The Damn Family Is Back Again

240. School Trip (3)

“It’s such a great opportunity! A trip—especially a trip by sea!”

“Excuse me? Why is that a good opportunity?”

“Miss, you owe a significant debt to the young master.”

“…Ah.”

“This is your chance to repay it!”

When I received advance notice about the trip after the symposium, Mina had said something like that. Since I owed a debt to Karsein, this time I could definitely pay it back.

I even got advice on how to cling tightly in the hospital while holding onto what should be given as a gift.

As things unfolded this way, Harni was filled with anticipation for the trip.

A school trip.

Officially for educational purposes, but really more of an escape from the stress accumulated during recent exams would be more accurate.

That meant there might be moments when it would just be Karsein and me alone together.

The atmosphere would be perfect for giving him a gift.

Entering the hotel to change clothes, I found myself deep in thought for quite some time.

“Do I really have to wear this? This is too…”

Seeing what Mina had given me made me think it wasn’t right and set it down.

Then hearing Mina’s nagging voice echoing in my head made me pick up that outfit again.

After going back and forth like that, I ultimately decided on another approach before stepping out.

In any case, at least I’d packed the gift for Karsein.

But then…

“Oh my, look at Prince Carsein.”

“Wow. Just look at those solid muscles. Goodness…”

“It’s just that his back and shoulders are covered, but they must be rock hard…”

In his swimsuit shirt and shorts.

As he caught the whispers of the women glancing over at him, an odd feeling washed over him.

‘Why does this situation feel so unsettling?’

He wasn’t being insulted or anything.

In fact, he was receiving compliments for his transformed appearance and well-trained body.

Yet it left a sour taste in his mouth.

Maybe he was just being overly sensitive.

Harnie thought to herself as much.

– Bang!

Carsein blocked an object that came flying toward him.

This too was a perfectly normal reaction. It was an action taken to protect allies after all.

No, it went beyond that; it was a very gentlemanly act. Unlike the reckless Yongsik who had dashed off first, Carsein knew how to protect the lady—such a very gallant gesture indeed.

But then…

“I’m going out now. Before I get properly hit and eliminated.”

“T-thank you…”

“…”

Just moments ago, they had been on the same team, steadily enjoying the game as they took down opponents together.

Just by that one action, my mood suddenly shifted.

I was bound to be eliminated anyway.

Isn’t it fine to just leave it be?

Even if pain arises in this space, it doesn’t hurt that much.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t being eliminated be okay?

Though another man had fled in surrender.

If the odds have tilted this much, wouldn’t it make sense to let me be eliminated and then withdraw?

It’s irritating for no reason.

The way the young ladies first cast their eyes on Karsein.

The sound of cheers echoing from outside—“Kyaaa!”

The gaze of the woman who just plopped down towards Karsein.

Karsein’s actions too.

One by one, everything began to gnaw at my nerves.

A discontented hum escaped my lips involuntarily.

“…Hmm.”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“That young lady seems quite pleased to have been saved by you. She’s only looking at you from outside the field.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Hah. Such a clumsy response?

A cross-shaped vein stood out on Harnié’s forehead.

“Harnié. Let’s just forfeit. We can’t win this.”

And you want to end it here?

Block that woman and give up?

“No way.”

“…What?”

“For some reason, I want to see this through to the end.”

I cannot accept this kind of recklessness.

“Block everything for me. You won’t let me take a hit, right?”

So, put in your utmost effort.

More than when blocking that woman. Much more intensity is required.

With a smile, Harnié grasped the object with her mana once again.

“Cough, cough!”

Arshien, who had been closely watching Harnié and Karsein, choked on his drink.

No. This was beyond mere choking.

The chill in the air was so intense it felt like he might catch a shiver even in the height of summer.

Well… the cause was all too clear.

Anyone who had seen that chilling smile could easily guess what was coming next.

Arshien sighed deeply as he looked at Karsein.

“Oh dear. How can you be so utterly oblivious?”

Tsk, tsk.

I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

Right behind me was my fiancée, yet here I was, rescuing another woman with my own hands. And to top it off, I even instructed her to leave quickly?

“It seems you ought to understand what happens when a woman gets jealous.”

There’s a saying that when a woman harbors resentment, frost can fall even in the midst of summer.

Well then, let’s see how she suffers; Arsien rested his chin on his hand once more.

And then an unexpected twist unfolded.

***

Originally, there was supposed to be a forfeit, but since Harnié refused to concede, the match continued.

‘Are they really going to keep playing in that state?’

‘With just two of them… why?’

‘If they knew how many were left on our side, wouldn’t it be better just to forfeit?’

‘Especially since there are two princesses from Bagland on the same team.’

It was only natural for questions to arise from the opposing side.

‘But it’s just two of them; what can they do?’

‘They could finish this quickly.’

‘It’s obvious they’ll tire out soon enough.’

With those thoughts in mind, they resumed the match.

Using mana to drop obstacles and create openings.

Seizing opportunities with items to bind their feet.

They launched a counterattack.

However.

Once the match resumed, we began to see a steady stream of eliminations from our side.

“Cough!”

“Ahhh!”

-Thunk! Thunk! Thud!

With sounds that had taken on an oddly sinister tone compared to before.

‘…Huh?’

‘It seems Lady Harnié is throwing with more force than earlier…?’

From noble mtl dot com

‘Eek! So, so scary!’

Watching as their teammates were eliminated one by one, they swallowed hard.

“What are you all doing? We have far more people!”

“There’s no need to be intimidated just because a few have been eliminated. If we keep up the concentrated fire like before, that guy will tire out soon enough.”

Claire and Arina explained this reassuringly, but the eliminations continued unabated.

