Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2377 Return of the beetle

Tsk, tsk...

”Ah!!” Caesar recoiled in shock, snatching his hand back as though a venomous serpent had just struck his fingers. He immediately spun around with wide eyes. ”Old man?!”

”....” Robin walked toward Caesar with an expression full of understanding, slowly nodding to himself before gently placing a hand on Caesarʼs shoulder as though comforting someone who had made a completely understandable mistake. ”Youʼre nearly a thousand years old and still a virgin. I understand. Truly. But there are proper ways to go about these things... Perhaps you should ask your younger brother Peon for some advice. He is considerably more experienced in matters like these.”

”...” Caesarʼs face rapidly turned crimson, though whether from embarrassment or fury was impossible to determine. His jaw visibly tightened as he glared at Robin. ”Old man... if you have no desire to taste death again, Iʼd advise you to drop the subject before I help you make that decision.”

”Very well, youʼre free to do as you please.” Robin immediately raised both hands in surrender without the slightest sign of fear. ”If youʼre that fond of her, you can simply wait until she recovers and then formally ask for her hand. That sounds much more respectable.”

”OLD MAN!!”

”Alright, alright.” Robin laughed as though thoroughly enjoying himself before casually taking two steps forward and walking past Caesar as if nothing unusual had happened.

Hummm...

Glatheon stepped through the portal as well. The instant he sensed the strangely tense atmosphere filling the chamber, he wisely chose to remain beside the spot where the portal had vanished, standing quietly at a respectful distance without uttering a single unnecessary word. Experience had already taught him that interrupting conversations between Robin and his sons rarely ended well for the bystanders.

”...?” Caesar frowned slightly before studying the newcomer more carefully. ”Youʼre Lord Glatheon, if Iʼm not mistaken? From the Vast Ice Wing of Sector 99?”

”Marshal Caesar, First Son of my Lord Robin.” Glatheon greeted him with a polite nod and an easy smile. ”You can drop the title. Formalities arenʼt necessary between us.”

”...?” Caesarʼs brows furrowed even deeper.

Someone possessing the strength of a Guardian should naturally be treated with honor regardless of whether he served another person or not. Yet what struck him even more was the manner of address itself.

My Lord.

Not Lord Robin.

Not the Lord.

My Lord.

Exactly what kind of relationship existed between those two?

”Hmm... Helen Destra.”

Caesar heard his fatherʼs voice behind him and slowly turned around once more.

Robin had already stopped beside the perfectly level crystal coffin, silently gazing at Helenʼs sleeping figure within it. His expression had completely lost the teasing amusement from moments ago, replaced by thoughtful calm as he quietly spoke.

”Do you remember when...”

The sentence stopped midway.

Robin gently rubbed the space between his eyebrows as though an old memory had surfaced only to slip away before reaching completion.

A moment later he turned back toward Caesar.

”Hey, little rascal, I feel like Iʼm supposed to say something wise in a situation like this. Something with a touch of arrogance, perhaps a little mockery... yet I honestly canʼt think of anything suitable.” He shrugged helplessly. ”Got any ideas?”

”Then donʼt say anything!!” Caesar immediately shouted back, unwilling to let Robin improvise any further.

”....” Robin simply turned toward Helen again before giving a small nod. ”Fair enough. That certainly makes things easier.”

A faint golden radiance slowly appeared within his eyes as he quietly began examining Helenʼs body with complete concentration, every trace of his previous playfulness disappearing as though it had never existed.

”Marshal,” Glatheon finally found an opportunity to take several careful steps closer to Caesarʼs side. ”Do you think heʼs incapable of thinking about such things... or does he simply not care enough to bother?”

”...?” Caesar turned toward Glatheon with visible surprise. ”Youʼve figured that out about him already?” His expression became noticeably more curious. ”Exactly how well do the two of you know each other?”

”Understanding my Lordʼs personality wasnʼt easy,” Glatheon replied calmly. ”But neither was it impossible.”

He folded his arms before continuing.

”In terms of wisdom, Iʼve watched him analyze universal truths that no one before him had ever reached, and likely no one after him ever will. In terms of mockery, Iʼve seen him laugh directly in the Savage Behemothʼs face without the slightest hesitation. And in terms of arrogance...” A faint smile slowly appeared upon his lips. ”Iʼve seen him place his foot on Butcher Marlikʼs face.”

The smile widened just a little.

”So saying that he canʼt is far too strong a statement. It would be more accurate to say that he simply doesnʼt consider the situation worthy of spending even a few seconds searching for an appropriate remark. He doesnʼt wish to inconvenience himself over something he finds trivial, just as he couldnʼt be bothered explaining everything to the Temporal Behemoth or the Behemoth of Purity.”

