143. The Reversed Situation (1)
He felt the refreshing scent of spring and basked in the warm sunlight. Food was being served, and laughter filled his ears.
And…
-Ding dong.
This time, unlike in the past, all five family members were clearly depicted in the family portrait.
The Duke’s spring outing had ended successfully.
“But… Carsain…”
Flora, who was holding the frame, felt a sense of relief and anxiety at the same time.
She had been keeping an eye on him, but Carsain had been expressionless throughout the outing.
It was unsettling.
In the past, hadn’t he said that he wasn’t part of the family and didn’t want to go together?
He had also shown a clear attitude of not wanting to take a family portrait together.
But Carsain was acting as if nothing had happened.
It was strange to see him obediently following his mother’s words.
From the spring outing to the schedule with the nobles, and even the family portrait, everything had been completed without a hitch.
It was as if nothing had happened in the past.
For Flora, it was unbearable to see.
Hadn’t she seen it all before?
No matter how unfair he was treated, he never complained.
He had never shown any dissatisfaction, and she had confirmed it with her own eyes.
Even with the deep and clear scars that Flora Bagrand had inflicted, Carsain had always been silent, as if it was only natural.
Did Carsein really act as if nothing had happened?
Can I be so certain just by looking at this?
It wasn’t so.
“…I need to confirm.”
Was Carsein really unable to remember that incident, or was he just pretending not to know?
I had to find out which one it was.
I could just ask Carsein about the incident and get an answer.
There were plenty of excuses to go see him.
I just needed to take this one book in front of me.
I grasped the large book, Flo, and rushed to Carsein’s room.
Before long, Camilla opened the door in response to my knock.
Inside, Carsein was busily scribbling with his pen.
“What’s going on?”
Flo, who was startled by Carsein’s sudden question, nervously held out the book.
“G, can you help me with my studies…?”
If I asked him to solve a problem I didn’t understand, I could have a decent conversation with Carsein. That’s why I had brought the book.
Carsein, who let out a faint sigh, moved to a circular table where I could sit. He didn’t say a word, but it was as if he was saying, “I’ll teach you.”
We soon began solving problems and explaining concepts, but I was more focused on observing Carsein’s expression.
Then, I mustered up the courage to ask.
“Um… it’s not about the problem, but can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“My little sister said that mom told you not to draw a portrait and to go back to the palace, but you said it was okay… didn’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why, why did you do that? I’m curious because when you came back, you were hurt… I thought you might have been upset…”
My words came out a bit strange, but I had conveyed everything I wanted to say.
The rest was up to Carsein’s response.
Even if he remembered everything that had happened in the past, I could tell if he was deliberately glossing over it.
“Did I say something wrong? Are you curious about that?”
Carsein replied with a tone that suggested he didn’t care.
“Why are you getting upset over nothing? It’s not like I got hurt because of those guys. On the contrary, it’s none of my business.”
“Did you… get hit?”
“Of course not. Ah, I did get hit in the face, but it’s all healed now, as you can see.”
…Huh?
I thought he was upset because of the past incident, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Carsein was speaking as if it was no big deal, with a tone that implied, “What’s the fuss about?”
Carsein had already stopped talking about that incident.
It was as if he didn’t care about what he had said when we went out together, or how he had acted when we came back, or even when he drew the portrait.
It was all the same to him.
“Rather than that, haven’t you been distracted since a while ago? Try to focus.”
“Ah, did you know?!”
“You’re telling me you didn’t use the official method, and yet you’re making the same mistake?”
Flora finally felt at ease, intellectually.
Carsein hadn’t deliberately ignored the issue.
It was just that it wasn’t worth his attention.
“Well, tell me again.”
Still, I wanted to spend time with Carsein now.
“…”
Meanwhile,
Claire was eavesdropping on the conversation between the two people outside Carsein’s room, her eyes closed tight.
The Turmerous flower fragments in her hand were proof that she had been prepared for this situation.
‘You knew everything… and deliberately…’
Everything was a lie.
Even the words she had spoken in front of her mom, and the fact that she hadn’t revealed the truth to Flora, were all part of Carsein’s deception.
Her chest felt increasingly suffocated.
Every time she felt this discomfort, Claire’s predictions became less frequent.
– Tingling!
▶Intimacy level has increased.◀
[Current level: 80%]
▶Claire’s intimacy level has reached 80%.◀
▶Claire’s exclusive hidden episode, “Irrepressible Discomfort,” has been triggered.◀
▶The exclusive episode will proceed automatically.◀
▶This message will not be displayed to the player!◀
“I didn’t tell you… anything…”
Claire, who had bitten her lip, soon left her spot outside Carsein’s room.
***
▶Sub-episode. Flora’s Study (2) has been cleared.◀
“Looks like it’s a repeat sub-episode.”
She wondered why this had happened, but seeing the number (2) attached to the episode’s title, she had a hunch.
Sub-episodes usually had a significant impact on the main episode, so they were often one-time deals.
