The Damn Family Is Back Again

243. Math Trip (6)

“With that, the math trip comes to an end.”

The math trip is over.

Though it was just a brief time of play, the changes orchestrated by Arshien and Florence had a rather positive effect.

– “Hey, Karsein. If I may ask, how did you conduct your territory investigation?”

– “Would you consider issuing a pass to allow us to use the Chatrain Road a little?”

– “My lord. I sincerely hope you can help us. That road is essential for us.”

Though it was only a handful, it was still a significant change.

The noble youths showed a willingness to change their perspective.

It feels like just yesterday they were shouting about the inconveniences caused by blocking the Chatrain Road, and now there are those who come to me directly to make polite requests.

Some even bowed their heads. To me, who was once only called a commoner.

This must mean that after the symposium and this math trip, they’ve seen something and broken their prejudices.

Though the number is small, the value is immense.

– Ding!

▶ You have earned Noblesse Points! ◀

—

[ Current point score: -248 ]

[ Recognition is very low. This is a score that is hard to be accepted in noble society. ]

‘In Chapter 3, I need to raise my intimacy with Arshien to a certain level to obtain this for the first time. And I’ve just gotten it now.’

※ What is Noble Points?

[ It refers to the recognition and reputation score among nobles, and the higher it is, the more interactions occur. ]

In the game, such phrases would pop up to explain this system at the beginning.

Typically, intimacy is the most important factor in relationships between people. But for those belonging to the noble circle, the story is different.

They view a person named Karsein in a completely different light, so it should be seen as having a recognition and reputation rank within a single field.

‘In that sense, this system can be seen as a measure of recognition and reputation within noble society.’

This is, in fact, a figure that is difficult to manage beyond mere intimacy.

Obtaining it early was quite a significant achievement.

“I’ll practice more and come back next time.”

“Take your time. You’re not that familiar with water, are you?”

“…Ugh. I-I’ll be going now!”

Harnie said that and turned to leave.

I should head back too.

It was about time for everyone to return to their respective places.

However…

“…”

“…”

“…”

At this point, after the school trip, I was supposed to return to the Bagland Duke’s residence.

That meant I had to face the wrath of the three sisters glaring at me from over there.

I wonder what Isabella will say when I get back.

Ugh. My head already hurts just thinking about it.

“Karsein, you foolish idiot!”

While I was rubbing my forehead, the little one suddenly raised her voice.

What’s going on? Why is she acting like that all of a sudden?

“Flora. What’s wrong?”

It wasn’t just me who was taken aback; Claire and Arina also looked surprised.

Regardless of what was happening, the blonde little brat glared at me and shouted again.

“Hey! You’re from the Duke of Bagland’s family! Of course, you should be hanging out with us during the school trip night, right?!”

“What?”

“Plus, the next day…! Why are you only sticking with that person?!”

No. What the hell is she talking about?

What’s wrong with teaching Harnié how to swim?

“Uh, um. Flora? Should we head back for now?”

Claire looked back and forth between me and Flora, then flinched and spoke up.

“Why? The trip is over anyway. Let’s go get some dessert. Okay?”

“Dessert…?”

“Yes. For now, let’s have some sweet dessert together, just like Claire said. I want some too.”

“…Alright.”

Even though I was clueless about the gossip Flora had thrown at me, once Claire took me away, the incessant chatter faded away.

Arina also gave me a hint, but she didn’t say anything in particular.

Fortunately, it ended without much commotion, but…

“What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

I just couldn’t understand at all.

▶Please choose a location to move to.◀

[ 1. Duke of Bagland’s Family ]

[ 2. Rusmaier Territory ]

[ 3. Chatrain Territory ]

[ 4. School Trip Hotel ]

[ 5. Peselros Imperial Palace ]

[ 6. Training Grounds ]

[ 7. One of the Western Regions ]

“Sigh. I don’t want to get into any trouble, so I guess I’ll just ride for now.”

Right then.

My destination changed momentarily.

“You’re finally here, Karsein.”

“Talfon? What are you doing here?”

“Because of the school trip, I waited all this time. Well, to cut to the chase. It’s about that document I entrusted for decoding.”

