In the past, everyone got along wonderfully. With Lilith set to become the Saintess of Light, the family was poised to grow even stronger and more prosperous. But suddenly, the powerful rise of the Dark Divine Hall and Adina’s appearance out of nowhere shattered that beautiful dream.
No one welcomed Adina’s arrival, despite the powerful faction backing her and her exceptional talent. Dennis could see clearly that everyone who was now taking a side was only doing so because they were forced.
Now that he was no longer just the Family Head’s son or Lilith’s older brother, Dennis felt more clear-headed than ever.
Dumont took a sip of his drink. "Don’t worry, I know my limits."
Toying with the glass, Dumont finally set it down on the small table.
"I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days. ’When did she start planning all this?’ After thinking it over, I believe it must have been two months before her birthday. She frequented the library during that period. I suspect she was already planning her own path back then."
Dennis was puzzled. "Then how did she know she had awakened a talent for the Undead System?"
"We had an Undead Mage in our ancestry—Sean." Dumont leaned back on his hands, gazing up at the three moons hanging in the sky. "The night I brought Adina back from the outskirts, the moons were full, just like tonight... She was all alone, holding nothing but a wooden stick, and yet she was managing to fight off Violent Tooth Rats..."
"If I’d been a moment later, she never would have made it back. But afterward... Sigh..."
"I’ve been going through the family history recently. It’s recorded that the Mage Sean returned to the family once before he perished. The ring she wears is his relic. That explains everything."
"A child, not even six years old, who knew she wouldn’t be accepted by the world. She didn’t trust that we—her parents and brothers—would protect her. She kept it from us, trying by any means possible to find a path for herself."
Dumont hunched over, as if it were the only way to bear the heart-wrenching agony.
"Whenever I think about it, I feel like a complete failure. You, Danit, Lilith—the moment you run into the slightest trouble, you come running to me and your mother. But I’ve wracked my brain, and in the past six years, the number of times Adina came to me for help was pitifully small."
Dennis’s voice was hoarse. "It was my fault. I wasn’t a good brother to her."
"If anyone’s to blame, it’s me and your mother. We were the ones who showed favoritism from the start." Dumont felt utterly exhausted, completely drained of energy. "People are always subconsciously partial to the child who knows how to act cute and curry favor. Adina did neither. She was never talkative, even as a little girl, and was always exceptionally quiet."
Dumont gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Now when I think back, I have so few memories of spending time with her that it’s pitiful. I sometimes even wonder if I imagined them. It’s not that I didn’t know Lilith was intensely jealous, but I never expected she would dare to do something so vicious at such a young age."
Dennis felt compelled to speak up for Lilith. "She was young then, too. She didn’t realize the severe consequences of her impulsive actions."
"So, there it is. She hurt Adina first, and now Adina is retaliating. I can’t get involved in the feud between them. What’s owed must always be repaid."
"Your sister has a debt to repay, as do your mother and I. I suppose stepping down from our positions as Family Head and Lady of the House is part of our repayment."
Dennis was silent for a long while. "On the way back, I finally accepted the truth: I’m not as good as Adina. I’m inferior to her in every single way. Never mind her talent—she was already a Five-star Mage before she even came to the Imperial City."
"I’m thirty-nine years old, and I’m still stuck at the level of a Four-star Mage."
"She’s an expert with Magic Arrays, and her combat ability is incredible. Meanwhile, I... all these years, aside from simply training my Magic, I’m not skilled in anything else. Not Magic Arrays, not potions, nothing..."
"I had the family’s vast resources to support me, while she had to fight and claw for everything herself..."
"I’ve been wondering, ’If I were the one who had awakened a talent for the Undead System, could I have fought my way through like she did?’ I don’t have that confidence."
Dumont glanced sideways at Dennis. Perhaps because of the family’s recent catastrophe, the once-complacent Dennis had lost much of his arrogance.
He patted Dennis’s shoulder. "Someone like Adina is a rarity, after all. If she had someone protecting her, would she have needed to become like this? When all is said and done, it was our failure as parents. We didn’t do our jobs, so she couldn’t fully trust us."
"Mother... she..."
Dennis wanted to say something in Catherine’s defense, but he opened his mouth and didn’t know what to say. When it came to favoritism, no one in the family was more biased than Catherine.
Dumont gave a bitter smile. "You don’t need to tell me about her. I know she favored Lilith because their personalities are so similar, but Adina was her daughter too... Forget it. What’s the use of talking about this now?"
"Adina is never coming back. At only six years old, she dared to abandon us, to abandon her family and wander on her own. Now she’s fully-fledged, with a powerful backer. She won’t give us a second glance."
"To this day, I still don’t understand. Even if we were biased, it wasn’t that bad. Why is she so... ruthless toward us? Does she feel no lingering affection for us at all?"
Below the terrace, Catherine covered her mouth, her body trembling with sobs. Lilith stood silently to one side, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to say. ’If Adina saw this, would she be happy?’
’Your once-biased parents and brother all regret it now. Are you satisfied with how things turned out?’
"Let’s go." Catherine couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She stumbled away, steadying herself against the wall. Lilith followed, reaching out to help, but Catherine pushed her hand away. "Just let me be alone for a while."
Tan You took in the whole scene unfolding within the Edmonds family. Seeing them all lost in their private grief, the raven couldn’t help but flutter its wings. "So now they feel regret? What took them so long?"
Tan You raised an eyebrow and casually stroked the raven’s head. "I thought you were going to tell me to forgive them."
The raven hopped back as if startled, folding its wings across its chest. "We’re not like those Light Element Magic Beasts, all bathed in holy light. We believe in getting revenge for every wrong, settling every grudge. Anyone who hurts us will be left behind in the past, forever."
Tan You said, "Exactly. That’s why we’re two of a kind. I feel the same way."
"I just wonder what Adina thinks, though. That poor girl has had it rough," the dark unicorn said, glancing at Tan You. "The gender ratio for Mages of the Undead System is extremely skewed."
"But when a female Mage awakens a talent for the Undead System, she is destined to become the Dark Saintess."
Tan You replied, "Exactly. This conflict between Light and Dark, to put it bluntly, is just the Divine being selfish. I absolutely loathe the God of Light now. How many people have died over the years because of him? Even if he is one of the Divine, shouldn’t he have to pay a price for a transgression like that?"