The atmosphere between Haruto and Ivory turned heavy as they stood in the shadows of the mansion's corridor. Ivory looked toward the workshop where Toya had disappeared with Asobi, her eyes filled with a rare concern.
"Haruto," Ivory whispered, her voice barely audible. "While this event was happening, I caught a deep glimpse into Toya's mind. He is obsessed with becoming the most powerful being—which is a problem—because there can be something mysterious and unsettling beneath that ambition."
She paused, looking directly into Haruto's eyes.
"He was comparing himself to you. He has a drive to eventually surpass you and even challenge you. But that's not what worries me most. I keep thinking back to what happened during Toya's 'Mana Fever.' When we were inside his Mind World, something occurred that none of us could fully grasp. Our memories of that specific moment feel... erased. Like a memory was deleted or hidden from our own consciousness."
Haruto receives the information from Ivory with a composed nod, choosing not to overreact. He rejoins the group with a calm smile; when Lustra asks what happened, he simply dismisses it, saying it was nothing.
Suddenly, heavy thudding sounds echo from the upstairs gate. Bellona and Lustra head up to find Princess Lilith and Professor Vane awake and confused as to why their gate was locked. Bellona explains with a laugh that they had both fallen asleep from exhaustion during training, so they were sent to rest.
As the guests come downstairs, they immediately notice Aeterna and Rutherford. Princess Lilith rushes toward Aeterna, gushing over how cute she is. She then notices the tall, sophisticated man standing beside her and asks who he is, noting she has never seen him before.
Haruto, who had already briefed the two on their "roles," introduces Rutherford as his family butler. Maintaining his perfect persona, Rutherford bows deeply and elegantly before the guests.
Professor Vane adjusts his glasses, looking Rutherford up and down.
"A family butler? I didn't realize your family held such a high standing, Haruto. His presence is... remarkably disciplined for a common servant."
Aeterna giggles and clings to Haruto's arm.
"Papa's family is very special! Rutherford has been with us forever!"
The moment the word "Papa" leaves Aeterna's lips, the air in the room turns into ice. Professor Vane's hand freezes on his glasses, and Lilith's eyes widen so much they look like they might pop out of her head.
Lilith's breath hitches as she looks back and forth between the teenage Haruto and the little girl clinging to his arm. "P-Papa?" she stammers, her face turning a mix of pale and bright red.
"Haruto... is she your sister? Do you both have the same father? Or... wait... who did she just call Papa?!"
Professor Vane remains silent, but his mind is racing with logic that doesn't add up. He stares at Haruto, waiting for an explanation that makes sense for him to suddenly have a child.
The tension in the room reached a breaking point as Aeterna, completely ignoring Haruto's desperate attempt at an excuse, clung even tighter to his arm. With a proud, defiant look at the guests, she declared firmly, "He is my Papa!".
The announcement hit Princess Lilith and Professor Vane like a physical shock, leaving them both stunned into silence. Lilith's mind raced as she processed the impossible reality of Haruto being a father. A painful thought suddenly crossed her mind—if there was a "Papa," there had to be a "Mummy".
Lilith's gaze darted around the room, landing on the three Goddesses—Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra. She suspected that one of them had secretly "won" Haruto's heart long ago.
The situation quickly spiraled into comedic chaos:
Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra all turned bright red simultaneously as they realized what Lilith was thinking.
"It's not what you think!" they shouted in unison, their faces flushed with embarrassment as they tried to maintain their dignity.
Professor Vane simply adjusted his glasses, watching the three powerful deities lose their composure over a teenager's "fatherhood".
Haruto looked at Aeterna, remembering the weight of the promise he had just made to her. He knew there was no running away from this and no more room for excuses; as an official father, he had to stand his ground.
Haruto stood tall, took a deep breath, and looked Princess Lilith and Professor Vane straight in the eyes. "Yes," he said, his voice steady and serious. "She is my daughter."
The confirmation hit the room like a second explosion:
Lilith and Vane were frozen in absolute shock, unable to comprehend how a student could truly claim a five-year-old as his own child.
Aeterna looked up at Haruto, her eyes shining with pride because he didn't hesitate to claim her. She reached her arms up toward him, and Haruto instinctively lifted her into his arms, holding her just like a real father would.
Lilith, still trembling from the shock, pointed a finger at Haruto and demanded, 3
"Then who is the mother?! How can a girl this old be your daughter?!"
Haruto's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Before the situation could get even more awkward, Aeterna chimed in with a cheeky grin.
"Papa doesn't have a mummy!" she announced loudly to the room. "I'm adopted."
The Goddesses—Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra—all let out a collective sigh of relief, while Lilith's brain struggled to process this new information. Even Rutherford, standing in his butler form, adjusted his monocle with a faint, knowing smirk, watching his "Master" navigate the chaotic waters of sudden parenthood.
Professor Vane adjusted his glasses, the gears in his head finally slowing down as the "adoption" logic clicked into place. It was the only rational explanation for a teenager to have a five-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, Princess Lilith was having a completely different internal crisis. She watched Haruto's bright red face and fidgety behavior, reaching a very specific conclusion:
"Oh, so he's after all interested in girls? He blushed the moment I mentioned a 'Mummy.' If he wasn't interested in women, he wouldn't be this embarrassed. He's definitely hiding something!"
As she scanned the room, her detective instincts kicked in. She realized two people were missing. "Haruto," she said, narrowing her eyes,
"Where are Toya and that maid of yours, Asobi? I haven't seen them since I woke up."
Haruto, still holding Aeterna, didn't miss a beat despite the pressure.
"They had some urgent business to attend to," he lied smoothly.
