"I go to... HIHS."
For a moment, the entire room fell silent.
"HIHS? Hazandeen International High School?" Aurielle asked in surprise.
Al nodded, "Yes. That's the one."
For a moment, the room was silent again.
Then… laughter.
Faint, restrained, but present. Except for Sarah, who laughed freely.
Sarah's cynical, mocking laughter grated on the ears, and even some nearby servants covered their mouths to stifle laughs, though they shouldn't have been eavesdropping.
Al's words had struck them as genuinely hilarious.
The intense, tense atmosphere immediately shifted into a lighter mood as they perceived it as a joke.
"HIHS? Haha. Tell me you're joking. This is so funny, haha," Sarah laughed, as if she'd just heard a clown claim to be president.
"Don't dream, Al. That's the most elite school. There's no way you could get in there." She added.
Edward and Sandra could only exchange baffled glances, completely lost in the situation.
David narrowed his gaze at Al, studying him more closely—making sure the boy wasn't just bragging.
"Al… I don't want to laugh. But are you serious, or… just trying to lighten the mood with a joke?" Aurielle asked.
"Of course. Do I look like someone who lies?" he asked.
A few of them hesitated, exchanging glances before slowly nodding at him.
To them, the idea that Al studied at HIHS felt like something that only existed in imagination. There was no way it could be real.
"Not exactly that, Al. It's just… hmph, it's hard to believe," Aurielle said.
"Right. You go to HIHS? Hahaha. You must be dreaming," Sarah added.
Al patted his head and let out a deep sigh before replying.
"I thought you'd all believe me right away… but I guess I'll have to prove it," he said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. From it, he took out a single card.
He held it up at head level.
"This is the proof."
Everyone leaned in slightly. It did look like an ID—but the text and logo were too small to make out clearly.
Al understood. He moved as if to hand it over.
His gaze shifted to Sarah, and with a faint smile—
"Go ahead. Check it."
Then he tossed it.
Whoosh!
Light. Casual. Just a normal throw.
But—
Thud!
"Ouchhh!" Sarah cried out.
For some reason, she couldn't dodge it at all.
The card hit her forehead, making her stagger slightly—as if she had just been bumped into, even though it was just a thin card.
Everyone was startled by Al's antics, though to them, it didn't look dangerous.
The ID card fell to the floor as Sarah clutched her forehead, fuming.
"What are you doing, you brat?!" she snapped. "How dare you—!"
"Second Sister, are you okay?" David quickly stood up, supporting her.
"Sarah," Sandra called out anxiously, then turned to Al. "Al… why would you throw it at your sister's face?"
Aurielle didn't know how to react, and even Edward hadn't expected Al to pull something like that.
"Hey, it's just a small card. Why are you overreacting?" Al commented. "Don't tell me you're acting, sis."
"Overreacting? This actually hurts!" Sarah snapped, still rubbing her forehead.
"Are you trying to ruin my face? Huh? You know a face is everything for an artist, and you still tried to hurt me. Wow… you really—!"
"Hey. How could a light throw with a tiny card possibly hurt you? Don't exaggerate," Al replied calmly.
Sarah still refused to accept it. She was on the verge of tears, asking Sandra and David to check her forehead.
But there was nothing. No mark. Not even the faintest trace. And yet… the pain she felt was undeniably real.
In truth, Al hadn't done anything excessive. It looked like a normal throw.
But he had precisely targeted a nerve point on her forehead—one that, when struck even lightly, could cause a sharp, lingering pain.
A few moments later, no one paid much attention to Sarah's tantrum anymore. David picked up the ID card and examined it.
And just as expected—
It was an HIHS student ID.
David was familiar with it. He had seen a few of his friends from HIHS show theirs off before.
But was it real?
No one could be sure.
Sandra and the others took a look as well. The logo and text did indicate HIHS.
Doubt still lingered. But… would Al really go as far as to fake an ID?
No clear answer came. Only skepticism—quietly trying to deny the reality right in front of them.
They exchanged glances, unsure how to react.
Sarah, however, quickly snatched the ID and examined it more closely. She couldn't wrap her head around it—there was no way Al could be studying there.
But just like the others, she couldn't tell whether it was real or not. The material felt high quality—too refined to be fake—but she still refused to believe it.
