Chapter 21: A mother's love

Mc's POV

"So... Can you tell me what happened to my family now?"

Iris asked me with a very anxious expression on her face... I am still quite hesitant to tell her the truth because... this might hurt her a lot, and... I have no idea how to comfort her.

"... Are you sure, you want to know?"

I asked one more time, looking directly at her anxious eyes as I placed down the book in my hand on the table.

"...yes, I want to know..."

"Then... As I said before, nothing bad happened to them... Your son Milicas is living a happy life right now"

"That's it? Then why are you so hesitant to tell me?"

"It's just that..."

"Please tell me, I swear no matter what it is, I'll handle it, so please tell me"

She pleaded while looking at me with a serious expression on her face.

"Your husband... After your death, married his childhood friend, Grayfia Lucifuge, as his new wife... And now your son recognized her as his only mother... Your own son don't know who you are, Iris-san..."

I honestly told her all of the information, I got from Nia.

'Maybe I was a bit too blunt'

I thought while waiting for her response...

"...That can't be true, I know my own husband, he isn't the type to replace me"

"... If that is what you want to believe then, so be it. I can't force it into you"

I said as Asia came inside the room in her pajamas, carrying 4 cups of coffee.

"Don't stay up too late, Lucias"

She said with a gentle smile on her face as she placed the coffee mugs on the small table between the beds before she sat down beside me.

"...Lucias, Can you let me meet with my husband and son?"

Iris asked with an anxious expression on her face.

"You don't need to ask me, Iris-san since I was the one who forcefully revived you... I'll take you their but not to meet them but to see their situation. Your presence might cause a ruckus in that household, especially when Sirzechs already have another wife"

"I don't mind... I just wanted to see if what you're saying is true..."

She said with a serious expression on her face

"Then... let me ask you, what do you plan to do after?"

"... I... don't know..."

"... Then do you plan on dying again?"

"..."

"You have another shot in life, so cherish it while it last, Iris Gremory. Since I revived you on my own accord, I'll support any decisions you make, that applies the same to you as well, Ingvild Leviathan"

I said as I gazed at the two girls.

"T-thank you, but I don't want to burden you anymore... You already cured me for my disease. I am truly grateful for what you have done" (Ingvild)

"Regardless I'll still help you"

"B-but-"

"I am doing this for myself, Ingvild-san, so please let me help you, alright?"

"...A-alright"

Ingvild nodded her as I set my sight back to Iris.

"Asia"

"Yes?"

"Can you call Yami here?"

"Of course"

Asia answered as she left the room, leaving the 3 of us alone inside the room.

"I'm sorry... I know I'm being selfish for asking you for a favor, even though you're the one who gave me another life to live..."

Iris apologized with a heavy expression on her face as she faced the ground.

"Don't worry about it, I am as selfish as you after all"

'I couldn't care less about the quest of making them join the faction... Since I can handle the penalty without any problems. It is really selfish of me to revive them on my own accord'

"Lucias? I have brought Yami here"

Asia said with Yami following behind her as she felt awkward from the atmosphere inside the room.

"Why did you call me here, Lucias Frey?"

"You have infiltrated the House of Gremory before right?"

"Yes, it was when Kuroka was begging them to stop the execution of her sister"

"Then, we will be going to the Gremory Household, and also can you use your transformation magic on her to keep her at stealth?"

"Of course"

She answered with her usual monotone voice as she went towards Iris and let her nanobot travel on her skin as it camouflaged her appearance to blend in with the surroundings before she sliced the air with her hair, creating a portal inside the room.

"Iris-san, hide your presence, we will go directly inside the Gremory Household. Asia can you please look after Ingvild?"

"Gladly"

"Then... let's go, Iris-san"

I stretched out my hand in front of her, inviting her to enter the portal back to her past home... The home that she lost when she died.

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"Where are we?"

Iris asked as she looked around the dark mansion.

"It's already late, most of them are already asleep. So please be careful not to alarm them"

I whispered at her before I use [night vision] to see in the dark.

"Follow me..."

I walked towards the stairs as quietly as I can, slowly walking through the quite hallway before we arrived at Sirzech's room... and to our surprise all 3 of them are awake.

"Sirzechs..."

Iris muttered his name as he heard the happy laughter of her son and her husband behind the door while Yami teleported us inside the room.

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"Honey..."

Iris muttered in sadness as she saw her own husband hug another woman with care and love while playing with their son, Milicas who had a bright smile on her face as Sirzechs played with him.

