The Damn Family Is Back Again chapter 125

125. Blue Internal Medicine (2)

▶The memorial has ended.◀

“…”

After that, the memorial tried to prove the faint effect of the rotten seed, no matter how small it was.

Karcein had to use even a rotten seed, grasping at straws. As he delved deeper into the seed of Rohéa, he discovered that the rotten seed also had its effect, albeit very faint. However, the effect was significantly reduced compared to its original power.

Still, he didn’t give up.

The seed of Rohéa was meant to have an effect by spreading its roots widely in the soil. So, even if the faint power of the rotten seed only applied to a single plant or a small area, it would be sufficient.

It was a clever judgment.

If he could prove this hypothesis by using a small number of seeds, he could resolve the misunderstandings on both sides…

But he already knew the future of that plant.

The Plant Memorial. The plant that had been destroyed by Ariana in the main hall, and had remained unhealed until he found it, was a failure.

It was insufficient. The single rotten seed was not enough.

“Ah, damn it.”

If Claire had heard him, she would have laughed and said he was crazy, but now, only empty laughter and curses came out.

Karcein was determined to find a breakthrough in this difficult task.

It was a perfect breakthrough. By regaining trust from the Shatren territory and resolving the false accusations against the Rifleton Earl’s family through a deal, he would gain a reliable ally.

But Claire had blocked this breakthrough.

To summarize the memorial’s contents, it was like this?

Again, the unpleasant memories began to resurface.

The wound from being bullied by his second brother, which had never healed, still lingered.

It was a trivial wound, but his family had made a big deal out of it, starting with nagging him to stop getting beaten up, and eventually, his second brother began to arrive at school at the same time as him.

– Ah, since I’m here, no one comes near me. You see? If there’s someone bothering you, speak up. You’re such a pathetic guy.

But did he know?

Those guys would bully him even more severely when no one was watching.

They would torment him in a way that left no scars.

In the end, his school life didn’t change.

The biggest problem was that his part-time job time was completely gone.

Even with the excuse of studying, his second brother would cling to him like a leech, not giving him any time.

He didn’t know, but I was able to eat a proper meal while working part-time.

I was able to avoid getting scolded for not buying school supplies because of my youngest brother, who always took my allowance.

Back then, I was able to use my school supplies without worrying about them getting broken.

But that small happiness disappeared in an instant.

After that, I couldn’t work part-time for a while because of my second brother, and I couldn’t save up money.

Later on, I was stuck in a hellish routine again, unable to find a part-time job because of my second brother’s constant surveillance.

It was the third brother who tormented me relentlessly, but ironically, it was my second brother who delayed my plan to escape from home.

Karcein’s plan was also ruined, just like that seed.

He knew that telling his family would be useless, so he tried to come up with a plan.

But it was ruined by Claire, just like that seed.

It seemed like the chill had only just begun to set in.

My blood began to run cold again, and my hot-headedness cooled down.

Yes. This was not the time to react emotionally.

I turned my gaze to review the circumstances of the unfinished episode.

“That’s right. Let’s go back and fulfill your wishes first.”

Change of plans.

The plan to head to Shatren was cancelled altogether.

***

Three days had passed since arriving at Rusemayer.

After confirming that Carsein was bedridden, Claire had lit a fire in the fireplace and soon called for the doctor from the ducal family.

Dr. Shelden.

She had called him here to examine Carsein.

The follow-up treatment proceeded without a hitch after Dr. Shelden arrived.

The only unresolved issue was that Carsein had contracted the Diffusion Syndrome.

Although it was known that this disease only appeared in the western region, Carsein would have to go to the western region to contract it.

But the timing was suspiciously coincidental.

The date of the transaction document’s arrival and the time the second symptom of Carsein’s Diffusion Syndrome appeared didn’t match up at all.

After hearing about it from Carsein, I felt a sense of unease and carefully observed Rusemayer.

Just as Carsein said, Rusemayer had changed a lot.

Rusemayer territory was a place where all the nobles avoided, saying they only had to pay more taxes.