Eventually, most of Youngsik’s team was eliminated, significantly reducing the number of defenders left standing.

-Thunk.

“Eh?!”

Even Claire reacted in shock.

-Thunk.

“Oh no…!”

Arina too.

Caught in Harnié’s relentless assault, she could not escape elimination.

Before long, the remaining members of Claire and Arina’s team had dwindled significantly.

They had methodically struck down their opponents with furious spikes, even eliminating their captains to reach this point.

2:2. They had reached a tie.

Now, all that remained was to eliminate that one last team to claim victory.

However…

“Ugh, huff…”

Karsein, who had been darting around to protect Harnié, was utterly exhausted as well.

He gasped for breath and silently screamed within himself.

‘This is so hard!’

But how many attacks had he actually blocked?

The number of projectiles he’d defended against was now a blur in his memory.

Harnié expressed her desire to continue the match; he supported her without hesitation.

Not that he felt obligated—there was an unshakeable instinct urging him not to let her fall.

It felt as if the very essence of his being demanded that he prevent his own elimination at all costs.

…To avoid having that spike pierce my back, I simply had no choice but to keep moving.

If I just kept expending mana recklessly, I’d be out in no time; thus I used my body as a shield instead—but somehow it led me here.

‘Just one more team.’

If they could take down just one more team, this match would be over.

There would be no marks left on my back!

“Ugh!”

Karsein thought this as he blocked the final attack.

And then.

“Ugh—!”

“Ahhh!”

Harnie eliminated the last two opponents, ultimately claiming victory.

– Thud.

“Hah, ha.”

His body, pushed to its limits, sprawled out on the ground.

Sweat soaked his back. No, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

Seeing Karsein like that, Harnie adjusted her height to meet his gaze and spoke in a teasing tone.

“Hmph. Who told you to be so considerate?”

“Hah? Y-yes? What do you mean… ugh!”

Harnie poked Karsein sharply in the side and pinched him hard.

“With your fiancée right behind you—huh? You’re helping another girl? Are you trying to get someone suspicious of you?”

“Ow! Alright! I get it! I was wrong; just let me go!”

“Hmph.”

Harnie released her grip and abruptly turned her head away.

After putting him through such hardship, she felt a bit relieved; yet still, her mood didn’t fully improve.

‘Did I push him too hard?’

Watching him sprawled out like that, drenched in sweat, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

His popularity among the women stemmed not just from his looks and physique. It was also because he had such a good-natured personality, something she knew all too well.

Thinking back on it, it wasn’t as if Karsein was doing this on purpose. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps it was a bit excessive.

In the end, driven by my guilty conscience, Harnié stood up from her seat.

‘…I should at least wipe his sweat. Where’s a towel?’

Just then—

-Whizz!

A projectile came flying straight toward Harnié’s face from afar.

The opposing team had finally revealed themselves and thrown it from somewhere.

‘I—I messed up…’

How could I have forgotten? There hadn’t been any declaration from the princess that the match was over.

There was no escaping this now.

Harnié squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for elimination.

But—

“Harnié!”

-Snap!

Instead of being hit by an object, her body found itself enveloped in solid muscle.

-Thud.

With the dull sound of a heavy object striking, the body that had been tightly embraced is released.

“Thank goodness. You didn’t get hit.”

“You…!”

-Thump!

“Handle the rest yourself. Understood?”

The body of Karsein, declared out of the game after being struck by the object, was moved from inside the field to outside.

I covered my mouth, afraid that my rising smile might be seen.

My heart raced and my eyes blinked rapidly.

Heat began to rise from every part of me.

And then—

“Handle the rest yourself. Understood?”

That voice replayed in my mind again.

It was unfair.

That was truly unfair.

“Eek!”

One noble from the opposing side who failed to eliminate Harni flinched slightly.

‘For now, I just have to win…!’

I grabbed another object and threw it again.

Though its power was significantly diminished compared to before, it quickly became clear which team had emerged victorious.

– Beep!

“The last survivor is one lady from Harnié! Therefore, this team wins!”

The sound of the whistle echoed, confirming their victory.

The members of the same team reveled in their triumph, laughing and chatting among themselves. Amidst them, Harnié pushed through to find Karsein.

“Excuse me, just a moment. I need to get through.”

There were too many people.

How am I supposed to find him?

Recalling how he had sprawled out earlier, she scanned the sandy area below and quickly spotted someone lying alone.

“Haha… we won after all.”

“…”

Even now, he’s still talking about winning.

What a foolish person.

– Swoosh.

“Um… Harnié? Have you calmed down?”

As she rested her head on his knee, Karsein asked with a look of confusion.

Harnié fought to suppress her pounding heart and offered an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten upset over something so strange.”

“Haha. No worries at all. It was my carelessness that caused it. It’s true that one shouldn’t do things that invite suspicion.”

But still, we won, didn’t we?

Karsein chuckled softly at that thought.

But Harnié was unsure whether to laugh or not, casting furtive glances at Karsein.

The sensation of being embraced one last time still lingered, refusing to fade away.

It was clear that the magical tool used to numb the pain had dulled her senses somewhat, yet she could not forget that moment when she had been enveloped in his arms.

‘Why… am I feeling this way?’

The thigh resting beneath his head felt unbearably ticklish.

It wasn’t just because of the hair brushing against it.

From the skin of his thigh touching her head, that sensation began to spread throughout her entire body.

This strange feeling radiating through her was coalescing into a single point.

—Thump. Thump.

Just like when she had nestled into his embrace and felt protected.

Her heart raced uncontrollably.

This summer felt exceptionally hot.

Strangely so.