"Father, Can we play tomorrow?"

Milicas asked with a hopeful expression on his face while looking at his father's eyes.

"Well... If your mother agrees, then I guess we can"

"Please don't use my son as a way for you to skip your work, Sirzech-Sama"

Grayfia said with a monotone voice while looking at Sirzechs with a deadpan expression on her face.

"Please~"

"... Fine, but only for 2 hours alright? You're father still needs to do his work after, or else, you won't be able to play with us anymore"

"I-I promise!"

"Then come and give me a hug"

Grayfia with a gentle smile on her face hugged the little boy in her arms as she ignored his own husband.

"I-I..." (Iris)

"..." (Lucias)

"Lucias Frey, is it okay for her to see this?" (Yami)

"No, but I respect her desires, so I let her see it for herself"

"... Sirzechs... My baby... How could..."

Iris muttered to herself as she started to cry and choke in her own tears while looking at the happy family of 3 in front of her.

"My son... I'm sorry... Mommy wasn't there for you..."

She mumbled with a longing expression on her face as she reached out towards Milicas who was being hugged by Grayfia.

"... I'm sorry... My baby... I'm sorry..."

"..."

"Lucias Frey, it's time to go or they'll notice us... Even though I want to let her stay for as much as she wants. I can't make the transformation last longer than this... I'm sorry" (Yami)

"... I'll pass my mana to yours, just let her calm down first before we leave"

"I understand"

She nodded her head as I held her hand tightly and started to transfer my mana to hers... I was surprised by the rate of consumption of her skill, it feels like my mana is getting sucked away from me, but I held on and took out 5 bottles of mana potions and drank each without hesitation.

"..."

"You're body's going to collapse of you keep on drinking this much mana potions, Lucias Frey"

Yami reminded me as she held my hand tighter into hers.

"I know, but let her be... I will recover anyway, but this will leave a permanent scar in her heart..."

I said while continuously chugging a bottle of bitter mana potions in my mouth to keep my supply of MP up as it kept being drained by Yami.

"It's time to sleep, Milicas"

Grayfia told Milicas who had a slightly dissatisfied expression on his face as he was carried away by Grayfia out of the room together with Sirzechs who was following her from behind.

"..." (Iris)

"Iris... It's time to go"

I told Iris who was kneeling on the ground, not moving nor saying anything as he stared at the ground.

"... I want... to stay here..."

She said while looking at me with her empty eyes.

"You... can't, this is the only things that I can't fulfill... the consequences of letting you stay here are far too severe and might affect the entire devil faction"

"...I thought that you would support any decisions I have... Why can't you help me?"

'She's frustrated...'

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing much I can do..."

"..."

She stayed silent as she removed her gaze at mine as she stared at ground.

"...You... can't?...If you only knew... how I felt... you wouldn't..."

"...in the end... you're just another child"

'how she felt, huh?'

"You're right, I don't understand how you feel because never in my life have I had a person that gave me any kind of parental love..."

She looked up to me as she slowly regained the color of her eyes but... unlike before it was filled with guilt.

"... I am nothing more than an orphan abandoned by the church. I have no one but a single girl in the past... Everyone else left me for dead... they abandoned me... I only had myself and Asia, the girl I owe my life to, to rely on..."

"I..."

"I'm sorry that I don't understand, none of the adults that I have ever met in my life was able to give me the love that a mother feels towards his child"

"W-wai-"

"Most of the girls in my house haven't experienced what a Mother's love is... Yami was created to be a weapon... Kuroka is given away by his own father along with her little sister... Lily had no one to properly rely on but herself... Valerie and Flandre was left for dead by their own father due to their bloodline... The spirits was created out of pure mana and had to rely on themselves to survive in the world... The same goes to the Original Demons and Azazel... Ophis was created out of nothingness... Tiamat due to dragon's traditions was left by her own parents in the middle of the wild, so that she can grow stronger... Only Elmenhilde experienced this kind of love"

Iris stared into my eyes with guilt as she quickly hugged me into her embrace, burying my face into her breasts while droplets of tears ran down her cheeks.

"... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to say that... I'm sorry"

" I am not angry, Iris-san. If you want to stay here... then so be it. Stay here as long as you want, but if you ever want a place to stay at ..."

I said as I patted her shoulder to let go of me before I was pulled inside a portal by Yami.

