Edward arrived with several subordinates and bodyguards in tow.
He quickly made his way up to the balcony, his eyes locking onto the two boys.
To him, it was obvious—they were fighting.
And naturally, he immediately assumed that Al was the one causing trouble for David, who had only come to wake him up.
His gaze settled on Al.
The boy's expression was cold. His hair was a mess, and his slightly watery red eyes looked bloodshot with irritation—or so Edward thought. In reality, they were simply the eyes of someone who had been forcibly woken up.
Combined with Al's tense posture, it all painted a clear picture in Edward's mind: Al was enraged.
"What's going on here?!" he barked as he approached.
David lifted his head.
"Dad..."
Al also turned toward him, rubbing his still-watery eyes. His red gaze met Edward's.
Edward stepped forward. Cold. Silent. And that silence made the atmosphere feel even heavier.
Al raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Fath—"
SLAP!
The sharp sound shattered the silence.
Loud.
Al's head snapped to the side. His body staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
His eyes blinked rapidly as a hand moved to his stinging cheek. He was confused. Completely confused.
He hadn't expected Edward to hit him. He hadn't sensed any threat. His instincts hadn't reacted at all. It was as if his brain needed time... to process what had just happened.
Huh? What just happened?
But beyond the slap, there was something even stranger that he couldn't understand.
Edward immediately grabbed Al by the shoulders and shook him.
"Wake up, Al. Come back to your senses! Why are you so full of anger? Why are you fighting with your brother?!"
"Control yourself... don't let yourself get used to this kind of wild behavior and reckless emotion!"
His voice carried restrained anger, but beneath it was genuine concern as he tried to remind Al of who he was now.
"Whatever happened... it's not an excuse to hurt your own brother. Get a hold of yourself! Come back to your senses!"
David frowned in confusion.
Even his bodyguard, who had just limped out from inside the room, looked bewildered.
The guards unconsciously held their breath.
Al too—but his confusion was entirely different.
Slowly, he raised a hand and touched his cheek again.
"That actually hurt?... Huh? How?"
The words slipped out, filled with genuine bewilderment.
His gaze went blank for several seconds. Then, little by little, focus returned to his eyes.
He looked at Edward.
"...What are you doing, Father? Why did you suddenly... hit me?"
His brows furrowed slightly. Not out of anger. But because... he genuinely didn't understand.
Edward unconsciously took a step back. This wasn't the reaction he had expected.
Why did Al look... nothing like someone consumed by rage? Or had the slap somehow snapped him back to his senses?
"Huh?"
Even Edward found himself confused.
After a moment, he stepped forward again, studying Al carefully.
And now that he looked closer, aside from the boy's red eyes, there was hardly anything about him that suggested anger.
Edward let out a quiet sigh.
"Explain. All of you. What happened here?"
David immediately seized the opportunity. His explanation was, for the most part, truthful. For the most part.
He carefully embellished certain details, subtly shifting the blame toward Al.
He explained that he had only entered the room to wake him up. Then he emphasized how Al had still been sleeping soundly while eating breakfast, making him appear even more irresponsible.
After that, he continued in a slightly timid tone.
For some reason, Al had suddenly become furious after having his sleep disturbed. He had grabbed a serving tray, attacked the bodyguard, and then attempted to assault David as well.
David claimed that neither he nor his bodyguard had dared to fight back because they didn't want Al to get hurt.
According to him, the bodyguard had willingly acted as a punching bag in an attempt to calm Al down.
As for David himself, he had merely defended himself from Al's attacks.
He spoke with such passion and dramatic flair that it almost felt as though he were the true victim.
In fact, several guards listening nearby felt an inexplicable urge to change careers and become novelists.
Even Edward found himself wavering. Something about the story didn't fully match what he had witnessed.
When he arrived, it had looked as though both boys were ready to punch each other. Not as though David had simply been defending himself.
And from what he had observed, Al didn't seem nearly as enraged as David described.
Still...
Edward knew there were many powers in this world that remained hidden from ordinary people.
David possessed extraordinary abilities. If he had truly wanted to fight Al, the battle should have ended instantly.
In the end, one fact remained undeniable. Al had attacked first.
And honestly, the entire incident had started because he had been sleeping during school hours. While eating, no less.
For some reason, that irritated Edward more than it should have.
As far as he was concerned... Al was at fault.
Meanwhile, Al let out a faint scoff at David's dramatic retelling.
Still...