”......?!” Caesarʼs eyes widened to their absolute limit, nearly forgetting where he was.

”That old man did WHAT?!”

”Hooo...” Robin sighed at that exact moment, effortlessly interrupting their conversation without even turning around. ”Just as I expected.”

”My Lord,” Glatheon immediately asked, his attention returning to Robin. ”Whatʼs wrong with her?”

”Her soul domain is abnormal. It was almost certainly tampered with during her childhood. Someone artificially cultivated an affinity toward the Path of Destruction in general, and toward the Law of Ashification in particular.” Robin spoke without taking his eyes off her, the brilliant golden radiance within them continuing to pulse rhythmically as though countless invisible calculations were unfolding behind them. ”I was rather surprised when I first heard that the Law of Ashification had preserved her life. Up until now, I have never encountered any genuine consciousness residing within the laws themselves.”

He continued in the same calm tone, ”That story may not be entirely false, however. That artificial affinity complicated the natural sequence of death far beyond what should normally be possible. Or perhaps those living weapons were altered in such a way that killing them became inherently more difficult than ordinary cultivators. You could say the Law of Ashification truly did preserve her life... but it did so against its own nature rather than out of kindness. It simply became trapped within a set of circumstances it had no choice but to obey.”

”Whatʼs going on here?” Caesar finally asked after remaining silent for several moments. ”And more importantly... what brought you here today?”

”I promised Hedrick that I would treat Helen and Hydras for his sake.” Robin casually shrugged, as though fulfilling such promises required no explanation. ”For some reason, heʼs deeply attached to his past. Perhaps thatʼs his own way of proving to himself that heʼs a real human being with a family, memories, and people worth protecting... and I have no particular reason to deny him something so simple.”

He continued, ”My original purpose in coming today was merely to understand their current condition well enough to think about possible solutions during my upcoming period of seclusion...” A faint smile slowly appeared across his face. ”Although... perhaps that preparation wonʼt be nearly as necessary as I originally believed.”

He then walked several unhurried steps toward Hydrasʼ crystal coffin and stood silently before it for several long moments as well, his glowing eyes calmly examining every detail without rushing.

”...Almost the same situation here. The method of solving it will naturally differ somewhat from Helenʼs case. Iʼll need to stabilize his nascent soul within his soul domain once again before anything else, but fortunately this isnʼt what Iʼd call an unsolvable equation.”

His gaze slowly shifted back and forth between Helen and Hydras several times before he quietly concluded,

”Those things are remarkably difficult to kill.”

”...What exactly do you mean by those things?!” Caesar asked immediately, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

”Allow me to explain everything thatʼs happened over the past period. Young Master Richard witnessed most of it anyway.” Glatheon stepped forward, approaching Caesar before leaning slightly toward him. He deliberately positioned himself close enough that only Caesar would hear comfortably, while still keeping his voice loud enough for Robin to interrupt should Glatheon accidentally mention something he shouldnʼt. At the same time, he spoke calmly and respectfully, careful not to disturb Robinʼs ongoing examination.

Nearly an hour later—

”...”

Caesarʼs face had grown noticeably pale.

The sheer amount of information that had just been forced into his mind was enough to leave almost anyone speechless.

An hour?

Even an entire day would scarcely have been sufficient to properly explain every statement he had heard, let alone the countless implications hidden behind each of them.

”So much has happened...” he muttered inwardly, almost questioning whether only a few weeks had truly passed.

”Alright.” Robin brought his hands together in a single clap.

Pak.

A satisfied smile appeared across his face as he continued,

”Iʼve finished creating copies of both of their soul domains.”

He then turned toward Caesar.

”Do you still require them for studying the Law of Death? If so, I can simply leave now and return another time, just as Iʼd originally intended.”

”So you actually knew what I was doing this entire time, you shameless old pervert?!” Caesar shouted through tightly clenched teeth. After glaring at Robin for a moment, he lowered his gaze before slowly shaking his head. ”...No need.”

”Iʼve already seen everything there was for me to learn. Remaining beside her any longer wonʼt reveal anything new.” He let out a quiet breath. ”Besides... judging by everything Iʼve just heard, I doubt Iʼll have much free time from this point onward after what youʼve done to Hedrick and Renara...” His brows tightened into an obvious expression of reproach. ”And after those promises you made to the Savage and the Oppressor as well!!”

”Minor matters, minor matters.” Robin dismissed the subject with two casual waves of his hand before leisurely walking over until he stood directly in front of Helen once again.

”Please allow this little beetle to spend a little time beetling beside you.” He chuckled softly. ”Hehe... Iʼll be finished very quickly.”

Pak.

Caesar slapped one palm into the other in helpless resignation.

”I knew he wouldnʼt be able to keep his mouth shut.”

Hummm...