That day, Liebe didn't just relinquish his claim.
That day, the people living within the Black Rose territory lost their hopes.
It was hard to find anyone who wasn't crying over Liebe's decision to step down as the heir.
The following morning, around 6 a.m., Licht heard the sound of clashing from the training room. Curious—and half-asleep—he went to check.
When he opened the door, the floor was littered with shredded training dummies—wood splinters and cloth scattered everywhere.
"...How many was that?" Licht muttered, stepping inside carefully. "I can't even walk in here."
Liebe looked over his shoulder, breathing heavily. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, you did. But seriously, how many did you slaughter this time?"
Liebe wiped the sweat from his forehead. "A few."
"A few?" Licht stared at the destroyed mess. "Look at the floor, you call this a few? I can't even see the floorboards anymore!"
Liebe hesitated. "A bit over a hundred."
Licht narrowed his eyes. "Answer me, dude. How many?"
Liebe sighed. "...A bit over a few hundred."
"Answer me, dumbass!" Licht barked.
"Fine!" Liebe snapped. "It was six thousand."
Licht's jaw dropped. "You destroyed that many in a single night!?"
"Yeah," Liebe said calmly. "Couldn't sleep, so I thought I might as well train."
"How!?" Licht exclaimed.
"Long story," Liebe replied with a shrug.
Licht pointed at the floor. "And you did all that with wooden swords!?"
"Yup."
"Show me."
In an instant, Liebe's sword moved—a blur of motion—and the nearest dummy split cleanly into perfect cubes.
Licht whistled. "Great… now you're about as fast as me."
"Yeah," Liebe said. "After the five-hundredth dummy, I could destroy them in a single strike. After the two-thousand-four-hundred-fiftieth, I learned to cube them in about seven seconds. And now—after six thousand and one—here we are."
Just then, Alysa entered the room—and immediately tripped, falling flat after hitting her leg on a broken dummy.
"Ow—what the hell happened here!?" she cried. "Did we get robbed or something? Or did the captain suddenly decide to use her magic again?"
"If the captain was here," Liebe said dryly, "there'd be dust, not pieces."
Alysa blinked. "So… you did this?"
"Yeah," Liebe replied casually. "Couldn't sleep, so I trained. And, well… this happened."
Alysa sighed. "I see. Well, since you're awake, you can help me cook breakfast."
Liebe chuckled. "Sure."
He brushed the dust off, put on his uniform, and said, "Alright, guys, let's have breakfast, then get to class."
At that moment, Gelda appeared in the doorway.
"You seem to be in a good mood this morning, Lord Liebe," she said.
"Not Lord anymore," Liebe replied with a small smile. "Just Liebe is fine. You have a new lord now."
Gelda shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. I declined the offer long ago. I'm a follower of my own free will."
"Please," Liebe said quietly. "Mother needs you more than I do right now."
"I'm there for her too," Gelda replied softly. "But like I said, the new heir isn't truly an heir. That's why I'm serving the one who truly earned it. And I'll follow you to the ends of hell if I must. That's the only way I can atone for my sins."
Liebe paused, looking down at his hands—still trembling slightly from the night's training.
He didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The room was filled with the scent of morning light, sweat, and quiet loyalty.