Khalil reached into his pocket.
After several seconds, he carefully pulled something out before extending it toward Ray.
"More accurately…"
His expression slowly turned solemn.
"…because of this."
Ray's eyes shifted slightly.
Khalil carefully placed them onto the small table in front of them.
A ring and a black card.
The moment they appeared beneath the moonlight, even Ray's gaze paused briefly.
The ring was forged from some unknown dark metal that reflected neither silver nor black completely.
Strange silver patterns flowed faintly across its surface like living veins moving beneath the material itself.
At the center of the ring rested a small emblem resembling a cat's head alongside a sharp claw mark.
Meanwhile, the black card felt even more unusual.
Its surface was completely matte, dark enough to resemble a fragment of the night sky itself. There were no numbers. No bank logo. Nothing.
Only a single golden symbol rested quietly at the center.
And for some reason… the moment Ray looked at those two objects, he immediately understood one thing. They were incredibly valuable.
Khalil slowly extended them toward Ray.
"These… are the things Madam left behind for you," he said quietly.
Ray didn't take them immediately. Instead, he simply stared silently at the ring and black card resting on the table.
Khalil slowly continued speaking.
"Madam gave me strict instructions. One day… when Young Master became ready… I was to hand these over to you."
"Ready?" Ray repeated calmly.
A bitter smile appeared on Khalil's face as he began explaining.
Ray had grown up without a mother since birth. And because of that, the Patriarch ended up spoiling him heavily during childhood.
He was given special treatment, excessive freedom, and almost nobody truly disciplined him properly.
And eventually… that spoiled child became the useless young master everyone knew today.
Even the Patriarch himself gradually began looking at Ray with disappointment and disdain.
Before her death, the First Madam had told Khalil something very clearly.
The thing represented by that ring… could only belong to Ray if he ever became worthy of inheriting it.
But after watching Ray waste his life for years—becoming lazy, arrogant, empty, without ambition, purpose, or pride—Khalil had long stopped believing that day would ever come.
"At first… I truly believed that day would never arrive," Khalil continued quietly.
"You buried yourself in meaningless entertainment while allowing everyone inside this family to trample over you."
Then the old man slowly exhaled. But this time, a faint proud smile appeared on his face.
"However… tonight changed that."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"For the first time in years… you finally fought back. You stopped lowering your head."
"And because of that…"
Khalil slowly pushed the ring and black card forward once again.
"…I can finally see the worthiness Madam once spoke about within you. So... I decided to fulfill her final order."
Ray's gaze remained fixed on the two objects. Even now, he still didn't take them immediately. Instead, he calmly asked one final thing.
"What exactly are they?"
A brief silence passed before Khalil's expression slowly turned serious.
"The ring… is proof of authority, and the card contains enough wealth to guarantee you a safe life no matter what happens in the future."
His voice lowered slightly.
"External enemies. Internal family conflicts. Succession wars."
A cold wind quietly drifted across the lake.
"As long as you possess what lies behind those two things… nobody within this province would dare touch you carelessly."
Ray narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What lies behind them?"
Khalil glanced around the area once more, carefully making sure nobody was nearby before continuing his explanation.
"A shadow organization. One personally created by the First Madam herself."
Ray's eyes flickered faintly.
Khalil continued.
"Officially… the Dafelix Family only rose because of the Patriarch. But behind the scenes… Madam built many things the family never knew existed."
"Networks, information channels, private forces, business routes, hidden factions, people loyal only to her."
His voice became quieter.
"And eventually… all of it became an organization existing entirely within the shadows. For the family. But more importantly…"
His gaze locked onto Ray.
"…for herself and her child."
Silence descended once again.
Khalil slowly lowered his head slightly.
"Unfortunately… after Madam's death, the organization gradually stopped moving."
"I still monitored parts of it from time to time…"
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
"At first, they remained loyal. They stayed active while waiting for the true heir to appear. But after seeing how you lived all these years…"
He shook his head lightly.
"…many became disappointed. They started believing you would never become worthy of leading them."
"Some factions already separated themselves long ago. Some may still be waiting. And some…"
His eyes slowly darkened.
"…might have already become dangerous."
The old man slowly pushed the ring and black card closer toward Ray.
"That's why I need you to reclaim them. To gather the organization once again. To bring those scattered factions back under one banner."
His gaze locked onto Ray deeply.
"And to become the person standing at the center of it all… just like your mother once did."
Ray narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So besides the massive power behind these things… there's also massive danger attached to them," Ray commented calmly.
Khalil slowly nodded.
"Yes. That's exactly how it is, Young Master. But…"
His expression softened slightly.
