Everyone watched in absolute bewilderment as Lilith easily lifted Aeterna into her arms. No one could understand how she had convinced the girl to go along with her so quickly. Haruto, in particular, was completely baffled; he had no idea what Lilith could have possibly whispered to make Aeterna—who usually looked at everyone with such cool indifference—agree to be carried away.
As they started to move toward the stairs, Lilith leaned in and whispered something else into Aeterna's ear. Suddenly, both of them turned their heads at the same time and began staring at Haruto with knowing, mischievous grins. Without explaining anything to the group, Lilith announced they were going for a "walk" and carried Aeterna straight out toward a private room.
The rest of the group was left standing there, stunned by the sudden bonding between the Princess and the "daughter". Rutherford instinctively stepped forward to follow and protect the Queen, but Lilith held up a hand and firmly told him to stay back. To everyone's surprise, the powerful spirit monarch actually stopped in his tracks and let them go alone.
As Lilith leads Aeterna away, Haruto instinctively moves to follow them, but Professor Vane steps in and blocks his path.
"We've already spent far too much time resting," Vane says firmly.
"Toya isn't here, so I will be focusing all my attention on training you. Please, let me fulfill my duty."
Haruto pauses and looks at the Professor.
"If you're going to train me, can you at least tell me Kallen's weaknesses?"
Vane stares back at him with a cold, professional gaze.
"Kallen is my permanent student. You, on the other hand, only became my student a few hours ago, and this arrangement might end by tonight. It's simple logic—I cannot betray my long-term student by giving you his secrets."
Haruto narrows his eyes. "Then why should I train with you? For all I know, you'll just take everything you learn about my style and report it back to Kallen."
"I don't need to tell Kallen anything," Vane replies bluntly.
"You already know she is stronger than you, and frankly, so am I. That is exactly why you need this training."
Realizing he has no choice if he wants to improve, Haruto sighs and agrees to the session. Seeing that the physical training doesn't involve them, the three Goddesses—Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra—decide to head out as well. However, as they look around, they realize Lilith and Aeterna have completely vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Rutherford remains exactly where he was, standing like a silent golden statue. He refuses to move, his eyes fixed on the door where the "Queen" was taken, waiting patiently for her return.
The rest of the day was consumed by intense practice sessions. After an hour had passed, Professor Vane finally lowered his staff and told Haruto he could take a rest. Rutherford, ever the perfect butler, immediately appeared and offered Haruto a towel. Despite his physical exhaustion, Haruto's mind was racing with worry about what Lilith was doing with his new daughter, Aeterna. He headed toward the private rooms to investigate, with Rutherford following silently behind him.
Professor Vane, left alone, began to wander through the mansion. It was the weekend, and he had planned to relax, but now he felt trapped in this mysterious household, growing increasingly bored.
As Haruto searched the halls, he realized that because everyone had been awake so early, the entire house had crashed. The Goddesses had retreated to their respective rooms and fallen into a deep sleep. Lilith and Aeterna were nowhere to be found in the common areas.
Haruto eventually made his way to Lustra's room. Entering quietly, he saw her fast asleep, wearing a thin, translucent night robe. When he reached out and touched her to wake her, she jolted upright in shock, crying out, "Who is it?!"
Haruto looked at her and quickly said, "It's me, it's just me."
Lustra, rubbing her eyes and trying to clear her vision, let out a sleepy sigh.
"Oh, it's you... what's wrong?" she asked groggily.
Haruto leaned against the wall, looking at the sleepy Lustra. "Actually, I was sensing that Vane and Lilith haven't mentioned a word about my Void Reaper form since they woke up. I was worried you might have erased their memories."
Lustra rubbed her eyes, her translucent robe shifting as she yawned. "Oh, that? Yeah, I wiped those specific memories when I put them to sleep. I figured it was safer that way."
Haruto sighed with relief. "You should have told me! I've been staying quiet this whole time, but if I hadn't known, I might have let the name 'Void Reaper' slip and shocked them all over again."
"Well, it's done now," Lustra muttered, pulling her covers back up.
"It's the weekend and I'm exhausted. Let me sleep." She drifted back off immediately, leaving Haruto to slip out of the room.