But not all sub-episodes were one-time only.
Like the game where she had to periodically eliminate the demons in the Rusmaier territory, repeat sub-episodes existed too.
“This must have triggered something… “
The problem was figuring out what had triggered it.
But she had no idea where the trigger for this repeat episode was.
“Well, whatever. I’ll just teach that kid again, even if they won’t listen properly.”
In the game, there was a repeat episode where she had to defeat the demons in the Rusmaier territory.
Compared to that, this was a piece of cake. It wasn’t a dangerous case, and she could just pretend to teach a few times and be done with it.
Let’s just move on.
This place was more important to her now.
“I’ve received your letter, sir. However, considering the situation, I’d like to change the location if possible.”
I, who had boarded the carriage, kept looking at Tasha’s letter and the map inside, again and again.
“Tasha can’t be unaware of my situation. But, despite that, she’s setting the location here.”
The marked point on the map Tasha had given me was not Rusmayeur, but rather Satren.
In this game, Tasha had never betrayed Carsein.
The behind-the-scenes story of how Camilla had saved her life was something I could know even now, but considering that, the possibility of her betraying Carsein was close to zero.
Yet, her suggestion to meet me within Satren territory implied that there had to be a reason.
Moreover, there was something strange.
“Driver, wait here. Don’t move from this spot until I return. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
It was a request to keep the Bagrand Duchy’s carriage out of sight and to wear a hood to conceal my appearance.
I’ll have to see about it first.
I followed Tasha’s map to the marked location.
“Looks like I’m around here… Is Tasha not here yet?”
I looked around, but Tasha was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a commotion near a carriage.
“You scoundrels! You’re at it again?!”
“We have to catch them today! Those scoundrels!”
“Let’s get out of here!!!”
The noisy area around the carriage.
The kids were running out of the carriage, holding something, while the adults were chasing after them, scolding.
But…
“There’s something strange.”
If they were really chasing them, wouldn’t they be able to catch them?
Before long, the adults, who couldn’t keep up with the kids’ quick escape, gathered near the carriage one by one.
And they made strange noises.
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“…I think we’ve got enough to eat?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“What’s going on? My nose is twitching.”
It was because this carriage was a merchant’s carriage for transportation and trade.
A carriage that, according to my instructions, had moved from Rusmayeur along this path to distribute goods to other places.
But, instead of selling the goods, they had been stolen, and they were saying they had enough to eat? Don’t worry about it? My nose was twitching?
It was an absurd scene with absurd sounds.
“Did you want to show me this, Tasha?”
As I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind, I turned around and asked directly.
Tasha didn’t deny it.
“…Yes, sir.”
– Ding!
▶You’ve caught the strange behavior of the Rusmayeur territory’s people! How will you react?
[ 1. What’s the point of showing me this, Tasha? ]
[ 2. Take those guys away and give them a good beating. Deduct the loss from their wages. ]
[ 3. Did they commit such a heinous crime in the Shatren territory? It’s understandable to be mentally weak, but this is unacceptable. Let’s make an example out of those kids and punish them. ]
[ 4. Was it their intention to capture the scene? I understand well. Report this to the workshop. ]
…
…
Another option that I’d never seen before has appeared.
In fact, it’s not surprising that an option has emerged, given the current situation as the lord’s proxy is quite severe.
The people of the Rusmayeur territory are giving me goods for free without even mentioning it, and it’ll show up as a loss in the ledger.
If I handle it normally, I can choose either way.
Whether it’s Rusmayeur or Shatren, either way, I can easily resolve the situation by investigating the cause-and-effect relationship. It’s gotten to the point where I can even use the workshop’s power. That’s how advantageous the situation is for me.
But, they’re deliberately showing me a situation that’s not unusual, which means there must be a reason for it.
The adults’ tears.
The children’s stained hands.
It’s not a fabricated scene at all.
– Ringing!
▶Sub-episode. The reversed situation (1) has occurred. ◀
“Is this also a repetitive sub-episode?”
This can also be information.
Repetitive events like this can happen.
Accordingly, a repetitive sub-episode can emerge.
Then…
This option needs to become even more realistic.
[ 7. I want to hear the details. Tasha. ] ☑
“I won’t ask who the culprit is. But I want to hear the details.”
Let’s listen first.
I need to know what happened to handle it properly.
***
“As expected.”
Watching Carsein, who prioritizes situation analysis, Tasha smiled faintly.
Now she could speak without hesitation.
No, she was prepared to take an even greater risk.
Although he appears cold, he’s infinitely warm and compassionate.
“In the past, when we were struggling to make ends meet, Rusmayeur received help from the Shatren territory.”
This is a story that couldn’t be told to any other lord. But Tasha doesn’t hesitate to bring it up.
Because the target is Carsein.
So, she can bring it up however she wants.
– Ringing!
▶Tasha’s intimacy level has increased! ◀
[ Intimacy level: 60% → 65% ]