The Damn Family Is Back Again

186 – A Step Back (2)

The two men broke out in cold sweat.

It was unfortunate not to be hit by the ceramic shards, but they thought they had seized an opportunity upon seeing Karsein enter the seed vault.

Karsein was already notorious for the bad tags he carried around.

They thought this could be a pretext to neutralize his power in the territory or to expel him.

“Even if he’s a temporary lord, this is unacceptable. Our seeds, to be taken away just like that?”

“Outrageous…! Put it down immediately! This is theft!”

But when they brought up the reason to chase him away,

Karsein’s response left the two men speechless.

“The Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes grow by absorbing mana from the seeds, so it’s better to thin them out periodically. In the process, some seeds must be removed. Is that action wrong?”

“…!”

They had thought, what more could they know about Chatren? The man who had only ruined their land, they thought, wouldn’t even know what this vault was used for.

However, his statement acted as an unassailable wall, preventing them from branding him a thief.

The legitimacy of thinning out the seeds existed, and there was justification for taking some of them, as they grew by absorbing mana.

Only those who had lived in the Chatren territory knew this information. Unless they had planted Chatren strawberries and Chatren grapes themselves, they couldn’t have known.

In this situation, how could they possibly accuse Karsein of theft?

The two men had no choice but to signal each other.

“Hey!”

“Yeah. We have no choice!”

Retreat was the only option.

Whether he had studied or obtained information from somewhere, this method was a complete failure.

Yet, the two men found themselves unable to back down.

“Ha. What a mess this is.”

Beneath the pink-tinted fringe, hidden eyes glinted fiercely.

“Gasp!”

“Miss Claire…”

The second daughter of the Bagrand family.

The fact that she had heard all their conversation turned their minds completely blank.

***

‘Of course.’

How dare they try to frame the interim lord as a thief.

And that, after witnessing the perfectly normal act of culling seeds to prevent mana from clustering and causing imbalance.

The reins of the conversation had already shifted to my side.

By firmly grasping those who were fumbling to escape, I could slightly escalate the situation. If I reported this incident as before, I might be able to demand some control over the Chatren territory, just like when I had gained the right by questioning a lie.

If I used the agent’s abilities here, I could potentially expand my sphere of influence even further.

But things are never that simple.

-Ding!

▶A specific event has occurred, and a character has made an entrance!◀

▶The character is Claire!◀

▶Please choose an option.◀

Just my luck, a character intrusion event happens right now.

If this were an event I knew, I could pick the correct option and handle it. But it’s not.

Unlike the original game’s progression, the process of accepting the second agent was significantly shortened, and I wasn’t even supposed to be at this place. I came here hoping for a minor gain, as Trisha had informed me.

An event here? An event that significantly increases the number of things to consider because a character has intruded?

In such cases, there are too many variables. Considering the event and the emergence of options, there’s a high chance of a bad ending where I’m left to be punished recklessly and die in an entirely unexpected way.

The risk being too great, I had no choice but to shift my judgment towards minimizing losses rather than gaining benefits.

‘I need to gather information first. The one who came looking for me is… Claire?’

With her hot-tempered nature, she’s likely to bluntly point out my issues.

To deal with that, this option seems better.

[ 3. I did make a mistake. Given my past actions, it wouldn’t be strange to suspect me of theft. ]☑

“I did make a mistake. Given my past actions, it wouldn’t be strange to suspect me of theft.”

Being framed is almost a given at this point.

If that’s the case, I should minimize the damage from here on out.

“Who in Chatren would have expected it? I must have looked like nothing but a thief. Just like at the ducal house.”

A few harsh words now won’t hurt my feelings. But now, I’m in a position to draw the line.

“If I’ve done something wrong, let the ducal house say what they will. Right now, the symposium is underway.”

The symposium is in progress, and I am the interim lord of the Chatren territory. If there’s a problem related to performance, I alone will bear the consequences.

Drawing the line like this, Claire’s affinity might decrease for the moment, but she’ll probably have something to say when she returns to the ducal house.

But then.

“Wrong? Ha. What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Claire whipped her head around, bristling with irritation.

“Or what, is there another reason? Come on, spit it out. Let’s hear it.”

“You…”

What’s this? Not the sound I expected?

The one who always looked down on everything I did suddenly fell silent.

“Damn it. Fine. I’ll take care of those b*stards myself!”

I abruptly blocked Claire’s path.

“What are you doing? Move it. Now.”

“As I said before, everything that happens in this domain is under my temporary lordship. There’s no room for you to interfere, Claire.”

“You idiot!”

Claire couldn’t hold back and cursed out loud.

“I’m not accusing you of being the thief! It’s because those jerks are framing an innocent person!”

Ha. This crazy woman knows that and still does such foolish things… No, anyway, they’re the target, right?

“Hey, you guys.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Get out of here, now.”

“Hey. Karsein!”

