The Damn Family Is Back Again chapter 139

139. Spring Outing (9)

Can they just do this and leave?

I wondered how their brain worked.

“Hey, Carsein! Can’t you come back right now?!”

Ariana shouted, grinding her teeth, but Carsein ignored her and walked away.

“Those kids…!”

Watching them set up a scene like this, my blood boiled, and this time, they even ignored me and left?

I couldn’t even begin to think of how to punish them.

Ariana stormed out of the open door, her face red with anger.

Then, she saw Claire.

Ah, Claire was here too.

She seemed to have just arrived and witnessed the situation, which only made her sigh.

“Claire, I’ll leave the cleanup to you. I need to go catch that kid right now. Try to resolve the reward with money or items if possible.”

“What, what?”

“Just watching them set up a scene like this? I thought they’d calmed down recently, but they’re doing this again, and our family’s reputation is at stake. This time, I won’t let it slide.”

It wouldn’t be difficult for Claire to resolve the reward anyway.

Ariana stomped her foot in anger and chased after Carsein.

“Wait, just for a moment, Unnie!”

It was impossible to catch up to her rapid footsteps, which had already reached this place.

This was a big deal. I needed to hear what Carsein had to say and find out what had happened.

But thinking about the anger I’d unleash on Carsein, I had to follow Ariana and persuade her right away, but I couldn’t just follow her blindly.

“…If I leave now, things will only get worse.”

Claire surveyed her surroundings.

The overturned table and the broken chairs.

The spilled tea on the floor and the shattered teacups scattered all over.

The place was filled with objects that seemed to have been thrown around.

The female nobles were standing far away, while the male nobles looked like they had been beaten up.

This was indeed a chaotic scene, with no signs of order.

And Carsein was here.

If it were in the past, I would have scolded him together with my sister, saying “How could you do such a thing, Carsein?”

But.

“He must know that he can’t cause trouble on a day like today.”

I don’t think that way anymore.

For some reason, a strange, unsettling atmosphere was filling the air.

In this place, where a sense of unease was palpable.

“Let’s figure out what’s going on first.”

I didn’t know the whole situation, having just arrived.

I’ll have to listen to their story to make any judgments, so I decided to ask them first.

“What happened here? Can you explain?”

As I asked, a noble let out a groaning sound and raised his hand.

“I’ll explain, Lady Claire.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Hemnen Modrich of the Modrich Earl’s family.”

“Ah, the Modrich Earl.”

I didn’t have any particular connection to his family.

But I did hear one thing.

-The knights of the Modrich Earl’s family, who had blocked our way, were all fired!

-Is that true? It seems like the old grudge is finally being resolved.

When I was staying in Rusmaye with Carsein.

The local people told me that about the Modrich Earl’s family.

“It’s a strange story, but since it’s Carsein’s territory, I didn’t think much of it. But…”

For some reason, a strange atmosphere lingered.

And what I heard when I arrived was similar.

-…What’s this? Check carefully what’s stuck to the bottom of that guy’s shoe.

“It’s a shoe.”

I couldn’t hear the beginning of the conversation, but Carsein said there was something on the bottom of that man’s shoe.

“Let’s hear the story in order.”

Let’s listen first, before checking that man’s shoe.

***

Hemnen was trying to justify himself with a rising tone.

That’s right, isn’t it?

The situation was unfolding in a favorable direction.

I had tried to take down Carsein, but it didn’t work out, and instead, I got trampled to a miserable extent, which was completely unexpected. Still, he was an idiot.

Although I was furious at the moment, I could already get more than I bargained for, not just for myself, but also for the other nobles who had been involved.

Where was this going to end?

It would take some time for the news to spread and reach the ducal family.

But here, the news reached the ducal family directly.

It was as if there was no need to convey the message further. Arina Bagrand happened to appear at this place.

It wasn’t difficult to convey what had happened.

I didn’t have to put it into words; the situation itself, along with others’ reactions, explained everything.

