Inside one of the hospital rooms, a twelve-year-old boy awoke and looked around, only to find the place completely empty. He tried to rise on his own, yet he could not feel his body at all. He could not even speak, as though he were a spirit imprisoned within a body. Still, he continued trying because he had no other choice.
Suddenly, the room's door opened, revealing a massive man with a wide smile on his face. Normally, someone in such a situation would feel confused, but the boy remained strangely calm as he looked toward the man, who said:
"Enfel Kito, the miracle of this era who reached the seventh level at such a young age!"
Yet no response came.
The man asked in surprise, "You can't move your body?"
Enfel blinked in reply.
"One blink for yes, two for no, alright?"
Enfel blinked once.
The man smiled.
"So you know who I am, huh, kid?"
Envel blinked once again.
"I am the head of the Jura Family, and His Majesty asked me to check on your condition since you're a member of the Kito Family, so I'll tell you a few things…"
He cleared his throat before continuing.
"The Kito Family was supposed to remain a second-rate noble house because we believed Davey Kito was still alive and at the seventh level. But things turned out differently. He had lost his power, and the one who ruled the family after him wasn't even a true member of the family. She was merely a puppet—and only at the sixth level. With her death, no sixth-level member remains, which means the family will be stripped of its noble title and your social standing will decline."
Despite how serious those words were, Enfel showed little reaction—not because he was a child, but because of the period in which he had been imprisoned and turned into a puppet under the corpse's control. His emotions had become numb.
The family head noticed this and said,
"I believe I have a solution for your family. You'll also receive proper care, boy, and the matter is very simple…"
He pulled out a sheet of paper.
"I only need your signature here so you may become part of the Jura Family. This way, you won't suffer pressure from your own family anymore. In fact, you'll become its leader as well. I'll merely gain a bit of influence, nothing more. So, what do you think?"
Enfel blinked twice in refusal.
"..."
The family head was surprised.
"Why, boy? Your family will pressure you endlessly like this, and I'm offering you the solution!"
But Enfel merely looked at him with weary eyes. The family head then remembered that Enfel could not speak.
"Fine. You can tell me the reason once you leave the hospital. I'll fulfill any request you have."
Afterward, he exited the hospital and entered a luxurious carriage.
"Head to the guest mansion now. I'd like to visit that boy."
The driver immediately understood whom the family head meant and moved at once.
As for Enfel, unable to move, his thoughts wandered back to that power which had freed him from the corpse's restraints. At the time, he had felt something majestic and terrifying, yet that being had saved him.
"What was his name again? I hope I can meet him and thank him for saving me…"
Then he closed his eyes once more.
When Shion Lan arrived at the mansion, he was surprised by the large crowd gathered at the gate.
"What's going on here?!"
One of the guards among the crowd moved toward him and said,
"Watch where you're going, brat. Our lord is inside!"
But the mansion guard immediately raised his weapon at the man.
"This is the lord of the palace, you idiotic bastard!"
"Forgive his ignorance, Lord Lan. I'll punish him personally."
A young man's voice came from beyond the gate. He appeared to be in his twenties. As he passed beside his guard, the man collapsed to the ground, crushed and unable to stand under the force of gravity itself.
The young man smiled.
"Lord Lan, we meet again!"
He extended his hand for a handshake.
Shion replied calmly, "I'm sorry, but… who are you?"
The man stiffened awkwardly.
"You forgot me that quickly…?"
He cleared his throat.
"Allow me to introduce myself then. I am Grimm Jura, heir of the family, a sixth-level mage and swordsman, and I'm on the verge of reaching the seventh."
Shion nodded lightly.
"It seems Lord Jura possesses extraordinary talent and noble lineage. But may I ask why you are here?"
Grimm tilted his head.
"Do you not want my presence or something?"
Shion smiled faintly.
"That's not it. I'm simply wondering why you're standing outside instead of inside the palace. I mean… I doubt the maid failed to recognize you."
Grimm sighed.
"My father is inside waiting for your arrival to discuss certain matters with you. Unfortunately, my sister is also inside, and we don't get along well, so I decided to step outside for a while."
"I see. Then feel free to do as you wish. It seems I'm simply unfortunate enough not to host Lord Grimm Jura today."
Grimm shook his head.
"It's fine. I can enter as long as you're here."
The two entered the mansion together, only to be met by Marie rushing toward them.
"Lord Lan!"
"What is it?!" Shion asked quickly, concern flashing in his eyes.
"The lady is currently hosting the head of the Jura Family!"
"What's wrong with that?" Grimm asked.
But Shion gave no explanation and hurried inside, trying to stop whatever disaster might occur.
...
Shion's mother was seated before the family head, thinking nervously,
'Should I ask him whether he's hungry… or…?'
The family head suddenly spoke.
"Lady Lan, though we have never met before, I can tell what kind of person you are from your son's behavior."
His mother panicked internally.
