Allen looked at Edna—at her rare solemn expression, the professional smile finally gone from her face.
He was a little stunned.
Her words had triggered a memory in his mind—of a plot point in the original Mushoku Tensei novel that he had rather disliked in his past life.
And then—
A sudden realization struck him.
He lowered his head, trying to focus on the source of that conversation.
In front of the desk, all the heads had moved aside—Eris and the others had all turned to look at Edna, captivated by her words.
Under the candlelight, the flame flickered against the slightly yellowed pages of the book.
The Compendium of Noble Family Crests lay open, with a hand-drawn, double-page spread of exquisite design. The black and white family crest practically leapt off the page into Allen's eyes.
It was…
Fluttering.
The lines of the feathers were delicately sketched, vivid and lifelike.
A pair of wings.
Not at rest, but mid-beat—as if about to take flight. Just a glance made Allen feel a chill pass by his cheek.
A strong wind.
The feathers seemed to rustle, as if moving within the drawing.
Allen recognized them.
They were eagle wings.
But why had Edna just said that Boreas was different from other families that used magical beasts or animals in their crests?
Because—
Where the eagle's body should have been...
Something else had replaced it.
A heart.
A human heart.
The Wings of the Heart of the Boreas family.
Soaring toward the future.
Outside, the footsteps were getting closer. From the sound alone, Allen could sense the bold and aggressive presence behind them—the stride of someone who walked like a beast.
Eris, hearing the familiar and comforting footsteps, began to turn her head toward the window—but halfway through, her neck stiffened. She forced herself, with great effort, to turn back and keep looking at Edna.
But her gaze still drifted slightly toward the window, and the corner of her lips curled into a smile.
As she moved, Allen shifted his gaze away from the Wings of the Heart and looked toward the window as well.
Through the window passed Sauros, his mixed white hair still unable to dampen his fierce aura in the darkness.
He glanced sideways.
He didn't speak—he never interrupted classes—but smiled faintly at Eris, who was clearly distracted. Sauros knew she had trouble focusing, so he avoided disturbing her during lessons. That was his rule.
The next moment, the smile vanished like a dragonfly skimming water.
Maybe it had just been a trick of the light.
Then his gaze shifted to Allen.
Their eyes met for a moment.
Then broke away.
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Edna's voice rose again.
She said the name of the Boreas family crest.
But it wasn't what Allen expected—Wings of the Heart.
"Iron Heart."
"That is the name of the Boreas family crest."
—
It was already late.
Today's etiquette lesson had ended after introducing the family crest—leaving a bit of suspense. The actual family etiquette class was saved for tomorrow.
This was Edna's usual teaching strategy.
She smiled as she watched Eris, Sylphy, and the others chattering away, discussing whether the wings looked good or why the heart was gray and not dyed red like blood—silly topics, but lively ones.
She was clearly pleased with today's results.
She didn't interrupt, only nodded to Allen—the "leader" of the group—gave him the farewell gesture of a noblewoman, and left the classroom.
Rudy, sitting next to Sylphy, suddenly lifted his head. He briefly met Sylphy's gaze, then looked toward Allen, who was still silently staring at the Iron Heart, before grabbing his notebook and quietly following Edna.
This was Rudy's habit—chasing after Edna to ask her all sorts of extended etiquette-related knowledge from other fields.
No one found it odd anymore.
Sylphy glanced at Allen, then smiled and resumed her conversation with Eris.
Allen remained quiet, still staring down at the Iron Heart.
His mind echoed with Edna's words from earlier—spoken just as Sauros had walked by.
"The existence of Fittoa on this land is not the pursuit of the Boreas family."
"The eternal continuation of Fittoa on this land—that is the pursuit of Boreas."
Eternal continuation... that is the Boreas ideal, huh?
Was that why, after the Displacement Incident, they spent everything to rebuild the territory?
"Allen? Allen, are you okay?"
The soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
He turned to look at the source.
"Hm? What is it?"
In his vision, Sylphy blinked.
And outside the window—the scenery had changed.
Yesterday was already gone.
Now, the late sun shone through the window, casting red-gold light on Sylphy's face. Her reddish-brown eyes sparkled in the sunset.
As if in a daze, Allen realized—an entire day had already passed.
Today's etiquette class had begun again.
On the table, the same Compendium of Noble Family Crests was laid open.
"Ever since Edna-sensei talked about the Iron Heart, you always look so serious when the Boreas crest is mentioned. Are you sure you're okay?"
Allen blinked, smiled, and looked away from her dazzling eyes.
His gaze returned to the book on the table.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about some things."
Outside the classroom, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Click-clack, steady on the floorboards.
From the sound alone, one could tell it was Edna's usual calm, composed walk.
Elegant, noble…
Noble?
That thought didn't sit right—something felt… off.
Before Allen could even look up, his flow sense instantly pulled in signals from those nearby.
Sylphy's body had tensed, her heartbeat quickened—someone was making her nervous.
Eris's mouth opened, letting out a surprised "Ah?"
Rudy, for some reason, was flipping the pages of his notebook frantically, the paper rustling non-stop.
Ghislane suddenly sat up straighter. Her scabbard scraped audibly against her pants as she adjusted her posture.
And further away—just outside the classroom door—the source of that earlier dissonance now made Allen freeze in disbelief.
His eyes widened as he looked up.
A striking red—like paint—elegant and noble, stepped through the doorway into the etiquette class.
Fiery red hair. Deep gray eyes.
Elegant steps. High heels.
She carried a book.
She smiled as she looked around the classroom.
"Everyone, Edna-sensei had some family matters today, so she asked me to teach this lesson in her place."
"Today is the Boreas family etiquette class, right?"
In Allen's view—
The smile danced on Hilda's lips.
She looked straight into his eyes.
And spoke with them.
Sauros… it's your move now.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]