The Damn Family Is Back Again

226. The Source of Contamination (8)

“Finally, it’s the day of the final presentation.”

Inside the carriage moving along a now-familiar path, Harnié murmured in a somewhat different tone.

Watching her, I could faintly see that person.

Should I tease her a bit?

“Are you nervous?”

“Of course.”

“But when you present, you don’t seem that nervous at all. You don’t make any mistakes, and your voice doesn’t even tremble. Isn’t it just unnecessary worry?”

Smack!

Harnié lightly slapped my arm.

“If you keep teasing me like this, I’ll get angry! I’m already on edge thinking about messing up before my presentation!”

“Well, I’ve never seen any flaws in your confident demeanor during presentations. It really is unnecessary worry.”

“Ouch! I told you not to tease me!”

“Ouch! Why do you think I’m teasing when I’m just stating facts?”

“At that time…”

After teasing her a few times, I found myself oddly amused.

I had taken a few hits from Harni, but it was worth it.

‘It seems like all the tension has somehow melted away.’

As I received a massage from those soft, feeble punches, the carriage came to a halt.

“Young master. Miss. We have arrived.”

“Is that so? Let’s get down.”

“…Tch.”

Upon arriving at the conference hall, I escorted her as we stepped out.

The place and actions were no different from usual.

This was a location I had grown quite familiar with after attending lectures every week and moving about for reports.

But there was one thing—one thing that had changed.

-Ding!

▶ It’s the day of the final presentation! ◀

▶ Would you like to enter the conference hall? ◀

A line had been added to my status window: it was indeed the day of the final presentation.

That was the only difference.

Only now did time begin to feel somewhat tangible.

Since that first symposium began, I had been so busy that an entire seven weeks had slipped by unnoticed.

In games, scenes would simply pass by as you cleared episodes and moved on to the next chapter; here, however, two real months had gone by.

In other words, it means that I have been possessed in this place for over six months now.

I can’t shake off the feeling of being uncomfortably realistic.

“What’s going on? You said I didn’t seem nervous. Are you the one who’s tense?”

As I looked up at the building, lost in thought for a moment, Harnié smiled like a fox.

“All I can remember about my fiancé is how he overwhelmingly puts other nobles in their place~?”

I wasn’t actually tense, but perhaps it appeared that way.

Harnié was reflecting back to me in the same manner.

…The problem is that seeing such a figure brings back all sorts of old memories with someone else overlapping her image.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Yes.”

Setting aside our playful banter for now, we entered the conference room.

– Ding!

▶ You have entered the conference room! ◀

***

“…Huh.”

Claire sighed deeply.

I couldn’t even count how many times she had sighed already.

In truth, it might be understandable.

Today was the final presentation day.

No matter which noble you were, finding yourself in such a situation would inevitably lead to tension.

Blood ties. Connections. Academic affiliations. And the name of the family, along with the honor of nobility.

When one finds themselves in a position to deliver a report for seven weeks in front of not just parents and family, but also relatives, key figures from the clan, business partners, and collaborators—all eyes upon them—anyone would feel that weight.

However, Claire’s anxiety today was not solely due to the final presentation. Her territory, Tarsion, had achieved quite satisfactory results.

“…”

With a worried gaze, Claire brushed her pink hair back.

In truth, she had arrived at the conference hall much earlier than necessary.

The rest of her family hadn’t even shown up yet.

Neither her mother in the audience nor her sister or youngest brother had arrived. No one was there.

Yet she came early for only one reason: to find someone specific.

“Ugh! When is Carsein going to show up…!”

Indeed.

Claire was waiting for none other than Carsein himself.

“Why on earth are there such rumors…!”

The day before. After organizing her presentation materials and finding herself with some free time, Claire thought about whether she should check on how things were going with her family and offer assistance if needed; that’s when Carsein came to mind.

Given that he had once caused trouble for Shatren territory because of her actions before—she knew better than to act rashly—but surely eavesdropping a little wouldn’t hurt?

With that thought in mind, she began gathering information about Shatren.

But then…

– The Shatren territory… has recently been surrounded by ominous rumors.

– Ominous rumors? What do you mean?

– Well…

Rumors of a rift among the residents had begun to circulate.

The lord of Chatrain managed to suppress it for just a brief moment, but whispers persisted that the inhabitants were still fighting in unseen corners.

If it were merely gossip, it might not matter, but other territories were already aware of the situation.

In the insular realm of Chatrain, there was no way to intervene at this point.

“What are we supposed to do if such rumors are spreading? Huh?”

Wasn’t she confident?

She had postponed the announcement date while receiving double penalties on her scores.

If she extended such an offer and everything fell apart, what would happen at the final presentation…?

At that moment, when Claire bit her lip at the bleak future laid out before her,

Karsein was walking toward her with his fiancée by his side.

He wasn’t yet in a position visible to the nobility. If so…

Claire sprang up from her designated seat and hurried down toward Karsein’s level.

And then, without hesitation,

she grabbed Karsein’s arm.

“What’s going on?”

“Lady Claire?”

“I’m sorry. Just for a moment, I need to take Karsein with me.”

There were too many eyes watching here.

They needed to change their location first.

“No one is chasing us. So now…”

Claire, who had taken hold of the side room, asked Carsein rather bluntly.

“You. What on earth happened? Were you not prepared?”

“I was wondering what all this fuss was about when you suddenly brought me here. Turns out it’s nothing serious.”