The anime about the yellow-haired boy with a fox sealed inside him was far more interesting than this conversation.
He lightly shook his head before glancing toward David's bodyguard.
The man had definitely been planning to use some kind of malicious magic on him.
Unfortunately, Al had no way to prove that to Edward.
And overall, David hadn't actually done anything that could be used as evidence against him.
So Al simply nodded.
"I guess that's pretty much what happened."
The only thing he corrected was one detail.
"I wasn't angry."
He shrugged.
"I was just annoyed. I'm not used to people entering my room whenever they feel like it."
That statement immediately caused David to lose a few points in Edward's eyes.
After all, it was true.
Edward had arrived to find both David and the bodyguard coming out of Al's room.
"Anyway..." Al said nonchalantly. "I guess this was all just a misunderstanding, right?"
Then he looked at David.
"In the end... You did manage to wake me up. And sorry things accidentally ended up..."
His smile widened slightly.
"...with me beating you guys up."
"My apologies."
The words sounded polite. Or at least, polite enough.
David's eye twitched.
The memory of Al standing right in front of him, making him feel genuine danger, still made his blood boil.
Unfortunately, Edward was present. In the end, he simply nodded and chose to leave first.
Edward allowed him to go.
He was just about to continue lecturing Al when one of his subordinates suddenly approached, slightly out of breath, interrupting the tense family drama.
"Sir, you need to leave for the office immediately. You can't delay any longer."
Edward glanced at his watch. Reality came crashing back. He let out a tired sigh.
"Right... good thing you reminded me."
Then he turned toward Al.
"I hope you've learned something from this. And get rid of that barbaric behavior."
His expression became serious.
"Sometimes elites can be even more ruthless than ordinary people. But we... use that ruthlessness to gain power—not to destroy our own family."
His gaze lingered on Al for a moment longer. Then he shook his head and turned away.
"That's all. Get ready. School starts soon."
With that, Edward left with his entourage.
Al simply watched them leave, leaving him behind in that secluded corner of the estate.
Or perhaps not entirely alone.
His gaze shifted toward the trees. Toward the hidden figures lurking among the shadows.
When he had attacked David earlier, he had clearly felt their auras flare up instantly.
It seemed they had been prepared to intervene the moment David found himself at a disadvantage.
However, there had been another presence. A much larger aura. A dark and ominous one that overshadowed all the others.
Its source lay somewhere near David's room.
Al's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced in that direction.
For now, he didn't know what it was. Nor did he feel the need to investigate. After all, this was only his third day here.
Let's take things slowly. That's what a lazy person would naturally do.
Still, the clash had given him a useful piece of information.
The brief eruption of David's energy had allowed Al's magical senses to analyze his strength more thoroughly.
Unfortunately, even after activating his Dimensional Eye, whatever was obstructing his vision was still there.
Because of that, he could only read the limits of David's power—not its true essence.
And what he discovered was interesting.
David had already reached the middle Adept stage in both his Vita and Entra cores. As for his Arma core, it remained at the Novice level.
Developing all three cores to that extent at such a young age could already be considered impressive in this era.
For some reason... Al found himself slightly impressed by the growth of a child born into an elite family.
But then he paused.
Wait. Why am I even impressed?
His brows furrowed inwardly.
I'm the same age as him, and I've already reached Grandmaster level in all three cores. Hehe.
That kid's level is way too low to deserve any praise from me.
A faint smirk appeared on his face. Clearly, he was very pleased with himself.
Another interesting thing he discovered was that David's bodyguard might also be one of those shadowy figures.
The kind he couldn't see through even with the Dimensional Eye.
He had even brushed against the man earlier. The feeling had been strangely familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. The man looked human... but at the same time, not entirely human.
Thinking about it more carefully, he realized that he could read most bodyguards without any problem. Even Dedy. The guards assigned to the other family members were no exception.
Only David's bodyguard was different.
And from what he had observed, those shadowy figures were all gathered around the eastern side of the estate—the eastern garden hidden among the dense trees, as well as the vast forest behind the mansion to the north.
Coincidentally, the eastern section was also where David's quarters were located.
Did that mean David had some special connection to these shadowy guards? Had he secretly recruited them himself? Or were their parents simply giving him special treatment?
For now, everything remained a mystery. A slightly irritating one, at that.
Still, to Al, it was only a minor issue. Like all the other mysteries surrounding him, the truth would reveal itself eventually.
With that thought in mind, Al finally decided to get ready for the rest of his morning schedule.
