Our Family Has Fallen

No one expected this scene, nor did they understand what had just happened. Most people covered their mouths, unable to suppress their cries of surprise, followed by a growing buzz of discussion.

”What happened?”

”What’s going on here?”

”...”

The maids watching from the sidelines, however, couldn’t worry about that. They hurriedly picked up the hat from the ground and put it on Margaret. The shadows cast by the brim hid her strange expression.

Then they cautiously inquired, ”Miss, are you all right?”

The maid’s panic was evident—if something had happened to the Miss, she would certainly have been unable to escape blame.

It was only at the maid’s call that Margaret slowly recovered from the shocking incident.

But the scenes from before were etched in her mind and would not fade. What on earth was that thing...?

Even her opponent and the referee were stunned. They never expected Margaret, who had performed so well up to that point without missing a single shot, to suddenly lose her composure.

Luckily, since it was a shooting competition, the firing line had been cleared, avoiding any accidental injuries. Otherwise, the frenzied shooting just now might have randomly claimed an unfortunate soul.

Nevertheless, the referee quickly came to his senses. Although it was clear to the naked eye that the shot went nowhere near the target, he still checked the target before announcing, ”Off target, invalid!”

With that, he stepped to the front of the platform and loudly announced the result everyone was most concerned about: ”Since both contestants missed their target, but contestant number four hit the target frame, I declare contestant number four the champion!”

Although they had favored Margaret just moments before, the audience enjoyed this twist. The spectators cared little for the reasons; they were just there for the entertainment.

”WOO!”

”We are the champions!”

”...”

Amid the cheers, contestant number four was still a bit dazed; he hadn’t expected this outcome.

A blessing from the Goddess of Fortune.

Then came the awards ceremony. Margaret didn’t even know what she was doing; compared to her previous confidence, she now seemed as comical as a Clown.

The host handed over the runner-up trophy—a finely crafted silver trophy, embossed with a target rings design, bearing the runner-up insignia and a ribbon on the side.

Runner-up?

Margaret had been preoccupied by the strange apparition, but the runner-up trophy was a stark, painful stimulus, fully rousing her from her daze.

I... I missed!? But how is that possible...?

Holding the runner-up trophy, Margaret’s face showed incredulity, which quickly turned to resentment.

She tossed the trophy aside without a word of explanation and then departed under the astonished gazes of the crowd.

To her, being runner-up meant being inferior—a humiliation!

The incident didn’t cause much of a stir amidst the festive celebrations.

No one cared about your mistakes; the champion was showered with adoration, while the runner-up was never remembered.

Everyone just assumed she couldn’t stand losing and had thrown a tantrum. Perhaps this event would even become gossip for the noble ladies, to mock the ”Barbarian” for making a fool of herself again.

The incident didn’t even make waves during the celebration, let alone elsewhere.

「Meanwhile, in the towering castle at the heart of Bastia」

The conversation between Count Bastia and Bruce was still ongoing.

”Then why should I send Alvin in pursuit?”

Hearing this, Bruce did not respond directly but pondered for a moment before speaking, ”Because of Hamlet.”

In reality, although Bruce had not completely taken over Bastia from his father, he had been involved in many of its affairs. He knew that his father had always been working to infiltrate that region, and that each expansion of Bastia was an encroachment upon Hamlet.

Bruce was not Alvin. He could sense his father’s longing for Hamlet—or perhaps, an intense obsession.

”Thirty years ago, Hamlet was in its prime. You can’t imagine how powerful it was then. Even the Empire Emperor couldn’t meddle with the four provinces of the Northern Borderlands. Our family was just one of Hamlet’s many vassals—utterly insignificant.”

Perhaps it’s true that people grow nostalgic in old age. Count Bastia’s emotions were not as calm as before, betraying a hint of turbulence.

”Back then, I hadn’t yet inherited my father’s title; I wasn’t even the heir. I had a Big Brother above me.

As a vassal of Hamlet, searching for a path forward, I had no choice but to join Hamlet’s Order of Knights as a knight. I sought promotion through military achievements.

At that time, we fought the Mountain Barbarian Tribe, the Ice Field Barbarians, and the Wastelanders. Our navy also sailed the great seas, battling pirates and the Levantines.

Hamlet was then a land of four wars, surrounded by enemies, yet it maintained a firm grip. You can imagine how strong it must have been!”

Logically, as Count Bastia was now the dominant power in the Northern Borderlands of the Empire, nothing should have been able to pressure him.

But when speaking of the once-formidable Hamlet, he still showed a measure of respect.

A giant, long dead and dismembered, still held such terrifying influence over those who had once beheld him.

If it had been Alvin, he might not have grasped the weight of these words. But Bruce, with his specialized education, understood that simultaneously facing so many enemies signified astonishing strength.