A few days later, Liebe, Isurugi, and Fate were at the port as the Aldinian team arrived. As the doors opened and Warner came down:
Liebe said, "I'm Liebe Faust, leader of Team Liebe and representative of Eldoria."
Warner said, "I'm Warner Crimson Makito, the leader of Team Star Saber. It is a pleasure to meet you once more."
Liebe said, "Same here. Let's go to the hotel."
As in the carriage:
Warner said, "Liebe, I wanted to apologize. I wanted to say something but didn't have the strength to look you in the eye as a man. I'm sorry. You saved my sister when we were strangers, yet I couldn't save the members of your team as a friend."
Liebe said, "It's alright."
Warner said, "I'm ashamed of myself. I couldn't even say goodbye. I'm sorry I couldn't save the one you loved. And she deserved none of this. Please forgive me, God of Darkness. I have failed as your ally and a friend."
Liebe said, "It's alright. It hurts, but you were all under attack and pinned down."
Warner said, "Even so—"
Liebe said, "For the purpose of closing down Baledia's borders, for that favour, I'm truly grateful to both you and the nation of Aldina."
Warner said, "It's the least I can do, since Aldina now flies the flag of the future prince, Liebe Al Faust."
Liebe said, "Yes. That flag shows your nation is under my protection, as well as Hazen."
Warner said, "What we received is nowhere as good as what we can offer."
Liebe said, "And Alysa—I found a way to heal her."
Warner said, "Really? You found a way? How is it even possible?"
Liebe said, "Unfortunately, that's experimental treatment that can't be disclosed."
Warner said, "I understand."
Liebe said, "Any info about finding Gaia?"
Warner said, "So far, we have searched the northern continent, but no results."
Liebe said, "I understand. Same for our side."
As the carriage door opened, they had reached the capital.
Liebe said, "Time for us to go."
Warner said, "Of course."
As they reached the hotel:
Warner said, "Liebe Faust, you are the man I respect above all else. And that's why I shall show it the only way I can—by not holding back. I shall give it my all, no matter what."
Liebe said, "Of course. It's the same for me. I shall not hold back."
Gelda said, "Lord, you are required."
Liebe said, "If you will excuse me."
As Liebe went to the hospital:
Liebe said, "Isurugi, I will need Fate for a bit."
Isurugi said, "Of course, sir."
Liebe said, "Fate, Lichee, let's go. But Eldrie, why are you here today?"
Eldrie said, "No reason, Lord."
Fate said, "Of course, Maestro."
Gelda said, "Spatial Magic: Astral Gate."
As they went to Symphonics:
Alex said, "Liebe, how are you doing? It's been such a while."
Liebe said, "I'm doing good, Uncle."
Alex said, "How is your mother?"
Liebe said, "As good as can be, I suppose."
Alex said, "Good to know. And I heard about Alysa and the Baledia incident. I swear, that nation is just—God knows what."
Liebe said, "Yes, but I prefer not talking about this topic."
Alex said, "Alright then."
Liebe said, "I want to see it."
Alex said, "Well, that's why we are here."
As they went to the hangar to observe the newly being built ships:
Alex said, "Here it is—the newest flagship of Team Liebe. Of course, she isn't complete yet. We have named her the Black Avalon. The only ship of its kind in the world. The only one which can fly, reach altitudes up to 10,000 metres—which is at least 20x as high as Celestial Island. And not to mention, it can go underwater up to 1500 km deep. Of course, just like you wanted, it isn't a warship, but it has more than enough bells and whistles."
Liebe said, "Did you add what I asked for?"
Hell said, "Yeah, yeah, we added that."
Heaven said, "Yes, this ship is a carrier for the F91 and has more than enough supplies to keep the F91 going for more than a year. And it has enough separate rooms for Titan and Fang. It has storage, and it can let Titan launch when underwater."
Alex said, "Basically, no ship in the world can keep up."
Liebe said, "Good."
Hell said, "Yeah, yeah, but it won't be ready for another 6 months."
Eldrie said, "Another 6 months? Why so long?"
