters, sending splinters flying towards my abdomen.

Clearing the debris would be disadvantageous.

The shattered chair leg flies towards Velian’s right leg. Therefore, diagonally…I must shatter my left leg to counter.

-Crack!

Two chair legs, pulverized, now airborne.

The fragments, on a collision course, utterly shattered by the sword that flew beneath.

Velian grins, watching me.

“Heeh. Usually, they’d try to dodge, not block. Guess that’s why they call you smart, huh?”

“…”

“But you know, Karsein, seeing you so hurried, looks like there’s something going on, isn’t there? With Harnié.”

-Thud!

Power surges once more into my forelegs. I press the strength of my shoulders, coaxing the blade’s trajectory.

The swords, once locked together, break apart, and I seize the chance, pushing harder.

“Nowhere. Such tricks won’t work here.”

“Tch!”

The freed blade knows no rest, aiming for the next path.

There is no disparity in information. Belian, too, seems to know, recomposing her stance.

But that position is not on her upper body, but rather below.

The blade, slashed towards the floor, shatters the stone, upsetting the scales of balance.

Karsein retreats. I seize the timing in reverse. Belian’s blade flies in like a wedge, driving him into a corner.

And so, Karsein leaps through the shattered window.

However.

-Thwack! Clang!

“Ahaha! You were in a hurry, weren’t you!”

“…!”

Belian gave chase without hesitation.

Descending to the ground, gravity and mana itself are loaded into her strike. Which of us will suffer greater damage is obvious.

Having no other choice, Karsein slackens his strength, allowing the blow to land.

-Tss!

Forcing his shoulder to turn, he avoids a mortal wound. He managed to escape as much as possible, but he couldn’t move much in the air. The blade grazed his face, drawing blood.

A single stream of blood trickles down his cheek, the price for his hasty move.

This, now, cemented the conviction.

‘This b*stard. He’s no ordinary one. He lacks for nothing!’

Analyzing with ruthless thoroughness.

Calculating ceaselessly.

That anguished visage, cradling a trove of information…

It brought a disheartening sense of disparity.

The very starting point, irrevocably different.

His way of thinking, inherently unconventional.

The sheer volume of knowledge nestled within his mind, the dizzying speed of his brain, undoubtedly a path uniquely his.

The fact that the Yggdrasil Project had taken root so inexplicably deep, the Empire’s unsuspecting deception, the utter manipulation of Bagrand – all of it was built on a foundation.

Alas, power, too, followed the same trajectory.

That strength, accumulated through so much time and effort, transcended mere play, remaining etched as knowledge born of experience.

Yet, Velian absorbed it all with unnerving ease. As if ingrained within his very being.

Innate talent.

No other explanation suffices.

‘Damn it. Even as time marches on, he surely retains the upper hand.’

Against Velian, vague conjectures must be cast aside.

Disadvantageous. Unmistakably so.

For, undoubtedly, he has some preparation lying in wait.

‘And, switching perspectives, I may grow more vulnerable with each passing moment.’

He’d have finished his analysis ages ago. Possessing enough information about what *we* hold. If I switch perspectives, the clues come quick.

He’d quickly infer the Westerners’ visit. Yet, the fact he isn’t rushing, displaying such composure… it means the next plan is already laid out, to the point where intervention isn’t necessary.

Ultimately, the core lies with him. No matter how many Seeds of Yggdrasil are sown, *he* is the one who will bloom the World Tree.

I had to bring down this monster before me, blessed with such innate talent, the one driving Project Yggdrasil.

And yet.

“Hmm, hmm. Harnier might be one of the most famed beauties in the Empire, but? It can’t be solely due to her looks. Material wealth here is meaningless to her. Hmmm. If she were merely accumulating funds to escape the Ducal house and then the wind shifted… no. Staying for *this* makes no sense, does it?”

Belian remained fixated on Harnier, as if utterly perplexed.

“Why? Why is she capable of making such a choice? No, there’s no conceivable advantage. Nothing she could use as leverage… Hmm? Truly strange? What is such a calculated and sharp-minded individual hoping to gain by staying here?”

He quickly deduced that lingering regrets remained, but couldn’t solve the next answer. Witnessing this, I achieved an insight.

‘Ah. So that’s how it was.’

Yes. Perhaps there’s a truth that should be self-evident to others.

Something that cannot be proven by any theory or formula.

No matter how much one calculates and organizes within the mind, no answer can be derived.

Reason. He’s trapped by reason. Which is why he cannot accept it.

Why the actions appear so utterly incomprehensible.

