"Kill. Kill. Destroy. Annihilate."
The whispers were no longer faint. They crawled along the walls of his consciousness, scratching slowly before sinking their claws in.
"Why do you let them belittle you? Why do you let them look at you like that?"
"Just kill her. Kill them all."
The atmosphere in the dining room shifted.
No one could point out the source, but the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
The crystal chandelier above swayed ever so slightly, its reflection stretching across the marble table like fractured shadows.
Beneath Al's feet, something dark… thin… like dense mist, began to spread.
A faint black energy.
Almost invisible—yet heavy enough to make everyone's breathing feel just a little harder.
Al's heart beat slowly.
Too slowly.
His eyes, once merely sharp, turned hollow. Deep. Dark.
Sarah's voice still echoed in his head, distorted like a broken speaker.
Stray.
Filthy.
Grateful.
The words repeated.
"Why are you holding back? Hasn't the world trampled you enough already? What's one more life?"
The whisper grew more persuasive, its voice slithering deeper into his mind, softer—yet far more convincing.
The energy under his feet thickened.
David, sensitive to magical fluctuations, frowned slightly. Something felt off. But he couldn't tell what, let alone recognize it as a threat—the energy was still far too subtle.
Sandra felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
Aurielle, still tense, sensed something strange as well. Even without any magical affinity, she was sitting right beside Al.
Every now and then, a faint electric-like sting brushed against her skin, but she dismissed it as nothing more than her body reacting to the tension.
Fortunately—
Edward stepped in. The conflict between Sarah and Al didn't sit well with him.
"Enough!"
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was solid.
Heavy.
Firm.
At the same time—
TZZZT!
A sharp jolt struck right behind Al's ear.
His body jerked.
It felt like a burning needle piercing through his nerves, racing down to the nape of his neck before spreading through his entire central nervous system.
The chip.
Anger blocker.
Activated.
The black energy beneath his feet dispersed like smoke blown away by wind.
The whispers cut off abruptly.
As if someone had just switched off an overblown radio.
Al let out a quiet breath.
The world snapped back into focus.
The clinking of plates. The ticking clock. The sound of breathing.
He blinked a few times.
What was that just now…?
Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
His hands felt weak. His fingertips trembled slightly. His muscles seemed to lose strength all at once.
I… almost did it.
I almost lost control.
His chest felt heavy.
He didn't expect he would nearly enter a berserk state just from that provocation. A nasty side effect of being a cursed human.
And yet, to him, it was almost laughable.
He had endured the cruelty of the world. Worse humiliation. Injustice. Betrayal. The death of someone he loved. Things far more vicious than a few sharp insults from Sarah.
But harsh words coming from someone who was supposed to be his own biological sister had a far more terrifying effect than he'd imagined.
Strange.
Pathetic.
But real.
Woah. Good thing I chose to stay in a separate building. Interacting with that vicious woman is still way too risky for me.
He slowly lifted his gaze.
He looked at Edward, feeling a faint trace of confusion. The anger blocker had just stopped his berserk state—but somehow Edward's firm voice had shaken him awake even more.
He didn't understand why. And for now, he didn't want to think about it. The discomfort inside him still needed to be contained.
Edward stared at both him and Sarah.
Cold.
Calm.
Yet behind that calm, something rarely seen flickered—wariness.
"Al, Sarah," Edward said slowly. "Control yourselves."
That tone wasn't just a warning.
It was an assessment.
Edward leaned back in his chair, speaking without excess emotion.
"Do you two enjoy turning this house into chaos?"
Al and Sarah lowered their heads at the same time—Al out of guilt, Sarah out of respect for Edward's authority.
Neither of them could refute it.
Because it was true.
"This whole mess started because of Al and that sewer incident. And yes… that kind of thing is extremely disgusting for this family," Edward said calmly.
"I'm disappointed as well. I didn't expect Al would… hmph… stoop that low."
His gaze moved between Sarah and Aurielle.
"I understand your complaint, Sarah. It's inappropriate. And for Aurielle, this must be especially irritating. So it's only natural that you reacted this way."
Then he looked at everyone at the table, one by one.
