People had already left the dining room, leaving only a few servants behind.
Al leaned back lazily in his chair.
A hollow sigh escaped his lips.
"Ah… this is seriously troublesome," he muttered lightly.
For a moment, he emptied his mind, letting the flow of energy inside his body run smoothly before taking any action.
The sewer incident didn't bother him that much. Not being allowed to eat in the family dining room wasn't a big deal either.
He didn't have any emotional connection with that so-called real family yet.
The only thing that bothered him was the fact that the attitudes and actions of the family members seemed to have some influence on his curse.
Even though he still lacked any emotional bond with them, something inside him seemed strangely sensitive whenever it came to this family.
Before long, the energy flow within his body gradually stabilized. The slight tension on his face faded, returning to his usual lazy expression.
Hmph… he snorted inwardly.
For now, there were only two paths he could hope would solve this curse.
The first was finding that relic—though he wasn't even sure it could actually cure the curse.
And the second… a more realistic solution that somehow sounded completely unrealistic.
Integration.
Showing normal humans that cursed humans like them could still live peacefully alongside them, despite the terrifying risks.
He then looked into the distance, toward where the family had gone to check on Aurielle in the restroom.
About that… I guess I just confirmed a classic theory.
Yeah. Every cursed human has an emotional weakness. And mine seems to be… this family.
Ironically, they're also the very first people who should accept me as I am.
He let out a quiet sigh.
And now… some of my interaction routes are a bit blocked.
Sarah and David weren't worth worrying about. But Aurielle, who had at least accepted him as a younger brother, would probably be a little affected by this.
That left Edward and Sandra.
But it seemed like they were still keeping their distance from him, despite the effort they'd shown so far.
So for this integration thing… it might take more time.
He paused for a moment, then continued thinking calmly.
But that might actually be better. I could focus on finding the relic while observing this family more carefully.
A faint, resolute smile appeared on his lips.
Yup… besides, it's only been two days since I arrived here. Everything is still new. There's nothing worth making a big deal out of yet.
He stood up and stretched his arms, loosening the tension in his body—the emotional pressure that had almost made him explode earlier.
His smile slowly widened.
His gaze drifted toward the food still spread across the table, and the few servants who seemed to be waiting for him to leave. His mood was starting to improve.
After eating several large pieces of meat and taking a sip of a sweet drink, he finally got up and left—giving the servants a small signal as he passed.
He walked toward the toilet.
Almost everyone present turned to look at him.
A powerful aura struck him instantly. Al felt it right away and glanced slightly to the side without turning around.
It was Aurielle's two bodyguards—Mira and Hil—who were releasing a tense magical pressure, whether intentionally or not.
They had already been informed that Aurielle's vomiting was triggered by Al bringing up her sewer-related trauma.
And that was enough to make them furious. Triggering their young lady's trauma was no different from threatening her safety.
The anger on their faces was obvious.
A wave of energy unconsciously spread from them, pressing down on Al—an unspoken warning not to cause any more trouble.
After all, Al was still one of the young masters of the Virellano family, so they couldn't act against him openly.
Al merely let out a faint sigh and walked past them, completely ignoring the pressure. To him, it was nothing more than a minor disturbance that wasn't worth responding to.
The difference in their levels was simply too large.
Al had reached peak Grandmaster level in all three cores, while the two of them were only at peak Adept level in Vita (internal energy user/martial artists).
They were just slightly weaker than Dedy, who stood at the middle stage of the Expert level as a martial artist.
Even if Al were at the same level as them, the quality of his energy alone would still give him the advantage in a clash of aura dominance.
Al walked past them, but of course, they weren't the only ones blocking his way.
Sarah stepped forward and stopped him, her expression far angrier than before.
"Why are you here? Are you trying to cause trouble again? Bringing your sickness with you, huh? Don't come any closer!"
Al didn't respond.
A slight tremor stirred inside him, but this time he managed to control it.
He simply waved a hand, as if telling Sarah to be quiet, and stopped in front of the restroom door—keeping a clear distance between himself and the people gathered there.
Edward stood by the door with David. He turned toward Al, watching him with a curious look.
Meanwhile, inside the restroom, Sandra was helping Aurielle. She briefly glanced outside and noticed Al standing there, quickly trying to block Aurielle's view so she wouldn't see him.
Al didn't pay much attention to that. He only spared David a brief glance.
Then he spoke—loud enough for Aurielle to hear.
"I don't know how this turned into such a big issue. I'm not even sure whether this happened because of me… or someone else."
