Chapter 3

“You’re dismissed.”

The voice was cold beyond measure, devoid of any emotion.

Even as he uttered those few words, he didn’t spare a single glance at his son.

He simply handled the matter with indifference, like a machine performing a routine task.

“You are no longer a member of the Bernard family.”

At those words, the boy collapsed where he stood.

The boy who had been crying out and asking how a father could say such things to his son suddenly turned. And then started hurling harsh words at the man.

He shouted that everything was his fault, that living as his son felt suffocating and that he would rather leave than remain as his son.

But soon, the boy came back to reality and began to beg for forgiveness, saying it was all his fault and pleading for just one more chance.

Even then, the man didn’t budge.

With a single gesture from him, the people who had been waiting outside entered the room.

Without saying a word, they seized the boy by both arms and began to drag him away.

As he was pulled from the room, the boy screamed at the top of his lungs.

His cries drew the attention of nearby maids, who began to steal glances at the scene.

Some sneered at him as if finding the moment satisfying.

Others stared wide-eyed, not wanting to miss his pitiful end.

In his final moments before being dragged outside, the boy’s gaze met theirs.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of eyes all watching him.

And only then did the boy realize that not a single one of those eyes looked upon him with kindness.

Only countless eyes filled with contempt were witnessing his disgraceful end.

Realizing that truth, the boy once again fell into despair and stopped struggling. And just like that, he was cast out of the mansion.

The door shut firmly behind him, leaving only him on the outside.

It had always been a door that opened easily with just a word, but now, it looked sturdier and taller than any door he had ever seen.

Before long, a biting chill began to pierce through his skin.

With nowhere to go, the boy had no choice but to curl up against the wall beside the mansion door, trying to conserve his body heat.

Time passed, and eventually, the cold became unbearable.

No longer able to withstand the pain of the freezing air gnawing at his flesh, the boy took out the small dagger he had carefully kept in his coat.

Reflected on the blade was his tear-streaked face.

Moments later, the blade that had shown his face began to turn red.

“Ah…!”

Only then did the boy realize that it had all been a dream.

And not just any dream; it was his future.

After all, those scenes had all been lines from the novel describing the end of Ethan Bernard, who had been dismissed from the Bernard family.

It had been a truly horrific dream.

“I need… I need one shot…”

The boy muttered to himself as he came to his senses.

So that the future he knew would not come to pass—

And so that he could survive.

***

I had only just come to realize that recognition was not much different from expectations.

[Side Quest]

Quest Objective: Gain the recognition of Gerald Bernard, the head of the Bernard family, within two weeks.

Success Condition: Recognition from Gerald Bernard (Recognition Level: 58/100)

Reward for Success: +3 Shop Coins

Penalty for Failure: —

It had already been a week since I received the side quest.

At first, I had been able to raise the recognition level quickly, but as time went on, the pace had slowed to a crawl.

There were even times when it actually went down.

During that entire week, I had never once managed to get my recognition above 60.

It was clear that the higher the recognition went, the more the expectations rose, causing the rate of increase to slow down.

After all, people who usually performed poorly would be praised for doing well once, while those who usually did well would be criticized for even a single slip-up.

There’s not much time left…

I had just about a week of time remaining.

Sure, there wouldn’t be a penalty for failure, but wasn’t it still better to succeed?

If things continued at this sluggish pace, it was obvious that my recognition level would fall rather than rise.

I needed just one shot.

One move that could turn the situation around.

“Is the food not to your taste?”

Mealtime.

My father’s voice echoed throughout the dining hall.

“No. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“During meals, focus solely on eating.”

Recognition with Gerald Bernard (55/100)

“…….”

It had dropped again.

At this rate, even a small mistake would send my recognition into a free fall.

Isn’t this the first time I’ve stayed in the mansion this long?

Whether it was due to the quest or not, my father had started spending more time at the mansion.

Normally, he would visit only once a week, but ever since the quest began, he had stayed at the mansion continuously.

For my part, it was actually a relief.

If I wanted to raise my recognition, the first step was to make sure I was visible in his eyes.

