The Damn Family Is Back Again

161 – 161. Legal Rights (1)

The selection time, which started from the top layer and went down one layer at a time, finally reached the lowest layer, completing the participants’ registration.

The last one.

When Carcsein emerged from the registration field, the nobles, who had been in confusion, turned their attention to him one by one.

The nobles’ reactions were originally divided into two extremes.

Firstly, there was the group that felt a vague fear and burden due to the huge changes in this symposium, and were in a state of confusion. Secondly, there was the group that was confident, thinking that even if they didn’t do well, they would still be better than that guy.

However, once they saw Carcsein, their thoughts became unanimous.

“Yeah, no matter what, we’re still better than that guy.”

“It’s reassuring to know that there’s someone at the bottom.”

“As long as we can show a clear gap with that guy, it’s okay even if we don’t do well.”

The nobles, who had a sense of reassurance that they were not the last, all looked down on one person.

At least, they thought they wouldn’t be the worst.

After all, Carcsein had automatically received the territory of Shatren, a place with no development potential, comparable to the past Rusmaier.

“It’s okay. Today, we’ll start the 21st symposium’s first week, and the guide is complete.”

Arsien, who had been watching the murmurs in the quiet atmosphere, decided to end the meeting a little earlier.

Clair swallowed her saliva and activated the registration stone she had received along with the start of the symposium. The registration stone had the function of showing the territories and temporary lords chosen by the participants.

Among them, the territory and lord’s name she wanted to see was only one.

[Shatren – Carcsein]

“…It’s finally like that.”

It hadn’t changed.

If she didn’t take Shatren, no one would touch that territory.

There was still work to be done, though.

“Unni, can I go back to the ducal mansion first? I need to check on the territory’s finances last year.”

“Aren’t you being too hasty about understanding the territory’s finances? You don’t need to rush like that.”

“It’s better to prepare early. There are a lot of things to prepare for, and the rules have changed anyway.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“I’ll go. Unni.”

“Wait, Clair!”

Ariana let out a small sigh as she watched Clair suddenly get up and leave.

It seemed that if Clair was going to work with Carcsein, she would be busy. Considering the cooperative penalty, Clair’s workload would only increase.

Ariana didn’t suspect anything further, thinking it was reasonable.

However.

Clair didn’t return to the ducal mansion, despite saying so.

“What’s going on, Clair?”

Isabella asked, looking puzzled.

Just a while ago, she had been waiting for her three daughters and son to return, chatting with the heads of other families, but Clair’s first words after moving to her seat had brought a huge confusion to her eyes.

“It’s just as I said. The Shatren territory… is actually because of me.”

The Shatren territory, which had been in a state of stagnation since Carcsein’s debut and hadn’t recovered.

Clair revealed that she was the cause of that territory’s downfall.

Only revealing this fact now, after being late to learn of it, makes my heart ache. However, I couldn’t possibly keep it hidden any longer.

I’ve already prepared myself for the consequences.

But I had to say this:

“So, Mother is going to use her privilege at this symposium to benefit Carsein.”

***

On the first day of the symposium, I made different choices, but ultimately, the game unfolded as usual. There were minor changes, such as hidden episodes or altered past events, but nothing significant.

As soon as I chose the Shatren territory, Episode V cleared, and a window popped up.

▶Episode VI: Progressing with the Target of Hatred◀

▶The player must enter the Shatren territory and declare themselves as the temporary lord.◀

This was the status window announcing the start of the Shatren territory episode.

The first development was to inform the people of the territory that I had become the temporary lord.

In reality, this wasn’t just a status window; it was due to the unique characteristics of the symposium.

In reality, all nobles, regardless of their status, had chosen a territory, and it was customary to personally visit and deliver the news, exchanging light greetings.

In other words, this was a meeting between the temporary lord and the territory’s residents, or a meeting for the noble to see the faces of their people.

The game’s setting could be summarized as such.

However, I still hadn’t made the declaration of becoming the temporary lord.

“Lord Carsein, a letter has arrived from Lady Arina.”

It was about time. It seemed the time had come.

This was an essential event that always occurred at this point.

“Hand it over.”

The content was as expected.

『I heard your words, acknowledging your mistakes and taking responsibility. It’s already been decided, and I won’t change my mind. Let’s see how well you do, Carsein. But I won’t let you tarnish our family’s name with your words.』

-Gritting my teeth.

“This is the same warning, whether now or in the past.”

And anyway, this was just a device to add a condition to the game’s system.

-Ding!

▶Clear conditions have been added.◀

▶The symposium ranking must be above a certain level.◀

▶This condition must be achieved regardless of the episode. Failure will lead to a bad ending.◀

It was obvious, but Carsein couldn’t afford to be at the bottom of the symposium rankings.

The moment I treated this as just a ranking, the game would directly pierce the character’s heart with a sword, leading to any ending.

“Uh… Lord Carsein.”

“Why.”

“Is it… okay if you don’t move to the Shatren territory?”

Camilla approached me, who had finished training and was putting away my sword, and asked with a worried expression.

Her eyes and tightly clenched fists showed her anxiety.

That was understandable.

If Arina was watching me, she might be thinking, “Are you going to play dumb again?” and grab my collar, pulling me up.

I hadn’t even set foot in the Shatren territory for two days now.