"Madam once said… you also have the right to refuse. If you don't want any of this… then continue living as the spoiled young master everyone already knows."
His voice remained calm.
"Or live however you personally wish. Nobody will force you. Because in the end… Madam only wanted one thing."
"She wanted you to live a proper and peaceful life… the kind of life you deserved to have from the beginning."
The old man slowly looked toward the black card.
"If that becomes your choice… then I'll personally manage Madam's remaining wealth for you."
"I'll gradually dissolve the organization… and quietly provide you with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
Silence followed afterward.
Ray quietly stared at the ring and black card for a very long time.
No emotion appeared on his face. No greed. No excitement. Nothing at all.
Even Khalil slowly began feeling uncertain.
…So Young Master truly doesn't want it after all?
The old man sighed quietly inwardly.
Perhaps… he had expected too much tonight.
Slowly, Khalil reached forward and began pulling the two items back toward himself.
But before he could fully retract his hand—
Ray suddenly smiled faintly. A small smile. Calm. Confident.
"Of course I'll accept them," he said casually.
Khalil froze slightly. For a brief moment, the old man almost thought he had misheard.
Then Ray finally reached forward and picked up both the ring and the black card.
"This… came from my mother."
Ray glanced briefly at the ring before looking back at Khalil. A faint smirk slowly appeared on his lips.
"So naturally, the only proper answer is to accept it."
For a moment, Khalil looked completely caught off guard.
"Y-Young Master…"
Then gradually… a smile slowly formed on the old man's face. For the first time in many years, genuine relief appeared within his tired eyes.
And strangely enough… as he looked at the calm confidence now visible on Ray's face…
The old man suddenly felt that perhaps—
The Dafelix Family was about to face something far greater than anyone realized
---
Ray quietly leaned back against the soft bed inside his room.
The large bedroom felt strangely silent now.
After delivering the inheritance and explaining everything he knew, Khalil had chosen to leave the western residence once again, claiming he still had personal matters to handle elsewhere.
Ray didn't stop him.
Though honestly… it was a pity. That old man was far more useful than he initially appeared.
A loyal retainer. Experienced. Careful. Familiar with the hidden side of the Dafelix Family.
Someone like that would've been valuable to keep close. But forcing people to stay was meaningless. At least for now.
No matter how useful Khalil might be… he was still a considerable risk for the current Ray.
Ray slowly glanced toward the ring and black card resting atop the small table nearby.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Not bad…"
His voice sounded amused.
"To think I'd gain something this huge before even spending a full day here."
The harvest tonight had exceeded expectations.
A hidden inheritance. A shadow organization. Massive wealth. And perhaps even far more secrets waiting underneath all of it.
Ray eventually placed the two items aside.
"Tomorrow," he muttered calmly. "...There was no need to rush."
Then his hand slowly reached toward the phone inside his pocket.
He stared at the device quietly for several seconds before finally turning it on.
The screen lit up instantly.
Ray narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If I remember correctly…"
His fingers moved across the screen.
"…the password should be this."
Click. Unlocked. The phone opened immediately.
Ray calmly began checking through everything inside. Messages. Photos. Videos. Contacts. Social media.
Ray's life was practically laid bare there without restraint.
Some parts made Ray's expression twitch slightly in disgust.
"…ugh."
He leaned back slightly while scrolling through several conversations.
"What a mess."
But despite that, he didn't delete anything. Not a single file. Not even the embarrassing ones.
"It's still too early to change too much," Ray muttered quietly. "I don't want people becoming overly suspicious yet."
His gaze lingered briefly on several messages before the corner of his lips lifted faintly.
"And besides… keeping all this garbage around might become useful later."
Even trash could become an asset depending on how it was used.
Eventually, Ray locked the phone and stood up from the bed.
The cold night air quietly drifted through the massive window near the side of the room.
Ray slowly walked toward it.
Beyond the glass, the enormous Dafelix Residence stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
The estate looked almost like a small private kingdom.
Elegant lights flickered throughout distant gardens and pathways. The massive lake reflected the moonlight softly while cold wind drifted across the quiet western territory.
And within all that silence…
Only Ray remained there alone. Or perhaps… not alone.
Because suddenly... a massive magic circle quietly formed behind him.
Bright violet symbols rotated slowly across the floor, illuminating the dark room with an eerie glow.
WOOSSHH—!
Mana surged violently.
The space itself distorted slightly before a figure suddenly stepped out from the center of the circle as though teleporting directly into the room.
Ray calmly turned around. Not surprised. Not alarmed. Almost as if he had already expected this. Then a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.
"…So you finally came."