As M and Lichee were sparring in open waters a bit far from the ship, Lichee said, "You are good."
M said, "You lack spirit, precision, technique, and, most importantly, discipline. You rely far too much on your attribute's destructive capabilities and brute force. It's no wonder you can't control it. And you focus far too much on your opponent's position in battle while forgetting about your own. You can easily suffer from grouping and let your team to their death. You lack attention."
Lichee said, "Wow, you don't hold back on words, huh?"
M said, "I'm rather efficient when it comes to battle. But for someone who is considered Liebe's child, you resemble Aunt Lilith far more."
Lichee said, "Do you hate Lilith too? Like, Licht and Liebe have mixed feelings and regrets."
M said, "Neither. I have absolute loyalty towards her. Her orders are the same as divine law for me."
Lichee said, "That might be a bit much."
M said, "No, it isn't."
Lichee said, "Talking of which, how is your family like?"
M said, "Dead. That's it."
Lichee said, "A better description would be appreciated."
M said, "I don't know. I'm not human. I'm a weapon, a tool for killing and destruction."
Lichee said, "Come on, don't say that! You are also great at brushing hair and teaching how to be proper and stuff."
M said, "It is the basic necessity of any lady. Not my fault your so-called mother is always engaged in erotic novels with an unnecessary amount of detail. How can a dignified woman even enjoy such a thing?"
Lichee said, "Come on, babysitter, you aren't supposed to judge."
M said, "I'm not your babysitter. I'm simply showing you your areas of lacking, and I rather help you as a senior. And I simply help Isurugi brush his tail, as he is far too unequipped to properly care for it. And brushing hair, caring for the young, is a basic human characteristic. There is nothing special about it."
Lichee said, "Come on, don't say that! You are like a big sister to all of us."
M said, "I may have had half-sisters in the past, but right now, watching over a child is my life."
Lichee said, "You see, you try to be mean, but you are pretty good. But I want to know—despite being Liebe's left hand, why do you avoid all of them?"
M said, "Simply put, I'm not humane like them. Rather, I don't have a will to live—just a dreaded past."
Lichee said, "So you are basically an emo Liebe."
M said, "And what gave you that idea, kid?"
Lichee said, "You both have a depressing past, but you live for people and stuff."
M said, "We are the two sides of the same coin. While he lives for his own sake, I'm forced to live for the past. He never truly faced death; I almost died by the hands of his brother, Vexus, thrice. He may have mixed feelings about his mother, but to me, the words of Lilith are law. And he hates his stepbrother, despite the fact he is only a child. I lost the half-siblings I loved more than my own life."
Lichee said, "Boring, boring. Then why do you follow him as his third in command after Licht?"
M said, "No point in making you understand. But I hated him more than anything. We were both raised by the Faust family. While his family loved him, I was taken in by the extended Fausts as a means to end Liebe. And I hated him, since my existence is nothing—nothing but the shadow cast by Liebe's great, bright, blazing light that was his talent."
Lichee said, "Yeah, yeah, all that. If it matters to you, talk to me. Wait, that reminds me—I should invite Lilith for this match. She did want to patch things up with Liebe and stuff."
M said, "I'm sorry to state it will not be possible, as for the next five days, her schedule is fixed. Tomorrow is Mark's report card showing; the day after is the parents' meeting at the daycare; and the day after is Mark's playdate with a girl he has been having issues with; and the day after is his weekly doctor's visit; and the day after is their visit to a place Marks wanted to visit for the past two days."
Lichee said, "So this is Lilith's schedule for the next five days?"
M said, "Exactly."
Lichee said, "We do mean the same Lilith, right? The one who is supposed to be a Captain and one of the 25 Princes of Hell? And, you know, currently the absolutely strongest being in all of Eldoria?"
M said, "Unfortunately, I'm unaware of any other Liliths."
Lichee said, "So, just to get this straight—and feel free to correct me—so the literal strongest being in the Southern Continent is wasting away her life with children's report cards, parent-teacher meetings, and playdates? Oh, God, she is goddamn broken. Is she freaked in the head? That sounds horrible."
M said, "No matter who an individual may be, they always have personal responsibilities. And I suppose the same goes for one of the 25 Princes of Hell as well."
Lichee said, "I know you may not know her up close and personal like I do, but trust me, something is wrong with her head. Did she hit it too hard or something?"
M said, "May I ask how exactly do you know her? You have barely existed in our time for two weeks, and you claim none of us exist in your time. So, how?"
Lichee said, "Easy. Because I'm the strongest."
M said, "Okay, whatever you believe."
Lichee said, "Now, great. Help me fix the idiot Lilith Faust. She may lack brain cells, but I don't. Also, can you help get me to HQ? I need to smack some sense into the idiot. Gelda really is doing a bad job at smacking sense into her."
M said, "I will not."
Lichee said, "Okay, I'll do it myself. It's easy. Whenever you snap your fingers, Gelda comes running."
As she snapped her fingers, nothing happened. She tried again and again; nothing happened.
Lichee said, "Come on, work! Why isn't it working? Gelda sure comes running whenever Alysa, Licht, or Liebe does it. Come on, Gelda, come! Pretty please! Pretty please, Gelda! Come on! Where are you?"
M said, "It doesn't work like that. You lack a Transwarm Key."
Lichee said, "A what now?"
As M removed the necklace around her neck—which is usually hidden under her uniform—it showed a piece of metal in a key shape. She said, "This notifies Gelda when she is needed and comes to our aid. Currently, only elite knights have access to them, including Licht, Liebe, Alysa, and myself. It shows Gelda our coordinates, and she arrives."
Lichee said, "It's perfect! Thanks for the idea. Now use your key and summon Gelda. I need to go to HQ."
M said, "I will not. I only have clearance to use them in cases of emergency. Same for Licht and Alysa. Yet Liebe is the only one who has the authority to call her whenever he wishes."
Lichee said, "Boring. Summon her already."
M said, "My answer is absolute. I will not use it unless required. If you wish to return or go to Eldoria, please ask Liebe and Alysa. I'm not at liberty to transport you to a different nation."
Lichee said, "Fine. Let's go ask Liebe."
As they went to the ship…