Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2294: An unexpected gift

"...." Richard frowned deeply and slowly began shaking his head the moment those words left his father’s mouth, his expression growing increasingly helpless as he leaned back against his seat.

Hadn’t his father ever heard of easing into a conversation before? Most people would begin with greetings, exchange a few pleasantries, or at the very least prepare the other party before delivering such news. Yet Robin had walked in, exchanged only a handful of sentences, and immediately announced the death of the man’s son as though there were no gentler way to approach the subject.

"One of my brothers died before your eyes?" Saher stopped building the fire pit altogether, his movements coming to an abrupt halt as his brows drew tightly together. Slowly turning toward Robin with obvious disbelief written across his face, he asked, "Which one?!"

"Asir," Robin answered directly, his expression remaining completely devoid of emotion, neither attempting to soften the truth nor embellish it. "He was killed while carrying out a heroic duty in service of the universe. He was a good young man who met an honorable end, fulfilling his responsibilities until his very last breath, and it is because of him alone that I came here today."

"Impossible!" Saher exclaimed, instinctively waving his hand in denial before even thinking the matter through. "How could a Guardian die without triggering the Silent Farewell? There hasn’t been a single Silent Farewell recorded anywhere in the universe for years. Such an event would have shaken countless sectors!"

"He died only a few months ago, not years ago," Robin replied without the slightest irritation, his attention remaining completely fixed upon Arkail as though no one else in the area could distract him. "It happened beyond the End of the World Barrier, where the universal laws themselves do not exist. His death was therefore never recognized by the universe, and the Silent Farewell was never released throughout the cosmos. If either of you has any further questions regarding that matter, please ask them now. Today, I intend to devote whatever time is necessary to ensure that Asir receives the respect and explanation he deserves."

As for Arkail, he simply looked directly into Robin’s eyes for several long, silent seconds, carefully studying every subtle movement in his expression before finally opening his mouth.

"Who begins a conversation like this?"

Aser’s death stirred remarkably little within Arkail’s heart.

He was merely one among Arkail’s countless sons, one who had displayed nothing particularly extraordinary during his early years and had therefore received very little attention compared to many of his more gifted siblings.

It was true that Aser had later demonstrated remarkable determination, eventually advancing to become a Guardian before rising to the position of Vice Principal of a Stellar Academy. That achievement alone had been enough for Arkail to finally hear his name on more than one occasion. Yet that had also marked the limits of their relationship. Once Aser refused to return to the galaxy and chose his own path elsewhere, he had continued living as an outsider, someone connected to Arkail and the rest of the family by little more than their shared bloodline and surname.

Asir’s death?

Certainly, the death of one of his sons was enough to provoke annoyance and anger. After all, his family’s reputation—and by extension the reputation of the Fundamental Time Law itself—was now involved. But since Lord Robin personally stated that the young man had died honorably while carrying out a noble duty, there was little room for grievance regarding the manner of his death.

In truth...

The revelation about what existed beyond the End of the World Barrier interested Arkail far more than the death itself.

"My apologies for addressing the matter so directly," Robin replied calmly, his tone remaining perfectly composed. "However, from my perspective, this is the most important subject we have to discuss today. Everything else that will be said afterward is connected to it in one way or another, so I believed it was only appropriate to begin here rather than postpone the inevitable."

He continued,

"In summary, I accidentally opened a gateway leading beyond the End of the World Barrier. Once we crossed over, we encountered an entire nest of Space Beasts. Blokan, Althera, Morgana, your son Aser, together with several members of my own army, were accompanying me at the time. We engaged the nest in battle, expecting a difficult fight, but unfortunately we eventually discovered that the nest was being protected by a Space Beast Ancestor."

"....?" Arkail’s eyes flew wide open as his fingers instinctively tightened around the armrest of his throne, enough to leave visible pressure marks upon the stone. Even Saher unconsciously took a full step backward, his breathing becoming noticeably heavier.

A Space Beast Ancestor...

For anyone who truly understood the significance carried by those three words, they were virtually synonymous with absolute catastrophe. They represented beings whose existence alone was enough to alter the outcome of wars and erase civilizations, creatures that even the strongest powers preferred never to encounter.

"There is no need to worry," Robin continued in exactly the same composed voice, as though speaking of an unusually dangerous battle rather than a meeting with one of the universe’s most terrifying existences. "After a battle that lasted for quite some time, I ultimately succeeded in driving the Ancestor away. However, it was somewhat displeased by the losses it had suffered before retreating, so it vented that frustration by killing your son while he was simultaneously holding back several adult Space Beasts. He fought like a true hero, never abandoning his assigned position for even a single moment, and continued holding the line until the very end."

