Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2334 Guilty by mistake

”...There is no doubt that you deserve to die!”

”No...” Zavaros finally understood what was truly happening. His expression gradually changed as realization settled over him, and his eyes repeatedly shifted between Robin and Kiryan before he spoke again in disbelief, trying to make sense of the situation from the only perspective that seemed logical to him. ”Do the two of you actually think Iʼm with the Syndicate?”

”Youʼre worse.” Kiryan stared directly into his eyes, his gaze burning with unconcealed fury as every word left his mouth with absolute conviction.

”No!!” The violent aura surrounding Zavaros gradually subsided, and the defensive expression covering his face completely collapsed as desperation slowly replaced it. ”I was only carrying out the final wish of the man who made my strength possible in the first place,” Zavaros hurriedly defended himself. ”As for the blood, no one has ever complained about it. Itʼs always been recognized as the finest available anywhere in the universe. It has helped countless powers, clans, and bloodlines rise to remarkable positions within their respective societies, allowing many of them to produce extraordinary experts. As for the resources, I was destroying my own personal wealth. I wasnʼt stealing from anyone, robbing anyone, or attacking anyone...” Then his voice rose even further, almost becoming a shout. ”I never intended to harm anyone!!”

”You harmed the entire universe and handed it over to its enemies on a silver plate!” Kiryan shot back immediately, his voice shaking with rage.

”Stop pretending!!” Zavaros angrily waved his hand. ”We only learned today that the universe even had enemies!!” Then he looked directly toward Robin, refusing to back down. ”The very idea of strengthening or weakening the universe itself never crossed my mind, just as it never crossed this Kiryanʼs before today. How could you possibly expect me to account for something that I didnʼt even know existed?!” His voice climbed even higher as years of frustration poured out at once. ”All I ever wanted was to survive!!”

”....” Kiryan instinctively wanted to refute him, several arguments already forming in his mind, yet after opening his mouth, he ultimately remained silent.

The truth was, had he learned all of this about Zavaros before today, before everything Robin had revealed, he would have found the situation strange, perhaps disturbing, but nothing beyond that.

But merely finding it strange had never been an option available to Zavaros. He had sworn an oath upon himself, and regardless of how bizarre or unreasonable that final wish had sounded, he believed he was obligated to fulfill it without hesitation. Because of that oath, he had deliberately suppressed every doubt that arose inside him, forcing himself to stop questioning it altogether so he could continue moving forward without wavering.

Would he still have continued had he known everything they now knew about the Seer, the external powers, and the true state of the universe beyond their understanding?

...None of them would ever know the answer to that question.

”...” Robin continued staring into Zavarosʼs face with his glowing golden eyes for several more long seconds, as though trying to peer beyond the manʼs words and directly into the truth hidden within his soul. Eventually, he turned away and calmly returned to his seat upon the sofa, his gaze drifting quietly toward the distant horizon. Neither his posture nor the expression on his face carried the same relaxed ease they had possessed earlier. A faint trace of heaviness now lingered within both. ”No wonder...”

Everyone immediately fell silent and focused entirely upon Robin, instinctively sensing that he had reached another important conclusion.

”...No wonder the Seer has been orchestrating all those great wars ever since the dawn of history,” Robin murmured, his eyes remaining wide open while countless fragments of information rapidly connected together inside his mind. ”At first, I assumed he was simply selfish, using universal wars as unimaginably cruel trials for his candidates. Later, my understanding evolved, and I concluded that he was provoking conflict in order to stimulate civilization itself, forcing people to grow stronger, compete against one another, and accelerate the development of military technology for some greater objective. I believed he was preparing the universe for something enormous.”

Then his voice gradually became quieter still. ”Even the single war he orchestrated through me was intended to eliminate one foolish traitor while simultaneously exposing a hidden enemy...” His eyes slowly widened as yet another possibility formed before him. ”Could it actually be... that every war into which he has thrown his candidates throughout history was, in reality, intended to eliminate one of the universeʼs hidden enemies?”

”....?!” Zavarosʼs entire body began trembling uncontrollably as an indescribable chill spread through him.

The carefully orchestrated war between himself and Helmor had truly been arranged with the intention of eliminating him... and had never been a coincidence from the very beginning?

An existence like the Seer had genuinely decided that he deserved to die?!

”What do you intend to do with him?” Kiryan asked sharply, his eyes never leaving Zavaros for even a moment.

”....” After hearing the question, Robin slowly turned his gaze back toward Zavaros once more. ”He truly didnʼt know. My eyes tell me that much. Heʼs an idiot, and countless sins have undoubtedly been committed through his hands, but he genuinely didnʼt know...” Robin paused briefly before speaking again in an even calmer voice. ”Executing him under those circumstances would be unjust.”

”....” Zavaros silently lowered his head.

He felt no joy whatsoever.

Even when facing the Butcher Marlik, he had stubbornly rejected anything he found unacceptable. If circumstances demanded it, he had always been fully prepared to stand and fight, because his pride as the Behemoth of Beasts had always meant far more to him than blindly obeying anotherʼs commands...

But now... now that his life had been spared in such an utterly humiliating manner, he found himself incapable of uttering even a single word.

His life and death truly rested within Robinʼs hands... and, strangely enough, at that moment an honorable death earned in battle almost seemed preferable.

”Zavaros.” Robin raised his voice once again. ”A little while ago, I made both you and Kiryan an offer. He accepted it without hesitation. You, however, said you had something resembling a condition?”

”No... no conditions.” Zavaros answered weakly, the strength that had once filled his voice having completely disappeared.

