The Damn Family Is Back Again chapter 131

131. Spring Outing (1)

It’s already been several days since I spent time at the training grounds.

Since I couldn’t leave the mansion, I had no choice but to sweat and clash swords with other knights here, building up my strength.

Thanks to that, my stats are…

Lv. 41

▶The possessed SP is automatically used on the??? stat!◀

▶Strength 5.58

▶Agility 6.92

▶Endurance 7.03

▶Vitality 5.02

▶Immunity 1.45

▶??? 41%

With four basic stats exceeding 5, I can now handle most tasks with ease.

At this level, I’m considered quite strong among ordinary people. In reality, I didn’t exert much effort when dealing with those small-time gangsters, and my range of activities within the organization has increased significantly compared to before.

Of course, I’m still average or slightly lacking compared to the knights.

Those three guys who blocked the path in Rusmayier were weaklings, but if I compare myself to the real warriors from the Aiperos Duchy, I still fall short.

Objectively speaking, I’m still lacking. I need to be at a level where I can protect myself even after leaving the dukedom…

Anyway, it’s not bad. I’m satisfied with the increase in my action points and vitality, which has expanded my range of activities. At least I won’t be defeated in the next episode.

And during this time, a letter arrived.

It was from Village Chief Barak.

“What’s going on?”

According to the letter, the events I predicted in Rusmayier have unfolded.

“Firstly, the nobles are dissatisfied with the occupation of Waglu Mountain.”

This tunnel passes directly through Waglu Mountain and is buried beneath it.

Therefore, they have raised objections. Some parts of Waglu Mountain are within the nobles’ territory, and the previous mountain trail belonged to the nearby nobles’ territory.

It’s not entirely false.

“But they have gone too far. They claim that 5/10 of the tunnel should be handed over to them.”

Moreover, the sudden appearance of thugs and mercenaries has caused security issues, and the nobles are criticizing the lord’s incompetence.

It seems the lord is not present, and they’re taking advantage of the situation.

“They even picked on the fact that Yarik people are here, saying why they’re present…”

In short, they’re trying to take the tunnel by force, making excuses and blaming me for not managing it properly.

They’re even using the fact that Yarik people are present to create a bigger problem.

However, looking at the bottom of the letter, it doesn’t seem like a big issue.

“Fortunately, two knights have arrived. They are from the 1st Knight Division of the Bagrand Duchy…”

Territorial issues? No problem. 95% of Waglu Mountain belongs to Rusmayier, and by citing the past treaty at the previous mountain occupation point, they shut up.

Are they trying to create problems and block the tunnel?

I ordered Radie and Mark to draw their swords, telling them to attack anyone who dares to touch the lord’s territory. I also ordered them to create a restricted entry list.

In the Aiperos Duchy, they used the pretext of trading ore to justify their presence, and since they couldn’t carry all the ore at once, they were allowed to stay for a while.

Moreover, I had instructed Polux to send a message in advance, telling the Yarik people not to react violently, so we could pass through without any issues.

Lastly, they picked on the lord’s orders…

“Radie sir showed them the cuff button and responded, ‘Do you dare to disregard my lord’s orders?’ The nobles were terrified! He threatened to raise their tolls, and they were completely taken aback. Haha.”

“Amazing.”

Barak, who received the order and executed it, seemed to be greatly pleased.

The villagers, who were worried, were relieved and went to bed early that day.

The Yarik people secretly gave the departing nobles the middle finger from behind.

The faces of the nobles who intentionally created problems are still unforgettable.

“It’s been resolved well.”

The development of the game we played wasn’t much different from this.

There won’t be anyone who dares to treat Rusmayeur carelessly with this.

Occasionally, we may clash with the demons, but that’s something we can handle. Under the protection of the Bagrand Duchy, Rusmayeur will become our lifeline from now on.

However, it’s still far from enough.

Even if we wait, the money coming in from Rusmayeur alone won’t be enough to pay back the debt we owe to the duchy.

When we add up the expenses we’ve incurred while staying at the Bagrand Duchy’s estate, including the interest on the borrowed money, the total amount will be astronomical.

Especially in this era, the amount will swell exponentially.