"... our door will always be open for you"

I said as both me and Yami left the Gremory Household, leaving Iris alone in the ground, clenching her chest while looking at us with an extremely guilty expression on her face.

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"Lucias, You're back"

"I'm back... Why is everyone still awake?"

I asked as I gazed at the girls who was surrounding Ingvild.

"The others have explained to us in detail about how your ability works, and we wanted to help you out on your quests so we brain- I mean we convinced, Ingvild here to join our faction voluntarily" (Beelzebub)

"..."

"I-I want to join, Frey-san. I-I want to repay you for everything you have done for me. I-I hope you don't mind, Frey-san"

"You can join if you want to Ingvild-san, but don't join under the context of debt, alright? But if you still insist on repaying me... Just don't push yourself to hard"

"I-I understand, Frey-san. I'll do my best"

She happily said as she bowed her down in a 90 degree angle.

"Don't be too nervous around us in the future, Ingvild, because from now on, your part of our family"

I smiled at the nervous girl in front of me before I gave her a wide hug to welcome her into the faction.

"Welcome to the faction, Ingvild-san"

"How come we didn't get a hug when we joined the faction?" (Modeus)

"I would have if I hadn't met you, Modeus"

"Why are you so mean! Hehehe~"

She shouted with a sloppy grin on her face as she tried to look angry at me.

"... What happened, why did she become such a masochist?"

"Oh, she has been reading the collection of novels that Asia had in her room... It seems like most of them are..." (Justice)

"T-that not it, Justice-san!" (Asia)

"You don't have to lie, my dear Asia, we already know that you wanted to be domin-" (Beelzebub)

"S-stop Beelzebub-san!!"

Asia hurried covered Beelzebub's mouth with her hands with an extremely embarrassed expression on her face.

"I understand what you feel~ Asia~ ❤️❤️" (Miku)

"Indeed by his appearance alone, it kind of feels nice to be dominated by a gentle looking boy like him" (Modeus)

"D-dominate..." (Yoshino)

"Dominate... I mind not if it be true thee has that kind of fetish" (Mukuro)

"Dominate? You wish to start a war again, Lucias?" (Tohka)

"Yes~ A battlefield in his bed~" (Modeus)

"Isn't his bed a little to small for war?" (Tohka)

"Stop teaching her useless things Modeus" (Kotori)

"Ara Ara seems fun, can I join as well?" (Kurumi)

"I will, teach you, how to, dominate, Lucias" (Ophis)

"I don't think they're talking about the 'dominate' that you have in mind, Ophis" (Nia)

"???" (Ophis)

"Come and dominate me right now, Lucias" (Tobiichi)

"Can you let go of me?" (Lucias)

"Yuzuru, let's play old maid!" (Kaguya)

"Reply: Sure just don't cry after this game" (Yuzuru)

"W-what! Stop saying lies Yuzuru!" (Kaguya)

"What is all the ruckus about?"

Elmenhilde tiredly said while rubbing her eyes as she just came down from her room.

"Wait... Where's Kuroka?"

"She is playing together with Cerberus... I think" (Justice)

"Help me nya!!" (Kuroka)

Kuroka screamed for help from the open door before getting pulled back by the 3 demons girls and Flandre to the room.

"Let's play!" (Cerberus)

"See their playing" (Justice)

"... Why does she sound like she's crying for her dear life?"

"Is she?" (Justice)

"Kitty~ " (Flandre)

"Nya!!" (Kuroka)

"Everyone's so lively in the middle of the night" (Lucifer)

"Indeed" (Judgement)

[Where's my waffle?] (Yuu)

"S-Sorry, I ate it, I didn't know it was yours" (Valerie)

[It's alright] (Yuu)

I helplessly sighed from the ruckus created by my members before a large blue magic circle appeared in the entrance of the castle... silencing all of them as Iris with a determined expression on her face entered the living room.

"Have you made your decision?"

I asked Iris without turning back to look at her.

"Yes"

"Then, what is your decision, Iris Gremory?"

"I'm sorry for what I've said before... That was very thoughtless of me to say that... So I'm sorry... Even though my decision is kind of selfish. I hope you can give me a chance, Lucias"

"I don't mind what you've said before, I am not angry at you, Iris, and I will try my best to fulfill your decision as long as it is within my ability"

"Then, please let me stay with you"

She slightly bowed her head towards my direction causing me to unconsciously smile at her as I gave her my answer.

"Sure, Welcome to the Faction, Iris Gremory"