---
The bathroom on the second floor wasn't particularly large, but after a few adjustments, it had become quite comfortable and modern.
Al stood under the shower, letting the water run over him. It flowed steadily down his hair, calm and soothing.
But that calm did nothing to ease the confusion in his mind.
He raised a hand and touched his cheek again—the same cheek his father had slapped. The sting was gone, but the memory remained vivid.
"What happened actually…?" he muttered. "That wasn't like me. It shouldn't have been possible."
He recalled the moment clearly. It was as if he had lost awareness for a split second—and the slap had landed cleanly on his face.
His defense had failed.
As if that slap had been destined to hit him no matter what.
"…Hmph?"
The impact had been real. The burning sting—just as real.
Confusion clouded his mind as two thoughts collided.
The slap had gone through.
And yet… his passive magical barrier—capable of deflecting bullets and high-level spells—hadn't reacted at all.
A magical barrier was something that formed automatically once a person awakened. It grew alongside the user's realm, evolving with their level.
By nature, it was passive—constantly detecting and responding to incoming threats on its own. Though, of course, it could still be actively controlled if needed.
At Al's level as a Grandmaster, his magical barrier wasn't just capable of blocking something as simple as a normal human slap like Edward's—
It could counter it.
If left uncontrolled, it could even shatter the attacker's hand on impact.
If Al chose to control it, the slap might still land visually—but he wouldn't feel a thing. At most, the one delivering it would be the one feeling the pain.
And yet…
Edward's slap had done the opposite. It carried enough force to sting Al's cheek—and even knock him to the ground.
By all logic, his magical barrier should have recognized it as a threat and activated automatically.
But it didn't.
Al hadn't even been aware of the incoming strike. He had simply… let it hit him.
As if his magic—his energy, his defenses, even his magical awareness—had all been nullified in that instant.
Al blinked, a rare trace of bewilderment crossing his face.
Several theories began forming in his mind.
"Could it be… a bloodline effect? Some kind of natural law?" he murmured. "A child cannot resist their parent… but a parent can strike their child. Something like that?"
He frowned slightly.
"I've never seen anything like this before. A strike from my biological parent bypassed my magic barrier… I couldn't even detect it. It was like my body just… stopped responding."
He rubbed his cheek again, confirming it had really happened—yet somehow, it still felt hard to accept.
"Very strange. Does blood relation automatically nullify my magic during interactions?"
He paused.
"No… that's not it. Yesterday, I used a light spell on Sis Sarah, and a healing spell on Father—both worked just fine."
His thoughts continued to piece everything together, forming a clearer structure.
"Hm… to summarize: light offensive magic worked on Second Sis, healing magic worked on Father… but Father's physical strike nullified my magic barrier."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If I connect those… magic with minor negative intent still works on Second Sister… and magic with positive intent works on Father…"
"...but interactions that would put the other party at greater risk seem to nullify my magic."
He fell silent, his gaze turning distant.
"If that's the case… then something is influencing my magic based on positive and negative interactions with my family. And… there might be differences depending on whether it's directed at my parents… or my siblings."
He slowly stroked his chin, thinking deeper.
Then, his thoughts shifted toward one of the rarest branches of magic.
"…Blood Energy."
A faint realization surfaced in his eyes.
"Since what connects us is blood… maybe this is related to Blood Energy," he murmured. "If that's true… then I'll need to study it further."
The theory settled in his mind.
Blood Energy—an obscure branch, often dismissed as useless due to how difficult it was to control.
But if his assumption was correct…
Then Blood Energy might be one of the few forces capable of bypassing magical defenses—
Because it wasn't just magic.
It was tied to emotion… and blood itself.
Al just stared. His expression was flat. Not sad, not angry, just… lazy.
Silence.
He touched his cheek again.
"It's been a long time since I felt pain like this."
He exhaled softly—not in frustration, but because… it was the first time he'd truly felt what it was like to have biological parents.
"So… this is what it feels like to be hit by your own biological parent? Huh. Weird."
He turned off the shower and shook his head.
"I hope I don't have conflicts with him again. Turns out, he's basically my kryptonite."
Then he remembered something.
"Oh, right... I should probably explain my school schedule again. This time, I'll make sure he actually believes me."
"And that stalker issue... I should bring that up too. Might as well find out whether he knows about it or not."
"Hopefully, he's still around when I get there."
Al finished his shower and prepared for the rest of his morning.
---