Mod7 Translations
patreon
I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 289
🕑 Added 2025-01-31 12:39:25 +0000 UTCChapter 289: The Prophet of Wederos (8)
Arina blinked, surprised.
She was momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained her composure.
“Flora, you can’t take sides. You have to be objective.”
From the moment she heard the commotion and saw Carsein standing there, Arina had already reached a conclusion.
Honestly, it was obvious, wasn't it?
Who was at fault?
‘That vulgar boy, who can’t seem to keep his fists to himself.’
It was undoubtedly Carsein, that troublemaker, who had caused another incident.
While she hadn’t witnessed the entire scene, having arrived late, she had heard enough of the conversation to understand the situation.
She explained to Flora, her voice firm,
“Even I would have stepped in if my younger sibling had been unfairly attacked. It’s the same for that knight, isn’t it?”
Arina knelt down and patted Flora’s head.
“Flora, you go back now. I’ll take care of this.”
She thought her intelligent younger sister would understand.
She wasn’t like Carsein, after all.
But…
“No!”
Flora shouted again, her voice filled with a desperate urgency.
“Carsein… he didn’t do anything wrong! He was just being attacked! You’re mistaken, sister!”
“…”
“It might look like they were both fighting, but… that’s not true! That man was the one who used mana first!”
Flora’s earnest plea made Arina’s eyes narrow.
‘Flora never argues like this. If she wants something, she usually just acts cute and asks me, or Claire, or Mother…’
For her to be this insistent…
“Carsein, you better tell me the truth.”
Her sharp gaze turned towards Carsein, her blue eyes blazing.
“What did you say to Flora?”
“Sister!”
“If you’ve manipulated Flora, used her to lie for you, I won’t forgive you.”
Flora’s breath hitched in her chest.
‘What… what are you talking about, sister?!’
He’s the one who’s lying!
Carsein had been attacked.
He was the victim!
If she said that then it would seem like Carsein had used her…
“Ah, you caught me.”
What…?
“Yes, that’s right. I was trying to lie. I told Flora to say that.”
“No, no…! Cough! Cough…!”
Flora shook her head desperately, unable to speak.
That’s not true!
You didn’t tell me to say anything!
‘Why… why would you say that?! Now it really seems like you…!’
And then,
Flora saw Carsein’s face.
And that chilling smile, the one she had seen before, sent a shiver down her spine.
***
“Whether it’s house arrest or something else, I’ll leave the decision to you.”
“…What?”
“You’re not going to listen to me anyway, are you?”
Carsein tossed something at Arina and left.
It was the glove the knight’s younger brother had been wearing.
“A glove…? That’s not Carsein’s.”
“Th-that’s because I challenged him to a spar!”
“A spar?”
“Yes! I… well, since my brother is a knight, I thought I should…”
“Tell me more.”
Sensing something amiss, the younger brother began to explain, and the conversation took a strange turn.
“So you’re saying that your brother challenged Carsein to a spar, and Carsein overreacted?”
“Y-yes! That’s right! Why else would he have my glove? Haha…”
“…Well, he’s not very good at controlling his strength. Even during a spar, he should know better than to use excessive force against someone weaker than him.”
“Exactly! It was just a misunderstanding! My brother only saw me injured, so…”
“R-right, brother?”
“Y-yes! Of course. Ahem. I was just angry that my brother was hurt…”
Arina, still suspicious, looked at the two of them, then at the glove, and asked a few more questions.
And in the end, she concluded that it was mutual combat.
Even though Carsein was clearly the victim.
Flora, unable to contain herself any longer, shouted, her voice cracking,
“That’s a lie!”
“…”
“Why don’t you believe me?! They’re both lying! They’re the ones who bullied Carsein, who hurt him!”
“Flora, I told you, you have to be objective.”
Arina sighed, repeating her earlier statement, and Flora felt a surge of anger.
“I hate you, sister! I don’t even want to look at you!”
The sister she had always admired,
Had become the person she hated most in that moment.
Flora, tears streaming down her face, ran out of the room, unable to contain her frustration and anger.
She, of all people, who had falsely accused and tormented Carsein in the past, felt a pang of guilt so intense it was almost unbearable.
And then,
Someone approached her.
“Flora? What’s wrong? What happened?”
Another family member, her pink hair neatly arranged, came looking for her.
No, the only person she could confide in right now.
“Claire… help me…”
Flora sobbed, pleading with Claire.
***
Claire calmly comforted Flora.
Once Flora had calmed down somewhat, she cautiously asked what had happened.
“So… Arina…”
She understood the situation.
Carsein had been attacked by that knight.
And when she had tried to intervene, Arina had appeared.
Normally, Arina would have punished the knight, but…
She had twisted the situation, covering up the truth.
If Claire had been in Flora’s position, she would have reacted the same way.
‘Sister was… strange back then, too.’
They should have questioned the knight, not Carsein.
Even if he had admitted his fault, they should have investigated further, looking for inconsistencies.
But they had focused solely on Carsein’s supposed wrongdoings, almost allowing the truth to be buried.
And it seemed to be happening again.
Her sister hadn’t even bothered to listen to Carsein.
Claire suppressed her anger and sighed, then asked,
“Flora, can you be honest with me?”
Flora hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“I don’t understand why Carsein did that. But it’s not going to help if you just keep insisting that he’s innocent. Sister has already decided that he’s at fault.”
