The Damn Family Is Back Again

363. Yggdrasil Project (3)

I woke up to the sound of sparrows chirping.

Looking around, it was morning.

The sunlight that began to break outside was slowly entering this room.

“…Hoo.”

Harnie sighed.

It was certainly a troubled night.

Perhaps, it was a night where sleep would be hard to come by.

From the fact that Belian had mocked her, to the point that she was included in his meticulous plan, and the arduous days she had experienced in her life, it was normal to have sleepless nights.

But that night passed by so quickly that she didn’t even know when it was.

“Even though such things happened, I slept soundly.”

Thanks to the man sleeping right next to her.

She felt the firm arm wrapped around her waist.

Warmth was transmitted from the body pressed against hers.

When she closed her eyes to this body heat, she couldn’t think of anything.

She couldn’t even worry.

These vivid sensations she felt until now had covered those memories.

That’s right.

The only thing she remembered was that Carsein had held her and fallen asleep.

“…Mmm.”

In the meantime, Carsein tossed and turned.

“Yawn. It seems to be morning?”

Carsein yawned and stretched.

At Carsein’s reaction, Harnie was startled and pulled away.

“Do-Don’t come any closer.”

“Why? Did I do something wrong…?”

“It’s not that… but, could you just stay away for now?”

Thinking about how they had fallen asleep so close together last night made her blush.

There had been several moments of sharing a bed until now. There were quite a few times when they had fallen asleep hugging each other tightly, and the number of such instances was not small.

There were even times when they had to touch bare skin or when she had held him while being almost naked.

And… just a few days ago, they had kissed while asleep.

But, it was different now.

Harunie’s feelings had already changed so much.

‘Ugh… Wh-What should I do?’

She couldn’t bring herself to look at Karsein.

Even though she had been able to face him just fine until yesterday, she couldn’t look at him for some reason.

Karsein felt like a different person.

It was different from yesterday. She couldn’t treat him the same way. She used to start her day with Karsein, talking about various things and sometimes joking around, but she couldn’t do that now.

She didn’t know how to react. Even though it was just a simple question that she could easily answer, she couldn’t continue the conversation.

“Did you feel very suffocated? If that’s the case…”

“Th-That’s not it.”

“Then… did I hug you too tightly and hurt you?”

“N-No! It never hurt.”

“Oh…”

Karsein did not leave.

Instead, he decided to stay by Harnie’s side, confessing his true feelings.

Not as a fake lover, but as a real one.

The two were finally able to open up about their feelings for each other.

It was a situation where what they had longed for had come true.

It was not strange for Karsein to crave affection.

But that was the problem.

No matter how many times she had been courted, received love letters, or been showered with gifts… it was still her first time.

She had never experienced a real relationship.

Not a false love, but a true love.

Harnie did not know how to act towards someone she truly had feelings for.

So she was at a loss.

For Harnie, who had never experienced a real relationship and had only continued with unrequited love, she was completely unprepared for such courtship.

Just as a straightforward approach had shaken the heart of an inexperienced girl, the current situation was exactly like that.

“Well… I’ll let you go for now.”

Karsein, who had a puzzled expression, cautiously loosened his grip on her arm, fearing he might get hit on the back like yesterday.

“Ah…”

The arm that had been holding her waist was released.

The shoulder that had been providing a pillow was withdrawn.

The touch of their skin through their clothes. And the warmth that had been transmitted through their contact.

Everything fell away at once.

The body that had been stiff from clinging to Karsein was now stiffening for an entirely different reason.

“Hmm… It’s about time to get up anyway, so it would be good to prepare to go out.”

“Prepare… to go out?”

“Yes. As I mentioned yesterday, today we are going to get the real treasure. I told you that the amulet of protection you had didn’t count as one of the five treasures.”

That’s right. There was something to do.

I had completely forgotten about it.

“First, we should start by washing up. I’ll heat up some water and prepare breakfast. If you didn’t sleep well because the bed was uncomfortable, you can sleep a bit more.”

With that, Karsein went to prepare the bathwater and breakfast.

Harnie, unable to continue the conversation or actions, ultimately couldn’t stop Karsein.

Only after he left did she feel it. The emptiness and the lump of desire that arose as soon as she left Karsein’s embrace.

‘You fool. Why did you do that!’

In truth, she wanted to stay close a little longer.

She wanted to be held a little longer, to stay like this.

She wanted to be lazy and stay like this, even if it meant sleeping in a bit more.

But her body wouldn’t cooperate, and it was frustrating.

Even though she was endlessly embarrassed by the fact that Karsein was by her side, she couldn’t help but want to stay close to him, a truly contradictory thought.

*

Today, Harnie’s condition is strange.

Should I say it’s not like usual? For some reason, the conversation didn’t continue.

Bowing my head to avoid eye contact, and even when asked if I had slept uncomfortably or felt suffocated last night, I only answered that it wasn’t the case, without giving any other response.

…I must have done something wrong.