"They headed out a little while ago for some supplies."
Professor Vane's expression sharpened, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses as he looked past the "adoption" excuse. He wasn't just a scholar; he was a seasoned veteran, and the inconsistencies in Haruto's story were starting to feel like a high-level dungeon trap.
"Haruto, enough with the 'exhaustion' story," Vane said, his voice dropping into a low, serious tone.
"My level is 58. I have faced down massive floor bosses and survived encounters that would break most men. The idea that a simple training session could knock me unconscious—and for that long—is absolute nonsense."
Vane stepped toward Haruto, ignoring the "Royal Butler" for a moment.
"And there is a very specific pattern here. Only Lilith and I were knocked out. Then, the moment we wake up, two entirely new people—a daughter and a butler—suddenly appear, while Toya and Asobi vanish on 'supplies'. You are hiding what happened in this room while we were out."
The tension in the air thickened as Professor Vane stepped closer, his eyes locked onto Rutherford. "I didn't hear a word you said, Haruto," Vane stated firmly.
"You might think you've become some great secret figure now that your exploits have reached the ears of the King, but that fame only brings more scrutiny to your 'Black Hud' identity."
Vane adjusted his glasses, his gaze shifting to the tall man in the tuxedo.
"No one ever mentioned that your family came from such a powerful lineage that you'd have a personal butler. And this man... he is no ordinary servant. Look at how he stands, shielding that little girl. His stance and his physical build tell me he is a warrior who knows exactly how to fight."
Haruto felt the weight of Aeterna in his arms, her small hands clutching his shirt. He knew Vane was right—Rutherford, even in his suppressed form, couldn't completely hide the disciplined aura of an SSS+ Rank Monarch.
"Professor, you're overthinking it," Haruto said, trying to regain control of the conversation.
"He's just been with my family for a very long time. His job is to protect Aeterna; of course he looks like he can fight."
Professor Vane's eyes narrowed as he looked from the kitchen where Asobi usually worked to the stoic figure of Rutherford standing behind the child.
"First, a maid with an awakened spirit, and now this butler who carries himself like a veteran of a hundred wars," Vane muttered, his voice full of suspicion.
"Haruto, don't tell me this man is also harboring an awakened spirit of his own?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra all shared a silent, incredulous look. They had to suppress the urge to burst out laughing at the irony. Every "awakened spirit" currently in this room was powerful enough to wipe out an entire city's army while half-asleep—and here was a Level 58 Professor asking the highest-ranking Spirit Monarch in existence if he "happened to have a spirit."
Aeterna giggled, leaning back against Rutherford's leg.
"A spirit? Rutherford doesn't need one of those, Professor! He's much more interesting than a ghost in a bottle."
Rutherford merely adjusted his golden monocle, his face a mask of professional boredom.
"I assure you, Professor, my only 'spirit' is the one I put into my service to the Young Master's family," he said, his voice smooth and dangerous.
Just as Haruto thought the secret was about to be blown wide open, Lilith stepped in. She walked right up to Professor Vane and gave him a sharp nudge.
"Hey, listen!" she hissed.
"Your orders are to train Haruto physically, not to interrogate him like a criminal. Stop asking so many questions and just do your job, got it?"
Vane stiffened, the intense mana he had been gathering slowly dissipating.
"As you wish, Princess," he muttered, though his eyes remained narrowed. He was still on guard, his instincts telling him that the air in the mansion was far too heavy for a normal household.
Haruto let out a massive sigh of relief, feeling his heart finally stop racing. He carefully set Aeterna down on the floor.
"Right! Training! That's what we're here for, isn't it?" he said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible to distract them from the vibrating floorboards.
Aeterna looked up at Haruto, then at the Professor, and skipped over to Rutherford's side. Rutherford, ever the perfect butler, stood perfectly still, his eyes never leaving Vane, like a predator waiting for the slightest wrong move.
Haruto sets Aeterna down and tells her to head inside. Aeterna begins to comply, but Lilith stops her, whispering into her ear, "Listen, if you want, you can call me 'Mummy'."
Aeterna, who was in a good mood just a moment ago, suddenly twists her face in confusion.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Lilith explains with a smug grin, "Do you know why the atmosphere is changing? Haruto is going to fight a duel—the Wizard Quest. As soon as he wins, I will become his wife."
Hearing the name "Wizard Quest," Aeterna thinks to herself that Haruto will get a chance to use her true power soon.
Lilith interrupts her thoughts, adding, "So you should start getting used to calling me Mummy right now."
Aeterna looks at her coolly and replies, "I don't think that's going to work. Besides, Papa doesn't really give anyone that kind of attention."
Lilith's face turns pale, shocked that a mere child just shut her down so bluntly. Aeterna continues, "You are beautiful, but my Papa values support more than just beauty."
Desperate to regain control, Lilith whispers, "Actually, I know a dark secret about Haruto."
Aeterna's eyes instantly snap wide with curiosity. "What?"
"Come sit on my lap and I'll tell you," Lilith offers. To everyone's utter astonishment, Aeterna climbs right up into Lilith's lap.
The Goddesses—Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra—watch this play out in pure disbelief. They can't believe Lilith is actually managing to bribe the Origin Queen with "secrets".
Rutherford, standing nearby in his butler form, watches with a stoic face but his mind is racing. What has happened to the Queen? he wonders. Is she truly being won over by this human princess, or is she just playing a deeper game to learn more about the Master?
Lilith stared down at Aeterna sitting on her lap, a wave of relief washing over her. She knew that every child has a weakness, and for this girl, that weakness was clearly anything related to her "Papa."