After hearing Horn's words, Licht went to his office and sat down, thinking. As he kept looking at his old file, Mia came in and said, "Sir, umm, may I have a word?"
Licht said, "Sure, sure."
Mia said, "So, what happened this morning? Who was watching us?"
Licht said, "Just someone not worth mentioning."
Mia said, "Were they deadly?"
Licht said, "In a sense, but no."
Mia said, "What is that file you are looking at, sir? It seems old."
Licht said, "An old history. One you so desperately desire despite the incident on the file."
Mia said, "Which incident is that?"
Licht said, "The Rebellion of the 2 Captains. An old history everyone in Black Rose wishes to forget. Not to mention, basically everything in the file is a lie, to say the least."
Mia said, "Can I take a look?"
Licht said, "Sure, sure."
As Mia saw everything:
Mia said, "Sir, these records seem correct from what I know of history."
Licht said, "No, Mia. All are lies. Grandpa Domr never went down that easy. And not to mention, Uncle Tenebris isn't mentioned here, or the hundreds more killed by our forces."
Mia said, "Sorry, sir."
Licht said, "Well, do you want to know the true history?"
Mia said, "I want to."
Licht said, "Are you actually prepared to—?"
Mia said, "I'm unsure, but it's an important history of the Fleet Admiral's life, so I want to."
Licht said, "Alright then. It all began the night all of us gathered at the capital on the night of a full moon. That night should have never happened."
Mia said, "Pardon, sir? Who are 'the three'?"
Licht said, "Myself, Liebe, and Mavia. We came in contact with the harsh reality that when opposites meet, destruction occurs. Liebe is a child who was never meant to be a weapon, while Mavia was a child soldier who was never meant to be human."
Mia said, "Pardon, sir?"
Licht said, "We know two captains—Herald and Elaar—rebelled against the nation and they were put down. Their greed caused the incident. But that's what the history books tell us. But the truth is, Liebe Faust is the monster that started it all."
Mia said, "I'm failing to understand, sir."
Licht said, "Do you know how Gramps Domr died?"
Mia said, "From the records, it was Sacred Justice forces who killed him."
Licht just laughed. "As if those bastards could ever—even if one billion Elaars came to face him, they would all die. If you consider Aunt Lilith a monster, he was leagues ahead."
Mia said, "Then just how strong was he?"
Licht said, "Have you heard of Geno, the Knight of One?"
Mia said, "Yes, sir. He is the strongest human alive—the Knight of One and 1st Prince among the 25 Princes. It is said he has power unparalleled. He is humanity's greatest weapon and the grand hero of every generation."
Licht said, "Have you heard of Winner's Island?"
Mia said, "No, sir."
Licht said, "It's an old island that doesn't exist anymore. It was located around the south of the Empire."
Mia said, "How?"
Licht said, "Around 40 years ago, when Grandpa Domr was around his 50s and still in his prime, he used to clash with Geno on that island. It is said their legendary battles shook the world itself, creating earthquakes and shockwaves that could be felt all the way to Mikill. It is said when they clashed, it felt as if every human life in existence was at risk. And their battles left such craters that the entire island was sunk. Now it can't be found. My father saw those battles many times, yet he was only around my age. He said if we had seen those clashes, we would be talking about it till death. How could weaklings like Elaar's forces kill him? Because the answer is simple: they didn't."
Mia said, "Sir, then who killed him?"
Licht said, "It was Mavia."
Mia said, "How? How can she be so strong?"
Licht said, "She isn't strong enough. The truth is, she was forced. Her little sister was taken by the Sacred Freedom Forces, and the only way to save her was to kill Domr. And from what I know, Gramps just dodged and asked why. But hearing the truth, he let her kill him. His last act was saving a child. And even when he was impaled by Mavia's sword, all he did was scream, 'You didn't kill me. The only man who can end me was myself. Liebe Faust will be the strongest in all three worlds above all.' As he died, no one in Hell could bring him down besides one man, and that was Domr himself."
Mia said, "Wait, does the Fleet Admiral know this?"
Licht said, "Yeah. Liebe knows Mavia killed him, yet he doesn't blame her. Mavia's little sister is protected under Liebe's flag in an orphanage. She should be safe."
Mia said, "Oh."