Even if Carsein didn’t resist, he would occasionally say something that could be misinterpreted or make up something that didn’t exist.

And soon, he left this place, and Claire Bagrand arrived.

Things were unfolding smoothly.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

I had to hold back my laughter, fearing it might burst out.

The situation was perfect.

From the moment Arina appeared, the situation had already taken a turn for the better, and Carsein had created an environment that was ideal for taking all the blame.

Arina Bagrand was like a hammer, nailing Carsein down.

All that was left was to somehow persuade Claire.

“Please, tell me slowly.”

As soon as they heard this, the nobles all smiled.

There were even those who were already drunk on their victory. The young ladies were busy hiding their smiles behind their fans.

I, while hiding my rising smile, told Claire what had happened here.

It wasn’t difficult at all.

Just like with Arina, all I had to do was highlight Carsein’s mistakes.

It was just an accident that I spilled the tea.

It was an accident that the thing I dropped got broken.

I apologized for that, but Carsein responded with a punch, and others tried to stop him, only to get hit even more.

Although I got trampled miserably, this was actually perfect evidence to expose Carsein’s wrongdoing.

As an actor on this stage, I had finished my role and was waiting to see what Claire would say. Arina had left, and there was a slightly disappointing part to it.

But.

Contrary to my expectations, Claire was quiet.

“What’s going on?”

I thought Claire would definitely get angry and say how she would deal with Carsein, and then reward me.

But instead, I felt a sudden grasp on the back of my neck.

“Ah?!”

“Ha. You bastard. You’re talking like that?”

“Y-yes, Your Excellency?”

What was going on? I doubted my own eyes and was stunned.

But the grip on my collar was undeniable.

It was Claire’s hand that held me.

“Mistake? You’re kidding me. You intentionally provoked Carsein, didn’t you? You think I’d believe your lies without batting an eye?”

“What, what’s going on! You’re calling me a liar!”

“Hmph. You still don’t get it. You’re a trash who can’t even grasp the situation.”

“That’s too harsh, isn’t it…!”

A menacing expression appeared on Claire’s face, and Hemnon couldn’t help but shrink back.

“Uh, I met Carsein by chance here and invited him over for tea and snacks. We were just chatting, so what’s the lie?”

But he had to say something.

If there was a misunderstanding, he could clear it up.

“Ahahaha! You want to suggest a gathering? You met him by chance and invited him over? You want to have a conversation?”

Claire’s laughter echoed throughout the room.

The nobles held their breath, unsure of what was happening.

“What’s going on here?”

Claire didn’t give Hemnon a chance to explain.

She used magic to send him flying and made him crash into a chair.

Naturally, Hemnon’s shoes pointed towards the ceiling, and Claire pulled out a fragment stuck in his shoe.

“Hey, Hemnon. You dropped this and broke it, didn’t you? Carsein said you stepped on it and broke it.”

“That’s right.”

“So, you’re admitting to lying with your own mouth. You’re a trash.”

Claire said with a mocking tone.

“The Turmerus flower hairpin has a very weak durability. But no matter what happens, it wouldn’t break just from falling.”

“That’s a contradiction. You said it’s weak, but it wouldn’t break?”

“If you threw it out of a building, this hairpin wouldn’t break. Even if you dropped it from a cliff, it wouldn’t break.”

Hemnon was about to shout that it was impossible, but Claire seemed to know the answer and tossed the fragment into the air.

Surprisingly, the fragment floated in mid-air, hovered for a moment, and then fell to the ground.

From noble mtl dot com

“This, this is…!”

“The Turmerus flower has a property that protects itself from strong impacts by neutralizing the force of the fall. That’s because it contains magic, so it wouldn’t change even after processing. But you broke it just from dropping it?”

-Kap!

“…!”

“No, you must have stepped on it and crushed it. That’s why all the fragments are stuck in your shoe.”

Claire sat down, crossing her legs, and showed Hemnon the fragments stuck in his shoe.