“Eek!”

“I said get lost. Or do you want to stand there and get caught?”

The two men finally scrambled away in a hurry. At least I managed to shake them off.

“Ha, Karsein, you…!”

Claire was fuming, grabbing me by the collar.

“Are you really an idiot? You’re just going to let go of the b*stards who accused you of theft?”

“Should I just leave them be when they could rip out your tongue?”

“Of course, that’s what you should do! You are the heir of the Bagrande dukedom. Those crazy b*stards have no right to mess with you!”

At those words, a chill ran through my body.

“I can’t just ignore this kind of thing. I have to catch them now, so move aside.”

Ha. Ridiculous.

I let out a hollow laugh and turned my gaze to the choice window.

-Ding!

[ 1. I am the temporary lord of this land. ]

[ 2. I will take care of the punishment myself. You may leave. ]

[ 3. Can’t you just let it slide as a mistake? ]

I’m not sure which is the correct answer, but I have my words set.

[ 1. I am the temporary lord of this land. ]☑

“The temporary lord of Châten is me. Have you not considered the repercussions if you were to punish those two?”

“How dare a commoner challenge a lord, and not just any, but to climb the ranks of the Bagrande Ducal House and attempt to frame me?”

“Of course. I cannot simply ignore such matters in my territory.”

Truly, there is no thought.

Nor the consideration that such actions only escalate matters.

Or the doubt that this retaliation will diminish my standing even further.

Not even the foresight that this could be a more poisonous move for me in the future.

“How interesting it would be if rumors spread that the temporary lord of Châten couldn’t handle his own affairs and had to tattle to another lord. Wouldn’t it be more likely that they’d ask that person to take care of this land instead?”

“…!”

“If you want to broadcast my incompetence to Châten… no, this time to the entire empire beyond the Bagrande Ducal House, go ahead. Arina would be hopping mad if you brought shame upon the family. Yes, do that.”

Feeling the chill of cold blood, I left that place.

Could it be that the second-in-command is always the one blocking the path?

No matter what I do, the memory of that detestable second-in-command, who always seemed to look down on me, overlaps and brings back those wretched old memories.

“Hey. Are you an idiot? I clearly heard the interns cursing you, so why let it slide?”

If I were to report those interns, how would the other interns, the junior staff, and the laborers working with them react?

It wouldn’t just end with rumors spreading. The entire company would know, and I would bear the brunt of their contempt and loathing. From then on, a precedent would be set, and no one would want to work with me.

There’s nothing to gain from making enemies when you have to see the same faces at the same company.

It was a simple thought that the second-in-command couldn’t grasp, insisting that I report it.

This time too, the situation is no different, just replacing the company with the territory, the interns with the residents.

No matter what, I’m used to being the target of scorn, but it’s still the second-in-command’s role to block my way through other means.

-Ding!

A message appeared shortly after, indicating the event was cleared. I glanced back just in case, but no one was following me.

“Really… Those second-in-commands, then and now, only understand when you spell it out for them.”

***

Clare came to deliver a handwritten letter from her mother, who had a pleasant expression, to Karsien.

She entered the Châtenay estate and spotted Karsein entering the warehouse, following him with a slightly excited heart.

But her excitement didn’t last long. Upon witnessing a scene where two villagers were contemptuously framing her master, her eyes flipped in rage.

Daring to frame her master, and to Bagrand of all people.

And to her own brother.

Trying to pin a false charge?

She was determined to punish them thoroughly.

To prevent the same events from the past from repeating, she wanted to set a proper example.

She wanted to ensure that Karsein would never have to endure such things again by nailing it down firmly.

But that pitiful thought only repeated the past once more.

Claire bit her lip.

“Ah… damn it. Why am I so stupid.”

How could there be such a foolish woman?

Nothing had changed.

She could only see one thing and missed the other.

She was about to catch her brother’s ankle again, buried in her emotions.

Just like when she had sent a warning letter to the Earl of Lilpeton’s house.

And still call herself a sister?

And still call it family?

-Crack.

Unable to bear the agony, Claire completely ruined her hair. She, who detested her hair being messed up, had now completely tangled it with her own hands.

“…Right. I shouldn’t come here driven only by emotions. If I really, truly want to help Karsein…”

Taking a step back.

Not right in front, but a bit further away.

She had to find another way. To avoid directly meddling and making things worse.

-Ding!

▶ Claire’s exclusive hidden episode. The clear condition 2 for ＜The Unshakeable Disgust＞ has been satisfied. ◀

[ Condition 2: During the symposium, Claire realizes that her intervention in Karsein’s estate is actually poisonous. ☑ ]

▶ Both conditions have been met, and ＜The Unshakeable Disgust＞ has been cleared. ◀

▶ You have successfully triggered an outcome beyond the choices. ◀

▶ It appears unchanged. ◀

[I wanted to see that.]

[Current rate: 83%]