The Damn Family Is Back Again

362. Yggdrasil Project (2)

“Wait… Can we think while walking outside?”

She needed time to organize her thoughts.

Karsein readily agreed to this.

-Sabak, sabak.

Harnie stepped outside to feel the cold wind.

Walking through the white snowflakes, she fell into deep thought.

During that time, all sorts of incidents had befallen Karsein.

Starting from the Duke of Bagland, whenever he went outside, he faced all kinds of contempt and hatred. Due to issues of status and false accusations, it was not easy to change this perception.

This naturally created a path of hardship for Karsein.

The thorns of noble society are never dull. Those sharp thorns would have deeply pierced his skin under the name of commoner and parachute.

Nevertheless, Karsein handled it perfectly.

Yes. That is not something to be easily overlooked.

Karsein’s knowledge was different from the knowledge here. No, to be precise, it should be seen as having a different texture.

While there are many who lack knowledge about noble society, such as etiquette, customs, and culture, overall, there was a lack of knowledge about the Peselos Empire.

This lack of knowledge was probably because he was a foreigner.

Because he had not lived in this world. Because he had fallen into a world that was not his own.

But how could he handle all sorts of incidents so easily? One cannot help but wonder.

It was not just perfect handling.

It even felt like he was prepared or waiting for it.

For someone who lacked overall knowledge, such results could not have come out.

After falling into this doubt…

Sometimes, she began to pay attention to Karsein’s every move.

It was from that moment that I realized he was seeing something different. Even before Karsein spoke, I knew there was another secret.

There must be something. In that behavior. I vaguely guessed that there was something hidden, something only he could see.

I was convinced that it was the most important secret, one that he wouldn’t reveal to anyone, not even to me, who had been by his side the most.

‘…So I mentioned it on purpose.’

But that conviction shattered into pieces.

He simply revealed all his secrets by concluding that he was always looking at an invisible, transparent window.

Karsein had never revealed his secrets with his own mouth.

He always solved things alone, trying not to owe anyone anything.

That value was something Harni, who had lived as a merchant, also agreed with. In a world where everyone sees you as an enemy, being indebted to someone is the worst.

Yet, he revealed his secret to me.

Instead of closing his heart as before, he opened it wide and revealed all the facts he had been hiding.

He revealed the secret that had been deep inside him.

There was no room for a twist anymore.

‘Really… me…’

My heart swells.

Because I understood what it meant.

The person who had been so cold finally revealed his secret.

The person who never wanted to reveal anything to anyone, who only wanted to walk a solitary path, finally spoke it out loud.

The door to his heart, which seemed like it would never open no matter how much I knocked, was opened.

And the reason was… me. That fact made me infinitely happy.

-Swish.

A layer of coat draped over the curled-up body.

The warmth that hadn’t yet cooled enveloped the body.

Harnié startled and glanced back slightly.

‘…Ah.’

And then she realized.

“So, that’s why you brought it up. You mentioned it on purpose, didn’t you? Did you think I would return to my original world if you said that? How despicable.”

He had figured it all out.

Carsein let out a shallow sigh and spoke calmly.

“Since you thought that way, there’s nothing I can do. Then I’ll make sure to instill confidence in you several times over.”

“…What?”

As she tilted her head, wondering what he meant.

A very big bombshell dropped.

“I told you, my regret is you. That’s why I stayed.”

“…!”

“Even if I set everything else aside, I stayed here because I didn’t want to leave you behind, even if I returned to my reality.”

Wait, hold on.

“I thought I would definitely regret it if I went back. Harnié. I don’t want to be separated from you.”

Wait. Wait. Wait!

“I don’t care what happens to the original world. I will stay with you until the day I die.”

Wait a momeeent…!

“I will from now on─”

“St-stop!”

-Thud.

Harni, whose mind was dazed by the continuous attacks, quickly covered Karsein’s mouth.

She had to stop him.

Her face felt like it was going to explode.

“St-stop it. I get it, so stop.”

But even so, Karsein did not stop. He kept moving forward and forward.

“I will from now on make you the most─”

In the end, Harni couldn’t handle this one-sided advance.

“I told you to stop─!”

“Ugh!”

With a sharp slap sound.

Once again, a spike was embedded in Karsein’s back today.

Leaving a bright red handprint on Karsein’s back once again, Harni quickly left the spot.

But it wasn’t because she was angry.

“Ugh… I, really…!”

Her cheeks were adorned with well-ripened persimmons, and the transmitted heat dyed her ears bright red.

Though it couldn’t be heard, her heart pounded as if it would break through and be heard by Karsein.

In a word… out of embarrassment. She had to run away quickly, fearing that Carsein might catch sight of her like this.

“How, how can you say such things so calmly to my face…!”

It was nothing short of a bombshell.

Even in the Empire, her beauty, which earned her derogatory nicknames like fox and gold digger from other noble ladies and rumors of swindling men, literally drew the attention of men all at once.

She had received all kinds of flirtations and advances. From sly comments to suggestions filled with dark desires, and even players who approached whispering like snakes.

She had heard and experienced it all to the point of exhaustion, so she could skillfully fend off any approach from men.

Thanks to that, she had developed a definite immunity in this area.

Due to her diverse and extensive experiences, she possessed a very strong immunity.

But… she had no immunity in this area at all.

It was a straightforward advance. A sincere, unwavering advance, without any hidden dark intentions, just filled with genuine feelings.

Ironically, this type did not apply.

No man had ever behaved like that.

Yes, it was the first time.

There was no man like Carsein in this world.

In this first-time experience, Harni was completely swept away.