Those words sent a small wave of tension through David. As the real culprit, he was startled to hear something like that from Al.
For a moment, he felt as if Al knew something. But he wasn't sure. For now, the best thing he could do was remain silent and observe.
Al continued.
"But I understand your trauma, Eldest Sister. So as your younger brother—and as the source of the trouble—I'm sorry."
His voice was sincere.
He reached into his pocket and took something out.
It was a black metal bracelet.
"And as my apology, I hope Sister Aurielle will accept this."
He handed it to Edward instead.
Edward looked at the bracelet. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary piece of metal—cheap, like something bought from a roadside stall.
Sarah stepped closer, furious.
"What are you trying to do now? What is that thing?" she snapped.
"Throw it away, Dad! His presence alone already made eldest sister nauseous. Accepting something from him would be even worse. That thing probably carries the same disease he does."
This time, Edward raised his hand, signaling Sarah to stop. Then he turned back to Al.
"A bracelet? Why are you giving this to your sister?" he asked.
Al nodded.
"I don't really know how to explain it, Father. But you can think of it as some kind of charm."
"...Trust me—if Sister wears it, or even just keeps it in her pocket, not only will the nausea disappear… her trauma will eventually be cured as well."
That statement shocked them.
Regardless of how confidently Al delivered it, such an outrageous claim sounded almost like bragging—and it was both surprising and irritating.
To them, something like that was simply impossible.
At a moment like this, when the situation was serious, Al seemed to be making a joke out of it.
Aurielle had undergone countless treatments and therapies, and at best they had only managed to suppress her trauma. And now a simple bracelet could cure it just by being carried around?
It made no sense.
But one person didn't want to dismiss Al's words so quickly.
David.
Remembering the magical item Al had used yesterday to injure Mail, David couldn't help but wonder.
Could Al have another magical artifact?
He carefully assessed the bracelet, staring at it closely.
Unfortunately, this time…
it looked completely ordinary.
Yeah. There's no way he's that lucky—having two powerful artifacts, David thought.
People fell silent for a moment after Al finished speaking.
Before anyone else could say anything—
Sarah suddenly stepped forward again.
Her expression twisted with irritation.
"Oh, come on. What kind of nonsense is this now?" she scoffed loudly. "A bracelet that cures trauma? Just by carrying it?"
She let out a short, mocking laugh.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard today."
Her eyes turned cold as she glared at Al.
"You really think we're stupid enough to believe something like that? What is that thing, anyway? Some cheap scrap you picked up from the street?"
She crossed her arms, clearly disgusted.
"And now you're acting like some kind of miracle healer? Please. Stop embarrassing yourself."
Al, however, looked completely uninterested.
He didn't even bother responding to Sarah's insults.
Instead, he simply shrugged lightly.
"Believe it or not… that's up to you. At least I've tried to help."
His tone was calm—almost indifferent.
He glanced briefly at Edward and Sandra, then gave a small respectful bow.
"I've already said what I needed to say."
His voice softened slightly.
"If Eldest Sister believes me, she can keep it. If not… you can just throw it away."
There was no insistence in his tone.
No pride.
No irritation.
Just simple indifference.
With that, Al straightened his back and turned around, beginning to walk away down the hallway.
Sarah stared at him in disbelief for a moment.
Then the irritation bubbling inside her burst out again.
"Tch! Acting like he did something amazing!"
She took a step forward as if wanting to continue scolding, but Al didn't even slow down.
His footsteps remained relaxed.
Unhurried.
As if her words didn't exist at all.
That only made Sarah even more annoyed.
"Sarah!"
Edward's voice cut through the hallway firmly.
Sarah froze.
Edward lowered his hand slowly, his gaze stern.
"That's enough."
His tone wasn't loud, but it carried the unmistakable authority of the head of the family.
Sarah clenched her teeth, clearly unwilling to let it go. What had happened to Aurielle, combined with her dislike for Al, made her feel even more frustrated.
Normally, she wouldn't miss a golden chance like this to lash out at him.
Unfortunately, this time she had no choice but to stay silent.
Meanwhile—
Al had already walked quite far down the corridor.
A greenish energy appeared at the tip of his right index finger. With a casual flick, he sent the energy shooting behind him.
Then he slipped his hands casually into his pockets as he continued walking.
His expression returned to that same lazy calm.
Then he murmured lightly to himself.
"If you believe…"
His voice was soft, almost playful.
"You'll recover, Sis."
The energy flowed back and entered the metal bracelet still in Edward's hand.
Al feel it. A quiet smile lingered on his face as he continued walking down the hallway.