Lord of the Truth

Robin let out a light laugh at Emily's reaction, clearly amused.

"The reason your soul domain appears overwhelmingly white," he began, "is because your soul strength hasn't yet exceeded a thousand units. That blankness represents its potential—untouched, vast, and pure. It feels spacious because, from what I can sense, you were born with a rather exceptional soul. I suspect it's tied to an inherent aptitude for deep analysis or complex processing. On top of that, you've been using a soul-strengthening technique for about 150 years, haven't you? That's not a short time. Because of that long-term dedication, your current soul power has reached around 700 points."

He gave her a meaningful smile, the kind that hinted he wasn't finished surprising her.

"And those glowing orbs floating around? Those are your second gift from me."

Emily's eyes widened further in disbelief, her curiosity overwhelming the exhaustion that had been etched into her features moments ago. For an instant, the weight of all the responsibilities she carried seemed to melt away.

"A second gift? What is it?" she asked eagerly, her voice filled with a mixture of excitement and wonder.

"They are what we call initial souls," Robin said softly. "When you gather the soul of a living being immediately after it departs from the body, it doesn't just vanish into the void. Instead, if you're prepared, it can be guided into your soul domain and take up residence there as its new home. All that's required of you is to refine them. With that process, not only will your soul domain expand considerably, but you'll also gain access to soul creatures that you can summon when needed."

"These… these are the soul creatures you are using in battles?!" Emily exclaimed in astonishment. Her eyes sparkled as she turned her gaze toward the edge of the room, already imagining how she could put such beings to use—even, amusingly, in her office work.

Robin chuckled again and gently shook his head. He could already envision what kind of plans someone like Emily would be forming in her mind.

"I'm afraid I'll have to bring you back to reality a bit," he said, his tone light but firm. "As you saw, there's a huge number of orbs in your soul domain, all in different sizes. Most of them are small—those are the souls of creatures like trees, rodents, insects, and fish. Refining them won't give you legendary beasts or powerful summons, but what they will do is create a balanced inner ecosystem within your domain. Through them, you'll gather enough soul energy to push past the first major threshold—the Silver Weapon level. That means reaching, and surpassing, one thousand units of soul power."

He paused, then added with a knowing look,

"Once you've refined all of the smallest initial souls, you'll come across a slightly more substantial group. These are souls of low-tier wild beasts—wolves, wild boars, tigers. While not fearsome in the grand scheme of things, they carry much more power than the smaller souls and will further boost your soul strength by another thousand or two units. Not only that, but these entities will be valuable as reliable summons. They can assist with basic tasks, support roles, or even crowd management."

Emily leaned forward slightly, her curiosity piqued even more.

"What about the really big ones?" she asked quickly, referring to the noticeably larger orbs—some the size of apples, others nearing the size of watermelons—floating silently among the rest.

"Haha, now those," Robin said with a grin, "you'll have to discover for yourself. But not just yet—wait until you've finished refining the first two levels of souls. Consider it a surprise waiting for the worthy."

Then, with a smooth gesture, he produced a small metallic chip from a hidden compartment in his robe and extended it toward her.

"This chip contains a trove of knowledge," he said, his voice filled with calm confidence. "Inside, you'll find detailed instructions on how to build Soul Altars—structures that aid significantly in the refinement process. There's also a guide on how to open soul gates with minimal resistance, a breakdown of several basic defensive and offensive soul techniques—particularly support-oriented ones—and, most importantly, a method for helping others unlock their own soul domains."

"This… this is incredible…" Emily whispered, her voice filled with awe. She reached out and took the chip with both hands, as if she were handling a precious artifact.

Robin pointed at her firmly, his tone turning resolute.

"Emily, I don't just want you to become the second Soul Master in the empire. That title alone is impressive, yes, but I want you to go beyond that. I want you to become a trailblazer—a founding master of this path. I want the next generation of soul practitioners to come from under your guidance and carry forward a legacy that began with you."

"A pioneer in the path of Soul Force..." Emily murmured thoughtfully, almost to herself, as if the words needed to be repeated aloud to feel real. But her contemplation didn't last long. Suddenly, a concerned expression crossed her face, and she turned to look at Robin directly.

"But... do I actually have the time to take on something so demanding?" she asked, her tone filled with both curiosity and a trace of anxiety.

Robin smiled knowingly, as though he had anticipated her question well in advance.

"Those individuals who were just present a short while ago—all of them already possess soul strength that is considerably higher than the average person. They are the perfect candidates for your initial efforts. Begin with them," he advised calmly, his voice steady and reassuring.

"Refining their soul force and helping them awaken their soul domains will no doubt be exhausting at first. It'll take effort, concentration, and discipline. But... that also means that, within just a few short years, the weight of your responsibilities will start to ease significantly. The workload will shift naturally, and you'll gain allies who can help carry the burden."