He held something up, as if to show me.

“The decoding has just finished.”

***

I am known for having uncovered all the secrets about Chartres at this symposium.

But that’s a bit of a misstatement.

I, too, have not managed to uncover everything.

Because I couldn’t even use one piece of evidence. It needed decoding time.

That’s this document right in front of me.

“Before handing it over to you, I did read through the contents with Pollux. However, we couldn’t decode everything.”

“You mean not everything was decoded?”

“Right. Even after visiting the Lindel tribe, the most skilled in decoding among the four remaining tribes of the West, we couldn’t decode it all.”

Somehow, it seemed he wanted to tell me that directly.

“Yeah. So not everything was decoded.”

If he were only going to inform me of the decoded content, a letter would have sufficed.

I still couldn’t determine if this was an element of the game.

Reading it myself would be the much better choice.

– Rustle.

Turning the front cover, I began to read the decoded document carefully.

The content of the decoded document, as Talphon had said, had several words cut off or missing here and there, but if I pieced it together reasonably, I could understand it.

“…A plan for the beastification of flora and fauna.”

It was an absurd act.

Beasts are referred to as monsters in this game, but from my experience facing them, they are not so simple.

You have to hunt them with blood and sweat.

You cannot face them with just the human body, and sometimes, even humans can be a life-threatening presence.

Yet, they intended to create those monsters artificially.

They are nothing short of insane.

‘…But does that mean there’s a connection?’

The Chartres strawberries and grapes were indeed in a condition very conducive to beastification.

So it seems this background was designated for the purpose of threatening Chartres.

…But looking at this, it seems like it’s not just that.

“What do you think?”

Talpon asked for my opinion.

I’m not 100% sure, but I shared my thoughts with him.

“The western tribes are those who possess special powers, like managing, sensing, and hearing mana. They are also the foremost in eliminating magical beasts.”

“And?”

“If they were to create artificial magical beasts, the chances of you being discovered would be high. Just like in that black market, no matter how well you hide it underground, the scent alone would give it away. For that reason, it seems they targeted the west.”

Ipherus’s Pollux.

Lilpeton’s Talpon.

Not just them, but all the western tribes could interfere with this plan.

“Among them, the most troublesome would have been the Kingdom of Wederos. If one only follows the flow of mana with their eyes, there would be no more threatening enemy than that.”

“Was it really like that?”

“The reason is obvious. There must have been significant backlash against the imperial family. They were likely planning to topple the imperial family that was trying to catch the corrupt behavior of the nobility that had begun to decay.”

“If that’s the case, it makes sense that they would continue to lower the perception of the westerners. They were trying to isolate us on purpose, so we couldn’t come out.”

“Exactly.”

You deduced it perfectly.

Power. That one thing connects all the causal relationships.

Thus, all the causal relationships were linked.

‘So that’s why those magical beasts popped up from underground. It was for this reason.’

The plan of the Waglou faction that rebelled against the imperial family.

A means to isolate the western tribes, which they viewed as an obstacle.

The fact that the Kingdom of Wederos was what they were most wary of.

It flowed as naturally as water.

“Well, that story is fine since the Waglou faction has been uprooted. But I think this needs some explanation.”

Right. I’m in a situation where an explanation is needed.

“What do you want to say, even going so far as to lie that the document decoding isn’t complete?”

Talpon clearly stated that the decoding wasn’t finished.

But just from reciting this content, it was evident that there was nothing that seemed undecoded.

That means Talpon must have something to discuss with me.

Talpon closed his eyes tightly, perhaps needing time to think.

– Dding!

…What?

Wait. What’s with the alarm sound in this state…

“Open the last page with mana. Karsein.”

Talpon, who had opened his eyes while I was distracted by the status window, spoke to me.

Hearing Talpon’s words, I turned the page, and a new chapter unfolded.

No. This isn’t a new chapter at all. It’s not just a piece of paper attached to this document; it’s a completely different material, a new kind.

“What the hell. Why is this here—”

Before I could finish asking why this was attached here.

I had to widen my eyes in shock.