"What is this? You're lying, right? You must've forged it. Just like MES—everyone knows HIHS only accepts students from wealthy, elite, and noble families," she demanded.
Even if her tone was rude, she had voiced what everyone else was thinking. And fortunately, she was the one who asked it.
No one bothered addressing Sarah's harsh attitude. Instead, they all turned to Al, silently demanding an answer.
Al stepped forward and took his ID back.
"I understand what you're thinking," he said calmly. "But it seems you just don't know that their exclusivity doesn't fully apply anymore."
"For the past three years, they've been offering scholarships for underprivileged students. And that's how I got in."
He glanced at his ID.
"Because if it's me…"
Then he lifted his head, a proud smile forming on his lips.
"…something like that isn't difficult to achieve."
Once again, Al's cool, almost arrogant remark made them lean back slightly. It sounded like bragging—but the way he said it somehow made it even more irritating.
Still, with that explanation, the missing piece in their reasoning finally clicked into place. The one thing that had prevented them from fully accepting the reality—
That Al truly studied at HIHS.
"A scholarship… I see," Sandra murmured.
Sarah, too, felt like she had her answer—though she wasn't entirely satisfied.
To her, the idea that Al got into an elite school through a scholarship for the underprivileged was the most logical explanation. After all, there was no way he could have gotten in otherwise.
And yet…
For some reason, seeing her younger brother attend such a prestigious school stirred something strange inside her—a mix of pride and irritation.
At the very least… he wasn't completely disgraceful anymore.
David, on the other hand, felt slightly unsettled.
He still found it hard to believe—especially the part about the scholarship.
As a model student and representative figure in East Indorosia, David was often exposed to information about scholarships. And yet, he didn't recall ever hearing about this one.
Still… something faint lingered in his memory.
It made him wonder—
Does that scholarship really exist?
Overall, everything about Al felt more mysterious with each passing day.
Every time he looked at him, something unexpected surfaced—something he would've never even considered as a possibility.
And now… HIHS.
He needed to study Al properly before making any move.
Meanwhile,
"So… you really study at HIHS," Aurielle murmured, finally concluding.
Al nodded.
"Yup…" he said lazily. "I've already explained it—and shown you proof. If you still don't believe me, just confirm it yourselves later."
In the end, confusion filled the room.
Some refused to believe him. Others quietly hoped it was true.
Including Edward and Sandra.
Seeing their son enter one of the most prestigious—perhaps the most prestigious—educational institutions in East Indorosia was no small achievement.
Especially for someone who came from an orphanage, even if it was through a scholarship.
It proved that Al had something—
Something more they hadn't seen yet.
Putting aside all that confusion, at that moment, Harun returned with the news that everything was ready.
As for Al, he glanced at the door, his curiosity growing by the second.
A moment later.
The door to the room opened slowly—not from a rough shove, but as though someone had deliberately stepped aside to let the newcomer pass.
A figure stepped inside.
A young man walked in with quiet elegance.
He looked to be in his early twenties. His build was slim rather than muscular, yet every step he took was steady—like someone long accustomed to walking through places unfriendly to ordinary people.
His black hair was slightly long, falling naturally without excessive styling. His dark brown eyes were calm and deep... and strangely, anyone who met his gaze felt as though they were being observed.
He wore semi-formal attire: a dark long-sleeved shirt, plain black trousers, and polished dress shoes.
This was Ramu—the eldest son of the Virellano family's trusted shaman.
For the past twenty years, that shaman had handled all supernatural and occult matters for the Virellano family.
David stared coldly at Ramu, though a trace of tension still lingered in his eyes.
Aurielle and Sarah, despite knowing Ramu well, felt a chilling pressure the moment he entered.
Familiar or not, his presence was never something they could truly get used to.
Sarah's lips curled into a faint smile, secretly pleased by his arrival—and quietly hoping it meant trouble for Al.
As for Al, he remained exactly where he was.
His shoulders were relaxed. One hand covered his mouth as he stifled a yawn.
He glanced at the newcomer as well.
Hmm... he's decent. Who is he?
His gaze shifted toward Edward and Sandra.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied their faces, catching every subtle change in expression.
"So, this is the thing you said had something to do with me?" Al asked.