Alex said, "Well, this ship was built to be a carrier and maintain the F91. And since in the first battle with the Zenatal the F91 was damaged, it slowed our progress quite a bit, since we had to repair it again and quickly for the Hazen capital battle."
Liebe said, "I apologize for that."
Alex said, "Well, it's alright. At least now we got to know some of the weaknesses of the F91."
Alex said, "Ohhhh, I almost forgot. Liebe, no matter how good a ship is, it needs a helmsman—or basically a captain, you know, for the vibes. But I got you something far better. Something you might like."
Liebe said, "OK."
Alex said, "Heaven, if you may."
Heaven said, "Of course." As Heaven came in with a woman.
Heaven said, "This here is Mrs. Talia Grey, the captain of the ship."
Alex said, "Talia here is quite the capable woman. She knows her stuff—one of the best in our military here at Symphonics. Not to mention, this ship's basic blueprint was made by her. And on top of that, she is an excellent shipwright and naval tactician."
Talia said, "I'm Talia Grey. It's a pleasure."
Liebe said, "Liebe Faust. A pleasure as well."
Alex said, "Actually, Mrs. Talia here is a huge supporter of Liebe. And when she heard she was the new captain of this beauty, she was thrilled."
Liebe said, "Is that so?"
Talia said, "Yes. My son is quite the fan. He may be a 5-year-old, but he constantly talks about Mr. Faust. So when I got the opportunity, I couldn't refuse. ofcourse being the captain of a newly modeled ship with budgets above 30 million gold is a opportunity I couldn't refuse."
Liebe said, "I see. I might want to thank the little man some day. It was my pleasure 30 million wasn't too high for me ."
Eldrie nervously said, "Hello, Talia. How are you, your husband, and like your son?"
Talia said, "I don't have a husband. Eldrie, did you forget?"
Eldrie said, "Yeah, that—oh, that. Of course, that."
Talia said, "It's good to see you haven't changed."
Eldrie said, "Well, being a commander of one of the 25 Princes has definitely made me quite wiser."
Talia said, "Is that so?"
Lichee said, "What's going on, Liebe?"
Liebe said, "You are too young to know, so it's best to ignore."
Talia said, "Now, Mr. Liebe Faust, want me to give you a tour of the ship?"
Liebe said, "Of course."
And soon they left.
As Liebe was leaving:
Alex said, "Hey, Liebe, I will be in Eldoria to watch your final match. Give them hell. Because after your fight, Symphonics will be flying the Liebe Faust flag alongside the Lilith Faust and Black Rose flags. OK? Wait for it."
Liebe said, "I will."
When they were outside:
Liebe said, "Eldrie, mind explaining?"
Eldrie said, "Well, Lord, the thing is—the very weird thing is—Talia and I were lovers and involved."
Lichee said, "So you two kissed and stuff?"
Eldrie said, "Well, yes. We were even married for a while. But well, the thing is, she wanted children, and same did I. But our magic attributes were far too different—metal and ice—so we couldn't conceive. And she decided she wanted a child more than anything. So we decided we would still be friends and separated. And eventually, the contact became less and less. So here we are."
Liebe said, "Wait, Eldrie, so your future marriage with Nora will be your second wedding?"
Eldrie said, "Yes."
Liebe said, "Huhhh? How? All my life I saw you single."
Gelda said, "Well, Lord, you once met Mrs. Talia before when they were married. You were about 5 months along in Lilith's pregnancy. And when they separated, you were about 3 years old, so it was too hard for you to remember. But as a child, you were also quite attached."
Liebe said, "Is that so?"
Meanwhile, in Symphonics:
Alex said, "So, Talia, anything to say after meeting after so long?"
Talia said, "I'm glad."
Alex said, "So what happened? You didn't want kids in your marriage, but what made you change your mind?"
Talia said, "Well, seeing the infant Liebe, my mind changed, I suppose. I thought for a moment—perhaps being a mother isn't so bad."
Heaven said, "Do you regret your decisions?"
Talia said, "No, I don't. But now seeing Liebe rise as a hero, it's quite unfortunate we all lost touch."
Alex said, "Same here."