‘Wait. This script…’

It can’t be.

That script shouldn’t be here.

“Indeed, Karsein, it seems you can see that character. No, it’s not just that you can see it; you can read it, can’t you? Right?”

“…What?”

How do you know that?

“The foreigner who came here was not alone. He was also from the Kingdom of Wederos.”

“What… do you mean?”

▶EX Episode. Traces of the Kingdom of Wederos are in progress.◀

▶You have obtained information related to the Kingdom of Wederos.◀

***

In the past, there was a man.

That man, who spoke with an oddly foreign tone, said.

In three days, a torrential rain would pour down, causing a flood.

So he said we should prepare.

It wouldn’t be strange for people to dismiss him as a braggart, believing that he suddenly appeared to announce a flood.

But this was the West. The people of the West could vaguely sense that it was true.

“I can feel the moisture on my skin.”

“…Did you feel it too? I can smell the dampness in the wind.”

By the time a day had passed, following Pollux, Talpon, and the other tribal leaders could also faintly sense that rain was coming.

On the second day, all the tribe members became aware of the presence of a large dark cloud.

They did not ignore the man’s words and widened the drainage ditches to prepare for the rain.

When the rain poured down three days later, fortunately, it did not cause flooding among the civilians.

Only then did the people realize.

That the man’s words were true.

That elusive man then left the West and traveled here and there, predicting what would happen.

He foresaw all kinds of future events, never missing once.

Before long, he was given the nickname “the Seer” in the Empire, having helped the royal family overcome a great crisis, and was rewarded handsomely.

And when he traveled again across the Empire and returned to the West.

The people of the West could vaguely guess.

That he was from the Kingdom of Wederos.

“That was when I first understood. He could read mana through the eyes of the Kingdom of Wederos, using knowledge completely different from ours… No, knowledge entirely different from this world. That’s why we could suspect the existence of an outsider.”

Nonsense.

This… this is completely overlapping with my situation.

‘No. This isn’t the time to be dazed!’

It’s an opportunity.

I’ve caught a thread of a clue to return to reality.

“Is there any record of that Seer? Did he leave anything behind?”

As I shouted urgently, Talpon cut me off firmly.

“The Seer appeared only three years ago. Karsein.”

“…What?”

What? That means…

It’s a contradiction.

The fall of the Kingdom of Wederos happened over a decade ago, right?

“Exceptionally, there can be survivors like you. But for a survivor to appear after just three years, claiming to inherit the power of the Kingdom of Wederos, is far-fetched. Even my wife is a survivor of the Kingdom of Wederos.”

“…! That means…”

“Yes. There are a few others besides you who can be called survivors. However, among those from the Kingdom of Wederos that we are protecting, no one has awakened those eyes. Do you understand what that means now?”

It meant different.

From the existing laws.

The power of the Kingdom of Wederos had completely vanished after its fall, rendering it unusable.

Three years ago, the prophet appeared.

And if we exclude me.

The boundary that has become so clear that they can call it foreign is, in itself, the very power of the Kingdom of Wederos.

The fact that this power exists within me…

‘Is there something else? Something more?’

It leads to the conclusion that this is not just a simple game setting.

“…As expected, you’re quick. I thought you’d wear a rather complicated expression.”

“Don’t say that. My mind is complicated enough as it is.”

Talpon let out a hollow laugh, as if he found it hard to believe.

“Well, I don’t know if it’ll help, but that prophet used to say this all the time.”

The words of the prophet came from Talpon’s mouth.

They merely spit it out without understanding its meaning.

But I do not.

– I will definitely return to Korea. Absolutely!

I could understand that meaning all too clearly.

– Ding!

▶EX Episode. The traces of the Kingdom of Wederos are in progress.◀

▶You have gathered information related to the Kingdom of Wederos and filled the achievement meter.◀

▶The achievement meter has reached 100%. As a special reward, the player will be provided with the secrets of the second world!◀

■Reward

[ ??? ]

With a crackling sound, the status window momentarily distorted before displaying another window.

【 You failed to save someone in the past, and that person ultimately met their death. 】

…What?

What on earth does that mean?