Edward nodded.
At that moment, Ramu had already arrived in front of them.
"Greetings, Master. Madam," Ramu said with a deep bow. The gesture was casual, yet still carried a sense of refinement and respect.
He then glanced at Al and gave him a small nod of greeting before extending the same courtesy to the other young master and young ladies.
His gaze lingered on David a little longer, accompanied by a faint smile.
David returned it with nothing more than a slight nod. His expression remained flat, but the coldness in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Ramu paid it no mind and turned back to Edward.
Edward acknowledged the greeting with a nod and studied him for a moment.
"Is everything ready? It took quite a while this time."
Ramu chuckled lightly.
"Hehe... My apologies, Master. I'm not as capable as my father, but I've made sure everything is prepared. It should proceed without any problems."
"I see. Then shall we begin now?" Edward asked.
Ramu nodded.
"My father said that since the child is already old enough to receive stronger blessings, it would be better to perform it during this time period."
Edward didn't fully understand the reasoning, but he nodded anyway.
"Very well. If that's your father's recommendation, then I'm sure it's for the good of this family."
As he watched the exchange, Al began piecing a few things together—or at least forming a rough guess.
This guy... a spiritualist?
A faint crimson glow flashed across Al's eyes as he looked deeper into the man. A small smile tugged at his lips.
Oh? A dark magician.
So he's basically a young shaman with a modern vibe.
And he mentioned blessings... What exactly is he planning? Don't tell me he came all the way here just to bless me.
Al continued his analysis while quietly observing the conversation.
Before long, Edward and Ramu wrapped up their brief discussion and walked over toward him.
Meanwhile, Sandra moved to the back of the room and stopped near David.
Most of the servants had already returned to their duties, leaving only the bodyguards behind for whatever was about to happen next.
"This is Al, my biological son—the one we finally found," Edward said to Ramu as the two of them stopped in front of Al.
He then turned to Al, gesturing toward Ramu as he introduced him.
"And Al, this is Ramu," he said.
"Technically, he's one of our family's shamans. But he and his family have been close to us for a long time—close enough to be considered family,"
"You can just call him 'big brother' or something like that," he added casually.
Ramu nodded in response, while Al looked at him calmly.
"Ah… I thought this family was like most others—people who've already forgotten about magic and lean more toward science," Al replied.
"I didn't expect this family to still be this familiar with it… or even deeply involved in magical matters."
He then gave a small nod.
"But alright. Nice to meet you, Brother Ramu."
Edward didn't react much to Al's comment, taking his surprise as perfectly natural.
Ramu, meanwhile, simply nodded in response to Al's greeting.
Ramu stepped a little closer and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you too, Al," he said warmly.
Al paused for a moment, his gaze flicking to Ramu's palm, where he sensed a faint trace of energy.
Magical energy? What's this guy trying to do? he thought.
A slight smile curved his lips.
Let's see.
He reached out, and the two of them shook hands.
Ramu maintained a warm expression as he quietly sent a stream of magical energy into Al through the handshake, intending to analyze him more deeply.
Al felt it—and was a little disappointed.
Ah… so he's just analyzing me. I thought he was going to mess with me.
Tsk... why is everyone so obsessed with checking my magical energy? Do I really look that suspicious?
Meanwhile, Ramu had already ended the handshake, feeling slightly disappointed as well.
Hmph… this kid is empty. Even Lysha has a bit of magical potential. Huff… a complete waste, no threat at all, he thought.
Edward then stepped forward.
"Al… Ramu came here to do something for you," he said.
"For me? What, is he going to buy me a villa or a luxury car?" Al asked casually.
Ramu took half a step back at the completely nonsensical joke and could only let out an awkward laugh.
Edward shook his head.
"No. It's… some kind of ritual," he replied.
"Ritual? Wait! Don't tell me—I'm going to be sacrificed?" Al wondered aloud.
"Of course not. Stop joking around and listen," Edward snapped, clearly a bit annoyed this time.
"Ah… yes, Father," Al said awkwardly.
Edward let out a breath and began to explain.
"Huff… it's just a kind of purification ritual and the like. Your siblings have all gone through it. Now it's your turn."
Ramu nodded and continued in a calm, measured tone.
