The Damn Family Is Back Again

Chapter 220

220 – 220. The Source of Contamination (2)

I explained the situation to Talphone and asked for location tracking, and my preparations were nearly complete.

Now, only one thing remains.

Convincing one person.

“…”

-Gulp.

Standing in front of Harnie’s room, I swallowed hard.

Why am I getting so nervous about this?

It should be simple to explain that there’s a valid reason for my absence, but strangely, the tension has skyrocketed.

“Ugh. If only Karsein’s constitution was normal, none of this would have happened.”

After collapsing alone due to Defician Syndrome.

I ended up receiving a heap of scolding from my sharp-eyed fiancée and made a promise that wasn’t quite a promise(?).

-Come on. Engrave it quickly into the Oath Gem.

-No, no… There’s no need to add that clause to the Oath Gem. It’s just… Ugh!

-How many times have I seen you collapse like that, huh? Just approve it quickly!

Even now, thinking about it, I feel constrained by restrictions(?) I’ve never encountered in games.

Harnie had insisted on adding a clause to the Oath Gem.

From now on, if I move alone without her permission, she has the right to use the Oath Gem to exact a toll for doing so.

…Thanks to that, even for matters related to my domain, I need to get her permission.

Directly from my fiancée, no less.

Sigh. Lamenting like this won’t change anything. I just have to go in and persuade her.

Putting aside my complex thoughts, I was about to knock on Harnie’s door.

“What are you doing there, Karsein?”

…Huh?

Harnie emerged from the room next door.

“No, it’s not the room next door.”

That’s my room over there.

Why is this happening…?

“Ah. Right.”

That’s when I finally came to my senses.

Harunie had declared she wouldn’t use this room, insisting on keeping a watchful eye on my condition since that day.

Harunie narrowed her eyes and asked me,

“Did you come here to ask for a favor so important that I’d forget I’m not using that room?”

Wow.

…Such keen intuition.

And just like that, Plan A vanished into thin air.

I grunted in response,

“No. It’s not that incredibly important. It’s just something that needs to be clarified in advance to avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Your words and actions don’t match, Karsein.”

“Deep contemplation is possible, isn’t it? I am human, after all.”

With things as they are, Plan A is ruined. I have to switch to Plan B and persuade.

That means I need to add various other phrases to avoid immediate rejection. If she suspects I’m up to something that could wreck my health, it would be a real disaster!

Besides, if Harunie follows me on this infiltration, it’s going to be utter chaos.

It’s not an important matter. It’s just something that needs a heads-up. So, it’s not that dangerous.

The kind of thing worth going around in circles for was exactly this.

“I need to make a brief visit to the House of Grand Duke Bagrand. It’s nothing major, just a matter of showing my face. There’s a family-only discussion to be had.”

Hmm. Even I think it’s a neat excuse for an outing.

I’ve got an appointment at the House of Grand Duke Bagrand.

Since it’s a matter to be discussed among family, Harunie can’t come along.

For that reason, I need some time alone to fulfill this outing!

What a smooth development.

It’s a perfect plan, considering I’ve been wracking my brain for a full hour to come up with it.

From noble mtl dot come

Except for the fact that there’s no such appointment!

“…So, you’ve come to seek my permission? Because you need time to handle your schedule alone.”

“That’s right.”

I doubt they’ll just give permission right away.

If there’s any suspicion, a convincing argument will be necessary.

If that’s the case, I’ll bring Camilla, who’s already in on it.

And just in case, I’ve asked Tasha, who I’ve sent a letter to, for help—

“I understand.”

“I thought so…”

…Huh?

Didn’t she just say she understands?

“Pfft. Did you think I would refuse?”

Wait. I didn’t hear wrong.

She just gave permission.

“The clause I added to the Oath Gem wasn’t to restrict your schedule. It was because I was worried seeing you overexert yourself all the time.”

“…”

“So, you’re saying you’ll spend a day at the Duke’s residence and then return?”

“Uh… Yes, that’s right.”

“It’s coincidental, but I actually have something to do tomorrow. That’s why I was looking for you.”

Aha. So that’s it.

I wondered why she was coming out of my room, she was waiting for me.

This actually works out better.

“Then let’s meet in Chatren the day after tomorrow.”

“Alright. But, there’s something I need to do before I go?”

“Yes?”

Swoosh.

Harnie grabs my hand.

I wondered why she suddenly grabbed it, but then I feel a warm mana flowing from her hand.

The heaviness in my body starts to dissipate.

‘I see. She’s transferring mana in advance in case of Depashion syndrome.’

Me. How many things like this do I overlook?

“Take care on your way too.”

“Yes, I will.”

By a stroke of luck, Harunie’s schedule overlapped with mine, and I smoothly obtained permission.

But… I feel like I’m missing something.

It’s probably just my imagination, right?

The lie that I was visiting the Duke’s house worked surprisingly well, and in the meantime, Talphone had picked up the scent of the trap I’d set and tracked down their hideout.

And before I knew it, the dark mist of night had settled around us.

A time past midnight, welcoming the dawn.

It was the perfect time for sneaking in and out undetected.

I didn’t need to bring much.

Just one sword to protect myself.

That would be enough.

***

As the hour grew late.

A man with spiky hair, holding a spear, yawned widely.

“Yaaawn.”

“Hey.”

His companion poked him in the ribs as a hint to stop yawning.

“Ah, come on. A guy’s gotta sleep, right?”

“Brat. If you slack off, you know our heads could roll if the higher-ups find out?”

The one who poked him gestured towards the building entrance, making his point clear.

“Today’s really important. Not even an ant should get in, they said.”

Indeed, they were on important guard duty today.

