Lord of the Truth

"The message box is glowing..."

Robin pursed his lips for a moment, a slight twitch forming in the corner of his mouth.

He glanced casually toward the desk and the empty boards laid out before him, then turned back and tapped on the glowing message icon with a lazy finger.

"Well, I don't think it'll take much of my time anyway. Let's get this over with."

*Zzzznn*

"Ooh, that's… a lot." Robin's eyes widened instantly in sheer disbelief.

He found himself suddenly staring at millions upon millions of unread messages, originating from hundreds of thousands of different sources scattered across the known and unknown galaxies.

"What is happening here? Did I become the central emergency hub of the entire cosmos without knowing it?!"

He began rapidly flipping through the endless list like a man searching for sanity.

"Who even are all these people, exactly?"

<You could say they're your admirers, or perhaps... hopeful opportunists.> the fairy replied quickly, floating beside him like a loyal assistant.

<But of course, any individual bold enough to send you a message directly must hold a certain level of confidence that you might actually respond. Every single one of them is either a planetary emperor, a legendary craftsman, or someone of comparable status and influence.>

"What exactly do they want from me now? Invitations to royal tea parties?

Or perhaps absurd custom crafting requests?"

Robin clicked his tongue in irritation.

"This is nonsense. Why don't they just submit a formal request in the Chamber of Truth like civilized people?

Some individuals truly have an unmatched sense of self-importance.

Each one probably believes they're some once-in-a-lifetime genius with irresistible charisma and that I'll just—hmm?"

Robin stopped his annoyed scrolling when a particular name sparked recognition.

"Renara sent me a message?"

"Huh... she was at the auction and she clearly knows I'm Human...

I wonder what she's after.

Maybe she's reconsidering her original sponsorship offer? Hehehe..."

Without further delay, he paused his scrolling and tapped her message with a sharp grin.

Immediately, Renara's face materialized above the control panel.

Then the recorded message began to play automatically:

(Robin Burton… oh, or should I say Lord Robin now?

Your son, Caesar, has been acting arrogantly toward the World Calamities you assigned to protect him—per our agreement.

He even spoke rudely to my sister, and now he's going around attacking planets at will without coordinating with me—even though those planetary territories are technically under my jurisdiction.

At the very least, I should be consulted to avoid major political consequences.

As a result, I'm withdrawing my official support, though I'll still allow him to use my name as agreed.

I await your instructions to make him stop before he damages himself or those around him.)

"Hmm…? She's trying to act like she doesn't know anything about my current level of power or my position in the greater cosmic stage—pretending as if nothing has changed in order to save face and force me to respond in kind.

Tsk~ refusing to acknowledge reality is dangerous.

Adaptability is what makes a person truly successful in the long term... it's also what ensures that any empire survives in the ever-changing tides of the multiverse."

Robin sighed deeply and closed the message window without replying.

Then he turned his gaze toward the fairy.

"Can you check if someone named Sword-Theo2 has sent me anything recently?"

<Done!> the fairy snapped her fingers swiftly.

And just like that, Theo's calm and composed face appeared right in front of Robin.

(Hello, Father. I know I shouldn't bother you unnecessarily, but you really need to deal with the Nine Paths Empire when you get a chance.

They're seriously obstructing Elder Brother Caesar's advancement at every possible turn, and just recently, they've even begun harassing the slaves you instructed me to acquire.

Brother Caesar already mentioned it to you, and I'm just reiterating—we don't need them anymore.

If you give us the signal, we are fully prepared to launch an attack at the Nine Paths Empire any day, any time.)

"Haha! Looks like Theo actually put his allowance to very good use."

Robin clapped his hands loudly, laughing so hard that his voice echoed across the serene and perfect illusionary world around him.

Then he snapped his fingers again and pointed straight at Theo's image.

"Fairy, transfer five billion to that brilliant young man."

<Done!> the fairy clapped once with pride, beaming brightly.

"Hmmm, how do I record a message reply… this button right here?"