In the end, Rusmayeur has its limits.

It’s like how I couldn’t possibly pay back the debt by working part-time at a convenience store.

▶Sub Episode. The Return Date is in Progress.◀

▶Choose the Date to Return to the Duchy.◀

[ 1. Today. ]

[ 2. Tomorrow. ]

[ 3. The Day After Tomorrow. ]

This sub episode is about deciding when to return through a conversation with Claire.

It’s better to put off the return date as much as possible to avoid conflict with our family at the duchy, but since Rusmayeur’s problems are pressing, we’ll naturally end up returning on the last day.

And another late return event will unfold.

But I’m not particularly afraid.

After meeting Claire, only one letter arrived at the duchy, with no other contact.

Even that letter was from Isabella, saying she hopes we return soon.

“It’s about time we returned to the duchy.”

The next episode is approaching.

***

-Ding!

As soon as I stepped into the duchy, the alarm sound rang out, just like always.

This alarm sound will undoubtedly signal the return event.

I didn’t pay much attention and stepped forward.

As I passed through the main gate and arrived at the entrance of the estate…

-Thud.

A book fell to the ground with a thud.

“!”

The owner of the book was a blonde-haired girl.

“It seems this return event will start with Flora.”

It’s not just a late return event, but also overlapping penalties for being out and staying out late.

If I mess up the conversation with Flora, who’s the starting point, the consequences will be severe, so even though it’s annoying, I should at least grant one of her requests to avoid bigger problems.

First, it’s better to pick up the book and hand it over to her.

“No, I’ll pick it up…!”

As I bent down to pick up the book, Flora quickly snatched it away, her eyes wide open.

What’s going on? Is it forbidden to touch my own book?

Suddenly, Flora’s eyes sparkled as she thought of something, and she gazed at me with a bright expression.

“Um… could you teach me some studying?”

“Studying?”

“Yeah… I heard that to do well in math, you need to be good at calculations, but I don’t understand it at all…”

“Huh?”

It seemed like she was about to get a penalty for speaking out of turn, but then she suddenly asked me to teach her.

I was taken aback, and a silly sound escaped my lips.

“Can… you not?”

Then Flora asked in a sulky tone.

It was ridiculous, but Flora was bringing up a request due to the penalty from the event.

From that perspective, I wasn’t sure if I should call it a penalty, but it was better to just go along with it.

“If it’s just solving a few problems quickly, I can do that.”

“Really?!”

Considering her personality, which was similar to the third member, there was a high possibility that she was just pretending to listen.

But even if she was just pretending, it didn’t matter from my standpoint, since I would still be resolving the issue.

Flora opened her book and pointed to a problem, which was at a ridiculously easy middle school level for a student preparing for the college entrance exam.

Teaching her wasn’t difficult at all.

I wasn’t sure if she fully understood it, but at least I didn’t give a wrong explanation.

This would probably resolve the first penalty.

“Hmm, you’re really good at math, after all.”

Just then, someone suddenly interrupted our conversation from behind.

It was the first member of this household, Arina, walking towards us with her bright red ponytail swaying.

Since I had finished teaching, I was about to leave, but…

“Teach her some more. It’s nice to see you teaching your younger sibling.”

“I didn’t tell you to come back and teach Flora.”

“Tsk. What’s the hurry? Fine, let’s go up.”

Arina clicked her tongue and walked ahead, leading the way upstairs.

As I followed Arina, my sleeve was caught by a weak force.

When I turned around, Flora was holding onto my sleeve.

“Are you… angry?”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

Again, she said something weird and then quickly let go of my sleeve and ran off with quick steps.

‘I don’t get it. Why is she like that?’

Whatever. It didn’t matter anyway.

The first penalty was resolved, after all.

***

I followed Arina to Isabella’s office and sat down on the sofa according to her instructions.

From noble mtl dot com

Isabella put down the ornament she was fiddling with and sat beside Arina, asking,

“Why didn’t you tell me that the expenditure was used to purchase the Rusmayeur territory?”

– *tingling sound!*

▶Sub-episode. Your reputation has been cleared.◀

▶The main episode will branch out based on your choice.◀

▶Isabella asks about Rusmayeur. How will you react?

