Everyone moved toward a secluded area—something like a spacious hall.
Only a few bodyguards and the family members were allowed inside.
Al looked around, then turned to Ramu.
"So… how do we do this?" he asked.
"Just relax yourself first and get ready," Ramu said calmly.
"How am I supposed to get ready if I don't even know what I'm preparing for?" Al asked.
Ramu didn't respond. He simply walked toward the center of the room.
From inside his coat, he took out a small brush and a bottle filled with a dark, reddish liquid.
He then began drawing strange symbols on the floor, one after another, until they finally formed what looked like a large magic circle.
Everyone watched in silence, not daring to interrupt—including Al.
Hmph… that looks like black rooster blood. Pretty common among shamans in this region, he thought.
Since it's already popular among ordinary people, most think it's used for something good—like offerings to ask for blessings from ancestors or gods.
But in reality, it's one of the mediums used to amplify dark magic.
With that much of it, he's really trying to drain my luck dry…But can he even pull that off on a cursed human like me?
Al shook his head.
Huff… whatever. I'll go along with it for the family's sake—for now, at least. As long as nothing weird happens.
Before long, Ramu finished all the preparations.
The ritual circle was complete, along with several jars filled with what appeared to be holy water.
"Al… now take off your clothes," Ramu said.
"Huh? Take off my clothes?" Al exclaimed in shock. "Did I hear that wrong? Why do I need to take my clothes off?"
"You want to be purified and blessed," Ramu replied evenly. "...Of course you need to remove external objects so the ritual can fully affect your body."
Al took a small step back, clearly not expecting the ritual to be this questionable.
I was just thinking that nothing weird would happen… and now this? Take off my clothes? They can see everything, he thought.
Reluctant, he refused.
"Ah… in that case, let's just forget it," he said, waving his hand. "I don't want to take my clothes off. Or just do it with them on—it's fine even if the effect is weaker."
"That won't work. Take off your clothes. Now," Ramu said firmly.
"No… absolutely not," Al replied, stepping even farther away.
"Al!" Edward barked coldly this time. "Stop acting up and just do as Ramu says."
"Father… this is weird," Al protested. "How does this make any sense? Why do I suddenly have to take my clothes off? At this point, it feels like I'm the one about to be violated."
"Enough arguing, Al. Just do it," Edward replied firmly.
"Yes, dear… this is for your own good," Sandra added gently. "Besides, you're only being asked to take off your shirt. Nothing more."
Al continued to step back slowly, waving his hands.
"No. No. This isn't about me refusing the ritual," he said. "It's just that if I take off my shirt… you might see something you really shouldn't."
Al meant something else entirely—a secret hidden beneath his clothes.
But the others misunderstood, thinking he was embarrassed about being stripped bare and exposing things that shouldn't be seen.
"No, Al. We're not asking you to take off your pants—just your shirt," Ramu said persuasively. "And we have no interest in seeing that."
Al remained reluctant, but in the end, he still walked into the ritual circle.
"I'm supposed to sit here, right?" he said as he sat down cross-legged at the center of the magic circle.
He then grabbed the jug of holy water and casually splashed a few drops onto his face and body.
"See? We can do this without me taking my clothes off. Whether I wear them or not… this ritual won't work on me anyway," he added lazily.
"I need sleep more than I need a blessing. Let's just get this over with."
Everyone could only stare blankly at his completely unreasonable behavior.
Ramu staggered back slightly, mouth agape. This was the first time in his life he had seen someone act like this when receiving a ritual.
Seeing this, Edward—already exhausted after a full day of work—finally lost his patience.
"Al. This is important. Stop fooling around and just do what Ramu says," he said coldly.
He then turned to Dedy.
"Dedy. Take his clothes off. If he resists, force him," Edward ordered.
"Yes, Master," Dedy replied crisply.
In an instant, he moved—appearing behind Al.
Al turned around.
This guy? Al thought, tilting his head up slightly to meet the man's gaze.
They're really planning to force me? He sighed inwardly. Ridiculous. Being forced over some stupid ritual…
Dedy looked down at him, expressionless. Without saying a word, his massive hand moved to grab Al's clothes.
The moment Dedy stepped in instead of the ordinary bodyguards, everyone felt things were already under control.
To them, Dedy didn't even need to act. His mere presence was more than enough to restrain Al—to make him tremble in fear.
