Lemuel twirled the practice sword zily between his fingers, watching the wooden dummy in front of him.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse—someone peeking through the window at the far end of the training grounds.He squinted slightly. His little sister.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Hey, system," Lemuel purred in his mind, his voice dripping with false innocence. "Help this poor host maximize vilin point yield, won't you?"
Vivi froze.Even though she was just a program, she swore her circuits sparked. Hot guys should not be allowed to sound this cute.
[H-Host... that's... that's highly inappropriate behavior.]
But even as she stammered, a new window popped up in front of Lemuen:
[System-Assisted Actions – 10 Vilin Points]
He didn't even hesitate. Purchased.
A series of options lit up in his mind:
Maximum Destruction
Stylish
Simple
Overbearing
He grinned wider.
"Overbearing, obviously."
Before Lemuel could even move consciously, his body shifted into motion—perfect, terrifyingly fluid.
He stepped forward.
The sound of metal sang through the courtyard as he unsheathed his bde. Bck fmes licked along the sword’s edge, devouring the very air around it.
In a single, casual swing, the entire dummy—and half the ground it stood on—vanished in a fsh of bck light.
When the dust cleared, only the dummy's stand remained, cleanly sliced, as if the rest had never existed.
Silence.
[You earned 50 Vilin Points.] Vivi's voice rang in his mind, still slightly breathless.
Lemuel casually rested the sword against his shoulder, scanning the reactions.
The butler, Elric, stood frozen—masking his horror behind a polite smile, though his knuckles whitened where they gripped his tray.
The soldiers stationed around the courtyard were staring at him like he was a monster that had crawled out of hell itself. Wide eyes. Fearful gulps. A few even unconsciously took a step back.
And at the window?Gone. His little sister had disappeared the moment the bck fmes erupted, likely too terrified to keep watching.
Good.
Lemuel let out a disdainful snort and tossed the sword casually aside.The moment it hit the ground, it scattered into bck ash and dissolved into nothing.
Without sparing another gnce, he turned back toward the manor’s entrance.
Elric rushed to meet him halfway, bowing stiffly.
“My liege… the food is ready.”
"Good." Lemuel’s voice was low, bored, utterly commanding. "Prepare the dining hall."
He didn’t even break stride as he walked past, the courtyard still shuddering from the lingering echoes of his power.
[Host...] Vivi whispered in his mind. [You really are scary.]
Lemuel smirked.
"Isn’t that the point?"
Lemuel sat at the grand dining table, idly spinning a knife between his fingers as he waited.
And waited.
He raised an eyebrow. His sister was unusually te.
[Host, a reminder: Lemuel Ark and Angel Ark don't exactly have the best retionship.]Vivi’s soft voice chimed in his head, a touch of caution in her tone.
Lemuel leaned back in his chair, thinking for a second.
Then, in a tone colder than a winter bde, he ordered, "Elric. Fetch my sister."
Elric stiffened, swallowing hard."Y-Yes, my liege."
He hurried out of the room like a man fleeing death itself.
[Host, what exactly are you pnning?] Vivi asked warily.
Lemuel’s lips curled into a slow, wicked grin.
"The Ark family is a joke among nobles," he replied smoothly. "I saw the memes in the game forums. 'The Fallen House Ark,' 'Lowest-Ranked Nobility,' you name it."
He tapped the table lightly with the hilt of the knife.
"I'm going to strip Angel of the Ark name and free her from this trash bloodline. She deserves better."
For a second, Vivi was silent.
[Host... you actually have humanity in you.]Her voice sounded touched.
Lemuel's eye twitched.
"Don’t get it twisted. This is discrimination prevention. Also, if the main character doesn’t even pursue Angel. Despite being blood-reted, that's a missed opportunity. A game is a game, Vivi."
The system’s favorability toward her host dropped like a rock.
[Host... you are depraved beyond salvation.]Vivi sighed heavily, as if menting the fate of the world itself.
Lemuel only smirked inwardly.
"Excuse me, I'm a proud gooner. I shamelessly appreciate hot women and hot guys. I have no intention of hiding it."
Before Vivi could retort, the heavy doors creaked open.Elric returned, leading a small figure behind him.
Angel Ark.
She was stiff and reluctant, her hands nervously fiddling with the hem of her simple dress.Big gray eyes peeked up once at Lemuel—then immediately dropped to the floor.
Fear. Wariness. Submission.
Lemuel smiled inwardly. Perfect.
He rose from his seat slowly, letting his oppressive aura leak out like a rising tide.
"Jinwoo Mode: Activate," Lemuel thought casually.
At once, the atmosphere in the room thickened.Even Elric staggered slightly, a drop of sweat running down his temple as the pressure weighed down on him.
Angel froze in pce, trembling.
Lemuel’s voice, low and commanding, filled the room:
"Angel Ark."
She flinched at the sound of her name.
"Sit. We have much to discuss."
Angel sat stiffly at the table, her small hands trembling on her p.
She couldn't hide it—her fear.
Her brother, Lemuel Ark, wasn’t just the cold, uncaring sibling she had known since childhood.This morning, she had seen it: the monstrous power he wielded so casually.A single swing of his sword had swallowed the training grounds whole.
Even as children, Lemuel had always kept her at arm’s length, treating her with indifference.The only bridge between them had been their mother’s gentle insistence.But now, with both their parents gone, that frail bond had snapped.
They were strangers bound by blood—and nothing more.
Angel shivered slightly under his gaze.
"Ahh, my poor sister... is she shaking? Is she cold? Ahh, I want to hug you, but no... I have to do this for your future."
A voice echoed in Angel's mind—soft, sorrowful, unmistakably Lemuel’s.
Her head snapped up in shock, only to find him staring down at her, his expression as cold and unmoved as ever.
Had she imagined it?
"Don't look at me with those eyes... you'll make me break character. But I'm a sigma... I won't let a woman slow my sword. Bear with it, Angel. Once the school year starts, you'll be free."
Angel’s heart raced.Was she… hearing his thoughts?
Confused, shaken, a conflicted warmth bloomed quietly inside her chest.Was her brother actually... trying to protect her?
Lemuel’s voice, now aloud and sharp as steel, cut through the silence:
"Angel Ark," he said, his tone absolute, leaving no room for argument."Your performance displeases me. You are far too weak to bear the Ark name."
Angel flinched as if struck.
"By my authority as head of House Ark, I hereby strip you of our name.Starting with the new school year, you will live as a commoner."
The words crashed down on her like a tidal wave.Shock, confusion, hurt—she couldn’t tell what she felt more.
"Don't cry, Queen. Wipe your tears."
Again, Lemuel’s private voice echoed inside her mind, sounding almost... gentle.
"The Arks are one of the darker forces in this world. I won’t let you be dragged down with us.Let this alpha brother of yours carry the weight of our sins alone.You—my dear sister—you’ll walk in the light. You'll stand with the forces of good... even if it means denouncing me."
Angel bit her lip, trying to steady her breathing.
It was bitter.It was painful.It was mind-shattering.
But in that moment, Angel understood something she had never realized before.
The Ark family—the noble house she had been born into—was not a proud lineage of heroes.It was a relic of cruelty, ambition, and sin.
And Lemuel—her distant, heartless brother—was trying to sever her from that darkness with his own bloodied hands.
She wanted to scream.She wanted to cry.
But instead, she straightened her back slowly, forcing her tears back, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I... I understand, brother," she whispered.
Lemuel gave no reaction.He simply turned away with a cold flick of his coat.
But if Angel could have seen his face at that moment—She might have caught the faintest trace of a pained smile, hidden deep beneath the mask.
