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Allen stared at Edna, taken aback by the rare sight of her dropping her usual professional smile, her expression now solemn and serious.
Her words had unexpectedly linked his thoughts to a plot point from the Mushoku Tensei novels—one he had particularly disliked in his past life.
Then, in a flash of realization—
He lowered his gaze, trying to trace the source of her words.
The heads that had been crowding the table had all turned away—Eris and the others were now looking at Edna, their attention completely captured by her speech.
On the table, the candlelight flickered over slightly yellowed pages.
The open book, Compendium of Noble Crests, displayed an exquisitely hand-drawn, full-page illustration—a black-and-white family crest so vivid it seemed ready to leap off the paper.
It was… moving.
The strokes of ink meticulously rendered each feather's texture, lifelike and dynamic.
A pair of wings.
Not folded, not resting—but mid-beat, as if caught in the act of taking flight. A single glance made the air around him feel cooler, as though a strong wind were rushing past.
The feathers seemed to rustle in the wind, frozen in motion yet alive.
Allen recognized them.
These were the wings of an eagle.
But then why had Edna insisted that the Boreas family was different from other nobles who used monsters or beasts in their crests?
Because—
Where the eagle's body should have been…
Something else took its place.
A heart.
A human heart.
The Boreas family's "Wings of the Heart."
Soaring toward the future.
Footsteps echoed outside the window, growing closer. Just from their rhythm, one could picture the stride—uncompromising, almost wolf-like in its confidence.
Eris, recognizing the familiar gait, almost turned her head toward the window—but at the last second, she stiffened, as though forcing herself with great effort to keep her focus on Edna.
Yet her eyes betrayed her, flickering toward the window.
A smile tugged at her lips.
Following her reaction, Allen tore his gaze from the "Wings of the Heart" and looked outside.
There, passing by the window, was Sauros—his silver-streaked hair unmistakable even in the dim light, his sharp gaze undimmed by the night.
He glanced inside but didn't speak, unwilling to disrupt the lesson. His eyes softened briefly as they landed on Eris, amused by her barely restrained distraction—Sauros knew how hard it was for her to focus, so he never interrupted her studies. That was his rule.
But the warmth vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
His gaze shifted.
Met Allen's.
A second of contact—then gone.
The footsteps faded.
Edna's voice resumed.
She spoke the name of the Boreas family crest.
But it wasn't what Allen had expected.
"Iron Heart."
"That is the name of the Boreas family crest."
——
The hour had grown late.
Today's etiquette lesson ended after the introduction of the family crest, leaving the actual customs for tomorrow—a deliberate choice by Edna to maintain intrigue.
She smiled, watching Eris, Sylphie, and the others chatter excitedly about the crest—debating whether the wings looked cool, why the heart was a dull gray instead of red, and other such childish musings.
Pleased with the day's lesson, she didn't interrupt. Instead, she gave Allen—the de facto leader—a polite noblewoman's farewell nod before leaving the classroom.
Meanwhile, Rudeus, sitting beside Sylphie, suddenly looked up. He exchanged a brief, knowing glance with her before his eyes flicked toward Allen, who remained silent, still staring at the "Iron Heart."
Then, notebook in hand, Rudeus hurried after Edna.
This was normal for him—he often chased her down to ask questions that branched beyond etiquette into other fields of knowledge.
No one found it odd.
Sylphie glanced at Allen but soon returned to her conversation with Eris.
Allen, however, stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the "Iron Heart."
His mind replayed Edna's words from when Sauros had passed by—
"The Boreas family does not seek the mere existence of the Fittoa Region upon this land."
"The Boreas family seeks the eternal continuation of the Fittoa Region upon this land."
Eternal continuation.
Is that the Boreas family's true pursuit?
Is that why, after the Great Teleportation, they spent their entire fortune rebuilding the territory?
"Allen… Allen, are you okay?"
A soft voice pulled him back.
He blinked and turned toward the sound.
"Hm? What is it?"
Sylphie's eyes met his, blinking in concern.
Outside the window, the scenery had changed.
Time had slipped away.
The sunset now bathed the room in crimson, painting Sylphie's face in warm hues—her reddish-brown eyes shimmering like jewels in the fading light.
As if in a daze, Allen realized an entire day had passed.
Today's etiquette lesson had already begun.
The same book lay open on the table.
"Ever since Edna-sensei taught us about the 'Iron Heart' last night, you've looked so serious whenever the Boreas crest is mentioned… Are you sure you're alright?"
Allen smiled faintly, tearing his gaze from Sylphie's striking eyes.
He looked back at the book.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about something."
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
Steady, deliberate—each step carrying an air of elegance and composure.
Nobility?
The dissonance in that impression snapped Allen out of his thoughts.
Before he could even look up, his "Flow Sense" fed him information about the people around him—
Sylphie's body had stiffened slightly, her heartbeat quickening, as though she'd seen someone who made her nervous.
Eris let out a surprised "Huh?!"
Rudeus, for some reason, kept flipping the pages of his notebook absentmindedly, the sound of rustling paper filling the air.
Ghyslaine straightened abruptly, her scabbard scraping against her pants.
And beyond them—
The source of that "wrongness" from earlier.
Allen's eyes widened.
He snapped his head toward the door.
A figure stepped inside, vivid as fresh paint—regal, poised, draped in striking crimson.
Fiery red hair.
Steel-gray eyes.
Graceful steps in heeled shoes.
She walked to the front of the class, a book in her arms, and smiled as she surveyed the students.
"Everyone, Edna had some personal matters to attend to today, so she asked me to take over the lesson."
"Today's topic is the Boreas family's etiquette, correct?"
In Allen's vision—
Hilda's lips curled into a smile.
Her eyes locked onto his as she spoke.
"Sauros… it's your turn to act."
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