"…we won't have to see each other again."
The words settled across the dining table like the final stroke of a blade.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Lucifer remained seated, though his posture had shifted slightly away from the table, as if some part of him had already begun to leave. Across from him, Rowan Obsidian Valcrest watched quietly, his expression unchanged, his presence filling the room in the same heavy way it had since the dinner began.
Sebastian was the first to break the silence.
"Lucifer… what exactly are you saying?"
Lucifer didn't look at him.
"I'm saying exactly what you heard."
His voice was calm, but the bitterness beneath it was impossible to hide.
"I'll take my armor and my axe, and then I'll leave."
Clara's fingers tightened against the armrests of her hover chair.
"You're not leaving this house over an argument," she said quietly.
Lucifer's lips twitched faintly.
"It stopped being an argument a while ago."
Rowan finally spoke.
"You won't be getting the armor."
Lucifer lifted his eyes slowly.
"And the axe?"
"No."
The refusal came without hesitation.
The word was not loud.
But it carried enough weight to silence the entire table.
Lucifer's fingers tightened against the edge of the table.
"They were my grandfather's."
"They are part of the Valcrest legacy," Rowan replied calmly. "Your grandfather entrusted them to this house."
Lucifer let out a slow breath.
"And I was the one he gave them to."
Rowan met his gaze evenly.
"You are no longer in a position to claim them."
The room fell silent again.
Sebastian lowered his eyes.
Ariel leaned back slightly in her chair, observing both of them with quiet interest.
Lucifer let out a quiet laugh under his breath.
"Of course."
He shook his head once.
"So that's it."
Rowan did not respond.
Lucifer leaned back in his chair again.
"And if I leave anyway?"
Rowan's voice remained steady.
"You won't."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
"And why exactly not?"
Rowan answered without raising his voice.
"Because Mia is dead."
The statement froze the entire table.
Clara inhaled sharply.
"What?"
"She destroyed her Origin Card while in custody," Rowan said. "Her soul collapsed shortly afterward."
Sebastian stared in disbelief.
Ariel's expression darkened slightly.
Lucifer remained silent for a moment.
Then he leaned back.
"Well," he said quietly, "that's unfortunate."
Rowan watched him carefully.
"She was the one who attacked you," the Duke continued. "And now she is dead."
Michael spoke quietly, "What's with that reaction?"
Lucifer shrugged faintly.
"She tried to turn me into a demon."
A pause followed.
"I'm not exactly mourning her death."
Rowan continued calmly.
"That isn't the point."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"You were present during the Noct Vale Highlands incident. The organization that attacked you is connected to the same group responsible for the unrest there."
The air in the room seemed to tighten.
"Until that investigation is finished," Rowan said, "you are not leaving this estate."
Lucifer blinked once.
Rowan's voice remained calm.
"You are under observation."
The words landed with quiet authority.
Lucifer stared at him for several seconds.
Then he smiled slowly.
"That's convenient."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
Without another word, he dropped it on the table.
The sound echoed faintly.
"What's that?" Ariel asked.
Lucifer nudged the paper toward Rowan.
"Names."
Rowan unfolded the list.
His eyes moved slowly down the page.
Halfway through, he paused—just for a fraction of a second.
His eyes narrowed before returning to normal.
But some at the table noticed it.
Rowan read the rest, then took another look before folding the paper again.
"Where did you get this?"
Lucifer lifted his glass and took a slow sip of water.
"Mia talked a lot during her time in my room."
Rowan looked at him.
"You expect me to believe she handed you a list of Valcrest intelligence contacts."
Lucifer shrugged.
"Believe whatever you want."
He tapped the paper lightly.
"If that list ever becomes public, people might start asking unpleasant questions. Let me give you a few."
Clara stiffened.
Lucifer continued calmly.
"The Church might get curious about the relationship between Valcrest's high-ranking members and demons. Some Monarchs might get curious as well, considering our competitive standing. And suddenly, to the common public, Valcrest starts looking less like a noble house and more like something… darker."
Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So now you're threatening your own family."
Lucifer tilted his head.
"I'm negotiating with my family."
The Duke remained silent.
Lucifer leaned back again.
"I called Selena yesterday."
Clara looked alarmed.
"You what?"
Lucifer ignored her.