The declaration of becoming the temporary lord seemed like a simple meeting, but it was a crucial step in checking the residents’ status and surveying the territory’s situation.

Since I wasn’t doing that, it was reasonable to be anxious.

But, can I just sit back and do nothing?

▶As the temporary lord’s declaration is delayed, the recognition and intimacy of the lord and the people in the territory will plummet, and if I don’t report within a week, the people will riot.◀

In this situation, there was no way to avoid going to Shatren.

“I’m not thinking of just sitting back, so don’t worry. I just need a little more time.”

“Time… what do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

Camilla looked around, still tilting her head.

▶Choose a way to move to Shatren.

[1. Ride the carriage from the Bagrande duke’s residence.]

[2. Ride the carriage with Claire and get off at Shatren.]

[3. Pay for a unknown carriage to take me there.]

…

…

In front of me, there were already 9 options that had appeared differently depending on the situation and environment, but I had ignored them and continued to train my body in the training hall.

And then, a little later.

A carriage suddenly appeared in the training hall, and one person got out.

“Lord Carsein, I’ve come to escort you.”

Camilla, who had confirmed that Tasha had gotten out, asked me with a surprised expression.

“L-Lord Carsein… Is this the time…?”

“That’s right. Your mother has been waiting for this moment.”

It’s not possible to enter Shatren in a normal way.

The danger level is extremely high due to the intense hostility towards Carsein, and it’s not just a matter of combat risk, so it can’t be alleviated.

Moreover, the recognition score within the territory is also in a precarious situation, and if I make a mistake, it could lead to a bad ending, and the intimacy is also not favorable, so the possibility of a dead-end choice is very high.

So, I need to appease that anger.

I need to have a convincing reason and a suitable weapon to back it up.

I need to prepare a persuasive speech to present to them.

Using the legitimate connection between Rusmayr and Shatren, that is.

– Ding!

At the same time, the options appeared again.

There was an additional choice.

[10. Ride Rusmayr’s carriage to move.]

The relationship between Rusmayr and Shatren.

Although it wasn’t revealed in the game, thinking about it now, this was the safest way for me to enter Shatren.

***

– Clang, clang.

“…I’m here!”

The children react to the sound of horseshoes that only appear at this time.

Date, time, location.

Rusmayr’s carriage will pass by this location at this time today.

The kids who knew the truth in advance had been hiding here with me.

“Hey, you guys. Know what’s going on?”

“Yeah!”

The kids nodded at Ferdi’s instruction.

Today, we’re going to swipe the goods at the designated point where the carriage takes a break, after dodging the adults’ eyes.

A while later, the carriage stopped at the predicted location.

From noble mtl dot com

The men driving the carriage came out, drenched in cold sweat.

“…What a coincidence. What a coincidence that it’s today of all days.”

“Damn it. We can’t back down now… and we can’t go back to how things were before either…”

“Shouldn’t we explain the situation to the young master? It would be better if we did it instead of those guys…”

“Shut up! If we said anything, not only would we be in trouble, but the village head’s neck would be on the line too!”

What nonsense were they spewing? I thought there might be some useful information, but no such luck.

Ferdi, who had unintentionally overheard their conversation, judged it to be nothing significant and sent a signal to the back.

“Now’s the time!”

-Ping ping!

“What’s going on?!”

Today’s method was to blind everyone with a flash of light. As the dazzling light enveloped the carriage, the kids put on their goggles and started to dash in one by one.

“This is crazy! What a coincidence that it’s today of all days!”

“There’s the young master inside…!”

“This is ridiculous! We could catch them, but if we did…!”

However, in reality, the adults knew what was going on.

The conversation just now was about how to deal with the kids who were swiping goods from this carriage.

“…Catch them.”

“You…”

“There’s no choice. Let’s catch them first and think later!”

As the leader of the carriage guards came to that conclusion, the men closed their eyes and started to catch the kids one by one.

“Let go!”

“No way!”

“I did wrong! I did wrong!!”

Originally, they could have caught them, but they didn’t.

However, this time, they had no choice but to catch them.

Before long, the commotion caught the attention of the person inside the carriage, and Carcsein appeared.

“Young master, it seems the kids were hiding and stealing food.”

“…How should we punish them?”

As the guards asked, gritting their teeth, Carcsein untied the ropes binding the kids with his own hands.

“What, what’s going on? Are we free?”

“Now’s our chance! Let’s run!!”

The kids didn’t miss this opportunity and escaped before getting caught again by the adults, taking all the food they had stolen earlier with them.

“Young master?”

“What about those kids…?”

“They only took food. Even though there were more expensive decorations, they didn’t take them, and they didn’t even touch the truly valuable items with intricate craftsmanship or precious stones. In the end, what those kids wanted was food, right?”

“Th, that’s…”

“The reason why there was only a small loss in the ledger was because of that. If those kids had taken food, they would have lost a lot more on that side. If you calculate it, you can see that it all adds up.”

The adults finally caught on.

The fact that Carsein knew about all this.

“Let me explain! That’s, that’s purely…!”

“Shh.”

Carsein raised his index finger to his lips, silencing the other person’s words.

“I’m not trying to punish those kids.”

“…What?”

“This is something that Shatren’s side needs to answer for. So, you guys can just stay quiet.”