The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 336



336. Family (6)

After issuing the wanted notice, Arina, who had opened the tightly sealed gates of Shatren, quickly began to investigate the interior of the territory.

According to the information gathered by the pursuit team, it was unclear how they had evaded the checkpoint, but they had already passed through Rusmire, and if they had fled along that path, it was even more likely that traces would remain here.

However… despite the considerable time spent, nothing was discovered.

“What do you mean by that? Nothing was found?”

Arina asked in a tone of disbelief.

“Nothing is visible. Could it be that this is not the right area?”

“Well, that… we are in the same situation…”

“We also checked the city side, but there are no noticeable traces.”

Nothing was found. Despite so many people searching the main areas of Shatren, not a single thing emerged.

Moreover, it was said that they couldn’t even determine which path they had taken to escape.

‘Unbelievable.’

Arina had just finished searching the central area. Since there were no traces there, there had to be traces of outsiders in other places.

But even after searching everywhere, nothing came out?

It was likely that they had stayed here for a short period. No, it was more reasonable to assume that they had lived here.

The horse they had ridden to Rusmire was suddenly found in a remote mountain, and if they had followed the path from the north, they would have surely starved for several days.

So, if they looked for food waste or traces of a fire, it was even more likely that they had stayed here.

Then, suddenly, the circumstances of Shatren came to mind.

With this, Arina held her head.

“Ha. No way.”

Shatren closed the door, and the villagers conspired to block the path of the pursuit team. Naturally, it was possible that Karsein had already arrived inside.

And, there were two people here earlier.

They hindered the opening of Shatren’s door.

The two who bought time for Karsein to escape.

If the two had deliberately erased Karsein’s traces, it wouldn’t be impossible.

‘In that case.’

A time for reverse thinking is needed.

Arina gritted her teeth and moved.

“Hey, you guys. Have you searched that hut?”

“What? Uh…”

“That place was where Princess Arshien and Lady Flora were…”

Without listening to the soldier’s words to the end, Arina walked towards the hut.

The place where Flora and Arshien were.

In other words, a place where the two might have erased and hidden Karsein’s traces.

Therefore, this place could have even more definitive evidence.

Just before opening the door.

With a silent whisper, Arina’s hand stopped.

-Big sister, I hate you. I really hate you! I hate you more than anything in the world! If you open that door, I won’t be your sister anymore! I won’t call you sister anymore─!!!

“…”

Flora’s voice, which had been screaming just before leaving Shatren, briefly reached her, but Arina’s hand did not stop and approached the door.

‘The one at fault is Karsein. Flora.’

Despite receiving such great favor from Bagland, it was that guy who stabbed us in the back.

We accepted a child with no blood relation.

We provided a life more abundant and comfortable than any other person walking the streets.

It was a life everyone envied.

A life everyone desired.

Receiving the title of Bagland’s castle, even completing the adoption.

Enjoying the highest benefits, he became part of our family.

But what did he do in return?

When people started to accept him, he became arrogant and conceited.

In the end, that arrogance even created rumors that might affect the Empire.

To prevent it in advance, he should have returned to the Duke’s family.

He shouldn’t have let Mother collapse like that.

Our whole family became victims.

The Duke’s family bore an absurd stigma.

Strange suspicions and scandals followed the Duke’s family.

Complaints and protests arose among the Empire’s nobility.

‘It’s all because of that guy. Flora.’

Karsein… no. That lowly creature.

‘He deceived Mother, deceived Claire and me. And even deceived you.’

That kind of guy is not family.

Arina, consumed by anger, flung the handle open.

Inside, there were still pieces of evidence that hadn’t been dealt with.

“You disguised yourself by buying clothes from the North. In that case, you must have already stocked up enough supplies from Rusmire. Divide the soldiers and search the south.”

“Yes!”

I will definitely catch the traitor who betrayed Bagland and give him the punishment he deserves.

-Ding!

[ Arina Bagland: 85% ]

[ It was rather me who ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ the family. ]

*

“I heard you called, Miss Claire.”

The two knights who were summoned by Claire paid their respects.

Claire, who was looking out the window, turned around.

She alternated her gaze between the two and dismissed all the maids to create some space.

Once the maids had left and the surroundings quieted down, Claire sat on the sofa and picked up a teacup.

-Clink.

After moistening her throat, Claire asked the two knights directly.

“You were the captain and vice-captain of the 1st Knight Order, right? Your names are… Radiel Gruphein and Mark Redeltain.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Then let me ask you. Are you knights of Bagland? Or are you knights of Carsein?”

A moment of silence fell.

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying, miss.”

“I don’t quite understand the intent of your question, Miss Claire.”

“You don’t understand, huh. I see.”

Claire observed the attitudes of the two and instinctively knew.

What she needed was not to ask questions, but to prove.

Then how would she prove it?

With what would she prove their strange behavior?

And how would she reflect her true intentions?

It would be a complicated matter.

She felt stifled, not knowing where to start.

But if she couldn’t prove this, she would once again become the sister who only held her brother back.

Claire calmly began to speak, first putting forward the positions of Radiel and Mark.

“Most of the knights of the Bagrand duchy have followed my sister. They were mobilized to search and track down Carsein. They must have tried to take as many people as possible since they are scouring the empire with all their forces without leaving anyone behind. That’s the only way to find Carsein as quickly as possible, right?”

