Meanwhile, Al was walking slowly down to the first floor, tracing the long corridor lined with paintings. The cold walls and expensive lighting did nothing to make him feel at home.
Each step echoed faintly across the white marble floor.
At the end of the corridor, someone appeared—Sarah, his second sister.
Beautiful, but cold. Sharp eyes. Long bangs framing her face. Her posture elegant, yet heavy with emotional pressure.
Her gaze locked onto Al like an eagle spotting a rat trespassing in its territory.
Al frowned slightly.
"Great. Why do I have to run into this annoying woman here? Huff… whatever. Let's just hope there's no drama," he muttered under his breath as he continued walking.
Eventually, he stopped in front of Sarah—he had no choice but to pass her to reach the main door.
"You just came from Dad's study?" Sarah asked, her tone sharp as ever.
Al paused briefly before replying.
"Yeah," he said curtly, unwilling to waste even a drop of energy on small talk. He just wasn't in the mood.
"Hmph. So… they finally talked about that engagement?" Sarah said.
"You know that girl, right? She's my junior."
Al remained silent. He didn't really care, and he genuinely didn't know the girl anyway.
Meanwhile, Sarah stepped a little closer and spoke in a casual tone.
"I might not want to acknowledge you as my brother, but I do feel a little sorry seeing you get your hopes up like that. So, as someone older, just take this as a piece of advice."
Her eyes sharpened.
"A woman like her is only suitable for David. Don't expect a top celebrity to end up with someone like you. So be aware of your place—and don't even think about claiming that engagement."
Al just stared at her calmly, too lazy to argue.
Claim that engagement? he thought. I'm not even remotely interested, and I don't even know who that woman is. What was her name again… Nano? Nandar?
Wait—that's a guy's name. Ugh, don't tell me I'm being arranged to marry a guy?! Thank goodness David's the one marrying her.
Seeing Al remain silent, Sarah crossed her arms, her tone growing even icier.
"Listen carefully. That Valendra girl is only fit for David. Don't think you can steal her just because you have… inheritance rights or whatever."
Al remained quiet, feeling mildly disgusted. He looked at Sarah and gave a small smile.
"Aren't you bored?"
"Huh?" Sarah blinked, confused by the sudden question.
"Ever since I got here, you haven't stopped bothering me. Are you that interested in your sweet little brother? Do you miss the brother who disappeared for a while?" he said, teasing and mocking her.
"What are you saying?! As if I… I just don't want you here. It's better if you leave this house."
"But that's not up to you, right? Instead of wasting your time harassing me, why not just tell Mother and Father? If they ask me to leave, I will," he said firmly.
Sarah fell silent, not knowing how to respond to that. Al had just made it clear he would leave only if his parents told him to. And she knew there was no way Mom and Dad would kick him out just like that.
"Until that day comes," Al continued, "I hope you stop bothering me. It's bad for both our mental health."
"Wh-Who's bothering you…? You think I want to? Just seeing you disgusts me!" Sarah snapped.
"Then stop seeing me." Al said, shook his head.
"Whatever. Well then, excuse me… my dear sister Sarah," he said with a touch of sarcasm.
Then he walked away.
Hearing that, Sarah's face paled. Her lips trembled. She rushed after Al, who had walked some distance.
"What did you say?!"
Al turned around.
"I said, excuse me… my dear sister Sarah," he repeated, dragging her name out more mockingly.
A brief silence followed.
"How dare you call me your sister?!" Sarah snapped.
"Aren't we siblings?" Al replied, feigning innocence.
"I only have one sibling—and that's David!" she shouted sharply.
Al raised an eyebrow, pretending to be confused.
"But don't you have six siblings? There's… Aurielle, Vianna, Clarista, Elena, Lysha… then David. And if you count me… that's seven."
Sarah squinted, her rage briefly turning awkward.
"I-I meant... only one brother—and that's David."
Al froze for a moment. His gaze emptied, as if he'd switched to 'don't care' mode.
"Alright. Alright." He said flatly.
Then he bowed slightly.
"Excuse me."
He turned and walked off calmly, leaving Sarah behind. There was no anger. No emotion. Just a slight tilt of the head and a faint smirk, as if to say:
This woman… is weird.
Behind him, Sarah stood still, glaring at his back in disgust and irritation. But behind the disgust… was a feeling she couldn't explain:
Was he mocking me?
She let out a scream—aimless and angry.
---
Al's room was quiet.
He had just arrived. Exhausted.
Too much drama today.
Too many voices.
Too many... people.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, he fell into thought.
Living with this family feels like a roller coaster, he thought.
Everyone is different, and none of them are easy to read. The ones I actually want to interact with are hard to find, while the ones I'd rather avoid keep showing up.
"Huff…"
Still… I didn't expect that the more I get to know this family, the more mysteries connected to the magical world I keep finding here.
Maybe coming back and taking this role wasn't the wrong decision after all.
He then pulled his phone out of his backpack and stared at the dark screen.
"Oh right, I turned it off this morning…"
His thumb pressed the power button.
The screen lit up—followed by a familiar ringtone...
That tone. The special one. The one that signaled a certain person.
His eyes twitched slightly, as if his soul wanted to escape his body.