-Thump, thump.

“What should I do…”

She couldn’t handle it.

With her heart.

*

After a while, Karsein, with the warmth of a palm still lingering on his back, scratched the back of his head as he entered.

“Ugh… Did I do something wrong…?”

“Th-that…!”

His lips quivered.

His face flushed with embarrassment.

The memory of their lips meeting here still hadn’t faded. Also… the bomb that exploded outside.

Still, he had now regained some composure.

“…More than that, let’s talk for a moment.”

It was time to discuss something important.

Understanding the intent, Karsein composed his expression and returned to his senses.

“It was a shallow burn.”

“Thank you.”

Before he knew it, he had made coffee.

He knew that a cup of coffee in the cold winter was Harnié’s preference.

-Sip.

A sip of coffee melted his cold body.

His brain began to spin rapidly.

The reality of being chased and chasing.

In a situation where he could be caught at any moment, there was no such thing as a promise.

With the clatter of the coffee cup being set down, Harnié asked the first question.

“First, let me ask again. What are your plans for the future?”

As long as we remain here, we must survive without getting caught.

But that’s a condition, not a purpose. A plan must have a purpose.

“As I mentioned before, the goal is to eliminate the one who orchestrated this.”

“Now that you mention it, you said someone orchestrated this…”

“Let me explain with this.”

The sheet covering the table was revealed.

At that moment, Harnié was stunned.

“All of this… what is it?”

“Well, I looked into the reasons why they are chasing me. I also wondered who could be behind such actions. So, I compiled and organized the movements of the soldiers and various pieces of information from different places.”

A wide map of the entire empire.

Numerous symbols were meticulously marked on it.

And next to the map, various documents were organized.

This was… the result of a thorough analysis of something.

“This is 8th Street. It’s a place where shady merchants who deal with dangerous goods gather. Such places usually have a lot of information.”

“…!”

“Groceries. Clothing. Household items. Various pieces of trash-like information, but if you investigate them carefully, you can understand the purpose behind their actions, the instructions they are following, and the hierarchy. The movement of funds contains a lot of information, doesn’t it?”

Of course, it did.

Harnié had also lived as a merchant.

Karsein explained, pointing with his fingers one by one.

“First of all, the soldiers chasing me are divided into four groups. The first group, as you know, moves haphazardly following this arrow. They are bounty hunters who move as if they are hanging by a thread, making them easy to read. The second group consists of assassins and mercenaries hired by noble families. They move based on orders, so they tend to search places frequented by people from Shatren and Ruthsmeyer or places they are familiar with. The third group is from the Duke of Bagland. Their movements are systematic, and you can see a large number of troops moving in a well-organized manner. However.”

– Thud.

“These troops are an exception. At first glance, they seem to belong to the three groups, but they are ‘mixed’ among them.”

He pointed to the movement of a troop.

The arrow was a very dark green color.

They were not bounty hunters moving haphazardly, merely chasing traces.

They were not moving along the routes employed by noble families or those deliberately cleared by them.

Nor were they the movements of the knights dispatched by the Duke of Bagland.

“This is more like a patrol route, as if they are monitoring the outside. They are not coming in to capture me, nor are they guarding a specific area with ironclad security. Isn’t it strange? Everyone is desperate to find me, yet they are behaving so oddly. If it were after my name was put on the wanted list, I might understand, but they have been showing these movements long before that. Doesn’t that mean they have a different purpose than the three groups?”

Harnie is not an outsider.

With this much explanation, the next argument is easy to guess.

“…”

“Why are you not speaking?”

“…”

“You already know the answer.”

Instead of Harnie, who was covering his mouth, Carseine concluded.

“The group you mentioned is probably targeting you. This is an undeniable fact.”

That force is not targeting Carseine.

It was more accurate to say they were targeting Harnie, not Carseine.

Harnie asked in a trembling voice.

“Ha, but… isn’t it strange? Why me instead of you…”

“That part, I don’t fully understand yet either… but this assumption is possible.”

-Swish swish.

A tree shape. The name of Karsein drawn on the demonic World Tree, Yggdrasil, is erased.

“According to the memo left by Rosel Bagland, it requires the soul of a human who has turned their back on the world and frozen cold. It might seem like it’s referring to me, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

“What do you mean…”

“The soul needed for the Yggdrasil Project is likely the result of them thoroughly breaking a human. Such a troublesome and difficult task, why would they only create it in Bagland?”

There’s no guarantee it has to be just one person.

No. Rather, it’s normal to have more than one candidate.

Yes.

Karsein isn’t the only one who turned their back on the world.

“Rather, someone from a nearby family would have been more visible. Easier, and since they’re right in front of them, they could watch more closely.”

She was the same.

“Their, no. Belian Theresia’s target is you. Harnie.”

*

In the dark room.

Night was approaching, but Harnie couldn’t fall asleep.

At this time, she should be closing her eyes.

Tomorrow’s schedule would be quite tough.

But, after hearing such things, there was no way she could sleep.

“I… was supposed to become Yggdrasil.”

A broken family relationship.

The label of being an illegitimate child and the false accusation against my mother.

All of those things were planned.

It felt like I had been cruelly toyed with.

The thought that my life, which I had struggled to live, was in someone’s grasp made me shudder.

I even felt the fear that I might become a tree and swallow this world.

But.

-Swish.

“…W-What are you doing!”

“I’ll just hold you and sleep. I can’t fall asleep.”

“What are you saying…! W-Wait a minute!”

“Excuse me. I’m tired.”

“Ugh… Really…”

Because he was by my side.

The fear quickly melted away in the warm heat.