The situation that occurred according to Claire’s demonstration perfectly matched Hemnon’s case.

Crystallization and fragmentation.

The Turmerus flower’s second property was revealed, and Hemnon could no longer deny it.

“What, I think there’s been a misunderstanding…!”

“You dare to frame my younger brother and then say it’s a misunderstanding?”

Hemnon tried to explain, but…

“That’s not the end of it. You lied to my older sister, and even tried to deceive me. Is this just a simple misunderstanding?”

Claire’s eyes were already blazing with anger.

“I’ll take this as a challenge to the Bagurand family. Hemnon Modrichi.”

Hemnon’s expression turned pale.

A challenge to the Bagrand Duchy?

What nonsense is this?

If Father, the Count, were to hear this, he wouldn’t just let it slide. If it brings harm to the Modrich family, didn’t he say he would expel me from the family?!

I had to find a way to get out of this situation no matter what.

But.

“What, what’s going on! Everyone…!”

“Did you dare to deceive Bagrand?”

“You’re a despicable human being. Ugh, disgusting!”

“You should’ve just accepted your fate!”

Now, I’m receiving the same treatment I had given to Karsein.

There’s no way to escape this crisis.

Today was the day the title was stripped from Hemnon Modrich’s name.

***

After seeing the message that the Spring Outing episode was cleared, I was able to leave without any worries.

No warning messages appeared, and no penalties were imposed. The choices had ended there.

Even Arina or Claire’s nonsense didn’t appear.

In the end, this was the answer.

It’s not about adjusting to the family’s mood and watching their reactions to solve the problem, but about creating a legitimate reason to counterattack and escape the situation myself.

I had tried to escape from that house, and now, as Karsein, I’m trying to escape from this family.

“Heh.”

This felt so satisfying that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Yes. No matter what, I have to escape from this house.

My method wasn’t wrong.

I’ll pretend to comply with their demands and wait for the right moment to boldly escape, just like in reality.

With my emotions suppressed as much as possible.

Logically and realistically.

-Ding!

“Oh, this is the power of Perfect Clear.”

▶Episode IV. Spring Outing has been cleared.◀

▶You have successfully achieved a result beyond the choices.

▶Reward calculation is in progress.◀

■Reward

▶All penalties have been removed as a Perfect Clear reward!◀

[Target: Episode IV’s danger penalty, intimacy penalty, and choice penalty.]

▶No other choices will appear as a Perfect Clear reward!◀

[Target: Episode IV’s danger choices, intimacy choices, and additional development choices.]

▶With the Perfect Clear reward, all schedules have been completed, and the occurrence of the next episode will be announced. You are granted free time until then.◀

Even if all the penalties were gone, every choice in an episode had disappeared.

Originally, the dukes would gather again, and some meetings would take place, but now, not a single message appears.

One episode has completely disappeared, and the restrictions placed on me are also limited to that episode, but they’ve been replaced with free action time.

However, it’s not that easy to let everything go.

One weakness is revealed.

“Does ‘Episode IV’ mean that it’s not applicable to the next episode?”

It seems so.

So, it’s okay as long as it’s related to Episode IV.

“…Forget it. Where is this place? I’ll just take what’s given to me.”

It’s better to think a little at this time than to be dragged around and even draw a new family portrait.

Since returning to the ducal estate might have an impact on the next episode, I decided to enter the hotel where I’m staying.

But, of all people, he’s here.

“Carsein…?”

A blonde kid is staring at me from the entrance.

Tsk.

I thought he would be stuck to Isabella, but…

What a coincidence that I ran into one of the two remaining siblings when the others are absent.

“Forget it. I’ll just ignore him and go in.”

Anyway, the episode is cleared, and this place is within the influence of Episode IV.

Besides, Flora wouldn’t trigger Episode V right away.

I tried to ignore him and enter, but Flora grabbed my arm.

“No, no, no! Don’t get hurt! Don’t get hurt, Carsein…!”