"God… not now…"
But he knew.
He had to pick up.
If he didn't, she would show up in person.
And… that was far worse.
With the face of a prisoner receiving a life sentence, he pressed the green button.
"H-hel—" Al stuttered.
"How dare they arrange a marriage for you?! Do they want to die?! You've only been there a few days and the fa—"
Click.
The call ended.
Al sighed deeply.
"Wow… how many times have I been yelled at today…"
He stared at the ceiling.
One hand rubbed his face.
Then… he stood up.
His gaze drifted toward the direction of David's room, a sour expression forming on his face.
"That kid… he set me up tonight," he muttered coldly. "It's becoming pretty clear he wants a conflict with me."
Then he smiled.
"Fine. Let's play a little."
He stepped toward the middle of the room.
With a light snap of his fingers, the curtains instantly shut.
The lights went out, leaving only faint strands of moonlight slipping through the gaps in the windows and vents.
He glanced around the room.
"Should I use normal magic… or dark magic?" he murmured.
After thinking for a moment, he decided on normal magic—with a slight modification.
He only intended to give David a small punishment for tonight's little stunt. Dark magic would be far too cruel, and he had no intention of going that far yet.
Besides, in his eyes, what David had done was still just a minor provocation. At most, he had tried to stir up conflict between him, Sarah, and Aurielle—even if the result had nearly turned fatal.
Right now, a bit of spiritual disturbance aimed at David would be enough.
His eyes glowed faintly red.
As he scanned the room, a satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face when his gaze locked onto a certain spot.
He walked over casually.
Grab!
A filthy dark-greenish black creature was suddenly caught in his grip, its neck firmly choked in his hand.
The creature had a humanoid shape—large, bloated, and sagging. Long messy hair covered most of its body. Its eyes glowed red, while uneven fangs and claws protruded wildly from its mouth and hands.
"A genderuwo. Typical nuisance spirit. Smells awful. Decent defensive traits," Al muttered.
He examined it closely.
"But this one looks pretty young. Its magical energy is still quite small. Hmph… well, whatever. Out of everything lurking around here… this one seems the most capable of bothering humans."
He spoke casually, glancing toward the other creatures around the room. They stared in stunned disbelief, clearly confused that a human could grab and injure a spirit.
The other beings—each with strange and grotesque forms—slowly backed away. None of them seemed sure whether they should run or stay.
Meanwhile, the genderuwo trapped in Al's grip struggled violently. Its long claws slashed toward him, trying to break free.
But Al casually sent a pulse of magical energy through his hand.
The creature convulsed violently as if electrocuted, its movements instantly weakened.
The display sent a wave of shock through the watching spirits.
Al shook his head lightly.
"Hey… don't fight it. I need you for something," he said casually. "Don't refuse. Or…"
He smiled and raised his other hand toward the cluster of spirits watching nearby.
Then, with a small downward motion—
HIKK!
All the creatures were suddenly slammed to the floor. The pressure grew heavier and heavier—
BOOM!
They exploded instantly, leaving nothing behind.
Not a single one escaped.
Only scattered particles of energy remained, which Al calmly absorbed into his hand.
"…you'll end up like them."
The dark, glossy genderuwo immediately turned pale at the sight. It could only let out a low growl before nodding weakly, submitting to whatever command Al might give.
Al smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
He released the creature, then pressed a hand against its forehead and began channeling a special spell into it.
Advance Magic : Contract
A white-violet magic circle appeared beneath them, glowing brightly as if binding their existence together.
The contract activated.
The creature became his familiar.
A type of magic typically used to contract beasts—or, in darker cases, to enslave humans if cast on them.
The genderuwo looked a little uneasy about its fate—becoming a familiar, or more accurately, Al's slave. But once the contract activated, it seemed strangely fascinated.
The energy inside its body swelled, as if it had suddenly gained a connection to something vast and powerful.
A sense of safety, satisfaction, and delight spread across its expression, forming a shy smile on that grotesque face.
Unlike the spirit, who looked pleased, Al felt rather annoyed. The fact that he had to spend magical energy just to enslave such a weak creature irritated him.
He could only sigh at the thought. Still, in the end, it was better for executing his little plan than doing nothing at all.
Not long after, he ordered the genderuwo to disturb and scare David.
It could appear in terrifying forms from time to time, cause small poltergeist effects by moving objects around,
or—if it wanted to be a little more extreme—throw or drop dangerous objects toward David without actually hitting him.
Al had no intention of hurting David this time.
The genderuwo immediately shot off with confidence, wearing a wide, eager grin.
Al simply watched with a lazy smile, waiting.
At the same time, he prepared himself for the patrol he was already slightly late for after his earlier conversation with his parents.
But before he could do anything—
BZZTT.
A tremor of energy pulsed through him.
Al's eyes opened slightly in surprise.
"Ohoo..."
A lazy smile slowly appeared on his lips.
"Interesting," he murmured.
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Author's Note
The author is currently making some adjustments to the story.
If you wish to continue reading the next chapters, it is recommended to wait until next week. Several chapters are being revised, so some of them may shift in order or temporarily disappear during the process.
Thank you for your patience and support.
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