"However… satisfying all of you isn't something that can be done so easily."
His eyes finally settled on Al.
"Because on the other hand, Al's sense of satisfaction is different. And frankly, it's valid enough. If he has already cleaned himself up, then what exactly is left to argue about?"
He shifted his full attention to Al.
"But… specifically for you, Al. Your father will teach you a little about how elites live."
Al raised his head.
Truthfully, he didn't care much about that information.
But right now, he couldn't do anything else. His body was focused on stabilizing his energy and emotions. So all he could do was pretend to listen.
"You might think that even if you got dirty in the sewer, washing yourself clean afterward would be enough," Edward explained.
"But as an elite, prevention is often more important than cure. And the most important thing is preventing your reputation from being stained—because once it is stained, no amount of damage control may be able to fix it,"
"Just imagine if people found out you're a prospective heir of the Virellano family, yet you play around in sewers. Negative judgment would follow."
"We could be associated with filth. The family's reputation could suffer—and once a reputation cracks, the damage spreads to other aspects."
He frowned slightly.
"As a businessman, I would rather discard you than let this family's name be ruined."
That statement tightened the air instantly.
For a moment, Edward sounded like a ruthless businessman willing to throw anything away for the sake of glory.
Fortunately—
"But…" Edward continued, "I am also your father. And theirs. And your mother's husband. So finding the best solution is my priority."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"And because of that, Al… this time, I agree with your sister Sarah."
"With the current situation," he added coldly, "the plan to publicly announce your status… should be postponed."
The words fell like a hammer.
"At least until you can rid yourself of those bad habits, discard the wild behavior of your past, and become the elite child that someone from this great family is supposed to be."
Calm.
Firm.
Final.
The dining room fell silent.
Sandra looked slightly surprised, but she didn't object. In the end, she nodded in agreement.
Aurielle was too occupied with her own discomfort, yet she also nodded.
Sarah looked satisfied. Even if Al wasn't expelled, suppressing the public status of a stray child like him was enough to keep everything safe.
And David—
David almost smiled.
Ah.
He was quietly pleased with the outcome. His expectation had only gone as far as pushing Al away from that competition. Delaying the publication of Al's status was already a very good result.
Al didn't know how to react.
His right to be acknowledged publicly as their son was now at stake. And he was not the type of person who would willingly let his rights be gambled away.
He wanted to protest.
Wanted to say it wasn't fair.
But he was afraid.
With his condition just now… that berserk tendency was still lingering.
If he pushed back… an argument might erupt.
The chip had stopped him once. But twice? He might truly lose control.
So he simply lowered his head.
Neither agreeing nor rejecting.
Inside, he cursed. Cursed his own affliction.
A curse that forced him to stay silent even when he knew he wasn't entirely wrong.
Edward watched him for a few seconds—then assumed Al understood and accepted the decision.
However, his thoughts were slightly divided.
He had sensed something strange earlier, but no matter how many possibilities he considered, he couldn't quite grasp what it was.
This child… he thought, looking at Al.
His gaze shifted briefly to Sarah, then returned to Al.
I'm not sure… but after Sarah's harsh words, it felt like there was a strange aura in the air. It even made my skin crawl. Was that the sign Khalil mentioned?
After thinking for a while, he slowly shook his head.
Probably not. He still looks far too calm to be considered angry—let alone out of control. It must have just been my imagination.
His eyes softened slightly.
Maybe I'm being overly sentimental toward this child who just returned home. Hearing someone speak to him so harshly made me uncomfortable. Yes… that must be it.
He's my son. There's no way he's a… cursed human.
He continued,
"I'll say this once more. I hope something like this doesn't happen again. And you, Al… start learning to change the way you see the world. View it from the perspective of an elite, as you should."
This time, Al simply nodded in resignation without responding.
Edward nodded back, then gave his final instruction.
"Good. As for the rest—since this started because of you, apologize to your siblings. End this matter here."
Al lifted his head.
Apologize?
His insides instantly rebelled.
Apologize to them? I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I be the one apologizing?
And just like that, those unpleasant thoughts began creeping back in again.