[1. (Calmly) I didn’t think it was necessary to mention it.]

[2. (Skeptically) What’s the big deal, it’s not like you would listen anyway.]

[3. (Bowing) I thought it might be possible to take care of it myself. Since it’s a matter that needs to be handled directly, I couldn’t tell you. I apologize.]

It’s finally decided.

After this choice, the main episode will be determined.

If you respond too negatively, you’ll acknowledge that you’ve caused a lot of problems, and the branching path will be shortened. If you respond too positively, you’ll be too relieved, and the path will be prolonged.

As I need to adjust my schedule myself, it’s better to draw a moderate line here.

In that sense, the best option is this choice.

[1. (Calmly) I didn’t think it was necessary to mention it.] ☑

“I didn’t think it was necessary to mention it.”

“…Why? You could have scolded me. You didn’t do it with bad intentions, did you?”

“Anyway, the expenditure is just that. The fact that it was used for personal purposes doesn’t change.”

Arina let out a deep sigh.

“You’re being too stubborn. If it were that simple, I could have understood it.”

“It’s written in the imperial certification, just like Rusmayeur is not part of the Bagrand Duchy, but rather the territory of the Carsein Bagrand.”

“So?”

“I, as a member of the Bagrand family, made a private move, not an official one. That fact doesn’t change. So, I deserve to be scolded.”

Yes. I need to draw this line.

It’s not official business, but personal money.

Right now, it’s best to maintain this line.

Arina noticed Isabella’s stiff expression and gave me an unpleasant look.

And then, she changed the subject.

“Mother, let’s drop it. I didn’t plan to say anything anyway.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Isabella smiled faintly and moved on to the next topic.

“I heard from the Archien princess that we’ll be able to participate in the eastern noble conference smoothly this time.”

“Of course. With Rusmayeur’s prosperity, we’ll receive reevaluation, and by supplementing the insufficient resources and increasing efficiency with new laws, we’ll be able to suppress the nobles’ arrogance, so there’s no need to doubt our qualifications.”

“That’s great, Carsein.”

Even hearing that, I’m not particularly happy.

The choice to remain silent seems obvious, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

“So, should we make this symposium’s break a celebration for Carsein?”

As Polux mentioned earlier, the explanation about the break during the eastern noble conference went back and forth between the two.

This time, the cherry blossoms are blooming beautifully, so we decided to take a family spring outing together and even called a painter to change the old family portrait.

“How about it, Carsein? Is this okay?”

– Ding!

[1. Yes. I don’t mind.]

[2. No. I think it’s better to go out and have some fun on my own.]

[3. I didn’t get to enjoy the Snowflake Festival properly. This time, I want to have a blast.]

The third option is to openly have fun.

It increases Karsein’s action power to its maximum and maintains a close relationship with his family.

For instance, you can experience various things like hot springs, the sea, or a ball, and choose what you want to do.

If you choose the second option, your relationship with your family will slightly deteriorate, but you’ll gain free time.

Since you can act freely, you can prepare for the East Noble Assembly, but it doesn’t have much merit.

Like when dealing with Emma, you can buy necessary items or execute a specific sub-episode in advance and prepare for the choices in the main episode.

Or, you can visit the Shatren territory and manage their relationships in advance.

None of these methods yielded good results.

Extremely, you could refuse to rest and return to the training grounds, but even that didn’t feel right.

So, here’s option one.

You’ll give moderate affirmation and participate in the spring outing.

Anyway, there’s also the matter of the second penalty.

“It’s decided then. Since Karsein is okay with it, let’s go on a family outing.”

“What’s the schedule like?”

“Karsein, when do you want to go? This meeting is to adjust your condition, so you choose.”

“…”

“Karsein?”

Why aren’t you saying anything?

After this line, the second penalty sentence will definitely come out.

“Didn’t Claire decide on it already?”

“Ah, that?”

Ariana chuckled.

“Claire said it would be better to decide according to your mood, but she didn’t tell me what happened.”

“I heard it that way too.”

…What?

I quickly checked the status window and found that the message floating there wasn’t a penalty, but a different message.

▶You can now set the spring outing date with the help of Assistant Claire.◀