"This ritual is usually performed shortly after a child is born," he said. "It's a purification and alignment ceremony of sorts."
His gaze shifted to Al.
"In simple terms, it removes lingering bad luck, stabilizes the body and soul, and helps awaken or strengthen one's natural talents."
Al blinked. He nearly chuckled.
A low-level shaman wants to purify the bad luck of a cursed human?
This guy really has no idea what kind of person he's dealing with.
In the end, Al simply listened.
He already knew more than enough about purification magic and similar rituals. The topic itself didn't interest him much.
What he was curious about was what exactly this young shaman was trying to do.
Edward crossed his arms.
"All of your sisters went through this ritual when they were babies," he added. "It's meant to cleanse away bad luck and protect them as they grow up."
Ramu nodded in agreement before his expression grew slightly more serious.
"But in your case, Al... the ritual was never performed."
"You disappeared before the ceremony could be arranged. By the time we realized you were truly gone, it was already too late. That's why this ritual has been delayed for seventeen years."
He then launched into a much longer explanation.
According to him, every person was born with both luck and misfortune, invisible forces that influenced their destiny.
Some people were born with their potential naturally unlocked, while others had much of theirs sealed away.
As a result, some would walk a relatively smooth path through life, while others would constantly attract trouble without ever understanding why.
That was why purification rituals were considered important during infancy.
Before luck and misfortune fully settled into a person's life, rituals like these could help stabilize the former and minimize the latter.
However, performing the ritual at Al's current age was a completely different matter.
For infants, the ritual could drive away misfortune, enhance luck, gently nurture natural talents, and help unlock hidden potential.
For adults, the effects were far more limited. It wouldn't create anything new. At best, it would simply cleanse the body and leave it at that.
As for strengthening talent at this age... that was already considered extremely unlikely.
By this point, Al was starting to get bored. So he finally cut in.
"But hey," he said. "If it's just to get rid of bad luck, I don't think that's necessary. I'm actually a pretty lucky person."
Hearing that, Sarah—who had been quietly observing from the side of the room—burst out laughing.
"Haha… you're lucky?" she said mockingly. "Growing up in an orphanage, barely eating properly, sleeping wherever you could—that's lucky?"
"And you've only been here for less than a day..." she continued coldly,
"...yet whether you mean to or not, your presence has already brought huge trouble. You're not just unlucky—you bring bad luck to this house."
Everyone immediately turned sharp gazes toward Sarah.
Edward snapped at her, while Sandra and Aurielle, seated beside her, could only lightly pat her arm.
They disliked Sarah's words—but they couldn't deny them either.
From their perspective, this family had already received tremendous blessings. Yet the moment Al appeared, everything began to fall apart.
Sarah merely crossed her arms and leaned back further into the sofa, clearly unconcerned.
Al, on the other hand, just shook his head lazily.
"Hm… you just don't know how lucky I really am."
"Tch…" Sarah clicked her tongue, but didn't respond further.
Ramu could only scratch his head at the small conflict. His gaze returned to Al—the boy who claimed to be lucky.
In truth, he agreed. Because he knew something the others didn't. Something about Al.
Of course you possess the greatest luck. A child with an immense destiny. Even after being disrupted seventeen years ago, you still managed to find your way back here.
But with this ritual, I'll make sure all that luck disappears. Hehe.
He was confident in the outcome of the ritual he was about to perform on Al.
But for reasons he couldn't quite explain, a strange sense of unease crept over him—something he hadn't felt in a very long time
Al turned back to Ramu.
"But… is something like this really real? Just from a ritual, bad luck can disappear? It doesn't really make sense."
Ramu fell silent for a moment. He felt slightly offended—as if he were being accused of running a scam.
"I understand how you feel, Al. Magic isn't something an ordinary person like you would easily believe in," he said calmly.
"But… believe it or not, you'll see the results soon enough."
He then glanced toward Al's siblings.
"Take them as an example. Is there any kind of luck they don't have? Exceptional talent, smooth paths, success in almost everything they do."
That was followed by nods from the people present.
Even those who didn't truly believe in—or fully understand—magic had to admit one thing:
The overwhelming success of the Virellano children was proof enough.
That argument even extended beyond genetics or the way the Virellano family raised their children.
David was the most unique and obvious proof.
