Gelda asked softly, "Lord, will you be returning home for the night?"
Liebe shook his head. "I don't intend to make a portal to my dorm room. It's best to stay."
Gelda hesitated. "But won't you join the Captain for breakfast?"
Liebe said, "I have classes early on. I already made breakfast; it's in the fridge. Just reheat it in about fifty milliliters of water, and it should be as good as fresh—if not better."
Gelda bowed her head. "Understood."
As she teleported the others to their rooms, she lingered behind. "Lord… mind if I have a word?"
Liebe nodded. "Sure."
Gelda's voice trembled. "What happened? What kind of forbidden magic did you use that left you this badly injured? And what forced you to do it? Lord, please tell me. You said yourself you consider me a second mother. If I've done anything to betray you or slow you down, you have my deepest apologies."
Liebe looked down. "I heard the truth."
Gelda froze. The truth…? Her eyes widened, imagining he had heard about Tenebris. "What truth? I fail to understand."
Liebe said quietly, "I overheard Mother's conversation with Lara. About her current life. How she feels about Father, about me, about my half-brother… She said it all. And I wish I had never heard it."
Gelda's voice sharpened. "What did you hear?"
Liebe's tone turned bitter. "Sometimes the line between mercy and cruelty can be dangerously thin."
"Please clarify," Gelda whispered.
"Well…" Liebe took a slow breath. "Mother told Lara the truth—that the time she spent with Father was the only time she was truly happy. That she was only happy because Grandfather was there to shelter us from the whispers. Now that Grandfather is gone, she's doing what's best for everyone. And that I am just a burden. For now, I'm only being the Captain, but she intends to hand everything—the Captain's seat, the House, the title of her successor—to my half-brother in an attempt to quiet down the whispers of the Novelist faction."
Gelda's heart stopped. "What… Lord…"
"And she said," Liebe continued, "that now that Grandfather is no more, I'm just a burden."
"You're lying, right?" Gelda's voice cracked.
"No. Ask Lara if you want. After all I've done, Gelda… answer me. Am I really so horrible that Mother wants to abandon me? Did I ask for so much? I only asked to be loved for six months—then I could leave."
Gelda tried to steady herself. "Even though asking for six months after birth seems a bit much, I don't believe it…"
Liebe's hands shook. "Hearing that, after all my efforts, I was still just a burden… I lost control of my emotions. I ran to the Forbidden Cathedral. Afterwards, I searched the Book of Faust. On page 104, I found my solution—the only way to ease my pain. The supreme devil of the 12th floor, Morvath. Without thinking, I summoned him. I planned to fight him, thinking if I won, I'd get 1% of his power and then erase my pain and live my life. And if I lost… I'd just die, and this pain of existence would be no more.
"But on the verge of death, I realized something. When Licht called me, I still had people waiting for me. That's why I fought and came back. And now…" Liebe's voice cracked, "…I can't face my mother. Not after knowing how she really felt."
Gelda swallowed hard. "What are you saying?"
"Exactly what you heard," Liebe said. "I never wanted to be the heir, or Captain, or the successor to House Faust. Mother filled my head with dreams and told me I was destined. And now that Grandfather is gone, she's busy taking care of the Novelist faction. I just don't understand. Why? Why was I born like this—a half-breed?"
"Lord… I'm sorry," Gelda whispered.
"All my life I hated one thing," Liebe said darkly. "The name 'half-breed.' But even more than that, I hated my talent—the way people assume I can do anything, make miracles, just because I was blessed by the heavens. But until now, I've never hated myself like today. I goddamn want to know why I was the one born talented. Why I was the one who inherited the signature magic attribute of our family. Why I was the one given the responsibilities. Why I was the one forced to train until every slash could cut through bone. Why I was the one burned with murder. Why I was the one who had to fight for my life against devils.
"Yet why… why does Mother love an infant who didn't even inherit our signature dark magic? I just want to know—where did I go wrong? Was asking for a hug really that much?"
Then Liebe drew his dual swords. "I wish I could be reincarnated in a world where this filth of a blood doesn't flow inside me."
"Lord, stop!" Gelda cried as Liebe used his swords to make several cuts across his forearms.
"With this act," Liebe said coldly, "I'm no longer the heir to House Faust. And I can rest easy."
Gelda's eyes filled with tears. "I understand."
"From now on," Liebe said, "I live for my friends, not for the remnants of the family I once had."
Gelda knelt. "I understand. Regardless of the path you follow, I will always stand behind you—as your guard, as your loyal servant. It will be an honour."
"No need," Liebe muttered. "Soon, when my half-brother is declared the heir, you'll be his guard. Take care of him."
"I talked to Lilith about it," Gelda said, "and I said no."
Liebe turned sharply. "What?"
"I can't possibly be the guard to a child who's only declared the heir for nobility. So I've decided to be a firm believer in the Liebe faction."
"Stop the nonsense and do it," Liebe snapped.
But before Gelda could reply, her communicator buzzed. She froze as a voice came through: There's been an attack at CKH. Over fifteen lost their lives… along with the infant heir