Chapter Summaries

Hilda brought Allen, Rudy, Sylphy, and Eris into Boreas Manor’s abandoned banquet hall and revealed the family crest, Iron Heart, beneath its stained-glass dome. As they admired it, Allen considered what the crest demanded of the family’s future lords and why Sauros had favored James.

• Hilda explained that the ancient banquet hall had hosted feasts for Boreas’s ancestors and Eris’s fifth-birthday celebration.
• Allen noticed the hall’s unusual brightness and acoustics, while Eris asked where the family crest was.
• Hilda pointed upward and revealed Iron Heart, a black iron crest surrounded by stained-glass wings beneath the dome.
• Hilda told the group that the high tower watched by Sauros also bore a glass-dome crest.
• Allen reflected that Iron Heart represented Boreas’s ambition to endure independently and judged that neither Philip nor James fully embodied its ideal.

Allen admired the Iron Heart at the banquet hall, prompting Eris to promise to show it to him another day. Hilda revealed that Eris and Sylphy would need to learn to dance for Eris’s tenth birthday banquet and began an impromptu lesson.

• Allen murmured Boreas's Iron Heart while gazing at the sunset, and Hilda, Sylphy, Rudy, Eris, and Ghislaine turned to look at him.
• Eris offered to take Allen and Sylphy to see the tower crest another day.
• Hilda told Eris she would have to perform the opening dance at her tenth birthday banquet and learn to dance.
• Hilda added that Sylphy would learn alongside Eris, who became happy to have a companion.
• Hilda began teaching Eris the Asura Court Minuet, guiding her through small steps as Eris repeatedly stepped on Hilda’s toes.

Hilda taught Eris the Asura social dance known as the Foxtrot, guiding her through the steps until Allen connected the movements to swordsmanship and helped Eris dance on her own. The chapter ended with Hilda and Eris dancing together as mother and daughter.

• Hilda reassured Eris after she stepped on her shoe and continued teaching her while guiding her through the dance.
• Hilda explained that nobles called the Foxtrot the Dance of Love because it often accompanied the beginnings of marriages.
• Allen used Sword God Style and Water God Style movements to explain how Eris should step and retreat.
• Eris understood Allen's guidance, stopped stepping on Hilda's shoes, and began leading the dance herself.
• Hilda followed Eris's steps, and the two danced together in rhythm.

Hilda taught Eris the Foxtrot and explained how its finishing gestures signaled whether partners intended to pursue a relationship or remain available. Allen and Rudy considered how the etiquette might affect the birthday ball, while Rudy worried that Allen’s popularity would undermine his plan to use him as a supporting leaf.

• Hilda taught Eris the Foxtrot’s basic steps and showed her a hand-kiss and a noble’s salute as possible finishing gestures.
• Hilda explained that a hand-kiss signaled mutual interest, while a salute indicated that the partners had not reached an understanding.
• Hilda told Eris that, as the birthday banquet’s star, she could dance with everyone and choose afterward.
• Allen realized the etiquette explained why Rudy had attracted many invitations at the earlier banquet, and wondered whether Rudy would choose a noble young lady.
• Rudy concluded that Sylphy would dance with Allen and feared other noble girls would pursue him afterward, so he planned to stay away from Allen.

Eris questioned why she had to choose a husband, and Hilda explained that the choice was hers while urging her to cultivate feminine charm. Hilda then recognized Allen’s familiarity with noble dances and accepted his explanation, privately hoping his background might mean he belonged to the Boreas family after all.

• Eris asked why she had to choose a husband and whether she could choose none of the candidates.
• Hilda told Eris she could decide for herself, but should cultivate feminine charm before she turned fifteen.
• Eris asked how Hilda and Philip had first danced, and Hilda explained that they had not danced at a banquet.
• Hilda asked Allen how he knew noble dances, and Allen said a fallen noble in his adventurer team had taught him about them.
• Hilda accepted Allen’s explanation despite its gaps and quietly held on to the possibility that he might be connected to the Boreas family.