Leaving Rutherford to guard the hallway, Haruto entered Ivory's room. She was curled up in cute, childlike pajamas. When he woke her, she sat up calmly, looking at him with steady eyes.
"Ivory, we need to talk about Toya," Haruto said seriously.
"I think he just wants to be great, but something is wrong. During his Mana Fever, when we entered his Mind World, even your memories—the memories of Goddesses—were erased or altered. Is Toya really so powerful that he can manipulate a Goddess's mind?"
Ivory nodded slowly. "In his own Mind World, Toya is the strongest entity—stronger even than us. His memories belong to him, and he has the power to erase or change anything within that realm. But keep this from him for now."
She checked the time and groaned. "Go away, Haruto. I need to sleep before school tomorrow."
"It's only afternoon, Ivory!" Haruto protested.
"An 18-hour sleep is a beautiful thing," she whispered, already falling back into her pillows.
Haruto walked back into the hall, finding Rutherford standing at attention. "Rutherford, I've been watching you. Why are you acting so much like a real butler? What's the real reason?"
Rutherford bowed elegantly. "The Queen has merged her aura with yours, and because of that, we are all connected to your mana now. Even my owner, Toya, has his mana linked to you. That makes you the boss of my boss, so serving you is a biological necessity."
Haruto narrowed his eyes. "I bet there's more to it than just rank."
"Correct," Rutherford admitted, his voice reflecting a rare sincerity. "Since I am in sync with your mana, I can feel emotions much more clearly now. This role... it doesn't just feel like a disguise anymore. It feels like my true duty."
Haruto stood in the hallway, realizing that all the dots were finally connecting. Ever since his mana began syncing with those around him, everyone was changing—not just in their levels, but in their emotions. Even the Goddesses, who were cold and detached during the initial trials, were showing real feelings now—so much so that their own weapon spirits barely recognized them.
He considered checking on Bellona, but since she wasn't part of the current chaos, he didn't want to disturb her rest for no reason. Instead, his tension grew as he searched every room—including the Queen's room—for Lilith and Aeterna, but they were nowhere to be found. He began to panic, wondering if Lilith had secretly taken her back to the palace.
Before spiraling further, he decided to check the workshop one last time. Inside, the scene was unexpected: Asobi was resting while her magic caused a hammer to work on its own, keeping the forge burning. As Haruto and Rutherford entered, they saw Toya actually massaging Asobi's feet.
Rutherford looked at his owner with pure disgust, while Haruto stood there in total shock. Asobi laughed and explained,
"This is just the fee for his new weapon". Toya quickly jumped up, red-faced with embarrassment, and stammered,
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?"
Haruto ignored the awkward foot-massage scene and focused on the weapon. "How is the progress?" he asked. Asobi wiped some sweat from her forehead and replied, "We are an hour and a half in; ninety minutes remain."
Haruto observed the "Star-Core" blade. Even in its unfinished state, the weapon's aura looked incredibly pure. He noticed something strange: despite the intense heat radiating from the forge—which had everyone else sweating—Toya looked perfectly cool and comfortable.
"Asobi, did you cast a cooling spell on him?" Haruto asked.
"No," Asobi explained with a smile. "This is a High-Tier weapon. Even before it is fully born, it is already bound to its master. It knows Toya is its owner, and no legendary weapon would ever harm or cause discomfort to its master. They are the most loyal entities in existence."
Rutherford took a long, approving look at Toya, acknowledging the potential of his master's new vessel. Haruto, however, was still struggling to make sense of the magic involved. He decided he had seen enough of the forge and needed to find Lilith and Aeterna.
As Haruto and Rutherford turned to leave, they heard Asobi's voice echoing behind them: "Why did you stop, Toya? Keep pressing! If you stop now, the hammer will stop, and the process will fail!"
As Haruto and Rutherford emerged from the backyard workshop and made their way toward the main entrance of the mansion, five royal carriages suddenly pulled up and stopped at the front gate. Haruto watched in confusion, racking his brain to remember if he had invited anyone else to the estate.
The door of the lead royal carriage opened, and to Haruto's absolute shock, Lilith and Aeterna stepped out. They were both dressed in matching royal yellow outfits, looking every bit like a high-ranking princess and her successor. Aeterna was still being carried comfortably in Lilith's arms, looking quite pleased with her new "royal" makeover.