Robin tapped a specific icon within the conversation interface with Theo, then leaned forward and began speaking into the recorder:

(I've just sent some funds your way. Strengthen Caesar and the Shadow Swords to the maximum—don't hold back.

And don't allow anyone to harass our forces—if they try, eliminate them.

Also, I want you to tell Emily and Zara to completely halt any sales to the Nine Paths Empire.

If they insist on buying anything, you know the mid-belt pricing—sell it to them at double the price.

As for Renara herself… just ignore her. I'll handle her personally.)

He tapped the same icon again to end the recording.

"Did it send correctly?"

<Correct. Sword-Theo2 will be able to view it as soon as he logs into the Soul Society next time.> the fairy confirmed with a nod.

"Good... now bring me back the conversation thread that was open a moment ago," Robin's eyes now shimmered with gleaming sparks.

<Done.> the fairy gestured confidently toward the control panel.

"Hmm.." Robin nodded thoughtfully when he saw Renara's message appear among the others, then calmly pressed the same button again and began recording his reply:

(Miss Renara, I won't get into the specifics of who's right and who's wrong here—because frankly, such details are irrelevant to me.

Thank you for your services up until this point; they've been appreciated, but we no longer require them.

Caesar has my full permission to act as he wishes, whenever he deems appropriate, in whichever way he sees fit.

Regarding the flags of the Nine Paths Empire, we're happy to continue borrowing them and will pay an annual rental fee of 50,000 energy pearls as compensation.

Alternatively, you may exercise your right to withdraw them, and in that case, we'll establish a fully independent planetary empire of our own the very next day and dissolve the previous agreement in a peaceful and civilized manner.

Good evening to you!)

After that, he pressed "Send" without hesitation.

"Tsk~ What a strange and unpredictable woman this Renara is..." Robin muttered, visibly irritated, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back.

"I can at least understand Helen's arrogance—despite being poor, trapped politically, and utterly incompetent when it comes to managing or even maintaining a decent empire, she at least possesses undeniable power, impressive talent, and a prestigious bloodline.

She has something solid to fall back on—something that justifies her pride and allows her to speak to others with that condescending tone of hers.

But Renara? What exactly does she have to justify treating me like an equal?

What makes her think she has the standing to speak with authority to someone like me?

She's no different from the hundreds of thousands of nobles who flooded the auction house, all of them dreaming of a single word or acknowledgment from me right now!"

Displeased, Robin closed the message window with a firm motion.

His initial impression of Renara had been that of a composed, noble woman—perhaps one with an overly elevated sense of pride, yes—but not someone reckless or impulsive.

Her current behavior—trying to speak to Caesar as though she were his superior, and issuing veiled threats to Robin himself—was outright bizarre and defied logic.

It was as though someone else was influencing her thoughts and decisions behind the scenes, pushing her to act irrationally, recklessly, and even self-destructively—for reasons that could only hurt her and jeopardize her empire's future.

"No matter..." Robin shook his head to erase the entire thought and banish it from his mind.

"Whether it's her or someone else manipulating things in the background, I don't have the time, energy, or interest to waste on side characters like these."

He then glanced with rising annoyance at the endless sea of unread messages still blinking across his interface.

"Fairy, can you filter everything? Move all the irrelevant messages—those sent by people of no consequence—into the trash or archive or wherever. I only want to see messages from the individuals I've personally accepted as friends."

Robin had only accepted a few select friend requests—those sent by individuals dwelling above the clouds, beings who held true power.

Their number was extremely limited.

All of them were, at the very least, Millennium Emperors, Royal Soul Masters, or ancient beings who had walked the worlds before most empires even existed.

Any message from them could contain secrets, opportunities, or warnings of cosmic significance.

<Done!> the fairy snapped her fingers with a polite and charming smile, and the interface instantly cleared itself of all the noise.

"Hmm, seven messages remain," Robin muttered, gently scratching the side of his head.

"Lord This... Lord That... Lord—"

Suddenly, his expression changed completely, shifting from casual indifference to utter shock.

His eyes widened.

"Lord Hedrik?!"