It was expected to be a desolate place, similar to a slum.

However, seeing it with my own eyes, I could say that my expectations were wrong.

Although it was a rural area, the living standards were rich, incomparable to a slum.

The food was, of course, plentiful, and the smiles on the faces of the territory’s people were widespread, with laughter echoing throughout the village.

Was it simply due to Carsein’s support?

I can confidently say, absolutely not.

Just looking at the food, it was clear that it couldn’t be resolved with Carsein’s money alone.

Their clothes were not tattered or worn out, but rather neat and clean, and the streets were also clean.

Even if problems arose, they had a systematic movement to handle them, and they were actively trading with passing merchants, unaware of where the money came from.

Absolutely, absolutely, it was impossible for Carsein’s money alone to change the territory so drastically in an instant.

The reason was…

“The tunnel… that huge tunnel.”

Every time I passed through that tunnel-like passage, merchants would pay tolls.

No, not just merchants, but also nobles would come, admiring the artistic value of the sculptures drawn inside.

The tolls alone seemed to be quite substantial.

Carsein’s share would be considerable, and the people of Rusemayer’s territory would be able to live comfortably.

The tourism revenue was also substantial.

The paintings that changed according to the lighting, angle, and time were enough to catch the attention of the nobles.

Even the trade partner was said to be the Aiberos Marquis family.

I had also heard rumors that the Marquis family was struggling with a lack of gemstones recently, but that news had stopped a few days ago. If they had sold the rocks obtained from that tunnel as gemstones, it would make sense. They would have earned a considerable amount of money.

Everything in this territory had entered Claire’s sight.

A conclusion was soon drawn.

The reason this territory, which was once just a small, desolate area, had undergone such a huge change was…

My younger brother had become the new lord.

There was no other answer besides “because of Carsein”.

“…”

With a tight-lipped expression, Claire turned back to Carsein’s house.

‘Yes. I have to acknowledge it. Whether it’s through studying or receiving guidance from others, he’s become someone who can govern the territory.’

But if I take him to the ducal house, he’ll probably get scolded by my sister.

My sister, unaware of what happened at the tea party, only knew that a sudden trade agreement had been sent to her.

The atmosphere at the ducal house was gloomy, and the fact that he had extended his stay without permission was a major issue.

As the lord of Rousmaier, Carsein had carelessly traded with the nobles.

He didn’t even get permission and continued the trade.

There were many other reasons to get scolded.

Considering all these, it seemed difficult for Carsein to avoid my sister’s wrath.

“What can I do? I can only try to make a good excuse.”

Initially, if Carsein had met my sister here, he would have been dragged to the ducal house and received severe punishment.

I had planned to prevent that and make him return to the ducal house somehow, but… seeing how he had grown Rousmaier’s territory, it was hard to say he should easily return.

So, I had to make a good excuse.

To prevent Carsein from taking all the blame from my sister.

With that determination, Claire entered Carsein’s house.

But in the bedroom, Carsein had already changed into his casual clothes.

Claire grabbed Carsein’s arm and asked.

“Carsein, you said Shayden would stay longer! Where are you going with that body?”

“Wasn’t I supposed to come and get you? You’re going to nag about how long I’ve been away, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s fine. I didn’t tell my sister about your extended stay on purpose. If I make a good excuse, it’ll be okay.”

Of course, the trade issue would come up, but that could be resolved once the results of Rousmaier were known.

Since he had achieved such results through hard work, not getting permission was a minor issue.

So, I said it was better to take it easy.

But Carsein continued to tidy up his bed.

“It’s not necessary.”

“Hey!”

Claire’s nerves were on edge at the sight.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you going to get scolded on purpose? Leave it to me and take a break, then return later! Why are you being so stubborn?!”

Claire’s bangs fluttered in the wind, a sign of stress.

“Don’t you know what will happen if you get caught by my sister? The ban on going out has been lifted, but the trade with the nobles is still an issue. If you get caught, you’ll definitely get scolded! But you’re still going to do it on purpose?!”