Trying to recover the recognition I had just lost, I picked up the newspaper beside me.

Although my father insisted that meals should be focused solely on eating, he allowed one exception. That was reading the newspaper.

It made sense, considering he had always enjoyed discussing global affairs and various topics based on the newspaper’s content.

That had also been the reason I used to avoid eating with him in the past.

In any case, I had no reason to avoid him now, so I slowly began reading through the newspaper.

Just reading the newspaper like this would probably raise my recognition by nearly ten points.

This is…

As I continued to read at a leisurely pace, something suddenly caught my eye. It was a familiar place name written in the article.

[In a small town north of the Remian Barony, there have been endless reports of sightings of unknown monsters….]

What stood out the most was the location mentioned in the article.

A small village north of the Remian Barony.

It was a village no one who had read the novel could fail to recognize.

It is the protagonist’s hometown, right?

I shook off the strange sense of déjà vu by digging through the many pieces of information in my mind.

The protagonist’s hometown. And the reports of monsters appearing there.

Piece by piece, I began fitting the puzzle together based on what I knew.

And before long, I reached a conclusion.

Found it.

A single move that could instantly turn the situation around.

It hadn’t been difficult to come up with a plan to pull off that move in an instant.

“Father.”

I carefully opened my mouth.

As soon as I spoke, my father glanced at me.

His gaze was still cold, but it wasn’t the look of contempt I had seen in the dream.

Rather, there was something like a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

However, what I was about to say would likely do the opposite of fulfilling that expectation. If he didn’t end up disappointed, that alone would be a relief.

“I’d like to go out for a while.”

My father’s eyebrows twitched slightly at my words.

[Gerald Bernhardt’s approval rating has decreased. (54/100)]

I knew it.

But it wasn’t as if I hadn’t anticipated this reaction.

That’s why I simply waited calmly for him to respond.

“What kind of trouble are you planning to cause this time?”

My father’s cold tone filled the dining room.

The reason he spoke that way was likely because of my past behavior.

Up until now, every time I went outside, I always caused trouble.

Beating up the commoners, stealing things, throwing my weight around.

I had behaved no differently from a beast, so my father had eventually forbidden me from going out at all.

“That’s not it. I’d like to visit the Remian Barony.”

“The Remian Barony?”

“Yes. The Remian Barony is a territory under our county, isn’t it? According to the newspaper, the residents there reported seeing a monster. I’d like to go confirm it.”

“…….”

My father said nothing for a while after hearing my words.

Well, even though I’d shown a different side of myself over the past week, I hadn’t expected him to give his permission so easily.

“I’ll just take a quick look around. If nothing’s wrong, I’ll return immediately.”

“…….”

“If we take no action even after an article like this has been published, the people of the territory will grow anxious. I’ll go and gauge the mood of the residents myself.”

“And what exactly do you think you can do?”

“I’m going to at least try to do something.”

I responded without hesitation to my father’s words.

In a situation where there seemed to be no way out, the only chance to turn the tide was there.

“No.”

But my father was firm.

“No one knows better than you what you’ve done.”

“…….”

“The whole world is well aware of your atrocities.”

“…….”

“Your presence there wouldn’t calm the people; it would only bring harm.”

Harm.

For a moment, I’d thought maybe my father had begun to see me differently. But I was wrong.

And just then—

“However.”

[Gerald Bernard’s recognition of you has surpassed 50%!]

“It wouldn’t hurt to give someone like you a chance.”

[Due to the recognition effect, there is a shift in Gerald Bernard’s mindset!]

“This is your last chance. Don’t betray my expectations.”

[Unexpected event! You have successfully triggered a change in Gerald Bernard’s mindset!]

[A new Side Quest has been generated!]

[Side Quest]

Quest Objective: Investigate the monster incident that occurred in the Barony of Remian.

Success Condition: Return after investigating the monster incident in the Barony of Remian

Reward for Success: Recognition from Gerald Bernard

Penalty for Failure: This Side Quest and the existing Side Quest (Recognition from Gerald Bernard) will be deleted.

My future lies there.