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I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 57
🕑 Added 2024-07-23 06:23:39 +0000 UTCChapter 57: Broken Wings (2)
Radiel, who had been slumped before the training dummy, immediately whirled around.
“I-I apologize, Young Master! I didn't realize you were here…!”
She hadn’t expected him to seek her out.
Or perhaps… she had been avoiding him.
Carsein. The boy whose life she had irrevocably damaged.
But she had to compose herself. She couldn't face him like this.
She scrambled to her feet, hastily wiping away her tears. She cleared her throat, silencing the lingering sniffles.
Then, she turned to face him, forcing a smile onto her face.
“It’s late… what brings you here, Young Master?”
Carsein watched her, his expression unreadable.
He had seen her tears, her despair. And yet, she was now smiling, as if nothing had happened, as if his arrival had magically erased her pain.
“Perhaps we should… go inside and talk? Ah, don’t worry about me training at this hour. I just… needed to… stretch.”
She was deflecting, trying to avoid his scrutiny. Answering questions he hadn’t even asked.
“Come on, Young Master. Let’s go inside. I’ll make you some tea.”
She was already rolling up her sleeves, as if preparing to showcase her hospitality. It was almost comical.
If this had been a normal conversation.
If she had been her old self…
-Trainee Carsein. What is the meaning of this?
That’s what she would have said.
But even as she maintained a cheerful facade, her anxiety was palpable.
Carsein, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“You know, and yet you pretend.”
“What?”
“You heard. Didn’t you?”
Radiel faltered, his words hitting their mark.
“Of course I heard… that you were here, Young Master. I… I didn’t expect you to return. I’m just… surprised, that’s all.”
“…”
“Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll… I’ll check your form, like old times.”
But Carsein pressed on, his voice low, unwavering.
“How long are you going to keep pretending?”
She tried to feign ignorance, but a sharp intake of breath betrayed her. Carsein had noticed.
“You know. You know what happened today.”
“…”
Radiel lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. Tears welled up, blurring her vision.
“You’re right, Young Master. I… I knew. Mark told me… the day you arrived.”
Her voice cracked, her words choked with emotion.
“The knights… they have these initiation rituals for new recruits, but… what they did to you… that wasn’t a prank. It wasn’t tradition. It was…”
Malice. Pure, unadulterated malice.
She knew.
They were trying to drive him away.
And Carsein… he knew it too.
“I know.”
Radiel’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“You… you know? But then… why… why aren’t you angry? It’s my fault! It’s all my fault that your reputation is in ruins! I… I should have spoken up, defended you…”
“…”
“At least… give me an order! Tell me to punish them! To have them expelled! They… they targeted the son of Bagrand Duchy! They deserve to be…”
Her voice rose to a desperate plea, even as she realized how irrational, how unprofessional her request was. It was an abuse of power, a blatant disregard for knightly honor, to punish subordinates based on personal grievances.
“My arm… it’s… I can’t… I can’t fight them anymore. But… as Captain… I can still… I can still avenge you.”
She begged.
“I don’t care if… if I take the blame. You deserve to train here, to hold your head high. Please… let me do this for you.”
Have them expelled. Punish them for what they had done.
And…
“Even if it… even if it consumes me, even if it destroys me… let me have this one act of revenge!”
She wanted him to use her, to give her a purpose.
She had failed him. She had known the truth, and yet, she had done nothing.
All she could offer now… was herself.
Carsein listened to her pleas, his expression unchanging. And then, finally, he spoke.
“If you’re going to spout such nonsense… then stay out of it, Radiel Gruppein.”
Even though this was part of a sub-episode, Radiel’s affinity box had been completely hidden when he first saw her. Instead, this message had appeared:
▶This individual feels guilt towards Carsein.
[ Radiel Gruppein ]
[ Affinity: ??? ]
Guilt.
She was the only one within the Knight Squadron who felt true remorse for what had happened to him.
And because of that, her affinity box, though hidden, was white, not gray. Her feelings towards him, though masked by guilt, were… positive.
This sub-episode hinged on finding Radiel, but after that… the solution was simple.
Choose the designated option.
[ 1. If you’re going to spout such nonsense… then stay out of it, Radiel Gruppein. ]
[ 2. You haven’t changed at all. Have I ever asked for something like that? ]
[ 3. You’re trying to help, I understand. But your intervention will only make things worse. ]
All three options expressed the same sentiment: for Radiel to stay out of it. And then, the second choice would appear, offering the player options.
Should I simply dissuade her? Or should I reprimand her, amplifying her guilt? Should I convince her to stand down, allowing me to deal with this on my own?
Back when I was playing the game, I had focused on the “guilt” aspect, choosing the option that would exacerbate her feelings.
It had been the easiest path. It allowed me to continue training without restrictions, and it ended the conversation with Radiel, preventing any potential penalties.
But…
‘That choice triggers a death flag. One that’s impossible to avoid.’
Radiel, consumed by guilt, would take her own life during the main episode. And Mark, enraged by her death, would blame Carsein, leading to his demise.
Radiel’s death, triggered by this sub-episode… it was the episode’s death flag.
The clues were there: guilt, Carsein’s past, and revenge.
The key was to prevent her from acting on her emotions.