Unfortunately, what they believed… was very different from what actually happened.
"Hey, giant. Don't think you can do whatever you want to me just because you're bigger," Al said lazily, his tone calm, as he lightly hopped aside.
Dedy's grab missed.
He hadn't expected his move to be dodged by a boy who looked so thin and fragile.
The others were astonished—but even more shocked by the rude remark Al had just made.
Did he just talk like that—to Dedy? Is he not afraid?
Disbelief spread across their faces.
But Al remained completely unfazed.
Dedy, meanwhile, stood there, still trying to process what had just happened.
Edward and Sandra quickly rushed over.
"Al… don't make this difficult," Edward called out.
Sarah and Aurielle also stepped closer.
"Just look at him. He's impossible to reason with," Sarah said coldly. "He won't even listen to his own parents. A wild child will always be a wild child."
"Al," Aurielle said gently, her tone calm. "Just like you, I'm not entirely convinced magic is real either. But what's wrong with going along with the ritual?"
She paused, then added in a persuasive tone,
"…If magic isn't real, then nothing will happen. And if it is real, then you gain something from it. Either way, you lose nothing."
She looked at him steadily.
"At the very least, do the ritual properly. Take off your clothes."
Al brushed the dust and dried liquid off his pants as he responded.
"Your argument sounds reasonable," he said calmly. "But what about an alternative assumption?"
"Alternative?" Aurielle asked.
Al nodded.
"Something like… what if magic is real, and because of certain tricks, the consequences are simply being delayed?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Aurielle frowned.
"Believe in magic or not..." Al continued,
"...I think everything in this world follows cause and effect. Gaining something big usually comes with an equally big sacrifice…"
"…getting something as massive as blessings and the like, without paying a proper price—doesn't that sound strange?"
He then looked at Ramu.
"And then… if people like him can really grant blessings and such, shouldn't he be the first one to receive them himself?"
"…But instead of being more successful than you, he's working for you. Isn't that weird?"
Al shook his head.
"That's why I don't think rituals like this work the way you believe they do," he said. "So whether I take my clothes off or not, there won't be any results."
"Huff... Just do it with me like this. I'll compromise," he added lazily. "I can even fake being possessed if that's what it takes."
The argument hit its mark—but they weren't fools. Of course, they had already thought about such things.
"Of course we know," Edward said calmly. "We've already considered all of that."
"Hm? You already know?" Al asked, genuinely puzzled. "Then why are you still using a shaman's services?"
"As you said, everything has a cost," Ramu replied as he stepped forward. "And the cost for spiritualists like us is that we can't apply those things to ourselves."
"And the cost of performing these rituals is borne by us," he continued.
"That's why you pay us handsomely. You receive the blessings, we shoulder the cost—and you compensate us for it."
Everyone turned to look at Ramu and nodded in agreement.
They didn't understand magic, but to them, the results were obvious. There was nothing left to doubt in Ramu's explanation.
"So for that reason, this ritual must be performed properly—and seriously," Ramu said.
"At the very least, make sure the cost I have to bear for your sake doesn't become even greater."
His voice lowered slightly.
"Because the gods and the ancestors may grow angry if this is treated lightly."
Al looked at him, utterly unmotivated.
Hmph… this guy is really good at making excuses, Al complained inwardly.
But whatever. They were already too deep into it—their belief had taken root. There wasn't much I could do to help anymore.
He let out a quiet sigh, then glanced at his parents for a moment.
Sandra stepped closer.
"Al… just go along with it, okay?" she said softly.
Al nodded helplessly, too tired to argue.
"Alright, Mother. But… are you sure you really want me to take my clothes off?"
Edward and Sandra exchanged looks, then turned to Ramu.
Ramu nodded.
The two of them nodded back at Al.
"Huff… fine. Just don't regret what you're about to see," Al said resignedly as he grabbed the hem of his shirt and began pulling it up.
Hearing that warning, Sandra hesitated slightly—but stayed silent, wanting to understand why Al was so reluctant to undress.
And when the shirt came off—
Silence fell.
Shock swept through the room like a cold wave.
Even Sarah, who had been ready to mock him again, went pale. The bodyguards gasped—goosebumps spreading across their massive frames.
Edward stood frozen.
Even David, who was standing some distance away, could see it clearly.
Terrifying… he thought.