If anything went wrong in this place crowded with guests wearing masks, heads would literally roll.

“Tch. As if anything’s gonna happen. The people coming here are all predetermined, you know?”

“…Well, that’s true but.”

“You can relax a bit, man. I’ve been doing this job for a long time without any incidents. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“You sure about that?”

“I’m telling you. Don’t be so tense on watch. Just take it easy like the others.”

The spiky-haired soldier chuckled and yawned again, his eyes closing in slumber.

He lay down completely, back pressed to the ground, a posture of utter certainty that nothing would happen.

Soon, his watchful comrade also succumbed to sleep.

-Swish.

Seizing the moment, someone emerged from the bushes.

It was Karsein, fully prepared and now present in this dim place.

‘This is the spot.’

The pungent scent was unmistakable for Talphon.

Following the trail of those who had sprung the trap, the base soon revealed itself.

‘So it was the Waglu faction after all.’

In truth, pinpointing the culprit was nearly impossible.

Chatren was a place visited by all manner of nobility, and though now sealed off, every merchant and passerby could have been a suspect in the past.

But there were enough elements to narrow down the scope.

Karsein had blocked off access through the domain’s closure, and despite the numerous traders, the fixed trading spots were exploited.

And crucially, those who followed the wrong path and sprung the trap had revealed their identity.

Piecing together the information, it was clear that Chatren’s main adversary was the Waglu faction.

“Ha ha. You’ve come as well?”

“Of course, Elder.”

“Well met. Let’s enter together.”

The nobles recognized each other and exchanged greetings.

Soldiers patrolled around a large building, the security lax enough to be easily infiltrated.

But.

‘Not even bringing along maids or servants?’

It would have been impossible for Talphon, a Westerner, to enter amidst only the nobility.

For now, Karsein decided to spend some time gathering information here.

Observing the pathways, it was necessary to know a suitable escape route, and to check how the lax security force was organized.

A typical noble’s mansion.

A spacious distribution of guards.

Inside, a noble’s banquet was likely taking place.

That was Karsein’s conjecture.

But that was as far as I could get with gathering information.

I immediately encountered a hurdle.

“Damn it. This is a setback.”

I’m not sure about the alleyways, but there’s only one entrance to the main building.

It was because there seemed to be no way to enter as Talphone had truly reached its limit.

Moreover, the faces of those entering through that entrance were all hidden behind masks.

There was no way to tell who was coming and going, where they were from, or what purpose they had come here for.

The only information was their status, visible through their attire. Everyone entering was of nobility.

There’s nothing to see around here.

Somehow, I must get inside that building, I need to find a way.

What should I do? Karsein’s mind began to grow complicated.

As a noble, I could come and go under the credentials of the Bagrand Ducal Family, but those who had spread the fertilizer on Chatren were staying there. There’s no way I could just walk in.

“Please show your entry pass.”

To make matters worse, an entry pass.

The existence of an entry pass, without which one cannot enter, made my head even more complicated.

Just then.

As I thought about forging an entry pass, my gaze shifted, and a familiar object caught my eye.

“Here it is.”

At the soldier’s request to show the entry pass, the noble handed something over.

That is…

“Verified. Please, go ahead.”

– Thud. Thud.

Right. This is it, isn’t it?

It definitely looks like it.

■Owned Items■

◆Sky Blue Button

[A button with a sky blue background and a picture of two horses drawn on it.]

The button I got after giving that woman, who sent a malicious gift to Harnier, a taste of her own medicine. It was being used as an entry pass.

“Yes. Now that I think about it… I heard about it in the council chamber.”

-Are they running a bit late this time?

-Indeed, it should be time by now.

-No letters, no news. What in the world is this? At this rate, the black market will just pile up with the fertilizer they sweep up!

-Enough. They might come today. Oh, and don’t forget to bring that sky-blue horse button, okay?

-Of course.

The conversation I accidentally overheard in the conference room was about this black market.

Then, this place wasn’t just a venue where nobles come and go for banquets; it was a place for buying and selling something.

Since Talphon led me here, surely, this place must include that fertilizer.

The evidence is sufficient.

“You’ve checked the admission pass, but you didn’t take it, nor did you check the nobles’ names or seals in detail, did you?”

So, these are secretly distributed admission passes?

Realizing that entering might not be so difficult after all, Karsein smiles slyly.

“All that’s left is my attire, then.”

Karsein turns his gaze towards the path where the nobles pass.

Clothes and a mask should be obtainable there.

It’s enough to knock someone out and tie them up tightly with rope.

***

“Show me your admission pass.”

“Here.”

“Checked. You may enter.”

The guard let me in indifferently, repeating the same scene I had seen earlier.

‘Something’s odd. That person.’

While sneakily glancing back.

I realized it wasn’t the time for that.

-Ding!

▶The danger level of this field is at the prohibited stage.◀

▶You have stepped into a place with a very high danger level!◀

▶Due to sufficient stats, the danger level is offset and decreases.◀

[ Field Danger Level: Dangerous ]

‘Indeed, now’s not the time to think about such things.’

I must quickly secure the evidence and get out.

Among those present here, someone must have requested the fertilizer that corrupts the soil of Chatren. I needed evidence conclusive enough to identify the culprit.

Moving along the corridor.

I stealthily opened various places as I moved.

Mushrooms of unknown identity, herbs that looked dangerous at a glance, and bottles surrounded by questions—this place was far from normal.

And occasionally, I saw nobles drooling profusely, heavily drugged.

While surveying the building’s interior structure.

-Swish.

“…!”

The artifact Talphon gave me reacted in front of a certain room.

“Here it is. The place where that fertilizer was hidden away?”

No more, no less, just one.

Taking just one would clear this chapter.

Creak.