Licht said, "And not to mention, Uncle Tenebris's death isn't mentioned in the list. Officially, he died by landslide. But the truth is, his death was the worst of them all. He didn't deserve to die and orphan Liebe like that. He wasn't even a combatant."
Mia said, "Then how did he die? Who killed him, sir?"
Licht said, "The worst criminal in my eyes—Aunt Lilith."
Mia said, "What? Why?"
Licht said, "She didn't have a choice. He was a kind man, but he told Domr his family was taken as hostages. It is partially because of him Domr died, but he only did it because the children of his church were taken. And Aunt Lilith killed him, thinking he was a traitor. But when Aunt Lilith heard the truth, she lost it. She injured him beyond healing. His death was eminent. Every member of Black Rose witnessed his death as they all bowed in respect. He was a man who was never a combatant, but he was a man who fought life and death for his son. And the reason why I hate Aunt Lilith above all else is Uncle Tenebris's last words. His last words were, 'I love you, Aunt Lilith. And please love Liebe enough for the both of us.' Even my father, who is usually stoic, cried that day in the rain hearing the final plea of a dying man. But Aunt Lilith only ended up doing the opposite, and Liebe was left alone."
Mia said, "Does the Fleet Admiral know as well?"
Licht said, "Hell no. If Liebe knew, the world would have a lot less people. If he knew, Markus would be dead, and same for Aunt Lilith."
Mia said, "But why? Why did he forgive Miss Mavia but can't for Mrs. Lilith?"
Licht said, "Well, the harsh truth is, Mavia was a kid. She didn't want to kill Domr, OK? She was forced to. She was backed into a corner. But Aunt Lilith—she had a choice. She could have taken Tenebris in and interrogated them. But she chose to go for the kill. And that's what separates them. And Liebe can never find out, alright?"
As Liebe entered Licht's office:
Liebe said, "What are you talking about?"
Licht said, "Nothing. Just small talk."
Liebe said, "Alright then. Well, I'm here now, and I might be a bit late for class."
Licht said, "Why?"
Liebe said, "Well, I'm going to visit church before class, you know."
Licht said, "Oh, sure, sure."
Liebe said, "Can you handle things?"
Licht said, "Yeah, sure. I can take care of things."
Liebe said, "Thanks." As he left.
Mia said, "The Fleet Admiral was kidding, right?"
Licht said, "No. When Liebe is very, very sad, then he goes to church."
Mia said, "Huh? How? But why? You admitted you are all Satan, sir. Your father is Satan. Aunt Lilith is worse. So why?"
Licht said, "Well, the thing is, Liebe's paternal grandfather was a father."
Mia said, "Huh? How?"
Licht said, "Well, Uncle Tenebris was an orphan who was taken in by a church at birth, and he grew up there. So when Liebe was young, he used to go to church with his father. He even ended up finishing the Bible because of his father. Liebe called him 'Grandpa Father.' But since he is no more, he just goes as a memory of his dad."
Mia said, "You seem to respect his father greatly. What kind of a man was he? If he married Professor Lilith, he must have been exceptionally strong."
Licht said, "Nope. He wasn't a combatant. Have you heard of the Thief Quick Vale?"
Mia said, "Yes, sir. He was a thief who appeared 30 years ago and stole from countless great nobles and accumulated great wealth. It is said he might as well be the richest thief in our history. Based on stolen assets, every corrupt noble was in fear of him."
Licht said, "Yeah, well, that was Liebe's dad—Uncle Tenebris Vale."
Mia said, "Sorry, sir. Then how did they meet?"
Licht said, "Oh that? Long story short, Aunt Lilith was sent to catch him, but she fell for him. Since everything he stole, he kept nothing. He helped orphaned children and didn't even use a single copper coin for himself. But when it was time for Aunt Lilith to introduce him, my dad was there. He told me these stories time and time again. You know how I can sense lies?"
Mia said, "Yes, sir."
Licht said, "Well, same for Liebe and Grandpa Domr. When he heard Aunt Lilith was bringing a thief to meet him, he was ready to end him the moment he would lie or show his true colors. And it was in our HQ of all places—meaning no escape. And my dad was in the office. Even he was sweating from Domr's presence. But throughout their entire conversation, there weren't any lies—just a man and his true feelings about not being good enough. Rather, Uncle Tenebris said, 'Please, sir, just tell her I'm not good enough. It's for the best. Then she will stop following me. At least then she will know the truth. She will move on.' Hearing the words and his insecurities, Domr was sure he was the right guy. And then it was time."
