"What are you all doing, making such a ruckus? Stand down immediately!" Butler Pais felt a bit embarrassed seeing the group of youngsters warning Muria with such a display.
In the eyes of the Douglas family's higher-ups, Muria's potential was on par with the family members whose Star Affinity exceeded 80%, placing him on the same level as his sister. This assessment was already conservative, as they hadn't been able to fully gauge Muria's aptitude for martial arts. Even so, the high-ranking family members considered Muria a future core member of the Douglas family, with a strong likelihood of surpassing Desli.
However, this evaluation wasn't disclosed to the lower-ranking members of the family. To most of the ordinary Douglas family members, Muria was just a mediocre Star Armor user with only 64.68% Star Affinity, dabbling in martial arts—a field most considered an outdated relic from another era.
As a result, Muria hadn't yet received the level of respect his potential merited within the family. Many still saw him as an outsider chasing influence and connections rather than as a real family member.
"Butler Pais!" As soon as the elderly butler spoke, the young family members around Muria obediently stepped back, looking at him with reverence.
"Master Jenos, let me first show you to your quarters here on the estate," Pais said.
"Alright." Muria nodded, grabbing the butler's arm and letting him lead the way.
"And your pets?" Pais asked.
"Let them stay here. Don't worry—they're well-behaved and won't cause any trouble."
"Very well." The butler glanced at the children, sighed, and led Muria toward the central buildings on the estate.
"Master Jenos, please bear in mind that they're just young and immature. As their elder cousin, you should try to be patient with them," Pais remarked as they walked along the estate's well-kept lawns.
"Elder cousin? By their attitude, they clearly see me as some backwater upstart looking to latch onto family power. I certainly didn't feel any cousinly respect from them," Muria replied with a smile, brushing off Pais's advice. "And besides, Butler Pais, they're not the only kids here. I'm still a kid myself—I'm not even of age."
"True, they were a bit disrespectful. A small lesson is fine, but try not to go overboard," Pais replied, his mouth twitching slightly at Muria's words.
"No worries. Those little guys I keep around know how to handle it—they won't go too hard."
…
"Look at him, already buddying up with Butler Pais after such a short time," muttered Anna, the green-haired girl, clearly frustrated as she watched Muria walk off with the butler. "Maybe you dodged us today with his help, but I doubt he'll always be around to shield you. We'll see who comes out on top."
As Anna finished speaking, she suddenly felt a warm, heavy breath on her back, like some giant beast breathing down her neck.
She stiffened, realizing what this meant. Muria's pets were supposedly a pack of Primordials, and as she slowly turned around, she saw a massive black dog standing right behind her, its thick, black fur ruffling in the wind, barely concealing patches of scales beneath.
A piercing scream filled the air as Anna took in the sight of the enormous beast that seemed poised to swallow her whole. Her terror and shock made her faint, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed.
Shivarin, the black-scaled dog, looked surprised as it stood over the unconscious girl. All it had done was approach and breathe on her, and she'd passed out before it even raised a paw.
"Anna!" Her fainting shocked the other children. Some took hesitant steps back in fear, while others, angered, summoned their Star Armor weapons.
Though they were young, as trained members of the Douglas family, they showed commendable combat instincts. With their armor activated, they spread out, forming a semicircle around Shivarin.
"Is this a Blackscale Hound?" one boy asked, noting the hound's immense size, though it didn't match the descriptions in his textbooks.
"Who cares what it is? It scared us, so let's just beat it."
"Wait, that's Jenos' pet. If we injure it, we'll be declaring a full-on feud with him."
"So what? I heard his Affinity is only 64%."
"But he's still Miss Desli's brother."
"Alright, we'll just rough it up a little," one of them concluded.
Shivarin looked at the group of children debating how badly they should beat it. Its expression turned rather strange, and the kids noticed the oddly human look in its eyes.
"Why is it looking at us like that?"
"Wait a minute," one child suddenly shouted, glancing at the vehicles that had transported Muria. Among them was a sleek car and several large transport trucks. He had assumed they were filled with Jenos' belongings, which wasn't unusual for a member of a prominent family. But with the giant hound before them, he began to realize the trucks might hold more than just luggage.
"Are we… surrounded?" one boy asked, his voice shaking as he noticed cracks appearing in the ground around them, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Damn it, it's using optical camouflage!" cried a girl, realizing the truth with a mix of anger and fear.
As her shout rang out, more and more giant beasts appeared around them, emerging from their invisibility and watching them with predatory, mocking eyes.
Only now did the children realize they weren't surrounding Shivarin; Shivarin and its pack were surrounding them.
Screams of terror and despair echoed over the estate. Despite their talent, elite training, and high-quality Star Armor, these kids were still just children. Faced with the beasts, they couldn't hide their fear of death.
…
"Shouldn't someone intervene?" chuckled an old man watching from a small house in the distance.
"Intervene for what?" another elder replied with a huff, a hint of displeasure on his face. "Did anyone even lay a hand on them?"
"Looks like the family's training policies need adjusting. They didn't even try to fight—some fled right away, and others froze. Not one of them dared to attack."
"They're still young. Don't be too harsh. They haven't experienced real battle yet; it's only natural they'd act like this. There's still time to shape them."
"The younger they are, the more they need to learn. If we don't correct this now, it'll be too late when they're set in their ways."
"Yes, it's a bit embarrassing. It would be a joke if people found out they fainted before the fight even started."
"On the other hand, that young Jenos is quite interesting. Being able to tame so many Primordials and keep them under control shows he's got a firm grip on them. Perhaps we should reassess his standing within the family."
"Let's observe him for a while. Now that he's staying here, he's bound to clash with some of the other young family members. We'll see how he handles himself then."
"Agreed."
…
In a bright, spotless hallway, a girl with long, waist-length dark hair greeted every nurse and doctor with a warm smile, making everyone she passed feel at ease.
Moments later, she opened the door to a hospital room where a green-haired girl lay staring at the ceiling in a daze. The sound of the door roused her from her thoughts.
"Miss Desli, what brings you here?" Anna turned, surprise flooding her face, her heart touched by Desli's visit.
"I heard you were in the hospital, so I came to check on you. Seems like you weren't hurt," Desli replied, her expression cool as she looked at Anna.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss. I'm fine," Anna replied, her face flushing with emotion.
"If you're fine, then why are you still here? Do you think the family's medical resources are here for you to waste?" Desli's voice was sharp.
Anna immediately scrambled up from the bed, nervous.
"I've already heard what happened," Desli continued, her expression shifting from calm to cold as she looked at Anna. "Who gave you the order to go and warn my brother? I don't recall ever issuing such instructions."
"It was my decision, Miss. But Jenos came all the way to the capital—he's obviously here to ride on your coattails!"
"That's my concern, not yours. And another thing, although I haven't met him, he is my brother. Who gave you the right to call him by his name?" Desli's gaze was icy. "If you ever pull something like this again, you can consider your time with me over. I don't need anyone to act on my behalf. Understood?"
"Understood," Anna stammered, cold sweat dripping from her forehead.
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