Chapter 158

The Eastern Nobles’ Meeting.

This conference hall, known colloquially as the Symposium, is actually divided into sections.

On the surface, it appears as if meetings are taking place, but in reality, it serves as a testing ground where the Imperial family sets challenges for the nobles. The nobles, who love to divide themselves into ranks and classes, gleefully establish their hierarchy here.

This hierarchy is simple.

It’s determined by seating positions.

The performance from the previous year’s meeting is announced on stage, scored, and combined with various regulations, bonuses, and penalties to create a report card placed under each noble house’s name.

Thus, these scores naturally symbolize the ranking of the houses, which in turn naturally becomes a measure for creating divisions for the next symposium.

Just by sitting in a different seat.

For the nobles who enjoy dividing into ranks, this has become a means to position their house’s honor and status.

In this aspect, the House of Bargrand has never missed out on the top spot. They have never been demoted from the highest tier among the six layers of score distribution.

However…

Carsein was seen at the very bottom floor.

That area is for those who barely produced any results in the Imperial family’s tests.

It was absolutely not a place where the House of Bargrand should be.

“Mother’s farewell was already late, and now you’re even tardy! Can’t you find your own seat?”

She wanted to immediately go down, slap that cheek, and bring him back.

But could she really do that?

This was a gathering of all the nobles in the empire. She had to maintain her dignity.

Withdrawing her face, Arina managed to hold back her frustration and shouted at Carsein below.

“Carsein! Your seat isn’t there. Come up here.”

While someone else had already taken the adjacent seat, making it impossible for everyone to gather, leaving him to wander and sit there wasn’t an option either. First, she needed to call Carsein up to this floor.

Of course, he would have to pay the price for making his mother wait and not arriving on time. This was the bitter consequence Carsein had to endure.

How he understood and interpreted the changed rules of the symposium to achieve the best possible score was entirely up to him.

But…

Carsein ignored her voice and sat down in that spot.

“What is he doing? Why is he sitting there?”

“Hey, Carsein! That’s not your seat! You need to come up here!”

Flora and Claire’s urgent shouts were surely heard. Yet, Carsein remained steadfast.

Crossing his legs and propping up his chin, he intended to stay seated there even if the meeting started and proceeded.

“Ugh. To disgrace our family’s prestige like this…”

I can’t stand how long he continues to act like this.

Unable to bear it anymore, Arina raised her voice in anger, ready to descend.

“Claire, stay here. I need to drag him up by his neck…”

“Big sister, wait! Look over there!”

“Why?”

Claire pointed towards a servant of the House of Bargrand standing there, looking flustered.

Arina suddenly realized what this meant in a hall full of nobles where such a servant was rushing over.

Carsein must have caused another incident.

“…How much time until the meeting starts?”

“About a minute…”

“Ugh. I’ll be right back.”

Even though her vision blurred, she had to go.

From the servant, who was drenched in sweat, she received the expected news.

“The news is that Prince Carsein hit some nobles from the Waglew Faction.”

Arina’s eyes widened instantly.

In a low, agitated voice, she ordered the servant back, her words sharp as a knife.

“I’m going to grab that kid right now and pull him out of this meeting!”

“Big sister, no! The meeting is about to start!”

“Ah, eldest sister?”

In a place filled with nobles from across the empire, to start a fight?

Nothing had changed since then.

Carsein lacked the qualifications to take this symposium test. He shouldn’t have been allowed to participate from the beginning.

However…

“—Princess Arshien is entering!”

At the sound of the imperial procession, Arina hesitated and stopped in her tracks.

Didn’t Claire say there was only one minute left until the meeting started?

It seemed they were indeed late.

As all the nobles turned their attention to Princess Arshien’s arrival,

she couldn’t just watch as Carsein disgraced the House of Bargrand by sitting there.

After Princess Arshien’s brief speech and introduction, there would be a break.

Then, she would kick him out. Carsein did not have the qualifications to participate in this symposium based on his actions.

‘I certainly offered him a chance. But Carsein, you threw away that chance yourself.’

Arina glared fiercely at Carsein.

***

▶You’ve stepped on a trap! You’ve been framed by the nobles!◀

▶Your affinity with Arina has decreased!◀

[Current value: 39%]

▶Warning! Delays during the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting are possible!◀

‘It seems I really stirred things up.’

This message appearing meant Arina had heard the servant’s words.

Originally, it would have only decreased her affinity,

but…

▶You’ve stepped on multiple traps!◀

▶Carsein’s reputation has worsened, leading to new choices!◀

▶Warning! The outcome of your choices may result in you being expelled from the meeting!◀

These consecutive messages indicate more than just one trap.

Another trap needs to be stepped on,

and another trigger activated.

Only by stepping on two traps in a row can these messages appear.

So, how did I know?

A memorial I found forced an episode onto me.

▶Hidden Episode. You’re currently progressing.◀

▶This hidden episode will be treated as a sub-episode and lead into the main episode after clearing. Until then, you cannot progress through other episodes regardless of type.◀

▶Complete the following conditions!◀

From the moment I touched the memorial, I couldn’t proceed with the episode.

It meant some unknown trigger had occurred.

Initially, I thought it was a dead flag and tried to dodge it with tricks or loopholes,

but…

As I progressed, it strangely overlapped with memories of Carsein’s past I saw in the memorial.

[In a field with a restricted danger level, you must insult the noble heirs whom you beat up during the spring outing episode involving the Waglew faction.]

Carsein had fought with the same noble heirs he had defeated before. Though it was a physical fight, it happened in this very seat. He fought them again in the exact same way.