Because it is emotion.

Because it springs from the heart.

Belian, the man, was slowly beginning to be analyzed.

‘…Yes. So you were *that* kind of fellow.’

Equally pursuing a life of rationality.

There were, thus, a great many similarities.

He could possess nothing.

Everything held in his hand belonged to another, never truly his. Nothing fully entered his grasp, demanding he calculate gains and losses with ruthless precision.

He remained alone in the world.

Without a soul to aid him, he had to navigate this existence alone. Even family was not family, and so he lived, embracing solitude, trusting no one.

He had to resolve everything himself.

Therefore, he strived endlessly, alone. Vast knowledge was, in itself, the most potent sword, and a honed physique, the only shield with which to defend himself.

Thus, for a single purpose.

He had lived solely for the sake of freedom.

Kim Min-hyuk, too. And Karsein.

Surprisingly, Seo Ju-hwan, and Belian as well.

Despite possessing everything, it likely never felt possessed at all.

A wealthy family. A solid family history. Riches and societal standing. So many things held in their hands. Enough to grasp most things they desired, enough to live a bountiful life.

And yet, that ambition could not be satisfied.

Thus, it became as if they held nothing at all.

Countless people would have flocked to their side.

Those under their command would have been faithful followers, people from whom they could receive help in many ways, maintaining close relationships.

But it would have felt utterly useless.

The perspective of a genius differed greatly from that of the average person. This one, so clever as to understand without explanation, to grasp things instantly, would have seen everyone around him as insignificant.

Because he was so different from others.

He’d become a solitary figure, all on his own, without even trying.

So, he must have resolved things himself.

That vast knowledge meant seeing one thing and grasping ten. And those ten would swell to hundreds, forging a sword of knowledge within his mind. A natural, inherent talent would imbue his body, already crafting a mighty shield.

Then, why had it come to this?

Because his life aimed for but a single goal.

Ambition.

An endless ambition.

An ambition to rule everything, from a higher place.

It was because he’d sought to realize it.

All analysis was complete.

‘So, you’re that kind of man, eh.’

Then, I felt I understood what weakness he might possess.

What means he might have employed. What he might be believing in now.

“You know what? I’ve been pretending to be in a relationship with Harnier.”

“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

“In short, I’ve been acting. We weren’t even engaged, we were just pretending to be lovers.”

“Shit. What the hell are you talking about? Are you making a fool of─”

– *Wooong.*

“…What is it? The Oath Jewel, is it?”

Belian tilted his head, puzzled.

“Hey, you trying to play games with me? Seems like you made some kind of oath with Harnier, but what do you think you’ll accomplish with that? You do that just to invite retribution?”

“The primordial seed that transforms humans into treants with the power of Yggdrasil. Quite a small number, wouldn’t you say?”

Belian’s brow twitched.

“…This b*stard. You’re saying you’ll cut down Yggdrasil yourself? Heh, heh heh!”

A small number. That meant there weren’t enough soldiers to guard it.

Yggdrasil stood there, vulnerable, waiting to be felled.

Belian, fully grasping his meaning, laughed out loud.

“Alright. Alright. You figured things out pretty well. But, how are you going to cut it down? All you can do is hold off my forces and restrain me. What means do you have to convey this fact? And besides, you can’t even explain it, can you?”

He was right.

But. One thing was wrong.

“If we are lovers, she will understand it perfectly.”

*

– *ooong.*

“…This is…”

The Oath Orb reacts.

Karsein had broken some kind of oath, it meant.

“If an oath is broken, retribution can be inflicted. But…”

In this situation?

He couldn’t shake off that thought.

Harnier’s doubt was fleeting.

“Something… he sent a signal. But… what signal?”

Harnier, settling his mind, began to decipher Carsein’s intent.

He traced, step by step, the path Carsein himself would have taken.

“Now that the burden of me is gone, Carsein will be hindering the Yggdrasil Project. He brought the Westerners, and the Imperials are fighting…”

Westerners as allies.

The removal of the Seeds hidden amongst the Imperial army.

Protection within the Duchy of Bagrand.

On the parchment, Carsein’s actions, brimming with his intention, were meticulously recorded.

Then, he seized upon a clue.

“…Wait. Where is Carsein located?”

Location tracking was possible through the retribution function.

Activating it, the Orb immediately revealed Carsein’s whereabouts.

“Towards the Theresia March…? Then…!”

All available troops are engaged with the Treant army.

Carsein is confronting Belian.

That meant only one thing remained.

“Yggdrasil…!”

The empty World Tree.