He paused briefly, then continued, his voice dropping slightly in volume but increasing in gravity.

"Additionally, I want you to replicate this chip," he said, tapping lightly on the metal shard he had just given her, "and distribute it across all of the empire's military institutions. Make copies, but enforce strict conditions for those who receive it. Only individuals who have surpassed a specific threshold of merit points, or those capable of affording it at an extraordinarily high price, should be granted access to its contents. This isn't just a tool—it's a treasure trove of knowledge. I trust I don't need to remind you just how invaluable it truly is... right?"

Emily nodded immediately, her eyes shimmering with resolve and imagination. She was already picturing herself summoning magnificent soul creatures, directing them gracefully into battle to strike down the empire's enemies with elegance and overwhelming power.

"Of course not..." she said, almost in a whisper, her voice filled with reverence.

"Haha, that's what I like to hear." Robin clapped his hands twice, producing a crisp sound that echoed faintly in the quiet room. Then he leaned back into his chair, visibly more relaxed, and spoke with satisfaction.

"It's reassuring to know that the future of the Soul Power path will be built under your leadership. I have no doubt you'll leave a legacy to be proud of."

However, just as quickly as his mood had lightened, his expression shifted again—this time turning serious. His voice deepened, tinged with concern.

"By the way... Juri told me that everything here is completely upside down. What's going on? What's the situation?"

Emily stiffened slightly at the change in topic. She hesitated for a brief second, then gently placed the chip down beside her with both hands. With visible effort, she tried to wipe the smile of excitement from her face and put on a more composed, serious expression—but she only half-succeeded.

"Well... there's actually a lot happening right now," she began slowly, searching for the right words.

"At this very moment, our forces are engaged in an active war against forty-seven different planets. The conflict spans across all three armies. But more than that, there's one issue in particular that we've been meaning to discuss with you. It's perhaps the most pressing among them—and it has to do with General Raiden."

Robin's interest was piqued immediately. His brows rose ever so slightly, and he leaned forward, attentive.

"Raiden? What's the matter with him?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Emily responded formally. "Fifty years ago, General Raiden embarked on a high-level training mission under the authority of the Nine Paths Empire. He took with him his hand-picked, elite task force composed of 3,000 Martial Emperors drawn from his own personal army. The terms of the agreement were clear: over the span of thirty years, he was to participate in three battles alongside the Nine Paths forces. In addition, he was required to obey the chain of command of their generals—if he disobeyed, he'd face imprisonment."

Robin nodded slowly, absorbing the information. Nothing sounded out of place so far. In fact, it was fairly standard procedure. When lending your strongest warriors to another empire—especially one less powerful than your own—certain control measures had to be in place to prevent insubordination or disarray during joint missions.

But Robin smiled subtly. He wasn't worried. He knew Raiden. These kinds of rules were unnecessary in his case.

Under ordinary circumstances, the True Beginning Empire would have outright rejected any such constraints. But they wanted exposure to the Middle Belt—to learn about combat styles, strategic variations, and the subtleties of interstellar warfare at a higher level. Even if it came with a bit of humiliation or subservience... the potential rewards were worth it.

"...But that's not what actually happened," Emily continued, her voice dropping slightly, heavy with frustration.

"In the first year alone, General Raiden participated in the three battles we agreed to. During that time, he suffered from continuous mockery, mistreatment, and thinly veiled contempt from their side. But despite all of that... things changed. According to the reports, he was suddenly given full authority over the entire front-line army. Now—right now—he and his original 3,000 elite soldiers are the sole defenders of an entire planet!"

She paused briefly, then added, her voice almost incredulous:

"And to make matters more outrageous—there's a World Calaclysm-level expert from the Nine Paths Empire stationed on that very planet. Yet, that person issues no orders. He stays silent and lets Raiden lead everything."

Robin burst out laughing. His voice echoed with pride and amusement.

"Haha! Now that sounds exactly like the Raiden I know! So what's the problem, then?"

Emily's expression grew cold. Her brows furrowed, her jaw tightened.

"The problem is how they're treating us—as if we're completely ignorant fools."

Her voice was sharper now, her frustration breaking through.

"General Raiden has remained in that position, fighting under those extreme conditions, purely out of honor. They thirty years were over 20 years ago and he is still there, fighting. e fears that if he were to withdraw, it could lead to disaster. That disaster could destabilize diplomatic ties between you, Your Majesty, and the Nine Paths Empire."

She inhaled deeply and concluded,

"So he's kept his silence. He's endured. But they're crossing the line, over and over again. They've begun to treat us not just as allies—but as naive, disposable pawns."