Moment later, Sandra nudged Edward discreetly, reminding him of the time. He glanced at his watch—he was due to leave soon.
"Al," Edward said, his tone softening a little,
"I don't know if you're telling the truth or not. But either way, you should get ready. There's no harm in leaving early. At least then I'll know for sure you're actually going to school."
Sandra and Aurielle both nodded in agreement.
David stayed silent, watching closely.
Sarah, however, couldn't help herself from muttering,
"He's obviously lying. There's no such thing as an afternoon class. He's just skipping."
Unfortunately, no one bothered to respond.
Al, on the other hand, blinked in mild surprise at his father's reasoning.
What kind of logic is that? But I guess it's understandable—he doesn't fully know my school schedule, after all, he mused inwardly.
I suppose there's no need to explain it for now. Better I just go to school this morning. I need to meet them and ask about that foundation issue anyway.
Then I can decide whether it's necessary to explain my school life to this family or not.
And of course… I almost forgot about that war at 10 a.m. today. Hehe.
He then stood up, shrugging.
"Alright, Father. If tha't the case, then... I'll go change."
He grabbed a slice of toast and turned to leave.
Everyone stared—his casual demeanor was so unrefined for someone from a rich family.
"Make it quick," Edward said, turning back to his meal.
"Understood, Father," Al replied, bowing slightly.
Before he could straighten up—
"Wait," Edward called out. "I think we should talk about that as well."
"What is it, Father?" Al asked as he adjusted his posture and sat back down.
"It's about the people who'll be serving you," Edward said.
"Ah… that," Al murmured.
Edward nodded.
"As you know, some of the servants still haven't accepted your presence. Forcing the old staff to stay would only make things uncomfortable—for both you and them."
He lifted his head slightly.
"So to prevent anything unpleasant… including the possibility of someone harming you, we're recruiting new servants specifically for you. But... that process will take a little time."
Then he lowered his gaze and let out a sigh.
"I hope you understand. For this morning, you'll ride in David's car instead. So hurry along."
Al fell silent for a moment, wanting to say something—but in the end, he simply nodded.
"Alright, Father."
With that, he stood up and walked away.
But after just a few steps, he paused.
Wait… I'm riding with him?
He thought for a moment, then smirked faintly.
Fine. Maybe I'll get to learn more about him that way.
He resumed walking—but not before flicking his fingers subtly. A faint trace of magical energy shimmered in the air, targeting one specific person: Sarah.
A little parting gift for your lovely attitude this morning, he thought mischievously.
A moment later, as Sarah took a sip of her coffee, she suddenly flinched.
"Ah—!"
The cup slipped, spilling the hot liquid all over her hand and dress. She yelped from the burn as the others jumped in shock.
No one knew what had caused her sudden clumsiness.
Meanwhile, Al reached the front terrace and saw several cars already parked, ready to escort their masters.
Beside each vehicle stood a few people—drivers, assistants, and personal bodyguards for Edward, Aurielle, Sarah, and David.
A faint reddish glint flashed through Al eyes.
To him, the drivers and assistants looked ordinary enough. Aside from their professional appearance, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
What truly caught his attention were the bodyguards—especially the main guards responsible for their protection.
With their disciplined posture and lethal auras, they were naturally interesting to someone like Al.
At the very front group, likely Edward's, stood two massive men. Just from the way they carried themselves, powerful energy radiated off them.
Behind them were Aurielle's bodyguards—one man and one woman who looked about her age, yet possessed the unmistakable aura of seasoned fighters, not much different from Edward's guards.
Sarah had three bodyguards. Two women and one man, all giving off a strong presence.
They're strong—for normal human fighters. A bit weaker than Dedy, but in this city, no one would dare mess with the Virellano family if they're escorted by people like this, Al thought.
His gaze then shifted to the most unusual group.
David's bodyguard.
There was only one man—yet his aura was powerful. Strangely enough, though…
Again?! I can't analyze him either—just like David! Do they have something that blocks my eyes?
Annoyance flashed through his mind.
No. No. It's just that this Dimensional Eye isn't complete yet. It can't read everything for now.
Ever since it had been implanted into him, things were never as simple as they seemed.
The Dimensional Eye was a legendary organ said to originate from an ancient civilization—one that could read the essence of everything in the world.
Unfortunately, it had been shattered into four fragments during a great chaos in the past. So far, Al had only found one fragment, leaving its power far from complete.
Which meant he needed to locate the remaining fragments to fully awaken it.
Luckily, a rumor claimed that the other fragments were somewhere in East Indorosia—along with the relic he was searching for—raising the priority of his mission there.
For now, though, even a single fragment was already powerful enough. Still, completing it was far more urgent, considering the potential dangers that could emerge at any moment.
Al shook his head lightly and walked away, avoiding the sharp gazes from the family's assistants and bodyguards.
Behind him, a low murmur rose among Aurielle's guards.
"Did you hear?" the female bodyguard, Mira, whispered with a faint sneer. "That's the new young master."
"Of course I know," the man beside her, Hil, replied quietly. "Even though this is my first time seeing him, just from his face alone, you can tell he resembles his sisters."
