Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [163]

The doors swung open.

What greeted everyone's eyes was a spacious, circular hall.

The flooring was laid with neat, dark-colored bricks, while the walls were built from ash-black stone blocks. There weren't many decorations—its style appeared crude but carried a straightforward charm.

At the edges of the hall lay rolled-up carpets stacked neatly.

It seemed they hadn't been used for a long time.

Near the wall's edge was an antique wooden staircase.

Looking upwards, there were no separate rooms on the second floor, only an elevated circular gallery suspended along the wall, running around the entire hall. Railings lined the gallery, providing an excellent vantage point, while ornate chandeliers hung at intervals, suspended by thick, arm-wide iron chains.

Few windows punctuated the surrounding walls, and the stones were mostly dark-hued.

Yet, somehow, the hall felt exceptionally bright.

They stepped into the empty, echoing hall, and the beast-eared maids gently closed the doors behind them, not following inside.

Eris crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows as she turned to Hilda. Her eyes made a full circle in their sockets.

“This... What's it called again? A banquet hall?!”

Sylphy, who was standing beside her, suddenly seemed to remember something and sharply turned to look at Hilda. Noticing Sylphy’s abruptly nervous expression, Hilda laughed softly.

“Eris, you still remember? Your fifth birthday banquet was held right here. After that, we never used this banquet hall again. Do you still recall that night’s ball?”

Eris curled her lips, strained her mind, and then vigorously shook her head.

“I don’t remember at all!”

Hilda smiled, shaking her head gently, guiding everyone toward the center of the hall as she spoke.

“This banquet hall was one of the earliest buildings constructed after the Boreas estate was established. Don't be fooled by its rough appearance—the stones chosen were meticulously selected and incredibly sturdy. Over many years, it has undergone only minor repairs, with the largest project being the addition of the suspended second-floor gallery.”

“During the war-torn era, it’s said that whenever the Boreas ancestors returned triumphant, they'd host grand feasts here with their subordinate generals.”

“If there's a building at the Boreas manor that truly embodies our family's glory, this is undoubtedly it.”

“For Eris's fifth birthday, when we invited all our noble subordinates, this historically significant location was naturally the most fitting place to hold a banquet.”

Their scattered footsteps echoed softly through the spacious emptiness.

Allen glanced around. His Perception Flow constantly relayed subtle feelings of disharmony back to his mind.

The chandeliers hanging by iron chains;

The overall dark and rough architectural style;

Few windows yet a surprisingly bright atmosphere;

Footsteps echoing around him, amplifying a sense of openness beyond expectation.

He froze momentarily, suddenly grasping something.

Right then, Hilda stopped walking.

Eris, still curiously glancing around, had rarely visited this banquet hall and felt somewhat unfamiliar. She couldn't help but voice her confusion.

“Mother-sama, weren't you bringing us here to see the crest? Where is it?”

Hilda halted at her words.

By now, she had reached the hall’s center.

She turned, facing everyone.

The bright smile on her face remained clear, her expression radiant, tinged with a sunset glow harmonizing perfectly with her red hair.

She extended a finger, its outline illuminated by the hazy halo of the evening sun, lifting it overhead, pointing toward the sky.

“Look.”

Allen's eyes followed the sunlight clinging to Hilda’s fingertip, and he abruptly lifted his head.

It wasn’t "as if."

The sunset glow indeed washed over Hilda’s face.

And why were the chandeliers suspended by iron chains rather than hanging directly from roof beams?

Because—

This banquet hall didn't have beams at all.

When he raised his eyes,

Above the lofty ceiling was a gorgeous blaze of sunset clouds,

shimmering through a massive dome-shaped skylight made entirely of stained glass.

Radiant colors from the evening sky flowed across the glass panes.

Every gap between the interlocking enamel-glass panels traced the edges of feathers,

the glass itself crafted as feathers, glittering endlessly with refracted sunlight.

And between the two wings crafted from stained glass—sat a black heart.

Rough, rugged, grainy.

Gleaming with a metallic sheen.

No.

It was, from the start, a heart cast entirely from iron.

Heart of Iron.

The Boreas family crest.

Perched high above everyone’s heads, poised as if about to soar into flight.

Around him echoed Rudy and Sylphy’s astonished gasps, mingled with Eris, the young lady of Boreas, loudly exclaiming her surprise.

Hilda answered their excited questions with amusement.

“It’s indeed easy to overlook since this banquet hall rarely has visitors during the day. How much manpower did it take to craft this crest? Rudy, I'm actually not too sure about that myself.”

“Haha, your expressions now are exactly how I reacted when I first saw it—utterly amazed. My first visit here was also during a nighttime ball, and I didn't even notice it. It was your father-sama who specially brought me here afterward.”

“Just the two of us back then? Yes indeed, Sylphy. Oh? Why is your face suddenly turning red?”

“Is there anywhere else with a glass dome crest like this one? Actually yes, Ghislaine. The high tower where father-sama often stands to look into the distance has the exact same crest.”

Hilda's words drifted one by one past Allen’s ears.

He maintained his head-up posture, gazing intently at the Heart of Iron.

His thoughts tangled together.

“The Boreas lands, existing eternally upon this soil.”

Such an ambitious goal.

This was akin to a military family's heroic declaration: staking out land and defending their domain with absolute loyalty.

The hidden implication was clear—

This land might not always belong to the Asura Kingdom, but it must always remain Boreas land.

The kingdom might rise and fall amidst storms, but Boreas would stand forever.

Heart of Iron?

That required each successive lord to possess a steel-like heart, resolutely pursuing this goal to the very end.

Among the potential successors, who truly fit these conditions?

Was it the calculating and cunning Philip, an exemplary husband, who yearned toward Ars—the Asura Kingdom's seat of power?

Clearly not.

Then was it James?

Did he possess the iron will to realize this ambition?

From his future actions—so contrary to Sauros's willingness to exhaust all resources to rebuild the territory—it was clear he also did not.

So why was Sauros more favorable toward James?

Because at least superficially, James had a characteristic closer to the demands of the "Heart of Iron."

Namely—

He was colder, more ruthless than Philip.

He appeared more rebellious.

Whether in the succession battle years ago or his later determination to eliminate Allen, all these facts proved this point.

In a certain sense, that made him closer to embodying the Heart of Iron.

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This is a fan translation of 无职转生：剑，魔法帽与恋爱系统 by 意外火灾 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!