"I contacted her from my communicator. I figured Michael might not arrive in time, so I arranged a second safety net."
He nodded toward the list.
"If something happens to me, that document finds its way to Selena."
Ariel frowned.
"You trust her with that?"
Lucifer smiled faintly.
"I don't."
Then he added quietly,
"But she owes me a favor."
Rowan studied him carefully.
"And you believe she would risk angering the Valcrest household for you."
Lucifer met his gaze.
"I believe guilt makes people behave unpredictably. And who knows… the Celestial Monarch might be interested in knowing our family's darker history."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Lucifer leaned forward slightly.
"So here's the situation."
His voice sharpened.
"I get my axe. I get my armor."
He paused.
"And now I want something else as well."
Rowan did not respond.
Lucifer continued.
"I want the family axe art."
Sebastian looked up.
Rowan's expression did not change.
"The Obsidian Rend is reserved for the heir of this house."
Lucifer spread his hands slightly.
"And yet no one is using it."
He gestured toward Sebastian.
"He fights with an axe, but relies more on speed and reflex."
Then toward Michael's seat.
"Michael is an exceptional swordsman. He has nothing to do with axes."
Lucifer tapped his chest.
"I'm the only one in this generation who actually fights with an axe—and that too with brute force."
Rowan's voice remained calm.
"And you believe that entitles you to it."
Lucifer smiled.
"No."
He tapped the paper again.
"I believe this does."
The room went quiet again.
Rowan slowly pushed the document back toward him.
"You're bluffing."
Lucifer shrugged.
"Maybe."
He leaned back.
"But if I'm not, the Valcrest name might start appearing in places it really shouldn't."
Rowan studied him for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"You will not leave this estate."
"You will not receive those artifacts."
"And you will not learn the Obsidian Rend."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Blackmail does not make you the heir of Valcrest."
The room fell silent again.
Lucifer stared at him.
Then he slowly reached into his pocket.
The Valcrest sigil appeared in his hand.
He placed it gently on the table.
Beside it, he set down his identity card.
The metal emblem reflected the chandelier light as it slid across the polished wood.
"I don't want to be the heir either."
"I've said what I needed to say."
He pushed the sigil toward Rowan.
"I expect my things tomorrow."
He stood.
"After that…"
Lucifer paused.
"…we'll see what happens."
The hall fell into a deeper silence.
It wasn't empty.
Clara's breathing had grown uneven.
Sebastian's fingers tightened around his fork without him realizing it.
Even Ariel, who had remained composed until now, had stopped turning the page in her hand.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The tension did not break—it held.
Clara's voice cut through it.
"Is this how you talk to your father?"
"Lucifer. Go back to your room. Now."
The sharpness of her tone caught everyone off guard.
Even Lucifer.
He turned and looked at her once.
Then he nodded.
"Sorry, Mother."
He stood fully, reached for Nox—still chewing on a piece of red meat—and placed him on his shoulder before walking toward the door.
The door opened.
Then it closed behind him.
For several seconds, the dining hall remained completely silent.
The Valcrest sigil rested on the table alongside his identification card.
Beside them lay the folded list.
Rowan remained seated.
Then slowly, he reached forward and picked up the paper again.
His eyes moved across the page.
At first, his expression did not change.
But as he continued reading, something in his gaze sharpened.
A faint gleam appeared.
Sebastian noticed it.
Ariel noticed it too.
Rowan adjusted the page slightly and read another section more carefully.
Then—
He laughed.
A deep, genuine laugh that echoed across the hall.
Everyone froze.
Clara looked at him in disbelief.
Sebastian stared.
Even Ariel raised an eyebrow.
Rowan rarely laughed.
When he did, it meant something had shifted.
Rowan lowered the list slightly, still smiling.
"This brat…"
He shook his head.
"All that nonsense just for this."
He tapped the paper lightly.
"Could have simply handed it over directly."
He stood.
Then walked over to Clara and took hold of the handles of her hover chair.
"Come," he said calmly.
Clara still looked confused.
"Rowan… what does that mean?"
But Rowan had already begun guiding her toward the exit.
They left the dining hall together.
Leaving Sebastian, Ariel, and Evelyn sitting in stunned silence
and the Valcrest sigil resting quietly on the table.