Mia said, "Time for what?"
Licht said, "Wedding bells, of course. And well, it was a good wedding. Sadly, I wasn't born yet. I was born 6 years after that and mostly stayed in the Faust Estate playing with Liebe. And Aunt Lilith and Uncle Tenebris were very fun. Aunt Lilith would be doing dumb stuff, and Uncle would be the mature one."
Mia said, "How, sir? What happened?"
Licht said, "Well, let me tell you this story. We would go to bed, all four of us, and Aunt Lilith would come around 3 AM with ice cream. And all five—"
As Licht's head started to hurt, he said, "Five? Why five? There were four of us with Aunt Lilith: me, Liebe, and Elizabeth. Why did I say five? We would eat ice cream at 3 AM. But Uncle Tenebris would find out."
Mia said, "How? If he did, he must have been a great detective."
Licht said, "Well, no. Aunt Lilith was just bad at hiding evidence. After we were done eating, Aunt Lilith would just use a black hole to turn the packaging into dust."
Mia said, "But how did he find out then?"
Licht said, "Well, picture this: you ate 2 spoons of ice cream one night, and so there is a small hole in the cup, OK? And in the morning, the holes are gone. A full tub of ice cream is there. And not to mention, your wife has the very specific magic attribute needed to destroy and turn stuff to dust. And there is dust in just one spot in the carpet in your son's room. Not to mention, the windows were closed, so no chance of it being the wind. And the servants clean the room regularly. So who could have done it?"
Mia said, "Obviously the wife."
Licht said, "And that's how Aunt Lilith would be caught every time. And he would dish out unimaginable harsh punishments that were far too frightening for us to witness. It was tragic."
Mia said, "Wait, did he get drunk and beat people?"
Licht said, "What the hell is wrong with you? I said he gave harsh punishments. I didn't say he was inhumane."
Mia said, "Then what punishments did he do?"
Licht said, "He would bring out the new ice cream and eat it in front of us with Grandpa Domr like a married gay couple. To us children and Aunt Lilith, it was truly frightening seeing the ice cream being eaten right in front of your eyes. We just watched. But Aunt Lilith would actually cry and cry until Uncle had to give in and give her some ice cream. It was the only food they ate normally. You know how they eat, right? Well, Uncle always ate less, but Domr, Lilith, and Liebe ate like monsters. And they didn't do it because of gluttony. Rather, he actually ate like a warrior. They ate a lot since every meal could be their last."
Mia said, "So, sir, why don't you eat like that?"
Licht said, "Yeah, no thanks. I learned the lesson rather quickly from Liebe. Liebe almost died like 50 times before he was 5 from choking on the food. I learned not to fuck around enough to find out."
Mia said, "Sounds like a happy family."
Licht said, "They were the ideal family. Liebe and Aunt Lilith would be the ones doing the mischief, and Tenebris would be mad. And Grandpa Domr would just say, 'Come on, Tenebris, let them go. They are still young. I swear, if you keep getting angry at them like this, you will die of stress before I do. Hahahaha.' Tenebris said, 'And whose fault is that, sir? Please tell your daughter to not give me so much stress.' Lilith said, 'Come on, you can live until you have died a little.' Tenebris said, 'I'm not a freak of nature like you people, OK? If I get a heart attack, I will die and be 6 feet under.' And Lilith started to cry like a baby and said, 'So you will leave me? Please don't leave me.' Tenebris said, 'Fine then. I won't die and leave you. How can I leave you? What would you do without me, you little dumbass?' They were like that. You have no idea the amount of times Liebe and Aunt Lilith almost destroyed the Faust Estate or the HQ. I swear, if Grandpa Domr wasn't there, they would have destroyed it hundreds of times over. But they were just playing, kind of situation. Their go-to game was 'Destroy or Seek.'"
Mia said, "Sorry, sir?"
Licht said, "Think of hide and seek, but instead of seeking, they would destroy everything in their paths to find the other person. And they ended up destroying mountains time and time again. If I started to list the damage, the list will be taller than our academic building."