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I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 227
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 07:32:33 +0000 UTCChapter 227: The Source of the Contamination (9)
As Arsienne struck the gavel, the meeting began, and the veiled audience was revealed. Relatives, esteemed guests, and key figures from various families filled the hall, their gazes fixed on the stage.
The sheer number of onlookers was overwhelming.
The nobles, despite the summer heat, felt a chill run down their spines.
It was understandable.
Those who had achieved tangible results would be confident, but the rest…
They looked like nervous students about to give a presentation in front of the entire school.
The first participant, his hands trembling, walked onto the stage.
He was so nervous, the rustling of his papers was audible even from where I sat.
And then, as expected…
“And these meager results… are from raising taxes on your citizens?”
…he was ripped apart.
“You squandered the blood and sweat of your people?”
…he was exposed.
“You call this a profit? You used your family’s funds to cover up a massive deficit.”
…he was humiliated.
One after another, the nobles crumbled under Arsienne's scrutiny.
“This is pathetic. Next!”
Her cold dismissal, her scathing critique, echoed through the hall.
The next participant's turn arrived.
And the next.
And the next.
Each noble, as their name was called, their faces hardened, their bodies tensing with apprehension.
They all shared the same prayer: Please don’t let me be humiliated like that.
They looked pathetic, their desperation palpable.
The same scene repeated itself over and over.
With each question from Arsienne, the nobles' confidence crumbled, their voices faltering, their excuses falling apart.
“We need a break.”
“Recess.”
Arsienne and Florence, the main judges, declared a recess.
The break seemed to have come a bit early…
‘It’s not just my imagination.’
The clock on the wall confirmed it. The time was different from what I remembered in the game.
It meant that Arsienne and Florence were upset.
They needed a break to cool down.
‘I can understand why.’
The nobles’ performances had been abysmal. It was enough to make anyone lose their temper.
I had seen Arsienne slam her pen down on the table in frustration and storm out of the hall during a previous playthrough.
This scene felt strangely familiar.
The Student Council President and Vice President had also declared a break during an open class observation, after witnessing the students' disastrous presentations. They had stormed out of the classroom, their faces red with anger, and had gulped down ice water to cool down.
In that respect, these nobles weren't much different from those students.
They had used underhanded tactics and cheats to inflate their scores.
They had manipulated the system, disregarded the rules, and now… their incompetence was exposed for all to see.
They had relied on their parents' influence, their family's connections, and when faced with a challenging question, they had crumbled, stammering and stuttering, their excuses falling apart.
And what had happened after that open class observation?
The same thing that was happening now.
“You idiot! Why would you propose a policy that would cripple our territory?!”
“You can’t even calculate basic profits and losses! How did you even get this far?!”
“I knew you were embezzling funds! You thought you could hide it from the Imperial Family?!”
It wasn't a break, it was a punishment.
For those nobles, the recess was far more terrifying than the presentation itself.
They were being scolded by their parents, their incompetence exposed in front of their families and peers. Some were even subjected to verbal and physical abuse.
And it wasn't just their families who were witnessing their humiliation.
The invited guests, the observers who had come with high expectations, were now witnessing their pathetic performances, their failures. They had seen everything. Arsienne's scathing critiques, Florence's disappointed sighs… It was all out in the open.
This was a disaster for the noble families. Their reputation was in tatters.
But I had other things to worry about during this break.
-Ding!
▶ Recess has begun. You must meet with one of the following people:
[ 1. Isabella Bagrand ]
[ 2. Arina Bagrand ]
[ 3. Claire Bagrand ]
[ 4. Flora Bagrand ]
I had to meet with one of my family members.
The reason was simple: the order of presentations.
Originally, Carsein was scheduled to present before the recess. That was the predetermined order.
But I had made a proposal, requesting to postpone my presentation until the final evaluation.
That proposal, while publicly known, had been a hidden rule, a special exception granted by the Imperial Family to ensure fairness. It wasn't something that was widely advertised.
So, I had to explain my absence, my delayed presentation, to one of my family members.
‘Honestly, I’d rather not meet with any of them.’
But I had to choose. And there was one person I definitely wanted to avoid.
Arina. Explaining myself to her was out of the question.
‘And telling Flora would be pointless.’
What would that little brat even understand?
So, Flora was out as well.
That left Isabella and Claire.
‘Isabella is the better choice.’
I had just had a disagreement with Claire.
If I approached her now, while she was still angry, her affinity would plummet.
I had to choose the lesser of two evils.
I made my decision and headed towards the audience seats, where Isabella was waiting.
“…You’re here, Carsein. Are you… are you alright? Are you hurt?”
Isabella looked at me with a worried expression, reaching out her hand. I gently avoided her touch.
“Carsein…?”
“I’ll keep this brief.”
There was no need for a long explanation.
I would get straight to the point and leave.
“My presentation is scheduled for last.”
***
This symposium was different from previous years. The new rules and restrictions had a significant impact on the young nobles.
They couldn't rely on their family heads for guidance or support.
Even requesting assistance from their families incurred penalties and affected their scores.
Because of these changes, many believed this year’s symposium would be the most challenging yet.
Isabella agreed, but she wasn’t overly worried.
Her daughters had consistently achieved high scores in the Eastern Nobles' Conference, having learned from the best, from Isabella herself. Her eldest, Arina, and her second daughter, Claire, were both highly capable.
