Gelda said, "Hatred, Lord Liebe?"
Liebe said, "Usually, when I look at Mother, I see hope. The hope that maybe, no matter how things are now, if I stand strong and keep climbing, eventually one day, maybe Mother will love me again. But today, just as my half-brother was born—just from birth—people are already happy to replace me. When my team and I killed Nyrex, the look on Mother's face, the pride... seeing Mother actually worried about me, the pride in my achievement... Just because my mother was proud of my victory at the battle tournament eight years ago, I filled my house with piles and piles of trophies—over 1,100 in just eight years. If it meant making Mother happy, I would wipe out every devil in existence. Yet it can't happen because I'm a half-breed. No matter what I do, it's all useless. It's frustrating."
Gelda said, "I understand, Lord Liebe. Life isn't fair, and what happened was rude. You fought all day just to see someone being glad you no longer will be."
Liebe said, "I used to think if I could enjoy six months being Mother's favourite child, I could give up afterwards happily. But seeing how Mother is happier now, my resolve began to falter. Is it really a sin to ask for a child to be loved by their mother, even just for six months?"
Gelda said, "Here, a tissue, Lord Liebe."
Liebe said, "Thank you. It's been a while."
Gelda said, "When you were young, Lilith used to love you more—a lot more. Yet after your father and grandfather's passing, like how you were forced to mature, the same happened to her. The family forced her. Liebe, and I made sure they are all dead and ashes. Yet, why the hell isn't Mother loving me? Why the hell does it not change anything? Why the hell is nothing working? What the hell do I need to do now? Kill myself? Kill everyone here? Wipe out the entire Baladien army? Kill every criminal, making sure Mother has nothing else? I goddamn don't know!"
Gelda said, "I don't know either if there was any way to stop it. But if only killing solved problems, then we all look at you as a kind of messiah to us. And looking at you like that, we all forget that you are still a kid and that you actually deserve to enjoy it."
Liebe said, "I don't care about that! I wish someone would tell me that Mother loves me! Whenever I ask, the world replies, 'No!' Every time I ask for a sign, the world just denies it!"
Licht opened the door and entered.
Licht said, "Life truly is a tragedy."
Liebe said, "Mind coming to the point? I'm not in the mood for discussion."
Licht said, "You saw everything, yet something simple..."
Liebe said, "What is it?"
Licht said, "If you can't live without something, then you probably don't deserve it."
Liebe said, "Yeah, maybe it's just me clinging to the past."
Licht said, "I understand your pain, but listen: a stagnant life has no meaning. The nature of life is to remain ever-changing."
Liebe said, "How was class? Did you get me the notes?"
Licht said, "Stop dodging the question!"
Liebe said, "What do you expect me to say? Smile like always? Explain some BS plan I made? Let my power change reality to what I feel? What do you think? You want to know? Is that it? Then have it! I can't do anything about the present!"
Licht said, "That's not what we want to hear, dumbass!"
Alysa, Isurugi, and Elizabeth also entered.
Alysa said, "You don't know now, do you? If time remained stagnant in your attempt to chase one goal, you never would have grown as an individual. The dream we are chasing is far away, but eternity isn't the answer."
Liebe said, "I just don't know."
Licht grabbed him by the collar and screamed, "Get up, damn it! You are our friend! We have never seen you so weak!"
Liebe said, "I have always been this weak. Life just never gave me a situation where it would be exposed."
Licht said, "Or it is your way of giving up! The great Liebe Faust faltered just because someone said you are a half-breed and a dumbass baby was enough to make you give up? You are Liebe Faust! You are our leader! And we didn't goddamn follow you because of your title! We followed you because, more than anything, you cared for us! You talked to me when I was invisible to everyone else! You tried to talk to Alysa when she was dying on the inside! Without you, Elizabeth would just be someone we didn't know! And without you, Isurugi would still be a goddamn slave serving some dumbass! It is because of you we are all like this, stuck together! Take responsibility for your actions, and goddamn do what you always do!"
Liebe's eyes widened, and as he stood up, he said, "Fine, then. I will. For now, and till the day fire and ash engulfs us all."
Then Licht said, "Good. And by the way, Lara has called everyone to the hall."
Liebe said, "Okay, then."