Robin then slowly raised one hand toward his forehead before carefully drawing out a pure white sphere wrapped within a perfectly transparent membrane, holding it steadily before Arkail as though presenting something of immense importance.

"Here."

"This is...?" Arkail fixed his full attention upon the sphere, examining every detail of its appearance with unconcealed confusion as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

"It’s Asir’s complete soul," Robin declared in an even, unwavering voice. "I seized it from his head just before the Executioner took it away, using my Fifth Grade Truth Eye Manifestation, and preserved it safely within my soul domain, where I prevented it from being transformed into a soul creature. It has remained there untouched ever since, isolated from every external influence that might have altered or damaged it."

Robin then gently slid the sphere toward the center of the table, allowing everyone present to observe it clearly.

"I wasn’t able to preserve his entire soul domain," he said honestly, without attempting to exaggerate what he had accomplished, "but his original soul has been preserved here in perfect condition, together with every one of his memories, experiences, and the foundation of his identity... This IS Asir."

He continued in the same composed tone,

"With enough effort, he can be born again. He will be reborn as an ordinary boy, living a perfectly normal childhood, gradually recovering his memories as he grows older until, one day, he will once again become the same Asir who stood before us."

"....?" Arkail’s eyes widened once again, genuine astonishment finally breaking through his otherwise calm expression.

"Is such a thing even possible?"

When either the body or the soul perished, that was the end.

If the Lifeline ran dry, everything ended.

If the soul domain shattered beyond repair, everything ended.

Those were principles accepted throughout the universe, truths that countless generations had regarded as absolute.

Robin’s talk of being born again belonged to a realm of possibility Arkail had never even considered.

"Good things reveal themselves to those willing to work for them." Robin smiled faintly. "With sufficient effort, you’ll eventually be able to bring that boy back into the world. It won’t be simple, and it certainly won’t happen overnight, but the possibility exists, and sometimes that alone is worth more than certainty."

He then continued calmly,

"At that moment, Althera and Blokan withdrew. I don’t blame them—they were perceptive enough to recognize what was unfolding between the Executioner and me, and they understood there was nothing they could accomplish by remaining. But your son never moved. Not because he lacked the strength or courage to do so, but because every ounce of his attention remained devoted to his own battle. He never allowed his focus to drift for even a moment, paying absolutely no attention to what was happening on my side."

Robin tilted his head slightly, a thoughtful expression briefly crossing his face.

"I don’t know whether I should describe that as an excessive sense of duty... or simply blind trust in me that exceeded what the situation warranted. Either interpretation could be correct. Regardless, he was a good boy, one who remained faithful to his responsibilities until the very end... and if circumstances had been different, I truly would have liked to have a son like him."

"....." Arkail stared into Robin’s eyes without speaking, silently attempting to organize every piece of information he had just received while trying to understand the man seated before him. Every answer Robin gave seemed straightforward, yet every one of them shattered another assumption Arkail had held about what was and was not possible.

Eventually, Arkail slowly reached out toward the soul sphere.

Rather than taking it, however, he gently pushed it back across the table toward Robin.

"Your opportunity has arrived."

"...?" Robin raised a single eyebrow, his expression revealing genuine curiosity for the first time since the conversation had begun.

"The son you’ve heard about until now is already dead, and that Chapter has come to its conclusion. I don’t particularly enjoy admitting it, but I won’t be able to restore his body to him. And even if, through some miracle, I managed to do so, I would never place him in a position as important as the one you’ve already given him. His future will undoubtedly be brighter with you."

Arkail continued calmly,

"I’ve heard that you already have adopted sons among those closest to you—the First Sword, Theo, and the young Marshal, Caesar. Add Asir to their number as well. Let him grow alongside them. Perhaps one day he’ll become someone capable of being useful to you."

"...." Robin met Arkail’s gaze in silence for several long moments, carefully weighing the sincerity behind those words before finally giving a slow nod.

"I’ll take good care of him."

Afterward, he calmly drew the sphere back into his soul domain once again, storing it away with the same care he had shown when presenting it.

He then lifted his eyes to meet Arkail’s once more.

"What do you want in return? I won’t allow everything you invested in him during his early years, no matter how little or how much, to simply disappear without compensation. Regardless of the path he takes from this point onward, I have no intention of accepting something of this value without giving you something worthy in exchange."