Why would anyone do something so stupid?

This was something that could be avoided by being a bit more careful.

It wasn’t like others didn’t do the same.

Even Claire had received help from her mother or sister when she made mistakes.

Similarly, when Flora made mistakes, Claire had helped her.

But Carsein showed no signs of doing the same.

“You don’t need it.”

You don’t need it?

It was frustrating.

Even when I talked to my mother, it was like that.

When I bought the Rusmayeur territory, I had a reason, but I just got scolded for no reason, and it was frustrating to the point of madness.

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But, are you going to make a fuss about this again and get scolded?

I couldn’t help but feel angry inside.

“Damn it, yeah! Go back and get scolded by your sister, and then get punished by your mom! You’re going to get hurt anyway! Do whatever you want and get hurt, you stupid bastard!”

I lost my temper and said something harsh again.

However.

Despite Claire’s outburst of anger, Karsein calmly left the room.

It meant that his decision to return to the ducal estate remained unchanged.

“Oh, seriously!”

Claire was left alone, feeling frustrated and annoyed.

“What, damn it…! If not my mom, at least my sister will definitely scold me…!”

My sister wasn’t someone who would let things slide easily.

And Karsein was a stubborn person, so it was likely that he wouldn’t mention the Rusmayeur issue this time either, only talking about the trade in the western region.

If I just asked for help, he would help me anytime.

Why did he only talk about his mistakes and not about the good things he did?

“I just can’t understand—”

As I vented my frustration, I suddenly remembered when Karsein had returned from the west without anyone noticing.

He had secretly returned home without anyone finding out.

And I was the one who had discovered him.

Realizing this, Claire carefully turned his head towards the table.

A glass bottle containing blue internal medicine was visible.

Karsein, who had secretly gone to the west, had taken the medicine, and this time, he had taken it to recover from the Depesan syndrome.

It was the same as before.

Then and now.

As I realized this, Claire felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

“…Could it be? Because of me?”

He had secretly tried to make a deal, but it had backfired, and he couldn’t do anything.

Back then, he had tried to hide it, and this time, he had gotten caught and made a big deal out of it?

Unlike before, this time, he didn’t hide it, and even if he got scolded, he would keep the deal?

It was too excessive to say, but I couldn’t deny it.

There was no other reason for Karsein to act like that.

“Really… was it because of me?”

Claire bit his lip.

If that was true, then it was his karma.

Because of that incident, Karsein didn’t boast about his achievements, and instead, he got punished for his mistakes…

Karsein was in a position where he couldn’t receive a single good evaluation ahead.

And in reality, that’s how it was.

Although there was Flora’s intervention, it had always been that way.

It was natural to receive punishment, and he had become a human who made mistakes no matter what he did.

Even the nobles outside the palace had given him such an evaluation.

It was always Claire who would approach him, asking if he had made another mistake.

Whenever Claire Bagrand scolded Karsein Bagrand, he would force a smile and deny it.

“No way. That can’t be. It can’t be like this, where everything is going wrong.”

But the question would bounce back to himself.

Do I really think that?

“Hey, Karsein!”

In the end, Claire, who couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling, ran out of the house and shouted, but it was impossible for her voice to reach Karsein.

He had already ridden his horse and left ahead of her.

“Groom!”

“Yes, Miss Claire!”

“I’m going to the palace right now. Make it as fast as possible.”

Claire, who had followed Karsein to the palace, continued to ask the groom to speed up.

“Maybe… maybe that’s how it is.”

But she couldn’t hide her anxiety.

– Ding!

▶ Episode IV. Cleared the Mysterious Bear! ◀

▶ Successfully persuaded Claire! Intimacy level remains! ◀

[ Current intimacy level: 61% ]

▶ Achieved a result that exceeds the selection! ◀

■ Reward

▶ The corresponding reward will not be revealed to the player!

[ In the next branch, Karsein will receive a certain person’s protection, greatly reducing the penalty! ]

[ An ally will appear in the next episode! ]