'Don't tell me…! Did my son offend this person?! …But who even is he anyway…?'
Her expression relaxed slightly before the family head continued,
"To be honest, I admire your composure despite my praise for your son. I can tell you are a wonderful woman, so I would be delighted to have a conversation with you."
She smiled gently while thinking,
'I never expected my son would gain the attention of someone with such authority to the point Mary was sweating when she met him, so… I'll grill meat and prepare the finest dishes I've ever seen in the cooking books!'
But before she could speak, the door burst open violently as Shion appeared, drenched in sweat, startling everyone.
After catching his breath, he said,
"Welcome to the palace. May I know the reason for your visit?"
His mother wanted to scold him, but Marie hurried in and said,
"My lady, why don't we let the men speak now?"
Shion's mother looked toward another woman—a beautiful lady in her mid-twenties, Ji Jura—and said to Marie,
"But she's still here."
"My lady, I need to tell you something important outside."
Noticing the seriousness in Marie's tone, she realized the matter was grave. She excused herself and left.
Once calm again, Shion sat down and said quietly,
"Forgive my earlier behavior, sir."
The family head looked confused.
"Did something happen that I don't understand?"
Shion answered,
"Well, if you recall, the Lan Family is still new, and my mother was originally a commoner, so she may not know how to converse properly and might misunderstand things accidentally, sir."
The family head smiled.
"When I first saw you, I assumed you inherited those traits from your mother. As far as I remember, no third-rank noble family possesses the same air and presence surrounding you."
Shion replied calmly,
"My mother, as I said, was treated as a commoner. As for me, I was treated poorly despite being a noble, so there are some differences."
Then he asked seriously,
"And speaking of ranks and status among nobles, I don't believe I've done anything worthy of the personal visit of a first-rank family head. You could have simply sent someone else."
At that moment, Grimm entered the room.
"Apologies for being late…"
"As you can see," the family head said, "my son arrived first yet still managed to be late, so I suppose I must handle matters personally."
Ji added coldly,
"If it doesn't involve fighting, it's better not to bring Grimm along. Otherwise, things become troublesome."
"…"
Shion and Grimm exchanged looks. Grimm seemed exhausted by his father and sister, while Shion merely smiled helplessly.
"Very well then. I hope the matter requiring your presence isn't dangerous for us."
The family head answered directly,
"Join my family."
Shion narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The reason?"
Without hesitation, Ji spoke,
"I was present during the incident at the Kito Family estate, and I witnessed your abilities, so…"
"I believe it was your brother who was with me, not you."
Shion's expression remained indifferent, shocking Ji.
Yet he closed his eyes and continued calmly:
"As far as I remember, it was Lord Grimm who fought beside me and supported me. I don't recall your presence at all. Though I won't deny that you were outside preventing the spread of corrupted energy, I still want Grimm to receive the recognition and credit he deserves."
Ji frowned.
"Excuse me, but I never claimed I participated. I said I was observing."
Shion nodded.
"It seems you still don't understand. If your attention was focused on my battle, you wouldn't have been able to determine from which crack the corrupted energy would emerge. Therefore, you had to dedicate your full concentration to a single point—the surrounding barriers."
Ji replied irritably,
"I sensed your presence from the beginning when I arrived, so the barriers didn't matter. My ability as a mage surpasses many of my peers. I can observe from afar while monitoring the barriers simultaneously!"
Shion calmly observed the atmosphere around him.
"Then where exactly were you when I appeared?"
"Well… I was…"
Ji stammered, but her father interrupted.
"I quite enjoyed your method of steering the conversation elsewhere, but that isn't why we came. So I'll ask again… do you wish to join my family?"
A heavy aura erupted from him, crashing onto Shion. He felt pinned to his seat.
"I do not believe such an arrangement suits the Lan Family. Still, thank you for your generosity."
Yet the aura did not disappear. Instead, the family head increased its pressure further.
Shion felt as though his body were being crushed. His bones groaned beneath the weight. His organs screamed in agony. Dust filled his lungs as if he were being buried alive.
Even so, under all that pressure, he smiled.
'Pain and death? …I've endured far worse.'
When the family head noticed Shion's smile, he smiled as well before withdrawing his aura entirely.
The two stared at one another confidently.
Finally, the family head rose to his feet.
"Well then, Lord Lan, I hope my visit did not disturb you."
Both Grimm and Ji were shocked by their father's behavior.
"But I haven't even offered proper hospitality yet. Please stay a little longer."
"Thank you, but I still have matters that require my attention."
"In that case, I cannot insist."
Shion smiled lightly and escorted the guests outside.
Once they departed, Marie emerged from behind him and stared fearfully.
"How did you survive that stunt of yours?!"
Shion calmed her.
"It's fine. It was merely a small conversation. There's no need to be so tense."
But she replied angrily,
"I was afraid the lady might do something dangerous, but you surpassed her by far!"
Shion smiled faintly.
"Do you want to know the secret?"