During a dance lesson, Allen demonstrated Boreas’s invitation etiquette and danced with Eris, prompting Hilda to recognize the gesture Philip once used to offer her Boreas’s heart. Hilda was left wondering whether Allen was Allen Boreas Greyrat.

• Hilda finished teaching Eris the dance steps and began explaining how to invite someone to dance.
• Eris took Allen’s hand and asked him to demonstrate the invitation.
• Allen showed the precise Boreas-style gesture, and Eris pulled him into another Foxtrot.
• Sylphy noticed Hilda crying as she watched Allen and Eris dance.
• Hilda recalled Philip explaining that placing a hand over the chest offered Boreas’s heart, and she wondered whether Allen was Allen Boreas Greyrat.

Allen danced with Eris until evening, then noticed Hilda watching him in the darkness while she praised Eris. As the group returned to the residence, Sylphy seemed troubled but said nothing, leaving Allen uncertain about what she had noticed.

• Eris stopped dancing after recognizing Allen’s helpless expression, then sought praise from Hilda for her dancing.
• When darkness fell in the banquet hall, Hilda praised Eris and asked whether she had enjoyed dancing with Allen.
• Hilda stayed behind briefly while Eris, Allen, Rudy, Ghislaine, and Sylphy left the hall.
• As the group returned to the residence, Allen noticed Hilda’s gaze following him and saw Sylphy walking with her head lowered.
• Allen asked Sylphy what was wrong, but she glanced back and said it was nothing before they reached the brightly lit classroom.

After Hilda left etiquette class in tears, Sylphy wondered whether her efforts had made matters worse for Allen. She realized Hilda might have recognized Allen as her child, but hesitated outside his door, unsure whether to knock.

• Hilda thanked Allen for the day, said she had been happy, and left etiquette class in tears.
• Ghislaine carried an exhausted Eris back to her room, while Allen and Sylphy returned to their own rooms without talking.
• Sylphy reread Lokkishi's request to help Allen and considered whether revealing his identity to Hilda would force him to return to the royal capital.
• Sylphy concluded that Hilda's tears meant she had recognized Allen as her child during etiquette class.
• Sylphy changed out of her nightclothes, went to Allen's door, and raised her hand to knock.

Allen questioned whether saving Hilda was connected to his recovering Sword Heart and worried that Hilda had realized he was not her original child. Meanwhile, Sylphy approached Hilda’s bedroom after hearing something break and overheard an argument inside.

• Allen reviewed the Great Transfer list, noted that he had added Hilda’s name three months earlier, and wondered whether saving her had anything to do with his Sword Heart.
• Allen considered that Hilda might have realized he was not her child, then put his papers away and opened his door to find no one there.
• Sylphy silently withdrew from Allen’s door and wandered upstairs toward Hilda’s bedroom, recalling Hilda’s words from that evening.
• Sylphy heard something shatter near Hilda’s bedroom and ran toward it, where she encountered Lil.
• Lil signaled for Sylphy to be quiet, and Sylphy heard an argument and another object shatter inside Hilda’s bedroom.

Sylphy found Hilda devastated after Philip left her bedroom, while Rudy confronted Allen about Sylphy’s absence and urged him to consider whether a swordsman could have only one sword. The chapter ended with Allen listening to Rudy’s question.

• Philip emerged exhausted from Hilda’s bedroom and asked Lil to let Sylphy enter.
• Sylphy found Hilda sobbing amid broken ceramics, spilled wine, and scattered diary pages, then comforted her.
• Rudy told Allen that the plan to persuade Madam to become an etiquette instructor had been his.
• Rudy said Sylphy did not understand some things as well as he did, then asked Allen whether a swordsman could possess only one sword.