"Yeah. By the way, have you heard that rumor?" Mira asked. "They said he injured one of the guards last night. Mail — one of Young Master David's guards."
Hil's eyes widened slightly. "Mail? Seriously? How is that even possible? That guy's no ordinary fighter. Sounds like a made-up story to me."
"I thought so too at first," Mira said, "but after checking around, everyone who was there last night confirmed it."
Hil still looked doubtful, but seeing the seriousness on her face, he could only try to accept it.
"So… he really hurt Mail? That still sounds impossible."
His gaze followed Al's retreating figure.
"Look at him. He looks weak. No magical aura at all. In a normal fight, there's no way he could defeat Mail."
Mira shook her head.
"I don't get it either. It's a shame we weren't there last night. But they said that kid used some kind of magical artifact—that's how he managed to injure Mail."
"What?! A magical artifact?" Hil almost shouted.
He quickly covered his mouth and lowered his voice again.
"That orphan kid? He has access to a magical artifact? Hmph… if that's true, no wonder Mail got hurt. But that just makes the story even harder to believe."
"Who knows," Mira replied. "Still, it's not impossible. People can find artifacts randomly. They're rare, sure—but it's not like only rich people can get them. Those things can appear anywhere."
"True," Hil said slowly. "Wow… that kid's pretty lucky. Even after being separated from his family, his fortune's still insane."
Mira nodded. "Exactly. But there's something more important you should know."
"What is it?" Hil asked.
"They say Miss Sarah doesn't like him either. And because of what happened to Mail, things with Young Master David are starting to heat up."
As if on cue, both of them glanced toward Sarah's group—where her bodyguards were staring at Al with far more open disdain than the others.
Then their eyes shifted to David's lone bodyguard.
Unlike the rest, he simply watched Al's retreating figure in silence, his expression calm.
Yet for some reason, a vague sense of unease stirred in his chest.
He didn't know why.
And in the end, he chose to ignore it.
Not long after, Al arrived back at his room, tapping his forehead with a soft chuckle.
"I can't believe I'm being this active in the morning," he murmured.
He shook his head, smiling faintly to himself.
"Haaah… let's hope they're both available when I get there."
And with that, he began getting ready.
---
Minutes later, Al stepped out of his small building—now dressed in his school uniform: white-grey clothes under an oversized black hoodie, hair roughly combed, shoes gleaming.
He munched on the toast, occasionally glancing around.
His eyes scanned the driveway.
Empty.
No car.
No engine sounds.
No one.
He walked to the large luxury garage—it too was empty. And far too quiet.
Tilting his head, Al mumbled,
"…Hmph?"
He walked around the garage corners, hoping to find a backup vehicle or anything. Nothing.
He stepped back out, greeted only by morning air and his own reflection in the glass walls of the quiet mansion.
It didn't take long for Al to piece it together.
"Oh… they left without me?"
His tone wasn't angry. Just… confused.
"If they didn't want to drive me, why say they would? Or is this David's doing?"
He leaned his back against the wall, finishing the last bite of his bread.
Pulling out his phone, he opened the map and zoomed in on the school's location. A faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Should I ask them to send a car? he thought. Hmph… better not. My identity as a former orphan still needs to be kept.
Then... Taxi? Bus?
He then looked out at the cool morning scenery.
"Hmph… walking doesn't sound too bad. Morning air's supposed to be good for health anyway. Besides, it's not that far for a little stroll," he murmured to himself, sounding half amused, half resigned.
He then walked away from the massive garage, leaving his reflection behind—hidden among the white marble pillars and the invisible eyes of the mansion's CCTV.
As he was about to step out, he spotted Dedy in the distance—out in the area west of the house.
Dedy was in the middle of his morning training. His shaved head glinted slightly under the morning sunlight.
It seemed Dedy noticed Al as well, and immediately lowered his head, offering a light, respectful salute.
Al was slightly amused by it.
"Hmph… that guy was the one assigned to punish me last night. Who would've thought he'd be the first to salute me in this house," he mused.
"By the way, given his position—even if he's not like Harun—he probably has access to a lot more confidential information about elite families. Especially the city's dark side. That might make it easier for me to track down the relic and the remaining eye fragments."
"I wanted to use Harun, but that guy seems hard to approach. Dedy's the better choice. I should look into him first… I might be able to make use of him."
Al nodded back at Dedy, acknowledging the salute. Then he continued walking, pulling out his phone to call someone.
And so, his journey went on.
---
Meanwhile, inside a moving car, David watched the scene unfold through a tablet connected to the house's security feed.
A cold smile slowly crept onto his lips.
"If something this trivial can shake him, then he's not even worth being called my opponent," he muttered.
He switched off the tablet and turned his gaze to the scenery outside the car window.
"Even though I could wipe you out anytime," he said calmly, "it wouldn't be interesting unless you're crushed completely… orphan."
Confidence radiated from his expression. He truly believed Al was nothing more than a minor obstacle.
Too bad he had no idea what kind of person he was actually messing with.
---