Carsein scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

“Nothing serious? You’re telling me that residents in your territory are fighting among themselves? With a situation so dire that even uniting forces wouldn’t be enough, and you call that nothing?”

Claire’s bangs fluttered in the breath of her words.

“This isn’t just something I know alone. If news has spread this far, then all sorts of rumors must be circulating among the nobles. Do you understand?”

“I know well enough.”

“And yet… you’re so nonchalant about it?”

Claire shouted with an expression of disbelief.

“You! If this goes wrong, it won’t just blow over! My sister is seriously furious right now! Do you think this will end with just a few slaps across the face?!”

No. That could never happen.

“You might lose all the rights you’ve gained up until now! It’s that serious!”

Certain places would be off-limits.

Meetings with nobles would surely be outright refused.

And when going out, one might not even be able to leave without permission… No, they might not even be able to obtain permission at all.

That would be something she wouldn’t wish for as a sister.

“Now that things have escalated like this, there’s no turning back. I’ll do whatever I can to help you sort this out; once we get the announcement results and final grades—”

*Thud!*

Claire’s hand, which had been gently resting on Karsein’s shoulder, fell away.

“I don’t need it.”

“What…?”

“It’s none of your business. Honestly, even if I heard that from Arina.”

“None of my business? I’m just trying to…!”

The moment those words left her lips, she felt as if one side of her heart was crumbling.

It wasn’t an incorrect statement.

Even if Karsein said such things to her sister, she had no right to interfere.

There were certainly events that had already transpired.

She had recklessly meddled in the territory of Shatren. With foolish thoughts, she had taken actions that properly obstructed Karsein’s path.

Given that history, if someone were to ask why she was getting involved now, she would have nothing to say in response.

– Tap. Tap.

Karsein walked past Claire without a glance.

He spat out those words indifferently and opened the door as if nothing had happened at all.

But still. Even so,

there was something she wanted to say.

“I don’t want you to fail miserably because of this. So…”

She clenched her fists tightly.

“I have the right to protect my brother! Understand that!”

The hand that would have slapped him before now dug deeply into her palm as if punishing herself for what she’d said.

Originally, Claire’s pointless chatter would have prompted me to follow her and risk losing some intimacy again this time.

But now, I felt an inexplicable unease.

“Is it because I happened to see the memorial for the second one?”

What does that even matter?

Shaking off all unnecessary thoughts, I stepped into the conference room.

I had told Harnié to go in first just in case; it seemed like a wise decision after all.

“…”

All eyes turned toward me.

From noble mtl dot com

The gaze directed at me was unmistakable.

A certain sense of superiority.

A foul wind blowing through.

And an expectation based on some kind of information.

Accompanied by the familiar sounds of derisive laughter I’d often heard at school, they wore those looks on their faces.

“Look at that. So loud before.”

“Oh dear, how amusing. Acting so superior but couldn’t even suppress the rumors? Heh heh.”

“If you’re so confident, why not try defending yourself?”

– Ding!

▶ You can choose an option.

[1. (Grabbing the collar of the second man) What do you know to be talking like that?]

[2. (Snorting) It seems you only know rumors, huh?]

[3. (Calling for the guards) Isn’t it against regulations to make such accusations before the announcement has even begun?]

[4. Ignoring it.]

Even though this was a choice I had never seen before, I could clearly see what the answer was.

At first glance, option 3 seemed like the answer…

[4. Ignoring it.] ☑

‘Are you crazy? To respond to such a pathetic provocation.’

That voice was clearly meant to be dismissed outright.

If I fell for such a flimsy taunt and lost my composure, only I would suffer.

As I moved past the nobles’ provocations toward my seat, I found myself facing a scene that felt oddly familiar.

“Surely you’re prepared to pay the price, Karsein.”

Arina glared at me with eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

– Ding!

▶ Will you refute Arina’s response?

If Claire heard that rumor and other nobles did too but Arina somehow didn’t catch wind of it, that would indeed be strange.

There were reports of unrest among the residents of Shatren territory.

And when I stepped in, they stopped fighting; yet when my back was turned, they resumed their brawl.

I already knew about these things. It’s only natural since it’s my territory after all.

But there is a vast difference between what they know and what I know.

[4. You can only know whether something is long or short by seeing it through to the end.] ☑

The choices are quite gentle.

Answering like that makes you no different from a fool.

“Haven’t I told you that it’s not over yet?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s the final presentation day. The presentation hasn’t even started, and here you are, already thinking about punishing me?”

“Ha. You’ve really lost your mind.”

Arina clicked her tongue.

“Right. So, you’re planning to run wild until the very end without grasping the situation at all? I’ll be watching to see if you can keep that same expression later on.”

You’re saying that’s all you can comprehend.

So that’s what I have to say.

Those foolish b*stards and the rumors you know were spread by me, manipulated as I saw fit. The residents were merely pretending to fight according to my orders.

It was this sudden thought that led me to devise such a plan.

The structure of the final presentation somehow resembles a clue-and-proof event.

If we could proceed in a format similar to a clue-and-proof event as per my hypothesis, then this would serve as significant insurance for me.

And so, that expectation turned into certainty.

This will provide me with ammunition against any counterarguments.

-Ding!

▶ The final presentation of the symposium is about to begin. ◀

“From now on, we will commence the 21st Eastern Nobility Meeting.”