He wasn't Virellano by blood, yet his growth was nothing short of outstanding.
If it were merely a matter of upbringing, then plenty of elite families in Makazhar provided their children with education just as rigorous and specialized as David's.
Yet none of them dared to consider themselves on the same level as him.
Al understood their reasoning.
But to him, they were only measuring things by their own ruler—not the real one.
His attention was focused on Ramu instead. To him, the man was nothing more than a charlatan.
This guy… for a scum, his persuasion skills are actually pretty good. If I didn't understand magic, I might've already bought into his nonsense, he thought.
His gaze shifted toward his parents and sisters.
So for more than twenty years, they had believed this lie. When in truth, what was really happening was the opposite—their luck was being drained. Reduced, not increased.
A faint crimson gleam flickered in Al's eyes once more.
They succeeded because, from the very beginning, they already possessed the luck and blessings meant for success. Those so-called rituals didn't add anything—they stole it instead.
…Still, this is interesting. I wonder where this family's luck originally came from. Even after being siphoned off, they've managed to become this successful.
His eyes shifted toward Ramu.
And now he wants to take my luck? Hmm… can he really do it?
Al merely gave a small smile and responded.
"No… it's not about whether I believe it or not," Al replied lazily. "I just feel that doing something like this on me would be pointless. It'd be a waste of time."
"Pointless? A waste of time?" Ramu asked, a hint of irritation seeping into his voice.
"Al… you're being too arrogant," Aurielle added, clearly displeased.
Al looked at Aurielle.
"I'm not being arrogant, Eldest Sister. I just have a bit of knowledge about magic."
He then turned back to Ramu.
"As far as I know, shamans are users of dark magic, right? And they can only curse people or scam them," he said bluntly.
"...Meanwhile, blessings and purification can only be performed by holy magic users."
He shook his head.
"Which means whatever you're calling a 'purification' is probably just dark magic disguised as a blessing," he added smugly.
Strangely enough, his words sounded somewhat reasonable to the people present.
For a moment, they even wondered why they had never thought about it that way before. But… was that really how it worked?
Ramu unconsciously took half a step back.
"Al… you're acting like you understand spiritual and magical matters," he said stiffly.
Edward's expression hardened as he stared at Al coldly.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Al?" he asked.
"Do you think you understand spiritual matters better than Ramu? Where did you even get such ridiculous information?"
"From anime, novels, and... comics," Al replied casually. "Isn't magic always portrayed like that?"
Everyone could only rub their temples at Al's ridiculous answer.
"Hahaha. I thought you were just being cocky," Sarah scoffed.
"Turns out you're just pretending to know things. Since when do people use fictional references in the real world?"
She smirked.
"This is honestly hilarious. But it also proves that your life outside was filled with nothing but useless things. No wonder you're this stupid."
Cough. Cough.
Ramu coughed after hearing Al's answer. He clearly hadn't expected a response like that.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he shot Al a sharp look.
Al wasn't entirely wrong. Or perhaps… he wasn't wrong at all.
Pure dark magicians truly couldn't perform purification or blessing spells.
But shamans were different.
Although they predominantly wielded dark magic, they also commonly practiced holy magic through external mediums—artifacts, talismans, or consecrated water used during rituals.
In that sense, their rituals weren't purely dark magic.
Shamans leaned more toward using both types of magic, supported by external energy sources.
Ramu could only shake his head.
"I don't think you need to concern yourself with that," he said calmly. "What matters now is that we proceed before the unfavorable hours arrive."
"Unfavorable hours?" Al asked.
Ramu nodded.
"Midnight is considered one of the worst periods when it comes to luck and spiritual influence. That's one of the reasons people are generally encouraged to sleep at that hour rather than remain active."
"Since it's still relatively early, it would be best to perform the ritual now."
Edward stepped forward.
"In that case, proceed at once, Ramu," he said.
He then turned to Al. "And Al, no more questions. Just follow through with the ritual."
Ramu nodded, while Al let out an unenthusiastic sigh.
"Huff… I don't know why, but this sounds extremely mystical. A ritual, huh?… but fine," Al replied, nodding lazily.
Hearing his agreement, everyone nodded and made their way toward a secluded area—a spacious hall located deeper within the estate.