Allen confronted Rudy over his suggestion that Allen start a relationship with Sylphy, arguing that the Greyrat family’s past infidelity had left deep emotional wounds despite its apparent resolution. He left Rudy shaken and questioning the idea that sleeping with multiple women made someone a real man.

• Allen rejected Rudy’s comparison between Lokkishi and Sylphy and insisted that people were not property like swords.
• Rudy brought up Allen’s role in resolving Paul and Lilia’s affair, but Allen accused him of forgetting how Zenith had been pressured into accepting it.
• Allen recalled Zenith’s grief, Lilia’s guilt, and Paul’s despair, explaining that he cared about the harm caused by casual relationships and the women’s feelings.
• Rudy suggested Allen start with Sylphy because she seemed to love him and would not resist, but Allen grabbed him by the collar and challenged his idea of manhood.
• Allen accused Rudy of treating Sylphy’s kindness and patience as reasons she should bear the pain, then demanded that Rudy understand his point.

Rudy confronted Allen about his reluctance to ask Sylphy what she wanted, and Allen took his words to heart. After they found Sylphy barefoot in the corridor, Allen reassured her that her efforts mattered, leaving her to wonder if she had done nothing wrong.

• Rudy grabbed Allen and urged him to treat others with the respect and choice he had shown Zenith, then apologized for his outburst.
• Allen and Rudy rushed to leave their room, collided at the door, and found Sylphy standing barefoot at the end of the corridor.
• Allen checked Sylphy’s dusty feet and walked with her to wash them and put on slippers.
• At their doors, Sylphy told Allen she had arranged for Madam to become the Etiquette Class teacher and worried she had messed things up.
• Allen told Sylphy that she had done nothing wrong and that her efforts were precious, then they said goodnight.

After realizing that his attempts to prevent anyone from suffering had overlooked Sylphy’s feelings, Allen decided to pursue both Lokkishi and Sylphy openly, but to seek Lokkishi’s consent first. He wrote Lokkishi a letter proposing to ask her a shameless question in person next spring, while leaving his response to Hilda’s expectations unresolved.

• Allen recognized that Sylphy’s delight and evasiveness reflected her feelings about him and her thoughts of Lokkishi and Hilda.
• Allen filled in his list of expectations by naming Lokkishi as the person whose consent he would seek before approaching Sylphy.
• Allen declared to the system that he would pursue both women and earn their approval in this loop.
• Allen refused to swing the Sword of Light before he could make it the most perfect version of the technique.
• Allen wrote Lokkishi that he would visit her next spring to ask an important question in person and asked her to share any schedule changes.

Rudeus wrote Lokkishi a heartfelt reply, recalling their shared memories and offering advice about teaching Pax while praising her hard work and talent. He ended by asking whether she had been doing well.

• Rudeus apologized for his delayed reply and asked Lokkishi to write more often.
• Rudeus remembered the night of the assassination attempt and the scent of Lokkishi's hair as they left the scene.
• Rudeus compared Lokkishi to small Sazros Demon Beasts and recalled their days in Buena Village.
• Rudeus advised Lokkishi to guide Pax with respect and restraint, and to use Flame Aura if Pax offended her.
• Rudeus praised Lokkishi's diligence and talent, urged her to be proud of herself, and asked how she had been lately.

Allen trained Eris through the winter while Rudy and Ghislaine discussed the restrained sword intent he seemed to be building. The chapter ended with Eris launching an even faster attack at Allen’s back, while an author’s note said the story would resolve its emotional threads before reaching the tenth birthday banquet climax.

• Allen kicked Eris away during their training, but she caught her sword in midair and charged back at him.
• Rudy watched Allen evade Eris without moving and noticed the sharpness surrounding him despite his lack of a blade.
• Ghislaine explained that Allen seemed to have found his desire again but was holding it back, and Rudy suggested he was waiting for an answer.
• Eris anticipated Allen’s Flow Arcana, slipped behind him, and thrust toward his back with a faster, quieter strike.
• The author said the upcoming chapters would tie up foreshadowing and character threads before the tenth birthday banquet climax.