Love is difficult in many ways.

‘But still, now is the time to focus.’

A considerable amount of time had passed since I chose not to return.

I had spent time, not just lying around all day.

As much as that, I had to analyze and prepare more thoroughly.

▶EX Episode. The true enemy is included in this episode.◀

▶Obtain the five treasures to stop the Yggdrasil Project.◀

The episode to collect the five treasures.

The episode that had already started long ago, signaling the end of the last chapter of this game and trying to send me back to reality.

But it wasn’t an episode of a chapter.

It wasn’t an episode to end this game.

It wasn’t an episode to send me back to reality.

It was just a trap to send me back to reality and lead to the worst ending.

A trap that guided me to miss the last chance to save Harniere.

Because of this, I had another question about the status window.

At the end, at the final moment.

In that fleeting moment when I might have to let go of Jieun.

Countless warning messages appeared.

They left countless messages telling me not to go back.

As if they knew this was a trap.

‘…No. Actually, that wasn’t all.’

They warned me with bad endings.

They displayed danger levels or accurately marked timers.

They had marked warnings in various ways.

The system itself did the same.

Intimacy to determine if someone was a dangerous person.

Stats and action points to check Carsein’s physical condition, and stamina levels.

They provided me with all kinds of information through various UIs and episode-specific precautions.

Lastly… even the choices themselves.

I thought they were iron bars to prevent my sudden actions.

So, I couldn’t help but wonder.

The status window that kept popping up warning messages telling me not to go back… Is it really just a system in the game?

I’m not sure.

It’s still just speculation.

But I was in a situation where I could get an answer to this question.

‘It’s about time.’

I waited, and waited again.

In the place I had visited before, I waited for the moment to come, having prepared even more thoroughly to meet the conditions.

And then.

The status window gladly gave me this answer.

-Ding!

“…Ha.”

A sigh escaped my lips.

I had my doubts.

But to think it would really be like this.

▶You have obtained the fifth treasure, the Silver Heart of Wederos.◀

How could I not be convinced after seeing this?

It provided answers to all the questions that had arisen.

‘…Yes. The status window never intended to put me in danger from the start.’

When the trap of the portal leading to reality appeared.

The amulet of protection seemed like a treasure, but the status window clearly prevented it.

The bad ending was a warning, showing me the outcome I would face in advance.

The danger level of the field was a mechanism to help me avoid entering dangerous places directly.

The timer that always appeared was no different from a signal indicating that something was hidden.

Numerous warning messages that foretold danger.

Messages I had never seen in the game before, one after another.

Affinity. Stat window. Status effects. Game UI. Mini-games. Item window. And even the choices.

These things provided in the form of a game system were not threats to me, but helping hands.

‘I still don’t feel like I know everything. But…’

I realized one thing for sure.

If that’s the case…

I won’t refuse.

‘Come on. Show the next message.’

It’s not over yet.

You have more to say, right?

Then I will now follow your instructions thoroughly.

What exactly do you want from me?

What did you hope to achieve by helping me in this way?

I will listen to everything.

After all, what you want is the survival of the author.

-Ding!

Soon, with the ringing alarm, the status window displays a message.

But.

“…What is this?”

A message appeared that I couldn’t understand the intention of.

“What did it say?”

Harnie, who now recognized the existence of the status window, asked softly.

“…The mystery has been solved. Harnié. The talisman of protection you had was not a treasure, but a message.”

“As you guessed.”

Yes. It was as I had guessed.

However, there are still some unsolved mysteries.

What meaning is there in just planting a tree? Where in the world is there a family that collapses because of a single tree, or a country that is conquered because of it?

It was reasonable to think there was something more.

So, I thought the status window would provide information or characteristics of the tree with a different message this time.

▶ With the condition satisfied, CHAPTER 4 ends. ◀

▶ CHAPTER 5. The Only Way begins. ◀

▶ Episode I. Move to the designated map and eliminate the surrounding beasts to prevent a character from being attacked. ◀

A whole chapter started and completely closed this question.

‘What on earth is this?’

I can’t understand it with just my head alone.

For now, let’s put our heads together with Harnié.

“We need to go near the Shiren Villa and eliminate the surrounding beasts to prevent a character from being attacked.”

Oddly enough, the status window was asking for a different action here, not to sabotage the Yggdrasil Project.

“If it’s the Shiren Villa… it’s in the Bagrand territory, right?”

“Yes.”

“Shiren Villa. Shiren Villa… Hmm.”

Hearing that, Harnié fell into deep thought.

Then, as if something suddenly crossed her mind, her expression grew more serious.

“Do you know something?”

She gave a small nod.

“I have a hunch. I’ve also gathered some information on my own, so I think I know what the status window is trying to say. But… there’s something I need to tell you first.”

“Go ahead.”

“…Remember what I said at the mausoleum? That your relationship with your family didn’t just deteriorate on its own, but was ruined by someone else’s intention.”

…Why is she bringing that up now?