[Insult the noble heirs to lower their recognition, and then throw a glass bottle containing flowers at a lady mocking them behind the heirs.]

Back then, there was also a lady who brought the noble heirs to cause trouble, and Carsein threw the bottle at her, recognizing her as the instigator.

[Arina needs time to receive this news. Enter the meeting hall after the time limit to lower recognition to -30.]

The thirty-five minutes remaining for entry were not the start time of the symposium. Carsein appeared in the meeting hall about two minutes late.

And only after some time had passed did Arina hear this news from the servant.

[Before the symposium begins, sit alone in the lowest floor seat in the meeting hall, not in the House of Bargrand’s designated seat.]

Without caring about the seating arrangement for the empire’s nobles by floors, he sat in the lowest tier seat.

Even Arina’s voice shouting from the top floor, telling him it wasn’t his seat and to get up, didn’t change anything.

All these situations overlapped with the memorial.

Was this situation really just a penalty?

Or was the warning message leading to a dead flag because I triggered the trigger?

Does it mean Carsein foolishly provoked trouble?

Is the memorial showing off Carsein’s foolish past?

No, I didn’t think so.

I also experienced something similar in my school life.

I proved my ability in a way not too different from Carsein.

Because I knew this,

because I had experienced it firsthand,

I could be sure that Carsein made the right decision.

In this symposium, he aimed to prove himself in the wisest way possible.

To avoid any interference from his peers,

free from the identity of the Duke’s House and the surname Bargrand,

he aimed to prove his own abilities as Carsein.

…to gradually distance himself from that family.

“Tsk.”

Recalling the memorial, I clicked my tongue at the eerie coincidence.

Still, there was only one condition left to complete.

[Just before the symposium begins, ─────]

“—Princess Arshien is entering!”

That procession.

It completed the last part of the puzzle.

“…Oh, you really are…”

As Arshien sighed and walked past,

simultaneously,

[I need to capture Princess Arshien’s entry into the meeting hall before the symposium begins.]

By fulfilling the condition exactly as it happened in the past, when Carsein met her eyes, I completed the hidden episode.

– DING!

▶Hidden Episode. You’ve cleared the authority you held.◀

▶You are severed from the House of Bargrand in the meeting hall.◀

That was it.

Through the memorial, I saw Carsein severing his ties with the House of Bargrand.

Back then, Carsein aimed to manage the territory alone.

When he heard the servant’s report about causing trouble, Arshien helped him take the test despite his sisters wanting to chase him away, citing his proposal for reforming the system of capacity volume.

‘I also helped as the student council president back then.’

It felt strange yet familiar and reasonable.

▶The main episode is specified. The title of this episode is─◀

“Fufu.”

Seeing the episode title, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Yes. This time, it must be different.

We can’t repeat the same past.

▶Episode V. Proceeds with a non-repeating past.◀

▶Due to the hidden episode, you cannot use the power of the House of Bargrand.◀

▶Due to the hidden episode, you cannot use the resources or manpower of the House of Bargrand.◀

▶Blank checks and promissory notes of the House of Bargrand are sealed.◀

▶During the test period, you lose your affiliation with the House of Bargrand due to Arina’s power.◀

If you just read the text, it looks like endless penalties.

But, this is not a penalty at all.

▶You will participate in the symposium as the lord of Rusmaier.◀

▶You can only choose territories excluding Shatren.◀

The episode proceeded exactly as I hoped.

I planned to take on Shatren anyway. The system had already prepared a way for me to claim the title of Lord of Rusmaier.

If I can properly revive Shatren,

if I can revive this territory, which everyone avoids, differently from the past,

then it will become another source of income for me.

“But, what is this…”

■Reward

▶You will be granted information as a reward for clearing the hidden episode.◀

▶Warning! There is a threat to Shatren!◀

[Threat entity: 2768 monsters]

***

“Sigh. Really. Was that strange entry about becoming the lord of Rusmaier and participating in the symposium?”

Arshien sighed inwardly while explaining the symposium to herself, realizing Carsein’s intentions too late.

But her sigh didn’t last long.

“No. Actually, this might be better.”

Back then, she didn’t realize it, but given Carsein’s deliberate omission of his surname, how many territories could he possibly choose?

No, it might be impossible to choose at all.

As the lord of Rusmaier, if Carsein chose a territory as an individual lord instead of as Carsein Bargrand, his rank would be the lowest. Even sitting in the lowest tier, it would still be the last.

Therefore, naturally, the territory chosen would be:

“Shatren.”

Now that Rusmaier was gone, Shatren, which everyone avoided, was undoubtedly the first priority. No noble could produce results in that environment.

“Next,”

Arshien continued explaining the symposium rules, recalling a distant past.

A prophet once predicted a great disaster for Shatren.

Given the prophet’s consistent accuracy, the imperial family had to take notice.

But, the prediction didn’t come true for several years.

Despite a thorough investigation by the imperial family, the only thing visible in the territory was the abundance brought by its specialty products.

There was no point in warning the residents about the dangers of using the land.

Since the prophet was wrong, and both the chapel and the imperial family remembered the history,

they sent news to the only noble house aware of the prophecy, the House of Bargrand,

but…

No response came.

For days, months, and years, the imperial family shook their heads.

Until Carsein intervened in that territory.

Shatren was merely an abundant territory, showing no signs of famine. However, famine began when he took control. Perhaps he instinctively sensed something about the land.

‘I trust you. If you, who turned a barren place like Rusmaier into a transportation hub, exert your strength…’

Perhaps, even the imperial family and the House of Bargrand couldn’t solve the secrets of Shatren, and it might be revealed to the entire world.