“Then what should I do…?”
“We need to find proof. Proof that Carsein was attacked.”
“Proof…?”
“Yes. We need to prove, objectively, that Carsein didn’t do anything wrong.”
It was a long shot.
It was unlikely that a fourteen-year-old girl could find such evidence.
Even Claire had needed to employ several people to investigate the nobles who had insulted Harnie at the social gathering.
But even the smallest clue would be helpful.
To clear Carsein’s name, they needed something.
“Anything, even the smallest detail, would be helpful—”
“…Claire, I think I know.”
“What?”
Claire tilted her head, puzzled, but…
Then she understood.
Flora was currently studying medicine and potion-making under Shaiden.
If Flora, who was being trained to identify even the subtlest symptoms of various illnesses, had discovered something…
It would be undeniable proof.
“Shall we go catch the culprits?”
“Yes!”
It was time to reveal the truth Carsein had been hiding.
-Ding!
▶ Claire’s resentment towards Arina has increased. ◀
▶ Flora’s resentment towards Arina has increased. ◀
▶ Perfect Clear conditions for Episode VI: <The Price of Reaching the Summit> met. ◀
***
“Since there’s evidence of mutual combat, I’ll let this slide. You agree, don’t you?”
“Y-yes!”
“Thank you, Lady Arina.”
The brothers replied quickly, their voices filled with feigned respect.
But inwardly, they thought differently. As Arina left to deal with another matter, they whispered to each other.
‘Well, it’s a shame, but at least we’ll get some compensation from that Carsein brat, right?’
‘Of course. The Lady said she would have him pay for our medical expenses.’
‘Should we ask for more? I feel like we’re getting the short end of the stick here.’
‘Don’t push your luck! This is more than enough for the casino! And considering what almost happened with Lady Flora, we should just be grateful we’re getting away with this!’
Their family was on the verge of financial ruin.
They were desperate to repay their debts, and the only way they could see was to win big at the casino.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Right.”
But just then,
Something unexpected happened.
-Whoosh!
“Aaah?!”
“Fire magic?!”
“Where do you think you’re going, you bastards?”
Claire grabbed the two brothers.
She then used a magical artifact to restrain them, binding their movements.
“Claire, what are you doing?”
“…Sister.”
“Release them. I don’t know what Carsein told you, but it’s over.”
Arina’s decision was final.
So Claire responded directly.
“You should take a closer look, sister. And see if this was really Carsein’s fault.”
“Claire, you too…!”
“Flora! Check their injuries.”
“Eek?!”
“L-Lady Claire?”
“Yes!”
Flora began examining their wounds.
Her eyes, no longer clouded with tears, were sharp and focused, missing nothing.
“As expected, you were here to bully Carsein…!”
The time for truth had arrived.
***
The results were soon revealed.
It wasn’t mutual combat. It had been a one-sided assault, with Carsein as the victim.
The blood splattered across the floor belonged to only two people.
Using a magical tool to analyze the bloodstains and the blood flow patterns, they determined that Carsein had been attacked first.
“Flora’s diagnosis confirms it. You were beating him up for several minutes. That’s not self-defense, that’s assault.”
“L-Lady Claire!”
“A lowly knight from a minor family, daring to attack a member of the Bagrand Duchy… You must think very little of us.”
“M-My Lady! We were wrong! Please, have mercy…!”
“Take them away! And tell Mother I won’t agree to any settlements!”
““Yes, My Lady!””
Their family name might be erased after this.
The two brothers were dragged away, leaving the three Bagrand sisters alone.
Arina, her eyes wide with shock, remained silent.
Claire, her voice sharp, addressed her sister.
“Why do you hate Carsein so much?”
“…What?”
“I understand now. Back then, when you sent people to confirm whether Carsein's fiancée had been insulted, and now… whenever something happens, you automatically assume it’s Carsein’s fault. Am I wrong?”
“…”
“And that glove… it was Carsein’s. It didn’t fit him, so you probably thought he had taken it from someone, but it was his glove that was stolen.”
Arina’s heart sank.
“I… I don’t understand. Why you’re like this. Why you hate him so much. He saved our family. Why do you treat him like this?”
-Tap, tap.
“Or… is there another reason?”
Claire, unable to comprehend her sister’s behavior, turned and left.
Flora, after a moment of silently staring at Arina, took Claire’s hand and followed her.
Arina was left alone.
The Crown Prince’s words echoed in her mind.
-A sister who feels inferior to her own brother.
“Do I… really…?”
-Ding!
▶ Episode VI: The Price of Reaching the Summit cleared. ◀
▶ Perfect Clear achieved. ◀
▶ This reward will not be displayed to the player. ◀
■ Reward
[You will not have to pay for the brothers’ medical expenses.]
[Due to the successful apprehension of the culprits, all penalties have been removed, and free time has been significantly increased.]
[Arina’s Hidden Episode has been automatically cleared.]
▶ Arina Bagrand’s affinity settings have changed due to Hidden Episode clear. ◀
[Inferiority Complex → ???]
[Current level: 80%]
▶ Perfect Clear Reward! ◀
[Harnie Theresia will soon learn your secret.]
***
“…”
Veneris stared into space, his expression unreadable.
Or rather, he wasn’t staring into space.
He was looking at something.
-Ding!
“The next prophecy… is that way.”
A prophecy?
There was no such thing.
What the Empire called a prophecy was simply the contents of the status window.