Robin continued without hesitation, ”The Soul Oath Glatheon prepares for you will be considerably stricter than the one Kiryan accepted. You understand that, donʼt you?”

”....” Zavaros silently nodded in acknowledgment.

”Good.” Robin finally allowed a faint smile to return to his face before gesturing toward the seat beside him. ”Come and sit down. During the period ahead, youʼll spend your time atoning for every one of your sins. Iʼll personally make certain that youʼre given the opportunity to do exactly that.”

He then motioned for Kiryan to sit as well, the warning contained within his eyes making it unmistakably clear that the matter was now closed and would not be discussed again.

And after only a brief moment of hesitation, both of them quietly took their seats.

The last to take his seat was Glatheon.

”...”

In the span of only a few short minutes, Robin presence had undergone yet another transformation. At first, he had appeared to be nothing more than a reckless young man who rushed headfirst into dangerous situations without sufficient restraint. Moments later, he had become an overwhelmingly arrogant powerhouse whose confidence bordered on absolute conceit. And now, after everything that had just unfolded, he seemed like a fair, principled leader whose judgment was guided not by emotion, pride, or personal gain, but by a sincere determination to reach the most just conclusion possible regardless of how inconvenient it might be.

Glatheon quickly shook his head, forcing those distracting thoughts aside. He unfolded a scroll with practiced movements and immediately began recording every detail of the Soul Oath, carefully refining each clause while making certain that nothing essential was overlooked.

”Lower your defenses, Zavaros.” Robin looked directly into the face of the elderly man dressed in purple robes, his expression completely serious once again. ”Iʼm going to examine the oath you took upon yourself. We cannot allow you to continue destroying your own possessions while serving under me. Whatever that oath truly is, weʼll have to understand it before deciding what to do next.”

”....” Zavaros furrowed his brows and looked toward Robin with unmistakable apprehension, his instincts warning him that allowing another person to inspect his body so thoroughly carried enormous risks.

”...?” Robin frowned in confusion before a noticeably irritated expression appeared on his face. ”Thereʼs no need to worry. Do you think Iʼm going to kill you, or search through your memories? Believe me, Iʼm interested in neither of those things. Besides, if I truly wanted to do either of them, I could simply force my way through regardless of whether you agreed or not, so your cooperation wouldnʼt make any real difference.”

”Hoo...” Zavaros released a long, exhausted sigh. ”The oath was never placed upon my soul in the first place.” Then he slowly closed his eyes, making no further attempt to resist. ”If you find it... make absolutely certain you donʼt experiment with anything unless youʼre completely sure of what youʼre doing. I have no idea what kind of consequences tampering with it might produce.”

”If I find it? Interesting.” Robin quietly released his Soul Sense, allowing it to spread outward before completely enveloping every part of Zavarosʼs body. His brows remained tightly knitted together throughout the inspection, yet beneath that serious expression, the curiosity of the researcher hidden within him had already awakened completely, his interest growing stronger with every passing moment.

The oath wasnʼt bound to the soul?

Meanwhile, during the silence that followed, Glatheon stood up and walked over toward Kiryan, showing him everything he had written upon the scroll. The two quietly began discussing several clauses contained within the proposed Soul Oath, reviewing them one by one while making subtle adjustments wherever they felt stronger restrictions or clearer wording would be more appropriate.

”Strange... I didnʼt find anything.” Robin eventually withdrew his Soul Sense, genuine surprise appearing across his face.

He hadnʼt discovered the slightest trace of any known type of oath, soul restriction, spiritual seal, or contractual mark... nor had he detected anything remotely suspicious that could explain what Zavaros had been describing all this time.

”Youʼd better pray to the heavens that I donʼt discover youʼre lying to me, Zavaros, because if I do, the consequences youʼll face tonight will be severe!” Robin said in an annoyed voice, clearly dissatisfied with the complete lack of results.

”I can feel it even as weʼre speaking! How could it possibly not exist?!” Zavaros immediately replied without hesitation, sounding almost more frustrated than Robin himself. ”Try other methods if you have any! Iʼm telling you the truth!”

”Tsk.” Golden runes rapidly spread across Robinʼs entire body, flowing across his skin like living streams of light before gradually converging above his head under the guidance of his will.

They ultimately formed a single enormous golden eye.

The majestic eye remained suspended above Robinʼs head as it gazed directly at Zavaros, as though his entire existence had become nothing more than an exposed sheet of paper with nowhere left to conceal even the smallest secret. Every layer of his body seemed completely transparent beneath that gaze, and even Zavaros himself experienced an overwhelming sense of discomfort simply from standing beneath its unwavering observation, instinctively feeling that nothing inside him remained hidden anymore.

”This...” Robin murmured quietly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. ”There really is something. Something hidden within the most intricate structure inside every single one of your cells.” Then he slowly lifted his gaze until it met Zavarosʼs directly. ”That oath... was it carved into the very Code of Creation itself?”

”...I donʼt know what that is.” Zavaros slowly shook his head with complete honesty. ”I was simply told that I would be taking an eternal oath... so I accepted it without asking further questions.”

”....” Robin shifted his full attention back toward Zavarosʼs body once more, the golden eye above him continuing its relentless inspection without missing the slightest detail. ”Then let me find out exactly how eternal it truly is.”

Without looking directly at Zavaros again, he casually waved a hand toward him. ”I want you to record everything you know about the method involving the crystal and the Young Space Beastʼs blood. Write down every detail you remember without omitting anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Perhaps Iʼll discover a flaw hidden somewhere within it... one capable of saving both you and your children.”

”....Understood.”