Eris became an Advanced Swordsman, but the celebration gave way to worry about Hilda, who had been bedridden for more than half a month despite doctors finding nothing physically wrong. Allen and the others visited her, where Hilda woke and caught Allen by the wrist.

• Allen confirmed Eris had wrapped her final sword strike in battle aura and declared her an Advanced Swordsman.
• Eris celebrated with Allen and Ghislaine, while Rudy noticed that Hilda and Sylphy were absent from the window where they had watched swordsmanship practice.
• Allen ended class and led the group to visit Hilda, who had fallen ill on Allen's birthday and remained bedridden for more than half a month.
• Arifa quietly opened Hilda's bedroom door, where the group found Sylphy by the window and Philip holding Hilda's hand beside the sofa.
• Philip gestured for everyone to leave the room quietly, but Hilda woke and grabbed Allen's wrist as he turned to go.

Allen watched Eris and Sylphy try on evening gowns, then discovered Sylphy had stayed in Hilda’s workroom with him. She led him to a wardrobe full of men’s clothes that fit him, leaving him to wonder whether their matching sizes were fate.

• Eris emerged in a fiery red evening gown, and Allen told her it suited her temperament.
• Sylphy cautiously showed Allen her white evening gown, making him avert his gaze in embarrassment.
• After Allen entered Hilda’s workroom to change, Sylphy stayed behind and asked whether his clothes would fit.
• Sylphy led Allen to a wardrobe filled with finely tailored men’s clothes in his size.

Sylphy and Allen emerged from separate fitting rooms, drawing amused and suspicious reactions from the others before Allen stunned them in formal attire. Hilda praised how well it suited him and touched his wrist, leaving Allen moved by the warmth of her care.

• Sylphy emerged from the fitting room in an evening dress, and the others silently misread the situation with Allen.
• Eris judged Sylphy's dress impractical, Rudy celebrated Allen's apparent romantic progress, and Ghislaine and Arifa drew their own conclusions.
• Allen stepped out in formal attire, and everyone was struck by how naturally he looked like a young Boreas nobleman.
• Hilda approached Allen without help, praised his appearance, and noted that his cuffs needed to be lengthened.
• Hilda asked Allen whether he liked the formalwear's style and color, and Allen felt an unfamiliar warmth from her touch.

Allen thanked Hilda for his formal outfit and invited Sylphy to practice dancing with him. Their dance went smoothly, but Sylphy pulled away during the finishing pose after noticing Allen’s Magic Stone Necklace, leaving his suggestion that they still had time hanging between them.

• Allen told Hilda he liked his formal outfit, and Hilda complimented Sylphy’s dress and warned her that it might restrict her steps.
• Allen told Sylphy he wanted to dance with her, and Rudy urged them to practice before leading them into the living room.
• Allen guided Sylphy through the Foxtrot, adjusted his steps to accommodate her shoes, and quietly thanked her for the wardrobe.
• Hilda and Eris watched as Sylphy’s rhythm improved, and Eris explained that Allen had used Flow Arcana to help her learn before withdrawing it.
• After the dance, Sylphy noticed Allen’s Magic Stone Necklace and pulled her hand away, but Allen told her the practice was not over and that there was still time.

Allen weighed Hilda’s hidden feelings and the reasons she could not acknowledge him, then concluded that Sauros stood at the root of their estrangement. The chapter ended when someone knocked on Allen’s door late at night.

• Hilda thanked Allen for bringing the others to her etiquette lesson, while Sylphy reacted painfully to his response.
• Allen returned to his room and considered why Hilda had concealed her feelings and why Philip had kept Allen’s identity from her.
• Allen crossed out Sylphy’s name and wrote Sauros as the person tied to fulfilling Hilda’s expectations.
• Someone knocked on Allen’s door.