“…”

“But not all the knights followed my sister. There are exceptions. The forces protecting our mother in the duchy. The forces blocking the duchy to prevent anyone from passing. If there is new information from my sister or if there is a message to be sent to her, small deployments like this are left behind. In other words, only the minimum number of escort knights and messengers remain. My sister usually used this method, but… there’s something strange here.”

-Swish.

Claire continued, picking up the list of the knights’ assignments.

“Two people who were originally assigned to escort duties suddenly changed their escort target. And that target changed from Carsein to me. Isn’t the timing quite coincidental?”

-Thud.

Claire precisely lays down another list.

“If the person you were supposed to guard suddenly disappears, you should return to the knights of your family. You should go back to the First Knights and resume your original duties. When the news of Karsein’s disappearance spreads and the pursuit begins, you would have followed your sister. But you didn’t.”

Two lists present one hypothesis.

“You changed your position even before the order was given. After Karsein disappeared, just as the pursuit began, you two took over this escort knight position. You volunteered to guard me, who has the least reason to be guarded in Bagrande, with a lower salary. This… I took it differently.”

“…”

“Unlike other knights, didn’t you know this in advance? Rather, didn’t you change your position to my escort to avoid chasing Karsein? That’s what I thought. And… in this intention.”

In the heavy atmosphere.

Claire reaches a conclusion.

“Because you know what orders will be given. If you go back, you will be in a position to chase Karsein. So, I thought you approached me on purpose to help Karsein.”

Claire, who finished organizing, asks again.

“Now, I’ll ask again. Are you knights of Bagrande? Or are you knights of Karsein?”

A knight whose master has disappeared has nowhere to go.

As knights of the family, they had to carry out the orders as instructed.

But the two had already detached themselves from the division and attached themselves to someone who could ask for help for their master.

Thus, they clung to Claire, looking at this faint possibility.

Radiel Gruphein.

Mark Redeltain.

The masters they serve are not Bagrande, but Karsein.

The organized conclusion is extremely weak.

The basis supporting this conclusion is also extremely weak.

A change in duties and an incident timed to match.

It might just be a baseless assumption, inserting an absurd hypothesis into the minds of a pair of knights whose whereabouts were unclear.

But.

-Clack.

“Indeed, Miss Claire has changed.”

“It seems our gamble to approach Miss Claire, if there was any possibility, has paid off.”

“You… really…!”

This faint clue. This subtle discrepancy that would go unnoticed if not carefully examined.

It was a crack created by the two of them.

“The oath we knights have taken is solely directed towards Young Master Carsein.”

Loyalty not to Bagland, but to one person.

Their oath was dedicated only to their master, Carsein.

Truly, it was fortunate.

“Miss Claire.”

“Please, give the order.”

Because they were on Carsein’s side.

-Ding!

▶ Claire Bagland turns into a friendly character. ◀

▶ ＜Knight’s Oath＞ trigger has been activated. ◀

▶ Radiel Gruphein and Mark Redeltaine assist the player. ◀

*

After that, I passed through two more villages.

After hiding in Ruthmire and Shatren, I somehow managed to survive in another place. The artifact was doing its job, and having one more person with me actually reduced suspicion.

Then, good news arrived.

The main force had stayed in Shatren for a long time, and at some point, the remaining time suddenly increased, and the event was deactivated. Seeing that the pursuit squad wasn’t actually chasing us, it might take some time.

It was a good opportunity.

In the meantime, I had to head to the Duke’s house to clear the episode.

It was time to gather the five treasures and return to reality.

But…

Here, a challenge arose.

‘…This is the problem.’

To enter the Duke of Bagrand’s territory, I had to cross the boundary of the duchy.

Knowing that, I circled back to the smallest territory. Naturally, I avoided the side with the castle walls, and the more soldiers there were, the more I avoided it.

I circled and circled again, deliberately finding the smallest territory.

‘Is it the same here too?’

If it were an area where crowds would gather, like the outer territories, Shatren, or Ruthmire, it might be okay, but given the situation, it seemed impossible to avoid friction.

Breaking through with force wouldn’t be easy. Even if I did break through, the news would quickly reach Arina, triggering a pursuit.

‘There’s no choice. I have to use some force.’

As I was steeling myself for that,

Two horses approached from behind.

The direction is neither wrong nor the gaze misaligned.

They are approaching, looking exactly this way.

This is not a path. It is an isolated, overgrown thicket, not a noticeable place, and even hidden, it was a location of no interest to passersby.

But, to find this place exactly?

‘Could it be, we’ve been discovered?’

As I was about to mount the horse again, engulfed in anxiety, Harnie pulled my arm.

“It’s okay, Carsein.”

“What?”

“Those people, they are not here to capture you.”

Harnie said with a slight smile.

“How do you know that?”

“Remember at the Ruthmeyer checkpoint, the people weren’t there to capture you? They had a common feature.”

“A feature?”

“Yes. They had the emblem of Lady Claire’s boutique.”

“…!”

There was an indelible sense of incongruity.

The overly superficial inspection at that checkpoint… It was said to be under Claire’s orders.

If that was the reason… it was a gamble worth taking.

Soon, the two knights dismounted.

Yes. That was correct. The armor of those two bore the emblem of Claire’s boutique, clearly engraved.

Even. Those two…

They are faces I know.

“…”

“I told you? They are not here to capture you.”

Claire, to me?