Why does Malleus call Lilia his “friend?”
After the EN release of Book 7.5, I noticed that some fans found it odd that Malleus called Lilia his friend. I found it odd too, and even Lilia was initially surprised.
What is interesting is that the JP version originally used the word “友人 (yūjin, which means friend)” (Book 7.5, Chapter 4).
Although many players view Lilia as a parental figure, Malleus calling him a friend reveals how Malleus understands companionship and sense of closeness. Malleus’s isolation and his lack of parents also come into play.
In this blog, I’ll analyze why Malleus refers to Lilia as his friend by looking at why the word “friend” feels strange, Malleus’s view on relationships, the two of them raising Silver together, and the comparison between how Silver and Malleus see Lilia.
⚠️Spoilers for Books 7 and 8 below⚠️
Why the word "friend" feels strange
Lilia raised Malleus from infancy, protected and guided him emotionally, remains one of Malleus’s closest emotional supports, and in human terms, this strongly resembles parenting.
Lilia hatched Malleus, as seen in Lilia’s dream of his past in Book 7 Chapter 97. Furthermore, he has supported Malleus since his childhood, and has even given him advice that seems like parental guidance.
One memorable scene where Lilia gives Malleus parental advice is after the overblotters were abducted to Styx, in which Lilia tells Malleus: “never, ever forget the pain you felt here today,” because Malleus will live for a very long time (Book 6, Chapter 52).
Another memorable scene is from Malleus’s post-overblot party. Lilia tells Malleus that the people in the party are those he’ll eventually lose. Even so, Malleus tells Lilia that he wants to remember the joy and pain he felt that day (Book 7, Chapter 349).
These scenes show that Lilia has taught Malleus how to process pain and prepared him for future loss. Overall, Lilia has helped Malleus process difficult feelings.
A memory from Malleus’s childhood also shows how Lilia was a significant parental figure in his life, which is where Malleus’s love for shaved ice stems from. Malleus tells Yuu that he froze his entire castle because he threw a tantrum over his Grandmother being unable to attend dinner with him. To calm his tantrum, Lilia prepared shaved ice from the frozen castle and started eating it together with the staff, eventually giving Malleus some too. When Malleus calmed down, Lilia told him the dialogue below (Book 7, Chapter 18).
From this, it seems that shaved ice became Malleus’s favorite food because the memory attached to it is connected to warmth and togetherness. This moment highlights how Lilia has emotionally guided Malleus since his youth.
All of these parental moments make it seem natural that Malleus would view Lilia as a parental figure.
However, Malleus himself doesn’t seem to define the relationship this way.
Malleus's view on relationships
Malleus grew up without any direct parental presence and because of this, he may not fully recognize what “parental love” is supposed to feel like.
With the absence of his parents, Maleficia being loving but distant, and his overall isolation, Malleus may not emotionally associate “family” with closeness and companionship. Instead, family in his life was often tied to duty, absence, and distance.
Meanwhile, friendship is voluntary, implies equality, and involves shared time and understanding. Malleus treasures companionship because it was emotionally rarer in his life than familial obligation.
This is further emphasized by Malleus’s overblot in Book 7. Malleus couldn’t handle the idea of losing Lilia and the limited time he had left with him. His overblot was driven by his desire to preserve those precious bonds forever.
After the overblot, Lilia was even resurrected through Malleus’s love for him (Book 7, Chapter 338). The intensity of Malleus’s reaction shows how central Lilia’s presence is in his life. Although Malleus calls Lilia his “friend,” the depth of his attachment goes far beyond what is normally associated with friendship.
Lilia seems to treat Malleus as an equal. Lilia rarely treats Malleus as only a child or prince. Instead he speaks to him casually, jokes with him, and allows mutual understanding. This makes their relationship feel closer to companionship than strict hierarchy.
An experience that represents Lilia and Malleus’s equality is the two of them raising Silver together.
Malleus initially didn’t like Silver. However, he helped take care of him because he knew Lilia would be sad if Silver grew weaker (Book 7, Chapter 81). Over time, Malleus became involved in Silver’s upbringing alongside Lilia, by giving him food supplies and singing him lullabies.
This changes the structure of their relationship. Instead of Lilia only raising Malleus, it also becomes Malleus and Lilia caring for someone together. This creates shared responsibility, emotional collaboration, and companionship. Raising Silver together may have contributed to Malleus seeing Lilia less as a distant parental authority and more as someone beside him.
Comparing Silver and Malleus’s views of Lilia
Silver openly calls Lilia his “father” and has experienced direct caregiving in a more traditionally familial way. He has had Lilia feed him, guide him, and compliment him through his growth. Since Silver was happy when Lilia called them father and son in Book 8 Chapter 29, it’s evident that their bond as family is very important to him. Silver seeks parental warmth and reassurance from Lilia.
No, we’re father and son. It’s a long story, so I’ll explain next time. Next is…)
Meanwhile, Malleus sees Lilia more as a companion and equal. Unlike Silver, he lacks a strong familial framework, and instead seems to value relationships built on mutual understanding and reliance. His royal status and isolation may make friendship feel rarer and more precious than family. Malleus seeks understanding and companionship from Lilia.
Malleus calling Lilia his friend doesn’t weaken their bond. Instead, it reveals the particular way Malleus understands love and closeness. While players may instinctively view Lilia as a father figure, Malleus values him as someone who chose to stay beside him—not because of duty, but because of genuine companionship. This is especially evident in Book 7, where Malleus overblots because he cannot accept losing Lilia and ultimately resurrects him through his love. Although Lilia fulfills many parental roles in Malleus’s life, Malleus treasures him as a companion, confidant, and emotional equal.
EDIT: Images from Books 7 and 7.5 have been added!