“If you’re going to spout such nonsense… then stay out of it, Radiel Gruppein.”
“…What do you mean, Young Master?”
“I didn’t come back here to force you to avenge me.”
Radiel, her expression filled with confusion, argued.
“But… don’t you… don’t you hate me? It’s all my fault! Don’t I… don’t I deserve…”
“That’s why you need to stop. In your current state, you wouldn’t even be able to exact proper revenge.”
“…What?”
She stared at him, as if she couldn’t comprehend his words. He repeated himself, his voice firm, unwavering.
“You just watch. I will crush them myself. I’ll make sure they never rise again.”
“…!”
Their target was the same, but Radiel’s methods were flawed. He had to make this clear.
“I’ll do it. Not you. Stay out of it, Radiel.”
▶Sub-Episode: Mark and Radiel has been cleared.◀
▶Radiel’s intervention has been removed. Mark’s affinity is no longer frozen.◀
Radiel’s expression softened, her gaze fixed on him. The sub-episode was complete.
The key had been to alleviate her guilt. To reduce its intensity, to prevent it from spiraling out of control during the main episode.
It was time to go. I had free time now. Time to find the Memorial.
Time was of the essence. Failing to return before the timer ran out could lead to an encounter with Bruce and his cronies. I had to move quickly.
As I turned to leave…
“W-wait, Young Master!”
Radiel rushed forward, blocking his path.
“I… I can help! I can still…”
“What?”
“There must be something I can do for you! Something…”
In the game, Carsein would simply leave after clearing this sub-episode, the narrative shifting back to the player’s perspective, granting them free time to explore and gather information.
But Radiel was blocking his path.
This was unprecedented. Like a missing scene, a forgotten line of dialogue.
This wasn’t good. I had to stop this.
“You understood my position back at the manor. You endured. That was enough. You don’t need to…”
“No, I… I…”
Ding!
▶Error!◀
▶Intervention at this stage is not permitted.◀
▶Searching for alternative solution…◀
…
…
▶Choice options disabled. Proceeding to forced event.◀
▶Clear conditions for Mark and Radiel episode have been altered.◀
▶Sub-Episode has been upgraded to Main Episode.◀
▶Re-evaluating branching path!◀
▶Calculating outcome…◀
‘…What?! Wait!’
This was unforeseen. A massive deviation from the script.
The sub-episode had been a simple safeguard, a way to prevent a death flag. But now… it was a main episode, something I had to clear, with no information, no guidance…
Just a few more words, if I could just calm Radiel down, prevent her guilt from spiraling out of control…
But my body wouldn’t move. The world seemed to freeze, the red warning lights flashing ominously.
‘Damn it!’
▶Branching path selected.◀
▶Main Episode: Troublemaker has been replaced with Episode V: Broken Wings.◀
It was happening. The narrative was shifting, regardless of my will.
▶Episode V: Broken Wings is in progress!◀
▶Radiel’s affinity status has been revealed!◀
[ Radiel Gruppein ]
[ Guilt: 92% ]
Her affinity box, previously hidden, was now a deep shade of brown, the word “Guilt” emblazoned across it.
And then…
▶Reduce her guilt and restore her affinity!◀
[ Failure will result in death! ]
A new objective.
The system was imposing its will.
My control returned as the system messages vanished.
I had to focus.
Death.
There was no room for error. I couldn't back down now.
I had to think.
‘Where did I go wrong?’
This sudden shift had to be related to the sub-episode, to the conditions I had met.
“I… I couldn’t do anything to help you, Young Master. Knowing that… knowing that I failed you… it’s unbearable.”
▶Reduce her guilt and restore her affinity!◀
[ Failure will result in death! ]
[ Guilt: 94% ]
Damn it. It was rising.
Two percent.
I had to figure this out.
‘Think. What did I do differently?’
The deviation had to have happened today.
Bruce. Arina. The stolen handkerchief. The key. The sub-episode with Radiel…
What else?
What had I missed?
“This arm… it’s a testament to my incompetence. Please, Young Master…”
▶Reduce her guilt and restore her affinity!◀
[ Failure will result in death! ]
[ Guilt: 96% ]
Two percent.
Two more chances.
“Stop it, Radiel. You did what you thought was right. Didn’t you?”
“…Young Master.”
“You tried to protect me. And because of that, I was banned from the training grounds. But, I’m here now, aren't I? You gave me this opportunity. You made the right choices, even when you knew I wouldn't be able to prove my innocence!”
But…
▶Reduce her guilt and restore her affinity!◀
[ Failure will result in death! ]
[ Guilt: 98% ]
It was rising again.
This wasn’t working. Words weren’t enough. I had to convince her, truly convince her…
One last chance.
Think.
What was different?
Why was Radiel so fixated on her guilt?
How could I make her let go?
And then… it hit me.
“Emma Urnen.”
“…!”
“Those knights, the ones taking bribes, they were all following her orders.”
Ding!
▶Condition met!◀
▶Guilt level decreasing!◀
[ Guilt: 68% ]
▶Guilt level successfully reduced! Affinity restored!◀
[ Affinity: 35% ]
It was the missing piece of the puzzle. The truth Radiel might have already suspected…
Emma’s involvement.
“You… you know about her?”
I could explain. But…
Thud.
We weren’t alone anymore.