She was slightly concerned about Flora, her youngest, but Flora wasn’t officially participating. She was simply observing, learning from her older sisters. So there was no need to worry about her. She would be fine.
Her only real concern was Carsein.
Her adopted son. She couldn't offer him any direct assistance.
She had been relieved when he received the Pesselus Privilege in the first week, achieving the highest possible score…
But her worries had only grown since then.
He had skipped the midterm evaluation, requesting a Rest Week, which had raised some eyebrows.
And then, there were the rumors of dissent in Shatrain, of the villagers’ infighting, of his inability to control the situation.
The rumors, despite being unsubstantiated, were spreading rapidly. It couldn't be ignored.
And now…
It was the final presentation day.
And he hadn't shown up yet.
‘I have to talk to him, during the recess.’
Isabella, her anxiety growing, decided to find Carsein during the break.
But to her surprise, Carsein approached her and explained everything.
He told her about the postponed presentation, about his decision to skip the weekly reports and focus on the final evaluation. He explained why he was scheduled to present last.
He told her everything.
Isabella listened patiently, waiting for him to finish.
But…
He hadn’t explained why.
As he turned to leave, Isabella reached out and stopped him.
“Wait, Carsein.”
“I won’t do anything to jeopardize the Duchy.”
“What…?”
“I’ll handle this. Don’t worry.”
“Carsein, wait!”
He gave a curt reply and walked away without another word.
Her outstretched hand, wrinkled with age, fell back to her side.
“…Why… Why won’t you let me help you?”
Isabella stared at Carsein’s retreating figure, her voice a heartbroken whisper.
-Ding!
▶ Isabella’s Affinity increased. ◀
[ Current Affinity: 75% ]
***
The recess, a period of reprimands and punishments for some, ended, and the symposium resumed. Arsienne and Florence returned, their expressions stern, ready to continue their evaluations.
“I-I’ll begin my report.”
Arsienne nodded curtly.
‘Who is that?’
He looked familiar.
He was the noble who had been so relieved to see Carsein at the bottom of the rankings.
The smug one.
I had been investigating the other territories, learning about their situations, and I had discovered something unsettling.
This particular noble's territory was in the worst shape.
And he was next.
This was going to be interesting. If I ignored his insults, it would trigger a certain event.
And as expected…
“And these are the results of… raising taxes on your citizens?”
…he was ripped apart.
“You squandered your people’s hard work?”
…he was exposed.
“You call this a profit? You covered up massive losses with your family's funds.”
…he was humiliated.
“This is pathetic. Next!”
Arsienne’s voice dripped with disdain.
She stood up, her body trembling with barely-suppressed fury.
…Wait.
That wasn't right.
Her lines were different.
She usually just said, ‘You have no right to criticize others.’
And she didn’t stand up in the game…
-Ding!
▶ The player has met all the following conditions:
[ 1. Ignore all of Bellar’s provocations. ] ☑
[ 2. Ignore all interactions with nobles outside the family during the meeting. ] ☑
[ 3. Arsienne’s affinity exceeds 40%. ] ☑
▶ Trigger activated. ◀
“You think I haven’t investigated your territory? I’ve scrutinized your reports far more closely than the others! And you still dare to criticize them? To compare yourself to them?!”
-Slap!
Arsienne slammed her hand on the table, activating a Data Scroll. A status window appeared, displaying information about his territory.
“Bellar, you are forbidden from participating in the Defense Time for other presenters.”
“…What?”
Bellar, stunned, sputtered incoherently, and the other nobles immediately protested.
“Your Highness! The Defense Time is a right granted to all participants of the symposium!”
“The ability to critique another noble's performance shouldn't be restricted by their ranking!”
“You said that even Carsein had the right to offer constructive criticism!”
“That’s true. However,”
Arsienne’s gaze, sharp and cold, swept across the room.
“Did Carsein ever criticize Bellar?”
“…”
“Well…”
“There’s no reason to uphold that rule if it doesn’t apply equally.”
“Even Prince Florence…!”
“His intentions might have been noble, but he has no right to lecture others when his own territory is in shambles. And you expect me to allow him to criticize someone who has consistently achieved high scores? Someone who has even earned the Pesselus Privilege?”
The nobles fell silent.
“I agree with my sister. That rule needs to be revised. We can’t grant the same rights to someone who earned the Pesselus Privilege and someone with the lowest score. It's unfair.”
Florence’s support silenced the remaining dissent.
They had been warned.
‘Even during the Defense Time, you have to consider your own performance before criticizing others.’
That was their message.
■ Reward
▶ Arsienne and Florence's affinity significantly increased! ◀
[ Arsienne Riheren Pesselus ]
[ Current Affinity: 53% ]
[ Florence Qurnen Pesselus ]
[ Current Affinity: 37% ]
▶ You have gained the favor of the Imperial Family, weakening the influence of the nobles. ◀
[ The frequency and severity of attacks during the Defense Time will be reduced. ]
…So that’s what happened.
Arsienne and Florence, who had seemed so disinterested before, were now looking at me with anticipation in their eyes.
-Wink!
“…”
You two…
You’re supposed to be impartial judges.
Well, it benefited me, so I wouldn't complain.
“…”
Someone, however, was not happy.
Comments
Nflep Vuxlz
Im thinking about this now, but the other country agent that killed the corrupted maid before has straight up disappeared
